Temptest (Tempest #1) by Julie Cross

BookTalk

When Jackson Meyer hit his late teens he discovered he had the ability to travel through time…With a few restrictions:

• When he travels his body stays in the present time.

• When Jackson’s shadow body spends time in the past…no one will remember him, and any change he makes won’t stick when he returns to the present.

• A trip that lasts hours in the past means only seconds of a catatonic state in present time.

Until now Jackson has been playing with time travel. He performs silly experiments days in the past with his genius BFF, Adam. It’s really all fun and games, not much of a useful ability, until the day the love of his life is shot.

Now Jackson is forced to expand his time-travel abilities, and fast. Because when he lost Holly something changed. The world of time-travelers is bigger than he thought, and those closest to him are not what they seem. In addition to being part of a global conspiracy Jackson is also stuck in the past. His senior year of high school to be specific. Holly is still very much alive, and while he’d love to change the future he can’t keep himself from dabbling in the past…

Review

I liked this book the same way I liked I Am Number Four. Once the action started I was hooked on seeing “what happens next”. Which means I spent the first half the book wading through some pretty poor writing before the mystery/action scenes distracted me from the bad dialogue.

My biggest issue was that Jackson didn’t sound like a teenage boy. I think it’s why he’s so hard to connect with. There’s no reality in his thoughts or actions. They really do sound like a woman attempting to talk/think like a young man. And it’s really not working. And when the main protagonist of the story doesn’t ring true…it’s hard to accept the world building in the rest of the plot.

The main female lead, Holly, is better conceived. Her dialogue seems realistic, as do her choices during the plot. But Holly obviously goes through a major change in the few years between High School Holly and College Holly because they’re practically two different people. And while I like to think that as I age I mature and change as well. I’ve never switched from spunky and outgoing to reserved in a matter of two years. Not without a major life changing event. Though, Cross could be building up to that in her future installments.

For me, the only though provoking statement in, almost, the whole book is when Adam questions why Jackson thinks he’s even in love with Holly. When Adam says it I thought “Finally, someone is going to mention the elephant in this room book.” This statement alone pauses our hero and causes him to redefine his relationship with her…look below the surface. I like that he took this criticism to heart. It was one of the best things Jackson did in the whole book. Because before he was so unconnected to his feelings. Very wooden in his actions. The character was claiming to feel things I didn’t really feel as a reader. Adam’s protective query redeemed, slightly, Cross’s writing. It made me think she might actually have a plan for this whole shebang.

Ultimately, what bothers me most is I don’t know why this is even a book. Most reviews say that this book would be better as a movie. Why not just write the movie?  Is it the desire for sales across both genres? Was the book just a foot in the door for a movie deal? This is just another case of a decent idea gone unfulfilled. Had Cross spent more time in the writing phase of her book we’d end up with better characters and a more substantial plot this could be an interesting tale. As it stands it just left me with a cliffhanger that will force me to read the next book…or just watch the movie…

Rating: 2/5 Wait for the silver screen. The plot will be enhanced with visuals and access to popcorn…

*Book received for review from The Midnight Garden Book Tours via St. Martin’s Griffin ARC, Thanks!*

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The Iron Daughter (Iron Fey #2) by Julie Kagawa *Spoilers*

The final book in Julie Kagawa’s Iron Fey Series comes out Tuesday October, 25th. Each week until the release date I’ll Book Talk and Review a book in the series…including those novellas!

I’ve become addicted to the series, so whether this is your first time with the books or you’re eagerly awaiting The Iron Knight‘s debut, a little trip to the Nevernever is good for everyone!

Without further Ado…The Iron Daughter

BookTalk

Meghan Chase has returned to the Nevernever. She must fulfill a bargain made to a Winter Prince…The Winter Prince she’s fallen in love with. But Meghan’s about to find that the infinate time of the Faery and their prejudice between the Summer and Winter courts is all but insurmountable. The Ash she followed into the Wyldewood is not the Ash who delivers her to Queen Mab and the Winter Court. The Winter Prince turns so cold that “Frosty” would be considered a lustful term.

Soon a lost love, a royal assassination, and a dash through the terrible Briars will deliver Meghan on another chase of the Iron King. Alliances with unlikely fey and a relationship Meghan should think better of serve only to bring her closer to her Destiny…

Review

*Spoilers*

Finally Meghan shows a little spunk! I mean, the girl apparently has powers beyond belief, we know that she’s super loyal and empathetic…but there have been times in these books that I’ve just wanted her to stand up and shout “Listen to Me!”. And she did. She took Mab down a notch. Meghan, Ash, and Puck have saved the day in each novel and yet no one gives them any credit for it. When Meghan is in the middle of that battle field, hanging on her last strings I’m happy she finally lets her feelings fly…great scene.

