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Elsie Hawkins #1
Back to the Bedroom
Now available in one volume, two classic Janet Evanovich romances, which feature Elsie Hawkins—the prototype for fan favorite Grandma Mazur in the wildly popular Stephanie Plum novels
BACK TO THE BEDROOM
She was the mysterious woman in the long black cloak. He was the sexy guy next door. They shared a common wall between their Capitol Hill townhouses and not much else—until disaster scored a direct hit on the mystery woman’s bedroom and the sexy guy’s heart. He baked her a cake, she learned to throw a football, there were some misunderstandings in the living room, some mishaps in the yard, and some romantic moments everywhere...
THE ROCKY ROAD TO ROMANCE
When the delightful, daffy Dog Lady of station WZZZ offered to take on the temporary job of traffic reporter, Steve Crow tried to think of reasons to turn Daisy Adams down. Perhaps he knew that sharing the close quarters of a car with her for hours would give the handsome program director no room to resist her quirky charms. He always favored low-slung sports cars and high-heeled women, but that was before he fell for a free spirit who caught crooks by accident, loved old people and pets, and had just too many jobs! Loving Daisy turned Steve’s life upside down, especially once he adopted Bob, a huge dog masquerading as a couch potato…
234 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published October 1, 1989
1029 people are currently reading
6168 people want to read
About the author
Janet Evanovich
332 books41.1k followersJanet Evanovich is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Stephanie Plum series, the Lizzy and Diesel series, twelve romance novels, the Alexandra Barnaby novels and Trouble Maker graphic novel, and How I Write: Secrets of a Bestselling Author, as well as the Fox and O'Hare series with co-author Lee Goldberg.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 732 reviews
July 9, 2022
This is a Humor/Chick-Lit/Women's Fiction, and the first book in the Elsie Hawkins series. This was a funny and fast read like the other Janet Evanovich books. I loved it so much.
December 30, 2022
For escape from everything that is bothering you there is no better author to read than Janet Evanovich. These early romances are a bit on the screwy side, but definitely worth the read, just for the fun factor. I love just losing myself in this wonderful world.
David Dodd has won the lottery, literally, and since quitting his job he has a lot of time on his hands. He has observed that his beautiful next-door neighbor keeps rather odd hours and totes a strange shaped case around with her. He has yet to work up the courage to actually meet her until the night a helicopter drops a chunk of metal through her roof.
Katherine Finn is a woman driven to be the best. She is a concert cellist and is constantly on the go. When a chunk of metal drops through her roof and her hunky neighbor volunteers to help fix it, she decides life is trying to tell her something.
Can a lazy millionaire and a driven cellist find happiness? They can with the help of Elsie Hawkins.
David Dodd has won the lottery, literally, and since quitting his job he has a lot of time on his hands. He has observed that his beautiful next-door neighbor keeps rather odd hours and totes a strange shaped case around with her. He has yet to work up the courage to actually meet her until the night a helicopter drops a chunk of metal through her roof.
Katherine Finn is a woman driven to be the best. She is a concert cellist and is constantly on the go. When a chunk of metal drops through her roof and her hunky neighbor volunteers to help fix it, she decides life is trying to tell her something.
Can a lazy millionaire and a driven cellist find happiness? They can with the help of Elsie Hawkins.
November 24, 2022
4.5 Stars for Back to the Bedroom: Elsie Hawkins, Book 1 (audiobook) by Janet Evanovich read by C. J. Critt.
This was a fun start to a new series. I think great that the author is adding classical music to the story line. It’s interesting to see how her characters are becoming more complex.
This was a fun start to a new series. I think great that the author is adding classical music to the story line. It’s interesting to see how her characters are becoming more complex.
October 14, 2014
I feel compelled to read all Evanovich novels. Once again, these romance novels that were written before the days of Stephanie Plum are terrible. I don't know why I continue to do this to myself. If you've considered picking one up, don't. I can sum all of them up for you......feisty (usually redhead or blonde with ringlet curls), independent and strong-willed female stumbles across incredibly gorgeous hunk of a man who sees her and is instantly madly in love. She pushes him off repeatedly (but not really) because she's been burned by love before. He persists because how can he live without this woman he's known for 2 days?!? And surprise!!!! Turns out he's a millionaire (and of course our heroine is always struggling to make ends meet). He admits to her he's in love, she's scared off until anywhere from 20 min to 24 hrs later she admits to herself and him that she desperately (sigh) loves him back. Things are great for maybe another 24 hrs and then one of them (usually our lady friend) decides it just isn't going to work. Usually within another day's time she decides how silly she has been. How can she live without this man she's known for a week?!? How will anyone else make her feel this way?? Their lives and marriage will be perfect and full of big houses, lots of money, pets and kids. End of book. The only good part of these books is crazy Elsie.
