Cute book with Elsie Hawkins at it again. Adorable wee love story.

A mostly entertaining romance novel from Janet Evanovich that is gently amusing and sweet at times, slightly spicy at others, but which suffers from a lack of romantic tension. The set up is simple and appealing, a 30-something single mother applies for a job on a construction site because the hours work well for the school run. The hunky owner of the building company takes a shine to her and gives her the job and romance follows. The problem is that the romance follows almost immediately and is only ever very vaguely threatened. I like lots of obstacles to the happy ever after in my romance novels and this had hardly any. Throw in a weird subplot about a local flasher that dominates the latter part of the book and you have a story that feels out of balances. The individual scenes were often charming, but it didn't really hang together.

Janet Evanovich seems a big self-deprecating about her former career as a romance author, and I have yet to figure out why. The talent behind Stephanie Plum has always been there, her love of ill-behaved dogs and general chaos present from the very beginning.

Lizabeth Kane is divorced with two sons to raise, and she’s determined to make it on her own. She doesn’t have many marketable skills, but that doesn’t stop her from going to a construction site to ask for a job. The first person she meets is Matt Hallahan, part owner of the construction company, who practically falls in love with Lizabeth on the spot. He gives her a job and also starts making up excuses to fix her rundown house. He also falls instantly for Lizabeth’s sons, Jason and Billy, whose ambitious father has no time for them. Toss in a harmless midnight flasher, Lizabeth’s odd Aunt Elsie and her big, blue, indestructible Cadillac, add a big stupid dog and a couple mentions of a cat, and it’s pure, vintage Evanovich.

This is a quick read I gobbled up in a couple of hours. It’s a perfect light little snack of a novel with fun, warm characters and a happy little plot. I’m glad Janet is re-releasing these early gems because I’m sorry I somehow missed them the fist time around.

A few parts were annoying, but overall this was hilarious! It was a comedy of errors at times and had me laughing out loud at some of the antics. The one thing that irked me was that Lizabeth kept thinking that tattoos were worse than motorcycles in terms of corruption rates for her kids. She didn't like motorcycles either, but didn't think they were as dangerous as tattoos. A tattoo can't kill you, but motorcycles sure can! She sometimes looked down at people who didn't have good paying jobs, but that was just the way she was raised.

Elsie was hilarious and their dog Ferguson was just like the dog in A Christmas Story when it came to stealing food! Quite a few laughs, and a quick read as well.

Can’t devote myself to go past the first 9% of the audiobook. I tried but it’s awful. I love more recent works by this author but decided that this one is not worth my time. From the beginning the protagonists lust all over each other. The plot is boring and I can’t see any exciting developments happening any time soon.

This is such a good, cute and funny book. A book to pick you up if your down. Enjoyed this book alot.

I came across this series while looking for a book to fill a category in a reading challenge I'm doing this year. Book three in the series was a fit, but I didn't want to start with the third book. I know now that the books in the series could truly be read individually. Elsie Hawkins appears in each one, but since she's never the main character and it doesn't seem there's any overlap between the main characters from story to story, reading the series in order isn't particularly important. These stories are cutesy romcoms, with Elsie providing a lot of comic relief. They're not too steamy, FYI for those sensitive about such things. The next time I'm waiting for a book I have on hold to become available, I may seek out one of these quick, fun, lighthearted reads.

I really enjoy the irreverent humor of Janet Evanovitch and her Stephanie Plum series. This was in a box of books given to me and I felt I had to read them before passing them on. Really not my type of story a little too much romance not enough humor but diehard Evanovitch fans will enjoy it

Quick and easy read able to be completed in one day if you are so inclined. Divorced mother of two, Lizabeth Kane needs a job. None of her last fourteen interviews has been successful, so now, with her Aunt Elsie looking after Billy and Jason, she’s answering an ad for a carpenter. Matt Hallahan’s partner has a broken hip and he’s snowed under with work. Lizabeth, sweet and pretty, does not fit the bill at all, but the attraction between them is immediate, and he can’t help himself. It starts out as lust but soon becomes more, on his part. For Lizabeth too, but she’s wary after the first man she picked to marry couldn’t keep it zipped around other women. Book 2 in this series but can be a standalone. Pre Plum series and it was good and cooky but still pre Stephanie Plum level.

I love these books! they are a nice easy read, especially if u need a laugh. Elsie makes another appearance! I love her! It's got everything you need in a JE book. Love, Mystery, Sex, Comedy, and a dog that eats everything!

This is a short, funny novel. The characters are rather endearing, especially the Lizabeth's formidable Aunt Elsie, but there is not much character development. Still, I enjoyed the interactions between Matt and Lizabeth. The dialog was often clever, but occasionally it didn't sound quite believable. For instance, at one point Matt calls one of Lizabeth's chick flicks a "sissy movie." Do grown men really refer to things as "sissy?" That sounds more like something a fourth grader would say.

A subplot involving a "yuppy flasher" bewildered me a bit, although I found it moderately amusing. I'm not sure what it adds to the story, other than an excuse for the hero to move in with the heroine, which could easily have been accomplished with some other plot device.

Finally, I can't end this review without mentioning Lizabeth's pet dog, Ferguson. Badly behaved dogs are one of my major pet peeves, and this dog is particularly annoying. I wanted to smack Lizabeth upside the head every time she excused Ferguson's latest misdemeanor by saying, "He's just a puppy." I hate irresponsible pet owners who refuse to take the time and effort to train their dogs properly. This made me lose a lot of respect for Lizabeth. If she's refusing to take responsibility for her dog, what kind of mother is she to her kids?

Over all, Smitten was a comfortable, fluffy read. There were a few aspects of the characters and plot that annoyed me, but most of the novel is just fun.

Chick lite. Lzabeth, a divorced mother of two boys needs a job. She applys to a carpenter ad at a construction site. She has no experience but Matt hires her but watches over her. Afraid of getting into another relationship, she trys to keep her distance but of course they fall in love. Matt is the husband and father they never had.