Plum Lovin' (A Between-the-Numbers Novel) Reviews

• Exploitation

  
  By A3L52D7DNQXMZO on 2007-01-09
  First let me say that the story is okay. Just okay. This book is so short that it was probably written in as much time as it took me to read it. The result is a more shallow story development, less of the funnier sidetracks we're accustomed to and a less satisfying payoff.
  
  This smacks of Janet looking for a quick score off the back of a popular series at the expense of her fans and, as a devoted reader of the Plum series, I feel exploited.
  
  

• Plum Stupid

  
  By A2F7CCPK4QL359 on 2007-01-20
  Good news-I usually love Janet Evanovich's work, especially her so-called bounty hunter Stephanie Plum audio novels.
  
  Bad News-I hated Plum Lovin'. This novella seemed rushed. It seemed a teaser of Lean Mean Thirteen, the next Plum novel. Theree are too many plot holes and it short novella fails to make the listener enjoy it
  
  Janet, I don't know about you-I do not need a tease!
  
  
  Now for a slight ray of hope,narrative Actress Lorelei King gives each character a distinct and hilarious voice. Others like Debi Mazar and Lori Petty have tried to narrate Plum novels, but King got it right. That is the only reason it got 2 stars
  
  
  
  Bennet Pomerantz AUDIOWORLD
  
  

• Plum annoying

  
  By AKCLWA9FN83L on 2007-01-10
  Not much of a plot or story in this "between the numbers" book. The editorial reviews pretty much say it all.
  
  St. Martin's Press and Holtzbrinck Publishers, LLC are shamelessly exploiting Stephanie Plum fans by publishing this less than 200 page book in hardback and charging 16 dollars for it. Exploitation of this type is a growing trend in the publication industry and includes the trend of the trade paperback in lieu of the mass-market paperback. Please, understand that the author often doesn't have a choice (contract) and write or email the publisher to complain. The email address is on their website under FAQ. Be sure to include the ISBN number.
  St. Martin's Press
  ATTN: PUBLICITY DEPT.
  175 Fifth Avenue
  New York, NY 10010
  
  
  

• Hors-d'oeuvre

  
  By A37E6RW5BUX4U0 on 2007-01-18
  Plum Lovin' reminds me of an appetizer. The breadsticks the waitress brings you to tide you over until your meal comes. This book is the breadsticks, Janet the waitress, and your dinner will be book 13, out in June.
  
  It's a short, quick, little read. A fun filled adventure through Trenton with our favorite bounty hunter, Stephanie. Diesel, from the book Visions of Sugar Plums, returns to make a deal with Stephanie. He knows where her latest skipped bond is, and will hand her over if Stephanie helps a few lonely hearts have a good Valentines Day. Stephanie agrees.
  
  Plum Lovin' is filled with the usual crazy antics we have all come to love and expect, plus a few new ones. Some laugh out loud moments with Lula.
  
  Joe and Ranger are not a big part of this book; in fact they both make one small appearance (sigh). Diesel is the main man in this book and I for one was glad to see him again. How lucky can one girl be to have three of the finest men by her side? Ranger leaves town and tells Stephanie he has to talk to her when he gets back. He never gets back in this book, so I am anxious to see what he has to say in book 13.
  
  An enjoyable read. It'll help you get through the next several months while we wait for the next Stephanie Plum adventure.
  
  
  

• This book could not be worse!!!

  
  By A1LLO7KR1WSFPT on 2007-02-19
  I've read every Stephanie Plum book and I'm a dedicated enough fan that I'll read the next one just to give Ms. Evanovich the benefit of the doubt. If it remotely resembles this jumbled, supernatural "holiday" story, it will be my last Plum book. Aside from the fact that Joe and Ranger are just mentioned in passing, the entire story premise is ridiculous. If she would like to start a supernatural themed series of books, there may be people who would like them. However, I have lots of friends who read and share these books with each other and I haven't met a single one who liked the Christmas "mini book" and the few who've tried to read this one gave up. Sadly, I was trapped on a plane and had wrongly believed I would enjoy this book during the flight. Instead, I was just angered that I'd wasted the money. It was a truly terrible book.
  
  Shame on the author and her publisher for clearly going for a quick buck off the Stephanie Plum fan base when this book has almost nothing to do with this series! I cannot stress enough how bad this book stinks!
  
