Taken With You - Shannon Stacey (Carina Press - Mar 2014)

Series: Kowalski (Book 8)

Hailey Genest has seen most of her friends marry and have babies, and she's happy for them, but it was a lot easier before she hit forty. She's spent her entire life in Whitford, Maine, and if she hasn't found her Prince Charming by now, she has to accept she's probably not going to. When a new friend suggests they go on an adventure and embrace being single, Hailey agrees.

Surviving in the woods is game warden Matt Barnett's idea of a relaxing vacation. But when he meets two women in need of help, he leads them back to safety -- a task that proves more fun than expected, thanks to a certain hot blonde. He can't resist pushing her buttons, even though she's made it clear that the rugged, outdoorsy type just isn't for her.

Hailey is glad to see the back of her tempting-tour-guide-slash-pain-in-the-ass. When he shows up in her life again, she's determined to avoid him, no matter how good he looks in his uniform. But that's easier said than done in Whitford, especially when he's renting the house right next door….

I've been looking forward to reading Hailey's story and this was definitely worth the wait. Hailey is the town librarian, just turned forty, and is beginning to feel like life is passing her by. When her friend Tori suggests that they try an outdoor adventure, she agrees, even though the great outdoors is definitely not her thing. They end up getting separated from their group and rescued by game warden Matt Barnett, who had been on vacation nearby. Hailey isn't impressed by the hairy, smelly mountain man who seems to be laughing at her, but she doesn't expect to see him again.

She is surprised to find a cleaned up and extremely hot Matt has been assigned as the new game warden for Whitford. Not only that, he is also her new next door neighbor. But in spite of their chemistry, she figures there are just too many differences between them for a successful relationship. She is a girly-girl who has a nice neat house, is looking for a man with regular hours who has fairly refined tastes. Matt is a rugged, outdoorsy guy with a dog named Bear, whose idea of a good time is camping, fishing and hiking. He's not interested in a relationship with a woman who looks down on who he is.  He'd been through one of those already and it affects everything he does with Hailey.

The chemistry between them is really strong and pretty soon they decide to just go with enjoying each others company, knowing that neither has expectations of forever. They were honest with each other about their expectations, which gave them the freedom to just be together. I loved seeing them get to know each other, and how even though they are different those differences complement each other. I loved seeing Matt get Hailey to do things outdoors with him, and how she actually enjoyed some of it. It made it that much more frustrating when he was such a complete jerk when she tried to get him to do something she wanted to do. I thought that Hailey did a much better job at being openminded about what life with Matt would be like. When Matt was such an idiot my heart just broke for Hailey because she had been doing everything right. I loved the scene up at the cabin when Matt's dad was pointing out the error of his ways: "You know I love you, right? But you're an idiot." Matt really did come through in the best way at the end, redeeming himself in a spectacular way.

One of the things I loved about Hailey was her love for her job as a librarian. I could see her joy in her work with every scene that took place there. I also loved seeing how her love of reading blended in with her time with Matt. I also really enjoyed seeing how hard she worked to keep her relationship with Matt out of the gossip crosshairs, but how the people of Whitford saw the truth anyway.

Love a Little Sideways - Shannon Stacey (Carina Press - Dec 2013)

Series: Kowalski (Book 7)

Liz Kowalski is heading home to Whitford, Maine -- this time for good. Eager for her family, a fresh start and some fun, she doesn't count on being rescued by the chief of police her very first night back in town. Drew is everything she's not looking for…so why is she still so attracted to him?

After a brief, forbidden rendezvous at her brother's wedding, Drew Miller expects Liz to return to New Mexico and stay there. He's searching for someone to settle down with, not a casual fling with his best friend's sister. But when they're stuck together on the annual Kowalski camping trip, things start going a little sideways. Keeping their hands off each other proves just as impossible as keeping their secret from becoming public knowledge.

Amid family, mud and melted marshmallow, Liz and Drew try to fight what's growing between them. But a little time alone, a lot of chemistry and too many opinions might be just what it takes to bring together two people so determined not to fall in love.

Very good book.  I was happy to see Liz get her story since she's been the invisible Kowalski through the other books. She and Drew had that brief encounter at Mitch's wedding, but then she went back to New Mexico. We got a little bit more of her at the end of the last book when Josh stopped to see her on his trip. At that point I was really hoping she'd come home and get together again with Drew.

Liz has finally dumped her lazy boyfriend and realizes she really misses her family. So she leaves everything behind and comes home to start over. The problem is, she's not really sure what she wants. She looks at her brothers and feels like she should be doing something more than she is. They are all successful and happy and she's still waiting tables. She doesn't expect to run into Drew on her way into town, and discover that the sparks between them are as hot as they were before.

On the other hand, Drew knows exactly what he wants. He and his wife had divorced when she confessed to him that she didn't want kids and never had. Now he's looking for a woman who wants the same things he does. But it's a little hard to look for that woman when he can't get Liz off his mind. He's got a couple problems with that fascination. He knows she's not in the same place he is. Plus, she's his best friend's little sister and there are rules about that. So he does his best to resist the attraction, but it isn't easy.

