QUOTES AND REVIEWS

The delightful Teddi Bayer returns after outsmarting her sleazy husband, who tried to convince everyone Teddi was crazy and dangerous in last year's Who Makes Up These Rules, Anyway? Now an interior designer, Teddi's upset to find her wealthy client dead, especially when more violence follows. Detective Drew Sconnes investigates, complicating Teddi's life in more ways than one, as she's never sure whether he wants to kiss her or arrest her. What Goes With Blood Red, Anyway? (4.5), by Stevi Mittman, is a wonderful story. Humor, excitement, a good mystery and romantic uncertainty make this series a winner. ~Romantic Times

The second Teddi rules tale is a fun amateur sleuth police procedural tale in which the audience wonders along side the heroine whether Andrew will kiss her or arrest her. The action-packed story line, like the previous one, is centered on Teddi whose antics make for an amusing yet somewhat serious read. Fans will want more terrific Teddi tales.~Harriet Klausner

WHO MAKES UP THESE RULES, ANYWAY is an amusing tale of a woman trying to raise her family in a normal way regardless of her mother’s mental illness. She finds humor and can joke around even when she thinks her own life is falling apart. Stevi Mittman has a fabulous style of writing that draws you in with her first words. Her wittiness will make you smile while turning the pages. The next book is WHAT GOES WITH BLOOD RED, ANYWAY? For a great read with a surprise finish, run to the store to grab up this book.

Stevi Mittman does it again with this hilarious story of Teddi. WHAT GOES WITH BLOOD RED, ANYWAY? grabbed my attention right away and I had a hard time putting it down. Teddi is a captivating character that you fall in love with immediately, her humor and the escapades that she gets caught up in are hilarious. The two suitors for Teddi were perfect. Who will she decide to date? Grab up WHAT GOES WITH BLOOD RED, ANYWAY? and see which guy you would like Teddi to end up with!

Interior designer Teddi Bayer -- a magnet for trouble -- is inspecting a restaurant space with her mother. When her mother finds a dead body in the men's room, a health department certificate pinned to his chest and a bullet hole between his eyes, detective Drew Sconnes comes to investigate. The attraction between Drew and Teddi is still there. But more trouble is on the horizon. For starters, Teddi's mother steals the dead man's diamond pinkie ring, and a fire breaks out during a cook-off. Laugh-out-loud funny, this series continues to be strong and wonderful. Teddi is irrepressible as her life, and everyone in it, whirls out of control, but she never gives up. Why Is Murder on the Menu, Anyway? (4.5) by Stevi Mittman is not to be missed.

Library Journal: A combination of women's fiction and romance, this lively trio of contemporary novellas bring humor and flair to the holiday season. An accountant's uneventful life turns chaotic and ultimately more romantic when she inherits an Italian restaurant, complete with staff and sexy chef, in Austin's "If I Make It Through December." Grandma June throws the family's holiday into turmoil when she engineers a fake kidnapping (of herself) in an effort to have the family together again in Stevi Mittman's hilarious and touching Hanukkah story, "Who Needs June in December, Anyway-" A mother and daughter bond as they plan their ideal holiday and finally learn what really matters in Mary Schramski's poignant "The Perfect Christmas." A teaser chapter from each author's next book is included.

UPDATE* - I neglected to say that I thought the ending was wonderfuland it had me yearning to rush out and buy the next in the series(which, of course, will not be available for quite some time). The nexttitle is "Who Creamed Peaches, Anyway?" and it has a general 2008release date. I should also mention that Teddi does change and growthroughout the series. I love Stephanie Plum and her wacky family, butshe doesn't really alter much from one novel to the next. Teddi does;and, in that way, I think she's actually a much better character. Don'ttell Ms. Evanovich I said that.

Whose Number is Up, Anyway? was the perfect antidote to the downers I've recently read and it's an excellent summer read - nice and light. I love a bit of a chick lit upper, now and then, and the timing was perfect. The one thing I'm really curious about is . . . how long will Teddi keep Drew hanging? Is the author going to keep this series going eternally, like the Stephanie Plum series? Because I enjoy the series, but I felt like the way Teddi avoided commitment in this particular book hinted at the possibility of, "I'm going to keep this series going forever" syndrome. There came a point in the Stephanie Plum series that each book began to take on the feel of a rerun - same old, same old . . . and never with a satisfactory conclusion to Stephanie's man problem. So, I stopped reading the series. My hope is that Stevi will not drag out the series forever. However, I'd also like to see her obtain the success of Janet Evanovich; I think her books are every bit as entertaining as the Stephanie Plum books and I'm hoping Stevi will eventually branch out and offer up some different characters.

In Whose Number Is Up, Anyway? (4.5), by Stevi Mittman, Teddi Bayer, interior designer and amateur sleuth, is at the market when a body is found in a freezer. She's sure it's murder, but the police insist it's natural causes, even when a doctor treating the man is found dead. Her sometimes lover, detective Drew Scoones, is on the case, and Teddi is determined to prove she's right. Mixed in are her family, including an ex-husband, who once tried to gaslight her into a mental institution and a sullen teenage daughter who wants her mother back with her ex. The deaths and danger continue as Teddi decorates a bowling alley and investigates herself into danger. As always, Mittman has a wonderful book with great humor and heart that can't be put down.

Page Traynor, Romantic Times

BOOKFOOLERY:
4.5/5 - a little bit of a slow start, but once it got going . . . woohoo! Hold on for the ride.

I truly adore Stevi's writing. While it's classified as romance, a lot happens in her books and the focus is never on just the males swirling around her. Instead, you get to see a woman who has a lot to deal with and often makes a fool of herself but who triumphs in the end. Teddi Bayer is a character I love. And, I think I mentioned this earlier in the week, but I'll repeat that I think one of Stevi Mittman's strengths is her consistency. Like the better-known Janet Evanovich, when you pick up a Mittman book or story, you know just what you're getting into.

WHOSE NUMBER IS UP, ANYWAY?

Hilarious and thoroughly entertaining, Stevi Mittman continues the saga of Teddi Bayer in WHOSE NUMBER IS UP, ANYWAY? as Teddi dives in and out of trouble trying to live a normal life. The story is a funny, slapstick comedy of errors from beginning to end as she tries to evade killers, her interfering mother, three often disgruntled children, her troublesome ex husband, though he married the girl friend to make their baby legal. And then there is the detective, Drew Scoones, who shows up each time she finds a new dead body, and the naughty boy is always after hers—and the feeling is mutual.

While trying to keep up with her job redecorating the bowling alley, though it is open and running, Teddi is running another errand for her mother, when she and the reluctant clerk discover a dead body in the freezer. And of course, Drew and his partner, who hates Teddi, are the ones to show up. In the meantime, her mother has a better client, as usual, who wants to see her immediately, while she tries to get the alley ready for the Big Reopening Gala. But as usual. Teddi gets in her own way, when she realizes that she knows the dead man, and is sure that she knows who killed him. Need I say more?

Reviewed by Lucele Coutts on 7/31/2007.
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