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!

Top Ten Books I Didn't Get to in 2023

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 Didn't Get to in 2023

1. A Drop of Venom by Sajni Patel
2. The Getaway List by Emma Lord
3. Dirty Thirty (Stephanie Plum, # 30) by Janet Evanovich
4. How to Plot Payback by Melissa Ferguson
5. Finding Us by Tracie Peterson
6. Tree. Table. Book. by Lois Lowry
7. Watership Down: The Graphic Novel by James Sturm
8. The Irish Goodbye by Amy Ewing
9. Fairest of Heart (Texas Ever After, #1) by Karen Witemeyer
10. A Girl Called Samson by Amy Harmon

Which books are you hoping to get to that you didn't get around to reading in 2023? 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!

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!

Top Ten Authors I've Read the Most

Top 10 Tuesday is a post hosted by The Broke and the Bookish and this week's topic is Top Ten Authors I've Read the Most.

I expected this ask to be rather daunting, but it really wasn’t. Figuring out which authors I’ve read the most was pretty easy. Here they are…

1. Richelle Mead – (16) Vampire Academy, Frostbite, Shadow Kiss, Blood Promise, Spirit Bound, Last Sacrifice, Bloodlines, The Golden Lily, The Indigo Spell, The Fiery Heart, Silver Shadows, The Ruby Circle, Storm Born, Succubus Blues, Gameboard of the Gods, The Immortal Crown
2. Jessica Sorensen – (16) The Coincidence of Callie and Kayden, The Redemption of Callie and Kayden, The Destiny of Violet & Luke, The Probability of Violet & Luke, The Secret of Ella and Micha, The Forever of Ella and Micha, The Temptation of Lila and Ethan, The Ever After of Ella and Micha, Lila & Ethan: Forever and Always, Breaking Nova, Saving Quinton, Nova & Quinton: No Regrets, Wreck Me, Ruin Me, Tristan: Finding Hope, Delilah: The Making of Red
3. Abbi Glines – (16) Fallen Too Far, Never Too Far, Forever Too Far, Existence, The Vincent Boys, The Vincent Brothers, Twisted Perfection, Breathe, Because of Low, While It Lasts, Just For Now, Sometimes It Lasts, Misbehaving, Bad for You, Hold On Tight, Until the End
4. Colleen Hoover – (12) Slammed, Point of Retreat, This Girl, Hopeless, Losing Hope, Finding Cinderella, Maybe Someday, Maybe Not, Ugly Love, Confess, Never Never, Never Never Pt 2
5. Janet Evanovich – (10) One for the Money, Plum Lovin’, Finger Lickin’ Fifteen, Sizzling Sixteen, Smokin’ Seventeen, Explosive Eighteen, Notorious Nineteen, Takedown Twenty, Top Secret Twenty One
6. Maggie Stiefvater – (10) Lament, Ballad, Shiver, Linger, Forever, Sinner, The Scorpio Races, The Raven Boys, The Dream Thieves, Blue Lily, Lily Blue
7. Amanda Hocking – (9) Switched, Torn, Ascend, My Blood Approves, Fate, Flutter, Wisdom, Hollowland, Hollowmen
8. Cassandra Clare – (9) City of Bones, City of Ashes, City of Glass, City of Fallen Angels, City of Lost Souls, City of Heavenly Fire, Clockwork Angel, Clockwork Prince, Clockwork Princess
9. Katie McGarry – (9) Pushing the Limits, Crossing the Line, Dare You To, Crash Into You, Take Me On, Breaking the Rules, Chasing Impossible, Nowhere But Here, Red at Night
10. KA Tucker – (8) Ten Tiny Breaths, One Tiny Lie, Four Seconds to Lose, Five Ways to Fall, In Her Wake, Burying Water, Becoming Rain, Chasing River

I’m pretty sure Lois Duncan and Lurlene McDaniel have to fit into this category too, but as these are both authors I read in my early teens and I wasn’t keeping up with my books read on Goodreads way back when, I can’t really remember which books I’ve read by them and which I haven’t. I KNOW Lurlene McDaniel surpasses 10 books read though. The ones I can remember reading for sure by her are: Six Months to Live, I Want to Live, So Much to Live For, No Time to Cry, To Live Again, Angels Watching Over Me, Lifted Up by Angels, Until Angels Close My Eyes, Till Death Do Us Part, For Better, For Worse. I know I read a few of the One Last Wish series and a few others. I just can’t remember which.

