Tag: Janet Evanovich

Review: One for the Money by Janet Evanovich

Posted April 10, 2012 by Holly in Reviews | 3 Comments

Review: One for the Money by Janet EvanovichReviewer: Holly
One for the Money (Stephanie Plum, #1) by Janet Evanovich
Series: Stephanie Plum #1
Also in this series: Two for the Dough (Stephanie Plum, #2)
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Publication Date: April 14, 2003
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Pages: 320
Add It: Goodreads
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Ripped Bodice | Google Play Books
four-half-stars
Series Rating: five-stars

ONE FINE MESS
Welcome to Trenton, New Jersey, home to wiseguys, average Joes, and Stephanie Plum, who sports a big attitude and even bigger money problems (since losing her job as a lingerie buyer for a department store). Stephanie needs cash―fast―but times are tough, and soon she's forced to turn to the last resort of the truly desperate: family...

ONE FALSE MOVE
Stephanie lands a gig at her sleazy cousin Vinnie's bail bonding company. She's got no experience. But that doesn't matter. Neither does the fact that the bail jumper in question is local vice cop Joe Morelli. From the time he first looked up her dress to the time he first got into her pants, to the time Steph hit him with her father's Buick, M-o-r-e-l-l-i has spelled t-r-o-u-b-l-e. And now the hot guy is in hot water―wanted for murder...

ONE FOR THE MONEY
Abject poverty is a great motivator for learning new skills, but being trained in the school of hard knocks by people like psycho prizefighter Benito Ramirez isn't. Still, if Stephanie can nab Morelli in a week, she'll make a cool ten grand. All she has to do is become an expert bounty hunter overnight―and keep herself from getting killed before she gets her man...

One for the Money (Stephanie Plum #1) by Janet Evanovich

First, I need to get this out of the way: I do not like Katherine Heigl as Stephanie Plum. That could be because I don’t like KH period, but I think it’s much more likely it’s because she just isn’t who I pictured as Plum. When it comes out on DVD I might rent it just to see. On the other hand, I might not.

Also, I think the pricing on this novel since the movie came out is ridiculous. I bought a mmp (with the cover shown) for $7.99 a billion years ago. Now the only cover available on Amazon is the one with Heigl on it and it’s listed for sale at $14.99 (on sale for $9.98). This book is lighthearted and hilarious, but not worth $14.99 for a paperback. If I were you I’d pick it up at a used book store, or from the library.

Stephanie Plum is a little down on her luck. The Trenton, New Jersey girl has lost her job as a lingerie buyer for a sleazy department store, her car has been repossessed, her overbearing Italian mother is trying to set her up with a balding, fat butcher and she’s had to sell off all her furniture and appliances just to make ends meet.

As a last resort, she goes to her cousin Vinnie and blackmails him into giving her a job…as a bounty hunter. Steph doesn’t know much about being a bounty hunter, but she’s determined to get the $10,000 finders fee on the biggest skip-trace on the books. One vice cop, Joseph Morelli.

Thing is, Joe and Steph have a little history together, and Steph isn’t sure if bringing him is just business as usual, or a personal vendetta. The first time she met Morelli she was 7 and he dragged her into his parents garage to play Choo-Choo, and didn’t even let her hold the flashlight. Then, when she was 17, he nailed her behind the Eclair case at the donut shop she was working, then wrote all the dirty details in the men’s room at Mario’s sub shop. Four years later, Steph saw him walking down the street and ran him over with her dad’s Buick. So, yeah, bringing him down might be personal.

To make matters worse, Steph gets on the bad side of a psychotic deranged boxer name Benito Ramirez. But Steph is made of tough stuff and she isn’t going to let a 250 lb psycho keep her from getting her man…

This is the first book in a possible neverending book series about bond agent Stephanie Plum. It’s the perfect set up for the series and one of the funniest books I’ve ever read.

From Steph’s Mazda Miata getting repo’d by a sleazy guy she went to high school with, to her mother’s constant harping, this book is laugh out loud funny. In the first three chapters alone, I was laughing so hard I was crying. Let’s see:

Grandma Mazer, Steph’s 80-year-old grandmother decides to start wearing biker shorts and accidentally shoots the ass out of the chicken with Steph’s gun during Sunday dinner.

Steph goes to get a job with her cousin Vinnie and has to blackmail him into giving her the job by reminding him, “I know about Madam Zaretski and her whips and chains. I know about the boys. And I know about the duck.”

