Review: Explosive Eighteen by Janet Evanovich

Bounty hunter Stephanie Plum’s life is set to blow sky high when international murder hits dangerously close to home, in this dynamite novel by Janet Evanovich.
 
Before Stephanie can even step foot off Flight 127 from Hawaii to Newark, she’s knee deep in trouble. Her dream vacation turned into a nightmare, she’s flying back to New Jersey solo, and someone who sounds like Sasquatch is snoring in row 22. Worse still, her seatmate never returned to the plane after the L.A. layover. Now he’s dead, in a garbage can, waiting for curbside pickup. His killer could be anyone. The FBI, the fake FBI, and guns-for-hire are all looking for a photograph the dead man was supposed to be carrying.

Only one other person has seen the missing photograph—Stephanie Plum. Now she’s the target, and she doesn’t intend to end up in a garbage can. With the help of an FBI sketch artist Stephanie re-creates the person in the photo. Unfortunately the first sketch turns out to look like Tom Cruise, and the second sketch like Ashton Kutcher. Until Stephanie can improve her descriptive skills, she’ll need to watch her back.

Over at the Bail Bonds Agency it’s business as usual—until the bonds bus serving as Vinnie’s temporary HQ goes up in smoke, Stephanie’s wheelman, Lula, falls in love with their “largest” FTA yet, lifetime arch nemesis Joyce Barnhardt moves into Stephanie’s apartment, and everyone wants to know what happened in Hawaii?!
 
Morelli, Trenton’s hottest cop, isn’t talking about Hawaii. Ranger, the man of mystery, isn’t talking about Hawaii.  And all Stephanie is willing to say about her Hawaiian vacation is . . . It’s complicated.

I'm a HUGE fan of Janet Evanovich and the Plum series. I love Janet's quirky style and relatable characters. I love getting lost in Trenton, New Jersey and spending time with inimitable Grandma Mazur ... not to mention the yumminess that is Joe Morelli and Ranger!


With that said, Explosive Eighteen really didn't live up to my expectations. As with Smokin' Seventeen, this book had a different feel to it ... but not in a good way. It was almost like someone ghost writing for Evanovich. The characters are still there, but I found myself thinking, "Morelli would never do that," or "Stephie doesn't say those things." Some reactions were over the top, others missed the mark. It was just off somehow.


It also really bothered me that after a long running tension between Stephanie and Ranger, they now share a quick second and it's done. Where's the mystery? Where's the guilt for having feelings for Ranger? Where's the conflict?!


The plot really dragged for me as well. It just felt like meandering. There wasn't a purpose for everything. Just a lot of black on white to pass the time, which is so not like Evanovich. Yet another reason I question the "feel" of the story. Up to this point, there's been more depth, more subplots and exciting conundrums. Eighteen simply fell flat.


I'm still the biggest Evanovich fan ever, but I can only commend Explosive Eighteen as mediocre. Here's hoping there's something bigger in store for Stephanie and the gang in the future. 

Because Your Mine

Hi all, Catherine here.
By now I'm sure everyone has come to the conclusion that I'm a bit of a Lisa Kleypas nut. I've read every historical romance the woman has written, and I've enjoyed watching her grow as a writer with every passing book. 

Synopsis

Because the Dream...

Young, high-spirited Lady Madeline Matthews is expected to wed an aging, lecherous lord. But she would rather shame herself in the eyes of society than sacrifice her freedom, and resolves to render herself unmarriageable by indulging in a torrid affair with Britain's most acclaimed actor and notorious womanizer, Logan Scott.

Because the Heart...

He is legend in the footlights and in the bedchamber. But when the curtain falls, Logan is an intensely private, guarded man still tormented by past betrayals that cut deep into his pride and his heart. Now a forward little minx who seems completely out of place in the bright, sophisticated world of the London stage is disrupting his orderly existence with her constant presence, her unspoiled beauty and vibrant charm. And what begins with an onstage kiss threatens to blossom into something more rapturous and real. But first Logan and Madeline both must drop the masks they hide behind...and reveal their true selves in the golden glorious light of love.

 Because You're Mine is considered a stand-alone, although there are some characters we have seen in other books. Kleypas has a way of weaving her characters throughout books. She claims the loves them too much to let them go. :-)

Loved:
I love that she does an excellent job of showing the different class structures. She also seems to be meticulous about accurate details, which add authenticity to the storyline. I also like the fact that all the women in her book have a backbone. They dare to go outside the social norms to do what is best for them. This book is a perfect example. Madeline Matthews runs away from boarding school after she is forced into a betrothal with a disgusting older man. She decides to ruin herself by allowing the famous actor, Logan Scott to take her virginity. Little does she know that he is a complex man who is extremely private. (We get a better glimpse of his character in Kleypas' Somewhere I'll find you, and so I'd recommend reading that one first.) Love Logan's characters, his understanding of the world, and his willingness to fight for what he's worked for. Kleypas has extremely well-rounded characters in everything she writes. She has a way of giving each one unique mannerisms or speech patterns that set them apart from the rest.

Didn't Love:
I struggled with the conflict in this one. Small spoiler alert here, (though not major). Logan knows that Maddy has a secret. He knows there's someone else and that she was so unhappy she left everything and ran. He states over and over that he doesn't care. And when he finally realizes that he loves her, he says he'll fight for her, he'll help her if she'll only confide in him and trust him ... which, of course, she doesn't. She tries to leave, and he's all "what's the matter sweetheart", but then her father shows up and tells him that she has run away and that she is betrothed to the old, smelly guy. After all that, Logan suddenly says something to the effect of "take her, I don't want to see her again." I'm like whaaaat? Really?! After all they've been through he's not going to fight for her? He's just going to hate her for something he's said the entire book didn't matter?

While it seems a minor point compared to other books, I've gotten spoiled with Kleypas and her tight story lines (especially the Wallflower and the Hathaway series), and so this is a major plot hole that should have been filled. Logan would never finally give his heart to someone and then cast her aside because daddy came to his house and said she had to go. It reeked of insincerity.

Loved again:
Once I got over that part, the rest of the book unfolds in an amazing way (if you can overlook Scott's sudden hatred of our lovely Maddy, and the way he ruthlessly treats her). I did like the way Maddy grows throughout the book while never losing her kind spirit. She is one of those characters that is strong yet kind and vulnerable, which drives Scott crazy!

Well done, Kleypas. Well done.

Overall I'd give this book 3.5 stars. If you like all things romance, this one's a keeper!
Posted by: Chi