Of course that show of strength doesn’t last long. Ash admits to loving Meghan and though he’s the last of the Winter Princes. The only one still true to the kingdom he’s ousted because he fell in love with a girl who is equally trying to restore peace. Seriously these faery’s annoy me! Can’t they just let the love go and thank these two for trying their best to save the day. What is equally as shocking is that Meghan follows Ash out into exile. She’s been working so hard in the Nevernever and throughout this book she’s shown a few more romantic sentiments to Goodfellow…Even though I don’t like the love triangle I wasn’t sure she had reached the point of blindly following Ash into exile. I guess I was wrong.

Obviously, with two more books to go in the series Meghan and her band of faery boys are not finished with the battle in Nevernever…But I’m sincerely hoping that Puck finds himself a new love interest. I don’t like the love triangle in this series at all. There just isn’t enough draw from Meghan to Puck. And my heart hurts thinking of the day that Puck will finally realize that Meghan is never going to go for him. It’s all just a little awkward and I honestly don’t understand the attraction to Meghan. One guy…yes, Multiple guys…no.

What keeps the reader going is Kagawa’s plots. They always fill in like a cobble stone path, never what you expect but a perfect fit. The Winter Dance right when the human hormones were needed. Iron Horse joining the good guys and staying so loyal. Heck, even Leanansidhe not double-crossing anyone and doing her part to save the day. Was anyone else surprised at how cool and not so scary she ended up being?

And yet I am filled with questions at the end of this book. Is Meghan really the potential Iron Queen? If she is, how will this fix the troubles of Nevernever? How will she and Ash still manage to stay together? How will Puck deal with it all? And serisouly…will we ever figure out Grim’s part in everything?

Rating: 4/5 Because the ending really is that good

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Winter’s Passage (Iron Fey #1.5) by Julie Kagawa

The final book in Julie Kagawa’s Iron Fey Series comes out Tuesday October, 25th. Each week until the release date I’ll Book Talk and Review a book in the series…including those novellas!

I’ve become addicted to the series, so whether this is your first time with the books or you’re eagerly awaiting The Iron Knight’s debut a little trip to the Nevernever is good for everyone!

Without further Ado…Winter’s Passage

BookTalk

“My name is Meghan Chase.

If there are three things I’ve learned in my time among the fey, they are this: don’t eat anything you’re offered in Faeryland, Don’t go swimming in quiet little ponds and never, ever, make a bargain with anyone.”

Meghan Chase is following the mysterious Winter Prince Ash through a passage to the Winter Kingdom. She made a contract with this man, a man who’s cold exterior warms her in ways that could be fatal to a Summer Princess. Their attraction could mean death for both of these royals. While not yet a full-blown romance their feelings for one another will only be encouraged by this journey…While the relationship seems to be headed in a hopeless direction, the couple won’t have to worry about its repercussions if The Hunter catches them first…

Review

I liked this novella. I think I liked it more than Kagawa’s first book in the series The Iron King. I was pared down. Far simpler in its fairy tale scope than the first. It could be that I was already familiar with the characters and their story plots. But I liked that the hunter was our main focus and that places and creatures we’d already met were glossed over. I wasn’t overwhelmed with creature and place descriptions like I had been in the novel.

What I liked about this little teaser of a story was it made me realize some mad respect for Kagawa’s knowledge of fairy tale history. I took a few classes in college on fairy tales and what I’ve always loved about this type of literature is its history. How cultures spread far and wide still came up with so many similar tales and characters. When the big bad wolf says

““I am Wolf. I am older than you, older than Mab, older than the most ancient faery to walk this realm. I was in stories long before the humans knew my name, and even then they feared me.”…”I am the wolf at the door, the creature that stalked the girl in the red hood to grandma’s house. I am the wolf who becomes a man, and the man who is a beast inside. My stories outnumber all the tales ever told,…”” (34, ePub ed.)

I was so inspired by this quote. It is amazing to think of all the tales we grew up with…how far back they truly reach. I think that in this tale of passage to the Winter realm of the Unseelie I truly began to respect the spectrum of lore Kagawa is honoring. And the tale does just what it’s supposed to. It whet my appetite for the next book in this series and gave me a view of a legendary character that does deserve some respect.

Rating: 7.5/10

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The Iron King (Iron Fey #1) by Julie Kagawa

The final book in Julie Kagawa’s Iron Fey Series comes out Tuesday October, 25th. Each week until the release date I’ll Book Talk and Review each book in the series…including those novellas! I’ve become addicted to the series, so whether this is your first time with the books or you’re eagerly awaiting The Iron Knight’s debut a little trip to the Nevernever is good for everyone!