Then comes the Kowalski family reunion camping trip. With his dad now with Rose, that makes Drew part of the family too. Being in close proximity all day every day puts a strain on their resistance, and it isn't long before their secret is out. Now that they're able to spend time together openly, each of them has to decide just what they want out of their relationship.

I really liked both Drew and Liz, though I did get a little frustrated with both. I thought Drew was a little too focused on his desire for a family, to the point where he almost lost Liz completely. I also got a little ticked at the way he was trying to keep the relationship from Mitch. He should have manned up and talked to him from the beginning. As he admitted to himself that Liz was the one he wanted, he made the mistake of moving too fast, and he knew that he was moving too fast. But he can also be wonderfully sweet and romantic. On the other hand, Liz seemed to be stuck in neutral. She was enjoying being with Drew, but she didn't want to think too far in the future. She knows what he wants, but she's still trying to figure out what she wants to do. She's moving in the direction that Drew wants, but she's afraid he's moving too fast and she's not quite ready for the commitment that he's looking for. She also wants to be wanted for herself first and foremost, not her ability to give Drew the family he wants. Both of them had to face up to their mistakes before they could get to the future they both wanted. I liked seeing Mitch be there for Drew, even though it was a little awkward for him.

One of my favorite parts of the book was the camping trip. I loved seeing all the Kowalskis together and the fun that they all had together. All the activities OF DOOM were great and showed what a wonderfully close family they were. I got a real kick out of the Scrabble game and the commentary from the guys as they listened to all the laughter coming from the women. I loved seeing Drew and Liz try to keep a lid on their feelings, but that just increased the pressure they were under. As much as the confrontation with Mitch sucked, there were parts of it that were pretty funny. I loved Liz and the spoon, and the way she tried to make Mitch see sense. I was happy to see everything finally out in the open.

All He Ever Dreamed - Shannon Stacey (HQN - May 2013)

Series: Kowalski (Book 6)

Josh Kowalski is tired of holding down the fort -- better known as the Northern Star Lodge -- while his siblings are off living their dreams. Now that his oldest brother has returned to Whitford, Maine, for good, Josh is free to chase some dreams of his own.

As the daughter of the lodge's longtime housekeeper, Katie Davis grew up alongside the Kowalski brothers. Though she's always been "one of the guys," her feelings for Josh are anything but sisterly. And after a hot late-night encounter in the kitchen, it's clear Josh finally sees her as the woman she is.

Katie's been waiting years for Josh to notice her, but now that he has, she's afraid it's too late. Giving her heart to a man who can't wait to leave town is a sure way to have it broken. But could it be that everything Josh has ever wanted is closer than he could have imagined?

I loved this book. Josh has been one of my favorite characters from this side of the family and I was so happy when he finally got his story. Josh got stuck with running the family lodge by default when his father died and his siblings already had their own lives away from Whitford.  He has dreams of his own that don't include the lodge. The only thing that has made life bearable for him is hanging out with his best friend Katie. But when she moves into the lodge to help out her mom, Rosie, something changes. Josh runs into her in the kitchen late one night when she's wearing somewhat skimpy pajamas. Suddenly he realizes that Katie isn't just his best buddy, she's also a woman and a pretty hot one at that.

With her mom being the housekeeper and surrogate mom to the Kowalskis, Katie has been around them all her life. She's been in love with Josh for years and frustrated by his "best buddy" attitude. Now that he's actually seeing her as a woman, she couldn't be happier - except that he still plans to leave as soon as he can.

This was so much fun to read. Everyone in town can see that Katie and Josh belong together. Josh's obliviousness is amazing to see. He spent so long resenting being stuck running the lodge that now that the end is in sight he can't see anything else. I loved their late night encounter and the way that Josh is so completely blindsided by his sudden attraction to Katie. His internal dialog is absolutely hysterical as he tries to cope with these new feelings. As they are thrown together to help Katie's mom, Josh continues to fight his feelings, fearing that getting involved with Katie will ruin their friendship and also cause him to give up his dreams. I loved seeing him finally give in. Instead of damaging their friendship, it seems to make it stronger as their feelings give it new dimension. I loved seeing the way that being with Katie settles his feelings somewhat, but his need to leave is still there. When he's given the opportunity to go, he is so conflicted. There's a lot of heartache for him as he realizes his two greatest desires are incompatible. I loved seeing his journey as he follows his dreams and learns what is most important to his heart.

Katie was great. She is comfortable with herself as she is, but fears that Josh will never see her as more than his friend. I loved her reaction to their kitchen encounter, and his actions the next day. She sees his reactions but his fighting of it really frustrates her. Her decision to shake things up was great, and I loved seeing what she did on Christmas Eve that pushed things over the edge. But now that they have made that jump, Katie is afraid that things are going to change for the worse. She can see that he is still not completely happy and that he still needs to leave Whitford. She wants him to stay but thinks he will begin to resent her for keeping him from his dreams. I ached for her as she let him go, but was so happy that she loved him that much. I loved seeing her keep their friendship alive during his journey and what a difference it made to them at the end.

