Evanovich, Janet. Plum Lucky. (New York: St. Martins, 2007). ISBN – 0312377630.

Main Characters: Stephanie Plum, Diesel, Gramdma Mazur, Lula, Connie, Doug, the racehorse, and Snuggy O’Connor, the Leprechaun.

Related Works: This is one of Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum Series. Previous books in the series are One for the Money, Two for the Dough, Three to Get Deadly, Four to Score, High Five, Hot Six, Seven Up, Hard Eight, Visions of Sugar Plums (holiday novella), To the Nines, Ten Big Ones, Eleven on Top, Twelve Sharp, Plum Lovin’ (holiday novella), Lean Mean Thirteen, and the yet-to-be-released Fearless Fourteen. The character of Diesel only appears in the holiday novella’s Visions of Sugar Plums, Plum Lovin‘ and Plum Lucky.

Description from book:

Stephanie Plum has a way of attracting danger, lunatics, oddballs, bad luck… and mystery men. And no one is more mysterious than the unmentionable Diesel. He’s back and hot on the trail of a little man in green pants who’s lost a giant bag of money. Problem is the money isn’t exactly lost. Stephanie’s Grandma Mazur has found it, and like any good Jersey senior citizen she’s high-tailed it in a Winnebago to Atlantic City and hit the slots. With Lula and Connie in tow, Stephanie attempts to bring Grandma home. But the luck of the Irish is rubbing off on everyone. Lula’s found a job modeling plus size lingerie. Connie’s found a guy. Diesel’s found Stephanie. And Stephanie has found herself in over her head with a caper involving thrice stolen money, a racehorse, a car chase and a bad case of hives. PLUM LUCKYis an all-you-can-eat buffet of thrills, chills, shrimp cocktail, plus-size underwear and scorching hot men. It’s a “between the numbers” treat no Evanovich fan will want to miss!

My Thoughts:

It isn’t often that a book makes me laugh uproariously out loud – usually to the dismay of whomever might be close to me at the time. However, almost every single one of Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum books do make me react this way. They are pure fun – in a really wacky and often unbelievable way. I do remember thinking when I was about half-way through Plum Lucky that I hadn’t really been prompted to any outbursts of laughter. Well, that was indeed the case up to that point. But that certainly changed as I finished the rest of this story.

First, there is good, old Snuggy O’Connor who believes himself to be an invisible Leprechaun who is able to communicate with animals. I spent a good fifteen minutes rolling around on the floor, after Snuggy decided that his invisibility wasn’t working correctly because of his clothes -  a tip he got from a conversation with a Doberman. Snuggy apparently forgot that Dobermans are natural pranksters. The image of a naked Snuggy running around thinking he was invisible leaving chaos in his wake is still making chuckle a good 20 hours after I finished reading the book.

Next, there is Doug, the racehorse – around whom a good portion of this story takes place. Poor Doug is unhappy and he needs surgery. Snuggy is unwilling to let Doug’s owner put him to sleep – and it is his plan to spring Doug and pay for the surgery that sets this story in motion. Let me just say that while I doubt it is logistically possible to get a horse into an RV nevermind an elevator, both happen in this book. In one of my favorite conversations from this book, Stephanie asks Ranger if the horse can stay in his garage. He gives the ok, but tells her that Doug is not welcome in his apartment. Stephanie says something like “that would be stupid.” Ranger, of course, asks where the horse is currently staying – and Stephanie had to reply “My apartment.” And, since I’m a big fan of bodily-function humor, the scene where poor Doug passes gas in the elevator while leaving Stephanie’s apartment is particularly noteworthy.

And, I can’t forget about the aluminun-foil wearing, bad guy of the story/mobster, Delvina. Poor Delvina didn’t fair too well from his run in with Diesel and Stephanie in Plum Lovin. Diesel left him with a nasty rash. The medication that Delvina is taking for the rash has some rather bizarre side effects. When Diesel and Stephanie appear to thwart his efforts to recover his money from Snuggy, Delvina goes a bit crazy. He thinks that Diesel and Stephanie are aliens – hence, the aluminum head piece that he sports toward the end of the book. I do admit that I felt a bit bad for Delvina. Even Grandma Mazur did a number on him while he had her in captivity.

Funny, funny stuff. While I do generally miss both Ranger and Morelli in these Plum novellas, they do both appear briefly. And, Diesel is now growing on me. Lula is hysterical as usual, especially when she gets her hands on a rocket launcher. Now, I can’t wait for Fearless Fourteen to hit the shelves!

Read first on January 8, 2008

Janet Evanovich. Plum Lovin’ (New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2007). 9780312306342.

Main Characters: Stephanie Plum, Diesel (who also appears in Visions of Sugar Plums), and Lula. 

Series: Stephanie Plum Series whic also includes One for the Money, Two for the Dough, Three to Get Deadly, Four to Score, High Five, Hot Six, Seven Up, Hard Eight, To the Nines, Ten Big Ones, Eleven on Top, Twelve Sharp and Visions of Sugar Plums.

Main Characters: Stephanie Plum, Diesel (who also appears in Visions of Sugar Plums), and Lula.

Description from book:

Watch your back . . .

Look both ways . .

Because love is in the air . . .

and that means big trouble!

Mysterious men have a way of showing up in Stephanie Plum’s apartment. When the shadowy Diesel appears, he has a task for Stephanie. Annie Hart is a “relationship expert” who is wanted for armed robbery and assault with a deadly weapon. Stephanie needs to find her, fast. Diesel knows where she is. So they make a deal: He’ll help her get Annie if Stephanie plays matchmaker to several of Annie’s most difficult clients. But someone wants to find Annie even more than Diesel and Stephanie. Someone with a nasty temper. And someone with “unmentionable” skills. Does Diesel know more than he’s saying about Annie Hart? Does Diesel have secrets he’s keeping from Stephanie and the two men in her life–Ranger and Morelli? With Stephanie Plum in over her head, things are sure to get a little dicey and a little explosive, Jersey style!

My Thoughts:

I definitely enjoyed this book. It is extremely cute – and easy to read. It took me just about an hour to get through it once I got home from work this afternoon. I love the zany Diesel and his band of “unmentionables.” The fact that Bernie Beaner’s special ability is to give people hives is pretty hysterical – not the kind of thing you run across in your average work of fiction. At the end when everyone is breaking out, I was laughing out loud.

The biggest bummer is that neither Ranger nor Morelli play a significant role in the story – much like the other novella Visions of Sugar Plums. Of course, I have to admit that there may be an upside to that since I certainly am rooting for one of the men in Stephanie’s life over the other. When I first read both Eleven on Top and Twelve Sharp, I read the end first to make sure that the the ending wouldn’t depress me. I’m sure I will do the same thing when Lean Mean Thirteen comes out in June. I hate it when I get this caught up (or obsessed with) in something.

Overall, Plum Lovin’ is a really, cute Valentine’s Day story. Everyone that Stephanie and Diesel set out to help ends up happy on the big day. Stephanie gets flowers from all three men (does she really need more men in her life????).

Read first: January 11, 2007.

I’m so excited that my copies of Plum Lovin’ by Janet Evanovich and Shadow Dance by Julie Garwood are waiting for me at home!!!!!! I first discovered Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum series last March while looking for reading material for a long plane ride. Within the space of a month, I had read all the books in the series – and was definintely hooked.  Julie Garwood is one of my favorite authors. I prefer her earlier more-romance oriented (less thriller) works, but still can’t pass up reading her new stuff.

I’m counting the minutes until I get home. I hope no one calls to disturb me tonight or expects me to do anything other than read!!!!