Full House (Janet Evanovich's Full Series Book 1)

Got ahead of myself on this one. Expected a CD; surprised by the LP. Having most of the relatively few albums Wes M. made, I'm sure I will like it. Perhaps this will give me the push I need to get several Duals and a BIC turntable refurbished.

This is a fluff book. It is absolutely 100% predictable. A 38 year old woman meets a millionaire, a crazy two weeks ensues, and then at the end, they are supposed to get married. Completely illogical, and the whole time you're going "whatever, that could never happen"

With that being said, I have no problem with fluffy books. Sometimes you need it, we can't all read biographies and history books, or other intellectual books all the time. Sometimes you need a book that's not afraid to not be politically correct (or something). There is slut shaming, and some of the women are really helpless. But once again, it's fluffy, you get what you get.

I had fun with this one, and it was a book I could pick up when I had 10 minutes and get a chapter read.

I read Full House by Janet Evanovich. I recommend this book. It's a story of a lady who is divorced because her ex cheated on her and wanted to try new things. He was always the best when it came to sports; therefore the 2 kids thought he could do anything. With her kids gone with her ex a while during the summer, Billie Pearce knows she needs exercise and wants to try something adventurous. She wants to learn how to play Polo. Eventhough she has been around horses, this does not equate with playing Polo. She soon learns and her instructor, Nick Kaharchek, learns Polo is not for her. Billie grows fond of Nick Kaharchek, but knows he is from a different world. He is a millionare, owns the local newspaper, and tends horses and teaches classes on the side. Nick looks at Billie and sees someone he likes but can also manipulate a little to get his cousin off his back. His girl cousin is to be married in a couple weeks, but he can't live with her. She moves in with Billie only to go Eee[...] at everything because she is high class and does to have to deal with common things. But she is nice. The attraction for Nick and Billie is there, but both know it's a shot in the dark if they could make their different worlds emerge. Nice steamy scenes and great writing! I'm aiming to read all of Janet Evanovich's books! I've almost done it.

A fun book.

I had been disappointed in some of the recent Stephanie Plum books because I thought they were rather repetitive.

This book is Ms Evanovich along with Charlotte Hughes at their funniest and best.

Billie is a divorced mother of 2 who decides she will take polo lessons in order to raise her value in the eyes of her children. She believes that becoming more athletic will make her seem not quite so much a boring mom to her kids.

Nick is wealthy, wealthy and wealthy. He runs the polo school and is immediately attracted to this woman who is different from any of the many women with whom he has had relationships.

Both these people are witty and funny. Just like we each would like to be, but generally are not.

There are other characters. Deedee, Nick's ditzy cousin and her brother Max who explodes things.

Deedee's fiance, Frankie is a professional wrestler. Nick's former fiancee Sheridan, is a wealthy beautiful and evidently perfect woman.

This is a romance but also a mystery. Strange things happen. Generally the events are so minor no one pays much attention. But, as time passes the things become more unusual and more frightening.

this book is for you, if you want to laugh, if you like the idea that a poor girl can find a prince, if you like a mystery along with romance, I recommend this book. It is funny and smart and a quick read that entertains through every page.

The Evanovich/Hughes collaboration, "Full House" is, in a nutshell, one part "I Love Lucy", one part "Sex and the City" and one part "Criminal Minds". The parts aren't always as good as the whole, and vice-versa. Billie is a divorced, mother of two, who meets playboy millionaire, Nick. Right off the bat, the book becomes a kooky romantic comedy of the 1950s sitcom type, including a horse stepping on Billie's foot. Within hours, Billie is hoodwinked into "baby-sitting" the ditzy redhead, married-many-times sister of the playboy, DeeDee. (Her favorite expression is "EEYUEEWW!") Then the sexual tension between Nick and Billie kicks in, and the novel becomes a kind of "Sex and the City UltraLite". Before you know it, a series of home break-ins, arsons and explosions rock the neighborhood. These become amplified in the end when the bombings become more intense, and the book ends in an abduction, murder and attempted murder.

There is just enough for everybody here and, at times, too much for anybody. Billie's spontaneous turn at striptease outdoes anything Lucy Ricardo might attempt, but in the end proved to be just one of too many distracting and unnecessary episodes. Some sloppy editing (Billie's son, Joel, inexplicably became Joey at one point) didn't help. And where the criminal element was supposed to intrigue me, I was growing impatient instead. I dunno. I'm no expert on light romances but I doubt that anything here will satisfy fans. Pass on this one.

It's silly and far-fetched but still a lot of fun. The book takes longer to get where it's going than I think it probably needed to. The characters were sweet and mostly amusing though they all got annoying after a fairly short while. Because I think I'm genetically predisposed to continue on with a series even when I suspect it may not get better, I'm going to give the next book a shot. There's always hope that my faith will be rewarded and the next one will be better.

I cannot even exactly remember what bundle of Romance Novels from about 10 years that held the first Janet Evanovich novel I read, but I took to her style immediately. It was only afterwards that I then discovered her beloved Stephanie Plum series, so while I am a huge fan of the Plum Series, I was already used to and happily predisposed to Ms. Evanovich writing about other characters and stretching in other directions than some fan might be most happy with. (Once you are a fan of one thing, well, you want more of what you want.)

Full House is definitely a fantasy romance. Some Cinderella esque elements in the classic romance plot device which has been redone into Pride & Prejudice, Beatrice and Benedict, and even Pretty Woman. Some contemporary romance readers desire a more "realistic" plot device, and sometimes we still want just complete froth and fantasy for the sake of romance and fun, and THAT is what Janet Evanovich delivers in "Full House."

This is part of the "FULL SERIES" and you will meet a number of the characters here in "Full House." Some of the characters are utterly ridiculous, and that is part of it's charm, if that is to your liking. If it is not, then you won't enjoy "Full House." Some of us are looking for diversion and want to find a break from a boring week or a life that is sometimes too predictable. Curl up on the couch with your steaming mug of coffee, sit back, and enjoy the romping ride (horse back riding is part of the plot, lol) in "Full House."

Billie Pearce doesn't know what to do with herself while her children are away visiting their father. She has always been a teacher and mom, so having free time is foreign to her. She decided to take polo lessons to help fill the empty void. She is a disaster waiting to happen, and her polo teacher Nick Kaharchek is the unlucky teacher. When he sets eyes on her in motion, he can't help the laughter because she doesn't belong in his class. She is a klutz, and has obviously never been on a polo horse in her entire life. When she has an accident, Nick takes her to the hospital, and then home. Nick can't figure out exactly why, but he is incredibly attracted to Billie. She is not at all the type of women he normally goes out with, but he is very reluctant to leave her home once he is there.

Billie can't believe her luck. She was just trying to expand her horizons, and ended up with a crushed foot. It wasn't serious, but she still couldn't walk on it. Nick's mere presence in her home made her nervous, but her attraction won out, and she allowed him to stay with her. During a weak moment induced by pain medication, Nick got her to agree to play host to his cousin Deedee. She and her brother Max were staying with him for the summer, but Max had taken his environmental protection efforts to the extreme, and was blowing things up. Nick didn't want Deedee exposed to his shenanigans, so thus the reason for his subterfuge.

Nick and Billie were spending a lot of time together, and both were trying to fight the growing feelings between them. Before they knew it, through a series of events out of their control, Billie and Nick found themselves engaged. Then Billie's children came home early from visiting their father, just in time to hear the happy news. When a deranged man targets Billie as his latest obsession, it is a race against the clock to try to save her life.

This is an early work of JE, but there are some funny moments that hint at better things to come. An entertaining read.

Billie Pearce doesn't know what to do with herself while her children are away visiting their father. She has always been a teacher and mom, so having free time is foreign to her. She decided to take polo lessons to help fill the empty void. She is a disaster waiting to happen, and her polo teacher Nick Kaharchek is the unlucky teacher. When he sets eyes on her in motion, he can't help the laughter because she doesn't belong in his class. She is a klutz, and has obviously never been on a polo horse in her entire life. When she has an accident, Nick takes her to the hospital, and then home. Nick can't figure out exactly why, but he is incredibly attracted to Billie. She is not at all the type of women he normally goes out with, but he is very reluctant to leave her home once he is there.

Billie can't believe her luck. She was just trying to expand her horizons, and ended up with a crushed foot. It wasn't serious, but she still couldn't walk on it. Nick's mere presence in her home made her nervous, but her attraction won out, and she allowed him to stay with her. During a weak moment induced by pain medication, Nick got her to agree to play host to his cousin Deedee. She and her brother Max were staying with him for the summer, but Max had taken his environmental protection efforts to the extreme, and was blowing things up. Nick didn't want Deedee exposed to his shenanigans, so thus the reason for his subterfuge.

Nick and Billie were spending a lot of time together, and both were trying to fight the growing feelings between them. Before they knew it, through a series of events out of their control, Billie and Nick found themselves engaged. Then Billie's children came home early from visiting their father, just in time to hear the happy news. When a deranged man targets Billie as his latest obsession, it is a race against the clock to try to save her life.

This is an early work of JE, but there are some funny moments that hint at better things to come. An entertaining read.

That's how many stars this incredible Live recording rates. There are so many special moments, musically, to treasure here that it's hard to know where to start. Wes' treatment of "I've Grown Accostomed To Her Face" is a solo showcase for his genius for musical dynamics - the way he thumb-strums the melody; the way he pauses and 'slurs down' on the two "words", referencing the lyrics; the way he intro's (and 'out-ros') in a different key...the next moment that comes to mind is in "Blue 'N Boogie". Wes gets off some machine gun licks, then hands it off to Wynton, Paul, and Jimmy. Listen to how Jimmy Cobb shifts the dynamic of the beat at the start of Wynton's third verse, bumping the off-beat and rim-clicking the 2/4 - literally creating a new level for Wynton to go to (which he does, with a Red Garland-esque block chord ending). The most amazing thing of all is that this is all a prelude to Johnnie Griffin's solo, followed by all around 'trading fours' to the end. It's a clinic in dynamics, group-style. On the next track, "Cariba", Wes gives a clinic on how to build, chorus after chorus, upon each previous statement. I think it may be one of his best solos of the night. Every track could be broken down into these kind of moments (I'll spare you...), but the point is that this band - specifically Wes with the Wynton Kelly trio, as Johnny Griffin is sweet icing on that cake, was one of the tightest, most dynamic jazz units to ever grace a stage. What a moment in Time that night must have been. What a CD this is.