  
• A VIGOROUS, DISTINCTIVE VOICE FOR ALL THE CHARACTERS
  By A3M174IC0VXOS2 on 2007-01-19
  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
  
  
• Who wrote this book?
  By A21WBJXPLND7K4 on 2007-01-22
  I think the book, itself, was good and entertaining. But it certainly was not a Janet Evanovich book. While reading it, I just felt something was "off" but I couldn't pinpoint what it was. Then the scene where Ranger shows up. Now, Plum enthusiasts know in their hearts what Ranger will say to Stephanie. He'll say, "Babe." But he didn't. He said something like, "I didn't mean to startle you." Ranger doesn't talk like that. Not even in the early novels. "Babe" is his trademark. Never, ever, would he NOT say that to Stephanie. So from then on out I read the book with the nagging thought that Janet Evanovich didn't write it.
  
  And THAT is what is wrong with it. I don't think she did. The visuals weren't there. The dialogue was off. Lula doesn't talk that way. Grandma doesn't talk that way, and no way would Stephanie's father actually TALK at the dinner table like he did in this book.
  
  No, I don't think this was written by Janet Evanovich at all. It was someone else's good attempt at it, but it fell short. A great read, though, for those that want a fun novel. But it is not for Plum enthusiasts.
  
  
• What a disappointment
  By A23KE5DCPPBCDN on 2007-01-12
  I have read, and loved, most of the Stephanie Plum novels, but this one doesn't even seem like it was written by Evanovich. With the exception of predictable language patterns (the man "angling himself behind the wheel") there was none of the Stephanie relationship suspense. No Ranger, 2 minutes of Morelli and a new guy Diesel that she doesn't even flirt with. It was short in length, short on action, and definitely short on romance. If you need to read it, borrow it from the library. Don't spend money on this one.
  
  
• Yikes
  By A181H7KN0TR6HN on 2007-01-12
  Don't bother purchasing this book - it's just not up to par with her earlier books in the series. I know this is a between the numbers book - probably a little teaser of things to come but you must be kidding me. Diesel is annoying and sounds and acts far too much like Ranger. The book also isn't worth it if there's no Morelli and he barely made an appearance.
  
  Borrow the book perhaps - if you have some time on your hands but do not spend the money.
  
  
• A very tired series
  By A2S6F0NOJB5SR6 on 2007-02-08
  I started having problems with the Plum series way back at installment number 6. The seven word sentences strung together in a chop-chop style of writing, a supposed attempt to recreate the way Jersey people act and talk, trust me, I'm one of them, and we don't all act like this, is mind numbing and headache inducing, to say the least. But the tired style of wham-bam-thank-you-ma'am writing is only one of the problems in a series that wore out its originality long ago. My real issues with Plum, and especially the in-between numbers installment, Plum Lovin', is the lack of vision and continuity on the writer's part. For instance, not to be picky, but we see Steph driving a yellow Ford Escape, yet again in Plum Lovin'. If you remember, her yellow Escape was totaled in Ten Big Ones by the guy in the devil mask. What happened to the Mini Cooper in book 12? Why was the Escape seemingly resurrected? Is this a mistake on the writer's part, the editor, maybe a ghost writer? Secondly, the major issue I have with Steph is her unwillingness to accept the fact that she is indeed a cheater. Evanovich has gone to great lengths to try and dispel this growing opinion by some of her readers. I may have believed Steph's adamant refusals, she herself tells Diesel that "she has a boyfriend, and doesn't cheat," and she also tells Lula that she doesn't "double dip" at one point, but you can't deny what happened in Twelve Sharp. Are we to forget that Steph was quite happy to allow Ranger to pleasure her in Twelve Sharp UNTIL Morelli showed up at the door? Turn the situation around, and Morelli would be labeled a cheater in a heartbeat. Double standards aside, authors of Evanovich's standard make way too much money for such continuous minds games and blatant mistakes in continuity, and readers deserve better. Yes, these books are mind candy, fun, take your mind off your troubles type of reading, but it doesn't excuse the shoddy writing or the lack of attention paid to details, or the constant degrading of what was once a promising character. Ms. Evanovich, please get your story straight. Your readers deserve at least that much from you.
  
  
• Betwixt and between 12 and 13!
  By A3JSDV57XPD937 on 2007-03-02
  In this 'tween novel featuring lovable, zany bounty hunter Stephanie Plum, Evanovich snags her fans again for fun and games between books 12 and 13. In this installment blond hunk, Diesel, re-appears in Stephanie Plum's kitchen (he's done that before) and so the fast-paced, somewhat goofy (really?) story begins.
  
