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Book Review of Hot Stuff (Cate Madigan, Bk 1)

Hot Stuff (Cate Madigan, Bk 1)
Hot Stuff (Cate Madigan, Bk 1)
Author: Janet Evanovich, Leanne Banks
Genre: Romance
Book Type: Mass Market Paperback
CherryDuck avatar reviewed Hot Stuff Left Me Cold! on + 150 more book reviews


I am a huge Janet Evanovich fan; this is not one of her better stories.

The book jacket summary sounded very interesting to me, it had real potential to be a lighthearted, intriguing romance. The book started out decent enough, I immediately liked the main character, Cate, and fell for her and her crazy Irish family. At the same time I was falling for the Madigan's I was introduced to a not so lovable character, Patrick Pugg. This guy is so annoying it really takes away from the rest of the story. I feel he was inserted into the story to garner some laughs; unfortunately he had the opposite effect on me. He constantly refers to himself in the third person, everything is "Pugg this" and "Pugg that." It was exhausting and exasperating to read! He had absolutely zero redeeming qualities; any normal person would have sprayed this guy with mace and taken out a restraining order. For you Plum fans, think of all the faults and quirks of the character Albert Kloughn, add a few more, than multiply and magnify by 100.

The rest of the characters were endearing and likable. Kellen McBride is a lovable hero and it's easy to see why he and Cate are so attracted to one another. The whole mystery of the missing drag queen roommate and the other surprises (don't want to spoil anything) also had some potential, but ended up falling flat for me. The ending and the wrap up of the mystery was completely unbelievable and ridiculous. And just when I'd think it couldn't get any more far fetched, it would. While I know this is fiction, and I appreciate the land of make believe, I always prefer a little reality in my books.

The humor and the dialogue seemed really forced and childish to me. Nothing in this book made me laugh out loud, like I normally do with a Janet read, I barely smiled at some parts. Another problem with this story was the introduction of yet another dog. I was happy this one didn't resort to the normal dog antics, but the dog thing is getting a bit stale for me. Not the worst book I have read, but far from the best.