Now or Never - Review

Now or Never (Stephanie Plum, # 31)

By: Janet Evanovich

Publication: November 19, 2024 by Atria Books

320 pages

Genre: Adult, Humor, Mystery

Source: Borrowed from the e-library

( Goodreads | Amazon )

*Note: The above link to Amazon is an affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--She said yes to Morelli. She said yes to Ranger. Now Stephanie Plum has two fiancés and no idea what to do about it. But the way things are going, she might not live long enough to marry anyone.

While Stephanie stalls for time, she buries herself in her work as a bounty hunter, tracking down an unusually varied assortment of fugitives from justice. There’s Eugene Fleck, a seemingly sweet online influencer who might also be YouTube star Robin Hoodie, masked hero to the homeless, who hijacks delivery trucks and distributes their contents to the needy. She’s also on the trail of Bruno Jug, a wealthy and connected man in the wholesale produce business who is rumored to traffic young girls alongside lettuce and tomatoes. Most terrifying of all is Zoran—a laundromat manager by day and self-proclaimed vampire by night with a taste for the blood of pretty girls. When he shows up on Stephanie’s doorstep, it’s not for the meatloaf dinner.

With timely assists from her stalwart supporters Lula, Connie, and Grandma Mazur, Stephanie uses every trick in the book to reel in these men. But only she can decide what to do about the two men she actually loves. She can’t hold Ranger and Morelli at bay for long, and she’s keeping a secret from them that is the biggest bombshell of all. Now or never, she’s got to make the decision of a lifetime.

One of my biggest complaints about the Stephanie Plum series is the lack of overall story progression. Stephanie has been bemoaning her career and relationship status for literally thirty books. She's been on again and off again with Morelli and Ranger. And I want progress to be made. Well, I consider the progression from 29-30 and 30-31 significant. I won't spoil 31 for you, but if you're caught up to this point then you know that Stephanie accidentally engaged herself to both Ranger and Morelli. And I wasn't sure if she would actually pick by the end of this book. All I will say is that she does. 

Stephanie is chasing skips as always. Surprisingly, most of the skips in this book weren't trying to fight capture. They were mostly willing to go with her to get their court date rescheduled and be re-bonded. Of course, it can't be too easy. Willingness didn't come without some hurdles she needed to jump through to actually get them there. I thought the addition of Herbert in this book was where a lot of the comedic value came from. Stephanie knows Herbert from high school, and he keeps showing up and doing all of these favors for Stephanie. He seems to be trying to get her to date him despite her continually telling him that she's engaged. 

As always, I don't listen to these books expecting too much out of them. They're light-hearted and entertaining. I don't expect depth or emotion for the most part. However, this one was better than I was expecting. Probably because I was expecting her to somehow stall for the entire book on making a decision between Ranger and Morelli. 

As always, there is cursing and some mild content that not all readers are fond of, although there is no real on-page spice. 

Now or Never gets 4 Stars. I'm usually ready for this series to wrap up even though I enjoy the books. But Now or Never had me wanting more. The book ends with saying "not the end" so I wonder if that means more books are to come or not. Ending on a high note is what I would recommend, but I'll keep coming back for more I suspect if Janet Evanovich keeps writing them. Have you read (or listened to) Now or Never? What did you think? Let me know!

*P.S. Lorelai King is still one of my favorite audiobook narrators. And, she does a great job as always. 

Dirty Thirty - Review

Dirty Thirty (Stephanie Plum, # 30)

By: Janet Evanovich

Publication: October 31, 2023 by Atria Books

336 pages

Genre: Adult, Humor, Mystery

( Goodreads | Amazon )

*Note: The above link to Amazon is an affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--Stephanie Plum, Trenton’s hardest working, most underappreciated bounty hunter, is offered a freelance assignment that seems simple enough. Local jeweler Martin Rabner wants her to locate his former security guard, Andy Manley (a.k.a. Nutsy), who he is convinced stole a fortune in diamonds out of his safe. Stephanie is also looking for another troubled man, Duncan Dugan, a fugitive from justice arrested for robbing the same jewelry store on the same day.

With her boyfriend Morelli away in Miami on police business, Stephanie is taking care of Bob, Morelli’s giant orange dog who will devour anything, from Stephanie’s stray donuts to the upholstery in her car. Morelli’s absence also means the inscrutable, irresistible security expert Ranger is front and center in Stephanie’s life when things inevitably go sideways. And he seems determined to stay there.