  Evanovich's staccato writing and wicked sense of humor is just plum hilarious, and this book is best read quickly so as not to lose the fruity flavor. Stephanie wants to find FTA suspect Annie Hart. Diesel says he knows where she is and will turn her over to Steph if she makes things work out, romantically, for Valentine's Day for a list of Annie's clients. There's the single mom with four more-than-rumbunctious children, the lovesick vet, the shy butcher, and the 35-year-old virgin eager to change her status. Then there's Annie's client, Albert Kloughn (Plum readers will know who he is). This, of course, is the perfect setup for spacy, but often surprising effective, Stephanie.
  
  Meanwhile, Diesel is looking for Bernie for a whole other reason and Annie turns up missing. Ranger and Morelli make "cameo" appearances; Grandma Mazur and the rest of Stephanie's delightfully dysfunctional family also make an appearance. As I said, read it fast. If you're not a Plum reader, you may be lost, but take it at face value and enjoy the ride.
  
  Carolyn Rowe Hill
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Cheated again
  By AQEUJ22EBAUKM on 2007-02-03
  For those of us who love Stephanie Plum this novel will be a HUGE disappointment. Like the Christmas novel she did a few years back this is a FANTASY. Instead of hunting down Santa Claus as she did in the previous novel Stephanie is playing Cupid. This is Ms. Evanovich using Stephanie's fan base to make money off of shoddy writing and stilted characters. She managed to get two stars from me because it is Stephanie and there are a FEW good scenes otherwise if you have to read it GO TO THE LIBRARY. DO NOT waste your hard earned money on this Dribble.
  
  
• Fun approach for "between the numbers!"
  By A3RP1I0SL7091Q on 2007-03-03
  While this is not Janet Evanovich's most engaging novel involving Stephanie Plum. it is still a fun and very fast tale. Stephanie Plum works her disastrous charms on those around her as she searches for someone who whereabouts are known to only one person. Stephanie must make a deal with him in order to achieve a "capture" for her bail bonding Uncle. The action is fact, the humor is non-stop and the predicaments just keep on rolling out..........nearly flattening those get in the way.
  This book, marketed as "between the numbers", is a fun approach to help those of us who are simply put, addicted to Stephanie's disaster "approach and avoid" antics in life, in work and most especially in her love life.
  Bring on the next one!!!
  
  
• Ok, but...
  By A2SHNNI0C895HY on 2007-01-12
  Short read and no Joe and Ranger, which makes the Plum novels exciting! The story line was too close to "Visions of Sugar Plum," Valentine's day instead of Christmas. Can't wait for another number series.
  
  
• Invasion of the character snatchers
  By A2BVE7VCQVUJCQ on 2007-01-28
  Okay, I give up. Where the hell did everybody go? Starting with the alleged author. Not one of the recurring characters in this novella is true to form. It is as if they were reading lines that somebody else wrote for them. The plot (if you insist on calling it that) does not hold even this skinny story together. The action is choppy and contrived. The scenes that have the potential for a few belly-laughs (a staple in the Plum series) are forced, rushed and, really just not so funny. No Morelli, no Ranger to speak of, no Vinnie to speak of, Lula might be on sedatives and didn't tell anybody...c'mon now! The next one had better be better or this author will be officially declared out of numbers.
  
  
• Valentine's Day in the Burg
  By A3JQB9ZW15IJLJ on 2007-01-10
  100% classic Janet Evanovich, funny, edgy and sexy. I don't know what the negative reviewers are talking about. It made me laugh out loud in more than one place. It's a novella, folks, the genre is supposed to be short.
  
  
• LIGHT ENTERTAINMENT -- AND I DO MEAN LIGHT!
  By A2ZVPVZGVQXB7A on 2007-01-12
  One of my girlfriends has been trying to get me to read Evanovich for years. I have resisted as I am in to more hard core thrillers and mysteries, these books sounded a bit too much like chit lit. Well, on recent girls weekend I picked up her copy of this book and gave it a go. I was truly surprised at how little this book had to offer? and at under 200 pages it hardly seemed worth the cover price? In my friends defense she said this was not a typical "Plum" book and she said it was the wrong place to start--as a fan she was distressed by the short length and shallow storyline. I have been told I have to try "One for the Money" before I give up on Evonovich? well see.
  
