Winners of Darcy's Voyage by Kara Louise

The two lucky winners of Darcy's Voyage by Kara Louise are Jules of One Book Shy of a Full Shelf and Lynn of Lynn Quilts a Lot. The two winners were chosen using random.org and have one week to email me their mailing addresses in order to receive their prize. They have also been notified via email.

I would like to thank Sourcebooks for allowing me to hoist this giveaway and for generously providing the two copies of Darcy's Voyage as prizes. I would also like to thank everyone who left a comment and participated in this giveaway.

Sad that you didn't win? I still have a giveaway up for two copies of Mr. Darcy's Little Sister by C. Allyn Pierson until this upcoming Friday September 24th at midnight.

Hawk of May by Gillian Bradshaw

Hawk of May is the first of an Arthurian Trilogy by Gillian Bradshaw. It tells the tale of Gwalchmai, also known as “Hawk of May” or Sir Gawain in Arthurian Legend. Gwalchmai is the middle child of King Lot and Morgawse (in this version of the tale, Morgawse is the daughter of Uther). While Gwalchmai’s older brother Agravain is a brilliant warrior, Gwalchmai finds himself lacking. In order to find something that he excels at, he starts to learn Latin and sorcery from his mother Morgawse.

One night when he discovers the true depths of Morgawse’s evil, Gwalchmai flees from the darkness and toward the “light.” He goes to a magical kingdom and upon his return to Britain, discovers that he is now a brilliant warrior who would like to use his power for good. He knows that good is his parents’ enemy, King Arthur, and determines to join his band of warriors. Will Arthur accept Gwalchmai and be able to put aside his prejudices?

Hawk of May is a unique look at a different aspect of Arthurian Legend and I enjoyed this different take on the legend. Overall though, I found myself kind of indifferent to the book and I’m not sure why. I have been pondering all day and I can’t come up with a good reason. The book was okay, but it didn’t really hook and intrigue me as other books of Arthurian legend have before.

Book Source: Advance Review Copy from Sourcebooks. Thank-you!

Guest Blog (and Giveaway): C. Allyn Pierson, author of Mr. Darcy's Little Sister

Today I am thrilled to have C. Allyn Pierson, the author of the new novel Mr. Darcy's Litle Sister as a guest blogger. I just finished Mr. Darcy's Little Sister last week, and I loved it (see my review here). I can't wait to get my hands on it! Thank-you for writing a great guest post Ms. Pierson!

Why I Chose to Write About Georgiana

by C. Allyn Pierson

Georgiana Darcy is an interesting figure for me because her name and description are scattered throughout Pride and Prejudice, but the reader does not actually meet her until after Elizabeth Bennet meets Darcy again at Pemberley, when she finds that he has greatly changed. Darcy brings Georgiana to meet Elizabeth as soon as she arrives the next day, and Elizabeth and her aunt return the call the next morning. Because the reader knows only the varied descriptions of Georgiana by her brother and Miss Bingley, we are surprised to find that Georgiana is not haughty and proud, as she sounded from Miss Bingley’s description, but is painfully shy and reticent. Even at the end of the book we do not have a clear grasp of Georgiana’s personality and she remains an enigma.

This mystery of who Georgiana really is intrigued me and I reread Pride and Prejudice again multiple times to get a feel for her character. In addition, the sketchy portrait of Georgiana gave me ample license to fill out her character as I wished. If I were writing about Darcy or Elizabeth I would have to make them fit into the world Jane Austen created and there would be many fewer options to use to develop my story. In addition, Austen clearly states that Georgiana has such great respect for her elder brother that it almost overcomes her affection for him and when she meets Elizabeth there is a lot of tension when Darcy enters the room and Georgiana feels she must exert herself to meet his expectations. She clearly struggles to meet his expectations. This tension between the two Darcy’s: the pull of love and affection for a brother and the natural rebelliousness of a teenager struck me and made me want to explore it.