To complicate matters, her best friend Lula is convinced she is being stalked by a mythological demon hell-bent on relieving her of her wardrobe. An overnight stakeout with Stephanie’s mother and Grandma Mazur reveals three generations of women with nerves of steel and driving skills worthy of NASCAR champions.

As the body count rises and witnesses start to disappear, it won’t be easy for Stephanie to keep herself clean when everyone else is playing dirty. It’s a good thing Stephanie isn’t afraid of getting a little dirty, too.

I always say that Stephanie Plum books aren't ones that I take too seriously. They're fun, filler books for me. The overall storyline progresses so slowly that not much has happened in the overall arc over the last several releases. But the gists of the events stay the same. 

Morelli is out of town testifying on a case, so Stephanie is babysitting Bob, Morelli's dog. But Morelli being missing means this book has much more of Ranger on the page. He's helping Stephanie hunt down Nutsy because his business was providing security for the jewelry store that got robbed, and Ranger doesn't like unsolved mysteries concerning his business.

Stephanie only had 3--maybe 4--skips to hunt down in Dirty Thirty, aside from working to find Nutsy who the local jewelry store owner thinks might have robbed him. Lula is always present on her adventures, but Lula is convinced she's being stalked by Grendle (from Beowulf). After Lula's apartment has a fire, she moves in with Stephanie--who temporarily moves in with Ranger. It's complicated. 

One of the best scenes of the whole book is the chase scene with Stephanie's mom driving on their stakeout. It's one of those things that you can't see Stephanie's mom doing, yet it also completely fits in with her character at the same time.

As for that overall story arc I mentioned earlier, Stephanie finds herself in a dilemma at the end of the book that will potentially move us along a little bit. I'm hesitant to get too worked up about the supposed cliffhanger because, in typical fashion, I doubt much will be solved or wrapped up in the next book. We shall see.

Either way, Dirty Thirty was entertaining and exactly what I expected it to be when I picked it up. I actually had a chuckle out loud with this book which bumps it from my typical 3-Star rating to a 4-Star rating. Have you read (or listened to) Dirty Thirty? What did you think? Let me know!

Going Rogue - Review

Going Rogue (Stephanie Plum, # 29)

By: Janet Evanovich

Publication: November 1, 2022 by Atria Books

324 pages

Genre: Adult, Mystery, Humor

Source: Borrowed from the e-library

( Goodreads | Amazon )

*Note: The above link to Amazon is an affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--Stephanie Plum breaks the rules, flirts with disaster, and shows who’s boss in this “fast and fun” (Publishers Weekly) thriller from #1 New York Times bestselling author Janet Evanovich.

Monday mornings aren’t supposed to be fun, but they should be predictable. However, on this particular Monday, Stephanie Plum knows that something is amiss when she turns up for work at Vinnie’s Bail Bonds to find that longtime office manager Connie Rosolli, who is as reliable as the tides in Atlantic City, hasn’t shown up.

Stephanie’s worst fears are confirmed when she gets a call from Connie’s abductor. He says he will only release her in exchange for a mysterious coin that a recently murdered man left as collateral for his bail. Unfortunately, this coin, which should be in the office—just like Connie—is nowhere to be found.

The quest to discover the coin, learn its value, and save Connie will require the help of Stephanie’s Grandma Mazur, her best pal Lula, her boyfriend Morelli, and hunky security expert Ranger. As they get closer to unraveling the reasons behind Connie’s kidnapping, Connie’s captor grows more threatening and soon Stephanie has no choice but to throw caution to the wind, follow her instincts, and go rogue.

Full of surprises, thrills, and humor, Going Rogue reveals a new side of Stephanie Plum, and shows Janet Evanovich at her scorching, riotous best.

The Stephanie Plum series is one that doesn't fit any of my normal standards. What I mean is that normally I can't stand not to finish something. I normally don't skip around in a series. I can't stand missing pieces of a puzzle or not reading a series from book one to the end. In this series, I started in book 15 I think. I haven't read books 2-14 at all. I've missed some between 24 and 29. Under usual circumstances, this would bug me to no end. But I'm not bugged because it's this series alone. I don't read these books to experience the next big literary masterpiece. Or even to advance the story. As a matter of fact, the overall storyline hasn't advanced...at all...in many books.

This book starts off with Connie being kidnapped pretty early. Stephanie is in charge of finding what the kidnappers want in order to get Connie returned safely. Ranger is helping her. Morelli is mostly working an off-book murder case for convenience's sake. Vinny is out of town for most of the book. So it's up to Stephanie with the help of Lula, of course, to keep the office running as well as get Connie back. I didn't have any laugh-out-loud moments.