Without further Ado…The Iron King

BookTalk

Do you remember the tales of your childhood? Faery Princesses, Knights on horseback, Mermaids, Gremlins, Goblins, and Trolls? Do you remember a time when you believed it? When you could see the pointed ears of a faery? The tree that hid the elf?

No?

How about the man beneath your bed? The boogie man who hid in your closet? The fear that gripped you in the night? These memories stay with us longer. Everyone has a boogie man, a monster that no amount of adult-flash-light wielding will chase away.

As adults we’ve outgrown these fantasies. We fail to see the magic amongst our daily routines. Meghan Chase has been haunted by fleeting visions of the fantastic. A flash of unearthly color in her peripheral vision, a pair of eyes in the back of a closet. At 16 she’s learned to ignore these abnormalities. As humans it’s what we do best…rationalize the supernatural…turn a blind eye to our childhood lore.

Meghan is about to be drawn into a world she has long forgotten. Faeryland, The land of Nevernever. A place where all the tales of your youth are alive and well. Not only will she embark on a dangerous journey among the legendary…she’ll find a father she never knew. A destiny larger than the restraints of the imagination. Meghan will find herself a Summer Princess. Half-human, half-fey. Gifted with more power than she’d ever dreamed and enthralled with a man who could very well be the death of her. Her entire world is about to be turned upside-down, a lost brother and a romance between the Summer and Winter courts can never end well.

Review

Talk about combining our fairy tales or faery tales depending on your origin. This series packs everything from Irish, French, Shaksperian, and Alice-and-Wonderland-ean creatures. You’ll meet everyone from Puck to King Oberon to the Cheshire Cat a.k.a. Grim.

I have to admit that there were times in this read that my head was spinning trying to take in the details of Kagawa’s world. You are introduced to sooo much! Kagawa is operating under the premise that these creatures of the Nevernever are kept alive through the belief in their tales. Thus, the more popular/amount of tales written about you the stronger a Faery creature you are. As your tales fade from existence, you too as a creature fade from the Nevernever.

In fact, Nevernever itself is beginning to fade. Which makes me sad while at the same time slightly annoyed by all the fairy stuff happening. Lol, I was reading thinking “geeze, if I wanted a child’s setting I’d pick up some Grimm’s Tales myself!”. While at the same time wanting to do some clapping so I could keep little Tinkerbell alive. Disclaimer…Tinkerbell does not make an appearance in this tale. Apparently, Kagawa had to draw the line somewhere. But then that’s the problem with the Nevernever, it’s fading because people are starting to not believe in its creatures. And perhaps creating an evil that will destroy Faeryland faster than any disillusionment of humans.

But I digress, back to the review at hand. I’d read in other reviews that this first title in the series was “just ok” but that the rest were more of the “I LOVE it!” variety. Thus, I’m sticking with it. I just think that, sadly, as an adult so much fairy tale is difficult to take. Even with all my reading I was sad to find that my imagination was taxed with all of the world building my mind had to do! I was pressed to find images from movies and half-forgotten lore from both childhood and a fairy tale literature college class to pull this world together.

But I can see the potential. Ash is super hot, and Puck obviously has the hots for Meghan…and true to the trope Meghan is oblivious to Puck’s crush. Instead her heart is flip-flopping every time the Ice Prince comes close. Their journey into the Faeryland of Nevernever is one full of obstacles and very political contract making. Offering a tithe to a fey is tricky business and I was happy to see that Meghan caught on to this verbal sparring quickly…because she hands out more than her share of favors. Oh, and Grim the cat was my FAVORITE character in the book. Love him and his cat-like ways. Sarcastic, aloof, secretive, and strangely loyal he’s a real winner in the creature department.

Ultimately this tale was an introduction to the world. You meet almost every creature I’ve heard of and some that I hadn’t. The relationships that begin hold promise. And Meghan’s history/destiny has barely begun to be revealed. It’s these tastes of future tales that inspire me to read the rest. It’s a decent start…but I’m hoping it picks up speed in the future.

Rating: 6/10

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Ship Breaker (Ship Breaker, #1) by Paolo Bacigalupi

BookTalk

Nailer is part of a ‘light crew’ based in abandoned ship yards of the Gulf Coast. He spends his days stripping old oil tankers of their precious copper crawling around in spaces almost too tight to breathe praying to make a lucky strike by finding the rare oil deposit. To Nailer finding even a few gallons of oil could mean the difference between life and death.

You see Nailer’s time is almost up as part of the light crew. He’s becoming too big to easily fit in the tanker’s crawl spaces. After years of starvation Nailer has very little hope of becoming big enough for heavy crew duty…and no one, not even his best of friends, his crew can do anything for him. He’ll be left with the killer that is his father…a man who would ‘cut’ his losses rather than support a son.