October 30, 2016
Back To The Bedroom is a pre-Plum novel by popular American author, Janet Evanovich. It is the first book in the Elsie Hawkins series, on whom, Evanovich says, Grandma Mazur was modelled. Dave Dodd has been watching his busy, energetic neighbour come and go for a while: always in a hurry, keeping erratic hours, wearing a long black coat and lugging a large, oddly shaped metal case on wheels. When something really big falls from the sky and crashes through her roof, he jumps to the rescue.
Katie Finn doesn’t have time to deal with the hole in her roof, her broken bed and the ruined (brand new!!) feather quilt: she has a matinee to play in, she needs to get to the Kennedy Centre with her cello now! She has no choice but to leave Dave in charge. By the time she returns, in the pouring rain, Dave is on the roof trying to cover the hole. A slight mishap later, he’s lying on his back, winded, on her ruined bed. Katie straddles him to check he’s not a corpse, and he’s smitten.
Elsie Hawkins, an elderly ex-resident of a care facility, turns up to rent Katie’s spare room, and Dave continues to make himself useful to Katie, hoping she’ll soon realise she’s in love with him too. And she soon is, but there’s a problem: Dave seems to be unemployed, and there’s no way she could even consider a serious relationship with someone whose work ethic is so vastly different from her own. Funny and a little bit sexy, this is an enjoyable read.
Katie Finn doesn’t have time to deal with the hole in her roof, her broken bed and the ruined (brand new!!) feather quilt: she has a matinee to play in, she needs to get to the Kennedy Centre with her cello now! She has no choice but to leave Dave in charge. By the time she returns, in the pouring rain, Dave is on the roof trying to cover the hole. A slight mishap later, he’s lying on his back, winded, on her ruined bed. Katie straddles him to check he’s not a corpse, and he’s smitten.
Elsie Hawkins, an elderly ex-resident of a care facility, turns up to rent Katie’s spare room, and Dave continues to make himself useful to Katie, hoping she’ll soon realise she’s in love with him too. And she soon is, but there’s a problem: Dave seems to be unemployed, and there’s no way she could even consider a serious relationship with someone whose work ethic is so vastly different from her own. Funny and a little bit sexy, this is an enjoyable read.
April 3, 2011
Because it was there and I needed a laugh. :)
August 26, 2015
Cute love story! One if the few that I have read by Janet Evanovich with dual first-person perspective. I love hearing the thoughts of the hero and heroine. Wouldn't it be great to hear the thoughts of Ranger and Morelli in the Stephanie Plum novels?
January 2, 2013
OK, this is just undeniably cute and clever
I have been an Evanovich fan for a long time. Her stories are strong, well written, and have women characters that are realistic. They have trouble with money, men, jobs, all those things that the rest of us have problems with. Her books are side splittingly funny, and contain the occassional explosion. Hey, who can't love a woman who blows things up?
This is a very early work, and shows how Janet got her start. I won't go over the story line, as it is quite a short book, and I am sure other people have done it. My take on it is how nice it is to see that Ms. Evanovich has always had a sense of humour with her writing. This little story is rediculous in it's own way when it comes to the story line, but you can't help but be pulled in and then to roll over with true belly laughs while you are being led along. Take a Type A workaholic female musician, a Type "Who cares?" toy collector, drop in an elderly woman with a huge "hankie" (and the will to use it!), an hysterical dinner party, a kidnapping, an explosion, and several cats . . . well, you will understand when you read it. And don't fail to read it - it will lighten your whole day!
I have been an Evanovich fan for a long time. Her stories are strong, well written, and have women characters that are realistic. They have trouble with money, men, jobs, all those things that the rest of us have problems with. Her books are side splittingly funny, and contain the occassional explosion. Hey, who can't love a woman who blows things up?