I find this is pretty much all I have to say about the book. I enjoyed it. I'll hit up the next book since I actually have it for review. And I do continue to hope that there will be progress in the overall storyline, although I never expect it. Going Rogue gets 3 Stars. Lorelai King is one of the best audiobook narrators I've ever listened to. Have you read (or listened to) Going Rogue? What did you think? Let me know!

Twisted Twenty-Six - Review

Twisted Twenty-Six (Stephanie Plum, # 26)

By: Janet Evanovich

Publication: November 12th 2019 by G.P. Putnam's Sons

312 pages

Genre: Adult, Humor, Mystery

Source: Borrowed from the e-Library

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository )

*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--Stephanie Plum's career has taken more wrong turns than a student driver on the Jersey Turnpike, and her love life is a hopeless tangle. In order to save someone dear to her, she'll have to straighten things out in Twisted Twenty-Six the latest, novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Janet Evanovich.

Grandma Mazur is a widow...again. This time her marriage lasted a whole 45 minutes. The unlucky groom was one Jimmy Rosolli, local gangster, lothario (senior division) and heart attack waiting to happen...well, the waiting's over.

It's a sad day, but if she can't have Jimmy at least Grandma can have all the attention she wants as the dutiful widow. But some kinds of attention are not welcomed, particularly when Jimmy's former "business partners" are convinced that his widow is keeping the keys to their financial success for herself.

As someone who has spent an entire career finding bad guys, a set of missing keys should be no challenge for Stephanie Plum. Problem is, the facts are as twisted as a boardwalk pretzel with mustard.

I find I never have much to say about these books. One of my Stephanie Plum reviews is probably exactly the same as any other. The description tells you pretty much everything you need to know. Grandma Mazur is newly widowed. She wasn't married to Jimmy long enough to be traumatized, and she was half expecting to be a widow again considering Jimmy's age. But the resulting mess of Jimmy's will and the keys that his crew and others are looking for is starting to make Grandma rethink some things.

Stephanie's doing some re-thinking too. She's burned out with her job. Her relationship with Morelli isn't moving forward. She's tired.

For a couple of years, I've grabbed one of the Stephanie Plum audiobooks to listen to while decorating my Christmas tree. But this year the kids were with me and helped decorate, so no Stephanie Plum, but they were spending the night at Grandma's when I took down the Christmas tree, so I grabbed this one then. I always have to give Lorelai King her props. She does an excellent job narrating as always.

Twisted Twenty-Six and all of the Stephanie Plum books are just filler, fun books for me. I read them because I usually get a laugh or two out of them. I don't feel any pressure, and I know they're consistent. I do wish, like Stephanie, that there was some progression on the relationship front. But I don't expect much. Twisted Twenty-Six gets 3.5 Stars. Have you read (or listened to) Twisted Twenty-Six? What did you think? Let me know!

Look Alive Twenty-Fine - Review

Look Alive Twenty-Five

By: Janet Evanovich

Publication: November 13th 2018 by Putnam Pub Group

311 pages

Genre: Adult, Mystery, Humor

Source: Borrowed from e-library

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository )

*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--Stephanie Plum faces the toughest puzzle of her career in the twenty-fifth entry in Janet Evanovich's #1 New York Times bestselling series.

There's nothing like a good deli and the Red River Deli in Trenton is one of the best. World famous for its pastrami, cole slaw and for its disappearing managers. Over the last month, three have vanished from the face of the earth, the only clue in each case is one shoe that's been left behind. The police are baffled. Lula is convinced that it's a case of alien abduction. Whatever it is, they'd better figure out what's going on before they lose their new manager, Ms. Stephanie Plum.

Anytime I find myself in need of an audiobook, I always check out the next Stephanie Plum book. These are books that I don't expect too much of. It feels like Janet Evanovich will just continue on with the series for as long as people will read them. In some ways, this bugs me. I like things to be completed. When Stephanie continues to bounce back and forth between Morelli and Ranger, I start to get hives. On the other hand, I've learned to just take these books as they are. Fun and none too serious.

Stephanie and Lula find themselves working in a deli when they're not hunting down skips. Lula and food are usually a funny combination. And Look Alive Twenty-Five marks the first Stephanie Plum book that I've laughed out loud listening to in like four or five or maybe even more books from the series.

