Let's say Valentine's Day is fast approaching and you have a relationship disaster on your hands. Could be fear of commitment, could be that forty-year-old virgin, could be any disaster - it really doesn't matter. The question's not, "How would you solve it?" it's "Who you gonna call?" The answer sure ain't "Lovebusters. The answer likely wouldn't be "Stephanie Plum," either. So how come Ms Plum has suddenly become bonding's answer to Dr. Phil? And more to the point, who's that tall, blond guy hanging out in her kitchen? I thought she had enough trouble keeping track of two relationships - and now all of a sudden, there are three hunks in her life? Talk about your embarrassment of riches...

The hunk has a name: Diesel. The hunk has a career: Unmentionable. The hunk has a job for Steph: take care of Annie Hart's client list before cupid appears. When she's done with that, Diesel will hand over Annie, and Steph can collect a finder's fee on her latest skip. Problem being, of course, that Annie Hart's a "professional relationship counselor." Given Steph's track record in the world of relationships, that deck looks badly stacked from the get-go. But what the heck: she'll give it a try.

With Morelli undercover and Ranger... wherever Ranger goes when no one's looking, Steph's found herself teamed with a luscious chunk of muscle who suddenly appeared in her kitchen one evening. Steph being Steph, proximity to that much tanned, toned testosterone is almost as tempting as a plate of TastyCakes; but if she wants to pay her rent she'll need to concentrate on the job at hand. Five clients: five solutions means payday - and maybe while she's at it, she can figure out just what an Unmentionable is. So it's collect Lula, grab some donuts, and off to the coal mines. Or maybe that's "the love mines"? Those five romance disasters had better get ready, 'cause they're due for some Plum Lovin!


Like Patterson (James) and Parker (Robert), Stephanie Plum creator Janet Evanovich has apparently found herself with time on her hands between installments in her famous numbers series (from One for the Money to Twelve Sharp so far). The result in her case is Plum Lovin', a cute little thing she calls a "between the numbers" novel; though "novel" might just be stretching things a tad with just 164 small-format pages. I'd be more inclined to call it a novella, myself, since it's probably less than half the length of her usual fare.

Quibbles about length aside, Plum Lovin' is a departure from typical Plum, not merely because of a new male lead. For once, Stephanie actually comes off as competent; which might dismay some of Evanovich's typical fan base. However, all the usual elements of a Plum adventure are present: the wacky denizens of Trenton, Steph's goofy Grandma Mazur (now with collagen-infused lips), and the ever-present sexual tension between not-so-demure Stephanie and her latest hunk - she even gets to see him in his unmentionables. Ooo-la-la!


Recommended: Yes