Steph “commandeers” Morelli’s car (read: steals) and when Morelli comes for it, he catches her the shower. She’s stolen the distributor cap and he wants it back. When she refuses to give it up he handcuffs her to the curtain rod – naked – and leaves her there. Hey, he’s not a complete asshole, he left her the phone.

Steph’s antics are enough to have anyone in stitches. Pick up the first book and give yourself over to the crazy world of Stephanie Plum. You won’t be sorry.

4.25 out of 5 (It’s not without its flaws, but the laugh factor alone is enough to make me score this in the high range)

Click here for the full series list and reading order.

As an aside: the first few books in this series are hilarious and very addicting. Unfortunately as the series wears on, the shine wears off. I stopped reading at book 12 and have no intention of going back.

This book is available from St. Martin’s Press. You can buy it here or here in e-format.

four-half-stars

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Anyone Going to See One for the Money?

Posted January 28, 2012 by Rowena in Reviews | 8 Comments


Rowena: Anyone planning on going to watch this movie? I read this book ages ago and thoroughly enjoyed it. I enjoyed it so much that I read the other books in quick succession. I stopped reading the books at around book 12 though.

I’m not too wild about who they cast as the characters though. Holly told me that Morelli isn’t Italian but Irish in the movie and while I love Jason O’Mara, he’s not who I pictured for Morelli. Same with Katherine Heigl. I don’t hate her but she’s most definitely not Stephanie Plum, not in my head anyway. I’ve always been a Cupcake girl but man, Ranger is lookin’ pretty good in the movie.

Ugh.

Holly: I have zero desire to see this. Like Rowena I read the first 12 books. I enjoyed most of them and looked forward to the movie…until I heard they were casting Katherine Heigl as Plum. First, I greatly dislike KH as an actress. Second, I always pictured someone more…Jersey to play Stephanie. I always pictured Marissa Tomei as she was in My Cousin Vinny.

KH was bad enough, but when they cast Jason O’Mara as Morelli it was over for me. I like him as an actor, but he’s Irish. Morelli is Italian, which plays a large part in the novels (his grandmother giving Stephanie “the eye” is one of the best parts of the series…that just doesn’t work if he isn’t Italian).

I did hear from some people I trust (like Shiloh Walker) that it was ok, but I don’t think I want to find out for myself. At least not at theater prices.

Anyway, thoughts? Anyone going to see the movie? Thoughts on the cast? Let’s discuss.

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What I’ve Been Reading This Week

Posted May 25, 2009 by Tracy in Features | 10 Comments

Hidee Ho Neighbors! Wassup with your bad selves? Are you all having good weekends? Hope so.

It was a pretty normal week for me here in Tracy Town. My boss finally got back from her 5 week Sabbatical. I swear it didn’t seem like 5 weeks went by. 🙂

This weekend I made an impromptu trip to visit Holly. We had a great time. I drove to her place (about 3 hours away from me) yesterday. I was lucky enough to catch the tail end of Daphne’s visit with Holly so we all went out to dinner last night and had Mexican food – yum. Then my youngest and I went back to Holly’s and I invaded her book room. Oh it’s so beautifully stuffed with books! lol Then today we went back to Holly’s and I invaded “the room” again. Needless to say we had a great time talking books and I borrowed some great stuff. My youngest had a fab time with Holly’s Rock Band – she got pretty good on those drums! lol

Ok – so on to what I read this week:

Holding Out for a Hero by Ana Leigh was my first read of the week. This is a book that I read for The Book Binge. The book releases on Tuesday and the review will post that day as well.


Next up was Hard and Fast by Erin McCarthy which I’ve already review here.


My next read was Hot Summer Fling by Toni Zuma. This was a short I read for The Book Binge. You can read my review here.

Next up was Hero by Perry Moore. This is a YA novel that I read about on Kris’s blog (click the link to see her thoughts). It’s a book about a teenage boy who is discovering he has super powers but he has to keep that info from his dad because his dad was once a superhero and was later spurned by the super hero League. He also has to keep the fact that he’s gay from his dad. It’s a book about a boy coming into his own and the relationships that are forming the person he is becoming. It’s an incredible read and I recommend it. Although it doesn’t seem totally dark and has humor in it, it’s definitely not a happy tale. Rating: 4.5 out of 5


For Tracy’s TBR Challenge Read for the week I chose Naughty Neighbor by Janet Evanovich. I have to admit I picked this one because it was short. lol A story about a screenwriter and his neighbor who start off by hating each other but come together to try to find out what happened to a pig. Sounds cute, and it is. Rating 3 out of 5


My last read was Under Fire by Jo Davis. I’m having mixed feelings about this second book in her series. I think I’m going to review it this week but I truly can’t decide whether I liked it or not – and I’m definitely having problems rating it. hmmmm….need to ponder.