The managers of the deli that Stephanie and Lula work at have been kidnapped one by one. And since Stephanie is the current manager, Ranger and Morelli are worried she's going to be next. So they're taking turns babysitting her. I thought this was a little bit funny because Morelli would threaten Ranger with bodily harm and even death if anything inappropriate happens with Ranger and Stephanie during Ranger's on-duty time. Ranger would then tempt Stephanie to risk it.

Ironically, Look Alive Twenty-Five did set the stage for the next book which should feature a good bit of Grandma Mazur. She was mostly absent from Twenty-Five. And I missed her.

My favorite quote was from Lula. Since it was the audiobook version I can't quote it exactly, but it was something to the effect of Lula not normally having beans in her hair and how it wasn't her best look. This might have been the part that I laughed out loud about.

All things considered, Look Alive Twenty-Five might have been my favorite Stephanie Plum in the last several books. This is largely due to my decreased expectations. Look Alive Twenty-Five gets 3.5 Stars. I usually don't find that I can give these books higher than 3 Stars because I just don't expect much out of them and they usually deliver about as much as I expect. Have you read (or listened to) Look Alive Twenty-Five? What did you think? Let me know!

Ten Books I've Read Because of Book Reviews

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. This week's topic is Top Ten Books I've Bought/Borrowed Because....

1. Red Rising (Red Rising Trilogy, # 1) by Pierce Brown - Picked up because of Kimba @ The Caffeinated Reviewer.
2. Me Before You (Me Before You, # 1) by Jojo Moyes - Picked up because I first saw The Aussie Zombie's review (I'd link to it but her blog is no longer available), but then Paula and I went to see the movie and that settled my desire to read it.
3. All Lined Up (Rusk University, # 1) by Cora Carmack - Picked up because of Naomi @ Nomi's Paranormal Palace (she's since changed her blog name).
4. Breathe Annie Breathe (Hundred Oaks, # 5) by Miranda Kenneally - Picked up because of Anna Reads (her blog is also no longer active, but someone else has created a new blog with the same name).
5. Charley Davidson series by Darynda Jones - I didn't actually read her reviews, but I saw Kimba constantly rating these books four and five stars so when I had the opportunity I checked them out and loved them.
6. The Start of Me and You by Emery Lord - I can't remember who I saw review this one, but I remember it sticking in my head.
7. In Five Years by Rebecca Serle - Read because of Jennifer's review on Goodreads.
8. Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich - Because of my sister's word of mouth review.
9. When It's Real by Erin Watt - Because of Holly's review.
10. Partials (Partials, # 1) by Dan Wells - Because of The Aussie Zombie's review.

So tell me, which books have you read based solely off reading someone else's review? Let me know!

Turbo Twenty-Three - Review

Turbo Twenty-Three (Stephanie Plum, # 23)

By: Janet Evanovich

Publication: November 15th 2016 by Bantam

288 pages

Genre: Adult, Humor, Mystery, Romance

Source: Borrowed from the e-library

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository )

*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--In the heart of Trenton, N.J., a killer is out to make sure someone gets his just desserts.

Larry Virgil skipped out on his latest court date after he was arrested for hijacking an eighteen-wheeler full of premium bourbon. Fortunately for bounty hunter Stephanie Plum, Larry is just stupid enough to attempt almost the exact same crime again. Only this time he flees the scene, leaving behind a freezer truck loaded with Bogart ice cream and a dead body—frozen solid and covered in chocolate and chopped pecans.

As fate would have it, Stephanie’s mentor and occasional employer, Ranger, needs her to go undercover at the Bogart factory to find out who’s putting their employees on ice and sabotaging the business. It’s going to be hard for Stephanie to keep her hands off all that ice cream, and even harder for her to keep her hands off Ranger. It’s also going to be hard to explain to Trenton’s hottest cop, Joe Morelli, why she is spending late nights with Ranger, late nights with Lula and Randy Briggs—who are naked and afraid—and late nights keeping tabs on Grandma Mazur and her new fella. Stephanie Plum has a lot on her plate, but for a girl who claims to have “virtually no marketable skills,” these are the kinds of sweet assignments she does best.

I got frustrated with the Stephanie Plum series a few books back and took a break from them. They're just so much the same. And while that was the reason I put them down, it also became the exact reason that I picked them back up. I've been in a bit of a reading slump this entire year (book read and review written in late 2018). I don't know if it's motherhood and real life getting in the way or if it's the books that I'm choosing to read. Regardless I wanted to pick up something that I already knew exactly what to expect. And Stephanie Plum fit the bill.

