Rating: 
Summary: Still good
Review: More of the same, but I think this one was a walk in the park for Evanovich. She adds a few plot devices that lack inspiration and toys with them long enough to fill the book... take Bender in already. The lost handcuffs got tired. The Rabbit. And I'm glad Albert Kloughn's, Joe Pesci character got distracted from bounty hunting midway through the book. Lula's character is good, but there only needs to be one.
I'm ready for Stephanie Plum to get some skills. I want Stephanie to get the upper hand on Abruzzi and to be a part of bringing him down. I like that when she gets scared she walks right up to her fear and tells him to back off, but why not put some bullets in the gun and keep it handy instead of half loaded at the bottom of an overstuffed handbag. This ending was a disappointment.
This series is fun enough to continue following, but I'm glad to be almost caught up so I can cut down to one book a year. Maybe that will help keep it fun. 2.5 stars
Rating: 
Summary: Stephanie Plum Character Expands Her Horizons
Review: The book is just a bit different from previous Stephanie Plum novels. Stephanie has just moved a bit into the darker side (but so has Spielberg in Minority Report). Stephanie Plum fans will enjoy the book, still has the humor and the fun characters you've come to know and love. New readers looking for mystery will enjoy the story and should appreciate the humor which is far different than any other mystery writer. If you are looking for humor and romance with a touch of mystery in the background....read one of the other seven Stephanie Plum books first.
Rating:
Summary: 5 Star Author Evanovich Gets Hackneyed With Hard Eight!!
Review: To put this review into perspective, along with my 3 star rating, I must state that I am a die-hard Janet Evanovich fan. However, after reading all of her Stephanie Plum series, one through eight, it is time for Ms. Evanovich to make some changes if she is to avoid the typical pitfalls of series books - the formulaic novel...and overkill. It is to her credit that she has kept readers eagerly coming back for more of Stephanie Plum, my all time favorite heroine. And while I do understand that series writers need to provide, (& to provide, & provide), the same background information so new readers will understand what is going on - the repetition is driving me crazy. We read the same jokes over and over again in each new book. They became tired 3 books ago. I don't mind rereading the facts. I do mind same old, same old. Enough! Just give us the basics about Steph's family, Grandma Mazur, Joe Morelli, (yes, he played choo-choo with her when they were kids), Ranger, Lula, Cousin Vinnie, (and yes, we have read at least 8 times about the animals), etc. Brevity in the face of tedium works. I am sure that the creative wit that conjured up the Plums, et. al., will be able to come up with new material in the future. If new readers would like to know more background, assuming they begin the series with book #9, they can read another book from 1 through 8. It's their fault if they begin with # nine, anyway. The plot in "Hard Eight" is not as complex, or as interesting, as others. This simplistic storyline, along with the repetitious jokes, made this my least favorite of the eight books. I won't go into the details, others reviewers have already summarized the plot very well. I do not agree with those who say this is a darker story because of "the soupcon of child jeopardy" involved. There is no danger to a child here. The villains are especially tame and flat compared to Benito Ramirez, a real doozie, and other creeps from other bounty hunts! I was glad that Ranger and Stephanie finally got together. We were left hanging in "Seven-Up," with what seemed like sexus interruptus. I hate being left in the air about something as important as whether my fictional favorite has sex the with the "dark, mellow, mystery man" of her fantasies. I really hope the next novel is more original and complex. Stephanie Plum is quite capable of multi-tasking. I also hope that Janet Evanovich loses much of the old material and comes up with something new and exciting.
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