Customer Reviews

Naughty Neighbor

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Louisa Brannigan, Washington D.C. press secretary to Senator Nolan Bishop, becomes involved with her upstairs neighbor, handsome hunky Pete Streeter, as they set out to solve the mystery of a disappearing pig. Yes, a disappearing pig! In this 1992 forerunner to Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series, it is possible to recognize the author's outrageous humor, and even glimpse the prototype for some of her later characters. This is a short entertaining read, one that you should be able to finish on a long flight or a trip to the hairdresser. It's fun fluff!
JANA

This a reprint of an early Janet Evanovich romance originally published in 1992.

Louisa Brannigan is living in a duplex, the man who shares the other half is about as inconsiderate as you can get. He parks in her spot, steals her paper and gets calls all night long.

Pete Streeter is a Hollywood screenwriter who is following/researching some crooked political officials and their dealings for his next screenplay. When his investigation inadvertently gets Louisa fired from her political job, the two team up to uncover the truth and find a missing pig.

Like all the early Janet romances, this one follows a pretty basic formula, with slight alterations here and there to keep it interesting.

1) Plumesque female with unruly curly hair.
2) Super alpha male.
3) A domestic pet that devours human food.
4) A nutty Grandmother.
5) A lot of mental head slapping and eye rolling by the heroine.
6) A weak but entertaining mystery.

Though it follows an all too familiar and predictable path, it's still an enjoyable afternoon read. It's serves it's purpose at entertaining, though it will lack any surprise and mystery for those of us who are Janet Junkies. Naughty neighbor is silly fun and a light easy read.

Cherise Everhard, March 2008

Louisa Brannigan lived a quiet orderly life until the morning her neighbor Pete Streeter stole her morning newspaper. Tired of him taking advantage of her whether it was parking in her parking place, hogging the community laundry room dryer, or the obnoxious calls in the wee hours of the morning, but the last straw was his theft of her paper. She knocked loudly on his door yelling at him in the process, and he chose to ignore her. Furious that he could totally disregard her, she grabbed her broom and started banging on the ceiling. When Pete went to confront Louisa, he found her door wide open and walked right in to settle her down. He was stunned by how attractive she was, as was she because she was expecting some neanderthal.

When Louisa and Pete found themselves being shot at that night, he quickly pulled her under his protection, but circumstances only got worse from there. He was attacked in his apartment in the middle of the night, and she was fired from her job as press secretary to Senator Noland Bishop just because she knew Pete. Feeling that something was smelly in Washington, he convinced Louisa to help him investigate. Pete thought it would be interesting to base his next screenplay on because he could just feel a scandal waiting to be uncovered. He just hoped he could keep Louisa safe, and in the process convince her that they were perfect for each other.

I have read most of her earlier works, and this is the best of them. Louisa is a very funny character, and was perfectly paired with Pete. They are charming together.

An early work of Evanovich reprinted by Harper this light read holds up today. Even with magenta jackets and front clip bras). Some mystery, fun and supporting charactors make this a fun and fast read. Enjoy it for what it is and early Evanovich. It is not Plum but a forshadowing of her. Enjoy.

Fun, light-hearted read....follows the usual zany plot sequence and humorous dialogue of all Evanovich's screw-ball story lines. Have read the majority of these "Pre-Plum" novels and while CUTE and similar in their off-the-wall antics and endearing characters, they still leave you comparing them to Stephanie Plum and leave you a little bit wanting! On the other hand you can see how her much-loved characters from the beloved series develop in these first novels. But if you've read all of the Plum novels and are aching for some more wacky reads these will get you by with another hit of Evanovich!

Received promptly and in like-new shape!

I just love everything written by Janet Evanovich. Your service was excellent as always.

Janet Evanovich is a gifted writer her stories are magical and special!!! From tears to smiles a journey everywoman in this planet should take!! Reading her is a pleasure!!! I just love it as well as all her other books!!

If you're looking for a unique set of characters, a mild mystery and spicy sexual tension, you've come to the right place. Louisa Brannigan has the most obnoxious and rude neighbor. He steals her morning paper, parks in her spot and his phone rings at all hours of the night. Despite all of his flaws, Pete Streeter is a fine male specimen, and that is what creates such an internal battle for Louisa. When her car is demolished by a bunch of thugs and she loses her job as a Congressional aid to Senator Nolan Bishop, she teams up with Streeter to get to the bottom of the conspiracy that led to it all. A missing pig! Filled with flirtation, a simple plot and zany mystery, Janet Evanovich gives her fans a very enjoyable read. A precursor to the successful Plum series, Naughty Neighbor contains all the aspects that make Evanovich such a successful writer and a pleasure to read: a sassy female lead, a chauvinistic yet sexy male, a simple mystery and sexual tension spread throughout the pages. Naughty Neighbor is a quick read, perfect for the beach or a night alone. Valerie Jones mrsvaljones@netzero.net

Louisa is going nuts, her upstairs neighbor is making sure of it. He is getting calls at all hours of the night and her portable phone picks up the signal, meaning she is never going to get a full night's sleep again. Adding to this offense is the fact he snatches her paper, and listens to her conversations through the walls and vents. When she finally meets him though he is also one of the most handsome men she has ever met before. Too bad he is pushy, and gets her little car vandalized, and oh yeah may be the reason she is fired from her government job.

Pete Streeter doesn't know what the little mousey woman from downstairs is doing to him. But, he can't seem to live without seeing and talking to her. Then, suddenly, she might be in danger because of him. Now he is setting out to make sure she is safe, though he is the one that has convinced her to help him figure out what the deal with the missing pig is really about. She has the right contacts in the government after being a press secretary in the Hart building.

Will Louisa trust the feelings that she has for Pete are being returned and that she isn't just another fling for him? Also will she finally take control of her life and do what she wants, and not what is expected of her?

Naughty Neighbor is a rewrite on an early J. Evanovich romance tale and in this one she appears to have updated some of the slang, etc. I found this story to be humorous and a fun read. While it is a lot more romantic than the Stephanie Plum series it is still a strong stand alone who-done-it with a nice romantic side story. If you are a reader of contemporary romances then you will like this story. Also in Naughty Neighbor you not only have a pig as a centerpiece of a story but an independent cat named Spike. You gotta love a cat named Spike, especially if he is owned by a smoking hot bad boy, turned screen playwriter.

Tanya
reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

I enjoyed this book alot and it was fun to read. I like the different turns and situations the caricatures get into. Also I like how strong the women are and also their spunk. I also enjoy how hot the men are. When she discribes the surounding and the caricatures in the book it's easy to picture it/them. It was a good way to escape the daily grind for awhile. I recomend this and others by Janet Evanovich.