I actually read listened to Tricky Twenty-Two and Turbo Twenty-Three back to back so even though I wanted something I knew what to expect, I really enjoyed Tricky Twenty-Two much better than Turbo Twenty-Three. I think the distance between the amount of time I'd read/listened to one of these books helped me enjoy that one more than this one. There was actual development (it felt like) in the Stephanie/Morelli/Ranger dynamic in 22. Whereas in 23, I felt like we made no progress and if anything took a step backward in the relationship area. And the story-line was more complex and interesting in 22 and more comical in 23.

I will say that I chuckled a little out loud while listening to 23. Lula gets me every time. Although, it has been a LONG while since any of these books made me really laugh.

Because Turbo Twenty-Three felt like a step back in the relationship areas, and the story-line was quite a bit less interesting (or maybe just far-fetched), I'll likely be taking another break from these books--until another time such as I feel the need to read (listen) to something predictable. Turbo Twenty-Three gets 3 Stars. Have you read Turbo Twenty-Three? What did you think? Let me know!

Tricky Twenty-Two - Review

Tricky Twenty-Two (Stephanie Plum, # 22)

By: Janet Evanovich

Publication: November 17th 2015 by Bantam

282 pages

Genre: Adult, Humor, Mystery, Romance

Source: Borrowed from the e-library

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository )

*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--Something big is brewing in Trenton, N.J., and it could blow at any minute.

Stephanie Plum might not be the world's greatest bounty hunter, but she knows when she's being played. Ken Globovic (aka Gobbles), hailed as the Supreme Exalted Zookeeper of the animal house known as Zeta fraternity, has been arrested for beating up the dean of students at Kiltman College. Gobbles has missed his court date and gone into hiding. People have seen him on campus, but no one will talk. Things just aren't adding up, and Stephanie can't shake the feeling that something funny is going on at the college - and it's not just Zeta fraternity pranks.

As much as people love Gobbles, they hate Doug Linken. When Linken is gunned down in his backyard it's good riddance, and the list of possible murder suspects is long. The only people who care about finding Linken's killer are Trenton cop Joe Morelli, who has been assigned the case, security expert Ranger, who was hired to protect Linken, and Stephanie, who has her eye on a cash prize and hopefully has some tricks up her sleeve.

I needed to take a break after the last couple of Stephanie Plum books that I read. That made me get a bit behind to current releases. The books were too repetitive for me to read back to back. Yet, since it'd been so long since I read one of these books, and I found myself in a reading slump, I decided to pick up Tricky Twenty-Two. Sometimes I find that knowing exactly what to expect out of a book is what I need to break me out of a slump. And in this case, I was able to enjoy Tricky Twenty-Two without putting too high of expectations on it.

Lorelai King does a wonderful job as always narrating the audiobook version (which is the version I "read").

I will say that there were no laugh out loud moments for me, but not every book is going to make me laugh out loud and if anything those books are the exception to the rule, not to regular. I still enjoyed this book even without the actual laughs.

In times past, I've found myself annoyed with the back and forth between Stephanie, Ranger, and Morelli, but that wasn't the case for this book. Perhaps that's due to the time I gave myself between reads. Perhaps it was the events of the book. Either way, I actually enjoyed wondering for once what was going to happen between these three.

Even though Tricky Twenty-Two didn't blow me away, it was consistent with what I've come to expect from a Stephanie Plum book. And "meets expectations" was exactly what I needed at the moment. Fun. Fast. Light. Tricky Twenty-Two gets 3.5 Stars. Have you read Tricky Twenty-Two? What did you think? Let me know!

Ten Characters I'd Never Want As Family

Top 10 Tuesday is a post hosted by The Broke and the Bookish and this week's topic is Top Ten Freebie so I'm choosing Ten Characters I'd Never Want As Family.

Please know...these are all books that I enjoyed. Just not characters I'd want in my family.