Billie Pearce doesn't know what to do with herself while her children are away visiting their father. She has always been a teacher and mom, so having free time is foreign to her. She decided to take polo lessons to help fill the empty void. She is a disaster waiting to happen, and her polo teacher Nick Kaharchek is the unlucky teacher. When he sets eyes on her in motion, he can't help the laughter because she doesn't belong in his class. She is a klutz, and has obviously never been on a polo horse in her entire life. When she has an accident, Nick takes her to the hospital, and then home. Nick can't figure out exactly why, but he is incredibly attracted to Billie. She is not at all the type of women he normally goes out with, but he is very reluctant to leave her home once he is there.

Billie can't believe her luck. She was just trying to expand her horizons, and ended up with a crushed foot. It wasn't serious, but she still couldn't walk on it. Nick's mere presence in her home made her nervous, but her attraction won out, and she allowed him to stay with her. During a weak moment induced by pain medication, Nick got her to agree to play host to his cousin Deedee. She and her brother Max were staying with him for the summer, but Max had taken his environmental protection efforts to the extreme, and was blowing things up. Nick didn't want Deedee exposed to his shenanigans, so thus the reason for his subterfuge.

Nick and Billie were spending a lot of time together, and both were trying to fight the growing feelings between them. Before they knew it, through a series of events out of their control, Billie and Nick found themselves engaged. Then Billie's children came home early from visiting their father, just in time to hear the happy news. When a deranged man targets Billie as his latest obsession, it is a race against the clock to try to save her life.

This is an early work of JE, but there are some funny moments that hint at better things to come. An entertaining read.

After devouring all of Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum books, I was left wanting more from this fun author. I found a new series that Evanovich wrote with her friend and co-author Charlotte Hughes. FULL HOUSE is the first book in that series and although not as great as Stephanie Plum's books, it is a very fun book.

FULL HOUSE is the story of Billie Pearce, a single mother of two. She's trying to figure out what to do with herself since her children are with their father on a vacation to Disney World for a month. She's lost and wanting an adventure. She decides to take polo lessons even though she has no prior experience with horses and she happens to be accident prone. Yep, definitely not something most people with those attributes would consider, but Billie is one of a kind.

Her instructor is Nick Kaharcheck, a wealthy businessman who focuses on running the local newspaper and playing with his horses. Giving polo lessons is a fun thing for Nick until Billie shows up. She tries his patience and he soon learns that Billie on a polo pony may be more than his insurance can handle. Nick decides to offer her riding lessons to see if he can stop a disaster.

The first riding lesson goes well until the horse steps on Billie's foot and ends up with Nick taking her to ER. He takes her home and while she's on pain pills and not thinking clearly, Nick talks her into letting his cousin, DeeDee, stay with her until DeeDee's upcoming wedding. See DeeDee is driving Nick crazy and if he can offload her onto Billie, then he will be thrilled. In Billie's hazed state, she agrees. This is where the book becomes fun.

Seems DeeDee is a character. She's been married numerous times and is definitely a high maintenance woman. She sleeps until noon, and won't eat much or she'll lose her figure. Her entire outlook on life is the direct opposite of Billie or most people for that matter. Billie soon realizes that Nick was not completely truthful with her about DeeDee and wants to renege on the deal. But Nick has more than he can handle trying to find DeeDee's sixteen year old brother, Max, who is staying with Nick and has a penchant for blowing things up to make a point. His intelligence is off the charts and his common sense is lacking.

Next thrown into the mix is DeeDee's fiancé - a pro wrestler who has an entourage of characters. Those guys are a scream, especially with DeeDee constantly trying to fix Billie up with one of them.

The plot line gets a bit convoluted and the main idea is overshadowed by the antics of the cast. With the strong characters and the wit, I'm not sure that was a bad thing. It added levity to the plot and made the book difficult to put down. In fact, I remember some of the subplots easier than the main plot because they were so much fun.

The main plot was a series of break-ins in Billie's neighborhood and her possibly being in danger. Yep, the fun of a wrestling match or trying to catch Max before he blows up something was definitely a lot more interesting.

Character development was at Evanovich's best. DeeDee was a riot as were the wrestlers. Thinking of Billie hooking up with The Snakeman was absolutely hilarious. Max was interesting and we learned about him through his antics and were not introduced to him until near the end of the book. Billie and Nick were the stars and it was obvious that their romantic involvement was the strong point of the book. A few other sub-characters were also well done and kept things lively.

I'm not sure why this is touted as a mystery instead of a romantic comedy. The mystery was lacking and almost non-existent. However the humor definitely made up for it and the added romance was enjoyable.

Overall, this was a pleasant way to spend a few hours and definitely made me want to continue with the series. If you're looking for a lighthearted book that will give you a few laughs, then FULL HOUSE is one to get.

I wonder what this book was like before it was re-written? Its a bit too long, a bit too angsty and lot too unbelieveable (and I love the Plum series!)
All about 38 year old single mother, Billie, who goes along to take Polo lessons from and falls for the teacher - well eventually. Who has all the advantages of being young, (well 36) handsome, millionaire, hard-working newspaper owner who teaches polo in his spare time. Hmmmm
He lands his ditsy cousin Deedee on her so that she won't bein his house driving him mad and decorating it in French Provincial style, while she is waiting to marry Frankie who is a professional Wrestler. That way he can also conduct a discreet seduction of her and then walk away easily. Billie's kids are off with their father for a month. However all is not well. Max, Deedee's much younger cousin is blowing things up on his property, his glamorous ex-girlfriend is hanging around making trouble. And in Billie's life, there are burglarys in her neighbourhood, and an infestation of spiders in her house.
It seems awfully long and yet I felt many of the characters and situations were introduced simply to get things to happen. Billie sits on a horse to learn to play polo - gets stepped on and her foot seems to miraculously heal. She gets given a horse by him and then only once more has a ride. Her children come hurtling back into the story becuase there father has an accident - yet they seem to come in and out of the story to suit circumstances. Billie seems to end up in bed and engaged to the hero with almost alarming ease - and the marriage just doesn't make sense. It is supposed to be a double wedding which Deedee has been planning for months - so why is she doing nothing about it? and why does it end up being in the backyard of Billie's house planned only a week before.
Isuppose you have to suspend your disbelief - but I couldn'twith the ending sequence. You see part of the book is a mystery - who is trying to blow up the hero - is it Max gone to far, is it the slightly deranged ex-lover - and who is breaking in to Billie's neighbourhood all the time? I found the final sequence annoying to say the least - and it just seem to go on and on and on and on and on - page after page after page after page.
There were lots of lovely characters - Deedee was a real joy to read - but it just wasnt' a book I would ever read again.

If you're expecting something along the lines of the Stephanie Plum mysteries, this book is not for you. Full House must be viewed on its own. It's not as action-packed as Evanovich's more recent best sellers, although there's some action and a car does in fact get blown to bits. Full House, originally published in 1989 under the pen name Steffie Hall, is obviously the same author we love so much, but in her earlier days.
Nick Kaharchek has a playboy reputation, owns a newspaper and a stable, teaching polo as a hobby. He typically enjoys the company of elegant, sophisticated, well-breed women. That is, until he meets Billie Pearce, divorced mother of two, 6th grade teacher, who comes for polo lessons as part of her recent get-into-shape program. Although the attraction is unlikely for them both, it is most definitely mutual. Following this romance is dangerously fun.
Full House is witty, with plenty of steamy romance. Although it's a simply story without much depth, it's Janet Evanovich's characters that keep you interested. The characters are extremely vivid, likeable and very memorable. For example, Nick's cousin Deedee, a rich, spoiled, ex-beauty queen, sweet but dim-witted. Nick cons Billie into letting Deedee stay with her for a couple weeks until her wedding to professional wrestler Frankie The Assassin. Also beware of Deedee's 16-year-old brother, Max, a young genius, animal rights activist, who likes to blow things up to get attention. There's also Nick's ex-fiance Sheridan to contend with. And Raoul, the bug-guy who tries to please everyone in the neighborhood, but isn't too good at his job. There's bugs everywhere.
Keep yourself from comparing this to Evanovich's latest mysteries and you should enjoy it like I did.

Single mother of two and six-grade teacher Billie Pearce has decided to take polo lessons, with hopes to impress her kids once they return from Disney World with her ex-husband. The problem is that she has no experience whatsoever, but her clumsiness with horses charms intructor and rich businessman Nick Kaharchek. Before she knows it, the horse has smashed her foot, and Nick is responsible for taking her to the ER and take her home safely.

With hopes of avoiding a lawsuit, Nick offers Billie free polo lessons. But while Billie is on very strong pain medication, Nick convinces her to rent out an empty room to his outrageous cousin Deedee. Deedee tends to go through marriages quickly, but now she intends on marrying a wrestler named Frankie soon. Deedee tries to convince Billie that she deserves to remarry, but Billie ends up lusting after Nick. Fortunately, he's crazy about her too.

In the neighborhood, there has been a string of robberies and break-ins. Nick is convinced that his younger cousin, 16-year-old Max, is involved, especially after he seemed to have managed to blow up Nick's Mercedes. Max has been missing for a while, but Billie manages to find him, and return him home, convinced he had nothing to do with any of the such.

Now Billie is engaged to Nick, and they are both scheduled to get married at Deedee and Frankie's wedding --- yes, you guessed it! A double wedding. But the wedding goes terribly wrong.

---

I must've read this book four years ago when it was re-released. I'd never read the Stephanie Plum series, so I didn't know what to expect. The first time, I liked it. This time, not so much. Now that I've read the entire Stephanie Plum series, I guess my expectations were too high for the Full Series. Who knows, maybe it will grow on me, because I do plan the give the rest of the books in the Full Series a try.

