Authors Like Janet Evanovich (10+ Fantastic Fiction Recommendations)

Janet Evanovich was born in 1943. She is an American author who writes contemporary romance novels. Janet writes under the pen name Steffie Hall. 

She was the first member of her family to attend college. She went to Douglass College which is part of Rutgers University. She studied art at this college. 

Authors Like Janet Evanovich (10+ Fantastic Fiction Recommendations) (1)

When Evanovich had children, she began writing novels. She wrote three different novels that she was unable to sell before she started writing romance novels. She wrote two different romance novels and submitted them to be published.

However, she was still unable to find a publisher. Eventually, she was picked up and started to become more successful.

The last 17 of her Plum novels made the NY Times bestseller list. Evanovich’s work has been printed two hundred million times across the world. Her work has been translated into 40 different languages.

If you’ve enjoyed Janet Evanovich’s impressive collection of novels, and are looking for similar compelling contemporary romance novels to get stuck into, then authors like Donna Andrews, Lori Avocato, and Kathleen Bacus.

Read on for some fantastic recommendations by these authors (see also “Authors Like Liz Carlyle“).

Books By Janet Evanovich

Janet Evanovish has written lots of different novels. Her work within the romance genre has helped her to develop skills in creating likable characters. She has filled her novels with comedy and humor, too. 

Janet Evanovich rose to fame when she wrote a series of contemporary mysteries (If you like the contemporary mystery genre, check out Books Like To Catch A Killer). These stories feature Stephanie Plum.

She is a former lingerie buyer who was born in New Jersey. When she found success through these novels, her work was put on the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Amazon bestseller lists. 

After having written a few romance novels, Evanovich realized that she wanted to write romantic adventure novels.

One for the Money (1) (Stephanie Plum)

She went against the norms of romance novels ensuring that her books were told in first person narrative, unlike the style of romance. This is what she did in her Stephanie Plum series. 

In 1994, she released her first novel in this series named One For The Money. This book received very good reviews and it was named a NY Times notable book acknowledgment. 

She then released the novel Hot Six which was the sixth book in this series. She reached number one on the bestseller list with this novel.

Evanovich has based the character of Plum on herself in a lot of ways. She has stated that they both have shared similar experiences. 

Going Rogue: Rise and Shine Twenty-Nine (29) (Stephanie Plum)

The novel One For The Money has been made into a film. It stars Katherine Heigl as Stephanie Plum. 

The latest novel in this series was released in 2022 and is named Going Rouge: Rise and Shine Twenty Nine.

The Stephanie Plum series is not the only series that Janet has written. She has also written a Knight & Moon series.

The first novel in this series is called Curious Minds. This series was co-authored with Phoef Sutton. This is the first time that Janet Evanovich has written a novel alongside someone else.

In this series, you are introduced to two new characters named Emerson Knight and Riley Moon.

Curious Minds: A Knight and Moon Novel

Janet Evanovich Themes

Janet Evanovich has many different themes running through her work. She writes a lot of romance into her novels, as well as containing a lot of action and humor.

She writes about the same characters, so you see a lot of character development and you come to understand these characters throughout the series.

Authors Like Janet Evanovich

There are many authors that are fairly similar to Janet Evanovich. If you’re an Evanovich fan, you should give one of the following authors a read, too.

While they have lots of similarities to each other, these authors bring different perspectives to similar ideas and themes.

Donna Andrews 

Murder With Peacocks (Meg Langslow Mysteries Book 1)

Donna Andrews is a successful American mystery writer. She was born in Virginia and studied English and Drama at University in Virginia.

She currently lives in Reston. She has won two different awards for her Meg Langslow. Within this series, the first book was released in 1999.

It was named Murder with Peacocks. This story won an award for the funniest mystery novel of 1999. 

In this series, there are 32 different novels that have been released over the years. They have all been very popular and they have won a large number of different awards.