1. The Starks from A Song of Ice and Fire by George R R Martin - While I love the Starks their family seems a bit doomed. And talk about DRAMA!
2. The Dents from Jasper Dent by Barry Lyga - Jasper's family is so screwed up I can't even imagine being a part of it. Jasper has his fair share of issues due to his family, but it is amazing that he turned out as well as he did.
3. Stephanie Plum from Stephanie Plum by Janet Evanovich - Because she has a tendency to get things blown up.
4. Cadence from We Were Liars by E Lockhart - Because while it seems nice to own an entire island, I also don't want to burn alive.
5. Mara Dyer from Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin - Because Mara's a bit crazy and people around her tend to end up injured.
6. The Ushers from The Fall by Bethany Griffin - Because I don't want to be stuck living in that spooky house.
7. Landon from Easy by Tammara Webber - Because what family wants to endure such suffering and tragedy. Landon comes out on the other side of his trauma, but it isn't without difficulty for him to get there.
8. David from Push by Claire Wallis - Because hello serial killer.
9. Blue from The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater - Because even though her family is eccentric, I think I'd pull my hair out if they were my family. Always having my future predicted or cards read or death predicted. It's too much.
10. Emma from Emma by Jane Austen - Because if I were subjected to her constant meddling I'd really want to punch her.

What about you guys? Who would you absolutely NOT want to be a part of your family? Let me know!

Top Secret Twenty-One - Review

Top Secret Twenty One (Stephanie Plum, # 21)

By: Janet Evanovich

Published: June 17th 2014 by Bantam

320 pages

Genre: Adult, Humor

Source: Borrowed from my sister (who borrowed from the library)

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository )

*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--Catch a professional assassin: top priority. Find a failure-to-appear and collect big bucks: top score. How she’ll pull it all off: top secret.

Trenton, New Jersey’s favorite used-car dealer, Jimmy Poletti, was caught selling a lot more than used cars out of his dealerships. Now he’s out on bail and has missed his date in court, and bounty hunter Stephanie Plum is looking to bring him in. Leads are quickly turning into dead ends, and all too frequently into dead bodies. Even Joe Morelli, the city’s hottest cop, is struggling to find a clue to the suspected killer’s whereabouts. These are desperate times, and they call for desperate measures. So Stephanie is going to have to do something she really doesn’t want to do: protect former hospital security guard and general pain in her behind Randy Briggs. Briggs was picking up quick cash as Poletti’s bookkeeper and knows all his boss’s dirty secrets. Now Briggs is next on Poletti’s list of people to put six feet under.

To top things off, Ranger—resident security expert and Stephanie’s greatest temptation—has been the target of an assassination plot. He’s dodged the bullet this time, but if Ranger wants to survive the next attempt on his life, he’ll have to enlist Stephanie’s help and reveal a bit more of his mysterious past.

Death threats, highly trained assassins, highly untrained assassins, and Stark Street being overrun by a pack of feral Chihuahuas are all in a day’s work for Stephanie Plum. The real challenge is dealing with her Grandma Mazur’s wild bucket list. A boob job and getting revenge on Joe Morelli’s Grandma Bella can barely hold a candle to what’s number one on the list—but that’s top secret.

I don’t actually have much to say about this book. Pretty much everything I said in my review of Takedown Twenty is applicable to Top Secret Twenty-One also. Not much happens in the overall plot of the series or in Stephanie’s personal life. I did laugh out loud once, but didn’t laugh in general near as much as I’ve come to expect from these books. I felt like this book was filler. It was just kind of blah.

I really feel like Janet Evanovich needs to think about wrapping this series up. It feels like it has been dragged out a bit and probably past time to say goodbye. Nothing new happens (or has happened in the last 4 or 5 books). I seriously think Janet Evanovich has an outline of event such as:

Stephanie is assigned an FTA to hunt down. Check.

Stephanie and Lula ride around for a bit. Check.

Stephanie’s car gets stolen. Check.

Ranger gives Stephanie a new vehicle. Check.

Lula gets hungry. Check.

Eat at Cluck In A Bucket. Check.

Ranger/Morelli is working on a larger case. Check.

Stephanie gets involved. Check.

Someone blows up Stephanie’s apartment. Check.

Someone calls Lula fat. Check.

Lula attempts to shoot said person. Check.

Grandma Mazur goes to a funeral and/or viewing. Check.

Stephanie’s mother worries. Check.

Ranger says “babe.” Check. Check. Check. And check.

Stephanie gets all hot and bothered. Check.

Stephanie actually goes home to Morelli. Check.

Stephanie catches the skip. Check.

Stephanie catches the bad guy from the bigger situation. Check.

Stephanie gets hurt in the process. Check.

Lula makes a crack about how bad Stephanie looks. Check.

And that’s pretty much that. I’m sure that I’m missing a few pieces, but that’s the general gist of almost every book (at least the last 6 or 7). And I just kind of feel like Janet Evanovich changes up the details but makes sure they fit into this general outline.

Overall I was disappointed, but even disappointed this is an average book. Top Secret Twenty-One gets 3 Stars. Have you read Top Secret Twenty-One? What did you think? Let me know!