I guess I was hoping this book to have more comedy in it as the Stephanie Plum series, as well as a little more adventure. This book has little comedy that I noticed, but it was replaced with heavy romance and... SEX. And the adventure part of it didn't really pick up until the last 30 pages or so. I didn't enjoy it as much, but I know there will be lots of people who will love it. I'm just not one of them.

One thing that had me a little confused were the names. Throughout the book, it seemed like they changed names like Nick to Neil, and Joel to Joey. It did crack me up a little :)

"Full House" by Janet Evanovich is a re-printed and re-written version of an early romance novel by the author of the hugely popular Stephanie Plum mystery series. And in my opinion, it's because of the fact that the majority of the people buying this book are mystery fans, not romance fans, that "Full House" has gotten such a bad reputation. It is mismarketing by the publisher and bookstores to house this book in the mystery section, which was where I found it, but as light and fluffy romances go, "Full House" is not half bad. And this book is undeniably a romance novel. As far as a rating goes, I'm wavering between three and four stars. I honestly did enjoy the story and found myself completely entertained by this light and amusing tale. But there were a few things that took away from my enjoyment, most notably, the atrocious editing job. There were glaring errors scattered liberally throughout the book, including the changing of some main characters names! I'd like to give "Full House" four stars, because I really did like it, but because of the markedly poor editing I'm dropping it down to three (if I could I'd compromise with ***1/2).
"Full House" tells the story of Billie Pearce, a divorced mother of two who finds herself lonely and bored when her children go away on vacation with their father. Deciding to try something new, Billie signs up for polo lessons. The actual polo is a disaster, but her polo instructor, wealthy playboy Nick Kaharchek, is another story. After having her foot stomped on by a horse, Billie is taken to the hospital by Nick, and their fascination with one another begins.
Used to sophisticated and snobby women, Nick is drawn to the lovely, warm, and real Billie. And Billie finds Nick irresistible, though she's sure a handsome, rich, and exciting man like him would never be interested in her. But there is an intense chemistry that sparks between them, that neither Nick nor Billie can deny, and they begin a fun, romantic, and somewhat unusual courtship.
Things start to get crazy when Nick convinces Billie to let his cousin Deedee stay with her until her upcoming wedding, and Billie inherits a redheaded whirlwind! Billie finds Deedee utterly exhausting, and quite annoying, not to mention the presence of her enormous fiancé, wrestler Frankie the assassin. Billie's not quite sure how things got so out of control, but she knows that Nick Kaharchek is to blame. Not that she's able to stay mad at him.
And Nick has lots of problems worse than Deedee, including her cousin Max, a young genius in hiding on Nick's vast property, on a mission that involves blowing things up and generally running amok. Billie finds this a little frightening, but she has other things to worry about too, like Nick's jealous and nasty ex-fiancée. Add in Billie's bug-killing neighbour and a touch of mystery near the end, and you have yourself an offbeat, light, and pleasant romance.
There isn't a whole lot of conflict between the main characters, nor in the story as a whole, really. It's just a quick and fun read that can be read, enjoyed and then most likely forgotten. "Full House" isn't a fabulous, standout novel, but it's not awful either. My advice is that even if you're a big Evanovich fan; if you don't like romances, don't read this book. But if you enjoy romances and non-demanding, feel-good tales then "Full House" is worth the read.

I wasn't quite sure what to expect when I picked this book up - I quite enjoy the Stephanie Plum books and so I was prepared to immerse myself in frothy, predictable fun. Nobody reads these because they are high literary "art." They're like a meringue dessert - light on the tongue and pleasant, with no real effort at digestion.

The Full Series was written with a co-author and prior to the Plum series, and you can see that Evanovich hasn't quite found her voice yet, though there are flashes of wit that hint at things to come. In one sequence, which made me giggle out loud, the lead character comments that she has pepper spray that she's keen to use before its expiration date.

I have to admit that I did not see who the suspect was going to be until the finale of the book, which is unusual in these sorts of stories. I was pleasantly surprised that Evanovich had managed to fool me for almost 300 pages.

All in all a pleasant diversion, though not in a league with her best work. The paperback copy that I read was supplemented with a short story featuring Stephanie Plum, and that was an added treat.

`Full House' is a sweet romance. I think that you will enjoy this book if you like light-hearted romantic stories. The only comparison to the Stephanie Plum series is a group of quirky minor characters. The mystery involved is light compared to the Plum series, so understand that from the beginning. Something seems off about the story and it's probably due to the re-writing. The story was revamped (which I wasn't aware of until after I read the book) and flow was two-stepping between flowing really well and being jerky.
The story begins with Billie Pearce, a single mom who is enjoying time without her kids. She is a schoolteacher and plans on enjoying her summer. She embarks on a summer of personal improvement by taking Polo lessons. Billie is a strong and caring woman. However, she is not good at Polo. Her ineptitude endears her to Nick Kaharchek. Nick is a good-hearted guy; a newspaper owner, the stable owner, and a true family man. Nick takes care of his nephew, Maximillian `Max' Holt. Max likes to live outside on his uncle's property. He also likes to make homemade bombs and cause havoc. (He's a genius who is bored). As Nick and Billie become closer, she finds herself getting an unexpected roommate. Nick's cousin, Deedee (Max's sister), is a self-absorbed celebrity. She needs down time and is in a relationship with a professional wrestler, Frankie Fontana. Deedee and Billie form an interesting relationship. Deedee even tries to set Billie up with a friend of Frankie's, who is a professional wrestler. Needless to say, Nick is having none of that!
This book was entertaining for what it was...a campy, romantic, and mildly mysterious romp. I look forward to the next in the series, if only to see if the characters develop in their full potential.

I am a BIG fan of the Stephanie Plum novels. They are such fun to read, so I decided to try other books by Ms. Evanovich, starting with Full House.
The first half of the book was rather vanilla, but not intolerably so. There was little plot, the characters were uninteresting, and the viewpoint was a hodge-podge of omniscient and third person subjective which was so confusing at times, I had a hard time separating truth/fact from character opinion. For someone as well-published as Evanovich, this book was very poorly written. It reads like someone's first novel. When I learned it was one of her earlier works, I thought I could cut her some slack, but to find out this is a re-written version of it -- BLECH. She should have known enough about how to tell a story by now. This book should have been allowed to go quietly out of print.
I lost interest half-way through the book, and while I am struggling to force myself through it, I don't think I'm going to make it. The dialog is boring, the characters cardboardy, and the plot has simply died. There's nowhere for them to go. The conflict has just petered out, so it's more like looking in the window of an ordinary person, watching their ordinary daily lives. Yawn. Don't waste your money. Get a Stephanie Plum novel if you want a fun read.

Apparently Janet Evanovich wrote romances in an earlier incarnation and this is one of them. Macho men aren't supposed to read romances but there's only one new Stephanie Plum a year and my addiction is such that I had to scrape the barrel.
As regrards plot it has the one size fits all plot derived from "Pride and Prejudice". Elizabeth Bennett is played by Billy Pearce, a divorced 38 year old mother of two. Darcy is played by Nicholas Kaharchek,a millionaire newspaper owner and polo horse trainer There are some misunderstandings between them but then in the end you'll never guess what happens.
Are there any traces of the brilliance of the One, Two, Three ...Nine series? Occasionally - there's a good scene of buying a wedding dress with a salesperson whose previous job was IRS auditor. The writing is full of cliches. On one page we have"expert hands" "Thoughts into a tailspin""utterly confused""fresh-scrubbed look""simple nature""put on airs" and a man wonders "What was the power she had over him that made him desire her." I've read that romance writers deliberately stick to stereotyped plots and use cliches so maybe it's not all JE's fault. A lot of people like romances and many art forms use conventional formulas. (And Pride and Prejudice is a great novel.}
It's interesting from the point of view of Evanovichian scholarship and I'd love to know what the input of Charlotte Hughes was and to lay my hands on an unaltered early work.

His current class consists of seven students, but one of them stands out for polo instructor Nicholas Kaharchek. It is not that Billie Pearce is extraordinary in any sense except that she does not belong near a horse let alone a polo field. His thoughts prove prophetic when her horse steps on her foot. Nick takes the injured pupil to the hospital.

To his chagrin, Nick is attracted to Billie, a divorcé with two children currently on vacation with their father. She likes him too and offers the use of her presently empty nest home for his lunatic cousin Deedee to stay. He jumps at the offer, but wonders where the attached strings are even as he falls in love with the one student who flunked polo 101.

Though readers will not pull out a plum, fans of amusing romantic suspense will enjoy the remake of FULL HOUSE by Janet Evanovich with the help of Charlotte Hughes. The story line never takes itself seriously as the antics of Billie and the support cast leaves a bemused and bewildered Nicholas wondering who is in the asylum if the folks he cherishes roam the streets?

Harriet Klausner

I am a huge fan of Janet Evanovich. I own a copy of every book she ever wrote, including Full House in its original version. I am convinced that the reason over 70 disappointed reviewers (to date) can't recognize Evanovich's wonderful comic voice in this rewrite is because the rewrite gave the book Charlotte Hughes's voice, which is (sorry, Ms. Hughes) plodding and flat (I really disliked Hot Shot, which I only read because I heard Evanovich liked her so much she had her do the Full House rewrite). In addition, the plotting flaws that everyone complains about, the one-dimensional, boring characters, the lack of humor and sexual tension, a sense that many events are just thrown in with no rhyme or reason--all this, I'm afraid, can also be laid to the door of Ms. Hughes's unfortunate rewrite.
What is most sad of all, though, among all the problems this book has, is the horrible editing. What a commentary on the state of today's publishing world that even a superstar like Ms. Evanovich doesn't rate any editing by her publisher!
Like most other readers commenting here, I had to *force* myself to read this book to the end, and after the first half I was skimming. Reading it was not fun, it was an experience in horror--not from the psycho-stalker villain, who was totally out of place in a light comedy--but rather the horror of feeling compelled to rubberneck at a train wreck--the wreck (please heaven I hope not!) of a wonderful writing career.
Please, Ms. Evanovich, don't collaborate with Charlotte Hughes again!