Although children were much more strictly brought up in the 19th Century, I am sure that teenagers experiences the same feelings of needing to break out from their families control as modern teens do, but they were given many fewer choices. Children were not really considered individuals, but were an extension of their families, so there was a lot of pressure to conform to the standards the parents set down. Georgiana struck me as a very conformable young woman, but she was clearly well educated for her day and had many accomplishments, so I think her transition from girlhood to adulthood would be a difficult one. These qualities attracted me to her character and made me want to explore who she was in my book.


MR. DARCY’S LITTLE SISTER BY C. ALLYN PIERSON—IN STORES SEPTEMBER 2010
Pride and Prejudice continues...Georgiana Darcy grows up and goes in pursuit of happiness and true love, much to her big brother's consternation

A whole new side of Mr. Darcy...
He's the best big brother, generous to a fault. Protective, never teases. But over his dead body is any rogue or fortune hunter going to get near his little sister! (Unfortunately, any gentleman who wants to court Georgiana is going to have the same problem...)
So how's a girl ever going to meet the gentleman of her dreams?

About the Author
C. Allyn Pierson is the nom-de-plume of a physician, who has combined her many years of interest in the works of Jane Austen and the history of Regency England into this sequel to Pride and Prejudice. She lives with her family and three dogs in Fort Dodge, Iowa. http://www.callynpierson.com/

Giveaway Details
Danielle of Sourcebooks has been kind enough to offer two copies of the Mr. Darcy's Little Sister by C. Allyn Pierson for this giveaway. I have decided to give a try at simplifying my giveaways so lets see how this experiment works . . .

If you would like to win a copy of Mr. Darcy's Little Sister, please leave a comment about what intrigues you about Mr. Darcy's Little Sister or what you liked about Ms. Pierson's guest blog.

As part of your comment, you must include an email address. If I can't find a way to contact you I will draw another winner.

I will be using random.org to pick the winners from the comments.

This contest is only open to US and Canadian residents (Sorry!).

No P.O. Boxes.

The deadline for entry is midnight, Friday September 24th.

Good luck!

Mr. Darcy’s Little Sister by C. Allyn Pierson

Mr. Darcy’s Little Sister is an enjoyable look at the life of Georgiana Darcy immediately after her brother’s engagement to Elizabeth Bennet. Georgiana is very excited about having a new “sister,” but also is very nervous about meeting her and first impressions. Her teen angst also extends to her upcoming first season in London and her presentation to the royal family.

Georgiana has the independence of a fine income to be able to marry for love rather than wealth. There is a downside to this independence as it also makes her a magnet for fortune hunters. Georgiana survives meeting Elizabeth and the Bennet family and is able to enjoy her brother’s wedding. Afterwards, Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy bring her to London and prepare to launch Georgiana in society.

Georgiana is uncomfortable with how her new sister-in-law is treated by the ton and tries her best to help out. She also has a few unforeseen adventures with fortune hunters, while Mr. Darcy helps the Prince Regent out on a dangerous mission. Will Georgiana be able to find true love and happiness?

I loved Mr. Darcy’s Little Sister. The characters were wonderfully developed, and the historical fiction element was also spectacular. I loved seeing Georgiana’s transformation from a teen filled with angst to a confident young woman who goes after what she wants. Her feelings of nervousness seemed very real to me and true to life as a teen (at least as I remember it!). I also loved that Colonel Fitzwilliam’s character is fully developed and brought to the center stage. He is a wonderful character and I loved learning more about his family, and his work with the Prince Regent. As I read Mr. Darcy's Little Sister, I felt like I was having a wonderful visit with old friends.

I highly recommend Mr. Darcy’s Little Sister for all lovers of Jane Austen and/or regency literature. You will not be disappointed.

I am fortunate that C. Allyn Pierson will be having a guest blog on Laura’s Reviews tomorrow. Please stop back by and check it out!