This is a very early work, and shows how Janet got her start. I won't go over the story line, as it is quite a short book, and I am sure other people have done it. My take on it is how nice it is to see that Ms. Evanovich has always had a sense of humour with her writing. This little story is rediculous in it's own way when it comes to the story line, but you can't help but be pulled in and then to roll over with true belly laughs while you are being led along. Take a Type A workaholic female musician, a Type "Who cares?" toy collector, drop in an elderly woman with a huge "hankie" (and the will to use it!), an hysterical dinner party, a kidnapping, an explosion, and several cats . . . well, you will understand when you read it. And don't fail to read it - it will lighten your whole day!
June 11, 2020
So this is certainly not my normal type of book and to be honest I only picked it up for a challenge. It had the usual contemporary stereotypes like the spunky grandmother figure. While the MCs have lived next door to one another for awhile now, it isn’t until something crash lands through her roof the two even meet-when he comes to the rescue. Within the next few days both are suffering severe bouts of instalove and it’s only the heroines supreme ideals of who the hero should be and what their relationship should look like that keep them from progressing. On that note the heroine was so stuck up and annoying it was hard to handle. She is somewhat of a perfectionist and it was maddening how much she tried to shove her beliefs and ways down his throat. It’s so ironic because most women wouldn’t care that he spent his time doing whatever the hell he wanted cause oh yeah he won the lotto and is a damn millionaire. It was ok for a quick read but the cheesiness and unlikable heroine really didn’t do the book any favors.
November 20, 2008
This was another one-day read, when I had too many other things I should have been doing instead. I am very fond of Janet Evanovich’s books, which is one of the few things that JoanEllen & I disagree on. It is light reading, but always fun. This one is not part of the Stephanie Plum series; instead, it is a standalone novel about a too-tight lady cello player, Katherine Finn, who meets the lazy bum living in the next house when an object falls out of the sky and crashes through her roof, and he comes over to see what happened. They both find themselves excessively attracted to each other; while Katherine is trying to adjust to that, a rather strange old woman, who carries a Colt 45 in her handbag (a clear takeoff on Grandmother Mazur), appears on her doorstep to take the room (the attic space that the object crashed through) that Katherine had previously advertised in the paper in order to make ends meet after her divorce. During the next few days, Katherine finds police searching her house for the thing that fell out of the sky, learns how to throw a football, adopts a kitten, wins at bingo, breaks her leg, and discovers that being in love and being a highly organized person are incompatible states of being. I loved the characters and the dialog, which are typical Evanovich. A really fun book, as all of Evanovich’s books are.
December 17, 2020
Kate (Katherine) Finn, professional cellist, is having One of Those Days when something falls through her ceiling, her third floor and lands in the middle of her bed. Who should come over to see if she's okay, but her neighbour, Dave, and, not shockingly, they are very attracted to each other, even though the are opposites. Divorced, Kate has put in a notice for a roommate, and that very day Elsie Hawkins shows up and insists on taking the room--anything to get out of the old folks home.
This is a fun novel, read for a reading game, and I may well read it again. While some see Stephanie Plum characters, Kate is nothing like Plum, and there was enough difference between Elsie and Plum's grandmother that I enjoyed her. I may well read the next one, even though the two main characters will be other people as Elsie Hawkins is the secondary character who is the constant in these.
This is a fun novel, read for a reading game, and I may well read it again. While some see Stephanie Plum characters, Kate is nothing like Plum, and there was enough difference between Elsie and Plum's grandmother that I enjoyed her. I may well read the next one, even though the two main characters will be other people as Elsie Hawkins is the secondary character who is the constant in these.
November 10, 2021
There were a few annoying bits, but overall, this was very funny. I read that this was written before the Stephanie Plum series, and that Grandma Mazer was based off of Elsie and when I was reading it, that's exactly who I pictured when Elsie was introduced. She's a gun toting senior with lots of humor. I loved it!
April 1, 2024
This was a story of neighbors that do not socialize until something crashes through the roof. They start becoming friendly realizing the others qualities. She is a musician dedicated to teaching and playing the cello. He is living off his lottery winner money. I found no or little humor in this. I couldn't get into this at all.
December 7, 2022
Warm and fuzzy feels.
I wanted to stay in this romance longer. The opposites attract plot took on a fresh face as a passionate classical musican falls for a man with zero ambition. He doesn’t have a job.