I just picked this one up along with The Incredible Jazz Guitar of Wes Montgomery, which I'd had on vinyl for some time. I'm already liking this one so much more though. Why? Well, it could be because of Johnny Griffin who's simply awesome on tenor saxophone (on all tracks except "I've Grown Accustomed To Her Face" & "Born To Be Blue"); it could be because the rhythm section (Wynton Kelly on piano - except on "I've Grown Accustomed To Her Face" - Paul Chambers on bass and Jimmy Cobb on drums) lend excellent support, with some pretty exciting solos to boot, or it could just be that this is one of the first albums by Montgomery where I've heard him play straightforward, wild & loose jazz improvisations with very little of the signature octave playing he's widely known for and, certainly, with none of the pop sensibilities he became known for when he joined forces with producer Creed Taylor.

Recorded "'live'" in a "one-night-only encounter" at Tsubo, a nightclub in Berkeley, California on the 25th of June 1962 and produced by Orrin Keepnews, I'd go as far as to say that this is probably already my favourite Montgomery CD. It's a great solid set of pure jazz and I'm so grateful to my boy Derek for pointing me in its direction.

One thing though: I'm ambivalent about bonus tracks at the best of times; it's always been my view that albums are best left as they were originally intended when they are transferred from vinyl to CD. I've played the bonus versions of "Come Rain Or Come Shine" and "S.O.S." over and over again now and it took a while but I guess I can now see why they've been included. They are different enough from the other takes to warrant the title "bonus tracks" - but it's a very close call. As long as we're not being charged extra for them.

"Born To Be Blue" is the exception though, and is a more than welcome addition. I've got a different version on Wes Montgomery Plays The Blues (a pretty decent set, by the way) but this one right here is so much better.

Next down on my wishlist? Smokin' at the Half Note.

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 have to agree with most of the other reviews. I am a die hard Evanovich fan and I had a hard time getting into this book. When I finally made up mind that this is not the "Stephanie Plum" series and a fluffed up book of Evanovich's earlier writing... I allowed myself to go with the flow and enjoyed what I could.
I found myself feeling embarrassed for the author. It is ashamed that this book was not edited properly. Besides the Nick/Neil mistakes there was Detective Ferrell/Farrell misspelling and a few other obvious mistakes. I have to admit that the carelessness taken to produce this book made me feel a little taken.
On a positive note ... the book was a cute fantasy story. Being a single mom at one time it was fun to fantasize that there would be someone like Nick, a knight in shining armor, that would fall in love with the "whole package." And, at least there was enough humor in the book to leave a smile on my face.
I can't say that I will recommend this book like I have most of her others. I love Evonovich and that is the only reason this book gets a 3. I hope "Visions of a Sugar Plum." will hold up to her previous high standards.

Like must readers, I am a big fan of Ms. Evanovich's Stephanie Plum Series but, I did not set my hopes on this book being like or written in the Stephanie Plum style.
I think must of Ms. Evanovich's readers were looking for or expecting this book to contain funny and outlandish characters like the Stephanie Plum Novels. But this is a romance book and not really a mystery.
Like most romance novels, the setting is the same; a man and woman meet, they feel this special chemistry and they feel this physical attraction but they try to fight off. The woman is portrayed as an old-fashioned gal, the one who will never trust another man because she was hurt in a pass relationship, don't kiss on the first date and just a miss goodie, goodie. The man is this big strong playboy, who is drop dead gorgeous, can have any woman he wants, who has many of girlfriends, but does not want to settle down, so he breaks up the relationship, when they fall in love with him. Basically, the book starts off slow and boring and at one point, I was ready to put the book down. But when I continue to read, I noticed that strange and bizaar incidents were happening to the characters and I found myself wanted to know who, what, and why. So the novel did contain mystery and I could detect some of the author's writing style that she uses in the Stephanie Plum's series.
My suggestion when reading this book, don't look for the Stephanie Plum environment or characters but tell yourself, this is the author's earlier work and this is romance.

Purists who tend to dismiss Wes Montgomery's studio records as over-produced and, worse, populist, like to celebrate a live album like this as more 'authentic'. And there is no doubt that in this context, Montgomery relishes the freedom of length, the opportunity to construct intricate, accumulative, propulsive solos outside the three-minute pop format. Length here never means self-indulgence; there is a martial, almost military rhythmic discipline in a potentially bombastic opening like 'Full House', reined in throughout by Miles Davis' backing band. 'Come rain or come shine' is a sublime example of technical mastery reaping emotional dividends, while 'SOS' is a frenzied bebop blast. Amid all this frenetic speed, however, my favourites are the slowies: the cheerfully mournful 'Born to be blue'; and an abslolutely staggering stripping down of Lerner and Loewe's 'I've grown accostumed to her face', Higgins' hysterical self-analysis replaced by a calm, reflective arrangement, Wes's spare guitar fitfully accompanied by hushed percussion. It is so beautiful.

This disappointing, earlier effort by Ms Evanovich is a mismatch of romance, humor, mystery and shallow characters. In her later "Stephanie Plum" stories, she found a balance of these elements that is quite enjoyable. This time out, only her most dedicated fans will be pleased.
At its heart, "Full House" is a romance novel: A Cinderella story of love at first sight. But the simple charm of two people falling in love is overwhelmed by seemingly endless passages directly relating their thoughts, doubts and misunderstandings.
The oddball characters that are so much fun with Stephanie Plum are jarring and distracting here. Their primary literary purpose is -- apparently -- to create gaps between the aforementioned passages about the inner thoughts and feelings of the protaganists.
There is a mystery of sorts, but it's entirely incidental, simplistic and disengaging. And the resolution is not much more than "then they were all run over by a bus".
All the characters are shallow, cardboard cutouts. At no time did their actions reveal a deeper, believable person. This is ironic considering the amount of ink devoted to inner thoughts. In the Plum novels, the shallow characters make the fun, fun. (If we empathized with Lulu or Stephanie, we'd cry when their cars blew up.)
"Full House" was an experiment in mixing romance, screwball characters and a bit of mystery together. It failed. Thankfully, Ms Evanovich learned from her experience and got it right the next time.

Since I'm a huge fan of Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series, I eagerly picked up this book, expecting the snappy, witty voice I've come to expect. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. In fact, the style is so different, if I hadn't seen Evanovich on the cover I would never have identified it as one of hers. Although I understand this is a revised version of an earlier book, FULL HOUSE wasn't THAT much earlier (four or five years at the most) than the first Plum book, so I wouldn't have expected such vast differences between the two. While there are flashes of cleverness in some of the dialogue, the prose is often sluggish and predictable, the chemistry between the protagonists is flat, and the frequent, and unclear, point of view changes are exhausting. Compared with the Plum books, this one seems extremely amateurish in comparison.
I'm not sure I understand how the collaboration between Evanovich and Charlotte Hughes was supposed to "improve" this early work. For someone with such a wonderful, and well deserved, reputation to team up with another writer -- when this is the result -- makes little sense to me. I will anxiously await the next Evanovich book, whether a new Stephanie Plum or not, but will be steering clear of any future books written by this team.

For those of you who may not know it, Steffie Hall is Janet Evanovich's pseudonym. This book is currently out of print but it's scheduled to be reissued in an expanded form in September 2002 after being rewritten by Janet Evanovich and Charlotte Hughes. It's a funny and engaging book in its original form, and I'm looking forward to the expanded rewrite.
Billie Pierce is the epitomy of a suburban mom. She lives in a well-to-do suburban development, has two kids, is a 6th grade teacher, and is happy being a homemaker. The only glitch in the picture is that Mr. Pierce hit his mid-life crisis at an early age, so for the past four years Billie has been a divorced mom, too. She decides that she needs more exercise in her life, so she signs up for polo lessons, given by Nick Kaharchek, a local polo-playing, horse-farm-owning, millionaire/publisher. When signing up she neglected to mention that while she's been around horses all her life, she's never actually been on one. Needless to say, Nick usually doesn't pursue women of Billie's type, but the air of fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies that surrounds her is almost more than he can resist. She, on the other hand, can recognize danger when it's staring into her eyes and resolves to keep her distance. Uh huh, yeah, sure.
Of course, since this is an Evanovich book, the secondary characters are not bland two-dimensional characters. There's Deedee, Nick's many-times married cousin, who's now engaged to be married to a professional wrestler, and who Nick cons Billie into housing; Frankie The Assassin, a professional wrestler who's Deedee's fiance; Eugene, Nick's precocious cousin who blows things up in order to get his point across; and an assortment of pro wrestlers that Deedee tries to fix Billie up with.
This was a fun book with a lot of witty dialogue, well-written scenes and characters, and sexy and humorous romance. Even with the upcoming rewrite, it's a book that's definitely worth finding in its original version.

The original 1989 Full House (by Steffie Hall) was a ho-hum romance, 179 pages, in which boy met girl, boy lost -- no, he didn't. It was just boy met girl, boy got girl. There was no conflict but there were some interesting characters: Eugene (in this new book renamed Max), Deedee, and Billie herself, as well as some good comic turns.
This new book adds an ex-fiancee, increases a one-mention character to secondary status, and throws in a darker plot complication VERY late in the book. Yet still the book lacks any kind of real conflict to hold it together and set it above the mainstream. Pages have been expanded, the late complication has been added, and the occasional insubstantial scene that makes you go, "huh?" pops up (the dress shop owner??) (these seem to be there just to increase page count). A co-author has also been added -- but her name doesn't appear anywhere on the cover. I feel sorry for her and a little irritated at Janet for taking the credit (though this could well be an editorial decision).
Like the last Stephanie Plum book, this one falls completely apart at the 3/4 mark. The world suddenly shifts into a dimension where rational people act in utterly irrational ways. (Take the bachelor party scene, which in the first version had Billie jumping out of the cake fully clothed and merrily waving a rolling pin at Nick, whom she knew wasn't interested in the party. Compare it to this unfunny and out-of-character version.) (Or take the busload of people and carload of wrestlers and see where they go at the end of this book -- it made absolutely no sense.)
Marion Zimmer Bradley is one of my favorite fantasy authors, but when her name became big enough the quality of her books plummeted. Perhaps (as another reviewer has suggested) editors just don't bother once they've got The Big Name on the cover.
If this book could get a rewrite, it deserved a true rewrite, a tearing apart and restructuring. The save-the-wilderness plot could have served as a basis of conflict, complicated by the existing darker subplot. Billie and Nick could have had a real conflict between themselves instead of smooth sailing. Janet enjoys wrestling (or at least wrestlers); couldn't we have gotten into them some more for a lot of fun?
If this is a rewrite, shouldn't it be better than the first version? If it's not, why not just re-release the original?

