The Rocky Road to Romance

How quickly can Janet Evanovich make you fall in love with characters you haven't met? I'd say about 2 chapters, give or take a page. It's easy to become comfortable with Evanovich's mainstay, the Stephanie Plum series, and those characters that we adore, but her earlier work is equally compelling. Her characters are fun and funny, the situations are outrageous and all the better for it, and the one-liners will keep you cackling.

This was a real page-turner and I laughed out loud quite a few times; I didn't even mind the speed-dating style to the romance!

My boyfriend purchased this book for me so I would have something to read for a little weekend getaway. I had been very interested in reading the series of (10) books Envanovich has but when I received this one I figured what a better way to see if I like her writing style.

The Rocky Road to Romance was a fun and quick read, unlike many books I have read who take 150 pages to explain what Evanovich writes in 50. That's not to say she is skimping out on anything, the book was fabulous and I wish it didn't end.

I agree with the other reviews where if you want to get away/ or take a break from the other "meatier" books, this is the book to do it with!

ENJOY!!!

Change of pace book in which Steve Crow realizes quickly that he's in love with Daisy Adams. She's the one who's resistant to more committment, since her life is overextended with responsibilities already. Some classic Evanovich scenes (including a wrecked car!). I've noticed that the sexual encounters in her Loveswept series books are a little more graphic than those in her Stephanie Plum novels, for those of you who care about such things. Also appearing in this book are the prototypes for Grandma Mazur and Uncle Sandor's car. The characters were sexy, sneaky, witty and just plain funny. It's a book worth finding.

Laugh out loud FUNNY!
I found myself laughing out loud so much while reading this book. Good thing I was not out in public!
I loved it!
I love Janet's style of writing. Even this is pre-Plum you can feel her writing style in the characters.
It was a fast, funny and easy read.
Just the kind of book you need for a quick pick me upper.
It features just the types of characters you have come to expect and hopefully love from Janet.
The dog, Bob, is so much like the dog named Bob in the Plum series.
Great book for vacation or the beach.

I usually enjoy reading Janet Evanovich's work but this one fell short. I've read all of her series books and am working my way through her individual books now. Some are good, this one isn't great.

My first Janet Evanovich novel was well worth it. I found myself laughing which rarely happens when I'm reading a book because I'm a visual person. The dialogues are so funny especially the one of Elsie and Kevin. All the characters are lovable. I will be looking for more of Ms. Evanovich' s books.

I really liked the first six Stephanie Plum novels. After that I thought she started repeating herself too much. It was like she had three jokes and she retold them in every single book. When she started editing and reissuing her old romances, I tried the first one and didn't read the first five pages. It was awful. Anyway, I'm on vacation just now and was looking for some light vacation reading and didn't have much choice since I couldn't find a bookstore here, but the local K-Mart had Rocky Road to Romance, so I thought I'd give it a try. It is better than that first romance. But it's like a Stephanie Plum prequel. In Stephanie Plum there is a person named Mary Lou Resnick. In this book there's a person named Mary Lou Resnick. Stephanie has a big, stupid dog that eats everything in sight and can't be left alone and is named Bob. In this book there is a big, stupid dog that eats everything in sight and can't be left alone and it is named Bob. With all the names available in the world, if she's only got two dogs in all her books, couldn't she have given them different names?

But here's what bugged me the most. Janet seems to love putting magic into her books (although she doesn't label it magic). In the Stephanie Plum books, Ranger can get into her apartment at will and she can never catch him doing it. Her apartment is locked, there is a safety chain on, she sometimes piles pans or dishes by the door so that if it opens they will make a clatter, once she bought an alarm device that would buzz if the door was opened. Ranger always gets past these impedimenta totally silently. One supposes he must apparate. I guess this is meant to be mildly amusing and the books are not meant to be taken seriously. Okay.