So did you read anything good this week? What was it? Tell all!

Happy Reading!

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A Full Length Between-The-Numbers Plum Novel?

Posted January 26, 2009 by Holly in Discussions | 17 Comments

I used to be a huge fan of the Plum series by Janet Evanovich. Actually, I still am, I just stopped reading the books. The last Plum novel I read was Twelve Sharp and I didn’t find it nearly as funny as the previous 11, plus I found a lot more plot holes than normal (things that normally would have been cleared up weren’t). I imagine I’ll go back to reading them someday, but for now I’m burned out.

One of the things I’ve always disliked is the “in between” novels she releases. Not because they aren’t good additions to the series, but because she releases them in hardcover. Not just any old hardcover, either, but $17 hardcover. For approximately 150-200 pages. That is beyond ridiculous, IMO. I have a hard time paying $17 for a full length hardcover most of the time, so I’m definitely not going to pay that for a short one. Plum Lucky (St. Martin’s Press) is 176 pages and originally retailed for $17.95 (you can now buy it on sale at Amazon for $5.99 if you’re so inclined, though I still think that’s overpriced for a novella). Plum Lovin’ also clocks in at 176 pages and originally retailed for $16.95. Visions of Sugar Plums is 160 pages and originally retailed for $19.95. I have to go with NO on that.

Book CoverBook CoverBook Cover

But when I was browsing at Books on Board today I saw Plum Spooky, which is the first full length Between-the-Numbers Plum book @ 320 pages. I was curious so I read the blurb (it does sound pretty good) but then I checked the price and about fell over. Original retail price for this Between-the-Numbers Plum book? $27.95! WTF? If you buy it from BoB they’re offering a $5 discount right off the top and $10 in rewards if you email them with proof of purchase, bringing the total cost of the book down to just under $11. Amazon also has it discounted at $16.77.

But..almost $30 for a 300 page book? Really?

I don’t think so.

The First Full Length Stephanie Plum Between-the-Numbers Novel from #1 Bestselling Author Janet Evanovich.
Turn on all the lights and check under your bed. Things are about to get spooky in Trenton, New Jersey. According to legend, the Jersey Devil prowls the Pine Barrens and soars above the treetops in the dark of night. As eerie as this might seem, there are things in the Barrens that are even more frightening and dangerous. And there are monkeys. Lots of monkeys.
Wulf Grimoire is a world wanderer and an opportunist who can kill without remorse and disappear like smoke. He’s chosen Martin Munch, boy genius, as his new business partner, and he’s chosen the Barrens as his new playground. Munch received his doctorate degree in quantum physics when he was twenty-two. He’s now twenty-four, and while his brain is large, his body hasn’t made it out of the boys’ department at Macy’s. Anyone who says good things come in small packages hasn’t met Munch. Wulf Grimoire is looking for world domination. Martin Munch would be happy if he could just get a woman naked and tied to a tree.
Bounty hunter Stephanie Plum has Munch on her most-wanted list for failure to appear in court. Plum is the all-American girl stuck in an uncomfortable job, succeeding on luck and tenacity. Usually she gets her man. This time she gets a monkey. She also gets a big guy named Diesel. Diesel pops in and out of Plum’s life like birthday cake – delicious to look at and taste, not especially healthy as a steady diet, gone by the end of the week if not sooner. He’s an über bounty hunter with special skills when it comes to tracking men and pleasing women. He’s after Grimoire, and now he’s also after Munch. And if truth were told, he wouldn’t mind setting Stephanie Plum in his crosshairs.
Diesel and Plum hunt down Munch and Grimoire, following them into the Barrens, surviving cranberry bogs, the Jersey Devil, a hair-raising experience, sand in their underwear, and, of course . . . monkeys.

Plum Spooky is available from St. Martin’s Press. You can buy it here or here in e-format.

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What I’ve Been Reading This Week

Posted October 27, 2008 by Tracy in Features | 9 Comments

Welcome to another version of This is Your Life Charlie Brown:

I’ve learned my lesson. No, really, I have. Never, ever post that things are quiet at your house because sure as shit life will take a turn for the worse. Since I posted how quiet it was on Wednesday, one thing after another has happened. It’s actually kind of funny…in a distorted sort of way!