Bille is a sixth grade teacher, home for the summer and missing her two children who are off at Disney World with their father. While taking polo lessons she meets this rich, know to be a womanizing man. Thinking she was going to have a summer to herself, he ends up smack in the middle of her life with his relatives to boot.

This book has romance, mystery, some bombs and spiders and a few laughs. The characters are lovable and its a nice story. There were some funny parts, but I never laughed out loud. I liked the book enough to continue with the series and read the next, but I had expected more.

Its hard not to compare any of Janet Evanovich's books to her Stephanie Plum series. Most people who read this have probably read the Plum series as well. If you are expecting the same from this book, you will be disappointed. If you go into it not expecting it to be Plum, you may like it.

This book would have been pretty ok if an unnecessary and ridiculous action sequence wouldn't have been forced in at the end. I didn't find very much humor in this book which was fine because I really enjoyed the characters, felt like they were given much more depth than the characters in the Stephanie Plum novels, and actually missed them when I was finished with the book. I don't really read romances, because I get so tired of innocent conversations between the characters resulting in internal suspicion, doubt, and questions, but if the book would have stuck with romance I probably would have gone with a 7/10 rating.
Maybe if the bad guy would have been developed better he would have worked. He was just too inconsistent. There was new material and new characters added to the original 1980's version of this book? I never read the original, but I believe I know what character and scene was added and unfortunately it didn't get worked into the story well and didn't belong. However, Janet Evanovich remains a gifted writer. 4/10

This book is a collaboration with one of Janet's friends, and I have a hard time believing that Janet actually had much to do with the writing of this book! It starts out as a VERY cheesy romance (hey, I'm an avid reader and have been known to read a few romance novels) novel and it's just awful. The second half of the book picks up a bit of speed and becomes slightly more interesting, but then at the ending the speed is so fast you can barely keep up. It was as if the authors decided they'd better make this all a little more "Stephanie Plum" to keep the readers interested in the "Full -" series, and... it just made no sense.
Of course I bought Full Tilt (the 2nd in this series) at the same time, so I had to read that one. That one was a touch better, but I'll review it seperately (;
In conclusion, if you loooove Stephanie Plum, um... don't read these just because you feel loyal to Janet, like I did.

I know that many romance readers today cannot wait for the next Janet Evanovich book featuring Stephanie Plum and other characters to be published. But what some of these readers may not realize is that Janet Evanovich began her writing career as an author of romance novels. Now almost 13 years late, Ms. Evanovich, along with another author has reworked one of her earlier books, which she originally wrote under the name Steffi Hall. And after reading this book, I'm left with the burning question why did she bother doing this. From a financial point of view, I guess there were reasons for her doing this. But in my opinion she might have been better off writing another Stephanie Plum novel.
As a reader, who at one time couldn't gulp down enough romance titles, I thought Full House was less than an engaging read let alone as a romance novel. I do understand that some romances are light hearted and funny but instead this book at times was downright silly. Of course there was the requisite romance theme of boy meets girl and the happily ever after ending but there seemed little if any reason for these two to fall in love. Then there were also a couple of very quirky characters who included a wrestler, ditsy blond and even Billie's ex- husband which should have spiced up this book but didn't. And finally there was a bit about owning a horse farm and a small mystery. But in the end the book never really seemed more than just words on paper and it just didn't matter. I think what was really lacking for any novel was any real interest in the characters their circumstances or their outcome. I even found that I forced myself to finish this title. From the forward of this book readers learn that Evanovich plans on doing this again in the future. In my opinion, she should consider writing new books and leaving her past books where they most likely belong, in the past.

I was so disappointed by this book! I know it was originally
written in 1989, but I really expected something much better since it was supposed to have been re-written to be bigger and
better. I skimmed through alot of it. The characters and storyline were totally unbelievable and the romance and proposal happened way too fast. First Billie is supposed to be this strong, smart single mom, next thing you know she is marrying someone she met 2 weeks ago...Unfortunately this book is another case of a newly popular author putting out a not very good book to cash in on recent popularity. I'm surprised Janet Evanovich would get on the "Put Out Anything to Make Money" bandwagon, but
the proof she did is Full House. Stick with the Plum books, which are truly awesome, this one is so disappointing to Stephanie/Janet fans it's heartbreaking!

As mentioned in the main review, this is an expanded version of a book with the same title written by Ms. Evanovich under the pseudonym Steffie Hall. I've read both books, and while my preference is the earlier version, readers who haven't read that one will surely enjoy this version. The earlier version seemed tighter plot-wise, but the additions made in the new version fall in nicely with the tone of the book.
If you like Ms. Evanovich's writing, you will like this book. The dialogue is interesting and witty. The romance/sexual tension is nicely done. I really liked the character of Billie, a divorced mom with two kids who's also an excellent sixth grade teacher. She was a nice change of pace. Nick is one of Ms. Evanovich's classic sexy male lead characters - always a treat. The secondary characters are nicely quirkly (a former beauty queen, professional wrestlers, a pest control professional, a boy genius, etc.), and of course there is an exploding car.
Since we have to wait at least a year for a new Stephanie Plum novel, this book will serve nicely to fill the publishing gap.

Like many others, I purchased this book based on the fact that I enjoy the Stephanie Plum books . . . let's face it, they are not literature, they are a fun read and allow me to escape for a few hours on a weekend. Full House on the other hand was a waste of time . . .
Did others wonder, as I did, what could have persuaded Evanovich to agree to the rewrite and the republishing of this book? I finally skipped to the last two pages and then put the book in the bag for the charity book sale at work (for 25cents --- it's not a bad buy at that price!)
Hopefully Evanovich visits this page and reads these reviews . . .

As one of the most influential jazz guitarists of all time (second only to perhaps Charlie Christian), Wes Montgomery created a vocabulary of techniques and mannerisms for jazzers similar to how Andres Segovia did for classical players. His trademarks - octaves, extended block chord solos, and above all, melodicism - blew many away in the forceful manner which Wes employed them. I feel that on this release, Full House, Wes demonstrates his talents as a bandleader and player better than most of his recordings, except for perhaps the legendary Smokin' at the Half Note.

The engineering on this record is superb; every instrument comes through in the mix loud and clear, yet retains a special spot in the audio spectrum and blends nicely with the other instruments. I personally own the 20-bit remaster, but it sounds to me like the basic mix itself was pretty good to begin with.

This is one of the most superb bands that jazz has perhaps ever seen. We have the esteemed Wynton Kelly trio, with Wynton Kelly on piano, Paul Chambers on bass, and Jimmy Cobb on drums, to back up Wes, of course, and also on this occasion the formidable talents of saxophonist Johnny Griffin (who would pair with the same quartet on several later dates). Wes and Johnny often harmonize on the melodies, especially on "Cariba" and "S.O.S.", and it works quite well, especially with the notable difference in tone color between their instruments. Griffin has a sound that I can't quite pin down; to my ears, it doesn't sound distinctly like any of the sax masters, so it's a surprise that he isn't better known in the jazz canon. Regardless, his playing is superb and he goes toe-to-toe with Wes on nearly every cut.

The blues is in strong effect on this record, as with most Wes recordings; "Cariba", in fact, is at its core a basic 12-bar Latin blues, with a unique bassline that gives it a little bit of a distinctive sound. "Cariba" is also the cut with the best Wes solo (although "Full House" comes rather close as well). Really, the whole ensemble works together to make an overall appealing sound, and it's not just like the rhythm section is ticking away while the soloists blow. The drummer and Wynton are always in tune with the soloists, whether they're doing repeating riffs and Cobb comes in with a few synchronized cymbal hits, or the soloists step it up dynamically and the rhythm section follows them all the way. This is a little more evident on Smokin' at the Half Note, but that was several years later, when Wes had been playing with Wynton's trio on a regular basis; this is the genesis of their collaboration, and it's an impressive one.

So why only 4 stars if the record is overall incredible? Well, having multiple takes of the same song to fill space on a jazz record is not something I am particularly fond of. It makes it a little hard to listen to the record straight through multiple times and not get a little annoyed. Plus, each extra take is pretty routine. Also, the track selection is not quite perfect; "I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face" was not a good choice, as Wes's chord-melody playing is nowhere near his octave- or single-note talents. He is a master chord soloist, true, but he can't play chord-melody like Joe Pass or anything. Also, "Come Rain or Come Shine" is kind of a substandard tune on the record - not bad by any means, but every other track is killer, so it weighs down the others a bit.

This is still a very worthy purchase; the band is hot, and so are Johnny Griffin and Wes, and that's pretty much the fundamental selling point of any great jazz record. If multiple takes don't bother you much, this record is only more recommended. For everyone else, it's still a great album to just plain listen to; it's not boring like some jazz records, due to the incredibly dynamic playing of the band. Plus, hearing Wes live is pretty much the only way to go, and that's probably the best compliment I can give. I'm sure the club was a Full House on this night for sure.

This book took a lot of patience to complete, and I still can't believe I read the whole thing.

Stuck in midstream without a paddle, it floats between romance, mystery, mayhem and madness. Evanovich's usually quirky characters fly off the believability radar like stealth bombers, unfortunately undetected by my bad book warning system.

What starts out as a rich man, divorced woman love story in a horsey setting, becomes a comedy circus of professional wrestlers, crazy people, insects and endless (and I mean ENDLESS) repetition.

Evanovich and Hughes seem to have forgotten the KISS principle for effective writing, and I would recommend you forget this one.

