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.
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!