Mr. Darcy’s Little Sister is my second item for the Everything Austen Challenge II.

Book Source: Advance Review Copy from Sourcebooks. Thank-you!

The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson

The Girl Who Played with Fire is the second riveting novel in the Millennium Trilogy, following The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. In The Girl Who Played with Fire, journalist and publisher Mikael Blomkvist, has a new freelance journalist at his magazine, Millennium, who has an extensive study on sex trafficking in Sweden that will uncover the crimes of many high-ranking officials. The freelance journalist, Svensson, is planning on publishing an article with Millennium and also a full-length detailed novel. Svensson is working together with his fiancée, Mia Johansson, who is doing her doctoral thesis on the same subject.

Lisbeth Salander has used her newfound wealth to take a trip around the world. She vacations in the Caribbean and spends her time working on complex math problems, defending women against “men who hate women,” and trying to avoid a hurricane. She eventually makes her way back to Stockholm and tries to reconnect with people from her past, while avoiding Mikael Blomkvist. She does like to keep tabs on his work through hacking into his computer and is intrigued by the sex trafficking investigation.

When Svensson and Johansson are found murdered, Lisbeth becomes a suspect as her fingerprints are found on the weapon. She becomes all but convicted of the crime by the police and press when her legal guardian, lawyer Nils Bjurman, is also found murdered. Lisbeth has to remain hidden while trying to solve the crime. The only person on her side is Mikael Blomkvist who wants to help Lisbeth and find the murderer of his friends. The resulting mystery is enthralling, and also helps to solve the mystery of Lisbeth herself.

I loved this novel. While the start of the novel was rather slow, once I got into it, I had a hard time putting it down. I really wanted to solve the mystery and to learn more about Lisbeth herself.

I love the characters of Lisbeth and of Mikael Blomkvist. They are each unique and intriguing characters that I truly love to read about. Lisbeth is an anti-social punk, but she has her own set of morals and makes sure that justice is served. I loved Lisbeth’s character growth in this novel from the beginning where she feels like she is a loner with no one in her life, through the end of the novel when she realizes there are indeed people out there that do care and will help her in her time of need. Blomkvist is a womanizer that also wants to see justice served and will do everything in his power to make it happen.

The characters and the mystery of this novel are wonderful, but I also like the crusading part of this novel against sex trafficking, and also against government corruption. It was eye opening and gave me a lot to think about. I am more than a little disturbed that women and young girls are treated in such ways around the world.

The ending was very abrupt and left me wanting more. I can’t wait until I finally get The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet’s Nest from the library. I’m still on the waiting list.

Overall, if you are looking for a fascinating mystery with intriguing characters and concepts, I highly recommend The Girl Who Played with Fire.

Book Source: The Kewaunee Public Library

Kara Louise (Author of Darcy's Voyage) Interview & Giveaway

I am excited that Kara Louise, author of Darcy's Voyage is here on Laura's Reviews today for an interview. I really enjoyed Darcy's Voyage and I am very happy that Kara Louise took the time out to answer my burning questions! And without further ado, I turn this blog over to Kara Louise . . .

Thanks for inviting me here today. These are great questions and I hope I can answer them to your satisfaction.

1. What was your inspiration for retelling the tale of Pride and Prejudice with a different meeting of Darcy and Elizabeth, first on a carriage ride, and then on a sea voyage to America?
I actually wrote the meeting between the two of them on a carriage for another story idea. I never got further than that meeting, and it remained in my file for a while. When I began writing Darcy’s Voyage (then titled Pemberley’s Promise), I decided to add it to that story and have Darcy and Elizabeth initially have only vague recollections of that first meeting when they encounter one another on the ship. I was inspired to write a story of them at sea after reading Richard Henry Dana’s Two Years Before the Mast. It was very interesting to me to read his account of his travels at sea in the 1840s, and although a little later than the time period of Pride and Prejudice, I decided I would love to write a story placing Darcy and Elizabeth on a ship bound for America.

