WOW! Janet Evanovich has become my favorite author. Her writing style and her story lines are so unique. I have laughed out loud to her books. Not just your generic giggle, but your gut busting guffawing !! There is danger, romance, mystery, comedy, and then there is Grandma Mazur! I LOVE THESE BOOKS!

First book was meh. The second book was much better. The third book was pretty alright too. In general, this series seems to lack pacing and I think the romance is lacking. I simply don't feel the chemistry between Stephanie and Morrelli. I also really hated that we are repeatedly told that Morrelli is so hot that his coercive sexual advances on Stephanie in her youth are an example of him being too sexy to deny rather than him being gross and coercive. I don't think that is okay. I also didn't like the way homosexuality was portrayed and reacted to in the third book. To be fair, this was written quite a while ago and I'm sure that things improved as the stories continued.

That being said, Stephanie and Rex make these books. The characters (outside of the love interests, imho) are so incredibly well done and interesting. They make the issues with pacing and plot more than bearable even when the pacing is at its worst.

Overall, I found book two really compelling and fun. It was 3 stars for me just because of some issues I had with the writing, but it was super fun to read. Book one verged on 2 stars and book three was solidly 3 stars.

I have actually read all the books in the numbered series. They are my go to sick day books or plane ride read. It isn't that they are wonderful, they sort of all blend together after a while. Reading them is the same as watching a favorite sitcom, you like the characters and it entertains you, but it isn't mind boggling.

One for the Money

I sorta grew up reading these and thought it might be fun to listen to them now. They’re light and funny and listening while I work helps me focus …

I was right, it was fun. Exactly as I remembered it.

“Everything in Jersey has a bad order—it’s one of the few things we can count on.”

4 stars.


Audio:
Lori Petty narrates! How cool! Her voice works, it’s fine to listen to (by my standards anyway) and she performs it well, and has the Trenton accent down.


Two for the Dough

Another fast-paced, action-packed re-read / listen to keep me company while I work.
These are quick reads too, under 3 hours. A great work companion.

*I dislike the negative connotation to pitbulls she made, breed discrimination and ignorant and harmful. Minus half a star for this.

3.5 stars.


Audio:
I’m loving Lori Petty’s depiction of Stephanie and the rest of the cast. 5-star performance.




Three to Get Deadly

The one with ‘Uncle Mo’.
Stephanie gets a lot of hate from locals who think Mo being on a killing spree would be a good thing.

Funny, as always.


4 stars.

Audio
I was spoiled with Lori Petty narrating books 1-2, I prefer her but this one was okay. She did well with some of the Jersey accents … I don’t love her for Stephanie but she is okay for some of the other characters.

These books are very funny, slap-stick comedy. They will make you laugh out loud! They are good to take in the car when driving and waiting for kids. Not much thought involved, but VERY funny. Good for a laugh. Well written and entertaining. I always sugggest these to friends who haven't read in a while to get them back into reading.

So, this isn't literature and it is not going to win any prizes, but when you are tired of the Pulitzer and Man Booker reading lists, use this to refresh. It's fun and indulgent, kind of like a Twinkie. I sometimes wish the plots were more complex and the characters less stereotyped, but sometimes that's part of the fun.

Stephanie Plum is accident waiting to happen! Her stories are fluffy, fun reads with a twist of a small mystery and romance. Fun series to read over the summer!

This was my introduction to Janet Evanovich. As it turns out, the character of Stephanie Plum was very engaging. The mystery itself didn't really interest me very much, since I spent the whole book wondering why she was investigating the murder at all...it being outside the scope of her job description, and all. When you're weaned on Agatha Christie's Poirot mysteries, most other mysteries will seem lame and poorly thought out in comparison. However, this was still a very entertaining listen.

Unfortunately, it was ruined at the very end because this otherwise decently-written book succumbs to the extremely annoying "villain explains the entire plot to the hero instead of just killing him/her" syndrome. My respect for the book and its author plummeted at that point.

However, I decided to give the book 4 stars because, after it was over, I learned that it was the abridged version. Maybe, just maybe, the heroine actually figures some stuff out on her own before that "just between you and me" scene (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php...), but I doubt it.

And since this is the abridged version, I didn't listen to the second two books in the case. Unabridged only for me, folks! :)

Filling in notes from my 2006 book journal:
My friend Christi told me to read this series, which is up to 11 books now. Fortunately this book had the first three books in one, so it was easy to pick up and get going. At first the story reminded me of Robert Parker's Sunny Randall series (which I recommended to my friend in return), but so far Stephanie Plum is still bumbling through her cases, and is just barely compentent, solving things with luck. But unlike Parker, this has more back story on her life, her family, her romantic life, which adds a lot more humor. I got through these three pretty quick and liked them, so I'll have to hit the library for the next books.

Fun stories. Crazy girl from a crazy family. I don't even know how she gets through the day. Lol

Who doesn’t laugh out loud at Stephanie Plum? Or Lula? Who doesn’t wish their grandma was Grandma Mazur? Who doesn’t side with team Morelli or team Ranger. The entire series is a must read for light hearted fast fun reading! Too many characters not to enjoy!

Talk about your guilty pleasures, or would guilty hilarity be more accurate? I can't remember the last time I laughed so hard at a book! I thought I was going to pee my pants when Granny shot that chicken. And I think people in Trenton, NJ and people in DeRidder, LA must have something in common.

On a less flattering note, I didn't like all the swearing, but after a while my mind didn't read them, almost like my eyes were editing, and I could skip right over without registering the words. Weird, hey? I feel sort of naughty for having read them (not kinky naughty, just the regular kind). Still. Very funny.