Several times while reading I put down this novel to burst into laughter!
Don’t miss this gem of a story,
I wanted to stay in this romance longer. The opposites attract plot took on a fresh face as a passionate classical musican falls for a man with zero ambition. He doesn’t have a job.
Several times while reading I put down this novel to burst into laughter!
Don’t miss this gem of a story,
April 25, 2020
CHALLENGE # 31- AUTHOR LOVE TO MEET
cute, quick read. humor. light & breezy.
engaging characters. great chemistry from the beginning b/w Kate & David.
(while there were sex scenes it was pg-13 rated in it's descriptions)
good story. Love the Elsie Hawkins character.
this was technically a re-read for me.
I'm a fan of the stephanie plum series & when Evanovich's earlier harlequinn romances were reissued, i read them. but it's been many years so i didn't remember the story for this one.
i also think Elsie was the precursor to Grandma Mazur in the Plum series. as well as some of the humor & catastrophes that Kate encounters. you can see how Evanovich was developing her writing style & was able to make the first Plum books so entertaining.
cute, quick read. humor. light & breezy.
engaging characters. great chemistry from the beginning b/w Kate & David.
(while there were sex scenes it was pg-13 rated in it's descriptions)
good story. Love the Elsie Hawkins character.
this was technically a re-read for me.
I'm a fan of the stephanie plum series & when Evanovich's earlier harlequinn romances were reissued, i read them. but it's been many years so i didn't remember the story for this one.
i also think Elsie was the precursor to Grandma Mazur in the Plum series. as well as some of the humor & catastrophes that Kate encounters. you can see how Evanovich was developing her writing style & was able to make the first Plum books so entertaining.
February 15, 2015
laughed out loud so hard and long at the car repair place, everyone wanted to know what I was reading
For example, here are several quotes I saved (I collect them for rainy days...):
"Just because we're engaged doesn't mean you can take liberties."
"Too late. I've already taken all your liberties.."
And "it's hard to think straight when you're filling me with all your glory."
If you like this non-gross but very light-hearted banter, you will like this book.
I clearly did. Thanks, JE
For example, here are several quotes I saved (I collect them for rainy days...):
"Just because we're engaged doesn't mean you can take liberties."
"Too late. I've already taken all your liberties.."
And "it's hard to think straight when you're filling me with all your glory."
If you like this non-gross but very light-hearted banter, you will like this book.
I clearly did. Thanks, JE
January 6, 2016
This is exactly what you'd expect it to be. Early Evanovich, pre-Plum, where she is really working out some signature aspects of her writing that will make her the best-selling author that she is today. Sometimes you need something predictable, and that's what I wanted when I picked this up. Wacky, silly fluff - enjoyable for a Sunday afternoon at the park while watching the kids play.
(I feel the need to add that I'm watching my kids play - not random kids. Thanks)
(I feel the need to add that I'm watching my kids play - not random kids. Thanks)
September 17, 2012
I am a huge Stephanie Plum fan and have not do not like the Full series nearly as well. Not as funny and a little boring. It was OK, but would not recommend.
November 27, 2024
2.75
So the writing is fun a silly and over the top. I enjoyed that part of it along with some of the ideas but the execution wasn't my fave. It was fun but overall very meh.. I do love Elsie, the repeat old lady that pops up in a several of Janet Evanovich books and she was one of my favorite parts of the book. It was fine.
So the writing is fun a silly and over the top. I enjoyed that part of it along with some of the ideas but the execution wasn't my fave. It was fun but overall very meh.. I do love Elsie, the repeat old lady that pops up in a several of Janet Evanovich books and she was one of my favorite parts of the book. It was fine.
January 10, 2025
I really enjoyed this! There were so many times I had to stop for a minute because I was laughing too hard to continue. Overall, this book was funny, well paced, and enjoyable. Well worth the time to read.
January 20, 2020
Breezy and delightful first novel from this wonderful author. So light it could float, I enjoyed the characters a lot.
July 25, 2021
3.5 stars, this was so funny I glad I picked it up.
January 22, 2022
I might of read this book before. Parts of sounded familiar. Love this author so worth it to read it again.
January 4, 2025
I love this authors humor and the way she writes dialogue, but I really do prefer her detective series. This was still cute though!
