WICKED APPETITE by Janet Evanovich ~ #Win the eBook in the Kick Butt Characters #Hop

It's about time we offered our readers another chance at winning something awesome. One of our favorite adult authors around here is Janet Evanovich. And there's a great reason she's a NYT bestseller! She knows how to write some seriously kick-butt characters. 

One of my fav male leads is Diesel from Wicked Appetite. He's charming and smooth (in a smells like Christmas but looks like Heaven kind of way) with just a hint of something otherworldly. But like all forbidden fruit, he's off the menu. Still, that doesn't stop Lizzy Tucker from enjoying the view. Like all of Evanovich's novels, we meet an entire cast of memorable characters in this one. 

Here's more about Wicked Appetite:

Life in Marblehead has had a pleasant predictability, until Diesel arrives. Rumor has it that a collection of priceless ancient relics representing the Seven Deadly Sins have made their way to Boston’s North Shore. Partnered with pastry chef Lizzie Tucker, Diesel bullies and charms his way through historic Salem to track them down—and his criminal mastermind cousin Gerewulf Grimorie. The black-haired, black-hearted Wulf is on the hunt for the relic representing gluttony. Caught in a race against time, Diesel and Lizzie soon find out that more isn’t always better, as they battle Wulf and the first of the deadly sins.

With delectable characters and non-stop thrills that have made Janet Evanovich a household name, Wicked Appetite will leave you hungry for more.

Want a chance to win a copy of this hilarious novel? Just follow the Rafflecopter below to enter for an eBook!

Many thanks to I am a Reader, Not a Writer and Good Choice Reads for hosting this fun giveaway!





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Review: Wicked Business by Janet Evanovich

Whether it’s monkey business, funny business, or getting down to business, Janet Evanovich’s Lizzy and Diesel series proves that there’s no business like Wicked Business.
 
Lizzy Tucker’s once normal life as a pastry chef in Salem, Massachusetts, turns upside down as she battles both sinister forces and an inconvenient attraction to her unnaturally talented but off-limits partner, Diesel.

When Harvard University English professor and dyed-in-the-wool romantic Gilbert Reedy is mysteriously murdered and thrown off his fourth-floor balcony, Lizzy and Diesel take up his twenty-year quest for the Luxuria Stone, an ancient relic believed by some to be infused with the power of lust. Following clues contained in a cryptic nineteenth-century book of sonnets, Lizzy and Diesel tear through Boston catacombs, government buildings, and multimillion-dollar residences. On their way they’ll leave behind a trail of robbed graves, public disturbances, and general mayhem.

Diesel’s black sheep cousin, Gerwulf Grimoire, also wants the Stone. His motives are far from pure, and what he plans on doing with the treasure, no one knows . . . but Lizzy Tucker fears she’s in his crosshairs. Never far and always watching, Grimoire has a growing, vested interest in the cupcake-baker-turned-finder-of-lost-things. As does another dangerous and dark opponent in the hunt—a devotee of lawlessness and chaos, known only as Anarchy.

Treasures will be sought, and the power of lust will be unmistakable as Lizzy and Diesel attempt to stay ahead of Anarchy, Grimoire, and his medieval minion, Hatchet, in this ancient game of twisted riddles and high-stakes hide-and-seek.

The second book in the Lizzy and Diesel series didn't disappoint. After missing the distinct and original feel of Evanovich her past few in the Plum series, Wicked Business is back on track ... in most ways.

The Good: Like most Evanovich novels, you're almost guaranteed a good time when you read Wicked Business. It's fun, it's relatively fast-paced, and the characters are always true to life. Lizzy and Diesel still share that ever-present conflicting spark. I rather enjoy tension between characters, so I like that Evanovich hasn't raced to break it. I also appreciate that her characters, no matter how inconsequential, have something memorable about them. In this book, I have an affinity for Carl. Nothing says a good time like a sarcastic monkey.

I enjoyed the characters introduced in this book. Evanovich just has a way of making each her own. Faults or strengths, victory or defeat, they're hilarious in their pursuits in a way only Janet could pull off! 

The Mediocre: Anyone familiar with the Plum series is well aware of the constant triangle between Stephanie, Morelli, and Ranger. While that worked for the first 13 or so books, it's kind of fallen flat since. Unfortunately, we see a similar pattern emerging in the Diesel books. We have Wulf (the bad boy) and Diesel (the good guy). While the tension between Lizzy and Wulf isn't so obvious, it's still there. I don't mind some conflict in characters, but it's just a tad too close to the Plum series in this case. Not so much to detract from the fun of the story, but I hope Evanovich keeps it in check.

There isn't a lot of variation in character and style. If you just flipped open to a page in either the Plum or Diesel series, not knowing which book you held, you probably couldn't tell much of a difference. While the story line has fallen flat in the Plum series, the characters never got old, so this doesn't bother me. If you want an entirely new feel, you probably won't like this newest series.

In conclusion: I really liked this book. It was a quick and easy read, perfect for a long plane ride! My favorite thing about Evanovich is her ability to write a great book with fun characters that's easy to enjoy when you just want to relax.

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.