I think the time has come to give up on this series. I love Stephanie so much but these books are just too similar.

Stephanie Plum is back with her bond enforcement shenanigans and car explosions. Diesel returns to take a starring role in this in this episode, as he and Stephanie hunt down a sadistic hacker. But, Lula is the comedian in this book, making me laugh out loud several times. Morelli and Ranger make short, cameo appearances. Enjoyable as usual. I somehow missed reading this digital ARC when it came out. Now off to read Now or Never #31! Thank you to Netgalley and Atria books for this egalley in exchange for an honest review.

I want to thank Atria Books and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read Janet Evanovich's "Game On: Tempting Twenty-Eight." Even though I finished reading the book before its release date in 2021, I'm only now getting around to writing a review. Please accept my apologies for the delay.

"Game On: Tempting Twenty-Eight" is the 28th book in the Stephanie Plum series, and it follows the story of Stephanie and Diesel working together to catch an international computer hacker named Oswald Wednesdays, who is causing chaos. As the body count rises, Stephanie and Diesel, with the help of their usual cast of crazy characters, including Grandma Mazur, Lulu, and others, attempt to apprehend him. While the character dynamics are engaging, the character dialogue isn't as lively as it used to be. I enjoyed "Game On: Tempting Twenty-Eight," but the banter between Stephanie, Lulu, and Grandma Mazur isn't as witty as it used to be.

Diesel is back in Stephanie Plum's life, as he is intent on apprehending crazed hacker Oswald Wednesday. Stephanie teams with Diesel as she needs to recoup Oswald's bail money for her boss Vinnie. Using deadly force, Oswald is on a mission to find a group of hackers who infiltrated his servers. They locked down an entire system, stalling his plan to be the most famous hacker of all time.

It is a fun jaunt through Jersey with the characters (from flaky to sexy) we have come to love in this Stephanie Plum series.
An excerpt from Evanovich's book The Recovery Agent is included.

Thanks to Atria Books, Janet Evanovich and NetGalley for this ARC.

Another entertaining story from the world of Stephanie Plum. Book #28 is as fun to read as any of her other escapades. Each book can be read and enjoyed as a stand alone but you'd miss some of the best reading in the library. Stephanie is a bounty hunter, but she's unlike any bounty hunter you've ever read before. The characters in this series have become old friends that I know will have be laughing as they chase their "skips". And then there is Gandma Mazur. Just know that you are guaranteed a great book when joining Janet Evanovich's fan club.

I enjoy reading the Stephanie Plum books by Janet Evanovich. You feel like you are visiting a long-lost friend because you can read the books in no particular order ( maybe that is how I read them). I love that Stephanie is always Stephanie - the predictability or solidification of the character's personalities is reliable

Another fun installment in the Stephanie Plum series, and this time around Diesel is back! He’s one of my all time favorite characters in this series, so that was a welcome addition to the story.

Things haven’t changed much in Trenton. Stephanie is still caught between her two men, she’s still on many a case, and I even think she managed to blow up yet another car in this installment. Par for the course for a Plum novel. Lulu, as usual, shined in this one, as did Grandma. The narrator did an amazing job, as usual, and I can’t wait to see what book 30 brings.

When reading an Ivanovich book, I’m looking for mystery funny characters, and banter. I was not disappointed in this book. I love the character interactions, and the mystery itself was hard to figure out for me. Most of all the witty banter kept me entertained from start to finish.

Janet Evanovich doesn't disappoint with the latest installment of the Stephanie Plum and crew. I love this series and will continue to read these as long as the author is willing to continue writing them! In this book, Diesel returns because he and Stephanie are looking for the same guy. Lula is her usual sassy self but seems to have inherited Stephanie's bad luck. Grandma Mazur is up to her usual antics - now she is attempting to become a hacker. This series is fun and like a comfort food - you know what to expect and there will be hilarity and adventure throughout.

Stephanie Plum must decide if she can trust Diesel, who is also looking for the same fugitive she hopes to find first. The book is well written and keeps you engaged throughout the storyline. I would recommend the book and the author.

In typical Stephanie Plum fashion, this book was hysterical but typical. When I read the Stephanie Plum series you always know what you are going to get with cars blowing up, funny mishaps with Lula and Grandmas, and very hot men attracted to Stephanie. Of course, Game On did not disappoint. In this installment has all the usual suspects, but Diesel is also part of the mystery plot. I am looking forward to the next caper of Ms. Plum and her gang.

GAME ON is the twenty-eighth book in the Stephanie Plum Series by Janet Evanovich, my introduction, if memory serves, to a pair of amateur sleuths by the name of Stephanie Plum, a bail bonds enforcement agent who stores her gun in a cookie jar, and her sidekick Lula, who has no trouble brandishing—let alone firing—a sidearm willy-nilly at perceived formidable foes (permit be damned!) whilst uttering the words, ‘Stop, or I will shoot!’

