Curious Minds by Janet Evanovich & Phoef Sutton

Authors: Janet Evanovich & Phoef Sutton
Publisher: Bantam Dell (Random House)
Date of publication: August 2016

Emerson Knight is introverted, eccentric, and has little to no sense of social etiquette. Good thing he’s also brilliant, rich, and (some people might say) handsome, or he’d probably be homeless. Riley Moon has just graduated from Harvard Business and Harvard Law. Her aggressive Texas spitfire attitude has helped her land her dream job as a junior analyst with mega-bank Blane-Grunwald. At least Riley Moon thought it was her dream job, until she is given her first assignment: babysitting Emerson Knight.

What starts off as an inquiry about missing bank funds in the Knight account leads to inquiries about a missing man, missing gold, and a life-and-death race across the country. Through the streets of Washington, D.C., and down into the underground vault of the Federal Reserve in New York City, an evil plan is exposed. A plan so sinister that only a megalomaniac could think it up, and only the unlikely duo of the irrepressibly charming Emerson Knight and the tenacious Riley Moon can stop it.

I'll be honest, I didn't care for this book.  It was a hot mess.  I am usually hot and cold when it comes to Ms. Evanovich's books.  I loved her Stephanie Plum series up until about the 10th book. Her early works were hilarious and I gobbled them up.  I have also been a fan of the Lizzy and Diesl series because the characters have great chemistry.  I was really hoping for a funny fresh start to a new series. For me this entire book fell very flat.  I became quickly bored and skimmed through parts of the book.

I'm not sure how much of the book was written by either author.  I do know that Ms. Evanovich is capable of more humor than was found in this book. Both characters were dull.  Riley annoyed me.  She is supposed to have two advanced degrees, but she came across as ditsy. Emerson was just weird.  The basic story is that Riley Moon, new to the banking world, has been tasked with helping rich, eccentric Emerson Knight find a lost banker and his gold.  There really is no mystery and there is no humor.  There is a LOT of quirkiness.  That is the biggest problem...everything is quirky.  Because of that, the quirky was no longer funny.  

I can't really recommend this one and know I won't continue with the series. 

Wicked Charms by Janet Evanovich & Phoef Sutton

Authors: Janet Evanovich, Phoef Sutton
Publisher: Bantam
Date of publication: June 2015

Murdered and mummified more than ninety years ago, bootlegger Collier “Peg Leg” Dazzle once found and re-hid a famous pirate’s treasure somewhere along the coast of New England. A vast collection of gold and silver coins and precious gems, the bounty also contains the Stone of Avarice — the very item reluctant treasure seeker, Lizzy Tucker, and her partner, Diesel, have been enlisted to find. While Lizzy would just like to live a quiet, semi-normal life, Diesel is all about the hunt. And this hunt is going to require a genuine treasure map and a ship worthy of sailing the seven seas . . . or at least getting them from Salem Harbor to Maine.

Greed is eternal and insatiable, and Lizzy and Diesel aren’t the only ones searching for the lost pirate’s chest. There are people who have dedicated their entire lives to finding it, and are willing to commit murder or make a deal with the devil, just to hold the fortune in their hands. One of those people may even be Wulf, Diesel’s deceptively charming and enigmatic cousin. Wulf desires the Stone of Avarice. He also desires Lizzy. It’s hard to say how far he’s willing to go to gain either one.


I have been waiting to read Wicked Charms for a long time.  It's been 4 years since the second book came out.  I have to say, that it was worth the wait. I really enjoyed this book.  I haven't laughed out loud during a book so much in a long time.  You always know with Lizzy and Diesel, there is going to be a crazy adventure. This time around, there are pirate legends, treasure maps and hidden treasure.  And of course, the hunt for the next Stone of Avarice.

As I said, I loved the humor in this one.  It is what I have always loved about this author's writing.  While there was definite sexual tension between Diesel and Lizzy, there was much less of "will they or won't they?".  That made me happy.  Knowing that they can't do anything about it because one of them could lose their powers is fine, I just didn't want it reminded to me every page like in the last book.  I still think they make a great team.  I would love for them to ultimately be together.  The ending with Wulf proves to make things very interesting though.

Once again, the peripheral characters round out the story nicely.  Glo with her spell book is my favorite.  Her attempts at doing spells always make for interesting situations.  This time around, the dog spell was very amusing.  If you haven't picked this series up, I do suggest starting with the first book, Wicked Appetite. I think there is some essential back story that is not present in this one. But, you won't be sorry!

Throwback Thursday: The Rocky Road to Romance by Janet Evanovich

Author: Janet Evanovich
First published in 1991 by Loveswept (Bantam)

Her tall, dark, and deliciously dangerous boss . . .

When the delightful, daffy Dog Lady of station WZZZ offered to take on the temporary job of traffic reporter, Steve Crow tried to think of reasons to turn Daisy Adams down. Perhaps he knew that sharing the close quarters of a car with her for hours would give the handsome program director no room to resist her quirky charms. He'd always favored low-slung sportscars and high-heeled women, but that was before he fell for a free spirit who caught crooks by accident, loved old people and pets, and had just too many jobs!

Loving Daisy turned Steve's life upside down, especially once he adopted Bob, a huge dog masquerading as a couch potato. But was Daisy finally ready to play for keeps?


