Category Archives: Stephanie Evanovich

Review: Under the Table by Stephanie Evanovich

Title: Under the Table by Stephanie Evanovich
Publisher: William Morrow
Genre: Contemporary, Romance
Length: 272 pages
Book Rating: B

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through Edelweiss

Summary:

The New York Times bestselling author of Big Girl Panties puts a modern twist on My Fair Lady in this funny, romantic confection in which a canny young woman makes over her awkward millionaire client . . . with some hot, sexy, and surprising results.

Suffocating in a dead-end marriage, Midwesterner Zoey Sullivan fled to New York and moved in with her older sister Ruth, a carefree, vivacious beauty with a string of eligible bachelors at her beck and call. Giving herself three months in the city to clear her head and find a direction, Zoey dodges calls from her ex Derek, and distracts herself by cooking and catering a few private dinners and parties. Pursuing her passion for cooking was never an option when she was with Derek, and now Zoey relishes her independence.

When Zoey’s meets reclusive millionaire Tristan Malloy, she’s blown away by his kitchen—a marble and stainless steel temple worthy of the culinary gods—and charmed by his impeccable gentlemanly manners. But despite his firm body, handsome looks, and piles of cash, Tristan—a computer programmer—is shy and more than a little socially awkward. Zoey is sure that Tristan has all the right raw ingredients—and she’s the right person to spice them up turn him into a delectable dish.

But Zoey’s unprepared for just how well her makeover works. Tristan turns out to be even sexier once he’s gained a little confidence and the right wardrobe. Beneath the gorgeous package, Tristan is a great guy who deserves a woman who really appreciates him. Slowly but surely, Zoey realizes she may have found her perfect match—but does Tristan even know how her feelings have changed? Is that warm look in his eyes gratitude for the new and exciting world she’s ushered him into, or something more? And what will happen when Zoey’s ex comes to town, looking to win her back?

Review:

Under the Table by Stephanie Evanovich is a light-hearted, entertaining romance.

Zoey Sullivan relocated to New York while attempting to figure what to do about her unhappy marriage to her high school sweetheart Derek. Deciding the business world is not for her, she is working hard to get her fledgling catering business off the ground. Successful enough to quit her day job, Zoey is charmed by her newest client, Tristan Malloy.  After spending time with the clothing-challenged recluse, she gives him a make-over that reveals just how good-looking and sexy he is. A breezy friendship springs up between them, but Zoey soon realizes she is falling for Tristan. But does Tristan feel the same way? And what is Zoey going to do about her unhappy marriage?

Zoey is a likable character but she turns out to be a bit of a pushover. Although they are complete opposites, her relationship with her sister Ruth is close. Ruth hits the party scene every weekend whereas Zoey is a homebody. She is not much for introspection and well, she lets everyone else make her decisions for her. Zoey does not want to go back to Derek, but instead of standing up to him, she lets him set the guidelines for their separation.  She is very surprised by her attraction to Tristan, but what, if anything, will Zoey do about her unexpected feelings for him?

Tristan is an absolute sweetheart. Before moving to New York, he lived a sheltered life with his grandparents on St. Croix. Tristan has been living in New York for quite some time, but he does not care for the hustle and bustle of city life. He is an avid golfer, but otherwise, he is content to stay home and read. Tristan is a true gentleman with impeccable manners and the utmost respect for Zoey.  Under her tutelage, he emerges from his shell, but do his feelings for her extend beyond friendship?

Under the Table is an enjoyable romance that is a fun, light read.  Zoey and Tristan are appealing characters with interesting backstories. Although her heart is in the right place, Ruth is overbearing and a little manipulative. Just as it appears as though Zoey and Tristan are on their path to happily ever after, Zoey’s past crashes headlong into her present. With a clever twist, Stephanie Evanovich brings this unique love story to a satisfying conclusion. An overall sweet romance that I liked and recommend to fans of the genre.