Amanda Richards, February 26, 2005

(KISS = Keep It Simple, Stupid)

I couldn't wait to read a romance written by Evanovich. Better yet, getting to read her earlier work written as Stephanie Hall. I honestly don't know what I expected, but this book highly disappointed me. One thing for certain, after reading Full House,there could be no doubt about how far Janet has evolved from writing romance to mystery. For sure, she needs to stick to mystery because she obviously isn't a romance writer. She's still one of my favorites because of her humor, but this book shows undeveloped talent prior to the Stephanie Plum series. I can't/don't recommend this one.

This is an old book that was "reworked" and, IMHO, Ms. E should have let sleeping dogs lie. The author appears to have done this reworking to give we Plum fans "more of the same." Sorry, but this is so NOT that. I suppose if I was a fan of romance novels, this may have been a pleasant enough way to pass a few hours, but I'm not. For a while, I wasn't even sure I was going to be able to finish it. Granted, the last half isn't as bad as the first, but if this is what the author thinks readers of the Plum series want, I will be very wary of buying any more non-Plum Evanovich novels after having read this one.

I picked this book up because I needed something light and funny. I usually don't read this type of book, but soon found myself smiling and even laughing out loud at times. Like I said, it was what I needed. Is it believable? Of course not. It is what it is supposed to be, light reading, funny, romantic, predictable ending and some suspense. If you are a fan of Stephanie Plum, this one doesn't compare to the Plum series. It is a rewrite of one of the author's previous books and shows how she evolved into Plum. For the genre that it is, it is a good read.

FULL HOUSE does not deserve the time it takes to read it. It's not worth the money and I feel annoyed that I even paid for it. The story is stupid and has nothing amusing about it or the characters. I purchased it on a whim because while I was in the store someone mentioned to me that the book took place in my area of Virginia. That was a big mistake! Where it took place didn't really make much difference to the sorry plot. Janet Evanovich is trading on her success with the Stephanie Plum books, and this story has nothing redeeming about it.
This is the first time in years that I've purchased something without looking it up and reading the the store customer reviews. I apologize to my fellow reviewers.

This is the first time I had read any of this series. I love Janet’s other books so I thought, why not. It was awesome. Ok...not as good as the number books to me, but still an awesome read. I’m looking forward to the next one!!

A single mother of two becomes engaged to her polo instructor after knowing him only a few days. This is a story Ms. Evanovich had written earlier and resurrected it now that she's famous, adding some things to it for this publication. It promises to be like the Stephanie Plum novels, and it does not deliver. Characters are wooden. Dialogue is corny. There's no excitement. The only suspense is at the end, which perks up the story but it's not enough to make up for the rest of the book. Very disappointing, when this writer is capable of so much more.

I love Janet Evanovich and was very excited when I heard she was coming out with a new book so I wouldn't have to wait until next June to get a fix (even if it wasn't a Stephanie Plum book). Well, this book didn't help.
It is so obvious that it is from her Harlequin days it isn't even funny. I'm halfway through and I'm not sure how I got there. I dread picking it up, I can't wait to put it back down. I was going to force myself to finish, just in case it got better, but I don't think I want to waste my time anymore than I already have.
If you are desparate to get a Janet fix, get one of the old Plum books, but if you absolutely must read this book, then get it from the library and don't waste your money. It's not worth it.

I really look forward to Janet Evanovich's "Stephanie Plum" series, so tried "Full House". While the beginning held some interest for me, in getting to know these new characters, the second half of the book just seemed to go down hill pretty fast. Dialog dragged and the characters just weren't fleshed out very well. By the end of the book I found I just didn't care any more and finished it just out of curiosity. There just wasn't any feeling of excitement, and no real sparks between the characters. I was glad it finally ended. Very disappointing.

I'm a long time fan of Evanovich and I've read one of her romance novels before. It wasn't bad, so I grabbed Full House as soon as I saw it.
It was pretty dire.
I don't know what happened but it was like a reflection in a fun house mirror; all the elements of the Plum series were there but distorted.
It probably didn't help that the heroine was 38 with two kids. So am I and reality kept creeping in. Where's the millionaire who's mad for me because I can bake cookies?
The secondary characters were oddball, yes, but not in the least bit interesting. The spark between the two main characters wasn't there. Ranger had me drooling, this hero couldn't do that if I were biting into a lemon as I read.
And the villain? Can we spell 'obvious'?
I really felt cheated of my money. I should have got it from the library.

Billie Pearce, a divorced house wife, meets Nick Kaharchek, a... millionaire, and of course the two quickly fall in love. Not everything goes smoothly when Nick's kooky family members get involved in Billie's life. This is a cute book even though it's a bit too much of a romance novel for my tastes. I decided to pick it up because Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series amuses me greatly. Fans of that series will surely enjoy this book. There isn't as much action as the Stephanie Plum series but the same wacky humor is still there. Besides, Nick's mad genius cousin, Max, is so very adorable.

Well, I've read many of the other reviews, and you can see by my rating that I have a different take. If you read this book expecting a mystery, you will be disappointed. However, I definitely think this book is in the Plum tradition like the author claims. After all, the mysteries in the Plum novels often seem to take a backseat to the crazy characters as far as I can tell. True, this book is predictable. That's why I gave it 4 stars instead of 5. But predictable doesn't mean boring. The secondary characters were very, very funny. If you're like me and enjoy a wide variety of stories, then you should check this book out. It will make you laugh. If the mere mention of the word romance makes you break out in a cold sweat, then you might want to steer clear.

This is a great story about how a woman happens into love. She is independant, but darn, he always seems to be needed by her, it's been awhile since I've read this book but it did make me an Evaonovich fan, I loved the lovable and colorful characters, the misguided son, and the misguided father who really needed the heroines help in order to set him straight. No spoiler alert, just a happy, heart-warming fun read, fast too.

This was my first Evanovich novel, and I am wondering why so many people rave on and on. Based on other reviews, I can see that I need to try again, possibly with a Stephanie Plum book. Full House is shallow, mindless, and only occasionally fun. Most of the novel's plot seemed paper thin and too ridiculous to be enjoyable.
I read most of this by the pool, and my suggestion is that's where it's best enjoyed. Otherwise, just don't even bother. If you want a quick romance, try the Red Dress Ink series.

Billie Pearce, a divorced house wife, meets Nick Kaharchek, a... millionaire, and of course the two quickly fall in love. Not everything goes smoothly when Nick's kooky family members get involved in Billie's life. This is a cute book even though it's a bit too much of a romance novel for my tastes. I decided to pick it up because Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series amuses me greatly. Fans of that series will surely enjoy this book. There isn't as much action as the Stephanie Plum series but the same wacky humor is still there. Besides, Nick's mad genius cousin, Max, is so very adorable.

Well, I've read many of the other reviews, and you can see by my rating that I have a different take. If you read this book expecting a mystery, you will be disappointed. However, I definitely think this book is in the Plum tradition like the author claims. After all, the mysteries in the Plum novels often seem to take a backseat to the crazy characters as far as I can tell. True, this book is predictable. That's why I gave it 4 stars instead of 5. But predictable doesn't mean boring. The secondary characters were very, very funny. If you're like me and enjoy a wide variety of stories, then you should check this book out. It will make you laugh. If the mere mention of the word romance makes you break out in a cold sweat, then you might want to steer clear.

This is a great story about how a woman happens into love. She is independant, but darn, he always seems to be needed by her, it's been awhile since I've read this book but it did make me an Evaonovich fan, I loved the lovable and colorful characters, the misguided son, and the misguided father who really needed the heroines help in order to set him straight. No spoiler alert, just a happy, heart-warming fun read, fast too.

This was my first Evanovich novel, and I am wondering why so many people rave on and on. Based on other reviews, I can see that I need to try again, possibly with a Stephanie Plum book. Full House is shallow, mindless, and only occasionally fun. Most of the novel's plot seemed paper thin and too ridiculous to be enjoyable.
I read most of this by the pool, and my suggestion is that's where it's best enjoyed. Otherwise, just don't even bother. If you want a quick romance, try the Red Dress Ink series.

It was a cute book. I was not sure what to expect when I started this, but I have to admit it was a fun read. I enjoyed the story but I do have to say some of the story had a WTF feeling.. Other then that it was a good story.

Picked up this book on the spur of the moment finding Janet Evanovich's books a must light read. For those seeking a fix before the next full length Stephanie Plum novel, this might not be the best choice. The tale is certainly light enough with divorced mother of two Annie finding love and excitement with handsome Nick. The story moves quickly with usual red herrings. But certain characters seemed more paper-doll cutouts. Overall, a definite library checkout or purchase for a hefty discount only read.

I have listened to this album over and over again. I just can't understand where Wes Montgomery got all that beauty and rhythm and melody and soul from. Hands down the man was a genius. He just had it, that's all, like Mozart and Haydn and Miles. Listen to all the performances on this live album, because they're all good, but Wes is explosive, with ideas coming at you from all directions and well-thought out lines that reach right down into you and satisfy. The great thing about his music: the more you listen, the more you hear. That's what genius provides.

I love Janet's books and characters, and while this book has some interesting characters; the dialogue, plot, and character development leave a lot to be desired. I read it in a day, so at least I didn't throw it in the trash! The romance in the Plum series is better than this earlier "romance" novel. It's not a believable piece of work. I did laugh out loud once, so there is a hint of the Janet that evolved into the writer we know and love. We all have to start somewhere.

Full House is about Billie a single mother of two and Nick a wealthy playboy who is using her. He falls in love with her while they are acting like a couple. Nicks family is a little crazy and things go horribly wrong on the wedding day. A great book that has me looking forward to the rest of the series. I haven't felt like this about her series since the begining of the Stephanie Plum series.

