Customer Reviews

Evie Ever After

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Evie Ever After is the last installment in Beth Ciotta's trilogy about Evie Parish, an entertainer turned member of Chameleon, an organization designed to expose despicable frauds. Like the previous two books - All About Evie and Everybody Loves Evie - the third installment is a delightful read, a romantic comedy with a heart. But though still spunky and kind-hearted, the heroine is wiser now and more secure in her not exactly twentysomething (okay, fortysomething) body. Part of the reason for such confidence might be that two very sexy heroes vie for her affection, and even readers could not decide which one they'd prefer for Evie, so the preliminary voting divided 50/50.

So whom will Evie choose? A bad boy and ex-grifter Arch or her very attractive boss Milo? Between Arch disappearing at most inconvenient moments and Milo being accused of murder, between her friend Jayne being in trouble and Evie's participating - as a leading lady, no less - in a dangerous mission of incredible importance at Chameleon, Evie certainly has her hands full. But she is up to the challenges life throws at her. Both in career and in love, she is willing to give and receive second chances but knows well that only the choice of the heart can lead to true happiness.

Beth Ciotta has a voice like no others, and her books are a treat. Evie's hilarious adventures in Evie Ever After is no exception. To put it simply, I loved the book. Evie Ever After is more difficult to put down than to stop eating strawberry ice-cream after the first bite.

Excellent 3 book series, the last book was alittle slower than the first 2, and ended suddenly. But it was good

Great finale to the Evie Parrish stories. Beth Ciotta finds a way to keep your attention due to plot turns, with some great humor thrown in as a bonus! Loved it!!

This is my first Beth Ciotta book, and I do realize it's meant as book #3 (of 3) in a trilogy about Evie. Who is Evie? She's a 41 year old actress/singer who's worked a lot of bit parts around Atlantic City and is now working for a very covert secret group that busts scam/con artists and such. She's got feelings for 2 men going into this book- something that the author clears up quickly.

As I said before I haven't read books #1 and 2, but having boned up on the plot lines I figure that if this is a great book it won't matter. In my experience a series book CAN be enjoyed out of order if it's solid on it's own. I've done it (on accident!) numerous times and found enjoyment so I know my hopes aren't unrealistic.

This, sadly, is not one of those. While the author dropped details about the characters so I could see them and understand, the plot was weak and the action watered down. The boss is being framed, there may be a big bad gov't. baddie, and Evie is insecure about her romantic relationship. Where was the excitement? The awesome spy world stuff? The drama? I just wasn't feeling it and this book did not work for me on any level.

Felt more like a pat on the back to satisfy those who'd read the first two books and wanted to know the ending. If you've read the other two books and want to see this out I understand, but if you're looking for a satisfying read without those two- don't look here.

It's a happily ever after tale to nauseating levels.

This is one of those idiotic fantasies that fail utterly in its attempt to ape daring-do type books. Worse, there's no wit, but simply attempts at earnest cuteliness. The characters are one-dimensional, the plot unbelievable. The writing is passable, but so what when it's put to such poor characterization and plotting? Why waste time on this?

If you want real life romance and daring-do and don't mind OK writing, put your time to better use by reading books by the Countess of Romanones Aline. She was a CIA agent in Spain during WWII and ended up marrying a Spanish count -- hence her title. In one of her books, she details how the Duchess of Windsor assisted in the unmasking of a spy. Her writing is no more than serviceable, but if you want a romance plot, let alone out of real life, read her books.

Although the agents of Chameleon did not want the assignment, they did the job of winning back the money that the wife of Senator Clark lost gambling with Mad Dog Turner, who she said cheated her. The only actual government official on the team former Bunko Squad police officer Milo "Jazzman" Beckett sends the squad home with the mission accomplished of stopping a con artist while he finishes the close-out. Team member forty-one year old stage performer Evie Parrish is worried about him, but her younger lover, former con artist Arch "Ace: Duvall tells her Jazz is a big boy.

Jazzman is met at the airport by two fellow agents of the Artful Intelligence Agency that Chameleon is part of. They escort him to the AIA chief who informs him that he should not have killed Mad Dog. Jazzman insists he did not, but hard evidence proves otherwise, but AIA cleansed the crime scene. As his team work on a scam perpetuated by Madame Helene on Evie's friend Jayne, they also decide to learn who inside of AIA set up their leader. At the same Evie wonders why Ace will not tell her who the mysterious Kate and his kid are; while Jazzman wonders why he likes Evie's friend Nic Sparks who figuratively rips his skin off him when they meet.

The climax to the Evie trilogy (see ALL ABOUT EVIE and EVERYBODY LOVES EVIE) is a lighthearted romantic suspense. The support cast is solid while readers will know from the onset whom the heroine is attracted to between the two hunks. Although the plot is a bit thin, fans will enjoy the antics of Evie and her Chameleon cohorts as they try to out con cons and want another tale starring Nic in time.

Harriet Klausner