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Filed under Contemporary, Rated B, Romance, Stephanie Evanovich, Under the Table, William Morrow

Review: The Total Package by Stephanie Evanovich

Title: The Total Package by Stephanie Evanovich
Publisher: William Morrow
Genre: Contemporary, Romance
Length: 256 pages
Book Rating: B+

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through Edelweiss

Summary:

Smart and sexy Dani Carr knows as much about football as any man–maybe more. It’s always been her dream to make a living talking about the game she loves. But Dani’s not interested in being just the usual eye-candy sideline reporter; she wants to be the first woman analyst on a pre-game show, the ultimate in exclusive boys-club jobs. And it turns out, that despite the odds, she has the talent to get her there.

Star quarterback-and heartthrob–Tyson Palmer always did things in spectacular fashion, including ruining his career after debuting as a first-round draft pick. When the head coach of the Austin Mavericks refuses to let him waste his million dollar arm, Tyson makes a Hail Mary pass at redemption and succeeds with everyone…except Dani, who appears to be using her high-profile commentator job to make a name for herself at his expense.

Dani refuses to let anyone forget about Tyson’s transgressions….and for good reason. There’s history between these two, sizzling history that dates back to their college days, and it ended in another spectacular flame-out of Tyson’s. He’s conveniently forgotten all about that episode because Dani is no longer the cute girl next door he barely remembers–she’s a bombshell with huge ratings and a long memory.

But can a woman trying to claw her way to the top and a quarterback who knows all about rock bottom make it to the Super Bowl without destroying each other in the process? And what will happen when Tyson-riding high on his career comeback-realizes he needs to make an even more important comeback with Dani?

Review:

The Total Package by Stephanie Evanovich is a sweet romance between a recovering bad boy quarterback and a sexy sports commentator harboring a mighty big secret.

Number one draft pick and star quarterback Tyson Palmer’s spectacular fall from grace was well documented in the media. An alcoholic with a pain pill addiction and a few sex scandals under his belt, Tyson hits rock bottom in a big way but surprisingly, Austin Mavericks owner Clint Barrow offers him the deal of a lifetime: he will pay for Tyson’s rehab as long as he commits to maintaining his sobriety and signs a three year deal with the Mavericks. Grateful for the opportunity while at the same time unsure he can follow through, Tyson accepts his offer and once he makes it through a brutal detox, he is well on his way to staging a successful comeback. Fast forward a few years and the still clean and sober superstar is ready to retire when his personal nemesis on the playing field, Marcus LaRue, makes a deal with Barrow that brings Tyson face to face with someone from his notorious past.

Sports commentator Dani Carr is not exactly Tyson’s biggest fan and she avoids him as much as possible. But when she makes a connection with media shy Marcus and he insists the Mavericks hire her as his personal media spokeswoman, she leaves behind her family to temporarily move to Austin. While she has good reason to dislike the man Tyson once was, Dani continues to hold a grudge for their somewhat complicated history. Although she finally realizes he genuinely regrets his past actions, Dani still tries to stay as far away from Tyson as possible because she has been hiding a huge secret from him.

Publicity shy Marcus is an enigmatic character who is much more perceptive than he lets on. He is quiet, reserved and tries to maintain as low a profile as possible. Even after months of spending time with him, Dani does not know him any better than she did when they first met, but he is surprisingly observant and offers her sound advice about her relationship with Tyson. But will Dani takes his words to heart? Or will she let a future with Tyson slip through her fingers?

A wonderful blend of realistic issues and laugh out loud humor, The Total Package is an engaging romance that old and new fans of Stephanie Evanovich are sure to love. The storyline is fast-paced with underlying themes of redemption and forgiveness that give the plot substance and depth. The characters are appealing and their growth throughout the story is absolutely phenomenal. An all around outstanding read that I positively adored and highly recommend.

