All He Ever Needed by Shannon Stacey

Born to Roam...He won’t stay put for a woman, and she won’t chase after any man…

Mitch Kowalski lives out of a suitcase—and he likes it that way. Traveling for work has the added bonus of scaring off women who would otherwise try to tie him down. But when he’s called home to help with the family lodge, he’s intrigued by the new girl in town and her insistence that she doesn’t need a man. If there’s one thing Mitch can’t resist, it’s a challenge.

Looking for Home...

After a nomadic childhood, Paige Sullivan is finally putting down roots. Determined to stand on her own two feet, she lives by the motto “Men are a luxury, not a necessity.” But when Mr. Tall, Dark and Hot pulls up a stool in her diner and offers her six weeks of naughty fun with a built-in expiration date, she’s tempted to indulge.

They’re the perfect match for a no-strings fling. Until they realize their sexy affair has become anything but casual…

 

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I'll just start by saying that I am totally in love with this series! Funny, sweet, sexy, romantic… the Kowalski Family books have everything I look for in my contemporary romance reads and with All He Ever Needed I got all I ever needed, and more. It’s heartwarming, touching, poignant, hopeful... a truly charming, feel good story.

I can't begin to tell you how much I love these books! Shannon Stacey, time and time again, weaves tales of everyday people with their everyday lives... people just like you and me... and manages to make their stories so fun, so heartwarming and passionate that I can't stop reading! Seriously, from the first page to the last, I just can't put the books down, and such is the case with this book, too.

Mitch and Paige are such fantastic people, each on their own, but when they get together, they are amazing! I fell hard and fast for them both as I giggled and scoffed my way through their efforts to convince themselves, and each other, that they'd be nothing more than bed buddies. And yet, despite their 'sex only' motto, their relationship never felt cheap or shallow to me because Ms. Stacey gives us such insight to them, showing us their hearts and souls and proving that when you find that special someone and let them in, show them your hopes and dreams, anything is possible!

I adore the close-knit Kowalski family and how they are always there for each other, even when things are difficult... heck, especially when things are difficult. Their love, support, devotion... they've got the kind of family I love to see!

Before I close, I want to share one of my favorite scenes from the book. It's a cute, sexy little banter between Mitch, who was still trying to get in Paige's pants, and Paige, who was still trying to convince Mitch - and herself - that she doesn't want him there:

“Men are a luxury, not a necessity.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” he asked, scowling as if the concept was totally foreign to him. Which it probably was.

She moved away from the island and straightened the salt and pepper shakers just to give her hands something to do. “It means I don’t need a man in my life. And I have that written on a sticky note taped to my fridge so I don’t forget it.”

“But you want a man, right?”

She pretended to think about it for a few seconds.“Not especially.”

“Who opens jars for you?”

“I have a little gadget that does that.”

“But…” He grinned. “What about sex?”

“I have a little gadget that does that, too.”

He looked stunned for a few seconds, and then a naughty gleam lit up his blue eyes, and she wondered how the hell she’d gotten herself into this conversation. She was supposed to be letting him know she wasn’t interested — even if it wasn’t precisely true — and somehow she’d ended up talking to him about sex toys?

“I’ve been told,” he said, “that little gadgets aren’t a good substitute for the real thing.”

They weren’t, actually, but she wasn’t about to tell him that.“Maybe whoever told you that wasn’t using the right gadgets.”

The bottom line: If you haven't yet read Shannon Stacey's stories, drop whatever you're doing right now... yes, that means stop reading my review... and pick up book 1 in the series, Exclusively Yours. The beauty of Shannon Stacey's stories is that they are always light, feel good, solid romances with people you can't help but care about and happily ever afters you can't help but cheer for! So what are you waiting for? Stop thinking about it and just do it! If you love you contemporary romance as much as I do, you won't be disappointed!

My thanks to netgalley.com and Carina Press for providing me with an ecopy of this book for review. As always, it was a pleasure!