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Fantasy Romance

Humor

Five Things I Learned from Stephanie Plum (so far)

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I started reading this series as a break from my normal romance fare. I’d hoped it would teach me some things I could use in my own writing. And, well, my mother and sister both raved about the series and had it on hand to loan to me…

I did learn some things from the series. Not as much as I’d hoped, but it did cleanse the mental palette a bit for me after reading so many romances.

Perhaps more will sink in with time. In the meantime, here are a few things that I either learned or knew and were further confirmed:

  1. Humor is a double edged sword. If I find something funny, I’m hooked. If the humor falls flat, so does my interest. Humor also doesn’t seem to age well.
  2. Show Don’t Tell. This author does it very well. When she does describe things, it’s very evocative. You really feel like you’re there.
  3. Pacing. Keep the action moving.
  4. Characters make the story. Have fun with them. Let them be a little crazy. It makes them relatable.
  5. Romance is important. Even in non-romance novels. And while not part of the main plot, it still must be handled with care.

I am hoping to return to the series in a few months and see what I think of it then. A part of me worries I read too much of it too quickly. As with so many things, time will tell.

Book Review: Four to Score

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Title: Four to Score

Author: Janet Evanovich

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After finishing the fourth book in the series, I think I am done reading this series.

I just don’t find it all that funny, and that’s supposed to be its selling point.

I am a bit tired of a character who is out of her league as a bounty hunter still putting her life and the lives of her family and friends in danger. I mean, who would still be in this gig after getting another car fire bombed, their apartment fire bombed (and had they been home at 2am, they would have died), and then another arson attempt at the friend’s house they were staying at?

I am also growing annoyed at the unresolved romance between the heroine and her love interest. Other than him being attractive, I am not sure what she’s looking for. He doesn’t call her for months . . . and she’s still interested?

Not only do I find it unbelievable, but it makes me dislike the love interest. And it makes me dislike the heroine for not moving past this as he clearly isn’t interested if he’s only calling every few months.

At the same time, I found the heroine a bit childish. I think I was supposed to find her behavior funny, but I didn’t.

Humor is so personal, but I don’t find a lot in the book funny I assume I am meant to. For example, a promiscuous childhood rival that was the cause of her divorce when she found the woman having sex with her husband is not funny to me.  Nor was the gun violence. Nor was the fact that someone was a transvestite. Although I find Eddie Izzard freaking hilarious, I find his act funny not his clothing choices.

Maybe its the timing. These books look like they were set in the mid to late 90s and probably written around the same time. Long before the events of Sandy Hook and Orlando.

I still didn’t figure out the whodunit directly, but I know by now if a character is mentioned that they figure in somehow. And while I didn’t know what the bad guys were up to until it was revealed, I did know who they were.

If you liked the first three stories in this series and found them funny, you will probably like the fourth. It is very similar in pacing and style. The odd collection of characters was fun at first, but now they feel a bit stale.

Maybe I have just been devouring them too quickly. Perhaps I need more time between books to better enjoy them. Binge on anything and it can turn you off to it. Except for chocolate. I have yet to meet my limit on chocolate.