Helpful Score: 20
I have to say...this is the first time I have been disappointed and didn't have to read the book in one sitting (I had to remind my self to finish this one). Not too much going on with this installment and the laughs were few and far between. I'm a Ranger girl, so this one doubly disappointed me.
Is it just me, or did anyone notice that the books are getting printed in larger fonts with bigger margins? I'd say the story line has about run it's course. This one could have been squeezed in as an in-between book because it just seemed to lack...SOMETHING.
By the way, I waited for the usual funny line about were grandpa Mazur is...and it was missing. That always set a tone for the book, if you ask me.
The Lula/Tank side-story line was the best part of this installment. The whole Brenda thing was ridiculous--and not in a good way.
(...ho-hum...)
Is it just me, or did anyone notice that the books are getting printed in larger fonts with bigger margins? I'd say the story line has about run it's course. This one could have been squeezed in as an in-between book because it just seemed to lack...SOMETHING.
By the way, I waited for the usual funny line about were grandpa Mazur is...and it was missing. That always set a tone for the book, if you ask me.
The Lula/Tank side-story line was the best part of this installment. The whole Brenda thing was ridiculous--and not in a good way.
(...ho-hum...)
Helpful Score: 17
I totally wasted my money buying this the day of release...
Even though I've loved this series, something about this one was just... well... missing. I got my laughs (light as they were), but the story seemed weak. Maybe I'm getting too picky as a reader, or maybe the author just rushed this one. I know I've found the earlier ones far more enjoyable than this one, though. They also seemed longer. The book I had looked like I had bought a large print edition and so I got through it extremely quickly (which was okay, because it was less painful this way).
The characters were seriously lacking and Stephanie really needs to stop pulling the chains on Ranger and Joe and just freaking pick one already! It also seemed like Evanovich brought back Mooner just because he's a favorite and she needed to do a little more writing because she was lazy with the story. I've read the series because I loved laughing so hard I was crying, but all I really got out of this was a few chuckles. Lula was good, but I still expected more out of her character as well.
It really reminds me of her earlier books (some of which should never have been re-released but apparently publishers decided to take advantage of how well this series was doing...)
Overall, I won't be running to the store when the next one comes out. There are other authors out there that deserve my hard-earned cash.
Even though I've loved this series, something about this one was just... well... missing. I got my laughs (light as they were), but the story seemed weak. Maybe I'm getting too picky as a reader, or maybe the author just rushed this one. I know I've found the earlier ones far more enjoyable than this one, though. They also seemed longer. The book I had looked like I had bought a large print edition and so I got through it extremely quickly (which was okay, because it was less painful this way).
The characters were seriously lacking and Stephanie really needs to stop pulling the chains on Ranger and Joe and just freaking pick one already! It also seemed like Evanovich brought back Mooner just because he's a favorite and she needed to do a little more writing because she was lazy with the story. I've read the series because I loved laughing so hard I was crying, but all I really got out of this was a few chuckles. Lula was good, but I still expected more out of her character as well.
It really reminds me of her earlier books (some of which should never have been re-released but apparently publishers decided to take advantage of how well this series was doing...)
Overall, I won't be running to the store when the next one comes out. There are other authors out there that deserve my hard-earned cash.
Kristen S. (SomethingSmarter) reviewed Fearless Fourteen (Stephanie Plum, Bk 14) on + 48 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 12
It was OK.
That about sums it up. The fans looking for a resolution for the Steph-Morelli-Ranger triangle will be disappointed ... there was very little love-line interaction (a few conversations, a few smacks of the lips, but very little detail regarding the mindset of Ms. Plum.)
The BIG mystery: the who-done-robbed the bank and hid the money 10 years ago, and now wants it mystery??? It was OK. Nothing exciting.
The skips: uh ... what skips? There were very few of the usually laugh-inducing skip take-downs.
The laughs: I chuckled a few times, but there was no laugh-until-I-cry episodes.
The monkey: .. all I have to say is WHY? There was no reason to have a monkey as a gimmick for a plot point. There were a few comments about finding monkey poop, etc, but the monkey could have been left out of the story completely, and the book would have been better for it. It screamed gimmick to me.
The side characters:
Lula - gotta love that woman. She's a big hoot.
Grandma - I didn't buy the big gamer g-ma, either. Although Grandma is 'hip', buying her as a hardcore gamer is an enormous stretch.
Mooner - I loved seeing Mooner back :)
So overall, if you are a fan, you may be glad you read it. It's Stephanie Plum, who is still entertaining .. but don't expect to find your new favorite of the series. I didn't hate it, but I didn't love it .. but I'm still glad that I read it. 3 stars.
That about sums it up. The fans looking for a resolution for the Steph-Morelli-Ranger triangle will be disappointed ... there was very little love-line interaction (a few conversations, a few smacks of the lips, but very little detail regarding the mindset of Ms. Plum.)
The BIG mystery: the who-done-robbed the bank and hid the money 10 years ago, and now wants it mystery??? It was OK. Nothing exciting.
The skips: uh ... what skips? There were very few of the usually laugh-inducing skip take-downs.
The laughs: I chuckled a few times, but there was no laugh-until-I-cry episodes.
The monkey: .. all I have to say is WHY? There was no reason to have a monkey as a gimmick for a plot point. There were a few comments about finding monkey poop, etc, but the monkey could have been left out of the story completely, and the book would have been better for it. It screamed gimmick to me.
The side characters:
Lula - gotta love that woman. She's a big hoot.
Grandma - I didn't buy the big gamer g-ma, either. Although Grandma is 'hip', buying her as a hardcore gamer is an enormous stretch.
Mooner - I loved seeing Mooner back :)
So overall, if you are a fan, you may be glad you read it. It's Stephanie Plum, who is still entertaining .. but don't expect to find your new favorite of the series. I didn't hate it, but I didn't love it .. but I'm still glad that I read it. 3 stars.
Helpful Score: 9
Fearless Fourteen was a huge disappointment. I thought after a feckless thirteen, Evanovich would really ramp things up on this series. Instead Evanovich has gotten either bored, lazy or both.
Besides being an absolute snooze, Fearless Fourteen was poorly written. The storyline was undeveloped, characters were assassinated, and what was formerly a laugh out loud series fell flat.
In today's struggling economy I cannot in good conscience recommend the public spending their hard earned $25 on this book. Spend it on an author who is still working hard to entertain you and loves his or her characters. Or spend it on 5 gallons of gasoline. I won't be waiting around to see if JE can redeem herself with a 15th book. So I am saying goodbye to Stephanie Plum.
Besides being an absolute snooze, Fearless Fourteen was poorly written. The storyline was undeveloped, characters were assassinated, and what was formerly a laugh out loud series fell flat.
In today's struggling economy I cannot in good conscience recommend the public spending their hard earned $25 on this book. Spend it on an author who is still working hard to entertain you and loves his or her characters. Or spend it on 5 gallons of gasoline. I won't be waiting around to see if JE can redeem herself with a 15th book. So I am saying goodbye to Stephanie Plum.
Helpful Score: 6
As an avid reader of all 14 Stephanie Plum books, I must say this one was ok but not near as good as some of the earlier ones. The funniest thing in this book was watching Tank's reaction to Lula's "engagement". That and the Potato Brigade. There are no car chases, no blown up cars, Stephanie doesn't get stuck in any really "difficult" situations, like those that she is so famous for. And Brenda and the monkey are just unnecessary. If you like Stephanie Plum, I'd go ahead and read this one but I certainly wouldn't spend full price on the book. Wait until it makes the rounds.
