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bananatricky's review
3.0
Book 4 Mitch and Paige.
Mitch is, in my opinion, the least likeable of the Kowalskis. He thinks he is God's gift to women and has a bad attitude. He's in Whitford to help out his brother Josh who has broken his ankle and he thinks the new owner of the Diner, Paige, would make a welcome diversion.
Paige has spent her entire childhood moving from town to town following her mother's latest flavour of the month. She is determined to put down roots and never to let her life be dictated by a man.
What could possibly go wrong?
Mitch is, in my opinion, the least likeable of the Kowalskis. He thinks he is God's gift to women and has a bad attitude. He's in Whitford to help out his brother Josh who has broken his ankle and he thinks the new owner of the Diner, Paige, would make a welcome diversion.
Paige has spent her entire childhood moving from town to town following her mother's latest flavour of the month. She is determined to put down roots and never to let her life be dictated by a man.
What could possibly go wrong?
sarah1984's review
5.0
24/07 - Another Harlequin romance and another winner. This was fantastic!! I'll have to review my opinion of Harlequin books, no longer seeing them as 100 page pieces of crap with none of the things I look for in a book (a story, character development, untruncated sex scenes/not jumping into bed on the third page, snappy dialogue etc). I wasn't a big fan of Mitch's original view of relationships, but you never actually see him behaving the way he says he always has in the past - so I didn't have to put up with reading him pulling that kind of crap on Paige, if I had I would have been put right off and a star would have been lost. I loved Paige's obsession with the library, if I didn't have Foxtel and constant access to GR I would be reading twice as much as I am now (I might even get through my whole 'to-read' list before I die). It's probably a good thing Mitch decided that he and Paige could make it work because at the rate she was reading after he left she would have made her way through the whole library in not too many months (I'm assuming it's not the biggest library in the world seeing as it's only a small 'everyone knows everyone' kind of town). This is number 4 in the series and I haven't read any of the previous books, but it absolutely didn't matter - the previous couples don't feature in this one at all. Sean is mentioned in passing as being the only sibling to have gotten (and stayed) married, none of the other Kowalski's are mentioned at all. I can't wait to go back and read the series from the start.
cranberrytarts's review
4.0
I've been curious about this branch of the Kowalski clan since the beginning of the series. I'm glad Stacey is writing them now.
As I've said before, I think Stacey does humor and wit very well. I know going into one of her books I'm going to be entertained and immersed in the story. I wasn't disappointed. The banter between Mitch and Paige was flirty and fun, as was the overall tone of their dealings with each other. There was quite a bit of depth, too, in the way they slowly opened up to each other.
Mitch's relationship with his family and his feelings about his hometown were understandable and worked well in the context of the story. The contrast between Paige's love for small-town life and Mitch's frustration with having his every action from birth through college dissected and discussed every time he came to town was played well and served to add believable tension.
Despite that, I was ..not put off, exactly, but a bit disappointed in Mitch's overall attitude about their relationship and Paige's acceptance of his actions. Mitch doesn't want more than a fling.
Her response was a good one,
but I think she let him get away with too much. His hot and cold attitude started to grate on my nerves, so it had to be grating on hers as well. Yet instead of calling him on it, she brushed it off.
That aside, I loved that she caught herself acting the fool for him and made a conscious effort to stop. She didn't pine after him or let herself build castles in the sky. It was refreshing for a woman to realize that's what she was doing.
While I had a few quibbles, overall I enjoyed the story. Once I started reading I couldn't stop. Now if she would just write a little faster so I could have the next book....
As I've said before, I think Stacey does humor and wit very well. I know going into one of her books I'm going to be entertained and immersed in the story. I wasn't disappointed. The banter between Mitch and Paige was flirty and fun, as was the overall tone of their dealings with each other. There was quite a bit of depth, too, in the way they slowly opened up to each other.
Mitch's relationship with his family and his feelings about his hometown were understandable and worked well in the context of the story. The contrast between Paige's love for small-town life and Mitch's frustration with having his every action from birth through college dissected and discussed every time he came to town was played well and served to add believable tension.
