All He Ever Dreamed by Shannon Stacey

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 kids. 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 one sure way to have it broken. But Josh keeps coming up with excuses not to leave—could it be that everything he's ever wanted is closer than he could have imagined?

*****

All He Ever Dreamed is the sixth book in Shannon Stacey’s Kowalski Family series and, start to finish, I couldn't put it down!

A little back story: I’ve absolutely loved every book in this series, but there’s been something about Josh that has been tugging at my heartstrings since I first set eyes on him. He’s the youngest of the Kowalski siblings and as each of the others left home to build their own lives, Josh’s life has seemed less and less in his control. Everyone’s assumed he’d run Northern Star Lodge, but they never asked if that’s what he wanted to do. He was becoming more and more frustrated and bitter, but then one day he got a lucky break – literally. He fell off a ladder and broke his leg. As his siblings come home to help with the lodge, they start to see that Josh isn't as happy to be there as they thought he was, and this is when he finally tells them how he really feels about being left behind to run the family business.

So that brings us to now...Josh’s story, and it’s every bit as emotional as I had expected, and Josh is every bit the honorable, devoted – and very sexy – man I knew he would be! There were times I wanted to smack him right upside his gorgeous head and knock some of the stubbornness out of him, and other times I wanted to bring him home and love him all better! Such a great, great man he’s turned out to be.

Katie Davis – I adore Katie. Her mom, Rosie, has been the Northern Star's housekeeper forever, so Katie grew up with the Kowalski kids. She’s been Josh’s best friend for as long as she can remember, but that friendship became something more - to her. She fell in love with him. Katie knows that in Josh’s eyes, she’s just “one of the guys” and she’s sure he’ll never see her any other way, but with a little encouragement from friends and family, she decides to pull out all the stops and make him see that she’s all woman, she’s all his, and always has been! And this made for some very funny, very romantic, and very sexy reading!

And as always, these stories wouldn't be nearly as fun as they are without revisiting the rest of the Kowalski friends, family and neighbors! It's always such a treat to catch up with them. They are caring, devoted, amazing people, people I can’t get enough of!

The bottom line: Contemporary Romance fans, Shannon Stacey’s Kowalski Family series is not to be missed! These stories are sweet, sexy, emotional tales that are guaranteed to leave you with a smile on your face and a sigh in heart!

My thanks to Carina Press and Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this story in exchange for an honest review. It’s been an absolute delight!

All He Ever Desired by Shannon Stacey

 

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?

*******

All He Ever Desired is the fifth book in the Kowalski Family series and another enjoyable story. I can tell you, without hesitation, that Shannon Stacey is one of my favorite contemporary romance authors, and this series is must read for me. The stories are sweet, passionate, humorous, and often focus on valuable lessons, reminding us of what is most important in life; Love, family and integrity.

There are so many things to love about this story! Revisiting the Kowalski clan as they come together for Paige and Mitch’s wedding made for some fun times. Watching Rose and Andy grow closer – Rose’s snarky (for Rose) comments and Andy’s obvious affection for her. Meeting Lauren’s troubled teen age son, Nick, and getting a glimpse into the man he’ll become. And most especially, Ryan and Lauren, the stars of this story.

Ironically, my favorite part of this story is also my least favorite. Like the cover blurb tells us, a lot of years have passed since Ryan made Lauren an offer she was obviously able to refuse, and both moved on with their lives, though neither ever forgot the other. Circumstances have brought them together again, so with all those years behind them and nothing to stop them, they’re finally ready to take a chance on each other and see what the future might hold.

And this is why it's my favorite part: I loved how real it felt. How we watched their struggle - Ryan's to approach Lauren again after having already been shot down once. It might have been 16 years ago, but the wound she inflicted to his pride, and his heart, is still fresh. And Lauren's struggle to take a chance and allow someone into her life again, especially a man like Ryan Kowalski who makes her feel things no one, not even her ex husband, had ever made her feel.

And this is why it's my least favorite part: It's heartwarming, at times poignant and inspirational, but by the very nature of this story, it also causes some lag in the flow and pacing. Not to the point of distraction, mind you, but for me it was there and that's the only thing keeping this from being a 5 star read.

So now I'm very much looking forward to Josh's story and finding out if he can make his own dreams come true. He's been the one person holding everything together while everyone else was off following their own dreams and now it's his time to shine. And then there's Liz's story, too. That girl's had it rough and it's time that she have a chance at love, whether she realizes she wants it or not.

The bottom line: Like all the books in this series, All He Ever Desired is a romantic, steamy, funny, feel good story. The devotion to family and community gives these books that small town feel that I adore, and the characters - their lives and loves - are what keeping me coming back for more.

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