Thursday, June 28, 2007

"Two for the Dough" by Janet Evanovich






"Two For the Dough" by Janet Evanovich
1996, Pocket Books
ISBN: 0-671-00179-5

Two For the Dough by Janet Evanovich will have you on the edge of your seat and turning the pages like mad. You won't want to cook dinner. You won't want to do the laundry and you especially will not want to get your sorry little butt to work because you cannot put this book down.

I liked it.

This is actually the third I've read by Janet. The first was a how to write book. Her sense of humor caught my attention in a big way. Also, she was using examples from her Stephanie Plum bounty hunter books. That also caught my attention. So, I set upon a course reading her books and there are a lot of them. Twelve, I think. This one is the second in the series. They are all named with the number in their title, which I also think is catchy.

So, Stephanie Plum, bounty huntress extraordinaire, well, actually learning to be, moves through this book trying to nab Kenny Mancuso, slime ball forevermore. Kenny is actually related to Joe Morelli, hero cop who is constantly thinking of ways to put the moves on Stephanie, but good cop that he is thinks of her and Grandmother Mazur's safety first. It's hilarious, actually. You can tell where Stephanie gets her smart mouth....from her grandmother who figures prominently in the take down of the bad guy in this book.

All I have to say is go to the library, find one of the books. Doesn't matter if you pick up the eighth one or this one. They can all be read out of sequence because you get the background you need to keep folks straight. But, I recommend, "Two For the Dough". Highly recommended.

Saturday, June 23, 2007

“Mystique” by Amanda Quick

Mystique” by Amanda Quick
1995, Bantam
ISBN: 0-553-57159-1

Medieval knight, Sir Hugh the Relentless is feared by all. All except Alice, a saucy green eyed, red haired woman, who would seek to bargain her way out of an intolerable situation for herself and her brother. Alice is a healer and is as effective at it in medieval times as any physician in our own. She combines known medical knowledge with keen powers of observation to help heal the pain Hugh has borne since he was a boy.

Amanda Quick has themes that run through many of her books. I never tire of them. She is like an artist who seeks to capture just that one beautiful moment when the light streams into a meadow. And, she paints it over and over again. So, too, with “Mystique” do the themes of powerful self-esteem not only for women, but for everyone come through, but so does confidence.

Of course there is mystery and intrigue in this story. There is a legend to live up to and the requisite happy ending that is a must for me. Most importantly, this is the story of love that happens, that blooms, that grows and that matures with time between a strong and unyielding knight and his resourceful and practical lady wife. And, as with all of Amanda Quick’s books there is a vein of humor that runs throughout. I guarantee that you will laugh and that you will cry reading this book. I know I have all the many times I’ve read it through the years. “Mystique” is truly a treasure of a book.

Amanda Quick is the pen name Jayne Ann Krentz uses when she writes her historical romances.

Monday, June 18, 2007

"With This Ring" by Amanda Quick

"With This Ring" by Amanda Quick
1998, Bantam Books
ISNB: 0-553-5409-4

Once again I'm reviewing a book I've read a dozen times. I'm not kidding. This is a keeper and, "With This Ring" is one of my favorite Amanda Quick books. The heroine is a writer of horrid novels. The hero can't stand them. They come to love one another and accept the quirks that, at first, rubbed them the wrong way about each other. It's a theme that runs through many of Amanda's books. And, it's a theme that I love to read again and again.

A mystery, a women past her prime with all thoughts of love gone finds love again to a man in the same boat. It's not just the young ones who can have a great love story. Leo Drake, the Mad Monk of Monkcrest teams up with Beatrice Poole, writer of horrid novels to find the rings that will unlock the mystery of the stature of Aphrodite. And, like all of Amanda Quick's books the ending is just the sort that satisfies me.

I heartily recommend that you purchase this book. If you're like me you'll be reading it again and again. Enjoy.

P.S. Did I say I read this one often? Here it is now 3/16/09 and I've just finished it again. Just as terrific this time as it's been all the other times I've read it. I know you'll enjoy it.

