Rating: 
Summary: Fabulous Job, FANTASTIC READ!
Review: This was my first Stephanie Plum novel (picked it up while I was at the pharmacy). To the Nines is one interesting, fascinating read with one helluva lot of interesting characters. When you get to Lula, Ranger and (...) Grandma, you'll know just what I'm talking about lol. Janet knocked this one out the park. Fantastic work, honey. And I can't wait to get through 1-8 and your new one Ten Big Ones.
Rating: 
Summary: So much better than Hard Eight!
Review: Back when Book 8 came out, I read it and came away disappointed. Sure, it was more of the same Stephanie Plum that I had come to love. But it seemed like TOO MUCH of the same stuff. Crazy Grandma, cars blowing up, people breaking into her apartment. It just seemed like the author was cranking out the same book with a new title. Not so with To the Nines! I was quite pleasantly surprised to see Evanovich getting back into the swing of things with this book. The story was fun and engrossing. I read it within two days. The book has lots of the usual humor. Like Lula, who wants to be a supermodel and goes on an all-meat diet. She carries pork chops around in her purse, so dogs are always chasing her or following her around. It's pretty funny. There's more of the love triangle with Ranger and Morelli. And the mystery is pretty good, too, even though I thought it was a bit obvious who the bad guy was. Nonetheless, I loved To the Nines and highly recommend it to all of you who are Plum Crazy, and those who are new to the series, too.
Rating:
Summary: Lula takes the cake (oops!) bacon!
Review: Having read all of the Stephanie Plum novels, I can state that I am a great fan. This book, however, downplays the sexual tension between Steph/Ranger/Morelli (still some hot scenes, though) in favor of great sideshows involving Stephanie's family (sister Saint Valerie is very pregnant and unwed; Grandma Mazer is odd, as always) and Joe's ever-scary Grandmother Bella (visions of Stephanie's demise abound). The highlight of the book is definitely Lula, Stephanie's plus-size sidekick and a former "ho" who decides to go on an all-meat diet to achieve super-model proportions for her new boyfriend (who we never meet). Like many others in this book, the scene in which Lula runs away from a pack of dogs who want her bacon is laugh-out-loud funny! Oh, yes, the mystery is o.k. (I figured it out about a third of the way through), but that's not why you read Evanovich. Her characters are unique, her writing fast-paced. This book was a lot of fun!
Rating:
Summary: Evanovich Wrote Another Plum Goody! A+
Review: I enjoyed this book perhaps a little more than the other ones. It definitely had a little more excitement to it-that's for sure.
This time, cousin Vinnie, Stephanie's boss, gives her an assignment that is not only tough-but very dangerous. She has to capture Singh, who violated his visa bond and disappears. She tracks him down as being in Vegas, so good old Lula, the tough former prostitute, and Connie, the office manager, go along with her and find out after they've arrived of course, that Singh is dead. There is more danger lurking in the background, and Stephanie is definitely being stalked. The stalker has to be someone from TriBro, Singh's old workplace. There was trouble there, and that's where this whole charade began. The only thing is, which guy is after Steph? Is it Bart, or Clyde? Someone is leaving Steph deadly notes along with carnations telling her she better watch out. Ranger and Morelli, Stephanie's two loves are watching out for her, but may not be able to keep her safe all the time, (they don't).
And there is always the eccentric Grandma Mazur, goofy as ever. Then along with that on the homefront, Stephanie's sister Valerie is expecting a baby and is not yet married. Her parents have a houseful and are ready to go out of their mind. So in the last part of the story, Stephanie has them all move in to her tiny apartment together before the family hates each other.
Not a boring moment in this book. Very hard to lay it down!
Rating:
Summary: There's Hope for a Serious Novel Yet
Review: I enjoyed this for the same reason several reviewers did not - the dark, serious mood that prevailed instead of the slapstick comedy that seems to dominate the other nine novels. This was also a good mystery, the idea of the "game" was superb, the action intense, the romance and heat between Stephanie, the cop and Ranger still going strong...
I would like to see more along this line. We are sick of the car problems, the nutty grandma and that &@$& hampster. Evanovich excels in the introduction of minor characters that somehow become part of the overall story - witness Ranger and Lula not to mention the cross-dresser and Valerie's man. The plot line was more in line with traditional mysteries and the surprise - that the people were killing each other in a "game" - was only a prelude to the horrifying chase through the dark factory. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Audio books at their best
Review: Most of us who listen to audio books do so because we want to occupy our minds during walking, running etc.--not necessarily because we prefer the spoken to the written word. This is the first audio book to which I have listened that seemed much the better for the skills of the narrator, Lorelei King. Ms. King's array of voices added greatly to the humor and suspense. If you haven't experienced an audio book, try this one.
