This is one that I want to re-read. It's been a few years now and when I think back to the elements of it - I really enjoyed the ride.(HA! I made a funny!)

This was in fact a book I read. Parts made me laugh, parts made me cringe, overall an easy read to fill in the gap before the new year.

Find more of my reviews at Ana's Attic Erotic and Romance Tales and Toys
I have been listening to all the Janet Evanovich books in my car. I finished all the Stephanie Plum books and found this at the Library. I have a little trouble reviewing audio books, because they take me forever to get through. I'm not in the car alone that often to listen. I will say this though, I don't like the reader. CJ Kritt read the first 6-7 Stephanie Plum books and then they got a new reader who I liked way better. This was another CJ Critt book, and I find that her voice is a bit abrasive, which makes me feel like the character is too.

This was very similar to the Plum books, with a bit of a larger, more international feel. Barney comes down to Miami to find her missing brother, Bill. She hooks up with Hooker, "NASCAR guy" because Bill stole his boat. What ensues is a hunt for gold and bombs from Cuba, a bad hispanic mobster, some zany characters, kidnapping, trips to Cuba and more!

Similar to the Plum books, it was a fun, light, suspense novel with a little attraction between characters. I enjoyed it, and would have enjoyed it more if it were read by another person. 3.5 for story, 1 for heat.

This book was good fun, but when I got to the last 75ish pages, it just felt ridiculous and I wanted it to be done.

Metro Girl

Alexandra Barnaby gets a call from her brother in Miami that ends with a woman screaming. She knows something isn't right so she heads down to Florida to try and find him, coming across NASCAR driver Sam Hooker. Alex's brother stole Hooker's boat so he has reason to try and find him.

Evanovich is known for her fun-loving characters, specifically with the number series and Stephanie Plum. The problem that I had with this book is that it felt like a cheap copy of the characters from Evanovich's number series. Alex was the independent female with a carefree attitude towards danger. Hooker is the sexy but somewhat undesirable man who tries to help. There's also a cast of characters that help these two find the brother. Really, the only thing that was missing was Grandma Mazure.

That said, this book was still fun. Just not as fun as Stephanie Plum!

If I had to read the words "NASCAR Guy" one more time I was going to throw the book against the wall. A fairly obvious plot line that didn't catch me nearly as much as Evanovich's other books, but an enjoyable read nonetheless.

Quick. Occasional funny absurdities.
Here's a way for the author to get away from her most famous character and write a novel about a very similar character unburdened by the context that had built up with the original.
The last quarter of the book ramped up in unbelievably and I couldn't suspend my disbelief even to enjoy the banter.
The caricature of the Texan NASCAR driver just got annoying.

As with most Janet Evanovich books this one was very funny and lighthearted given all of the violence involved. I love when old ladies are gun wielding maniacs. The only part of this book that was a little off putting was every time the protagonists got out of one scrap they immediately fall into another. This makes it almost impossible to have any character development but what can you expect when the book only spans about five or six days. Even in the romance department she is all talk and no action literally.

All in all it was what I expected out of a Janet Evanovich book.

Love the Stephanie Plum novels by Evanovich and thought I'd give Barnaby a try...love it! Just as entertaining as Plum, just as much chaos and twists and turns, sexual tension and of course just as many laughs!