But then it happens. A “city killer” storm blows into Nailer’s beach bringing with it an elusive “Lucky Strike”. Nailer and his best friend Pima are the first to happen upon a shipwreck. A valuable shipwreck. A wealthy boat filled with china, silver, and gold has crashed into a deserted inlet. Even the few pieces Nailer and Pima can carry off the ship would be enough to set them up for life. But in their ransacking of the ship they find that not everyone has died. A girl, a young, beautiful girl has survived…Nailer must decide save her life and risk losing the haul that will save his life…or turn into his father, slit her throat and walk off with her goods…Remember Nailer has no hope for the future…what would you choose?

Review

The world building of this novel was impeccable. Easily my favorite part of the book. I love it when an author is able to ‘show’ without ‘telling’. I could perfectly picture this dystopian society without knowing the entire structure of the new country. The characters aren’t aware of what lies outside their beach world. That’s the beauty of it all. Nailer and his crew really wouldn’t know about the rest of the country. And it turns out the rest of the country is just as ignorant of this small area. You spend the better part of this book enmeshed in the world of Nailer only to find that it’s such a small ‘town’ no one has even heard of it. It’s not important in the least. When you begin to understand that in the book it’s just mind-boggling.

I also loved how, again without ‘telling’, the reader could see how the novel was influenced by Hurricane Katrina and the destruction it caused. This entire world/novel was built off this event. The author is imagining a world after we’ve been hit by a climate change caused in part by other major hurricanes that follow in Katrina’s footsteps. I loved that it used such a timely issue in an original way.

And the characters…I loved Nailer, seeing this world through his eyes is a treat. You’ve found him on the cusp of change. Nailer is primed to view more of the world, to hopefully escape the difficult life he’s been born to. At the end of his time as ‘light crew’ and with little hope of becoming big enough for ‘heavy crew’ he’s a smart and lucky character to begin finding a way out. That way out might be Nita.

I’ll admit that I didn’t like Nita as much as the other characters. She’s not as fleshed out for the reader. I think that Bacigalupi had his reasons for withholding information on Nita, this book is the start of a series. In this first title Nita is basically a standard of comparison to Nailer and his world. Wealth held up to the extreme poverty Nailer and his people live in. It also makes you think about our society today. How even bad luck for the moderately well off is good luck to the poor.

This novel is at once thought-provoking and at the same time a plot driven ride. And it’s just so, so well written…One to enjoy.

Rating: 4.5/5 A well written start to a series I’ll be following

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The Wild Rose (Tea Rose #3) by Jennifer Donnelly

BookTalk

We left our adventurers Willa and Seamie in the middle of their story. Willa tragically disabled after a climbing accident left her without a leg…Seamie forever scarred by making the executive decision to amputate the leg. You see, while the surgery saved Willa’s life it also banished all hope of continuing her climbing dreams. Both are now living their lives as half people…desiring nothing more than each other but split apart by Willa’s anger and Seamie’s remorse.

Ahh, but it wouldn’t be a Tea Rose novel if their lives remained so simple. Donnelly never allows her characters to wallow for long. Seamie journeys on through explorations, marriage, and becoming a Captain of the British Navy in a war that will impact the entire Finnegan Family. Willa, ever the strong and determined woman will find her own glory through photography. Pictures of vast mountains, Arabian Deserts, and Paris streets will feed her need for adventure and desire for fame.

Remember that Donnelly’s characters never have a straight path toward Happily Ever After. Their lives are too full of adventure and love to be simple. But life is ever a journey and readers will have faith that these two broken souls will eventually heal together.

Review

This started a little slow for me. Though not due to lack of plot(s). Don’t worry out there. Donnelly has outdone herself with plots. So many intertwined threads it wasn’t until about page 250 that I realized how they were beginning to be combined. Thus, it’s actually the multitude of plots…some left over from The Winter Rose…that clog up the reading speed.

There just isn’t that “I can’t put this down” feeling in the beginning of this one. I think it’s because that spark of love between the main characters, Seamie and Willa, happened in the last book. I was hoping that Donnelly would shake up her plotting a bit because she seemingly began her third book in her second. But alas it seems as though The Wild Rose simply picks up Donnelly’s general plot pattern from book 2. You begin the book in the mires of separation and you stay there…locked in that desperation for a love that can’t connect.

Where the book begins to sing is during Part 2. I beg you…hold out for it. Part 1 is all set up and Part 2 shows Donnelly’s gift for connecting people and events. It’s full of adventure, impossible situations, and tears of both joy and sadness. Sid and his big heart and Willa’s escapades were two of my very favorite parts of Part 2. It’s here that we begin to see what we’ve been expecting from The Wild Rose.