What about you guys? Which authors have you read the most? 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!

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

Waiting on Takedown Twenty

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

Takedown Twenty (Stephanie Plum, # 20)

By: Janet Evanovich

Expected Publication: 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.

I really hope Stephanie ends up picking one of the guys, and Janet Evanovich wraps this series up pretty soon. What are you waiting on this week? Let me know!

Top 10 Books When I Need Light and Fun

Top 10 Tuesday is a post hosted by The Broke and the Bookish and this week's topic is Top Ten Books When I Need Light and Fun.

This is a really easy topic for me. All top 10 books go to one series...

STEPHANIE PLUM by Janet Evanovich - I haven't read all of these, but the ones I have read usually have my laughing out loud.

Which books do you go to when you need light and fun? Let me know!

Smokin' Seventeen - Review

Smokin’ Seventeen (Stephanie Plum # 17)

Audiobook

By: Janet Evanovich

Read By: Lorelei King

Published: Random House Audio; Unabridged edition (June 21, 2011)

308 pages in print version; 6 ½ hours in audio version

Source: Borrowed from my sister

(Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depositoy)

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

Goodreads description—Where there’s smoke there’s fire, and no one knows this better than New Jersey bounty hunter Stephanie Plum.

Dead bodies are showing up in shallow graves on the empty construction lot of Vincent Plum Bail Bonds. No one is sure who the killer is, or why the victims have been offed, but what is clear is that Stephanie’s name is on the killer’s list.

Short on time to find evidence proving the killer’s identity, Stephanie faces further complications when her family and friends decide that it’s time for her to choose between her longtime off-again-on-again boyfriend, Trenton cop Joe Morelli, and the bad boy in her life, security expert Ranger. Stephanie’s mom is encouraging Stephanie to dump them both and choose a former high school football star who’s just returned to town. Stephanie’s sidekick, Lula, is encouraging Stephanie to have a red-hot boudoir “bake off.” And Grandma Bella, Morelli’s old world grandmother, is encouraging Stephanie to move to a new state when she puts “the eye” on Stephanie.

With, a cold blooded killer after her, a handful of hot men, and a capture list that includes a dancing bear and a senior citizen vampire, Stephanie’s life looks like it’s about to go up in smoke.

The Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich is always guaranteed to have me laughing out loud. Though this time I was full-fledge-belly-laughing at a few spots rather than just momentary giggling. I have no idea what my co-workers thought, but it was worth it.

These books are fast experiences. They’re not too heavy with major topics. They always make me laugh. Lorelei King is awesome as the reader. And besides that Smokin’ Seventeen combines the typical Janet Evanovich humor with what…what was that the description said above? That’s right, a real, live, senior citizen vampire. Match made in heaven, right? Comedy heaven.

Of course the plot was predictable, but who cares? Smokin’ Seventeen was a laugh out loud good time. The potty mouth definitely stood out to me as always when listening to an audiobook, and that’s always a bit disappointing to me. Overall I give this one 3 stars.

My favorite quotes are by Lula of course and are:

You did the nicky-nacky and now you've got the vordo. (sp?)

What you need is a pair of granny panties.

And the last one I can't quote because of potential underage readers, but it has something to do with fiber in one's diet and personal satisfaction.

Updated: July 8, 2018

Sizzling Sixteen Audio - Review

Sizzling Sixteen (Stephanie Plum, #16

By: Janet Evanovich

Published: A Macmillan Audiobook from St. Martin's Press

Read By: Lorelei King

Running time: 7 Hours

Genre: Adult, Mystery, Humor, Crime

Source: Borrowed from my sister

( 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--Trenton, New Jersey, bounty hunter Stephanie Plum has inherited a "lucky" bottle from her Uncle Pip. Problem is, Uncle Pip didn't specify if the bottle brought good luck or bad luck...