2. One aspect of the novel that troubled me was that Elizabeth was not accompanied by a chaperone on either her carriage ride or her voyage to America. As it was common practice for young ladies at the time always to have a chaperone, what made you decide to not have one for these occasions?
I have little justification other than wanting to write it that way. Well, that is not altogether the truth. For Elizabeth’s being unchaperoned, I always felt she had a rebelliousness to her that defied convention, while not being “wild,” like we see with her sister, Lydia. She often walked about her hometown unchaperoned, including jumping over stiles and walking through the mud. She had no qualms about showing up at Netherfield with her ankles six inches in mud! I will concede that perhaps, at least in the carriage, I should have thought about a chaperone, but I love what that scene in particular added to the overall story!

As for her traveling unchaperoned on the ship, I felt that the Bennets would not have had anyone to accompany her, and that Elizabeth would have greatly desired take such an adventure. Likewise, I knew Mr. Bennet did not always consider what was prudent in ruling his household, particularly his daughters. He had nothing to worry about regarding Elizabeth’s behavior, but I did insist upon him putting Elizabeth under the captain’s protection when they boarded the ship.

3. On a similar note, what made you decide to have Elizabeth travel in steerage?
Part of my answer is what I envisioned for the ship, which I cover in the next question. But truthfully, I did think a great deal about the reasons why she might have traveled down there. First of all, we know her family did not have a great deal of money. The expense of securing a cabin for Elizabeth would have been much greater, and knowing the financial states her family was in, Elizabeth would not have wanted to spend any more than they had to. I reasoned that Elizabeth wanted to take this amazing journey and would sacrifice anything, even her comfort, to take the opportunity to sail to America.

4. Did you find out any interesting facts during your research on sea voyages in the early 19th century?
Pemberley’s Promise is the name of the ship in Darcy’s Voyage, and you can tell by that name that Mr. Darcy is the owner. I found an interesting website about a ship that took about a thousand Irish people to America during the great famine. The Jeanie Johnston sailed in the mid-nineteenth century and carried many across the sea looking for a better life or joining family. I was impressed by this story because they never lost one passenger and attributed that to the ship’s humane conditions and its compassionate captain. I envisioned this for Pemberley’s Promise, a ship that even down in steerage the conditions were not totally unbearable. This site is also where I discovered that two children would be considered one adult in the sleeping berths, which provided that part of the story. You can read more about the ship here: http://www.jeaniejohnston.net/history.html

5. Who is your favorite character in this novel . . . Darcy, Elizabeth, or one of the secondary characters? Personally I loved Darcy and Elizabeth, but I also loved seeing Georgiana blossom a bit in the novel as well.
Of course I love the characters of Darcy and Elizabeth, but I will also concur with you that Georgiana is one of the characters I love to write. I tend to write her as very instrumental in helping Elizabeth see the error of her ways as it pertains to her opinion of Darcy. Sometimes Georgiana catches on very quickly that there is something special between them, other times, not. I think in Darcy’s Voyage she tries to put two and two together but cannot quite come up with the right answer. And I love writing her as someone who truly loves and admires Elizabeth.

6. You have written other Pride and Prejudice inspired novels. Can you give us the details on a couple of your favorites?
Darcy’s Voyage is probably my favorite (for now!), but my next favorite is being published by Sourcebooks in Spring 2011. That book, originally titled Something Like Regret, has been re-titled Only Mr. Darcy Will Do. This is another variation in which begins almost immediately after returning from Kent after Darcy’s first proposal, Mr. Bennet dies, leaving the Bennet ladies having to face moving out of Longbourn. Elizabeth and Jane become governesses, Jane for the Gardiners’ children and Elizabeth to a young girl, whose family, it turns out, is acquainted with Mr. Darcy. She suddenly finds herself thrown into his presence, and even more so when the family is invited to Pemberley. There, she begins to see his goodness, but realizes even more the difference in their stations.