Despite that, I was ..not put off, exactly, but a bit disappointed in Mitch's overall attitude about their relationship and Paige's acceptance of his actions. Mitch doesn't want more than a fling.
“This is all there is. We’ll have a good time and enjoy each other’s company and then, when it’s time for me to go, I’ll just say goodbye and be gone. I won’t call. I won’t text. I won’t write.”
Her response was a good one,
“Just so you know,” she said, “once you’re gone, I won’t mope. I won’t text. I won’t sit around restaurants in twenty years reminiscing about the night we spent together.”
but I think she let him get away with too much. His hot and cold attitude started to grate on my nerves, so it had to be grating on hers as well. Yet instead of calling him on it, she brushed it off.
That aside, I loved that she caught herself acting the fool for him and made a conscious effort to stop. She didn't pine after him or let herself build castles in the sky. It was refreshing for a woman to realize that's what she was doing.
While I had a few quibbles, overall I enjoyed the story. Once I started reading I couldn't stop. Now if she would just write a little faster so I could have the next book....
stephanywrites's review
3.0
2.5 stars
Meh. I didn't enjoy this one as much as I have enjoyed the other books in her series. The writing felt a little jumbled at times, and it was a little too cheesy for my tastes.
Meh. I didn't enjoy this one as much as I have enjoyed the other books in her series. The writing felt a little jumbled at times, and it was a little too cheesy for my tastes.
ssejig's review
4.0
I was on quite a Shannon Stacey roll and this book really helped to keep it going.
Mitch Kowalski is in town to help out at the family lodge while his brother recuperates from a broken leg. He left town to evade the gossip and the past that everyone thinks they know about him. But, as long as he's back, he might as well scout out the fresh meat (my terms, Stacey's words are much classier.)
Paige Sullivan has been in town for two years and has finally set down the roots that were missing during her nomadic youth. She's not really interested in a fling with Mitch (though most of the rest of town thinks that she should definitely go for it, and they tell her).
I liked the secondary characters in this book. Yes, they're almost all sequel bait, but their stories are in the background with just enough setup to get a feeling for who they are without taking away from Paige and Mitch's story.
I love the Stacey's books avoid the Big Misunderstanding. When Mitch or Paige has the feels, they tell each other. There is no drawn out, "Oh, he'll change his mind and love me soon..."
Mitch Kowalski is in town to help out at the family lodge while his brother recuperates from a broken leg. He left town to evade the gossip and the past that everyone thinks they know about him. But, as long as he's back, he might as well scout out the fresh meat (my terms, Stacey's words are much classier.)
Paige Sullivan has been in town for two years and has finally set down the roots that were missing during her nomadic youth. She's not really interested in a fling with Mitch (though most of the rest of town thinks that she should definitely go for it, and they tell her).
I liked the secondary characters in this book. Yes, they're almost all sequel bait, but their stories are in the background with just enough setup to get a feeling for who they are without taking away from Paige and Mitch's story.
I love the Stacey's books avoid the Big Misunderstanding. When Mitch or Paige has the feels, they tell each other. There is no drawn out, "Oh, he'll change his mind and love me soon..."
lobo1tomia's review
3.0
I have met the Kowalskis last summer and fell in love with the family and Shannon Stacey's writing. I really was impatiently waiting for the next book in the series to come along and finally it was here: Mitch's story.
Seems to me that Shannon Stacey now starts a small town series as all the single Kowalski brothers are gathering around their hometown. I did like the way the other siblings storyline was introduced already so it we can keep guessing how their life will turn out. There are also a number of characters on the side who made a real impression and they were quite colorful. Beside the main romance there was also a couple of other arcs that concerned marriage and trust in a relationship which I found very unique in a romance novel. These were interesting because they draw attention to the fact that married life really starts after the HEA of a romantic story and problems will arise and you have to talk about them to your spouse otherwise things can go really bad for you.
What was a bit lukewarm for me really the romance between Mitch and Paige. When Mitch Kowalski showed up in Yours to Keep he seemed like an interesting and funny guy but here he somehow became your average romance hero and Paige was not too memorable for me either. I did not feel the sparks between them. I did understand their motives and needs and all of it made real sense but somehow the two of them as a pair just did not work for me.