Sunday, June 10, 2007

"Three to Get Deadly" by Janet Evanovich

"Three To Get Deadly" by Janet Evanovich
1997 Scribner
ISBN: 0-312-96609-1

"Three To Get Deadly" by Janet Evanovich is absolutely fantastic! I’d originally happened upon her book about writing, "How I Write", which I read a while back. Review of that one here. Then, because I was so impressed with what Janet had to say and how she said it I determined to read one of her novels. Because I couldn’t find One or Two in the library I began with Three. She’d said in her writing book that she’d deliberately written each book with the idea that if somebody hadn’t read her collection in sequence it wouldn’t matter. Which is always a consideration when you land in the middle of a series. Oh, what a blast.

The heroine is Stephanie Plum. She’s a bounty hunter. Like Dog. Only better. My God, what a mouth on that woman. She and the other characters in the story had me in stitches. I’d be sitting there, perfectly quiet, reading my book, my husband working away at his computer and I’d holler. Loud. And, start laughing. It really annoyed him. This book is great!

The love interest angle Stephanie has is terrific too. Two guys, Morelli and Ranger. Morelli is a cop Stephanie has known since she was a little kid. Ranger came into her life later and is a mysterious bounty hunter nobody seems to know much about.

The hometown setting of Jersey appeals to me too. I grew up as an Army Brat. I went to 13 different schools in 12 years. I have no hometown and I love to read about people who do. That Stephanie runs into her 3rd grade teacher on a regular basis is a hoot. That her family; mother, father and grandmother all live together in the house she grew up in is comforting. That she visits them on a regular basis; that they worry about her and think she could have a much better job at the button factory than working for her cousin Vinnie as a bounty hunter is precious. Lula, a bounty hunter in training, is a hoot too.

"Three To Get Deadly" is just a really good book. And, the best part? The 13th one, "Lean Mean Thirteen" is due to be released any day now.

Saturday, June 9, 2007

“How I Write” by Janet Evanovich with Ina Yahlof

How I Write” by Janet Evanovich with Ina Yahlof
2006, St. Martin’s Press
ISBN: 0-312-35428-2

How I Write” by Janet Evanovich with Ina Yahlof. I just love to read books by writers talking about how they write. I suppose it’s because in my heart I want to be a writer. That I am already a writer is something that I have a hard time wrapping my mind around. I suppose I am. I just wish I had something published. Then I could hold my head up high and say, “I’m a published writer.” Rather than a writer wanna-be.

Anyway, I get inspired when I listen to writers talking about how they write and when I read, “How I Write” by Janet Evanovich I got excited. First, because she presents it in terms of no-brainer, logical steps. I can do this. I really can. It’s like when I teach people to channel and they write back to me saying, “I had no idea it was this easy.” Like that.

Secondly, Janet talks the way I talk. At least, how I consider myself to be. I’m a no-nonsense, psychic secretary. You can’t pull the wool over my eyes; much anyway. I’ve also got a really crude sense of humor and the same sort of sense of humor shone through what Janet had to write in a big way. I could identify with her and I was hooked. In fact, I hadn’t even finished her book before I purchased my own copy from Amazon (I generally check a lot of the books I review out from the library) and had gotten one of her novels to read, “Three to Get Deadly” reviewed here.

We all need heroes in our lives. I’ve got a new one.

Wednesday, June 6, 2007

“Wicked Widow” by Amanda Quick

Wicked Widow” by Amanda Quick
2001, Bantam
ISBN: 0-553-57411-6

Wicked Widow” by Amanda Qiuck counts up there with my favorite books. Actually, I’ve never read anything by Amanda Quick that I didn’t like. Jayne Ann Krentz’ uses the pen name Amanda Quick when she writes historical romances.

Saucy, eccentric, and always, always funnier than spit are the characters that populate this book. Madeline and Artemis are thrown together because of their Vanza connections. Vanza, too, is the mysterious organization that is worked as a thread through so many of Amanda Quick’s books. This one is no different.

Something else I like about Amanda Quick’s books are that her heroes and heroines are generally past their prime. Like me. I can identify with them.

Madeline approaches Artemis Hunt and demands, not asks, not pleads, but demands that he help her. Already, she has caught his attention and I’m no different than Artemis.

The highest accolade? I cried at the end. This is a book I had to have read at least 10 times and I cried at the ending again. Yup, this is a keeper. I highly recommend this book as a really good historical romance mystery novel.

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