Rating: Summary: Novel? Yes and No!!! Review: This book is billed as a "Stephanie Plum Holiday Novel."Calling this book a novel is an act of charity. It's slender and about two-thirds the size of a normal Evanovich book. It's a padded novella, a one-sitting read. But such padding! This is less a book than a printed sitcom. I roared with laughter the entire way through. Imagine Moonlighting at its best, and you have roughly the tone of this book. Stephanie Plum, bail-bondsperson (?) extraordinaire, is afflicted by the presence of a man (??) named Diesel. He has this way of being places without actually coming or going. He has decided to help her find her latest FTA, a man named Sandy Claws (!!!). To make matters worse, it's Christmastime and Stephanie is NOT in the spirit of the season. To reveal any more would be potentially to spoil the effect of the book, so let me pique the interest of the undecided by making three observations: 1) Grandma Mazur has a new studmuffin. 2) Stephanie's mother enjoys a nip of "holiday cheer." Or maybe more. 3) We get more conversation out of Mr Plum than in the previous 8 books combined. I truly hope someone turns this delightful farce into a made-for-TV movie, to air around Christmas every year.
Rating: Summary: A fun read Review: Altogether, a fun and entertaining look at a Plum family Christmas. Grandma Mazur is as wonderful as ever. The plot is a little fantastic but the humor in the story makes up for it. A must-read for Stephanie's fans.
Rating: Summary: A Hoot and a Half Review: Yes, hilarious, a bit out there, and totally fun! There is Sandy Claws, Diesel and Morelli makes an appearance and oh yeah Grandma has a new 'stud muffin'. But mainly it is all Stephanie Plum dealing with Christmas, spirit of the holidays and her wonderful family - it is hard not to laugh at Mary Alice's horse antics and Kloughn handing out his card to 'elves' for harassment representation. This is a definite stocking stuffer must for any true Stephanie Plum die-hard fan!
Rating: Summary: Not Your Usual Stephanie Review: Visions of Sugar Plums finds Stephanie in search of Sandy Claws, an elderly man who runs a toy shop. Sounds simple enough, right? Enter Diesel, a mysterious man who "pops" into Stephanie's kitchen. With his help Stephanie is on the case to find Sandy. Oh, did I mention Sandy has workers in his toy shop? And they're elves??? This book was a major disappointment. A big fan of the Stephanie Plum series I found this book to be boring. It didn't have all the usual characters and the ones that did make an appearance were in the book such a short time. This book seemed to be written in a hurry and not well created. I was in a hurry for it to be over so I could read something else. I kept hoping that it would get better but that just didn't happen. I would recommend skipping this Stephanie novel. It is a waste of time. Not worth buying or spending the time reading.
Rating: Summary: BIG LAUGHS!!! Review: I did not find this book as a disappointment I thought it was funny, yes a bit Christmas-y but good to read around the holidays. Some parts in this book I found my self lol. I really enjoyed this story, it a was fun to read around xmas. Stephanie is still as fun as ever & her crazy family. And Lula was hilarious when they went xmas shopping. This is a remunerable book. I love it & I did not found it a waste of money. I thought through the whole book it was exiting right anyway if you like the Stephanie Plum series you'll most likely enjoy this book. I remember no wanting to put it down like most Stephanie Plum novels.
Rating: Summary: Cute Review: Stephanie Plum finds a strange man in her apartment. Actually not really a man - some sort of angel or spirit or something. It's not clear what he's there for - to make sure Stephanie has a merry Christmas probably. His 'mission' should have been made known to the reader earlier, and it might have made the book more enjoyable. Still, we are dealing with a guy from the Great Beyond or something - a far cry from the realism the Plum novels are made of. One of the people she is trying to capture as a bondsman is a guy named Sandy Claws, who runs a toy factory staffed by "elves", who are these mean "little people". Hilarious stuff there, and the book is filled with the usual wonderful Evanovich sense of humor. The Plum family is in the book (thank goodness - sometimes they are my favorite part). And good old Lula is there, with a dash or two of Morelli thrown in. Except for the Sci-Fi Guy, it's another Plum winner.
Rating: Summary: Visions of Lost Money... Review: I cannot imagine what Evanovich was thinking about when she created this horrific little 149 page Christmas rip-off. Whatever the reason, this pint sized joke starts out improbable (men materializing in her kitchen??) and ends up impossible (people with supernatural powers??) I am left with... 'Why was this book written?'
Rating: Summary: Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus Review: This novel departs from the usual novels in the Stephanie Plum series. It might have been a good children's book, if the author would have left out the crude language. Instead, the author has tried to make it into an adult novel by including gutter talk. As a result, it is neither, but is still a somewhat interesting novel.
Stephanie is missing any Christmas spirit. She did not mail cards, has no tree, and has not bought gifts (not even for her two young nieces). She is visited by a man who suddenly appears in her kitchen. He is not very keen on being there, but goes where he is sent.
Stephanie, as a bounty hunter for her cousin Vinnie, a bail bondsman, has been seeking a toymaker who did not appear for his day in court. All is not as it seems. There is a power struggle going on between people with unusual abilities, and Stephanie gets caught in the middle. She loses yet another vehicle.
The novel is on the surreal side, but has some interesting moments. Lula has an interesting method for doing Christmas shopping quickly, i.e., just buy whatever is near the register on the assumption that people will exchange it anyway after Christmas.
Rating: Summary: why was this published? Review: I have given up reading the Stephanie Plum mysteries because they are the same every time. Same jokes, same story line, same dumb blonde. I own this book because a friend thought it would be a good read and so she gave it to me (a year ago). I took it out of my "books to get rid of" box and read it in about 2 hours. The plot is thin (so thin it is nearly invisible), the writing is sloppy, the jokes are the same (grandma's missing teeth, her "studmuffins," Stephanie's car blows up, etc.), and it really is the bottom of the barrel in this genre. If you want to read a good story with genuine humor and a solid plot, read Elizabeth Peters or Barbara Michaels. Stephanie Plum is overdone, overexposed, and has overstayed her welcome.
Kris, a reader who prefers well-written books even when reading just for fun.
Rating: Summary: plum lovers' delight Review: Give yourself a Christmas present. If you know the Plum family, you will be laughing from the first paragraph. It's a little outrageous, but so is the holiday season. Take it as comic releif and don't miss it.
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