I’m content with the ending. I think that of all the romances Donnelly has done in her trilogy Seamie and Willa had the roughest path. Not that others didn’t run into some pretty fantastic road blocks. But Seamie and Willa seem to live with more tragedy than happiness throughout their journey. This is a haunted couple. I think that’s why their ending was not joyful…not an impossible reunion a la India and Sid or a chance meeting at the perfect time like Fiona and Joe. I think that Willa and Seamie had the most to learn through their experiences. Acceptance, forgiveness, and learning to simply ‘be‘ and be happy are the hardest lessons for these two driven explorers to learn. Their ending is a quiet one…soft and tentative. Perfect for the couple.

As an end to the series I think it feels complete. I don’t hunger for more from the Finnegans. It could very well be because they’ve seen more drama in three behemoth books than anyone truly gets in 5 lifetimes, lol. They all deserve a break…a little Happily Ever After. And with the ending of this third book I’m willing to let them have it.

Rating: 3/5 – Solid ending, great middle, slow start

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The Librarian Interviews…Shannon Stacey

It’s The Kowalski Family Finale (of Doom! lol)

I hope you’ve all enjoyed the week with the Kowalski family. And that I’ve peaked your interest in their love stories. As a finale to all the fun, or “Doom” as the Kowalski’s like to say, author Shannon Stacey is stopping by to give some insight on the series as well as a little sneak peak at her next project: A Christmas novella Margaritas and Mistletoe coming out this December. So read on to learn a little more about Shannon and her Kowalski’s…

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Shannon Stacey lives with her husband and two sons in New England, where her two favorite activities are writing stories of happily ever after and riding her four-wheeler. From May to November, the Stacey family spends their weekends on their ATVs, making loads of muddy laundry to keep Shannon busy when she’s not at her computer. She prefers writing to laundry, however, and considers herself lucky she got to be an author when she grew up. You can contact Shannon through her website, where she has maintains an almost daily blog, or visit her on Twitter, her Facebook page, or email her at shannon@shannonstacey.com.

The Questions:

1. The Bio on your blog starts with your marriage to Prince Charming…Can you give us a little synopsis of your own love story?

I was a waitress and he was a coffee counter regular, but it wasn’t love at first sight. Or second. (He learned fairly quickly to lower his newspaper and make eye contact with a waitress offering him more coffee, though.) But I’m a sucker for hardworking, smart guys with a wicked sense of humor and we’ve been married eighteen years now.

2. As a Romance writer when did you first fall in love with the genre?

As with many romance readers, I fell in love with romance novels snuck from my mother’s collection during my teen years. Before that were Louis L’Amour’s westerns, which quite often featured swoon-worthy love stories. But the first romance I ever fell in love with was between Laura Ingalls and Almanzo Wilder in the “Little House” series.

3. Where did the idea for the Kowalski family come from? And are any of the Kowalski characters based on people in your own life?

The first story, Exclusively Yours, grew from my own family’s enjoyment of four-wheeling and the campground we stay at. The characters aren’t based on people I know but rather grown from the story, although some have traits “borrowed” from reality. For example, my husband can’t do dishes because I can’t stand that he washes them in the “wrong” order. And he never lets me drive.

4. Ok, there are a lot of Kowalski events that end with the threat of “Doom”…Does your own family practice these hilarious Doomsday events or do they only exist for the Kowalski’s?

“Of Doom” is an expression that’s always been used in my house, though I’m not sure where we picked it up. My boys don’t have Nerf gun battles. They have Epic Nerf Gun Battles of Doom! It just seemed to work for the Kowalskis, too.

5. Of all your books is there one that holds a special spot in your heart? One that was the most fun to write?

I think Exclusively Yours will always be a little special to me because of how it came to be written. I didn’t think it would be very marketable, so most of it was written just for fun. I wrote the romance I wanted to read. But Yours To Keep is always going to be the first (though hopefully not last) of my books to land on the NYT list, so that’s pretty special, too!

6. Each book has two separate romances running through it. And these romances run the gamut from traditional leading man/woman to mid-marriage rough patches to the spark of love between grandparents! What is it about the quirky love that you love so much?

The secondary romances weren’t storylines I planned before I sat to write the books. They just kind of grew out of the story as I went along. I have a big family with lots of interesting twists and turns in the family tree, so I’ve seen my share of rough patches and second chances at love.

7. I have to ask…The couples…I’m personally a Sean & Emma fan…but Terry & Evan had me laughing out loud during their make-up sex!…As a reader I have a hard time picking a favorite…do you have one?

If I tried to pick a favorite couple, I’d be talking in circles for days. I loved writing Sean and Emma…but Joe and Keri were so much fun and made me laugh out loud…but Kevin’s so sweet…but… See? I can’t pick a favorite!

