Guest Review: All He Ever Desired by Shannon Stacey

Judith’s review of All He Ever Desired by Shannon Stacey.

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?

It seems that I have read a number of romances recently where the “second chance at love” plays prominently in the story line.  Yet it is a theme that seems to keep on grabbing readers–perhaps because it is so relevant to the way many people live–making choices that take them away from important people in their lives only to discover that those very people are essential to their future happiness.  So it is in this story.  However, there is one critical difference.  The hero never really told the heroine about his feelings.  They didn’t date in high school or go out with each other after graduation.  Lauren was in love with Dean Carpenter and determined to be a part of his life, the wife he loved, and the mother of his child.  Yet that dream didn’t last, and now Ryan Kowalski is again front and center in Lauren’s life, simply because she has a teen son who is troubled and who is using destructive actions to work out his inner confusion.  Add in the fact that Dean and Ryan used to be life-long best friends, but no more.  The reason for their fall-out is not mentioned much–in fact it is just almost spoken of in passing.  So the reader will have to be aware and observant to figure out the source of Dean’s deep anger toward Ryan.

Most contemporary romance fiction is set in life-like settings, but this story really reeks of reality.  A single mother working in a single agent insurance office, trying her best to save enough money for a new set of snow tires (it’s Maine, after all), worrying about a non-communicative 16 year old son, and then faced with nearly $1,000 of damage because her kid went on a destructive bender to ease his inner growing pains.  As one gets further into the story it is evident that this young lad had lots to be upset about, but this was not the way to relieve the stress.   The way Ryan works out the issues so that Lauren’s son can work off the debt was not only a great kindness in light of his juvenile behavior, but also taught this teen the value of taking pride in one’s labor, something his dad should have been teaching him instead of using him to babysit his half-sibling so dad and stepmom could play every weekend.

There’s lots to be aware of in this story, lots of family and good friendship, lots of stressful relationship dynamics, lots of finding love the second time around.  There’s misunderstanding, anger, a sense of betrayal . . . all the stuff that seems destined to plague lovers.  But all in all, it is a dynamic love story that will hold the reader’s interest and be marvelously entertaining as well.  It is also the second in a trilogy of novels about the Kowalski brothers and will leave you wanting more.

I give it a rating of 4 out of 5.

You can  read more from Judith at Dr J’s Book Place.

This novel is being released by Carina Press.  You can buy it here or here in e-format. This book was provided by the publisher for an honest review.

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