There was so much fun to Josh and Katie's romance, as they deal with reconciling their romance with their long friendship. The banter between them was great, from their bet about Max's job to their attempts to keep their new relationship secret. I loved seeing various other characters get involved, from helping Katie with her Christmas Eve plans to ragging on Josh about not seeing what was in front of him the whole time. I loved Katie's ability to see what Josh needed and put her own dreams on hold to make his come true.

I loved Katie's mom Rosie and her vital part throughout the books. She was such a great mom figure to them all. It was fun to see her behind the scenes work to get Josh and Katie together. I also loved seeing her with Andy and how she goes from hating him in the first book to love in this one. Andy's patient devotion to her was terrific. I also loved his part in making Josh's dreams possible.

All He Ever Desired - Shannon Stacey (HQN - Mar 2013)

Series: Kowalski (Book 5)

A second shot at first love?

After college, Ryan Kowalski decided to leave Whitford, Maine, rather than watch Lauren Carpenter marry another man. Now his siblings need his help to refurbish the family-owned Northern Star Lodge and he's forced to face the past sooner rather than later when he collars a vandal -- and learns the boy is Lauren's son….

The last person Lauren needs back in her life is Ryan Kowalski. With a bitter ex-husband and a moody teenage son, she has enough man trouble already. But her son needs to learn a few lessons about right and wrong, even if Lauren has to escort him to Ryan's door every day to work off his crime.

With all this close contact, Ryan and Lauren can't deny the chemistry between them is as powerful as ever. But can a few searing kisses erase their past and pave the way for a second chance at true love?

I love second chance stories and this one was fantastic.  Ryan is back in Whitford to help his family repair the family lodge.  He's left his successful construction business back in Massachusetts for the month he figures it's going to take.  On his brief visits before he's managed to avoid Lauren, remembering the way she shot him down when he asked her to leave with him.  When he catches Lauren's sixteen year old son vandalizing the lodge he offers to let the boy work off the damages, which also gives him a reason to see her frequently.

Lauren remembers when Ryan offered to take her and Nick with him, but she'd been married at the time, even if the marriage wasn't the greatest.  Since her divorce she's spent a fair amount of time thinking about "what if".  But she has enough on her plate dealing with Nick's issues, her ex's bitterness, and trying to make ends meet.  She really doesn't need the complications that Ryan will bring to her life.

One of the things I love about the Kowalski books is that the people seems so completely real.  They deal with the same kind of issues that the rest of us have.  Ryan feels guilty about the way he neglected the family business and is trying to make up for it.  He and his siblings are close, but they each have their own lives.  I really enjoyed the way that they give each other a hard time, but they also provide support when it's needed.  

The beginning of the books spends a lot of time showing us who Ryan and Lauren are.  Ryan is furious at the vandal, but when he learns who the boy is he finds a solution that will work for everyone.  I liked his matter of fact way of dealing with Nick, not letting him get away with anything but also not being too hard on him.  He spends a lot of time teaching Nick and being a good role model for him.  He also takes the time to talk to Lauren and settle their past so that they can move on to the present.  He also discovers that his attraction to Lauren is as strong as ever, but doing anything about it is probably not a good idea.  As for Lauren, she is a single mother working to support her son in a small town without a lot going for it.  Her marriage ended when she caught her husband cheating, but she still shares custody of their son with him.  Knowing that Ryan is back in town adds another layer of stress to her life that only increases when she finds out about the vandalism.  I loved the fact that she was on board with Nick having to work off his debt to Ryan.  Her biggest problem with it is that it throws her and Ryan together more often than she really wants, especially with the attraction she feels for him.

The heat between them continues to build until the day of Ryan's brother's wedding.  With Nick at his father's for the weekend, the chemistry between Ryan and Lauren finally hits its flashpoint and they have an awesome night together.  Things get awkward when Nick arrives home early and finds them together.  Overall, they dealt with it quite well, with realistic attitude from Nick and some honest conversation from Ryan.  This begins a relationship between Ryan and Lauren that neither is quite sure has a future.  Ryan has his business and home four plus hours away, and trying to run his business and have a relationship with Lauren is physically and mentally exhausting.  Lauren knows Ryan has to go back to Massachusetts, but her life and job are in Maine, as is Nick and his life.  

Ryan has a tendency to avoid serious conversations by wanting to just see how things go and let them work out on their own.  When he finally realizes that isn't going to work he goes and has the first serious conversation with the wrong person, setting up a big argument with Lauren because she feels disrespected.  All Lauren can think about is how much she loves Ryan, but the thought of moving away and starting a new life scares her to death.  Ryan's errors just give her an excuse to break things off and try to protect herself. The pain they caused each other had me going through several tissues.  I loved the realism of the argument that was then followed by the family and friend support, which then leads to the couple seeing where they made their mistakes and finding a way to fix them.

There are some great scenes with various members of the family poking their noses into Ryan's business.  They do it with love, but there is also a fair amount chain jerking going on at the same time.  The Kowalski's surrogate mother Rose also plays a large part in keeping everything running smoothly by dispensing food and advice whenever needed.  I love this line of hers: "I don’t harass you kids. I persistently guide you in the right direction."