8. Heroines be damned…Is there one leading man from your books who you’d want to end up with?

I’ve got my leading man, but there are little bits and pieces of him to be found in the Kowalski guys. Sean’s reluctance to let Emma drive. Kevin’s love of snowmobiling. Joe’s way with kids. And overall, their sense of humor and devotion to family. My husband could’ve been a Kowalski!

9. I was so happy to see in Yours To Keep that the Kowalski Family is going to provide more romance in the books to come…Can you describe your next hero or heroine in 5 words or less…

Can I describe Mitch Kowalski in five words or less? No. But his heroine, Paige: “Immune to Kowalski charm…maybe.”

10. Any last Kowalski tidbits to whet our appetite for the next title? Christmas is months away…Secrets Please!

Christmas won’t bring a Kowalski this year. The next Kowalski book will release in September of 2012, though I’m working on a Super Secret Kowalski Project of Doom I hope to share with readers this fall. My Christmas novella from Carina Press is a stand alone story titled Mistletoe & Margaritas. Justin McCormick may not be a Kowalski, but he’s not too shabby in the hero department, either! And to whet your appetite, the first line:

When Justin McCormick was fourteen, a dirt bike crash had put him in the hospital for two weeks, but even three broken bones and a concussion hadn’t hurt as much as loving his best friend’s widow did now.

Thank you so much, Sara, for having me and for your enthusiasm for the Kowalski family!

* * *

Thank you Shannon for taking the time to answer my questions! I love the five words used to define Paige…something tells me Paige won’t hold out for long (maybe my lifetime love of romance plots? someone always has to give in to love right? lol). Boo, to waiting a year for more Kowalski…But I know what I’ll be looking for in my stocking this year…Mistletoe & Margaritas 😉 I do live on the beach so a margarita in December it is…no need to ask me twice. I’ll take it on the rocks, with salt, and a little romance please!

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Yours To Keep (Kowalski Family #3) by Shannon Stacey

It’s Kowalski Family Week!

Day three of this Kowalski extravaganza focuses on Stacey’s latest title in the series Yours To Keep. If you’re just joining this party check out Exclusively Yours and Undeniably Yours for an introduction to the large, loving family that is the Kowalskis. I’m not gonna lie. This was by far my favorite title of the series. You get a couple worthy of each other, lots of post-it notes, and a little granny romance. Oh and more Kowalski abs. Those Kowalski’s are genetically blessed in the six-pack area and this title does not fail to represent the feature well! Stay tuned for tomorrow’s finale…an interview with the series’s author: Shannon Stacey.

So without further ado…Kowalski Family #3: Yours To Keep

BookTalk

Sean Kowalski has just gotten out of the Military. A free man for the first time in years, he’s ready to explore life, kick back a few beers, and sow some wild oats.

Emma Shaw is an independent woman. She started a landscaping business from scratch and refinished her grandmother’s home and made it her own. Basically, she’s created a life she loves.

Too bad Emma got a little too creative in sharing her life with her Grandmother. You see, while Grandma has retired to Florida a large part of her still worries that Emma is a little lost living alone in that big old house. Enter the Fake Fiance. What started as a little white lie about a man around the house to put Grandma at ease has blossomed into a very complex engagement with a very real man…Sean Kowalski.

So begins this tale of laughs and love…Emma Shaw proposing the wildest of schemes to Sean Kowalski. She’s asked him to play the fake fiance for Grandma’s month-long visit. The gig comes with a job in Emma’s landscaping business and a bed…not 10 feet away from Emma. What neither counts on is the spark of attraction and the slow burn of a fake relationship that begins to feel very real…

Review

I. Loved. This. Book.

Ooooh, this one was my favorite in the series so far. This title centers around another branch of the Kowalski family tree, cousins of the Kowalski’s we’ve all come to love. Sean has just returned from a tour in Afghanistan looking forward to some freedom in his life. Just the ability to do whatever he wishes…to find himself…

Well, Emma Shaw finds him first. She’s integrated Sean into a year-long Grandma deception. Emma’s Grandmother (who raised her from the age of four, after Emma’s parent’s death) while retired in Florida, can’t stop worrying about her granddaughter. Constant phone calls centering on the care of the house and Emma’s single status caused Emma to invent a relationship to put her grandmother’s mind at ease. What starts as a little white lie to help her Grandmother enjoy her retirement has grown into a full-fledged marriage proposal. And Sean comes home just in time for Emma’s Grandmother’s visit.

Crazy right? I think Sean himself uses the term “batshit”. And normally I’d have to agree. I’ve done the invented relationship a few other times in my romance reading…And I don’t usually enjoy it. I always think that a woman who needs to make up a fictional man has issues, not to mention a lack of independence or strong-woman traits. I like my heroines to be strong…Which is where this book started to go so right.

