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33 of 36 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Hot Stuff Left Me Cold, April 9, 2007
This review is from: Hot Stuff (Mass Market Paperback)
I am a huge Janet Evanovich fan; this is not one of her better stories. The book jacket summary sounded very interesting to me, it had real potential to be a lighthearted, intriguing romance. The book started out decent enough, I immediately liked the main character, Cate, and fell for her and her crazy Irish family. At the same time I was falling for the Madigan's I was introduced to a not so loveable character, Patrick Pugg. This guy is so annoying it really takes away from the rest of the story. I feel he was inserted into the story to garner some laughs; unfortunately he had the opposite effect on me. He constantly refers to himself in the third person, everything is "Pugg this" and "Pugg that." It was exhausting and exasperating to read! He had absolutely zero redeeming qualities; any normal person would have sprayed this guy with mace and taken out a restraining order. For you Plum fans, think of all the faults and quirks of the character Albert Kloughn, add a few more, than multiply and magnify by 100.
The rest of the characters were endearing and likeable. Kellen McBride is a loveable hero and it's easy to see why he and Cate are so attracted to one another. The whole mystery of the missing drag queen roommate and the other surprises (don't want to spoil anything) also had some potential, but ended up falling flat for me. The ending and the wrap up of the mystery was completely unbelievable and ridiculous. And just when I'd think it couldn't get any more far fetched, it would. While I know this is fiction, and I appreciate the land of make believe, I always prefer a little reality in my books.
The humor and the dialogue seemed really forced and childish to me. Nothing in this book made me laugh out loud, like I normally do with a Janet read, I barely smiled at some parts. Another problem with this story was the introduction of yet another dog. I was happy this one didn't resort to the normal dog antics, but the dog thing is getting a bit stale for me. Not the worst book I have read, but far from the best. If you're dying to read this book, I recommend borrowing it from a friend or your local library.
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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
4 stars, April 9, 2007
This review is from: Hot Stuff (Mass Market Paperback)
Cate Madigan is sick of being set up romantically by her well-meaning family, but it sure as heck beats being set up to be in danger. She finds herself facing both situations, however. First, she is stuck with a semi-stalker named Pugg, sicced on her by her mother, who now refuses to take no for an answer. He's nice, just weird and more than a little annoying. Besides, she's just found her own man, one Kellen McBride who perfectly fits the nickname a friend gives him of Mr. Yummy. Then, because her landlord/room mate lands in trouble with some thugs and vamooses, but not before making sure she has protection in the form of a hulk of a dog. The thugs are even more determined than Pugg, though, so it's a good thing Cate has Beast, Pugg, and Kellen all to help protect her as she tries to find out what in the Sam Hill is going on and to stay alive. Somewhere in the chaos, she does make on very interesting discovery; she's in love with Kellen.
**** If Janet Evanovich's name is on the cover of a book, I have learned over the years that that is a guaratee of a fun read that would make the most serious person grin. While I've never read Ms. Banks before, it seems she blends very well with Ms. Evanovich's style, creating a memorable, fast-paced story that you'll be sorry for it to end. This is a great way to fill the waiting space between Plum books. ****
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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
These are accomplished authors?, April 9, 2007
This review is from: Hot Stuff (Mass Market Paperback)
This book seemed to me to be written by an author, or authors, who were afraid to take it one or two steps further. The storyline was weak, the action weak, the thugs and "bad guys" not believeable at all and the leading characters just shadows of what they could have been. I love the Stephanie Plum series and tried really, really hard not to make a comparison. Unfortunately, the authors made it impossible to separate Plum from Hot Stuff. There were Plumisms scattered throughout the book and the characters were recycled from the Plum books. I wonder why Janet and LeAnn even bothered with the book. There was nothing hot about Hot Stuff at all.
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