Fortune and Glory by Janet Evanovich
Dec. 31st, 2020 04:56 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
iariaSadly this didn't live up to my hopes after that last book. It was fine. But for a book that changed up the title for the first time in 27 books I was expecting something new, a change, a fun adventure and instead got pretty the exact same thing we'd gotten in the previous 26 books.
+ I was really hoping for Stephanie to make some changes in her life and while she did think multiple times about wanting a change, wanting to find her passion, needing to take time to discover who she is as well as coming to some conclusions (she's not normal, she wants to be Indiana Jones) in the end nothing does change. It was so disappointing.
+ I was really hoping that we'd get a final scene of Gabriela offering to mentor Stephanie or take her under her wing in some way. Maybe a job offer because skills can be taught but tenacity, dumb luck and uncanny instinct are all inherent and Stephanie has all of them. It would have been great for Stephanie to get validation from someone who seems to be exactly who Stephanie wants to be and it would have signalled an exciting new direction for the books.
That was another little disappointment - Stephanie met someone who seemed to be everything she wanted to be (effortlessly competent, put together) but she doesn't really think about it with regards to herself. There's no self-reflection over Gabriela at all. Additionally Gabriela's job of being a recovery agent, and the couple tales she told about it, seemed entirely in line with Stephanie's recently realised desire to be more Indiana Jones than a bounty hunter. Gabriela is basically doing the job that Stephanie seems to want! But that comes to nothing.
Gabriela is going to be the lead of a new series and I'm left wondering it JE hasn't written herself into a corner with Stephanie. She could have made Stephanie good at the job she has but instead has made it clear that Stephanie doesn't want to be a bounty hunter. In the last couple books Stephanie has made noises about what type of job she did want - and it sounds a lot like what Gabriela is. But that's Gabriela's job. So where exactly are things going with Stephanie?
+ I was pleased with how the situation with Gabriela played out. I was worried when she first showed up that the book might play up Stephanie's rivalry and jealousy and make her petty in response so it was nice when that didn't happen.
+ Then there's the love triangle.
It seemed like maybe something would happen with Stephanie and Morelli with this break-up since both were acknowledging their massive difference in what they wanted from life, but no Lula called it. The book ending with Morelli/Stephanie hooking up was so meh for me. They didn't resolve anything! If they're back together in the next book without any talk I'm going to be deeply annoyed. That said I did love their hug after the Porsche caught fire.
Meanwhile things with Ranger were pretty much status quo - Stephanie was off with Morelli so she slept with Ranger a bunch, he helped her out and then they stopped sleeping together. Sigh. I did like how very supportive Ranger was of Stephanie (as always). I loved him reassuring her that her "busy living every day" was a personal triumph. I liked his glee at her take down of Trotter. I loved him giving her one of the diamonds and his "Not yet" when she argued that she didn't have any treasures. I just really love his confidence in her.
+ I liked Stephanie's take down of Trotter. I also liked that she got to fight back successfully against the first set of goons sent to kidnap her and that she got some hits in during the rescue of her mother.
+ Gabriela deciding to try opening the safe herself was so dumb. I guess you could consider it a character flaw - she's impatient and takes risks at the end for instant gratification - but we saw how patient she was over the course of the entire book. That's her client's diamonds she's risking there and Ramone can easily come back, so it came off less as a character flaw and more as a dumb and unbelievable choice to give a final big explosion.
+ I liked Potts. He had boundary issues and needs help and learn to take a no but because he was so harmless and earnest he was pretty sweet and I liked the ways he helped Stephanie. I wonder if he's going to stick around as a new sidekick? I'd be fine with that. Actually I'd find it weird if he wasn't at least mentioned in the next book.
+ I was a bit disappointed that Carol didn't return for Stephanie's makeover instead of Potts randomly being good at picking out clothes for her because he spent an hour or two reading fashion magazines. It would have been great for her to have run into him at the mall. I did like that she got a significant new hairdo and also changed up her wardrobe somewhat. I guess that's something.
+ I was really hoping for Stephanie to make some changes in her life and while she did think multiple times about wanting a change, wanting to find her passion, needing to take time to discover who she is as well as coming to some conclusions (she's not normal, she wants to be Indiana Jones) in the end nothing does change. It was so disappointing.
+ I was really hoping that we'd get a final scene of Gabriela offering to mentor Stephanie or take her under her wing in some way. Maybe a job offer because skills can be taught but tenacity, dumb luck and uncanny instinct are all inherent and Stephanie has all of them. It would have been great for Stephanie to get validation from someone who seems to be exactly who Stephanie wants to be and it would have signalled an exciting new direction for the books.
That was another little disappointment - Stephanie met someone who seemed to be everything she wanted to be (effortlessly competent, put together) but she doesn't really think about it with regards to herself. There's no self-reflection over Gabriela at all. Additionally Gabriela's job of being a recovery agent, and the couple tales she told about it, seemed entirely in line with Stephanie's recently realised desire to be more Indiana Jones than a bounty hunter. Gabriela is basically doing the job that Stephanie seems to want! But that comes to nothing.
Gabriela is going to be the lead of a new series and I'm left wondering it JE hasn't written herself into a corner with Stephanie. She could have made Stephanie good at the job she has but instead has made it clear that Stephanie doesn't want to be a bounty hunter. In the last couple books Stephanie has made noises about what type of job she did want - and it sounds a lot like what Gabriela is. But that's Gabriela's job. So where exactly are things going with Stephanie?
+ I was pleased with how the situation with Gabriela played out. I was worried when she first showed up that the book might play up Stephanie's rivalry and jealousy and make her petty in response so it was nice when that didn't happen.
+ Then there's the love triangle.
It seemed like maybe something would happen with Stephanie and Morelli with this break-up since both were acknowledging their massive difference in what they wanted from life, but no Lula called it. The book ending with Morelli/Stephanie hooking up was so meh for me. They didn't resolve anything! If they're back together in the next book without any talk I'm going to be deeply annoyed. That said I did love their hug after the Porsche caught fire.
Meanwhile things with Ranger were pretty much status quo - Stephanie was off with Morelli so she slept with Ranger a bunch, he helped her out and then they stopped sleeping together. Sigh. I did like how very supportive Ranger was of Stephanie (as always). I loved him reassuring her that her "busy living every day" was a personal triumph. I liked his glee at her take down of Trotter. I loved him giving her one of the diamonds and his "Not yet" when she argued that she didn't have any treasures. I just really love his confidence in her.
+ I liked Stephanie's take down of Trotter. I also liked that she got to fight back successfully against the first set of goons sent to kidnap her and that she got some hits in during the rescue of her mother.
+ Gabriela deciding to try opening the safe herself was so dumb. I guess you could consider it a character flaw - she's impatient and takes risks at the end for instant gratification - but we saw how patient she was over the course of the entire book. That's her client's diamonds she's risking there and Ramone can easily come back, so it came off less as a character flaw and more as a dumb and unbelievable choice to give a final big explosion.
+ I liked Potts. He had boundary issues and needs help and learn to take a no but because he was so harmless and earnest he was pretty sweet and I liked the ways he helped Stephanie. I wonder if he's going to stick around as a new sidekick? I'd be fine with that. Actually I'd find it weird if he wasn't at least mentioned in the next book.
+ I was a bit disappointed that Carol didn't return for Stephanie's makeover instead of Potts randomly being good at picking out clothes for her because he spent an hour or two reading fashion magazines. It would have been great for her to have run into him at the mall. I did like that she got a significant new hairdo and also changed up her wardrobe somewhat. I guess that's something.