Top Ten Book BFFs

Top 10 Tuesday is a post hosted by The Broke and the Bookish and this week's topic is Top Ten Books I Read in 2014. But since I actually have a giveaway posted on the blog that outlines my favorite reads from this year, I figured I'd just refer you to that post. Giveaway ends 12/18/14. Instead I'm doing Top Ten Book BFFs.

1. Sara – Breathing by Rebecca Donovan – Sara is fiercely protective of Emma. She always, always has Emma’s back and will go to bat against anyone to protect her.
2. Dee – Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick – Dee is hilarious and reminds me of one of my real life friends.
3. Lulah – Stephanie Plum by Janet Evanovich – Again…hilarious! Plus Lulah can hold her own.
4. Alice – Twilight by Stephanie Meyer – Granted having her dress me might get a little old, but it’d be nice not to have to worry about what I’m going to wear. The biggest pro here would be the ability to know the future.
5. Howie - Jasper Dent by Barry Lyga - Humorous, but always has Jasper's back. When most people would run, Howie chose to stick by Jasper. He's friendship knows no bounds. As Jasper said "This is hard-core friendship. Varsity level".
6. Ron & Hermione - Harry Potter - Seriously, how could these two NOT make this list?
7. Maddie - Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein - Only the truest of friends could have had Verity's back like Maddie does. Not just anyone could have done for Verity what Maddie did.
8. Lissa - Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead - Even though Rose is the main character and does the majority of the tough work, Lissa does her fair share of saving Rose, especially in Last Sacrifice.
9. Zuzana - Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor - Also brings the humor, but also willing to do whatever it takes to be there for her best friend.
10. Erin - Easy by Tammara Webber - When Jacqueline was attacked, Erin steps up and signs them both up for self defense classes. She just generally all around a great best friend.

Can you guys believe that I kept this list to 10? Amazing, right? What are your top ten favorite reads this year? Also, who are your favorite book BFFs? Let me know!

Waiting on Top Secret Twenty-One

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Top Secret Twenty One (Stephanie Plum, # 21)

By: Janet Evanovich

Expected Publication: June 17th 2014 by Bantam

320 pages

Genre: Adult, Humor

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository )

*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--Catch a professional assassin: top priority. Find a failure-to-appear and collect big bucks: top score. How she’ll pull it all off: top secret.

Trenton, New Jersey’s favorite used-car dealer, Jimmy Poletti, was caught selling a lot more than used cars out of his dealerships. Now he’s out on bail and has missed his date in court, and bounty hunter Stephanie Plum is looking to bring him in. Leads are quickly turning into dead ends, and all too frequently into dead bodies. Even Joe Morelli, the city’s hottest cop, is struggling to find a clue to the suspected killer’s whereabouts. These are desperate times, and they call for desperate measures. So Stephanie is going to have to do something she really doesn’t want to do: protect former hospital security guard and general pain in her behind Randy Briggs. Briggs was picking up quick cash as Poletti’s bookkeeper and knows all his boss’s dirty secrets. Now Briggs is next on Poletti’s list of people to put six feet under.

To top things off, Ranger—resident security expert and Stephanie’s greatest temptation—has been the target of an assassination plot. He’s dodged the bullet this time, but if Ranger wants to survive the next attempt on his life, he’ll have to enlist Stephanie’s help and reveal a bit more of his mysterious past.

Death threats, highly trained assassins, highly untrained assassins, and Stark Street being overrun by a pack of feral Chihuahuas are all in a day’s work for Stephanie Plum. The real challenge is dealing with her Grandma Mazur’s wild bucket list. A boob job and getting revenge on Joe Morelli’s Grandma Bella can barely hold a candle to what’s number one on the list—but that’s top secret.

I never expect too much out of this series. Whatever I get is always a pleasant surprise. What are you waiting on this week? Let me know!

Takedown Twenty - Review

Takedown Twenty (Stephanie Plum, # 20)

By: Janet Evanovich

Published: November 19th 2013 by Bantam

320 pages

Genre: Adult, Mystery, Humor

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository | Booksamillion.com )

*Note: The above links to Amazon, Book Depostiroy, Booksamillion.com are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--Stephanie Plum has her sights set on catching a notorious mob boss. If she doesn’t take him down, he may take her out.