But all in all I did have a good time reading the novel. It was a fun, light read, a real comfort to turn to and relax. Ms. Stacey has an original voice all warm and light but can still talk about more meaningful stuff like what can shake the foundation of a relationship.
More in Hungarian: http://olvasonaplo.net/2012/10/30/shannon-stacey-needed/
Seems to me that Shannon Stacey now starts a small town series as all the single Kowalski brothers are gathering around their hometown. I did like the way the other siblings storyline was introduced already so it we can keep guessing how their life will turn out. There are also a number of characters on the side who made a real impression and they were quite colorful. Beside the main romance there was also a couple of other arcs that concerned marriage and trust in a relationship which I found very unique in a romance novel. These were interesting because they draw attention to the fact that married life really starts after the HEA of a romantic story and problems will arise and you have to talk about them to your spouse otherwise things can go really bad for you.
What was a bit lukewarm for me really the romance between Mitch and Paige. When Mitch Kowalski showed up in Yours to Keep he seemed like an interesting and funny guy but here he somehow became your average romance hero and Paige was not too memorable for me either. I did not feel the sparks between them. I did understand their motives and needs and all of it made real sense but somehow the two of them as a pair just did not work for me.
But all in all I did have a good time reading the novel. It was a fun, light read, a real comfort to turn to and relax. Ms. Stacey has an original voice all warm and light but can still talk about more meaningful stuff like what can shake the foundation of a relationship.
More in Hungarian: http://olvasonaplo.net/2012/10/30/shannon-stacey-needed/
turophile's review
4.0
Another book that I read while recovering from a respiratory infection so memory is a bit hazy on this one so my review is a bit disjointed.
Shannon Stacey is one of my favorite contemporary writers and I was not disappointed by this book. As with most of her books, it’s a romance woven in with family drama centered around a group of brothers. It took a while for the characters to get together, but it was just the right length and amount of passion. The way in which the two main characters wrestled with how to reconcile the very different lives they lead felt very real as did learning from the failure of a friend’s marriage. That failure felt poignant and served as a good reminder that no everyone is happy all the time, even in romance novels.
Also loved one of the lines toward the ends “I want to be a necessity.”
A couple minor things that drove me a crazy. The use of interjections and long sentences at the beginning drove me crazy. The author and editor also missed some word choice fumbles. (To the best of my knowledge you can’t sew oats because it would be really hard to get a needle through them. See page 153 for two misuses, and the difference between sow/sew here: http://grammarist.com/spelling/sew-sow/
I thought it was good to know why Paige wasn’t dating, but I thought she ruminated on it too much. I also thought the town was so sex crazed it bordered on goofy.
Still a wonderful read. 4 on my 5 star romance scale.
Shannon Stacey is one of my favorite contemporary writers and I was not disappointed by this book. As with most of her books, it’s a romance woven in with family drama centered around a group of brothers. It took a while for the characters to get together, but it was just the right length and amount of passion. The way in which the two main characters wrestled with how to reconcile the very different lives they lead felt very real as did learning from the failure of a friend’s marriage. That failure felt poignant and served as a good reminder that no everyone is happy all the time, even in romance novels.
Also loved one of the lines toward the ends “I want to be a necessity.”
A couple minor things that drove me a crazy. The use of interjections and long sentences at the beginning drove me crazy. The author and editor also missed some word choice fumbles. (To the best of my knowledge you can’t sew oats because it would be really hard to get a needle through them. See page 153 for two misuses, and the difference between sow/sew here: http://grammarist.com/spelling/sew-sow/
I thought it was good to know why Paige wasn’t dating, but I thought she ruminated on it too much. I also thought the town was so sex crazed it bordered on goofy.
Still a wonderful read. 4 on my 5 star romance scale.
mathteachtaco's review
3.0
I hate to admit it but I'm starting to get into this series ... A quick silly read and I'll be reading more about the Kowalski's. The author has a formula where the main characters are introduced, and then there is some reason why they couldn't possibly ever be together - and of course end up together in the very end. It's very comforting.