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Filed under Rated B+, Review, Romance, Stephanie Evanovich, The Total Package, William Morrow

Review: The Sweet Spot by Stephanie Evanovich

sweet spotTitle: The Sweet Spot by Stephanie Evanovich
Publisher: William Morrow
Genre: Contemporary, Romance
Length: 355 pages
Book Rating: C

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through Edelweiss

Summary:

A sizzling story of everyone’s favorite couple from amazing Stephanie Evanovich’s New York Times bestseller Big Girl Panties: hunky professional baseball player Chase Walker and his sassy wife Amanda.

When pro baseball player Chase Walker first meets Amanda at her restaurant, it’s love at first sight. While Amanda can’t help noticing the superstar with the Greek-god-build, he doesn’t have a chance of getting to first—or any other—base with her. A successful entrepreneur who’s built her business from scratch, Amanda doesn’t need a Prince Charming to sweep her off her feet. And a curvy girl who likes to cook and eat isn’t interested in being around the catty, stick-thin herd of females chasing Chase and his teammates.

But Chase isn’t about to strike out. A man who isn’t interested in playing the field, he’s a monogamist who wants an independent woman like Amanda. His hopes rally when she discovers that squeaky-clean Chase has a few sexy and very secret pre-game rituals that turn the smart, headstrong businesswoman on—and into his number one fan.

Then a tabloid discovers the truth and turns their spanking good fun into a late- night punchline. Is Amanda ready to let loose and swing for the fences? Or will the pressure of Chase’s stardom force them to call it quits?

The Review:

The Sweet Spot by Stephanie Evanovich is the romance of Chase and Amanda Walker, a secondary couple introduced in her first novel, Big Girl Panties. The two novels stand on their own and can be read independent of one another (but I highly recommend Big Girl Panties).

Chase Walker is an extremely successful and wildly popular squeaky clean baseball player who falls in love  with restaurant owner Amanda Cole pretty much at first sight. Amanda resists his considerable charm but he eventually wears her down and they begin dating. When Chase makes a surprising request that involves Amanda’s career,  she turns him down and what happens next irrevocably changes their relationship and eventually puts them in middle of a very public scandal.

Despite his successful career, Chase is rather humble and does not take his good fortune for granted. His life has not been all sunshine and roses but he does not dwell on his losses and he tries to focus on the positive. Chase is charismatic, appealing and so unbelievably persistent it is little wonder Amanda finds him impossible to resist.

Amanda is a self-assured and independent woman. She has a few residual self-esteem issues that stem from her childhood, but she does not lack self-confidence. She has been so focused on making a success of her restaurant that she does not date much but she is not inexperienced when it comes to matters of the heart or sex. She is bedazzled by Chase but her self-esteem issues come into play and she is left wondering why he is attracted to her. When Amanda finally does agree to date him, they take things slow and their romance is sweet and despite Chase’s hectic schedule, fairly uncomplicated.

But (isn’t there always a but?) Chase has been keeping a kink of his secret and instead of talking about it with Amanda, he makes an unreasonable demand and when she refuses, he turns into a sulky, petulant jerk. The resulting showdown between them takes an unexpected turn and when Amanda is confused and uncertain about what happened between them, Chase becomes an arrogant, condescending jerk  who claims to knows her better than she knows herself (which I always find insulting and rather ridiculous).  Instead of walking away from him at this point, Amanda turns rather spineless, gives in to his every whim and molds herself into what Chase wants her to be. From this point in the novel, I really disliked both characters and I found it impossible to believe either of them had any deep emotion for the other.

The major conflict occurs between them when their secret goes public and Amanda runs from the entire situation. She has good reasons for avoiding Chase (mainly because there is NO way she can live up to his unrealistic expectations), but the real impetus behind her leaving is based on  sketchy advice from someone she knows better than to listen to. When Amanda is finally ready to face the scandal, Chase does not exactly welcome her back with open arms and she goes to pretty extreme lengths to salvage their relationship.

I have a very mixed feelings about The Sweet Spot. I absolutely loved the first half. The characters were wonderfully realistic and likeable and the romance between Chase and Amanda was sweet and romantic. But the second half feels like it was written about two completely different characters (Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde come to mind).  I could not stand who they turned into or the direction their relationship took.