Well in Rocky Road we have similar instances of magic. At one point in the book, the two main characters split up to take their own cars over to the heroine's house. The hero is going to stop off for takeout food and then join her. But on the way, he stops by the pound and adopts a dog (Bob). Then he notices that Bob is too big for his sports car, so he runs by the Ford dealership and buys a new SUV. Then he continues on to the heroine's house and arrives there at about the same time that she does. Now if this were Star Trek they would explain that there was a disturbance in the space-time continuum which permitted this seeming incongruity. If it were Harry Potter, perhaps Steve could have used a time turner. But Janet doesn't bother to explain how Steve performed his magic. I live in a medium-sized city and from my house the drive to the pound takes about forty minutes. Steve lives in Washington, D.C. and the drive is apparently instantaneous. And let's don't even start thinking about the paperwork. And after that he goes and buys a new car. The last time I bought a new car, I wandered the lot a bit. I sat in some cars; I took a couple of test drives; I asked if they had it in a different color. Steve walks onto the lot and says, "I'll take that one." And let's don't even start thinking about the paperwork.

So anyway, I know this was meant to be light and amusing and I wasn't supposed to take it seriously, but I just finished reading Jennifer Crusie's book, Charlie All Night, which, coincidentally was also about a radio station with lots of quirky characters, but that book was a lot more amusing and had at least some traces of verisimilitude, so I'm recommending that one instead.

I've noticed when an author reaches a certain level of success, their earlier works start getting published or republished. Sometimes this is a good thing, and sometimes it's not.

In this case, it was a great thing.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. Plenty of laugh out loud moments made it worth the time. I suspect that if you enjoy her other work you'll enjoy this tale of Daisy, Steve and the first Bob-the-dog.

I absolutely loved the story and the characters. I couldn't put the book down. I would definitely recommend this book. The only negative I have is a little bit of bad language, which is unnecessary.That is why l rated it four stars

I like to read Evanovich's books because there are always fun and they ignite laughter. There is not one of her books that has not made me laugh out loud. This book is the same. You really get to know her characters. You remember the funny scenes and the lines stick with you creating more laughs. I love the "Plum" novels and am so glad to hear of another "Bob the Dog."

I liked this novel. The characters were solid and felt real. The dialog was fresh. I like less sex in my stories and more creative story telling and this one had that.

Janet Sue Terry, author of the "Set Me Free" series, book 1 - "Possibilities", book 2 - Resolutions, and "Just Our Best Short Stories 2005". (...)

Daisy Adams gets a traffic reporting job working for Steve Crow. And Steve falls in love with Daisy. Daisy and Steve have some interesting adventures

In one adventure Daisy needs a bodyguard. So who does Steve hire? Another woman who is a senior citizen!

Their traffic reports are pretty funny and the whole book has some good laughs.

It is worth reading.

I'm surprised by the large number of positive reviews for this book, as I consider it one of Janet Evanovich's most disappointing works thus far. The characters had no chemistry, the plot was ridiculous, and I actually felt disgusted reading about their "romance", as the leading man was a compulsive liar and creepy stalker in a completely uncharming way! Stick with Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series!

I have read all of the Janet Evanovich books starring Stephanie Plum, but I had not realized that she wrote romance novels. I ordered all and read them all! I absolutely loved them. Within the first page or two you always knew who was going to fall in love, but that did not ruin the fun in watching get to the end of their journeys together. These are books that I will lend to all of my friends and family!

I love Janet Evanovich's writing style and her keen ability to create humorous characters and engaging dialogue. Clearly, "The Rocky Road to Romance" was pre-Stephanie Plum period and the characters and dialogue are not nearly as developed. However, for a quick, mindless read for pure escapism, it definitely delivers.

I love Janet Evanovich's writing style and her keen ability to create humorous characters and engaging dialogue. Clearly, "The Rocky Road to Romance" was pre-Stephanie Plum period and the characters and dialogue are not nearly as developed. However, for a quick, mindless read for pure escapism, it definitely delivers.

I STARTED OUT BY READING THE STEPHANIE PLUM SERIES AND I LOVE THIS JUST AS MUCH. IT'S GOT DIFFERENT CHARACTERS BUT THE SAME ZANY TYPES OF CHARACTERS AND SITUATIONS. DON'T READ THIS ONE OUT IN PUBLIC BECAUSE PEOPLE LOOK AT YOU LIKE YOUR CRAZY WHEN YOU LAUGH OUT LOUD OVER IT.

The book was extremely entertaining. I found myself reading and laughing outloud. Janet Evanovich's writing is very funny. The characters almost seem like friends you might have yourself. I love her books!

Don't expect the Janet Evanovich of the Stephanie Plum series. Obviously Stephanie is her greatest creation, but her other books including this one are fun and easy to read, especially to listen to on a long car ride.