Emma is one strong gal. She is fully independent, but still willing to let love into her life. The relationship that develops between Sean and Emma is balanced, respectful, and flirty. I love a couple that enhances and challenges each other. Emma and Sean are this type of couple. Add to that the fact that Sean helps rationalize Emma’s lie…seeing that it was done out of love rather than an insecurity. And that’s key. Sean and Emma are both very family oriented so purveying an untruth to save a family member from worry…no matter how harebrained the scheme…rings true for both characters.

But back to the romance. My most favorite part of this book, besides Sean’s abs, were his post-it notes. From the first tip about his dislike of broccoli to the final declarations at the end of the novel these post-it notes were the cutest way to watch their relationship grow. I think that most women have a soft spot for love letters and whether it comes in the form of a hand written note, email (that would be mine! lol), greeting card, or post-it the sentiment within is usually enough to melt. So, Sean’s sharpie-penned thoughts were a very special part of the romance.

And what would a Stacey book be without a side romance to complete the package? In this book Emma’s Grandmother gets a second shot at love with an old acquaintance. While the love between the older couple is far easier to achieve it does set a nice balance…Showing the reader that with age also comes the realization that everyday should be lived to the fullest. No need to push away the gift that love is. Which, obviously, is what Emma and Sean end up doing. Youngins…too stubborn to give into good sex, sweet friendship, and true love!

Pick up this book immediately. It’s a quick read and the book will stand-alone if necessary…but why wouldn’t you want to start from the beginning with Joe and Keri. The Kowalski family is a group that keeps the romance flowing and the love alive…They’ll suck you in I swear!

Rating: 10/10

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Undeniably Yours (Kowalski Family #2) by Shannon Stacey

It’s Kowalski Family Week!

Today is day two of my reviews/booktalks for Shannon Stacey’s Kowalski Family series. I recently discovered these books and blew through them in three days! It’s a series all about a large, loving, laughing family that is way too involved in each other’s lives. Lets just say I’m in love with watching all of them fall in love. Stick around because the week ends with an Author interview where she’ll spill the beans about writing the Kowalskis.

Without further ado…Undeniably Yours (Kowalski Family #2)

BookTalk

Beth and Kevin had a one night stand….At Kevin’s brother’s wedding. Kevin had met spunky Beth previously during a brawl at his bar. At the wedding Kevin finds Beth tending bar. And after a night of calculated flirtation Beth has no more fight left to combat Kevin’s roguish charm. Enter one hot night…followed by an early morning walk of shame.

3 weeks later Beth and Kevin learn first hand that the 2% failure rate for condoms is a real statistic. Beth is pregnant and Kevin is all for an instant family. Over the next nine months Kevin finds himself falling in love with the mother and excited for the baby…But Beth isn’t willing to trust in a love blooming between two people who only know each other through a surprise pregnancy. Will Beth and Kevin remain friends with a baby?…Or can Beth trust in the love and family Kevin is offering her?…

Review

I was super excited for this title. I liked the character of Kevin in the first of this series (Exclusively Yours) and I was intrigued by the pregnancy aspect of this book. Any situation that forces two characters to be so intimate so fast usually makes for some really great emotion and scenes.

This book didn’t disappoint in the emotional aspect. I loved how much Kevin loves Beth. Seeing him care for both Beth and their future child was super sweet. From the very beginning he is supportive of Beth and their decision to keep the baby. And the man doesn’t stop flirting for the whole book! He wants Beth. He wants her bad. And he’s willing to wait till the time is right to get her.

Where I got lost a little was with Beth. She is so insistent that she do everything on her own. EVERY. THING. She pushes Kevin away so many times the guy should apply for sainthood just for sticking around. Beth jumps down the poor guy’s throat for buying her a cell phone, even for offering to help her move to a better apartment. While I expected the independent streak to last quite awhile I had no idea that it would last the entire pregnancy.

Beth spends quite a bit of time talking about hormones making her a little lusty and yet she manages to resist Kevin and his amazing abs. I was so frustrated by this! lol. Maybe its just because my hubby doesn’t have to do a lot of convincing to get me feeling lusty…hormones or not…And as sexy as the hubs is, he doesn’t have Kevin’s 6-pack. Come to think of it, no one may have the Kowalski abs in real life…they only exist in our photoshopped imaginations, lol.

But back to my Beth frustrations. At one point she’s a new mother and everyone is tripping over themselves to help; to give her a break. And she accepts nothing! First off, what new mother doesn’t accept the offer to take a shower while some one watches the baby? Crazy talk for not accepting that. Second, Kevin spends a lot of time running around with no shirt and lots of abs…While begging Beth to accept him in a relationship. Crazy talk for not giving in months before she does.