New Jersey bounty hunter Stephanie Plum knows better than to mess with family. But when powerful mobster Salvatore “Uncle Sunny” Sunucchi goes on the lam in Trenton, it’s up to Stephanie to find him. Uncle Sunny is charged with murder for running over a guy (twice), and nobody wants to turn him in—not his poker buddies, not his bimbo girlfriend, not his two right-hand men, Shorty and Moe. Even Trenton’s hottest cop, Joe Morelli, has skin in the game, because—just Stephanie’s luck—the godfather is his actual godfather. And while Morelli understands that the law is the law, his old-world grandmother, Bella, is doing everything she can to throw Stephanie off the trail.

It’s not just Uncle Sunny giving Stephanie the run-around. Security specialist Ranger needs her help to solve the bizarre death of a top client’s mother, a woman who happened to play bingo with Stephanie’s Grandma Mazur. Before Stephanie knows it, she’s working side by side with Ranger and Grandma at the senior center, trying to catch a killer on the loose—and the bingo balls are not rolling in their favor.

With bullet holes in her car, henchmen on her tail, and a giraffe named Kevin running wild in the streets of Trenton, Stephanie will have to up her game for the ultimate takedown.

The Stephanie Plum series is not a series of books that I take too seriously. I purposefully try NOT to overanalyze them. I almost feel like I’ve said everything there is to say about these books. They’re quick and fun reads. I don’t have to think too hard, predict what’s going to happen, or expect too much of them. And Takedown Twenty is no different.

As per usual, I listened to this one on audio at work. It had moments were I giggled a little and smiled a bit, but there were no laugh out loud moments. As with Notorious Nineteen, I felt like Takedown Twenty was a filler novel. Not much progress was made in the way of Stephanie making any major life decisions.

The narrator, Lorelai King, once again did a great job. She makes these novels even better. But even if I had to go back and read them myself, I think I would still hear each character in the voices that she’s done for them at this point. Janet Evanovich has done a great job of creating such memorable characters that have their own way of speaking, their own taglines, their own patterns, but Lorelai King brings all of those things to life even more.

Favorite quotes (these might not be accurately punctuated etc…I’m going off notes I took while listening to the audio version):

It goes good with my favorite color—leopard. – Lula

I’m just not ready to pay the price right now. – Ranger (you need the context, but that’s all I’m going to give you.)

Babe… – Ranger

No, she’ll poison you. She’s Sicilian. She’ll get you with a meatball. – Morelli.

I worry that someday I’m not going to be able to get to you in time. – Ranger

Lula & I are like Lucy Ricardo and Ethel Mertz. Ranger is batman. – Stephanie

Your nose don’t look so good. It’s swollen up already and making a right hand turn. – Lula

You gotta admire a woman who takes her pay in porkchops. – Lula

Takedown Twenty gets 3 stars. Have you read Takedown Twenty? What did you think? Let me know

Top Ten Covers I Wish I Could Re-Design

Top 10 Tuesday is a post hosted by The Broke and the Bookish and this week's topic is Top Ten Covers I Wish I Could Re-Design.

So I'm no design guru or anything like that. As a matter of fact, I think I stink at most things visual. But I know what I like and what I don't like. These are the ones I'd change...

1) Frigid by J Lynn - Who has their shirt off in a snow storm? (review coming soon)

2) Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry - I'm all sentimental when it comes to this book, but the cover is not my favorite.

3) The Power of a Praying Kid by Stormie Omartian - I get that this is probably designed and marketed to kids, but the mustard yellow is not an attractive color.

4) The Forever of Ella and Micha by Jessica Sorensen - In a way I like the simplicity and the cleanness of these new covers, but this one doesn't reflect what's on the inside of this book at all IMO. Plus I was a fan of the red of the original covers.

5) The Eternity Cure by Julie Kagawa - I liked the first cover for The Immortal Rules, but when they released The Eternity Cure they did a new version of the cover for The Immortal Rules...well not my favorites.

6) Origin by Jennifer L Armentrout - It's not a bad cover, but it just doesn't fit with the rest of the series. Books 0.5 - 3 are very dark. Origin is very bright. There are some things that tie them together--like the cover model who thankfully is the same on each book--but I would have gone darker is all. (review coming soon)

7) The Sea of Tranquility by Katja Millay - I LOVE this book. But I don't really like silhouettes too much, and while the cover KIND OF makes sense for the book, I just don't really love it.

8) The entire Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich - BORING!

9) What I Didn't Say by Keary Taylor - This was a cute read. The cover is just a little too "homemade" looking to me. Plus the cover models are cheesing it up.

10) The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater - Kind of boring.