  
• Ugh
  By A3R9X003XW0LNR on 2007-01-28
  I started reading the Plum mysteries with #1. And after reading this one, I have to agree with another reviewer that it seemed liked Mz. Evanovich didn't write it. The dialogue was flat, the characters behaved in ways that they would not in the numbered mystery series. The Plum series is generally a fun read with out-loud laughs on the reader's part. Twelve seemed a little stale and this one seemed downright moldy! I realize that it must be hard to keep up the level of writing with the characters that Janet E. portrays, but I guess I would be terribly embarassed to have put my name on this one as the author. After reading all 58 of these reviews, I went backed and skimmed the book wondering if I missed something as those that gave it five stars seemed to love it. Have to say that after skimming it the second time round, it was worse if anything. If you are new to the Plum series, please, please don't use this one as a yardstick for reading the others--you'll be cheating yourself if forego the entire series based on this one lemon!
  
  
• Plum Terrible
  By A1H0632J3MQTMS on 2007-01-29
  I hate to admit it, but I read the whole book...mainly because I had to see if it had any redeeming features, but also because I'd shelled out good money to buy it. Sadly, I found nothing to make the effort of reading it worthwhile. If I'd browsed through it at a brick-and-mortar store, I'd have dropped it like the proverbial hot potato. I wish Amazon had a money-back guarantee. I'd be taking advantage of it right now.
  
  Because I've enjoyed every "numbered" work of Evanovich, I sincerely hope that my first guess about this one is correct--she threw something together to get it to the bookstores by Valentine's Day, probably with the help of a beginning writing class. That would at least mean that there is hope for another actual Stephanie Plum novel that contains the real characters we've taken to our hearts, not the caricatures who inhabit this inane work.
  
  
• It is a fun read
  By A3NXZSDJZEGQYK on 2007-01-12
  I have read all the other reviews up to this point and I have to disagree with all the negative comments.
  This is just a nice little filler until the next numbers book comes out. I actually like the fact that it brought back Diesel from Visions of Sugar Plums. This book is not supposed to be like the numbers, it is just supposed to be a little pick me up while we wait for her next installment.
  If you don't want to pay full price for this book or even discount price, go to your local library and check it out. It is a very quick read so you should not have to wait terribly long to get your hands on it.
  
  
• A Sweet Valentine!
  By A3AFCZTWL5VNNR on 2007-01-17
  Valentine's Day sucks, usually.
  But this little gift of a book was better than chocolates and roses.
  As a Plummette, I have followed this series from One for the Money - and look forward to every word from the world of Plum.
  Another big sexy guy comes back into Stephanie's life, Diesel. He is stealthy like Ranger only blond, and he has 'spidey' powers. With Joe Morelli undercover, and Ranger going out of town (but when he gets back, they're going to have a talk), Diesel gets Stephanie to help him find people find love from a list from relationship specialist (Annie Hart) who happens to be on Steph's bail skip.
  To get Annie, Stephanie must help Diesel.
  This 164 page book is a firecracker and delivers laughs we have come to expect from Evanovich -
  In fact most scenes are tears running down your cheeks funny - Grandma Mazur just needs to be near to start me laughing and the time with Jeanine puts it over the top! Some loose ends will be tied (again romance in the Plum way)! Stephanie and Diesel play Cupid to some of Jersey's 'finest'.
  This is a romantic treat to us to get ready for #13 -
  Is here going to be a trio of men vying for Stephanie? Maybe too much, but I am not complaining!! (I root for Ranger) Diesel has proved to be a great character -
  Valentine's Day sucks, usually, but I got the best present - I got some Plum Lovin'!!!
  You'll enjoy it too!
  
  
• Not her best
  By A20UHWR387EFAG on 2007-01-19
  I was not a big fan of Visions of Sugar Plums, the other mini-novel (though I honestly don't remember it that well). And I had a lot of the same problems with this one. Now, I realize Stephanie is not the most realistic character in the world, but most of her adventures are at least plausible. This one stretches even my imagination with the whole "Unmentionables" bit. I like my Plum without supernatural elements, thank you very much.
  
  Also, the writing style reminded me a lot more of the short romances (The Rocky Road to Romance and Love Overboard). It simply was not as smooth and polished as the other Plum novels.
  
  Overall, if you're a huge Plum fan, I'd say go ahead and read it. It's short, at least, and there are funny and fun moments. But if you're not that into the series, I wouldn't bother - and I certainly wouldn't suggest it to anyone who hasn't read Plum before. It's not a typical Plum book by any stretch.
  
  
  
• "Plum RUSHED"
  By A1OMELJBL83WAO on 2007-01-20
  This book kept my head spinning. It seems like Janet was in a hurry to finsh this book.
  
