Janet Evanovich is better known for her immensely popular, offbeat series of Stephanie Plum novels (beginning with "One For the Money"). Ms Evanovich broke into the business by writing romance novels, and "Ivan Takes a Wife" is not only a charming example of this genre, but an indication of where the character of Stephanie might have originated. For the Stephanie of this novel is not a fragile, gentle flower but a retired cop with a habit of falling (off hillsides, roofs, and boats) and an sassy attitude. Janet includes trademarks her fans will recognize and appreciate, from the steamy sexual situations to the offbeat, delightful supporting characters, and even throws in a bit of a mystery to keep the story moving along. If you have the good fortune to find this novel, enjoy it!

As a person who has read every book in the Stephanie Plum series, who has recommended them to a number of people, who has eagerly awaited the arrival of each new installment, I really wanted to love this book. Or, at least like it. Well, I can't say I don't like it, but that warm and fuzzy feeling I used to get when reading one of Stephanie Plum's adventures? It just wasn't there. I'm ashamed, and saddened to say that. No one could be more disappointed than a true fan. I have followed Stephanie since the first time she tried to apprehend a bad guy, and I will admit that the 7th and 8th installments haven't been as great as the first 6. But Visions of Sugar Plums just doesn't deserve to be called a Stephanie Plum novel. At a scant 149 pages, it's not worthy of it's price, nor is it really worthy of your time. There's none of that simmering sexual tension between her and Ranger, or her and Morelli for that matter. Instead, the main man is Diesel - a mysterious guy who just "appears" in Stephanie's apartment one day, and who can unlock doors like magic. It sounds a bit too supernatural to me, which is a little bit silly, considering that Stephanie Plum books have never even touched on the supernatural. Overall, the story feels rushed, and it feels like we've been there before. Her grandma is still crazy (along with the rest of her family), she's still got her cute hamster, she's still having Morelli issues, but...well...this novel doesn't make us care. I sure hope that this was just a bad fluke, and that Janet Evanovich will give more TLC to her next Stephanie Plum novel.

Hapless bounty hunter Stephanie Plum has an easy job this time--bring in toy maker Sandy Klaus before Christmas. When a strange 'man' literally pops into her apartment with the message that he's here to help, she is a little mystified, but not enough to let it get in the way of doing her job. For Stephanie Plum, though, doing her job is never easy. In this case, strangeness includes a band of little people with fake elf ears, the question of whether the toy maker might just be the real Santa Claus, getting her Christmas shopping done in the four shopping days remaining, her sister's sudden stomach distress, and Stephanie's ongoing relationship issues with Joe Morelli.

The supernatural element (possible superhero Diesel, evil Ring, plausible Santa Claus and elves) adds to Stephanie's normally colorful life (ex-'...' Lula plays a role and another car--well, you know what happens to Stephanie's cars).

Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series has achieved huge success because of the books' manic, over the top, humor and the sympathetic character of Stephanie. VISIONS OF SUGAR PLUMS gives us another dose of Stephanie, her disfunctional family, and her bumbling attempts to bring hapless criminals to justice. VISIONS is barely long enough to qualify as a novel (at 149 pages in the hardback edition), giving the reader a taste of Stephanie rather than the full meal normally delivered. Still, it's an enjoyable taste.

One of the funniest books in the Stephanie Plum series. A great Holiday edition with all the characters and laughter we expect. Stephanie is looking for Sandy Claws who jumped bail. It's four days before Christmas and she does not have a tree and her Christmas shopping has yet to begin. Then a sexy man named Diesel literally appears in her kitchen. He's some kind of superhuman, superficial, supernatural, kind of sort of. Her family is hysterically funny, her grandmother is still picking up "stud muffins " from the funeral home. Her sister thinks she may be pregnent ....again, from non other the " clown " himself.

Snagging Sandy is not at all easy, not when he's got an assaultive bunch of little people calling themselves elves working for him. Mr. Claws himself is really somebody special just like Diesel -- who, it turns out, has a special assignment here in Jersey, tracking down yet another Special person.
You have here the obligatory car bombing, some Christmas trees that don't make it home, some wild Christmas shopping , a lot of cookie making and throwing, and some of Grandma Mazur's famous humor and you have Janet Evanovich's latest gift to the fans of Stephanie Plum.
Don't miss this one, Christmas time or not!!!

As an avid reader of Janet Evanovich's stephanie plum series I was ecstatic when I saw that she has now decided to resurrect some old romance novels and revamp then in her now famous style.
When I read the first book in this series (Full House), I thought wow - cool - now I don't have to wait til June for the next stephanie plum. But then, unfortunately, I picked up full tilt. What a let down.

Clearly my opinion is not shared by everyone - in fact one of the reviewers that I usually respect - harriett klausner clearly really enjoyed the book. However, I think if you are a fan of romantic suspense and janet evanovich as well, you will be left unfulfilled by her latest novel. Unlike Full House, in which billie and nick drew you in as characters, I found Max to be generally uninteresting and unlikable - which seems like it would be hard to do with a character who is a genius, rich, and comes from a zany yet troubled past.

