The bookmark was pulled in a fit of rage when a character named Sandy Claws was introduced. I should have known better considering Christmas is the worst holiday, but I have an unhealthy amount of self hatred.

I got impatient waiting for the next Stephanie Plum book to come out so I thought I would go back and read one of the books released in between. Normally I like these books because they make me laugh, they are quick reads and the characters are well developed. This book made me laugh and was a quick read; however, it felt rushed and not fully developed. All of a sudden it just ended. It also involved a character that is in some of her later novels but the events that happened in this book are never mentioned again. As though we would forget those 200 pages ever happened. If you enjoy the Plum books you should read it but do not have high expectations.

When Stephanie Plum is awakened by a stranger in her house - five days before Christmas - she’s not sure if he’s a space alien or the Spirit of Christmas. Thing is, he’s not sure either. Sassy characters, witty dialogue, tight descriptions and hilarious plot twists make this an easy read that’s laugh out loud funny. Highly recommend it!

Well, this book review is mostly tainted by the person that read the book since I listen to this series on audio.

I'll start with the story. It was an ok story although the addition of a supernatural element was more than a little strange in what has been a reality-ish based series for the 8 previous books. And the addition of yet another man that's attracted to Stephanie is becoming ridiculous. I mean every hot man that enters the series becomes a potential love interest. Doesn't she ever have men that she thinks are hot that don't want to sleep with her too? I think it will be interesting to see how much of this book will continue into the regular series.

My biggest was with the narration. It's like changing an actor mid-series. Like the two Becky's on Roseanne. Sarah Chalke is a great actor but she wasn't Becky. That's how I felt about Lorelei King. I've listened to 7 books read by CJ Critt, so her characterizations are familiar. Her Joe, her Lula, even her Stephanie were different, but not bad. But Kloughn and Grandma Mazur were the worst. They were so different it was jarring.

On to book 9. There's an option for CJ Critt or Lorelei King for the next 2 books, and I'm hanging on desperately to Critt.

A Lighthearted, Hysterically Funny Read!!! I Loved It!!!

Cute holiday read. Palette cleanser between more difficult books

3.5 ⭐️

Just wanted a reread of a Christmas happy to me book.



Mel

After reading the first few pages in the book, at the onset I was pretty sure I was going to enjoy this book. After reading the first chapter, I knew I'd hate it!

Not only did the story seem excessivly rushed, with countless scenes being skimmed over with no detail whatsoever, but the charaters alone were basic and uninteresting. The plot alone was horrible, with a somehow supernatural dude popping into the main character, Stephenie's, life without an explanation whatsoever. The supernatural aspects of the book were not explained at all, to any degree, and the entire status of the relationship between Steph and Desiel (the male lead in the novel) was ignored throughout the book, even to the end. The ending of the novel was entirely rushed, probably more so than the entire book as a whole.

The only brightspot to the book was the occasionally comical sarcastic thoughts and dialogue expressed by the main character. Even this bright spot was few-and-far between, so I can say quiet easily I did NOT enjoy this book, at all

This very short Stephanie Plum story was entertaining, but it fell way short of all of the full length novels in the series. In this book, Stephanie is trying to find an FTA by the name of Sandy Claws, a toy shop owner. She is surprised by an unknown man in her apartment. He calls himself Diesel, and although we never find out exactly what he is, he is not simply human. Diesel is trying to find another of his sort, Ring, who has gone renegade. Ranger is not in this book at all, and Joe Morelli is only very briefly seen. The book is funny, but a disappointment after the previous books.

This was a fun little story. I was not expecting the supernatural element, but it all worked out nicely in the end.

OMG I can not read any more of these books. I am totally done. Reading these books is like watching a terrible sitcom with a laugh track that says "you should be laughing now"...but I'm not. These books are trite, cliched and just plain uninteresting. I don't have any idea why Diesel was dropped into the story with a silly "supernatural" element and honestly, how many times can we hear about the hamster in his hamster wheel and how Stephanie's car blew up yet again. I know lots of people love these books, but for me, they are just awful and I wish I could get my money back.