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Well, let me start by saying that I am not an avid Evanovich fan so if you are, you probably won't like what I'm going to say here... I read the first Plum book and thought "eh" and never felt the need to pick up another. So when I picked this up, I didn't have high expectations. I wanted a light read to counter my bad mood as I had to go out into a snowstorm (yet again) to sell books. So as I grumbled my way into the book store, I decided to reward my efforts and buy a fluffy read. I read the first chapter of Wicked Appitite in a Nook preview before it was released and in a few short months, there it was as a bargain cast-off. Sad for Evanovich, win for me! The book begins in a quirky bakery, in quirky Salem, MA and launches into the plot. A man in black marks the heroine, quite literally, and a sequence of cleches takes off. After the premise was laid out, I kept thinking it sounded vaugly familiar (other than the standard male/female tension gudielines for this genre). A mysterious man dragging the heroine around to touch/find magical objects for unknown purposes. Then it hit me, Moaning. Karen Marie Moaning to be specific. Only this is the lower quality, Comedy Central version. Everything about this book felt like a rushed, second project. The characters were hollow and fell back on stereotypes far too much. The story was sparse and set up like a romance, but like a stereotypical man, it never seemed to want to commit. The pacing was staggered and the dialogue felt stiff. Not to mention the gigantic plot holes! I know, too much thinky-thinky for a book like this. Still, it's all the usual stuff that works for commercial success. It didn't really work for me on a critic level, but as a reader, it fit my need at the moment. It was a good idea and if it hadn't felt so rushed and incomplete, I could have fell for some of the commercial gimmicks. I am definitely not above a pop hit, after all! I love a good, quick read as much as the next reader. Sadly the magic was not there for me. I did finish the book, but once again I feel no need to read another. I think it's Evanovich's world building I like. She has some good ideas and a knack for comedy which keeps her chick-lit mysteries interesting. Not sure if throwing her hat into the paranormal ring was the best idea, but as her other series in approaching number 17, she's testing the waters in other areas. I guess I would tell her to stick with what works for now and try again later. Then again, she HAS sold 17 books in a single series, so what do I know? Clearly, she's doing something right. I guess I'm just not her demographic.

2023-06-28 19:13