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A review by cranberrytarts
All He Ever Needed by Shannon Stacey
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....