Anyway so I had the stomach flu for the first few days of the week. It wasn’t fun but other than that life was good. Then on Friday I get a call from the school that my youngest isn’t feeling well. She’s never gone to the office sick (unlike my oldest who I’m pretty sure lives for harrassing the office staff at the school) with some odd symptoms so this worried me. I picked her up, took her to the doctor (and let me tell you that urgent care doctor was fine, fine, fine!!! Tall, mocha skin, nice voice – what a hottie) and sure enough she had a pretty bad bladder infection. Since this isn’t her first one and she’s only 6 they’re gonna do some extra tests to make sure that it’s not a congenital problem, etc. which of course we’re not looking forward to but I’d rather know than not.

My husband left for a business trip on Saturday morning (I had completely forgotten about it until he reminded me on Thursday – oops). A business meeting…in friggin Puerto Vallarta!!!! Yeah, life’s rough! He’ll be gone for a week or so, so that’s a bummer. I did discover Skype out of the whole deal (since his phone doesn’t work there) which is very, very cool. Just install it and add a microphone to your computer for about $10.00 and viola – talk on the computer for free! If any of you are skype-ers lemme know!

Then this morning my oldest, who has had a cold for 3 weeks now (which of course is not normal) started complaining about headaches. I just lightly touched her face and thought she was gonna jump out of her skin it was so painful. So it’s back to the urgent care and sure enough – she’s got a sinus infection (wasn’t lucky enough to get the hot doctor twice in a row – oh well). Holy infection batman!!! Now I’ve got 2 kids on meds and no husband to beat up on! What’s a body to do?

Ok – so now that I’ve told you everything that’s going on in my life let’s get on to what I read this week since that is the name of the post (keep in mind I was sick for 3 days so I read more than usual).

First up: a fabulous, wonderfully amazing book. King of Sword and Sky by C. L. Wilson. This is the 3rd book in a 4 book series. If you haven’t read any of them I highly recommend that you do. These books are fascinating and I’m just bowled over every time I finish another book because the world that she has built is mesmerizing. I start reading Wilson’s story and I want to put everything else on hold. (Luckily I was sick and could actually do that) This is definitely a 5 star read – actually more like 6 or 7 star!

Next up was Stray by Rachel Vincent. This is book 1 in the werecats series. I actually had Rogue (book 2) on my shelf and it’s been there for a few months. I finally decided to dig in to Rogue foolishly thinking that it was book 1. Uh, no. When I found this out I was home and I had my wonderful computer nearby so I just downloaded Stray and went to town. – I love ebooks! Anyway…this was an interesting book. Not my typical read that’s for sure. I prefer books that have the old HEA – even if it’s a series. This has continuing characters and is told in 1st person POV – again, not my fav. But despite that I liked the book well enough. The second part of the book was much more appealing to me because there was more dialogue and many more exciting things going on. I love dialogue. It’s hard to have dialogue when you’ve got a very introspective character and the book is 1 p pov let me tell you. I want to see what happens next so I’ll keep you posted on how I like the series.

Someday Soon by Debbie Macomber was next. I read this to do a review on The Book Binge. I was still fuzzy from being sick when I wrote it and you can totally tell. Just sayin.


Mr Cavendish, I Presume by Julia Quinn. I was sooooo looking forward to this book. I, for some reason, thought that the book would be a recap of what happened in The Lost Duke of Wyndham and then move on from there. I was disappointed cuz that’s not what happened. Don’t get me wrong MCIP was a good book, but I just wish there had been more of Thomas and Amelia and what happened after. I did enjoy getting to know Amelia – I liked her a lot. I’d give the book 4 stars.

I read Lady Be Good by Susan Elizabeth Phillips after reading this post on The Book Binge where Rowena made Kenny (say it properly now…Kinny) Traveler the hero of the month. I just had to read more about Kenny! I loved this book. Kenny was a kick and a half and yes, I wanted to hate him but I just loved him. With stuff like this how could I not???…

” Now, this is where I draw the line! It’s bad enough everybody in town’s going to be thinkin’ I’m sleeping with a depressed, lice-ridden, hemorrhoidal foreigner who likes to be tied up and might be pregnant, although – since she’s just about cornered the market on condoms – I don’t know how that could have happened. But I will not – you listen to me, Emma! – I absolutely will not have anybody thinkin’ a woman of mine needs a vaginal moisturizer, do you hear me?”

I really liked Emma as well and for all their differences loved her and Kenny together. The secondary characters in this book were fab and rounded out the book quite nicely.

I ended my reading week with Plum Lucky by Janet Evanovich. I’ve only read a few of her books but I absolutely love them! I really should start at the beginning and work my way through….maybe someday. This was a fun book with lots of colorful characters and more than a few amusing, outlandish and bizarre things going on. It was a nice way to end the reading week.

Happy Reading!

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