I am a big fan of the Stephanie Plum series and had read the original "Full House". I really enjoyed this new updated version. I don't understand all the bad ratings. No, it is not as good as the Plum series but it is a cute little romance book. The mystery plot is predictable but I enjoyed seeing how it played out. It was also a hoot. The wrestling game scene and the bachelor party were especially funny parts. After reading "Full House" I am really looking forward to the next release "Full Tilt" and have discovered a new author...Charlotte Hughes.

everything bad said is the absolute truth i'm afraid. i love the plum series, but picked this up because i really enjoyed evanovich's writing style. I don't think it was all Evanovich's fault, i think her editing was poorly done as well. something i found funny, that no one else seemed to mention was that the main family's names are: billie, christy and joel. now, i like billy joel as well as the next person, but, i mean, why?. my advice is skip this one. this is a waste of time and a waste of money.

To be fair, I can't give this book a thorough review, because I was unable to make it past the first few chapters. I'm not the type of person who usually puts down books once I've started them, but the characters, dialog and plot I encountered was hopelessly cliched and boring. I found myself skipping pages and chapters, and not really caring what happened.

I might have been willing to give this book more of a shot, if I hadn't just muddled through another novel in the "Full" series and been so severely disappointed.

Janet Evanovich is a very talented writer in her Stephanie Plum series, but I've found that her other books really miss the mark.

This book was worth the read. It was not Stephanie Plum, but if it were that would of added to her series. I don't understand all the bad ratings either. I thought it was a very cute story.
Not the adventure but I didn't find this story as predictable as the rest of the reviewers. I found the humor and character style like with the Plum series.
This was the first in the series and rewritten. I can only lay odds that the next one will be even that much better. This book was worth the read and I am sorry for all the bad reviews, I truly do not understand them.

If a reader has read and enjoyed any of Janet Evanovich's previous novels, they will not be disappointed with the modern romantic's newest addition, Full House. With a story plot classic to the style of Evonocich, this novel provides the vice from normal life which Evonivich always delivers.

What makes Janet Evanovich such a successful author and also Full House such an enjoyable read, is what some may call the golden story plot. It is not hard to notice that the two novel's stories follow almost the same plot which goes as follows: An average woman meets and accidentally falls in love with the perfect man. This man is always suave, handsome, confident, and exactly what the woman needs in her life. The couple somehow becomes entangled in a dangerous mystery which unravels itself by the end of the novel, and is solved in an action-packed, suspenseful manner. Evanovich knows exactly what the female reader is looking for in a story, and she knows how to deliver it. Evanovich's plots are simple and cheesy, so much so that they are addicting, and her books cannot be put down until they are finished.

Overall, if a reader is looking for an easy read that can be read in over a short period of time, Full House is a good choice

As much as I enjoyed reading Stephanie Plum series, I was sorely disappointed in this book. I can't beleive it was written by the same person! The book is flat, predictable and full of cheap romance novel clichés. I don't know what was this book doing in a mystery section at the bookstore; there is no mystery in it, and it's missing the down-to-earth humor of Stephanie Plum series. I couldn't bring myself to finishing this book, it was so bad. Janet Evanovich, I want my $8 back!

So, there's no Stephanie and Company, however, Ms. Evanovich's sense of humor shines through. As one reader commented, it's similar to a "beach read" requiring nothing more of you than your sense of humor. Yes, it's predictible, but are the Plum series worthy of any literary prize? No, we read them not for the plot development but for the characters we've grown to love. A Full House was one of life's guilty pleasures. I admit it and I also admit to enjoying it!

The sound is great, as with all the releases in the 20 bit series, you have to get this one instead of the older version. Wes shares the spotlight with Griffin in most tracks, but there is plenty of guitar here to make your jaw drop to the floor. Wes later recorded for Verve, and made a bunch of commercial albums on which he was preety much instructed on what and how to play. But not here. This is live and shows clearly that Wes was the best jazz guitar player since Charlie Christian.

Sorry, but this book is for women who continue to kiss frogs hoping one will turn into a prince! Virtuous Billie, a school teacher mom (of course, her X was the bum, she's the victim), meets a rich and powerful newspaper magnate when she decides to take up polo lessons (she's been on a horse once in childhood). Within two weeks this handsome womanizer becomes an average middle class fella who loves her and her children (oh yeah, and her kids like him because he has horses, not because he's rich). Her family values are tossed aside as she climbs into bed with him but of course she's redeemed when she teaches him how to relate to his needy teenage cousin. Are you still not convinced this is drivel? Here's how far the fanatsy is out of reach: 1) She's so nice she's talked into taking a stranger into her home! And 2) when his luxury model car breaks down, he doesn't rent a car but drives the stable's pick up truck loaded with manure. Ah, he must be a regular Joe. Get real. Miss Evanovich has shamelessly used her fans with this one. Wake up women!!

This is not a new Stephanie Plum book,but an old Evanovich novel (first published in 1989,I think) that has been re-printed.It has many of the trademarks of a typical Evanovich novel:the humour,the rich cast of supporting characters etc.Like in her Plum books,you grow to like and care about the characters.However
this is more of a straight forward romance novel;there is a mystery,but it takes the backseat in this story.Nick and Billie are wonderful characters,and "Full House" makes an engaging and sweet romance.If you need a book to relax and enjoy for a few hours,This book is highly recommended.

Seems like an odd pairing, but Evanovich and Hughes make it work. And if you think the idea of Nick and Billie is odd, wait until you meet the secondary cast. A ditzy fashion diva with a heart of gold, her eccentric brother who likes to blow things up, throw in some wrestlers and a small mystery and you have a page-turning read that is sure to delight!

Janet Evanovich is very honest about this book: 'I wrote and published the original in 1989....Charlotte Hughes and I now have made it bigger and better.'
Charlotte Hughes may have made it bigger, but she did not make it better. Friends who have read the original smaller version liked it; no one I've talked to has liked this version.
The characters are typical Evanovich and delightful; the plot seems to be going along nicely, and then the padding begins. Plot is going in all directions and the charm of the Evanovich books is no where in sight.
I bought this book after reading the first four or so chapters; they were a delight. Then the book got boring; I started skipping paragraphs, then pages, then raced on to the improbable ending.
My advice: save your money for the new Plum. Don't go here.

This CD is awesome. I'm taking Jazz band this year, and my teacher said, "If you want to become a better jazz musican, listen to jazz". so i went out and picked up this Cd, having read good things about him in guitar books. and let me tell you, when i put it in the Cd player and hit play, i was FLOORED. i mean, wes is incredible. Not only are the solos filled with virtuoso speed, skill, and techinque, but what's really amazing is what he does emotionally with them. instead of just playing the notes, he uses them to create a feel to the solo, causing it to move and stir emotion like a classical piece, but with the jazz sound. it's being able to do that that seperates the merely good from the gifted. Then to boot, the rest of the musicans on their are great as well. the tenor sax creates fun little melodies, and the pianist moves the piece musically as well. If you want to hear some of the best Jazz guitar ever, buy this one now.

Don't the stars for the review come in negative? I vote -1 star. I'm with the person who said this book cheated them out of money. I LOVED all of the other books written by Janet Evanovich--did I say loved, I meant devoured. I went to the bookstore the day they came out. But this??? Anyone who gives this book anything more than a star is wacked! I didn't laugh once and felt annoyed that I spent the time to get to the end.

The band is smokin'! Excellent interaction among the players. All involved are clearly feeling it on this very special live show, with Wes leading the way. This is clearly his finest recording. Johnny Griffin, Wynton Kelly (he of the "oh so sweet" piano soloing on Miles' "Freddie Freeloader"), Paul Chambers, and Jimmy Cobb are all having sublime nights as well. What fun, and clearly on of the finest jazz recordings of all time. A must for all collections, jazz or otherwise.

Do not go into reading this novel expecting a characteristic Plum adventure! Take it for what it was intended to be...a lighthearted, wispy romance. Since it's from the beginnings of Evanovich's career as a writer, the story does not have the same depth and character development as seen in the Plum series. The attempts at wittiness are hindered, I believe, by the collaboration with fellow writer Charlotte Hughes. The secondary characters, in their outlandishness, are comparable to those in the Plum series. However, the main characters, Nick and Billie, don't hold their own among the minor characters. I can't say I was disappointed with this novel because I read it without expecting much from it. I think this was an attempt to tide over fans that eagerly await the next installment of the Stephanie Plum series. While this was a pleasant enough read, it just didn't accomplish that for me. I'll pass the time some other way as we all wait for the return of our favorite zany Jersey girl.

Having just recently found the Janet Evanovich Stephanie Plum series, I was excited about something "new" from the same author. As it turns out, I'm glad I read the Plum series first. If Full House had been my first Evanovich novel, I might not have returned as a Plum reader. This book was disappointing, to say the least. I read 76 pages and couldn't bring myself to continue, even though I rarely leave a book unfinished--this was the exception! It was dull and plodding, the characters were not believable, interesting, or entertaining, and there was absolutely nothing in the first 76 pages that made me want to know more about any of them. I'll continue to read the Plum series, but I'll leave Evanovich's attempts at light romance alone.

Wait for the next Stephanie Plum book. Do not waste your money on this unless you're looking for insight into Evanovich's evolution as a writer. This is not the worst book I've ever read, but if you're expecting the brilliance she's evolved to and we've come to expect from her you'll be sorely disappointed.

I couldn't disagree more with the Fans who did not like this. They seem to have two major complaints. One is the editing, and the other the fact that it's got a romance and the...tension that we love in Stephanie Plum isn't there. If these readers had bought this book cold they would have loved it, and enjoyed the humor and quirky characters. Charlotte Hughes can write d[ar]n good mysteries, and everyone knows Janet can as well, but this book is meant to be a fun adventure. Taken as that its a great read. The editing is a real problem but that's St Martins Press fault, isnt it?. If it were a hardcover I would let the editing get to me, but I am more forgiving when it comes to paperbacks.

This is a live set of Wes Montgomery playing with Wynton Kelly, Johnny Griffin, the omnipresent Paul Chambers, and Jimmy Cobb. Wes plays his typically fluid, beautiful, amazing guitar. The songs are mostly up-tempo, so they avoid Wes' sometimes maudlin streak on the soft stuff. "I've Grown Accustomed To Her Face" is nearly solo Wes, but Paul Chambers and Jimmy Cobb provide some subtle help. This wasn't a working band, so there's only three Wes originals and the rest are standards. The CD is at a very high level, but somehow it's missing the extra umph to push it over the edge to a rare (from me) 5-star rating.