In addition to a boring (sorry but he is) male character, there is the relatively forgettable female lead, the head of a truly uninspired newspaper (a potentially interesting subplot which was really never explored). There is also Vera, an obnoxious semi-mother figure who really made me yearn for Grandma Mazur, and God help us all, a talking computerized Car - named Muffin. Please make it stop. To all the authors out there (Catherine Coulter this means you too) please stop with the artificial intelligence in anything from a car to a calculator - it is manufactured, unconvincing, and overall - not funny!

I really felt like full tilt had major potential, including characters and locations that could have been creatively utilized, but the story just did not gel - nothing came together. In fact, I practically had to force myself to slog through this sucker. My recommendation - read full house instead and put your seven fifty in a fund towards To the Nines, coming out in June - at least that is what I wish I had done.

No, this series is not like Stephanie Plum. This is not for Mystery fans, but more Romance fans. The Characters are well developed, but a bit far fetched, and the plots are a bit unbelievable. Even after all this I don't think it is a bad read. The story moves very quickly and is a page turner, it is not like you are getting bored throughout the book. I still am a fan and we will see as the series grows it may get better, there is a lot of room for that.

Max and Dee Dee are back from Full House, twenty years later. Dee Dee's Husband, Frankie, is running for mayor and is looking for missing tax dollars. His brother-in-law, Max Holt, comes to town to help him out. Max is helping out one of his sister's friends, Jamie Swift, by investing in her news paper. There is an instant connection there!

This was a fun, quick read, and full of adventure!

Max Holt the 16 year old boy genius from FULL HOUSE is 20 years older and something of a cross between James Bond and Bill Gates. Frankie the Assassin stays married to Max's wacky sister Dee Dee, and after retiring from wrestling, he decides to run for Mayor. The resulting comic romp is fast and funny.

Death threats to Frankie extend to Max and his silent partner Jamie Swift, who must catch the killer before their time runs out! DeeDee, a former beauty queen, has hot flashes, Max's car has more personality than most modern heroines, while a host of other zany characters make this book super fun to read. The romance between Max and Jamie is reminiscent of the Moonlighting Couple.

Janet Evanovich and Charlotte Hughes are a great team, and while this is more of an adventure than a mystery, the Plum fans will be pleased that this book is something of a page turner/mystery as well. Fans of Ms. Hughes will enjoy her fun and fast pace (especially the second half, where the pace reminds me of her HOT SHOT). I can't wait for the next in the series!

Full house is the story of Billie Pearce and her romance with handsome playboy Nick Kaharachek. Billie, a single-mom, school-teacher of the bumbling 'Stephanie Plum' vein meets Nick, during a polo lesson. Nick is smitten by Billie, despite her incompetence at Polo. In an effort to 'woo' her, Nick talks Billie into taking on a boarder - his irritatingly rich cousin Dee Dee- in exchange for free riding lessons. Despite the hassle of having Dee Dee third-wheeling their romance, Billie and Nick hit it off and become engaged almost immediately. (Groan) Together they have a series of madcap adventures.

I was really looking forward to reading Full House, but for me Full House felt so contrived it was unenjoyable. Billie and Nick had nothing in common, and the presence of Dee Dee didn't help matters. We saw absolutely nothing of Billie's career as a school teacher, the villian seemed pathetic and sad, and 'tacked on' at the end to add a little last minute suspense. But worse, the novel was just boring and predictable. It lacked the spark of other Evanovich work.

If you are looking for a light 'fluffy' read, pick up Full House, otherwise, save your money and go for another Plum book.

I love the Plum books. This one is no comparison. Hard to believe it is from the same author.

A boring and cheesy romance novel. A very small portion of the plot is mystery - and which is slowly dragged through the story and then crammed into the last 30 pages. As for the laughs you get from the Plum books - forget it, not here. Don't waste your time or money.

This is a light and endearing early work by the author of the outrageously funny Stephanie Plum series. It's a bit unfair to compare this book with the Plums. (It's unfair to compare most anything with the Plums.) "Full House" is romantic, sweet natured, and doesn't have what so many romance writers feel is the necessary plot device of having the main characters hate or mistrust each other halfway through the book. No angst.

How can you dislike a book that is well written and has a housewife as the romantic lead character? Go Billie! Snag that gorgeous guy with homemade chocolate chip cookie fumes. Who says that being a normal, well-adjusted family isn't a guy magnet?

Evanovich teases the reader with the kind of off-the-wall characters she'll use so well in the Plum series. Nick's nephew Max, the teenage bomb-mixing genius, and his gorgeous older sister DeeDee, engaged to a wrester, are just the sorts of characters you expect to explore in an Evanovich book. She does the characters better now, but these are a great offbeat touch to balance Billie's middle-class life. The way Billie and Nick adjust to each other's families is what makes the book fun to read. So read it!