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kathydavie's review against another edition
5.0
First recorded read was August 14, 2009.
First in the Stephanie Plum Between the Numbers/Holiday Novels and falling in at 8.5 in the Stephanie Plum romantic suspense series revolving around a bounty hunter in Trenton, New Jersey. If you're interested, there is a chronological listing of the Stephanie Plum books on my website.
My Take
I remember the first time I read Visions of Sugar Plums. And it was disconcerting. Very little Joe. No Ranger. But a lot of Diesel. Enigmatic, mysterious, and very cheeky with a good heart.
Visions of Sugar Plums is, obviously, set during the holiday season. A time of stress and lots of family togetherness. It makes for a good peek in at Stephanie's totally disorganized background, lol.
The Story
It's a different FTA than Stephanie is used to hunting down. This one causes electrical storms and melts plastic Santas.
The Characters
Stephanie Plum is a bumbling, well-meaning bounty hunter. Rex is her pet hamster. Dad tries to ignore everything around him — especially Grandma Mazur! Ellen is the perfect Burg mom and housewife: meals on the table at 6pm, complete to dessert, always a brownbag (Mom-packed, of course) to go home with her helpless daughter, and a vigilant eye out for Steph's father lunging for Grandma.
Valerie is her "perfect" sister who had to return home after her hubby absconded with the baby sitter and all their money (see Seven Up, 7). Mary Alice and Angie are her daughters, well, technically anyway. Mary Alice thinks she's a horse. Albert Kloughn is an ambulance-chasing lawyer for whom Valerie works (and dates).
Diesel is a laidback hunk with "powers" including that of popping in and out and popping locks. We first met the midget, er, I mean, the little person, Randy Briggs, in High Five, 5, when he was an FTA.
Lula is her plus-size sometimes-partner with a big mouth and a blustering approach to life. She will crack you up. Connie Rosolli is the big-busted, mustachioed office manager for Vincent Plum Bail Bonds and the very efficient descendant of a Mob family. Mrs. Bestler is very retired and likes to play elevator operator in Stephanie's apartment building. Lorraine, Mr. Feinstein, and Mo Kleinschmidt are more elderly neighbors.
Detective Joe Morelli is Stephanie's on-again boyfriend with brief cameos — he's on a case. Carl Costanza and Big Dog are two cops Stephanie knows.
Sandy Claws, a.k.a., Sandor Clausen, has retired — hey, he lost his powers, so he might as well quit the game. Now he's making toys. Elaine Gluck is his cookie-making sister. Lester is Sandy's production manager. John Ring is also retired and is Sandy's nemesis. Seems he hasn't lost all his powers.
The Cover and Title
The cover of my book is bright green with raised gold lettering outlined in red for the author's name and the title with a tiny, hog-ridin' Santa ornament in leather jacket and Santa hat dangling from the "o" in Evanovich.
The title is what Stephanie has every Christmas, Visions of Sugar PlumsNow if only she could fulfill those visions…
First in the Stephanie Plum Between the Numbers/Holiday Novels and falling in at 8.5 in the Stephanie Plum romantic suspense series revolving around a bounty hunter in Trenton, New Jersey. If you're interested, there is a chronological listing of the Stephanie Plum books on my website.
My Take
I remember the first time I read Visions of Sugar Plums. And it was disconcerting. Very little Joe. No Ranger. But a lot of Diesel. Enigmatic, mysterious, and very cheeky with a good heart.
Diesel is a new character (he now has his own series: Lizzy & Diesel) who will catch your interest if only for his forward sense of humor. He's definitely an alpha male, although more laid back than Ranger or Joe. He also has his own set of special powers. And he likes Stephanie's family!"'Diesel is an alien or something,' I said to Morelli. 'He appeared in my kitchen this morning.'
'As long as he didn't spend the night,' Morelli said. He reached around me to a cookie tin, removed the lid, and selected a cookie."
Visions of Sugar Plums is, obviously, set during the holiday season. A time of stress and lots of family togetherness. It makes for a good peek in at Stephanie's totally disorganized background, lol.
One review I read of this story bemoaned the lack of forward progress for the characters, that it all stayed the same. It does. This is a series that is good for laughs and its lighthearted approach. I adore how Stephanie's lower middle class life is celebrated — she's real as is her family. And Evanovich makes it too, too funny as well even as she hands out nuggets for thought."How great is this?' Grandma said. 'If you marry Valerie we can celebrate some of those Jewish holidays. … Wait until I tell the girls at the beauty parlor that we might get a Jew in our family. Everyone's going to be jealous.'
(This is followed by Stephanie's assessment of what her dad's thinking…)
Not that he had anything against Jewish guys. It was that chances were slim to nonexistent that Kloughn was Italian."
Which of course leads to Mom's reaction:
'Maybe I need to put more cookies on the plate,' my mother said, pushing back from the table.
One more cookie run and my mother was going to be passed out on the kitchen floor."
"'But she wants one. She'll hate me if I don't get her a pony. It'll ruin her Christmas.'
Boy, I was really glad I had a hamster. I was planning on giving Rex a raisin for Christmas."
The Story
It's a different FTA than Stephanie is used to hunting down. This one causes electrical storms and melts plastic Santas.
The Characters
Stephanie Plum is a bumbling, well-meaning bounty hunter. Rex is her pet hamster. Dad tries to ignore everything around him — especially Grandma Mazur! Ellen is the perfect Burg mom and housewife: meals on the table at 6pm, complete to dessert, always a brownbag (Mom-packed, of course) to go home with her helpless daughter, and a vigilant eye out for Steph's father lunging for Grandma.