  The scenes were never really finished with any depth. The wedding at the end was WAY too rushed. Looks to me like there was plenty of opportunity for a more slow relaxed humor. Instead, it was rush rush and there's the end. Wahhh???? THat's it?
  
  
• Janet Should Stick to Detective Stories
  By AUVXDP6IY5N4Z on 2007-01-28
  I am a big Stephanie Plum fan and was eager to read this book while waiting for Plum 13 to be published.
  What a major disappointment. I didn't laugh once: everything was flat and contrived. Not even the scenes with the grandmother were funny.
  Ms. Evanovich should stick with the genre that has made her famous and wealthy. Her publishers should have been more prudent.
  More works like this and she will lose her following.
  
  
• More Like a Prune Than a Plum!
  By A105E427BB6J65 on 2007-01-30
  It was time to read one of Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum novels, since I had just finished a "meat and potatoes" book by Robert Wilson--the kind that keeps you up all night but you're so blown away that you have a sudden need for light reading. So, even though it wasn't a "numbered" book, I picked up Plum Lovin' knowing that Stephanie Plum and cast of characters would be just what I needed to regain my balance (kind of like eating a chocolate covered caramel) after a heavy meal. Unfortunately, though this was lighthearted and easy to digest, it was not as satisfying as the usual Evanovich fare. It was more like reaching into a box of chocolates and getting one of the soft ones whose filling you can't identify and someone has already smushed.
  
  I was rather disappointed and felt that Janet was taking the easy way out by taking Stephanie into a different direction, which, while cute and humorous, was not her bail bond woman's typical fare--the reason most fans keep going up the numbers. I don't want, nor see, Stephanie (and especially Diesel) as relationship expert(s)--heck--her relationships have been disastrous from the beginning. So, to find her matching up people with such ease and having one bond enforcement engagement (who just happens to be the real relationship expert Stephanie is filling in for) goes beyond the stretch of any imagination.
  
  So, you see, this isn't standard Stephanie Plum fare - lighthearted mayhem and a heroine who is half macho and all WOMAN, usually with bad timing--but more of a cop-out on writing the next "number" in the series. I would rather Janet take more time and do it right than throw us a half eaten bone.
  
  My issue with Evanovich's books is with this particular one, as it would be if you read too many at one time. If you've been reading a lot in a row, the steady diet of vaudeville sight gags is déjà vu "all over again." That's why I like to use Stephanie as a break after reading some heavy thrillers. This was not the pleasure to read that Janet's books usually are. Again, I'd rather wait and get the whole banana, than a dried-out banana chip. Normally I would say if you need a break from the weight of the world, take the time to read Evanovich. But, in this case, save your money `til she gets serious about writing humor with a full-length saga about Plum and her fellow cast members, in her role as a mediocre bail bondswoman.
  
  
  
  
• A Disappointment
  By AB2V4F4BARS85 on 2007-03-13
  Ok, I don't get it. How does a book like this become a #1 Best Seller?
  
  Having just read one of Evanovich's earlier books, Smitten, which was predictible but enjoyable, I was thoroughly looking forward to reading Plum Lovin' BUT first things first... I could not believe the way the publisher played with the margins (note the bottom of the pages and the extra spacing), and the line spacing (almost double spacing) to make this book appear longer than it is. And even with these little publisher tricks aside, at 164 pages (for a hardback yet?), this book was difficult to read, let alone finish.
  
  
• Just Not Up to Par Without Other Characters
  By A3LKWMM12AF0PU on 2007-06-18
  If you are a big Stephanie Plum fan, then you will and should read this book. If you are not a big fan or have never read a Stephanie Plum book, try any of the other 12 (On June 19, 2007 it will be 13) "numbered" novels.
  
  To the Stephanie Plum fans, I simply say this: This book does not have Joe Morelli, this book does not have Ranger (but a small small part) and this book does not even have a bounty hunt. Other missing persons include Grandma Mazur, Mrs. Plum (each has a bit - but nothing of great consequence). In this book, Lula has a little to offer and cousin Vinnie is off on vacation. Even Vinnie's secretary's part is limited to a phone call - nothing more. For consolation, there is a bit about Lula and Tank -- and it brings in the bond office -- but it is too little to save the novel. By now, if you are a fan, you'll know this is not like the "numbered" books.
  