I was very disappointed with this book. I bought Full House and Full Tilt based on how much I liked the Stephanie Plum novels. I thought anything by the same author had to be good. Unfortunatly, these books are just bland romance novels, like the Harlequin books I read when I was a teenager. I was so un-impressed with Full House I didn't even bother to read Full Tilt!

I couldn't get the next Stephanie Plum book so I tried this one. I threw it out after 10 pages. Maybe I didn't give it much of a try but anything that starts off as that bad of a romance novel (the equivalent of "it was a dark and stormy night" would have been 100 times better) had no potential for me. Romance fans, have fun. Plum fans, give it a second thought.

Having just finished all 8 in the Stephanie Plum series, I grabbed this Evanovich novel, hungry for more of the good stuff that makes those books such page-turners. Was I disappointed! Cardboard characters, cliche-riddled dialogue, far-fetched yet predictable plot. I am not sure if this book preceded the Plum novels - if so, the author has definitely improved over time. I'm sticking with the Plum novels from now on, and so should Janet Evanovich.

I was very disappointed with this book after reading One for the Money. I found this to be VERY ordinary and uneventful. I really wish I would have read the second installment of the Stephanie Plum series instead of this.

The previous reviewer said she liked the first four chapters. I couldn't even finish the first one. I love the Stephanie Plum novels, but this was awful from the first page. There were so many absurdities, unlikelihoods, and "get reals" in the first 3 pages that I gave up. I wish I'd sat down with it in the bookstore for 5 minutes and I wouldn't have wasted my money.

I love Stephanie Plum -- only book I buy pre-publication at full price. I was thrilled to think we'd be getting more Janet Evanovich. Forgetaboutit! I read the first chapter, and even that was a waste of time...not to mention money. Janet, you're doing yourself a disservice to let this book out.

I couldn't get the next Stephanie Plum book so I tried this one. I threw it out after 10 pages. Maybe I didn't give it much of a try but anything that starts off as that bad of a romance novel (the equivalent of "it was a dark and stormy night" would have been 100 times better) had no potential for me. Romance fans, have fun. Plum fans, give it a second thought.

Having just finished all 8 in the Stephanie Plum series, I grabbed this Evanovich novel, hungry for more of the good stuff that makes those books such page-turners. Was I disappointed! Cardboard characters, cliche-riddled dialogue, far-fetched yet predictable plot. I am not sure if this book preceded the Plum novels - if so, the author has definitely improved over time. I'm sticking with the Plum novels from now on, and so should Janet Evanovich.

I was very disappointed with this book after reading One for the Money. I found this to be VERY ordinary and uneventful. I really wish I would have read the second installment of the Stephanie Plum series instead of this.

The previous reviewer said she liked the first four chapters. I couldn't even finish the first one. I love the Stephanie Plum novels, but this was awful from the first page. There were so many absurdities, unlikelihoods, and "get reals" in the first 3 pages that I gave up. I wish I'd sat down with it in the bookstore for 5 minutes and I wouldn't have wasted my money.

I love Stephanie Plum -- only book I buy pre-publication at full price. I was thrilled to think we'd be getting more Janet Evanovich. Forgetaboutit! I read the first chapter, and even that was a waste of time...not to mention money. Janet, you're doing yourself a disservice to let this book out.

Wow! What a disappointment... I certainly never thought that the author who created the wonderful Stephanie Plum would EVER be associated with a book like this! It was pure "dreck." It read like a first offering from a struggling new novelist. No tension, no suspense, no plot, no nada!
I felt after the Christmas book fiasco, (weren't we ALL victims of Diesel) that perhaps the lure of the "big bucks" had altered Janet's integrity. THIS book certainly confirms that.
Shame on you!

It is amazing that this book is by the same author of the Stephanie Plum series! This book was corny, predictable, and so unrealistic that the characters were not endearing at all to the reader. It was extremely hard for me to finish it at all. I kept thinking it would get better and I was wrong. The poor editing was my biggest complaint considering the main male characer is referred to as Neil instead of Nick right in the midst of a love scene! It doesn't get any worse than that. If you enjoy the Plum series, you will not enjoy this book.

Like many other readers, I bought this because I enjoy the Plum series. If I had the talent of Janet Evanovich, I would have kept this one buried. It is not funny, but it is trite. Save your money.

I think Janet Evanovich didn't write this book. I think Charlotte Hughes wrote it and Janet Evanovich is trying to get her friend established (published!). This was one of the worst books I've ever read and I'm a devoted Stephanie Plum fan. I think Janet Evanovich should think twice about putting her name on these books by Charlotte Hughes. I note there's a new one out right now. I have no problem with romance novels, but they should at least be entertaining. This book was not worth the paper it was printed on.

It's a light romance with some suspense and mystery thrown in and a bunch of hilarious characters. I love Janet Evanovich's characterizations; she's in high form here; parts of this book were so funny.

This cd and "Live at the Half Note" are Wes Montgomery's two best cd's, and they are both live. If you like the one, get the other. If you have both, buy anything Wes did on Riverside. All those cd's are great!

I couldn't wait for another book by this author but reading this book was a huge dissapointment. I couldn't bring myself to finish it. If I wanted to read a romance novel I would have bought one (which I never will). Her other books are funny and entertaining. Ms. Evanovich needs to skip the sex and go back to detective stories.

I was very disappointed to say the least. The Stephanie Plum series are awesome and I do have to admit that I had the expectancy that this novel would rank among her others. I think that Janet Evanovich should stick to what works, not venture into something that is clearly not her expertise. I won't be buying her next novel in this new series, "Full Tilt". It will probably be "Full Wilt".

I really wanted to like this, because I liked her other books- alot. This was far fetched and at best just fluff and filler until the plot takes off. The big problem is that the plot never takes off.

I am a big fan of Evanovich books; I love the Stephanie Plum novels. However, this novel was very sophomoric and quite predictable. I felt very let down by this effort with Charlotte Hughes. I would have rated this 0 stars if given that option!

This was horrible. It's hard to believe that it was rewritten and was still this bad. Now, if I had never read an Evanovich book my reaction might be less harsh, but I've read all her Stephanie Plum's and loved them. This just doesn't measure up. It seemed too worked and too trite.

Wow. Every single song here is solid. His playing is unbelievable, and it seems like he could improvise over the same changes 1,000 times and will keep coming um with new and fresh ideas. Since it's live, I can just picture him in sitting there having an avesome time jamming, because I can hear and feel the crowd's excitement. If you put aside Wes' vurtuosity, and just enjoy the music, it will definitely lift you, and if you dont feel like moving during that, then you better check your pulse!

I can't believe any listener in his right mind would want to hear two versions of the same tune in immediate succession. I'm deducting stars for the outtakes; we aren't paying by the note, especially not for the same notes repeated.
I found "I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face" fairly tedious; Montgomery doesn't seem to be much of a "chord melody" player. Otherwise this is a pleasant (but hardly earth-shattering) recording, and the second half of Montgomery's solo on the title tune has a nice groove to it. Elsewhere saxophonist Griffin steals the show.

I am the typical Evanovich fan. I will read practically anything with her name on it and so I wanted to try some of her older stuff. This definitely was not a "Plum" novel, but it was a lighthearted, easy read. I didn't find myself laughing out loud very much as I sometimes laugh to tears at Stephanie's escapades, but it did leave you with a good feeling in the end.

I picked up this book at the airport, trusting it would be similar to her mysteries, although I understood it to be part of her earlier romance attempts. I was very surprised at the amateur level of the writing. The plots were very thin, and the characters had little of the endearing qualitites I love in her mysteries. Stick with the mysteries!

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.

Not recommended. I think that Evanovich was cashing in on her name and the success of S. Plum by digging up this old novel of hers and rehashing it. It took TWO people to write something this bad? Not worth it. Characters are uninteresting and un-sexy. Stick with reading about Stepanie Plum, one of my favorite series.

This book has wonderful twists and turns in it. It is like any other book by Janet Evanovich, it is laugh out loud funny and you will not be able to put the book down!!!

If you are like me, you will fall inlove with the charaters and feel like you are with them when there lives turn upside down!!!!

As I was reading I noticed in one chapter that Nick is referred to as Neil and Joel is called Joey in several paragraphs. I'm not sure if this occurred because of them making the book "bigger & better" but it was very distracting. Why would the editor not catch this?

This book is written by Janet Evanovich, the author who brings you Stephanie Plum.
This is a love story about a devious man, an uncooperative woman, and a misguided genius. It is laced with fast-paced action, dysFUNctional loveable characters, suspense, and lots of laughs.

I really enjoy reading Janet Evanovich's books. Though this wasn't as good as her Plum series (HUGE fan of that series), it was an easy read. The characters were likeable and the story was cute. Definitely enjoyable!

Thanks to the Castle Book Room, I got to hear how it's done. I get to hear a master Jazz guitarist, Wes Montgomery, "comping" and accompanying other eminent Jazz musicians any time I want. This album inspired me to pick up my own guitar and "just do it!" too.

I think this book is sweet and funny. I wont tell the plot because it would be no fun, but there its a zoo full of crazy characters and while I agree its all very improbable I haven't ever read Janet Evanovich for anything but escape. As Entertainemnt this it tops! I want to see the next one.

Jazz guitar doesn't get much better than this, and Wynton Kelly and co. always keep things interesting. The digital transfer is excellent on this legendary live performance. Listen to this and understand how there could be no George Benson had there been no Wews Montgomery.

A Full House is what Janet Evanovich claims to have in this alleged improvement on an early novel -- but she's bluffing, big-time. Stilted writing, a banal plot, and characters shallower than most politicians. I'd feel guilty re-selling it for 50 cents at a garage sale. Shame on the publisher and Ms. Evanovich for conning those of us who enjoyed her later writing.

We all had to agree, it was funny, twisted, and romantic, but most of all it was just a great and easy read. It was refreshing to read something that you just knew had to end as bizzarre as it started. It was hilarous..... we may read it again next year. I believe we will "laugh-out-loud" at this one for a long time.