BAD LUCK: Vinnie, of Vincent Plum Bail Bonds, has run up a gambling debt of $786,000 with mobster Bobby Sunflower and is being held until the cash can be produced. Nobody else will pay to get Vinnie back, leaving it up to Stephanie, office manager Connie, and file clerk Lula to raise the money if they want to save their jobs.

GOOD LUCK: Being in the business of tracking down people, Stephanie, Connie, and Lula have an advantage in finding Vinnie. If they can rescue him, it will buy them some time to raise the cash.

BAD LUCK: Finding a safe palce to hide Vinnie turns out to be harder than raising $786,000. Vinnie's messing up Mooner's vibe, running up pay-per-view porn charges in Ranger's apartment, and making Stephanie question genetics.

GOOD LUCK: Between a bonds office yard sale that has the entire Burg turning out,Mooner's Hobbit-Con charity event, and Uncle Pip's lucky bottle, they just might raise enough money to save the business and Vinnie from ruin.

BAD LUCK: Saving Vincent Plum Bail Bonds means Stephanie can keep being a bounty hunter. In Trenton, this involves hunting down a man wanted for polygamy, a turnpike toilet paper bandit, and a drug dealer with a pet alligator named Mr. Jingles.

GOOD LUCK: The job of bounty hunter comes with perks in the guise of Trenton's hottest cop, Joe Morelli, and the dark and dangerous security expert, Ranger. With any luck at all, Uncle Pip's lucky bottle will have Stephanie getting lucky--the only question is...with whom?

Sizzling Sixteen ...so hot, the pages might spontaneously combust!

I've not read (or listened) to the Stephanie Plum books in any kind of order. I believe my first experience wtih Stephanie Plum and Janet Evanovich was when my sister checked out Plum Lovin' from the library. Plum Lovin' is A Between-the-Numbers Novel. And it was hilarious. I just remember listening to it and busting out laughing at different parts. Then I think Finger Lickin' Fifteen was the next one I moved onto. And now Sizzling Sixteen. This is so rare for me to pick up mid-series and out of order and such. I'm a very organized and methodical person. But in my experience, any of these books could be stand-alone books.

Lorelei King is brilliant as a narrator. She has voices for the other characters in a way that makes me forget one person is actually narrating everything and in such a way that I know exactly who is speaking without having to be told just based off the voice she's using for the character. It's great. She's great. Especially her depiction of Lula. "He ate my jelly donut, so I shot him." HILARIOUS. Obviously, you need to hear (or read) that in context, but you get the picture. And I have to say that Lorelei King is one of the reasons why I'm not upset that I haven't gone at this series in order. My sister tells me that Lorelei King isn't the original narrator of the series, and I just don't think I could listen to anyone else read these books.

I do have to say that the potty mouth stands out to me a little bit more in audio version than it usually does in print. I can skim over it in print, but once you hear it, it's hard to undo and for some reason it has more of an impact that way.

The Stephanie Plum series is a great in between series and I really enjoy listening to them when I have opportunity. Janet Evanovich is very humourous and I find myself laughing out loud then looking around to see if anyone is staring at me like I'm an idiot quite often. Especially Lula and Gramma Mazur ("I can't squeeze to keep the breezers in.").

If you're looking for a quick book to blow through or a reprieve from some seriousness, Sizzling Sixteen will do the trick, especially the audio version. 3 Stars. Have you read (or listened) to Sizzling Sixteen? What did you think? Let me know!

**Side note: I've finished 4 books this week and I'm STOKED about that. Extremely rare for me to get that much accomplished in one week. I've already posted my review of City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare. And I will be posting on Crazy Love by Francis Chan and Divergent by Veronica Roth later on this week. Look out for those reviews.

*Updated: February 9, 2015