7. What is next for you? Are you at work on a new novel that you could share with us?
I wrote a series of short stories based on Elizabeth and Darcy as they celebrated the holidays their first year of marriage. I take them from Christmas to New Years, Valentines Day, and then end the book with a very special event. I wrote it several years ago and right now I am cleaning it up before I publish it. I have a couple other Austen related novels mulling about in my head as well. One is another Pride and Prejudice variation and the other is a back-story to a character in another novel of hers.

8. I always love to learn who authors love to read. Can you list a few of your favorite books and authors?
I have been reading Georgette Heyer’s book for about a year now, and love them. She has just a talent for giving us a variety of characters that end up in so much mischief. Some of them are truly laugh-out-loud books, and I an enjoying working my way through them. So far, of the 8 or so that I have read, my favorites have been Regency Buck and Arabella. I also have enjoyed the Carrie Bebris murder mystery series using Jane Austen’s characters. I also enjoy a couple Kansas authors, Deb Raney and Kim Vogel Sawyer.


DARCY’S VOYAGE BY KARA LOUISE – IN STORES SEPTEMBER 2010
A Tale of Uncharted Love on the Open Seas

In this enchanting and highly original retelling of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, Elizabeth Bennet sets out for the new world aboard the grand ship Pemberley’s Promise. She’s prepared for an uneventful voyage until a chance encounter with the handsome, taciturn Mr. Darcy turns her world upside down.

When Elizabeth falls ill, Darcy throws convention overboard in a plan that will bind them to each other more deeply than he ever could have imagined. But the perils of their ocean voyage pale in comparison to the harsh reality of society’s rules that threaten their chance at happiness. When they return to the lavish halls of England, will their love survive?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Ever since Kara Louise discovered and fell in love with the writings of Jane Austen she has spent her time answering the "what happened next" and the "what ifs" in Elizabeth's and Darcy's story. She has written 6 novels based on Pride and Prejudice. She lives with her husband in Wichita, Kansas. For more information, please visit her website, Jane Austen’s Land of Ahhhs, http://ahhhs.net/.


Thank-you for the great answers to my questions Kara Louise!! I loved your answers, and am looking forward to your next novels. Only Mr. Darcy Will Do has an interesting premise just as Darcy's Voyage did, and I love holiday stories so that sounds intriguing as well!

Giveaway Details

Danielle of Sourcebooks has been kind enough to offer two copies of the Darcy's Voyage by Kara Louise for this giveaway. I have decided to give a try at simplifying my giveaways so lets see how this experiment works . . .

If you would like to win a copy of Darcy's Voyage, please leave a comment about what intrigues you about Darcy's Voyage or what you liked about this interview. As part of your comment, you must include an email address. If I can't find a way to contact you I will draw another winner.

I will be using random.org to pick the winners from the comments.

This contest is only open to US and Canadian residents (Sorry!).

No P.O. Boxes.

The deadline for entry is midnight, Friday September 17th.

Good luck!

Darcy’s Voyage by Kara Louise

What if Darcy and Elizabeth had a far different first meeting than what took place in Pride and Prejudice? How would it have changed the events that occurred in that classic novel? This is the premise for Darcy’s Voyage by Kara Louise.

Elizabeth and Darcy first meet in a post carriage ride. Both are smitten with each other and have a witty exchange about books and other things. Neither manages to get the name of the other and they go their separate ways. Two years later, Elizabeth is taking a voyage to America to visit with her beloved Uncle and Aunt Gardiner. Uncle and Aunt Gardiner are in America for a business trip. Unfortunately Jane gets seasick, so Elizabeth is forced to make the journey alone. Darcy’s sister Georgiana has traveled to America with her companion, Mrs. Annesley, to visit Mrs. Annesley’s family. Mrs. Annesley has fallen ill and is going to stay with her family; therefore Darcy is making the trip to America to escort Georgiana home. Darcy and Elizabeth meet again on the ship and sparks fly, although at first they have mutual misunderstandings about one another.

