Going Rogue by Janet Evanovich
Dec. 28th, 2022 11:27 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
iariaRise and Shine Twenty-Nine
I liked it. I'm a little surprised by that but I did.
+ There was still no real or significant forward movement. It still feels like the books are treading water but it didn't bother me as much here. And we did get some - Stephanie acknowledging that she's an adrenaline junkie and she likes the danger and the fact that she took shooting lessons with Tank, small things but something. Plus her captures didn't feel like farces where she's incompetent. I prefer when the books show her good at what she does and she was almost that here. I particularly liked her saving herself in Pino's parking lot.
+ The situation with Morelli and Ranger was really interesting because while Stephanie and Morelli are firmly ON during the book and are happy and comfortable enough that Stephanie actually contemplates marriage, this book also brings Ranger/Stephanie back to the forefront in a way they haven't been in awhile. That usually happens only when Stephanie and Morelli are on a break. Stephanie considers to herself the possibility of marriage to Morelli but she and Ranger talk about it and she brings Ranger up as a possible marriage possibility with her family.
Meanwhile Ranger is all up in Stephanie's business this book. He usually respects that when Morelli is ON he needs to keep his distance but apparently not anymore? There is a lot of kissing, a lot of propositioning, a lot of being in her space, the aforementioned marriage conversation. I wonder if he senses that things are maybe moving to a level of seriousness between Stephanie and Morelli that would permanently close the door between him and Stephanie and is reacting to that? It makes the most sense to me.
Curious if this is actually going anywhere. This book did give me a delightful moment when Stephanie tells Luthor "my boyfriend gave it to me" and then "it was my other boyfriend". Dare I actually hope for Stephanie to get to keep both? I mean she's basically already with both. She's acknowledged to herself that she's in love with both of them, they are both in love with her. I wants it.
+ I liked the case in this. The kidnapping of Connie and then Vinnie was interesting and different. I loved Stephanie and Lula's reunion with Connie. I loved Stephanie and Vinnie working together to escape captivity, and then them going back to try and save Lula.
+ I liked the Stephanie/Bella interactions especially Stephanie taking her along on a fugitive apprehension. That was fun. And Stephanie turning her onto the traffickers at the end. I can almost see a future where they get along/Stephanie becomes her favourite family spouse and I love it.
+ My biggest beef was Stephanie wandering off to look at a random storage place without protection. She knew the danger, it wasn't even an urgent errand and it was just dumb all around. It bothers me more because it wasn't necessary. I'd have totally bought it if Stephanie had purposefully done it to finally be proactive in tracking the kidnappers by using herself as bait.
+ I loved Stephanie running Marcus down, beating the crap out of him, and then being pulled away by a laughing Ranger.
+ I liked the background moments of people knowing/appreciating Stephanie. Like - the airport guards who recognized her and wanted selfies with her, the guys at Pino's friendliness with her, the butcher flirting with her, Tank being impressed with her shooting.
+ I liked the trio of Beedle, Benji and Sparks. I get why Stephanie wasn't willing to throw them under the bus. I loved them hanging around to protect her and that in the end they did by first alerting Rangeman of her disappearance and then with Sparks physically saving her from Luthor.
I liked it. I'm a little surprised by that but I did.
+ There was still no real or significant forward movement. It still feels like the books are treading water but it didn't bother me as much here. And we did get some - Stephanie acknowledging that she's an adrenaline junkie and she likes the danger and the fact that she took shooting lessons with Tank, small things but something. Plus her captures didn't feel like farces where she's incompetent. I prefer when the books show her good at what she does and she was almost that here. I particularly liked her saving herself in Pino's parking lot.
+ The situation with Morelli and Ranger was really interesting because while Stephanie and Morelli are firmly ON during the book and are happy and comfortable enough that Stephanie actually contemplates marriage, this book also brings Ranger/Stephanie back to the forefront in a way they haven't been in awhile. That usually happens only when Stephanie and Morelli are on a break. Stephanie considers to herself the possibility of marriage to Morelli but she and Ranger talk about it and she brings Ranger up as a possible marriage possibility with her family.
Meanwhile Ranger is all up in Stephanie's business this book. He usually respects that when Morelli is ON he needs to keep his distance but apparently not anymore? There is a lot of kissing, a lot of propositioning, a lot of being in her space, the aforementioned marriage conversation. I wonder if he senses that things are maybe moving to a level of seriousness between Stephanie and Morelli that would permanently close the door between him and Stephanie and is reacting to that? It makes the most sense to me.
Curious if this is actually going anywhere. This book did give me a delightful moment when Stephanie tells Luthor "my boyfriend gave it to me" and then "it was my other boyfriend". Dare I actually hope for Stephanie to get to keep both? I mean she's basically already with both. She's acknowledged to herself that she's in love with both of them, they are both in love with her. I wants it.
+ I liked the case in this. The kidnapping of Connie and then Vinnie was interesting and different. I loved Stephanie and Lula's reunion with Connie. I loved Stephanie and Vinnie working together to escape captivity, and then them going back to try and save Lula.
+ I liked the Stephanie/Bella interactions especially Stephanie taking her along on a fugitive apprehension. That was fun. And Stephanie turning her onto the traffickers at the end. I can almost see a future where they get along/Stephanie becomes her favourite family spouse and I love it.
+ My biggest beef was Stephanie wandering off to look at a random storage place without protection. She knew the danger, it wasn't even an urgent errand and it was just dumb all around. It bothers me more because it wasn't necessary. I'd have totally bought it if Stephanie had purposefully done it to finally be proactive in tracking the kidnappers by using herself as bait.
+ I loved Stephanie running Marcus down, beating the crap out of him, and then being pulled away by a laughing Ranger.
+ I liked the background moments of people knowing/appreciating Stephanie. Like - the airport guards who recognized her and wanted selfies with her, the guys at Pino's friendliness with her, the butcher flirting with her, Tank being impressed with her shooting.
+ I liked the trio of Beedle, Benji and Sparks. I get why Stephanie wasn't willing to throw them under the bus. I loved them hanging around to protect her and that in the end they did by first alerting Rangeman of her disappearance and then with Sparks physically saving her from Luthor.
