Plum Lovin' (Stephanie Plum: Between the Numbers) [Mass Market Paperback]

Janet Evanovich (Author)

Book Description

Series: Stephanie Plum: Between the Numbers | Publication Date: January 8, 2008

Mysterious men have a way of showing up in Stephanie Plum’s apartment. When the shadowy Diesel appears, he has a task for Stephanie—and he’s not taking no for an answer.

 

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!

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this tart and hilarious "between-the-numbers" Stephanie Plum novel from bestseller Evanovich (Twelve Sharp), the Jersey bond enforcement agent, who already has two guys in her life (cop Joe Morelli and bounty hunter Ranger), reconnects with Diesel, a third heartthrob. Diesel offers Stephanie a deal: if he lets her find Annie Hart, a relationship coach who's become a big-ticket bond on Stephanie's Most Wanted List after fleeing a charge for a robbery she didn't commit, then Stephanie can do Annie a big favor by playing Cupid for a number of Annie's lovelorn clients, including a shy butcher, a desperate vet, an overworked single mom, a 30-something virgin and the marriage-phobic fellow who just happens to be Stephanie's pregnant sister's boyfriend. Diesel and Stephanie's short but sweet adventure ends on a teasing note that will leave fans hungry for the next juicy Plum-a-thon. (Jan.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

A perfect Valentine's Day bonbon, a dreamy comma in the numbered series that features Stephanie Plum of Trenton, bounty hunter and gal from the Burg. A few years ago at Christmas, Diesel appeared in Stephanie's apartment. He's back, still blond, disheveled, and now hiding matchmaker Annie Hart. Stephanie is looking for Annie because she's wanted on assault. Diesel wants Stephanie to do the matchmaking in Annie's place and then he will hand her over so Stephanie can collect the bond. Is Diesel an angel? He does have a few interesting abilities, and he doesn't seem bothered by walls and doors. There is a hint of sweet magic as this odd couple bring together a butcher and a barista, a woman with too many kids and pets and a lonely veterinarian, and even Lula, Stephanie's plus-sized colleague, and Tank (longtime readers will know the silent Tank as Ranger's second in command). Evanovich keeps the language light and sweet and the action nonstop, filling a few plot holes in the main series and finally getting Stephanie's sister, Valerie, married to the ill-named Albert Kloughn on Valentine's Day. Adorable. GraceAnne DeCandido
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks; 1st edition (January 8, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312985363
• ISBN-13: 978-0312985363
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 5.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (281 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #74,184 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #36 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Literature & Fiction > General > Comic

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

40 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Who wrote this book?, January 21, 2007

By 

Shannon Blackwell - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Plum Lovin' (A Between-the-Numbers Novel) (Stephanie Plum: Between the Numbers) (Hardcover)

I think the book, itself, was good and entertaining. But it certainly was not a Janet Evanovich book. While reading it, I just felt something was "off" but I couldn't pinpoint what it was. Then the scene where Ranger shows up. Now, Plum enthusiasts know in their hearts what Ranger will say to Stephanie. He'll say, "Babe." But he didn't. He said something like, "I didn't mean to startle you." Ranger doesn't talk like that. Not even in the early novels. "Babe" is his trademark. Never, ever, would he NOT say that to Stephanie. So from then on out I read the book with the nagging thought that Janet Evanovich didn't write it.

And THAT is what is wrong with it. I don't think she did. The visuals weren't there. The dialogue was off. Lula doesn't talk that way. Grandma doesn't talk that way, and no way would Stephanie's father actually TALK at the dinner table like he did in this book.

No, I don't think this was written by Janet Evanovich at all. It was someone else's good attempt at it, but it fell short. A great read, though, for those that want a fun novel. But it is not for Plum enthusiasts.

36 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Hors-d'oeuvre, January 18, 2007

By 

Cherise Everhard (Michigan, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Plum Lovin' (A Between-the-Numbers Novel) (Stephanie Plum: Between the Numbers) (Hardcover)

Plum Lovin' reminds me of an appetizer. The breadsticks the waitress brings you to tide you over until your meal comes. This book is the breadsticks, Janet the waitress, and your dinner will be book 13, out in June.

It's a short, quick, little read. A fun filled adventure through Trenton with our favorite bounty hunter, Stephanie. Diesel, from the book Visions of Sugar Plums, returns to make a deal with Stephanie. He knows where her latest skipped bond is, and will hand her over if Stephanie helps a few lonely hearts have a good Valentines Day. Stephanie agrees.

Plum Lovin' is filled with the usual crazy antics we have all come to love and expect, plus a few new ones. Some laugh out loud moments with Lula.

Joe and Ranger are not a big part of this book; in fact they both make one small appearance (sigh). Diesel is the main man in this book and I for one was glad to see him again. How lucky can one girl be to have three of the finest men by her side? Ranger leaves town and tells Stephanie he has to talk to her when he gets back. He never gets back in this book, so I am anxious to see what he has to say in book 13.

An enjoyable read. It'll help you get through the next several months while we wait for the next Stephanie Plum adventure.

80 of 95 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Exploitation, January 9, 2007

By 

Avid Reader (New York City) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Plum Lovin' (A Between-the-Numbers Novel) (Stephanie Plum: Between the Numbers) (Hardcover)

First let me say that the story is okay. Just okay. This book is so short that it was probably written in as much time as it took me to read it. The result is a more shallow story development, less of the funnier sidetracks we're accustomed to and a less satisfying payoff.

This smacks of Janet looking for a quick score off the back of a popular series at the expense of her fans and, as a devoted reader of the Plum series, I feel exploited.