The voyage to America becomes a very romantic voyage for Darcy and Elizabeth. I don’t want to reveal the plot of the novel, but suffice it to say that it changes the course of the original novel. After they lose touch with each other in America, they meet back up in England and the course of the original Pride and Prejudice novel is forever changed by their prior connections. Through misunderstandings and pride, the two are apart at first, but eventually true love triumphs overall.

I enjoyed this novel and especially loved the romance of Elizabeth and Darcy throughout the novel. The book was very romantic. Mr. Darcy was enough to make any woman swoon over. It was also interesting to see how the course of the original novel could be changed by a far different meeting between the two characters.

The only problem I had with the novel was that I thought it was very highly improbable that Elizabeth would be either in the carriage or on the ship unchaperoned. Daughters of gentleman did not go out in public unchaperoned at that time and I just can’t imagine Mr. Bennet letting Elizabeth out alone. I also thought it was a little strange that Elizabeth traveled in steerage on the way to America.

Overall, Darcy’s Voyage was a delight to read and imagine a “what if” scenario where Darcy and Elizabeth have a wonderful romance on the sea. Darcy's Voyage will be released by Sourcebooks on September 7th.

This is my first item for the Everything Austen Challenge II.

Kara Louise will be on Laura’s Reviews for an interview and Darcy’s Voyage book giveaway this Friday September 3rd. Please come back and check it out!

Book Source: Advance Review Copy from Sourcebooks. Thank-you!!

The Season of Second Chances by Diane Meier

When I finished The Season of Second Chances, I felt bereft. The Season of Second Chances was a wonderful novel that I enjoyed reading. I enjoyed it so much that I ripped through the book reading it too late into the night and finishing it in record speed during a busy work week. After I finished it, I regretted only that it didn’t continue on as I loved the story and characters so much, it was hard to let them go.

The Season of Second Chances is a unique story that I really loved. Joy Harkness is a middle-aged literature professor at Columbia University. She loves and excels at her work, but doesn’t really feel connected to anyone. When a professor she admires, Bernadette Lowell, offers her a chance to move to Amherst College in Massachusetts and be a part of an innovative new curriculum on learning, Joy jumps at the chance. She impetuously buys an old, large, falling down Victorian house and quickly moves up from her small New York apartment. I love the scene where she moves in and the house springs a giant leak.

Realizing that something needs to be done about the state of her house, Joy hires Teddy Hennessy to fix her house. Teddy is a unique individual that knows the history and design of old houses. He has an impeccable eye when it comes to interior design and works wonders with the house . . . and with Joy.

Joy finds life changing for herself at Amherst and becomes involved with a great new group of friends. She has a growth of personal relationships and self. Through her time there, Joy really has a “coming-of-age” at mid-age. She learns that to be a feminist, one does not need to give up everything that is feminine.

It is really hard to describe this novel as it was so unique and I do not want to give away the entire plot of the novel. It was a great story and I really loved the style in which it was written. Meier has beautiful prose throughout the novel.

Some of my favorite quotes were:

“What became apparent in my conversations with Teddy was my acceptance of a kind of snobbery I thought I’d avoided: the notion that accessible writers and authors were hacks.”

I love this quote. I think there is a lot of snobbery that exists, especially in academia about “accessible” writers. It saddens me that a lot of great female authors from the past have been dismissed and have slipped into obscurity for just such reasons. One example is Fannie Hurst. I read a compilation of her short stories a few years ago and it was wonderful. The stories gave a glimpse of working class girls’ lives in the 1920 and 30’s.

“There is the family you’re born with, my dear – ad then there is the family you choose.”

This quote is so true. While you’ll never forget your birth family, I’ve found wherever you move you make a “family” of friends too that you can count on during times of trial.

