The Grand Finale [Mass Market Paperback]

Janet Evanovich (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 24, 2009

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author comes a revised, repackaged novel sure to please her many fans. She writes "high speed comic mayhem" (Detroit Free Press); she's "a blast of fresh air" (Washington Post); "side-splitting funny" (Publishers Weekly) and "a winner" (Glamour). In other words, she's Janet Evanovich.

Berry Knudson had a talent for disaster, but when she climbed a tree to rescue a kitten, she wasn't prepared for the scrumptious hunk undressing in a nearby window, or her dive downward that smashed Jake Sawyer's pizza and won his heart! But was there room in her chaotic schedule for a risk-taking inventor with dreams? She took classes, delivered pizzas, and cared for three eccentric old ladies she rescued from the train station. But Jake thrived on a challenge, and he could be very inventive. Could he teach her there was time to make butterscotch pudding and let herself be loved?

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Bestselling author Janet Evanovich is the winner of the New Jersey Romance Writers Golden Leaf Award and multiple Romantic Times awards, including Lifetime Achievement. She is also a long-standing member of RWA.

From AudioFile

When Berry, a young, unpredictable divorcée and pizza-parlor owner, finds three elderly woman living in the train station, she hires them as delivery drivers. She doesn't expect to find herself living with them, but she didn't expect to live with the strays she rescued either. Soon the ladies start baking, and Berry remains the sole delivery driver. C.J. Critt's polished performance captures Berry's spontaneity with authenticity--from scampering up a tree to rescue a frightened kitten (pizza box in hand) to peeping in a "scrumptious hunk's" bedroom window. Critt also captures the hunk himself, whose name turns out to be Jake. Fans of Evanovich are in for a treat with C.J. Critt's masterful performance of this pre-Stephanie Plum romantic comedy. G.D.W. © AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 246 pages
• Publisher: Harper; First edition (February 24, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060598751
• ISBN-13: 978-0060598754
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (35 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #78,907 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Janet Evanovich is the #1 bestselling author of the Stephanie Plum novels, twelve romance novels, the Alexandra Barnaby novels and graphic novels, Wicked Appetite (the first book in the Lizzy and Diesel series,) and How I Write: Secrets of a Bestselling Author.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

42 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars slightly less than grand, February 24, 2009

By 

she reads (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Grand Finale (Mass Market Paperback)

When I read the exerpt of this book I got really excited. The first chapter is gold! He's a wealthy inventor, she's a struggling pizza place owner and going back to school for her degree. That's the premise for this, the latest re-released Janet Evanovich romance novel.

Let me start by saying I adore Janet's works, and have really enjoyed most all of the re-released (pre-plum) romances that she put out. This one is OK, and being such a fan I had to go and read it, but it's not all that great.

First off, our hero is instantly smitten to the point of thinking marriage. Secondly, our heroine is really focused on goals but for no particular reason other than having them. She doesn't want love because she's so focused on getting her college degree- but she has no real plan once she gets it. At the same time, perhaps due to space constraints, some of the things that the hero does seem borderline creepy and unbelieveable for a near stranger. I'm cutting this some slack though- it's only 246 pages it's understandable that a lot of character and plot development is not what it could be.

The bright spots are the usual J.E. humor and the three old ladies who live with Berry (heroine). I'd say if you're a major Evanovich fan you'll want to read this, otherwise skip it.

20 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Delightful, Fun, Light Read, July 11, 2009

By 

Miss Jennifer R. Scott - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Grand Finale (Mass Market Paperback)

First let me say I am a new J.E. reader having just been introduced to Stephanie Plum -- the reason I mention that is I'm thinking the readers who were so disappointed perhaps have their standards a bit too high after reading the Plum series. That said, I am not a *huge* romance fan in general, but I picked this up simply because of her name being on it (OK, that and the cute kitty on the cover!). I had fun reading this. Yes, it is a little dated, a little light on plot, but it is still enjoyable. It is fast and funny, just perfect for a summer lawn-chair read. It is like a sweet "PG-rated" romantic comedy film in book form. A "popcorn" book, I guess. Who doesn't like one of those as a guilty pleasure now and again? I sure do!

12 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Can't Take It Too Seriously, March 9, 2009

By 

J. Schneider - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Grand Finale (Mass Market Paperback)

I'm a big Janet Evanovich fan. I like her short romance novels as well. I read this one after coming off another very intense novel that required a lot of thinking. This book did not require any thinking, except maybe pondering how all this could ever be possible. My main problem with Janet's romance novels is the women. She has since written about some pretty strong and independent women, but the women in these books, including Lingonberry in this book, are all so easily swayed by these men who are total strangers.

These books are good for a little mindless brain candy. It will only take you a couple of hours to read. During that time, you can just forget about the real world, and live in Janet's crazy world where everybody has a crazy pet, a crazy old lady, and a crazy man who will fall in love with you after about 3 minutes.