January 31, 2025
Wow, this book is so wonderful. It is full of love,laughter, and entertainment.
June 25, 2018
And yet another cute romance from Janet Evanovich. Though I will admit that ditsy Kate got on my nerves after a while but laid-back David was the perfect match for her
June 1, 2025
This was a wild book where nothing happened. Essentially a hallmark movie which I loved!! She does end up with 4 cats though so that’s kinda tough.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 8, 2009
This book should have been titled, "Back to the Drawing Board". This should have been remastered with the addition of a real plot! I happened to pick this up because someone had kindly (or not) left it in our rental unit and I was bored and decided to see what all of the Janet Evonovich fuss was about (I see lots of ladies in the airport reading these books and laughing hysterically). Clearly, those ladies were not reading THIS book. Within the first page the book could have been finished; lady meets hunky next door neighbor as he comes to rescue her from a quirky, yet harmless disaster and they fall in love.
Really? Is that all there is? Yes. That's really all there is. 200+ pages of the same repetitive drivel. I should have left this one right where I found it. Or better yet, removed it from my shelf to spare another hapless victim from wasting time on this "book".
Really? Is that all there is? Yes. That's really all there is. 200+ pages of the same repetitive drivel. I should have left this one right where I found it. Or better yet, removed it from my shelf to spare another hapless victim from wasting time on this "book".
October 15, 2012
ชอบแทบทุกเรื่องของ Janet Evanovich ตั้งแต่ซีรีส์ Stephanie Plum ก็ติดตามอ่านของนักเขียนท่านนี้ตลอด ชอบอารมณ์ขันของผู้เขียนที่ถ่ายทอดมาสู่เนื้อเรื่องและตัวละคร แม้ว่าบางครั้งจะดูไม่ค่อย make sense แต่ก็ตลกฮาแบบไม่ต้องคิดอะไรมาก
เรื่องนี้ Janet เขียนก่อนซีรีส์ Plum เป็นโรแมนติด-คอเมดี้น่ารัก ๆ อีกเรื่อง
นางเอกเป็นนักดนตรีเล่นเชลโลที่ทำทุกอย่างรีบเร่งตั้งแต่ตื่นลืมตายันหลับตา ส่วนพระเอกก็ว๊างว่างวัน ๆ อ่านแต่การ์ตูนไม่ทำงานทำการเพราะดันโชคดีถูกล๊อตเตอรี่รางวัลที่หนึ่ง ทั้งสองคนดูเหมือนไม่น่าจะเข้ากันได้เลยเพราะคนหนึ่งก็ซีเรียสอีกคนก็ชิลเหลือเกิน
โชคชะตามาพบกันเพราะอยู่บ้านใกล้กันและนางเอกดันโชคร้ายบ้านโดนถล่ม พระเอกเลยได้โอกาสชวนเธอให้มาอาศัยอยู่ชั่วคราว เข้าล๊อคละทีนี้ได้แต่มองเวลานางเอกกระหืดกระหอบเข้า/ออกบ้านโดยไม่เคยได้มีจังหวะสนทนาปราศรัยกันสักที
เรื่องนี้ Janet เขียนก่อนซีรีส์ Plum เป็นโรแมนติด-คอเมดี้น่ารัก ๆ อีกเรื่อง
นางเอกเป็นนักดนตรีเล่นเชลโลที่ทำทุกอย่างรีบเร่งตั้งแต่ตื่นลืมตายันหลับตา ส่วนพระเอกก็ว๊างว่างวัน ๆ อ่านแต่การ์ตูนไม่ทำงานทำการเพราะดันโชคดีถูกล๊อตเตอรี่รางวัลที่หนึ่ง ทั้งสองคนดูเหมือนไม่น่าจะเข้ากันได้เลยเพราะคนหนึ่งก็ซีเรียสอีกคนก็ชิลเหลือเกิน
โชคชะตามาพบกันเพราะอยู่บ้านใกล้กันและนางเอกดันโชคร้ายบ้านโดนถล่ม พระเอกเลยได้โอกาสชวนเธอให้มาอาศัยอยู่ชั่วคราว เข้าล๊อคละทีนี้ได้แต่มองเวลานางเอกกระหืดกระหอบเข้า/ออกบ้านโดยไม่เคยได้มีจังหวะสนทนาปราศรัยกันสักที
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