I was lucky to receive an advance copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review and opinion. I'm a huge fan of Janet Evanovich and was thrilled to be approved prior to publication date. I love the Stephanie Plum series and this book was fantastic! This series can be read in order or stand alone. I found myself laughing out loud several times during this book. As always, Janet delivers!

This is exactly what you would expect from a Stephanie Plum novel - but I don't think that's a bad thing. There are the predictable elements (a car being destroyed, Grandma at a funeral, Lula being Lula) and it's entertaining as always, but I wish there was some sort of forward motion in the characters' lives. Maybe it would freshen up the series a bit.

In GAME ON Janet Evanovich's TEMPTING TWENTY EIGHT is the latest installment in her Stephanie Plum series.
In the twenty seven years since ONE FOR THE MONEY hit the best seller lists, a reader might think Plum has come far. Not so. And that's o.k. There's something comforting in knowing that Stephanie remains true to her hometown of Trenton, and readers will take solace in knowing she will have encounters with her beau Joe Morelli and hottie Ranger, Lula will have fashion and food issues, at least one car will be blown up, and Grandma Mazur will try to need a peek in the coffin at a wake.
In this entry into the series, Stephanie is after a master cyber-criminal, Oswald Wednesday, a psychopath who leaves destruction and death in his wake. He's after some amateur hackers who have wormed into his system, and one of them, Melvin, says they thought Oswald "was a genius. We didn't know he was a homicidal maniac." And therein lies the trouble. Where to stash the hackers so Oswald doesn't kill them. At first, Stephanie has them stay with her, but realizing that will not work long term, she moves them to her parents' home, where her Mom has taken up a new hobby (other than tippling) and her father has an actual conversation at the dinner table. So things are looking up for Stephanie Plum. At story's end, Stephanie has made her first ever chocolate cake for Joe Morelli and is about to surprise him with a new giant television. We await what's in store for this motley crew of fun characters in the next installment.

Another great book from Janet Evanovich. I usually don't care for the storylines with Diesel in them, but this one was pretty good! I wish Ranger and Grandma had been more involved, but overall the story was very good. There was some suspense, but it was still a good lighthearted read!

As always, another Stephanie Plum book by Janet Evanovich is a joy to read. The author's characters never fail to entertain and Game On was an especially fun addition to the series.

Stephanie Plum is back!!!! This time she is looking for a cybersecurity criminal. And she gets help from Diesel of all people. These books are always good for a laugh

I really enjoyed the newest entry to the Stephanie Plum series. The last few I read, I was wondering if we would get back to some of the original humor and characters and storylines that I so enjoyed at the beginning of the series. The characters within this series never cease to make me laugh and you can always count on Stephanie for a car or two to be destroyed by explosion or fire. This particular story showcased a wide range of past characters, including Diesel, Tank and Wulf, along with our hunks of burning love, Joe and Ranger. In Game On, Stephanie is trying to catch Mr. Wednesday so she can collect her bond but he's hard to find, and she soon finds out, he's targeting a small bunch of hackers in the neighborhood after they were successful in infiltrating his systems. Afraid this group found secrets they shouldn't have, he comes after them one by one, killing and cutting out the tongues of his threats. Diesel arrives and Stephanie is quick to find, they are both after the same guy for different reasons. This is a fast paced, page turner and will be perfect for a quick weekend read, for readers looking for a light story that will make you laugh out loud.

The 28th installment of the Stephanie Plum series is as light and quirky as ever, but I am finding the blown up cars, viewings, romantic hijinks, and family dynamics to be getting a little repetitive. I still enjoy the the new fugitive characters and her and Lula's failed recovery attempts, though, and will probably continue to read. It can be comforting to know what to expect some times.

I chose to read this book after receiving a free e-copy from Netgalley. All opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased.

I read the first couple Stephanie Plum books a long time ago and really enjoyed them so when I got the chance to read number 28, I was excited to read it. Unfortunately, I was a bit disappointed. It didn’t seem as witty or as funny as I remembered. What really struck me is that the dialogue seemed flat.

Game On is okay, but nothing to write home about. I don’t think I’ll be going back to read more of this series.