  And, are they replaced by anything of their equal? No, instead we are introduced to a lascivious blond built like Tank, who thinks about Stephanie in a manner like Morelli does and is as mysterious as Ranger. And, like the typical off-the-books-self-employed guys she knows, he has a strange name - Diesel. No last name, no middle name - just Diesel.
  
  In a nutshell, Diesel is no replacement for the regulars. In a nutshell, the dysfunctional family and madhouse antics of the bond office cannot be matched by Diesel and their joint escapades. The home and office are sorely missed in this very short (164 pages) novella.
  
  This is not Evanovich in her A game. Or B game, for that matter. In television, we now commonly assert that a show has lost its touch when it "Jumps the Shark" - a reference to a fat Fonzie's failed jumping escapade in the beginning-of-the-end to "Happy Days." This may be the novel in which Evanovich jumped the shark. But, I seriously hope not. Instead, I tell myself that this was a novel that she had ghost written while she was busy doing "other things." Oh, how I hope it is so.
  
  So, fans of Stephanie - read it. There are funny parts and the main theme is the same. But, do not start thinking this is like the "numbered" novels. It is called "between the numbers" for good reason. We only ask: May she return to the numbers with her old flair.
  
  
• A too-sweet Plum
  By A2G9DGP3L4JGV1 on 2007-01-14
  This is another short novella in the style of 'Visions of Sugar Plums'. Stephanie is visited once more by the possibly supernatural Diesel. He has a job for her, sorting out the love lives of various Trenton residents, because the woman who is supposed to do it, Annie Hart, is on the run from the law. To complicate matters, Stephanie is the one who is supposed to bring her in. Combining the offices of Bounty Hunter and Cupid doesn't come easily, but naturally Stephanie gives it a go.
  
  Like 'Visions of Sugar Plums' this book mingles fantasy with the usual action, humour and sex that you expect from a Plum novel. Unfortunately, it isn't nearly as funny as the earlier book. I am getting a little tired of the whole Morelli/Ranger thing, and the addition of Diesel just seems too much this time around. Reading it passed the afternoon pleasantly enough, but I found it almost entirely unmemorable.
  
  
• REALLY JUST 2.5 STARS.........okay, 3!
  By A36AIK1DQPSRNT on 2007-01-19
  Diesel is back in this dismal filler before the next big Plum adventure. Skips are down in Vinnie's shop...with the biggest FTA being Annie Hart, a slightly eccentric matchmaker. But Diesel is hiding Annie...from a pissed off husband who blames her for his marital problems. Diesel will hand over Annie to Steph...but Stephanie has to fix all of her open lovelorn cases by Valentine's day.
  Not the pageturner that Plum groupies are used to....and saved from certain literary disaster by the antics of Albert Kloughn, Grandma Mazur, and of course the always hilarious Lula. But unless you're a true Plum collector, you may want to consider getting this one from the library.
  
  
  DYB
  
  
• I loved it !
  By A1MYF4DMVPZR5S on 2007-01-26
  This "novella" has Janet back in rare form, thankfully. I'm excited about that, and look forward to this summer's release of #13! The dialogue was crisp and witty (and yes, the "speak" has been updated to reflect a more current style of talking), and I'm sorry to others who disagree, but some of the scenes were hilarious! Plum Lovin' was pure fantasy of course, but a nice little Valentine's Day gift for Janet's readers. Some other reviewers were angry because Ranger and Joe were absent - well, sort of, but they weren't necessary for this story that takes place in less than a week's time - Joe's undercover and Ranger had to go out of town for a few days. Diesel had previously appeared in Visions of Sugar Plums, so I wasn't surprised to see him here. It was a fun, short read, and I cracked up quite a few times.
  
  Since the Plum series first began in 1994, I STILL have not found another author who can consistently keep me laughing out loud as many times as Janet has for the past 12 years! I gave up reading these as crime/mystery novels as the first 3 or 4 were originally intended to be, and now just enjoy them for everything else they provide, most of all humor and as an escape from my busy, hectic life.
  
  Oops - forgot to add that I was quite intrigued by the various flowers that Stephanie received for Valentine's Day. Let's see - red roses signify "true, romantic love" and also "courage and respect", with a single red rose especially signifying romantic love; yellow roses currently mean "joy and friendship" - earlier meanings were "jealousy and infidelity"; and daisies signify "innocence".
  
  
  
  

• Visions of Sugar Plums
• Plum Lucky (A Between-the-Numbers Novel)
• Lean Mean Thirteen (Stephanie Plum, No. 13)
• Thanksgiving
• Twelve Sharp (Stephanie Plum, No. 12)