Stephanie Plum, Book 22

I Picked Up This Book Because: Continue the series

The Characters:

Stephanie Plum:
Joe Morelli:
Carlos “Ranger” Manoso:
Grandma Mazur, Lula, Connie, Tank,

The Story:

Another good one. I think Stephanie missed her calling as a detective, with some real training she could really be something.

The Random Thoughts:

#LibraryLoveChallenge

4 Stars

Will the barnyard animals trick-or treat-Farmer Brown? Farmer Brown does not like Halloween. So he draws the shades, puts on his footy pajamas, and climbs into bed. But do you think the barnyard animals have any respect for a man in footy pajamas? No, they do not. For them, the Halloween party has just begun. And we all know these critters far prefer tricks over treats.There are big surprises in store for Farmer Brown. This book would be great to read during the month of October. 

 

Lexile: AD 520L

Stephanie Plum gets involved in on-campus high jinks and more serious crime as she continues to balance her bond management job with her two suitors. She must be attractive and sexy to have such an effect on the men around her and the novel has the usual mix of fun, nonsense and family inter-action that you'd expect from an Evanovich thriller. Well worth a read if you like silly crime novels although reading some of the previous 22 books will help to understand her situation.

I expect certain things when I read a Stephanie Plum novel... I expect Stephanie to be awful at her job, I expect her to wreck or blow up at least one car, I expect her to love Morelli and be freaked out about commitment, I expect her to be in lust with Ranger and freaked out about that, I expect Granny to do and say some things that make me cringe, and I expect Lula to be Lula. Mostly, I expect to laugh and forget my life for a few hours.

This is not great literature. This is fun, ridiculous, escapism. If you are expecting more than that, you will likely be disappointed. I see that several reviewers have been unhappy with the last few books in the series. The books are written using a pretty obvious equation and expecting it to change now, twenty books in, is likely an effort in futility.

If JE writes another fifty Plum novels exactly like this one, I'll read them all, they'll make me laugh, and I'll happily look forward to the next one

Tricky - Kari Rust Book – Tricky
Author – Kari Rust
Star rating - ★★★★★
No. of Pages – 40
Cover – Gorgeous!
Would I read it again – Yes
Genre – Comic, Children's Fiction


** COPY RECEIVED THROUGH NETGALLEY **


Format FYI:
First off, I have to say that the Kindle version didn't work for me. It left me with text outside of boxes, in places that didn't make sense, and whole images blacked out. I had to download the acsm version and read it on my laptop, which was uncomfortable and inconvenient, but the simplest way to do it. Lucky, I wasn't postponed from downloading this second version by delayed reading, but I do have to admit, I don't normally get to a book this quickly, so I would have been unable to write a proper review if the book had been archived by the time I realised I needed a different version.

Onto the story:
This is a really cute concept that will really resonate with kids. The fact that it's Tricky the dog who learns to change first, which inspires the Duke to do the same, is a really great idea. It shows that not only can old dogs learn new tricks, but also that people can change with the right incentive, the right motivation and by seeing the consequences of what they're doing wrong. Though the 'tricks' aren't dangerous or physically hurt anyone, the lesson is there, shown through beautiful illustrations and very emotive images that really spark a light in the heart.

A brilliant story for kids and adults alike.