I think it might be time Janet Evanovich puts away Stephanie Plum series. The story falls flat using the same old story lines with the same romance and a story that doesn't bring anything new into the series.

Reader will be excited to find Diesel in the story but it isn't until half way though the book. Once he arrives Diesel isn't the one readers have come to know and love.

Game On isn't a new story it is the only stories thrown together making a half attempt to keep the Stephanie Plum series moving to the next book.

Thank you to Netgalley for a copy of Game on Tempting Twenty Eight.

Stephanie Plum has been my constant companion for decades, but she never seems to get any older. We should all be so lucky!

My thanks go to Net Galley and Atria Books for the invitation to read and review. This book is for sale now.

Stephanie is a bounty hunter, working for her cousin Vinnie’s bail bond service. She tracks down no-shows, takes them to have their hearings rescheduled, and collects a commission. Her mother wishes fervently that she would get a normal job such as a bank teller, or just go ahead and marry long-time boyfriend Officer Joe Morelli, and keep house and raise kiddies. But Stephanie is long on independence, and she’s short on marketable skills, and so this is what she does. And we readers are well aware that she wouldn’t be half this hilarious as a housewife, so we cheer her on.

In an interview, author Evanovich said she had lit on the idea of a bounty hunter protagonist because the writer doesn’t need a background in legal matters the way that she would if she used a cop, detective, or lawyer. The primary skill required of a bail bonds enforcer is lying, and she felt she had a good grasp of that one.

You gotta love it.

There have been a few wobbles in the series, and a moment (long ago) when I thought perhaps it was played out. But like her intrepid protagonist, the author rallied and came back stronger than ever. Can you read this book if you haven’t read any of the others in the series? Yes. Yes, you surely can; but you are most likely going to want to go back for the rest once you do so.

There are a few things that strike me as I read this one. I suddenly find myself wondering why Stephanie doesn’t seem to have women friends. She’s lived in Trenton—in the Burg—her entire life, so shouldn’t she have a few lifelong pals? But by the end of the story, I realized that her work buds are her go-to girls. Lula gets into a scrape and leaves what little she has to Stephanie (but of course, Lula pulls through. I don’t feel like this is a spoiler; since when would a riotously funny writer like Evanovich off a main character?) Connie is a distant relative, but she’s also a friend.

I also find myself, like other reviewers, wondering about the sanitized language and decreasing vocabulary levels. We’ve been drifting in this direction for awhile. At the start of the series, profanity was used by the people and in the situations where you’d expect to find it. The overall language level was accessible to anybody that finished eighth grade. Over the last several episodes, however, it’s been drifting downward. Now, apart from one “damn”, I found nothing, although the euphemisms are stellar (“What the fork,” “What the Hellman’s Mayonnaise,” “Son of a bagel.”) And the overall vocabulary level is now down to about fifth grade. If it goes any lower (see the author’s other series,) I may not be interested anymore, but as it stands, it’s fast, it’s snappy, and I’m in.

The usual elements—escorting Grandma Mazur to viewings at the mortuary; exploding cars; men surprising Stephanie when they let themselves into her locked apartment; dinner with Stephanie’s parents; a geeky witness, or victim, or possibly even an offender, that Stephanie takes under her wing; and the red-hot Joe Morelli are all present and accounted for. Stephanie’s mother has been drinking heavily every time Stephanie gets into a dangerous scrape, and Evanovich has been toying with some character development in her direction. I hope she follows through.

The tension of Stephanie trying to decide between Morelli and the mysterious Ranger is over, for now, at least, and it was getting old, so I applaud this development. She knows that Ranger will never marry her, and there’s a lot he’ll never tell her. She knows Morelli. They grew up together, and they understand one another. Marriage, maybe not yet; but Joe is the one. She’s tempted by others in this installment, but for once, she behaves herself. Good.

Whereas this series isn’t the magnificent literary accomplishment attained by some mystery Grand Masters, and it doesn’t try to be, I rate it as five stars in the humor genre. It made me laugh out loud on page two, and though I read quite a lot of books each year, those that have made me howl this year can be counted on one hand. It’s a more valuable characteristic than some might guess, especially during these tense times.

Highly recommended to those that need a good laugh.

