ARC Review: All He Ever Needed by Shannon Stacey

 (more like 3.75 feathers)

All He Ever Needed

(Kowalski Family #4)

by Shannon Stacey

Work keeps Mitch Kowalski busy and always on the move. It’s the main reason why I guy like him hasn’t settled down yet. But the other reason is simply because Mitch doesn’t want to. He’s a man with a free spirit, the one who simply does as he pleases. But when his brother’s life starts spiraling out of control and their lodge requires his assistance, he takes some time off work to come straighten things out.

This is where he encounters Paige Sullivan, the new diner owner with a cute smile and an even sweeter personality. Paige was a heroine I instantly liked. She was sensible and sweet, while giving Mitch a tease here and there to keep him on his toes.

I definitely enjoyed the chemistry between the two, but there was one thing that really impeded the relationship for me. Living in a small town means that everyone is in your business. I was annoyed by the people who kept trying to coerce Paige into sleeping with Mitch simply because he was interested in her. Mitch also acts this way and he can’t really believe it when Paige continually turns him down. It seemed like a game to me and it took away from of the romantic aspects to the story. Even towards the end, Mitch isn’t 100% ready to commit. That doesn’t scream “meant to be” or “perfect ending” to me. So I was a little disappointed with that.

However, Shannon Stacey continues to charm readers with her characters and wit. She sets up the next character’s stories well. I’m interested in reading Ryan and Josh’s stories!

*Prelim copy provided by editor

 

Purchase Links: Amazon

Review: Undeniably Yours by Shannon Stacey

 

Undeniably Yours

(Kowalski #2)

by Shannon Stacey

Beth Hansen’s life turns around when Kevin Kowalski walks into her life. As a man who is used to having women throw themselves at him, Beth knows that Kevin is a good time. But despite her initial uncertainty about him, she just can’t resist his charm. So she follows him back to his room for a night of hot sex and nothing more. When she slips out the next morning, Beth finds the threads of her life intertwined with the man she was wrapped around last night.

It seems that Kevin has the special recipe for baby batter because Beth becomes pregnant with his child. While Kevin isn’t allergic to the idea of being a father, it seems that Beth is prone to hives just thinking about being in a relationship.

It took me about a month to read this book and this is not a good sign. Initially, I thought it was because I just wasn’t in the mood for a contemporary romance so I set it down for awhile, thinking to come back to it when I wanted something light and uplifting. Nope. Even weeks later I found myself dragging through these pages.

First off, I did not like Beth. At all. Shortly after starting this book, Beth was giving off warning vibes and I had a feeling she would be one of those heroines I wanted to strangle. I gave her time, I really did. A month in fact, and yet she was still the same. I didn’t like her attitude about the “no relationship” thing. That didn’t fly with me. Her constant rejection made me angry. I just don’t like the girl.

Which leads me to Kevin Kowalski whom I did like, but felt he was wasting his efforts on a woman like Beth. He was sexy, fun and sweet but I thought he could have done better. Her rejections burned and I felt sorry for him more than I actually liked him. I hope that makes sense. I think it was because of Beth that I found myself not liking this book. I have read romances where baby drama is a big factor but this one just didn’t work for me.

It dragged and I found it very hard to like or care about the characters. And when I don’t particularly care about the characters in a book, it’s hard for me to want to know what happens with their story. Maybe this book will be different for you.

 

 

 

Purchase Links:  Amazon

Review: Exclusively Yours by Shannon Stacey

3.5 Feathers

Exclusively Yours

by Shannon Stacey

(Kowalski Family # 1)

I was recommended this series because of the strong familial element and the cute and sweet romance, so I was very excited to read my first Shannon Stacey contemporary. In EXCLUSIVELY YOURS, Keri Daniels, our heroine is a magazine writer for Spotlight. Her boss, Tara has requested a job from her that requires her to use her past as a jump-off. Tara wants an interview with Joseph Kowalski, a well-known author who doesn’t like the spotlight. Unfortunately for him, Spotlight wants him and so now with Keri’s job on the line, she is forced to face her ex-boyfriend Joe twenty years after their high school romance.

Joe isn’t one to divulge secrets of his private life so in order for Keri to ask her questions, Joe proposes that she accompany him and his family to their annual camping trip. For each day she spends with him, she gets to ask one question and in return, Joe asks one question from her.

I have to say that I really liked the premise of this story. The camping trip allowed for enough adventure and fun for the hero and heroine to play around with. And the one question per day bit was really a cute aspect of the story that guaranteed a happily-ever-after.

However, there was one thing that bugged me about this story. You know when a story lacks because its pacing is too slow? Well, this was the exact opposite. I felt like everything was happening so quickly that I didn’t get to enjoy the good parts as much as I thought I would. Don’t get me wrong, each scene was written nicely, but I just felt that they should have been longer or at least better paced.

We meet Keri and Joe fairly quickly in the book and then suddenly their romance starts to bloom. I felt like I didn’t get a chance to really know Keri or Joe individually before their romance started. Because of this, I didn’t have that same connection with the characters as I have with others.

Also, the big Kowalski family has its advantages and disadvantages. The side story with Terry and her problems added in more heart, which I think saved her from being seen as the “mean Keri-hating sister”. However, the rest of the family and their pop-in appearances really threw me over. There were so many new names and personalities that were thrown into my face that I felt really overwhelmed. To me, a strong family doesn’t necessarily mean a big family. So I hope that that will get better when I read the next book in the series, UNDENIABLY YOURS.

Purchase Links: Amazon