Review: Wicked Appetite

WICKED APPETITE (Unmentionables #1)
Janet Evanovich
Mystery/Thriller
313 pages
St. Martin's Press
Available Now

THE STORY
Lizzy Tucker lives a pretty ordinary life. She works in a bakery making cupcakes, is attempting to publish her own cookbook, and lives in a quaint little home left to her by her Aunt Ophelia. Ordinary quickly morphs into extraordinary however when a gorgeous man named Diesel strolls nonchalantly through the bakery door, places himself squarely in her life, and adamantly refuses to budge.

It seems Lizzy is an Unmentionable, someone with a small gift or unique ability that sets he or she apart from those around them. She's supposedly able to sense objects of power, in this case stones which represent the seven deadly sins that, when combined, will bring about Hell on earth. Fantastic.

Diesel is positive Lizzy is one of only two people with this ability and needs her help to locate the stone representing Gluttony before the dark and twisted Gerwulf Grimoire can get his hands on it. But Lizzy isn't cut out for a paranormal treasure hunt, she just wants to bake cupcakes. Cupcakes are safe. Diesel most definitely is not safe on a variety of levels. Cupcakes are delicious. But maybe so is Diesel. With little say in the matter, Lizzy teams up with Diesel, learning about Unmentionables, gluttony, and attraction along the way.

MY THOUGHTS
Delectable. Ms. Evanovich's books are always a breath of fresh air, overflowing with a humor that leaves the reader with tears running down our faces and a sore gut from repeated full body spasms caused by uncontrollable laughing. As a fan of her Stephanie Plum series, I had high hopes for this initial installment, and I can honestly say I wasn't the least bit disappointed.

Wicked Appetite combines the typical Evanovich humor with an added supernatural twist, opening the door for an entirely new spectrum of shenanigans all the more amusing and comical due to the lack of reality-based constraints. This book is just fun. There's really no bigger, better, more descriptive word for it. There are no deep, dark secrets for the reader to attempt to decipher, no brutal conflict to leave an ache in our hearts for days after reading; there is just a light, well-written tale providing a quick jaunt into a hilarious fictional world. Every once in a while a respite from the novels with more profound subject matter and haunting questions is just what's needed. And really, any book that features a monkey with a penchant for flipping people off is worth a read in my opinion.

Diesel is delightful. He's familiar to fans of the Plum books, making several appearances in her "in between" novellas, and it's an uproariously good time to watch him wreak havoc through a full length novel. He's got a drool-worthy swagger and a confidence that just starts to tip the scales toward arrogance, yet remains irresistible. With a couple unique powers of his own, he lures Lizzy into his world and we get to watch a relationship build in a way we haven't seen in his previous interactions with Stephanie Plum. Yes, he flirted his way through the Plum novellas, but his charisma is taken to a whole new level now that he's a primary character, and his attachment to Lizzy is sweet but holds the promise of turning into something far more interesting.

Lizzy isn't quite as inept as Stephanie, but she is equally prone to absurdity, making her adorable, endearing, and completely lovable as she winds up in the most ridiculous of situations with no concept of how she got there. Her best friend Glo is a welcome addition to the cast of characters with her failed attempts at witchcraft providing copious amounts of comic relief, yet not so overwhelming as to detract from the main storyline.

Humor abounds, ridiculousness occurs with every turn of the page, and sore cheeks are a welcome side effect from constant smiling while reading. I assume each book will focus on a different stone, and subsequently a different sin, and I'm truly hoping we get to Lust sooner rather than later though I have a feeling the sexual tension between Lizzy and Diesel will be a tortuous thread carried through till the hysterical end. I'm ready for seconds.

Rating: 4.5/5