Janet Evanovich involves Stephanie Plum in Game On, her Tempting Twenty-Eight; a super black hacker is wanted for skipping out on bail , grounds for Stephanie to seek him out, and for nefarious activities in hacking which brings in Diesel, an old friend. Thriller with dropping bodies, exploding cars and lots of boyfriends for Ms. Plum. Non stop action, kooky humor and fun.

BRIEF SUMMARY
The protagonist, Stephanie Plum, a bail bonds enforcement agent, woke up to noise in her apartment, only to find fellow bounty hunter, Diesel, getting too comfortable in her living room. Both are currently hunting a computer hacker, Oswald Wednesday, who’s been causing havoc in her small town and putting everyone on edge.

My Thoughts:
First time reading from Janet Evanovich. Apparently it’s a series based on the protagonist’s adventures and serves as a stand-alone. This particular book conveniently explained who the characters were and the relationship to Stephanie Plum.

The book was a quick read and entertaining. I found myself laughing aloud at times as my husband sleeps. The characters are likable and engaging especially Grandma Mazur who is sassy. My favorite is Lula, a former streetwalker turned bounty hunter, who wears flashy clothes 3 sizes too small and no filter. “I never pushed a baby,’ Lula said. “I had hemorrhoids once and that wasn’t a treat.”

Stefanie is average smart, gutsy, constantly gets herself in harms way nor take better precautions which annoyed me. It was known that she has the worst luck. Thankfully she has people that saves the day including clients.

I do like the book for its simplicity. It’s like the adult version of Nancy Drew. If you want a chill and easy read, this would be it.

Thank you @netgalley and @atriabooks for an advanced copy of the book and the opportunity to review it.

Game On is the 28th book in Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series. On its own, the book is good. We have a lively mystery to solve, a revisit from an old fave character, and lots of humor. But... something felt very off with it too. It was a much more bland version of the past books. All the repetitive scenes were present, but it was less funny and toned down to the point that I found myself changing the dialog to make it the normal spicy. Oh well... good for a laugh, and I will read more from the series, but I don't think I will pick up her new series because either she has a ghost writer or she's out of ideas. I need each book to be more than the last, and sadly, this wasn't quite there. But if you love the characters, still read it!

An enjoyable continuation of the Stephanie Plum series. I’ve read all that have come before, and this has all the same goodies and then some. Morelli, Ranger, Diesel, grandma’s hilarious commentary, mom’s drinking and -surprise- knitting, dad’s disassociation with all of it, blown up cars, blown up houses, and a thoroughly mindless and enjoyable escape. Thanks for the ARC, NetGalley and Atria books.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this title. I used to be a diehard Stephanie Plum fan when the books were first published, and my tastes have changed a lot since then. I enjoyed revisiting those familiar characters who bring a lot of humor to the story, but it's VERY heteronormative and the situations felt so outlandish - both in what happened and how easily the characters dismiss the severity of them. If you like the series, go for it!

Game On: Tempting Twenty-Eight by Janet Evanovich is the 28th book in the Stephanie Plum series, and another great addition. I have read every book in this series and I love them all. I know that every time I start a new book, I'm in for a laugh or twenty. In this book Diesel teams up with Stephanie to hunt for the same fugitive. All the normal characters are present in this book, but it's light on Ranger. I will never get tired of this series, so please keep them coming. I highly recommend this book, and they are best read in order.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I haven't read the last several novels in the Stephanie Plum series, but decided to try it again with this one and I'm glad I did! This book still has the laugh-out-loud antics and dialogue that I loved in the other books, but without the constant indecision in Stephanie's love life, of which I had grown tired. The mystery in the this book was more intense than most of the earlier novels, and I enjoyed that. This book was built more around the mystery and less around Stephanie Plum being a total "mess-up". I appreciated the fact that I could pick this book up and not be lost after skipping several previous books in the series. This is definitely my favorite book to date from Janet Evanovich.

I am a long time fan of Stephanie Plum and Janet Evanovich. This latest romp does not disappoint. I do believe I could handle Ranger saying Babe a few more times but otherwise an excellent man hunt here.

Game On is a typical Evanovich Plum mystery. Fun. Flouncy. Flirty. Filled with family and friends, criminals and comedy.
Won't disappoint fans!