JUST LOVE EVANOVICHDecember 1, 2008 ANOTHER FUN READ BY THIS AUTHOR. I'VE READ MANY OF HER BOOKS AND ENJOYED THEM ALL.
Plum LovingOctober 6, 2008 This is a can not put down book. Janet Evanovich is a great writter. I am working working my way through all of the Plum series, since I got hooked on the first one I read.
I love these characters!September 6, 2008 Janet Evanovich writes great characters. I love Stephanie Plum and Lula and Ranger and Morelli. I have read all 17 books from this series now and am still longing for more....
Plumbing the DepthsJuly 26, 2008 3 out of 3 found this review helpful
I bought this book at a drugstore while on vacation with nothing to read. The alternatives were several variants on "How to Flatten Your Abs," a few Sue-Grafton wannabe mysteries, and romance novels with the authors' names in raised gold lettering.
The only excuse for buying this book is if you're on vacation wtih nothing to read.
I've read a couple of Stephanie Plum books (Janet Evanovich's self-effacing, Jerseyed-out bond agent), and they were OK escapist mysteries, fluffy with some light humor. Unfortunately, Plum Lovin' has a wildly improbable plot, stereotypic characters, and and an unsuccessful mix of science fiction, romance, sex without the sex, and a little mystery. The plot, such as it is, involves Ms. Plum helping a hunky bond agent named "Diesel" (how manly!)find a guy named Beaner who's out to get a matchmaker he's protecting jumped bail and is wanted by Beaner. Diesel will turn over Annie (the matchmaker) if Plum will help Ms. Hill finish five people find love (or just a good dinner companion) by Valentines' Day. The result is a contrived mishmosh with pasted-on characters and a facile resolution.
OK, so the plot's just a vehicle, right--it doesn't matter if it's convoluted as long as we're in for a fun ride. Too bad the characters are unbelievable, buffoonish stereotypes or the expected testosterone-laden men with a heart of gold. There's a strange device in which Diesel and Bean are among the "Unmentionables," people who lurk among we innocents with strange, powers. Evanovich hints at these darkly, using them to portray Beaner's menacing danger and elusive movements, and Diesel's sexually-charge and unsuccessful moves for Stephanie.
Again, excusable if this jokey implausibility served as a backdrop for quick-witter satire, or any real sense of mystery or suspense. However, Beaner's power is the ability to spread hives (hives!) without skin contact, and Diesel's brutish sexuality consists of lam-o repeated suggestions to Stephanie that have all the subtlety and wit of a junior high bathroom wall. The pursuit of Beaner and Annie (and a Jersey gangster inserted to make the story make sense) all take a backseat at times to deal with the five lonelyhearts, who, of course, "comically" find their Valentines with the same kind of dumb luck and convenient fortuity as Stephanie and Diesel.
Although there are some clever lines, and one or two of the heartbroken "Marty-like" lovebirds have interesting trajectories, this is the literary (if one may use that word here) equivalent of Muzak. If the contrived teasers had been pruned, and some real excitement and adult sexuality generated (along with some sleuthing that didn't rely so heavily on a drunken informant), there might have been enough substance to hold up the froth.
not total trashJune 22, 2008 ok so I got this book as a freebie and I love the Stephanie Plum series. The thing is: this takes familiar characters out of the realm of reality and gives them a whimsical twist. Not together unpleasant, but not the Sephanie Plum series I adore. The familiarity gives it something to bond to, but I was afraid it would detract from the series when I went back to it. It didn't and for this reason alone I am saying it was a good little read. Fortunately it is brief and easy to read. The between series is 'cute', but I still think overall it detracts from the main series. That being said I also bought the next one before I started the between series. I do not completely regret them, however I would not go out of my way to buy them either after having read them. The Series is another story..those are well worth the laughs.