The duo don’t seem to take themselves too seriously but do attempt to give it their all as they track down wanted fugitives, the likes of Oswald Wednesday, an international computer hacker, with the help of a security expert named Ranger, a man known only as, Diesel, and Plum’s current boyfriend, Joe Morelli.

GAME ON is full of some suspenseful, intense moments coupled with humorous banter making for a lighthearted read that feels slightly slapstick sprinkled on top of an action-packed narrative—one that this reader thoroughly enjoyed!

Thank you, NetGalley and Atria Books, for providing me with an eBook of GAME ON at the request of an honest review.

Recommend!

Game on is the twenty-eighth book in the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich. It is, however, the first I have read. The series has long been on my list to try, and this book does not disappoint. I was apprehensive about not starting with book 1, but I was able to enjoy this one regardless. It feels like it is likely a reliable series when you are in the mood for a pick-me-up adventure.

Read my complete review at http://www.memoriesfrombooks.com/2022/12/game-on-tempting-twenty-eight.html

Review for NetGalley.

Game On by Janet Evanovich is a 2021 Atria/Simon & Schuster publication.

Diesel is back after a two-year absence. This time he’s in search of a computer hacker, named Oswald, who is rumored to have left a trail of disappeared wives and girlfriends and perhaps a few rival hackers, too.

As it turns out, Stephanie is also looking for Oswald- so they help each other out, a little- but they each have their own agendas- which pits them against one another in a way, but regardless, they need to capture Oswald before more people die…

If you have followed this series at all over the years, then by now you know exactly what to expect and that’s part of the charm, I think. It’s the type of series you grab when you want something familiar and comforting that you know will be light, fun, and entertaining.

This installment provided all those things- it was the usual zany, and madcap adventure, but there was a small, subtle shift- something I couldn’t quite put my finger on. Maybe I was missing Ranger a little bit? (He does make a few 'cameo' appearances- but that was all)

Either way, the story is still fast paced and entertaining, which is exactly what why I keep showing up time and again to see what Stephanie and the gang have been up to.

Though author Janet Evanovich's lovable bounty hunter, Stephanie Plum, has been on the job for years and years, the cases never seem to get easier. And in her 28th adventure, Game On (or Tempting Twenty-Eight), she ends up tracking a skip who's much more dangerous than the typical Trenton troublemaker...

Full review published on NightsAndWeekends.com - and aired on Shelf Discovery

This is number 28 in the Stephanie Plum series. Yep, you read that right, number twenty-eight!

I read this one over the weekend while I was sick in bed with a cold and it was the perfect comfort read. It was ridiculous, over-the-top, funny, and completely what I needed.

In this installment, Stephanie Plum (bounty hunter) is on the search for a well-known hacker (Oswald) who has skipped bail. There's an added complication though when he starts killing off other hackers in gruesome ways. And to make things even more complex, an old flame of Stephanie's turns up and has also been tasked with finding and bringing in Oswald. I don't always love the love triangle aspect in the Stephanie Plum books, so I felt a bit like the addition of an old flame just when the relationship with Ranger had been resolved (for now) was a bit unnecessary.

Having said that, if you can get past the multiple love interests and don't mind suspending reality quite a bit, it was a really fun read. Plus, I always love when Stephanie's family makes an appearance, especially her give-no-@&$! grandma. She's an absolute riot.

I think it would help to have a bit of the backstory of Stephanie, but I jumped into this series a few books ago and I was able to catch on pretty quickly, so you don't necessarily have to go back to the start if you'd like to see what this series is all about.

This one was just ok for me, and I am a huge fan of the Stephanie Plum mystery series. This one just
lack the luster of past books. It felt rushed. It just maybe time for Ms. Plum to retire. Thanks Net Galley for
the advance E copy.

It is always a good day when Diesel comes to town. Now I am a Joe and Steph shipper til the end of time….but would I also be here for a Diesel match? Yes yes yes. This was such a fun one and solid Janet Evanovich.

Who doesn't love Stephanie Plum, her family and her many loves. Yes, this book has them all: grandma, Diesel, Morelli and Rangeman. In this book Stephanie is after Oswald Wednesday, a computre hacker. She might not be the best at capturing fugitives, but she is determined. sassy and full of spunk. She always gets her person, but along the way you will laugh out loud. This is the 28th book in the series and it deivers a fun, fast read.

As usual Mrs. Evanovich does not disappointment with this latest book in the bestselling series, it has tons of suspense that will keep you on the edge of your seat broken up by hilarious laugh out loud moments that this series is known for. I also absolutely love when she combines characters from her many different books series and It’s been a while since we have had a nice dose of Mr. Diesel, so I was so excited to see him pop up in this story. I have to commend the author this installment had a little bit more seriousness which I felt really added a new level to the particular storyline. I highly recommend this book to all mystery fans.