There is also a great section about style, where two of the characters discuss that one doesn’t need to be afraid of style to be a feminist woman. There are too many good quotes in this section just to pick out one!

I also loved that since Joy is a literature professor she talks about a lot of my favorite authors such as Edith Wharton and Willa Cather. The discussions are like small diamonds throughout the text that I really enjoyed reading.

Overall, The Season of Second Chances is a wonderful novel with a great story, fantastic characters, and great prose. I highly recommend it.

Book Source: Advance Review Copy from Evelyn at Interpersonal Frequency LLC. Thank-you!

Sprig Muslin by Georgette Heyer Review on Austenprose!

I am a guest reviewer today on Austenprose for Sprig Muslin by Georgette Heyer as part of the Celebrating Georgette Heyer month. If you like funny novels, and enjoyed Austen, but are looking for something new - I suggest picking up a Georgette Heyer novel! Heyer's novels are great regency romances filled with great with and great historical detail.

Sprig Muslin is a light and funny Regency novel that showcases Georgette Heyer’s wit. I really enjoyed it and it made me laugh out loud several times! Sprig Muslin was first published in 1956, but the novel is set in 1813. The main action of the novel takes place in London, Chatteris (in the Fenland District of Cambridgeshire, England) and the roads in between.

This novel tells the tale of Sir Gareth Ludlow. His high spirited fiancée died in an accident many years previous to the start of the novel. Gary has decided he will never find love again and to just marry a friend, Lady Hester Theale, for convenience. Lady Hester is 29 and labeled an old maid – she also has ideas of her own about getting married!

For the rest of the review, please click here to read it on Austenprose and also leave a comment for a chance to win a copy of Sprig Muslin!

Sizzling Sixteen by Janet Evanovich

Stephanie Plum and her hilarious crew of friends and family continue their adventures in Janet Evanovich’s Sizzling Sixteen. Stephanie is a bounty hunter employed by her slimy cousin Vincent “Vinnie” Plum. When Vinnie is kidnapped and held for ransom, Stephanie with her friends and co-workers Lula and Connie must find a way to bail him out or rescue him. Otherwise they are out of a job! Vinnie has done a good job through the years of not making too many friends and alienating people, which makes the trio on their own in their rescue efforts. Along the way Stephanie also has a few hilarious skips that she tries to track down in order to make some cash.

As with all other Stephanie Plum novels, Stephanie still finds herself in the midst of a love triangle. Stephanie and handsome undercover cop Joe Morelli are on the off phase of their on-again off-again relationship. Though they can’t quite remember what they argued about and spend a lot of time flirting throughout the novel. Mysterious man in black Ranger helps Stephanie out on many different occasions. Although the romance was there, Sizzling Sixteen didn’t focus on either relationship as much as it did on the overall plot of rescuing Vinnie.

I loved the trio of Stephanie, Lula, and Connie out and about on missions during this novel. Lula has some of the best lines and always makes me laugh out loud. I love her ever-changing diets and her attitude. I like that Connie is finally getting out of the office with her no-nonsense attitude and legendary stink-bombs. The three ladies together was a fun read. I think they all need to get out together more often.

The romance in this novel was on the down low. Truthfully after sixteen novels, I am starting to think that Stephanie really needs to pick one of the guys and go with it. I would love to see a Ranger or Joe wedding to Stephanie and the hilarity that would ensue. I think it is time for Stephanie to move on in life.

Overall, Sizzling Sixteen is another fun installment in the Stephanie Plum series, but some items, such as the love triangle, are starting to get stale. I read this novel as part of the Stephanie Plum Reading Challenge. I am caught up on the regular series now, but need to finish catching up on the “between the novels” books. I still need to read Plum Lovin' (2007), Plum Lucky (2008), and Plum Spooky (2009).

Book Source: The Kewaunee Public Library