I’m probably being a little hard on poor Beth…she’s just not my favorite type of character. I think that a little give and take would have saved her a lot of stress. That being said, even Kevin agrees that it was best for them to wait until post baby to truly get involved in an intimate relationship. Without the excitement of a baby on the way, and with the real life schedule of a newborn all fantasies are disproved…and if love is still there then the couple will have a stronger love than most for their sacrifice.

The ending is worth waiting for because of this. The emotional buildup yields great results, results that wouldn’t have had the impact had Beth given in months earlier. Also, the beginning of the novel had some of the sweetest scenes. Watching Kevin and Beth come together over such a big change in their lives while getting to know each other presents smile inducing moments. Throughout it all while I didn’t love Beth…Kevin is by far my favorite Kowalski brother. His looks, his sweetness, and that little naughty smile (he’s always giving shirtless!) had me at hello. He makes this story for me…and by the end Beth knows what an amazing guy she has too.

Rating: 7/10

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Exclusively Yours (Kowalski Family #1) by Shannon Stacey

It’s Kowalski Family Week!

So last week I fell in Love…with a books series! I started Shannon Stacey’s series about a large, loud, loving family from the North East. I read the first book and then quickly devoured the rest. So my booktalk/review posts of the week feature the three books currently released in the series. The week ends with an interview with the Author herself to give us a peek into writing about Kowalski family.

Without Further Ado…Kowalski Family #1: Exclusively Yours…

BookTalk

Joe Kowalski was Keri Daniels’ first…Her high school sweetheart, her first serious boyfriend, and her first lover. Together they created memories to the tunes of Whitesnake on lover’s lane. And that fresh young love is still the best sex she’s ever had. But at graduation Keri surprisingly drops Joe heading to the west coast to pursue a name for herself in journalism.

After years of no contact Keri finds herself one step away from the masthead of a major celebrity magazine and Joe has become a bestselling but reclusive author. Once, Joe had been in a relationship splashed across the tabloids, it ended in lawsuit mystery…and no one knows what happened behind courtroom doors. Now Keri’s boss has found out her childhood connection to Joe and has laid an ultimatum at Keri’s feet: Get an interview, and the dirt, on Joe and the promotion she’s worked her whole career for is hers…Fail and she’ll find herself with a pink slip searching for a new job.

Keri wrangles the interview…In exchange for spending a two-week vacation in the country with the Kowalski family Joe will answer one question a day. You see, Keri isn’t the only one with an agenda. Keri is the girl Joe never got over, and after seeing her again he doesn’t plan on letter her go anytime soon…But can a high school love stand the test of time?…and the test of two solid weeks with the family?…

Review

I’ll admit I wasn’t so sure of this book at the start. The main characters were close to 40 and while I’m not ageist, it does tend to mean that the romance is going to be of the mature variety. Full of romantic meals and steamy scenes that end at the bedroom door…what’s happening in the sheets not meant for the readers eyes. While that can be enjoyable it wasn’t quite what I was in the mood for…

So I guess it’s a good thing that this was NOT that mature romance book…Steamy scenes, witty banter, and hot muscles abound!

Keri and Joe had chemistry in high school and from the first time they meet in Exclusively Yours they have it again. The references to the couple’s 80’s love are sweet and funny. Full of clichés including big hair, bad cars, and Whitesnake. What really got me was when Joe puts Keri in “the Locker Pose”. The one where a girl would be leaning against a locker and the guy has one leg in-between hers with either hand on the locker beside her head. I suppose I’m describing this poorly…but I could just picture that pose from high school! Where the couple of the moment flaunted their relationship for the whole 5 minutes between periods. Like a pre-Facebook relationship update.

This family is definitely of the down-home American kind. For the family vacation they take off to camp grounds (granted in a few luxury RV’s because Joe is a famous millionaire author) to take ATV’s (four wheelers) off-roading and cook some smores by the campfire. The family is honest, sweet, and completely involved in each other’s lives. But some of my favorite relationship moments came from the other family couples…

An extravagant anniversary gift that cleared up any hesitation about love in the marriage…

The purchase of an ugly marble table and shoes with sex…

Honestly, the scene with the couple and the table (don’t want to spoil anything!) had me rolling on the floor laughing out loud…an honest to goodness ROTFLOL moment. It was sooo sweet too.

I liked Stacey’s characters. They were real people with real issues. Which makes seeing them reconnect their love over these everyday issues all the more squeal-worthy and heart-warming.

This is the first of a series of 3…and I’ve already started book 2, Uniquely Yours. The promise of the hot, ex-cop, ab-baring, younger brother falling in love was too much to bear! And from the start it seems even better than the first.

Rating: 8/10

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