The Rocky Road to Romance is the final installment in the Elsie Hawkins series.  I thought it was a cute addition..  In this one, Steve hires Daisy to do the traffic report at his radio station and falls for her instantly.  He has to try to convince Daisy that he means business and does everything he can to win her over.  Even buying a dog to sample her cooking.  Daisy is a busy woman and isn't sure she has room in her life for romance, but Steve proves hard to resist.

There were a lot of laugh out loud moments in this one. A lot of the humor that can be found in the early Stephanie Plum books, can be found here as well.  I think one of the best characters was Bob the dog, of course.  Steve was really cute and really good for Daisy.  She had forgotten how to stop and smell the roses once in a while.  Just reading about her many jobs made me tired!  I loved their HEA, it was super sweet and very fitting.  The little twist with Bob was very amusing.  If you haven't tried out this series, I do recommend giving it a go.  The audiobooks are super quick and make for an amusing listen!

Throwback Thursday: Smitten by Janet Evanovich

Author: Janet Evanovich
First published in 1990 by Loveswept

Single mom Lizabeth Kane isn't exactly carpenter material -- she's never picked up a hammer in her life. But she desperately needs the construction job that builder Matt Hallahan is offering. And even though he knows trouble is ahead, Matt can't refuse Lizbeth's irresistible smile.

Matt Hallahan isn't exactly relationship material -- he has always been too busy working on other people's houses to make a home of his own. And even though she knows better, Lizabeth can't stop thinking about the rugged carpenter.

Is the relationship Matt and Lizabeth are building solid -- or more like a house of cards?

I have read a few of this author's early books and for the most part, I have enjoyed them.  I have mixed feelings about Smitten.  It was written in the early 90s and I think updated for the 2000s.  The premise is that Lizabeth is recently divorced with 2 small boys.  She needs to find a job so she doesn't lose her house.  The problem is that her degree in History isn't doing her much good. On a whim, she applies for a job as a carpenter.  Matt hires her for two reasons.  He feels sorry for her and he lusts after her.  Yeah, a great reason to hire someone. Within a day, they are making out on the job site.  That was weird and a little creepy.

For the most part, I liked the story.  I thought it had a lot of humor in it.  There are several characters and situations that reminded me of the Stephanie Plum series.  Plenty of the scenes made me laugh.  I also loved Matt.  He was a sweet character and great for Lizabeth and her boys.  

What I didn't like about it was the way Lizabeth's job changed.  She is hired to be a laborer in Matt's construction site.  He first puts her to work painting trim.  Over time she eventually transitions into the office working as their office manager.  I was disappointed in that.  Why couldn't she have become skilled as a builder or something else on the site?  Why turn her into the obvious stereotypical role as a secretary?  For me, it really dated the story. I think fans will like this story.  If you can ignore the stereotypical gender roles, I think you will enjoy it was well.

The Heist by Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg

Authors: Janet Evanovich & Lee Goldberg
Publisher: Bantam Dell
Date of publication: June 2013

FBI Special Agent Kate O’Hare is known for her fierce dedication and discipline on the job, chasing down the world’s most wanted criminals and putting them behind bars. Her boss thinks she is tenacious and ambitious; her friends think she is tough, stubborn, and maybe even a bit obsessed. And while Kate has made quite a name for herself for the past five years, the only name she’s cared about is Nicolas Fox—an international crook she wants in more ways than one.

Audacious, handsome, and dangerously charming, Nicolas Fox is a natural con man, notorious for running elaborate scams on very high-profile people. At first he did it for the money. Now he does it for the thrill. He knows that the FBI has been hot on his trail—particularly Kate O’Hare, who has been watching his every move. For Nick, there’s no greater rush than being pursued by a beautiful woman . . . even one who aims to lock him up. But just when it seems that Nicolas Fox has been captured for good, he pulls off his greatest con of all: he convinces the FBI to offer him a job, working side by side with Special Agent Kate O’Hare.
I am a huge fan of Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series, well at least up until about book 13.  I also was a huge fan of the TV Show "Monk", which Lee Goldberg was a writer for.  Put these two authors together and you have the potential for a hugely funny and madcap adventure.  Thankfully, they pulled it off in The Heist. I thought this book was hilarious and found myself laughing out loud constantly.  The in-jokes and circumstances that Kate and Nick find themselves in kept the book fresh and engaging.

I loved Kate because she is a kick-ass agent who isn't TSTL and not really afraid of doing whatever it takes to get the job done.  I also loved Nick.  He reminded me of Neal Caffrey from the TV show "White Collar".  Very smart, sexy and always got a con up his sleeve.  The chemistry between the two was just right in a not annoying way.  My only hope is that as the series goes along we won't constantly get a "will they or won't they" scenario.  That will get old fast.  I think that is what got tiring for me with the Stephanie Plum series.

The peripheral characters added a lot of comic relief to the story.  I really hope that they show up in later books.  I loved Willy and her honesty.  I also loved Kate's father and their relationship.  The cons were fun to watch unfold, especially when things went wrong.  

If you haven't given this one a shot yet, I highly recommend it.  It was a lot of fun and I have The Chase on my TBR Pile priority list so stay tuned!