Rating:
Summary: Is this series losing steam? My answer? "Sadly, yes."
Review: Rating this book was VERY difficult (for reasons which will be explained below). I really did not feel it rated a 4 on its own merit but, because I have been such a huge fan of the series, I gave it a higher score.
I have been a fan of the Stephanie Plum series from book #1 and have read 9 of the 10 (in order) and enjoyed them all to varying degrees. But I must say that I think this series is starting to falter. That's not to say it's not still funny. In "To the Nines" in particular, Lula's "all meat" diet and especially the scene in Vegas at the Tom Jones show had me ROLLING. However, a few funny scenes does not a story make.
I'm getting really tired of Stephanie being the victim, screwing up over and OVER again (doesn't she learn ANYTHING from her mistakes?) and constantly needing a white knight (namely Morelli, Ranger or one of the Merry Men) to ride in and rescue her. What kind of image is this for women???
Maybe it's just me and I'm getting tired of the series, but I am just not finding the same level of "I HAVE TO READ THIS BOOK NOW!" excitement with #9 that I had earlier in the series.
Rating:
Summary: Another Great Stephanie Plum Novel
Review: Stephanie Plum always gets her man. Well usually. Nearly always anyway. And sometimes she even knows why she has him.I've enjoyed every book in this series, despite the fact that it has a gimmicky naming convention I would usually find off-putting. The protagonist is Stephanie Plum, a Jersey girl and bounty hunter employed by her cousin Vinnie. Her main job skill is persistence, and an uncanny ability to attract the attention of wackos and murderers wherever she goes. To The Nines is no exception, as what starts off as a simple hunt for a foreign computer geek who skipped out on his visa bond evolves into a cat and mouse game between Stephanie and an unknown assailant determined to do something unknown to her. One of the endearing characteristics of these books is that Stephanie very rarely understands what her real problem is until it's solved, and sometimes not even then. The plot here twists back and forth, and sometimes pauses while Ranger and Morelli, the two very macho love interests, duel for position in Stephanie's heart and bed. The resolution is entertaining as always, even if hard core fans of the series will be slightly disappointed by the survival of Stephanie's car through the entire book. Highly recommended!
Rating:
Summary: One of this year's best
Review: Stephanie Plum is a Jersey Girl to the core in this rollicking tale of, well, everything. Folks, suspend your disbelief for a while, sit back, and enjoy this hoot of a ride. From perps who grease themselves with Vaseline to give poor Stephanie the "slip" to questionable love interests that heat things up, this rollercoaster of a ride is pure entertainment from page one and into infinity. Janet Evanovich's reputation could have easily rested on the former books in this series, but now she's gone and done it---topped even those with the best one yet. Would also recommend another great read I've come across recently---equally good and funny: "The Bark of the Dogwood--a tour of southern homes and gardens." Great fun, these two!
Rating:
Summary: Rent to Pay, People to See, and A Job That Needs Done
Review: Stephanie Plum is one of my heroes. She has such a cute way about her; loves her job, doesn't really care how she looks most of the time, has a personality and looks that attract the men, and is not wonder woman! Janet Evanovich, author of "To the Nines" has created characters that have me laughing and chuckling to myself. They are so real that I can see them in my mind. I have an image of Lula, the big size ex-ho, turned bonds-woman; Ranger, the ex-Special Forces turned bond enforcement; grandma, the woman who likes wigs and is as crazy as Stephanie-wonder whom Stephanie takes after; and Morelli, the cop, Stephanie's lover. Janet Evanovich has such a wonderful imagination- I want to meet that woman.
Stephanie is in trouble again. She is working with Ranger to find Samuel Singh, a missing computer nerd who is out on bail. Vinnie, Stephanie's boss will lose money if Mr. Singh is not found. Stephanie does all the right things, she looks in all the right places, asks all the right questions, and of course, she is a marked woman. Trouble seems to find her, she is left flowers with a devious message, shot at with a dart, email messages of a dark nature left on her computer. This mystery takes her to Las Vegas and has one of the funniest scenes with Lula I have read. Lula may just be taking some of the best scenes from Stephanie- Stephanie should talk to the author about what is going on:-)
Stephanie's family seems to take front page in this mystery. Her sister Valerie, is pregnant, large as a house and eating as much as she can. He boyfriend wants to marry her, but she isn't quite ready, and Valerie's two children are all living with Stephanie's mom and dad. No one is happy about this, and the house is getting too small, especially since Grand mom lives there also. What a mess.
This novel is one of the better ones. Many readers of Janet Evanovich, complain that her books tend to follow the same format-well, they do, but each one is different and so enjoyable. Ms. Evanovich lives near my hometown- I have to meet this woman who has brought me so much enjoyment, A mystery novel that brings humor to the forefront- what more could one ask? prisrob
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