Smokin’ Seventeen

by Janet Evanovich

Published by: Bantam a division of Random House

My Rating: *** 3 of 5 stars

Blurb From Publisher:

Where there’s smoke there’s fire, and no one knows this better than New Jersey bounty hunter Stephanie Plum. 
 

Dead bodies are showing up in shallow graves on the empty construction lot of Vincent Plum Bail Bonds. No one is sure who the killer is, or why the victims have been offed, but what is clear is that Stephanie’s name is on the killer’s list.  Short on time to find evidence proving the killer’s identity, Stephanie faces further complications when her family and friends decide that it’s time for her to choose between her longtime off-again-on-again boyfriend, Trenton cop Joe Morelli, and the bad boy in her life, security expert Ranger. Stephanie’s mom is encouraging Stephanie to dump them both and choose a former high school football star who’s just returned to town. Stephanie’s sidekick, Lula, is encouraging Stephanie to have a red-hot boudoir “bake-off.” And Grandma Bella, Morelli’s old-world grandmother, is encouraging Stephanie to move to a new state when she puts “the eye” on Stephanie.  With a cold-blooded killer after her, a handful of hot men, and a capture list that includes a dancing bear and a senior citizen vampire, Stephanie’s life looks like it’s about to go up in smoke.

Book Savvy Babe’s Review:

In Smokin’ Seventeen, bounty hunter Stephanie Plum is back in action.  With not-so-trusty sidekick Lula at her side, Stephanie is on the hunt for skips, trying to decide between two men, fending off her mother’s matchmaking attempts, and of course, trying to stay alive.

Stephanie Plum novels can always be counted on to bring a laugh to the reader, and Smokin’ Seventeen did not disappoint.  Stephanie’s Grandma Mazur didn’t have huge part, but she is always entertaining.  Lula, the former hooker-turned-sidekick, was her usual zany, outrageous character.  The romance dynamics between Ranger, Morelli, and Stephanie was pretty much the same too, with Stephanie trying to decide between them.  Thanks to Grandma Bella’s curses and love triangle dynamics, the steamy scenes heated up in Smokin’ Seventeen.

Smokin’ Seventeen is a bit different from previous books in that there is not one major felon that Stephanie has to capture and turn in.  Smokin’ Seventeen is more a series of smaller skips and exploits combined together.  There is a feeling, which began in earlier books, that Stephanie is getting tired of the bounty hunter escapades and ready to move on.

I enjoyed reading Smokin’ Seventeen, it’s a light, fun, quick read.  It is not my favorite in the series, but it is always fun to see what Stephanie and the gang are up to.  This installment in the series was more of the same, not much changing.  The book leaves off with excitement and anticipation for the future (a little bit of a cliff hanger), and I am looking forward to see what happens next.

The Stephanie Plum series is a highly entertaining and fun series, and one that I recommend!

The Stephanie Plum series is a very popular, best-selling series, and I’m curious, what did everyone else think of this book?  Are you Team Ranger or Team Morelli?  As for me, I am Team Ranger!