Notorious Nineteen by Janet Evanovich
My Rating: 4 of 5 Stars
Okay, Janet Evanovich! I’m officially putting you in the same category as Jim Butcher. No, not genre-wise. But dang it! Both of you are driving me completely crazy! (Not a long drive, of course, but that’s beside the point.) I find myself stomping around the house now, muttering, “When? When, when, when?” Geeze. Fourteen books for Butcher, and an astonishing NINETEEN for Evanovich, and I’m still wondering WHEN Harry Dresden and/or Stephanie Plum will finally make certain decisions about certain people, and get ON WITH IT, for Pete’s sake!!! GAH!!!
VERY TINY, MINOR, ITTY-BITTY SPOILER ALERT HERE, which I’m posting for those who can’t figure out from the included TEAM MORELLI and TEAM RANGER stickers that Stephanie is still dithering around about who she really loves.
And by “loves,” I mean LOVES, rather than lusts for. Because of course, she loves Morelli. Belongs with Morelli. And needs to MARRY Morelli, already! But something always conspires to toss Ranger’s overwhelming Uber-sexiness into her path again, in every book, and this one is no different. I did appreciate the fact that she didn’t act on every impulse Ranger triggers, though I’m not sure how long that will last. Can we say “Mega Temptation,” boys and girls? But of course, if you can’t resist temptation, well, what does that say about you?
Now, conflict between Ranger and Morelli aside, this book was fun. For me, it started kind of slow, and I wasn’t feeling the usual humor level, but then it began to pick up. I really enjoyed the last two-thirds of the book. There were two different mystery/situations going on, and the one concerning Ranger was nicely done. The case Stephanie was on had such an obvious answer, I began to think both she and Morelli had gone stupid on me. It was fun watching them unravel it all–downright hilarious, at times, especially when Lula and Briggs get in on the action– but they really should have known what was going on much sooner than they did.
My favorite bits in the book were snippets of dialog between Stephanie and Morelli that I persist in thinking of as “adorable,” though that sounds pretty dopey. Still, the snappy comebacks between the two of them are perfection, and always leave me smiling.
If you are a Stephanie Plum fan, you will enjoy the book, even though there are no surprises here. Still, it’s like a visit with old friends, or putting on your most comfortable robe and slippers for a contented evening in front of the fire. Nothing exciting, but it just feels good. So good, I’m giving it 4 stars, for the happiness factor, alone.
Notorious Nineteen: A Stephanie Plum Novel
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Nice review. Although we typically read different genres, I enjoy your approach to book reviews. Nicely done.
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Thanks, Sheri. I do read a LOT of different genres, but lately have had a more narrow focus, enjoying the current glut of spooky stuff that will no doubt fade away again after a while. It’s great escapism for me. And Stephanie Plum just makes me laugh. A lot. But I do have a few things more “literary” in my To Be Read basket, and will get to them at some point, so hang in there. There might be something more up your alley any time now. 🙂
So glad you enjoy the reviews, though. It’s fun to have a place to put my thoughts out there, strange though they may be. Thanks for taking the time to comment. Have a great evening.
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