"Wicked Charms"(Lizzy & Diesel #3) - Janet Evanovich

Hello fellow bibliophiles! What a wonderful reading-filled weekend this has been thus far! I have a couple different reviews to post tonight so stay tuned! First up is the newest book in the Lizzy and Diesel series by Janet Evanovich. We all know and love her for her Stephanie Plum series and her short, cheesy, romance novels. I instantly liked this series from the first book (Wicked Appetite) and anxiously waited for the second one to come out (Wicked Business). While the second was not nearly as good as the first, I was willing to continue reading the series to see if any improvements would be made. If you have read any of my previous reviews you know that once I start a series I have difficulty stopping, even if the books are not great (see Vampire Academy series #3, #4, #5...).

The premise for the series is about Lizzy, a baker who moves into a recently deceased aunt's house in Salem, Mass from NYC. Everything in her life is pretty normal until Diesel pops in and she finds out she possess some unusual/mystical talents that he covets. Basically Lizzy is suppose to help him find the SALIGA stones, 7 mystical stones that represent the 7 deadly sins. If all are found and put together, the results would be catastrophic aka Hell would open up. In each book, random and crazy acts occur that lead to a stone that just happens to be located around Salem. Lizzy and Diesel search for the stones while evading his cousin, Wulf, and others who also hope to possess them. Simply put, the books are just like the Stephanie Plum series but instead of being a bounty hunter searching for guys who jump bail, Lizzy is searching for stones. Same crazy, unrealistic events are constantly happening. Diesel would be the equivalent of Ranger and Joe Morelli combined.

The books continue to do down in content and continually get worse. It also takes her much longer to write these books. Between the second and third books was 4 year span AND she brought in another writer! Sorry Janet, as much as I love your books, I don't think I can support this series any longer. Lizzy and Diesel had potential but you can't take Stephanie Plum out of New Jersey, give her magical powers, and call it a new hit series. As always, feel free to share any recommendations, comments, or suggestions!

Happy reading fools :)