Customer Reviews

Plum Lovin'

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

When I first heard about this book, I was confused. What could Plum Lovin' be all about? Surely there should be a number in the title, shouldn't there? When the book arrived, I found that it's a "Between-the-Numbers NOVEL" whatever that means. I was still guessing.

As I read the book, everything felt out of kilter. The usual suspects are there, but they behave differently than usual. It's as though someone cast a spell over Stephanie Plum's universe in honor of Valentine's Day.

The best explanation I can give is to cite the James Bond movies and the way that they began as action adventures and then retreated into self-satire. That's apparently what Plum Lovin' does. There's no progression in the relationships of Stephanie with Morelli and Ranger . . . and Stephanie is now roommates (and sometimes shares a bed) with Diesel ("I'm a jerk . . . but I'm lovable") and Bob. Instead, we see the normal bounty hunting business reduced to pet-detective-level humor.

Here's the story's premise: The bounty hunting business is slow and Vinnie needs Stephanie to track down Annie Hart, who has disappeared, so he can afford to take his long-suffering wife on a cruise (pretty bizarre for Vinnie). Stephanie is having no luck finding Annie when Diesel (attractive, but sloppy) reappears in her life. He offers to turn over Annie if Stephanie will run Annie's business that helps people solve their relationship problems. Diesel and Annie turn out to be something out of Men in Black, but the references are so vague that the point isn't fully developed.

So instead of tracking down criminals, Stephanie is working on playing cupid's role before Valentine's Day: Helping a shy butcher talk to the woman who serves him coffee every day; getting the wedding-phobic Albert Kloughn to the altar with her sister, Valerie; finding the perfect man for an overwrought divorced mom who has given up on men; introducing a shy veterinarian who has been dating a gold digger to a woman who loves kids and pets; coaching a 35-year-old virgin into how to sexually initiate a relationship; and patching up a marriage that's been disturbed by snoring.

In keeping with the Valentine's Day theme, Grandma Mazur takes a leap into the world of physical upgrades with humorous results.

Where did I end up on the book? It's cute overall, and funny in a few places . . . but the pacing is off . . . the story isn't as spare as it could be . . . and the humor is more restrained.

So if you need a Stephanie Plum fix, read it. But if you want the usual Plum feast, you'll be disappointed.

Recently, I had the immense delight of reading Plum Lovin' by Janet Evanovich! I've been waiting for this book to come out for what seems like ages, but it really hasn't been that long. But still, when you desire a book it seems like forever.
I had such fun reading the book, but there is one HUGE problem with it. It's TOO SHORT!

Plum Lovin' is a Valentine's Day novella that takes place between the numbers of the other Stephanie Plum novels. This one takes place between Twelve Sharp and the forthcoming Lean Mean Thirteen.

There are some negative reviews of this little novella, but I don't think the negative Nancy's and I were reading the same book; Plum Lovin' was an absolute riot!

Diesel, who last appeared in Visions of Sugar Plums (the Christmas novella that goes between Hard Eight and To the Nines) and he needs her help again: Annie Hart, a bond jumper, is being tracked by an Unmentionable. She's also a big ticket bond for Stephanie.

Diesel gives Stephanie an ultimatum: help him track down the man after her and he'll give her Annie Hart. Except there's a catch: Annie Hart is a relationship expert; Stephanie must make sure that everyone in Annie's files has a happy Valentine's Day.

The people Stephanie has to help are lovelorn and desperate: an overworked single mother, a shy butcher, an older woman who's afraid of sex and her sister's boyfriend Albert who's afraid of marriage. The results when Stephanie decides to play Cupid are hilarious and this is one Valentine's Day caper that I'm going to have to read a few more times.

I don't understand the negative reviews myself. Sure, it's short, but it's a novella. And it's freaking hilarious! I finished it in two days and laughed myself silly through most of it.

One memorable scene includes Stephanie's grandmother and lip injections. Great stuff, hilarious!My only major complaint is that I WANT MORE. Sigh.
I guess I'm just going to have to read Plum Lovin' again a few more times and take another spin with Twelve Sharp until Lean Mean Thirteen comes out in June.

This visit with Stephanie Plum may have been short this time around, but man was it worth it!

After reading the previous reviews, I wasn't quite sure how I'd find this book. It was short and I didn't get my usual dose of Ranger and Morelli, but I had a lot of laughs. I was really enjoying it until the end when it seemed to end so quickly. It left me feeling that something was missing.

I laughed alot at Diesel's character. And Bob had quite a starring role in this novel. I can just picture that goofy dog running in slow motion with his ears flapping in the wind! We have a Golden Retriever and I can certainly attest to Bob's character as being true to a Retriever. Fortunately, our Retriever, Boomer, doesn't eat our furniture!

Despite it's shortcomings, I gave it 4 stars because I laughed so much. And in all fairness, even though it was short, it was better than some of the other longer novels that I didn't quite enjoy as much. (My favourites are 1,2,3,&12.)

One thing a book series has going for it is familiarity. If readers/listeners like the characters we cannot wait to see what they'll be up to next. Such is the case with Stephanie Plum, the always irresistible, sometimes a bit daft, forever fun New Jersey gal who gets into a heap of trouble but, so far, has always managed to come out on top.

What's she up to now? With Plum Lovin' we find bounty hunter Stephanie playing matchmaker, and that's just part of it. Here's how she describes her current situation: "Men are like shoes. Some fit better than others. And sometimes you go out shopping and there's nothing you like. And then as luck would have it, the next week you find two that are perfect, but you don't have the money to buy both. I was currently in just such a position... not with shoes, but with men. And this morning it got worse."

It got worse when a fellow named Diesel showed up at her apartment. He is one who "got lucky in the gene pool" but lost out in attitude. He wants to make a deal. He has relationship expert Annie Hart who is wanted for armed robbery and assault with a deadly weapon. He'll turn her over if Stephanie will play matchmaker for a few of Annie's clients.

Doesn't sound like too bad a deal to Stephanie, especially in view of the fact that her boss, Vinnie, is screaming for Annie and she's not found Annie on her own. The deal is struck.

However, (and there's always a big "however" in Stephanie's life) there are others, take-no-prisoners types, who also want Annie. They'll do anything, short of nothing, to get her.

And, Stephanie thought her morning was bad!

Once again Janet Evanovich's personal choice, Lorelei King, is the voice of Stephanie . She's already won accolades for her narrations of the Plum series, and rightly so as she brings a vigorous, distinctive voice to each of the characters.

Enjoy!

- Gail Cooke

This is not the best of the Plum books. Evanovich did not put her heart into this one. When she is good, it is really great, but unfortunately this is not the case. It seemed to me like the author had to meet a deadline and finished this book without giving it the necessary final touches. It is also rather short. I think 3 stars is fair rating. I just hope that number thirteen will bring back the best of Evanovich. A great reading that I recommend is False Impression by Jeffrey Archer. Give it a try.