Valerie is her "perfect" sister who had to return home after her hubby absconded with the baby sitter and all their money (see Seven Up, 7). Mary Alice and Angie are her daughters, well, technically anyway. Mary Alice thinks she's a horse. Albert Kloughn is an ambulance-chasing lawyer for whom Valerie works (and dates).
Diesel is a laidback hunk with "powers" including that of popping in and out and popping locks. We first met the midget, er, I mean, the little person, Randy Briggs, in High Five, 5, when he was an FTA.
Lula is her plus-size sometimes-partner with a big mouth and a blustering approach to life. She will crack you up. Connie Rosolli is the big-busted, mustachioed office manager for Vincent Plum Bail Bonds and the very efficient descendant of a Mob family. Mrs. Bestler is very retired and likes to play elevator operator in Stephanie's apartment building. Lorraine, Mr. Feinstein, and Mo Kleinschmidt are more elderly neighbors.
Detective Joe Morelli is Stephanie's on-again boyfriend with brief cameos — he's on a case. Carl Costanza and Big Dog are two cops Stephanie knows.
Sandy Claws, a.k.a., Sandor Clausen, has retired — hey, he lost his powers, so he might as well quit the game. Now he's making toys. Elaine Gluck is his cookie-making sister. Lester is Sandy's production manager. John Ring is also retired and is Sandy's nemesis. Seems he hasn't lost all his powers.
The Cover and Title
The cover of my book is bright green with raised gold lettering outlined in red for the author's name and the title with a tiny, hog-ridin' Santa ornament in leather jacket and Santa hat dangling from the "o" in Evanovich.
The title is what Stephanie has every Christmas, Visions of Sugar PlumsNow if only she could fulfill those visions…
karrama's review against another edition
2.0
Years of comic book reading would be the only reason this isn't a 1 star book. Not my favorite. I think I might be over this author.
alibrarymouse's review
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
This was a cute Christmas side story with low-stakes that would be perfect for the holiday season. I loved being introduced to Diesel, though I don’t think I get why Evanovich is introducing the supernatural aspect in these. I did like seeing a more chill story and it was a nice break from all the wild things going on while still seeing the characters I liked and some of the ones we haven’t heard from in awhile. (Fingers crossed they come back in the main storyline!) It was also nice to see the elements that happen in the other books continue here. Interested in how the rest of these play out, for sure.
tiffybshelby's review
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
rockchick19's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
rnshack's review against another edition
2.0
2 very sad Stars.
What did I just finish reading? I did not like this book. The story was weird and totally out of left field. Where did the supernatural stuff come from. And why?!? It was not at all up to the standards I expect out of my Stephanie Plum books. It honestly didn’t even feel or really even sound like a Stephanie Plum book. Thankfully it was short and now that’s it’s over I can move on.
What did I just finish reading? I did not like this book. The story was weird and totally out of left field. Where did the supernatural stuff come from. And why?!? It was not at all up to the standards I expect out of my Stephanie Plum books. It honestly didn’t even feel or really even sound like a Stephanie Plum book. Thankfully it was short and now that’s it’s over I can move on.
book_concierge's review against another edition
ZERO stars
Absolutely terrible! Written just to capitalize on the Christmas-themed publishing market. Stephanie Plum is visited by the mysterious Diesel, a “person” with other-worldly talents. He helps her track down her latest skip – Sandy Claws – who happens to operate a toy shop. It’s just four days until Christmas, and Stephie hasn’t gotten a tree, bought a present, put up any lights, baked any cookies or sent any cards (she hasn’t even bought any cards yet). Oh, my … how will she get out of this jam and get her man before the big day? Who cares?!
This is just a waste of paper.
Absolutely terrible! Written just to capitalize on the Christmas-themed publishing market. Stephanie Plum is visited by the mysterious Diesel, a “person” with other-worldly talents. He helps her track down her latest skip – Sandy Claws – who happens to operate a toy shop. It’s just four days until Christmas, and Stephie hasn’t gotten a tree, bought a present, put up any lights, baked any cookies or sent any cards (she hasn’t even bought any cards yet). Oh, my … how will she get out of this jam and get her man before the big day? Who cares?!
This is just a waste of paper.
blondierocket's review against another edition
Another quick Stephanie Plum mystery, this time one of the in-between books.
A man suddenly appears in Stephanie’s kitchen – out of thin air. He’s not just any man but seems to be not human, and holds some sort of super powers. He claims he was sent to make her Christmas merry. Currently, Stephanie is in search of a man who robbed a store because it wasn’t open and he needed supplies. But the toymaker seems to have disappeared or undercover.
This is a cute, quick little book – I read it over the course of a couple hours. It’s different than most of the stories because it takes on a supernatural element that is not included in the other stories. I really enjoyed reading the banter back and forth between Stephanie and her mystery man, not to mention the interaction between Morelli and her family.
A man suddenly appears in Stephanie’s kitchen – out of thin air. He’s not just any man but seems to be not human, and holds some sort of super powers. He claims he was sent to make her Christmas merry. Currently, Stephanie is in search of a man who robbed a store because it wasn’t open and he needed supplies. But the toymaker seems to have disappeared or undercover.
This is a cute, quick little book – I read it over the course of a couple hours. It’s different than most of the stories because it takes on a supernatural element that is not included in the other stories. I really enjoyed reading the banter back and forth between Stephanie and her mystery man, not to mention the interaction between Morelli and her family.
kristiinaness's review against another edition
3.0
The holiday Stephanie Plum books get pretty silly but they are still a fun easy read. They won't change your life or anything, just make you laugh.