Okay, yeah I didn’t get to Stephanie Plum #6-10 yet. It’s still out in my library so I decided to go full Diesel and read the Lizzy and Diesel trilogy or Wicked trilogy as I dubbed it due to the title.

Written with Phoef Sutton, this rollicking supernatural read is much more my speed. Set in Salem, MA with Lizzy , an average woman who works at a bakery. The most supernatural thing about her is that her cupcakes are just that delicious. Everyone loves them.

Until Diesel does his breaking and entering thing and informs her that she’s an Unmentionable. One of two beings who are capable of sensing the SALIGA stones that his cousin, Wulf Grimoire (remember him?) is after. Lizzy, understandably, thinks he’s insane but Diesel is hard to dissuade and she has to accept his protection when Wulf does his burning Chinese Dragon hand on her.

As for the SALIGA stones, it stands for the seven deadly sins as written in Latin. I suppose GAPLEGS stones would have been too ridiculous even for this comedy series. And so, each book focuses on Lizzy and Diesel on the hunt for a different stone, the hilarious moods they are put under along with a creepy-funny cast of characters like Glo the spell-blundering wannabe witch; Hatchet, Wulf’s Renissance-speaking Unmentionable and of course, Carl the chimp.

Perhaps, because it is co-written, the humor is different and much more speed. Less blood/guts/bodily fluids and more innuendo, spell hijinks, hypocritical humor and slapstick. But that may be because this is more magical in the vein of Bewitched than following a bounty hunter.

Anyway, the biggest humor highlights came from how people change when they interact with the stone. The gluttony stone for example, does not only cover the classic gluttony of eating but there’s the glutton for punishment one (he’s been a bad bad boy ha!) and a glutton for money. There’s the lust stone that became purified to the true love stone causing Wulf to appreciate Casablanca and so on.

Additionally, the hunt for the stone has a sort of police procedural vibe that allows for different locals, crazy characters to question and finding the pieces and clues that allow it all to fit together. Plus I enjoy how there’s a split between the job and Lizzy’s personal life wth Diesel going off on his own to do his supernatural cop stuff. It made it feel like a wider world with space to breathe as they both had their own lives and circles of friends. Though we don’t see Diesel’s, it’s nice to get hints of his mysterious enegmatic personal life.

Furthermore, the character dynamics are interesting and fun from Lizzy and Glo’s friendship to Hatchett’s serfdom loyalty to Wulf to of course, Lizzy and Diesel. The sparks really fly between them and I like how there’s a clear sense of support and trust with each other. While Diesel clearly enjoys yanking Lizzy’s chain, unlike with Stephanie, he shows real concern and care for her. And Lizzy isn’t creeped out (well anymore) of Diesel or annoyed by his comments but lightly flirts back and did I mention the sparks. They strike me as a playful couple and they really do work well together. It’s just a shame they can’t be together.

Oh yes, did I mention that because Lizzy is an Unmentionable and Diesel is supernatural, they cannot be together (in the biblical sense. There’s still a lot of kissing and spoonung) because if they do, it will cancel one of their power’s permenantly and since Diesel needs his powers and he needs Lizzy’s to find the stones, they can’t do the deed. Which all adds an extra bit of tension there, believe me.

It’s just a shame that the series got cancelled. At least that’s what I assume since it’s been 7 years since Wicked Charms and Evanovich and Sueef have gone on to other things. Unfortunate, I really enjoyed it and wanted to see them find the other four stones and the apparently growing attraction Wulf had for Lizzie, which obviously was not going to happen but did show a new, even creepier side to him.

So go out and read it. Maybe the surplus of interest will make them consider a reunion? But still, it’s a sinfully good time.