Despite not being overly crazy about The Sweet Spot, Stephanie Evanovich is an excellent author and based on how much I loved Big Girl Panties, I would definitely consider reading any of her future novels.

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Filed under Contemporary, Rated C, Review, Romance, Stephanie Evanovich, The Sweet Spot, William Morrow

Review: Big Girl Panties by Stephanie Evanovich

pantiesTitle: Big Girl Panties by Stephanie Evanovitch
Publisher: William Morrow
Genre: Contemporary, Romance
Length: 429 pages
Book Rating: B+

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher

Summary:

Big Girl Panties by Stephanie Evanovich is a rollicking and poignant romantic comedy about a young widow who decides to get in shape…and winds up getting her groove back—and a whole lot more!

Holly Brennan used food to comfort herself through her husband’s illness and death. Now she’s alone at age thirty-two. And she weighs more than she ever has. When fate throws her in the path of Logan Montgomery, personal trainer to pro athletes, and he offers to train her, Holly concludes it must be a sign. Much as she dreads the thought of working out, Holly knows she needs to put on her big girl panties and see if she can sweat out some of her grief.

Soon, the easy intimacy and playful banter of their training sessions lead Logan and Holly to most intense and steamy workouts. But can Holly and Logan go the distance as a couple now that she’s met her goals—and other men are noticing?

The Review:

Stephanie Evanovitch’s debut novel, Big Girl Panties, is a poignant, funny and ultimately uplifting romance between an overweight woman and her personal trainer. The novel begins with a brutally honest and cringe-worthy first encounter that is difficult to read but accurately reflects where both characters are coming from. It is a sad fact of life that people are quick to judge one another based on outward appearances, and lead protagonists, Holly Brennan and Logan Montgomery, are guilty of doing just that. But once they take the time to delve a little deeper, Holly and Logan are pleasantly surprised by what they learn not only about each other but themselves as well.

Both Holly and Logan have their fair share of flaws and while I always liked Holly, I veered back and forth between like and dislike for Logan. Logan effortlessly fell into a lucrative career as a personal trainer and he is fairly superficial at first. The women he dates are blond, beautiful and model thin and what I would classify as nothing but attractive arm candy. His emotions are never engaged and in fact, he has not ever had a serious relationship. Right from the start, Logan misjudges pretty much everything about Holly and his surprising attraction to her challenges him in ways he never imagined. Of the two, Logan is the one who is undergoes the most growth and the fact that it takes him most of the novel to change makes his transformation believable.

Holly is easy to relate to in so many ways. She has always struggled with her weight and self-esteem issues. Without much of a support system after her husband’s death, she turned to food for comfort and she is now quite overweight. Holly uses self-deprecating humor and zingy one liners as a defense mechanism and she reveals very little about her personal life. But she is not afraid of hard work and she always rises to whatever challenge Logan throws her way. Holly gradually loses weight, emerges from her grief and gains control of her life.

While Big Girl Panties is fast-paced, the relationship between Holly and Logan is slow-growing and they are friends long before they are lovers. While Holly’s crush on Logan is there from the beginning, Logan is confused by his attraction to Holly. The two eventually wind up acting on their mutual desire and their sex scenes are very hot and steamy. But if their relationship is ever going to be more than a passionate affair, Logan will have to come to terms with his prejudices and Holly will have to overcome her residual insecurities.

Outside of a few confusing perspective changes, Big Girl Panties is a well-written, engrossing romance. The novel is a little uncomfortable at times due to the realistic storyline but it is also quite entertaining and thought-provoking. An impressive first effort by newcomer Stephanie Evanovich that I recommend to anyone who doesn’t mind imperfect characters who overcome real life problems on their way to happily ever after.

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Filed under Big Girl Panties, Contemporary, Rated B+, Review, Romance, Stephanie Evanovich, William Morrow