Her series named Turing Hopper has also won some awards. The novel You’ve Got Murder, released in 2002 won the Agatha Award for best mystery. 

Andrews has also written many short stories over the years which were published. She is best known for her series of stories, though.

You've Got Murder: Turing Hopper, Book 1

Pros

  • She is a very successful author who has written a large number of novels within different series. 
  • Her work has a lot of the same ideas as Evanvich.

Cons

  • Michaelides has not released many novels as of yet. He is very new to fiction writing. 

Themes: Humor, comedy, romance, family.

Lori Avocato

Sugarplums and Scandal

Lori Avocato is another great author to read if you love Janet Evanovich’s work. Lori started out her working life as a nurse. She worked for the US Air Force. She wrote over 20 books before she got any published.

However, over time, Lori became an award winning author. 

She now has many different novels, with over 21 books being sold in stores right now. She uses her medical background in the plots of these stories and she has a very comedic voice in her novels. 

Her novel Sugarplums and Scandal is definitely worth a read if you like the work of Evanovich. You will see lots of similar themes with Evanaovich in this novel.

A Dose of Murder and Dead on Arrival are also worth a read if you’re looking at Lori’s work.

She is part of the Mystery Writer of America guild, the Sisters in Crime guild and the Romance Writers of America. She is also a part of many local chapters.

Dead on Arrival (The Pauline Sokol Mysteries)

Pros

  • Her novels are very successful and she has won many different awards over the years.
  • Avocato’s themes are very similar to those of Janet Evanovich. They are both humorous crime writers who involve romance in their works.

Cons

  • She is not as well known as some of the other authors on this list. If you want to read novels your friends will know about, she may not be for you.

Themes: Crime, humor, murder, scandal

Kathleen Bacus

Calamity Jayne (Calamity Jayne book #1) (Calamity Jayne Mysteries)

If you like Janet Evanovich’s novels you will also love Kathleen Bacus. She is the author of Calamity Jayne and she creates some very loveable characters. Growing up, Kathleen loved writing, including Victoria Holt books.

The Calamity Jayne Mysteries contain cops, horses, cowboys and whodunnits. They are very intriguing and are loved by many different people.

In this series, there are 8 primary works, and 12 in total. This includes some short stories and some crossover novels. The stories that follow Calamity Jayne have been turned into a TV series over time, and they are very popular.

Kathleen is currently working on a young adult series of novels which are humorous and scary. 

Pros

  • Kathleen Bacus’ work is very funny and interesting.

Cons

  • There are a few differences between the two authors, so if you want something that is very similar then this may not be for you.

Themes: Suspense, humor, crime, intrigue.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Authors Are Similar To Janet Evanovich?

If you love Janet Evanovich’s work then you will also love the work of some similar authors.

There are many authors that write along the same lines as Janet Evanovich. These include Kathleen Bacus, Lori Avocato and Donna Andrews.

If you enjoy Evanovich, read some of the books that are recommended in this article by authors similar in this article (see also “Authors Like Nancy Thayer“)! (see also “Authors Like Betty Neels“)

What Genre Does Janet Evanovich Write?

Janet Evanovich is a modern contemporary writer. She writes romance novels that contain lots of action. 

Where Was Janet Evanovich Born?

Janet Evanovich was born in South River in New Jersey. She attended South River High School, and then went on to study art at Douglass College in Rutgers University.

Does Janet Evanovich Use Pseudonyms?

No. Janet Evanovich writes under her own name. 

Final Thoughts 

There are many authors similar to Janet Evanovich. These include Donna Andrews, Kathleen Bacus and Lori Avocato.

Now that you have read this article, you will have a detailed understanding of Evanovich’s work. You will also have an understanding of some of the authors who are similar to her. 

If you love the work of Janet Evanovich and you’re looking for something similar to read, you should give some of the novels by the writers mentioned in this article a read! I’m sure you won’t be disappointed.

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Anna Davis