Author: Shannon Stacey

Review: An Unexpected Cowboy by Shannon Stacey

Posted September 5, 2022 by Holly in Reviews | 1 Comment

Review: An Unexpected Cowboy by Shannon StaceyReviewer: Holly
An Unexpected Cowboy by Shannon Stacey
Series: Sutton's Place #2
Also in this series: Her Hometown Man
Publisher: Harlequin, Harlequin Special Edition
Publication Date: March 3, 2022
Format: eBook
Source: Purchased
Point-of-View: Alternating Third
Cliffhanger: View Spoiler »
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Pages: 227
Add It: Goodreads
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three-half-stars
Series Rating: four-stars

He’d been told home is where the heart isHe never believed it until now
Lone-wolf cowboy Irish is no stranger to long, lonely nights. Some might say he even prefers it that way. But somehow Mallory Sutton tugs on his heartstrings. The feisty single mom is struggling to balance it all—and challenging Irish’s perception of what he has to offer. She shows the guarded cowboy everything a family—and real love—can be. But will their unexpected connection keep Irish in town…or end in heartbreak for Mallory and her kids?

An Unexpected Cowboy (Sutton’s Place #2) by Shannon Stacey follows Mallory Sutton, a single mom. Her whole life Mallory has been the one who keeps things together. She stepped in and took care of her mom when he father passed away and she’s taking care of her two young boys since their father split. Between those responsibilities and the taproom and the thrift stop she and her mother run, she has no time for herself, much less time for a romance. She isn’t really even tempted, until Irish, a friend of her ex-brother-in-law’s parks his 5th wheel in their yard. That cowboy is hard to resist….

Irish isn’t ready to settle down, but a temporary fling with a hot single mom might be just what they both need. But once he gets a taste of Mallory, convincing himself he still has to pack and leave may turn out to be harder than expected.

I really like the Sutton family and I’m glad we got Mallory’s story. I liked how she and Irish connected and how he came to care for her boys and the rest of her family. I’m really looking forward to Evie’s book.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Sutton’s Place

three-half-stars


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Review: Her Hometown Man by Shannon Stacey

Posted August 31, 2022 by Holly in Reviews | 1 Comment

Review: Her Hometown Man by Shannon StaceyReviewer: Holly
Her Hometown Man by Shannon Stacey
Series: Sutton's Place #1
Also in this series: An Unexpected Cowboy
Publisher: Harlequin, Harlequin Special Edition
Publication Date: December 28, 2021
Format: eBook
Source: Purchased
Point-of-View: Alternating Third
Cliffhanger: View Spoiler »
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Pages: 256
Add It: Goodreads
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Ripped Bodice | Google Play Books
three-half-stars
Series Rating: four-stars

She has many reasons to leaveHe’s the best reason to stay
Summoned home by her mother and sisters, novelist Gwen Sutton has made it clear—she’s not staying. She’s returning to her quiet, writerly life as soon as the family brewery is up and running. But when Gwen’s lifelong crush, Case Danforth, offers his help, it’s clear there’s more than just beer brewing! Time is short for Case to convince Gwen that a home with him is where her heart is.

Her Hometown Man is the first book in the Sutton’s Place series by Shannon Stacey. This is small-town romance featuring a family brewery, which really appealed to me.

As a popular fiction author, Gwen Sutton couldn’t get away from her hometown fast enough. The residents all think her books are about them, and she can’t stand the anger and comments she gets when they don’t think she’s done right by them. She doesn’t want to go home to help get the family business up and running, but she isn’t given much of a choice. Her stay is only temporary, though, no matter what her mom and sister’s think. Even if she is getting in deep with Case Daneforth, the boy next door.

This was a quick read. I liked the small town atmosphere and the family dynamics. The romance was sweet and I liked how direct they were with each other. Though the overall feel was light, there were some emotional scenes as they dealt with the loss of their dad. I’m looking forward to the next book.

Rating: 3.75

Sutton’s Place

three-half-stars


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Guest Review: One Summer Weekend by Shannon Stacey

Posted August 27, 2019 by Tracy in Reviews | 1 Comment

Guest Review: One Summer Weekend by Shannon StaceyReviewer: Tracy
One Summer Weekend by Shannon Stacey
Series: Cedar Street #1
Publisher: Carina Press
Publication Date: August 5, 2019
Format: eARC
Source: NetGalley
Point-of-View: Third
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Pages: 106
Add It: Goodreads
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three-half-stars
Series Rating: four-stars

Best friends. A fake relationship. And only one bed.

New York Times bestselling author Shannon Stacey delivers the feel-good beach read you’ve been waiting for.

Noah Stafford loves his life—his happy, single life. So what if he made up a fake girlfriend to stop his boss’s matchmaking? He kept things close to the truth—Carly really does have long, sexy legs and a killer sense of humor. She just happens to be his best friend. His wicked awesome and completely platonic best friend.

But now his boss is having a destination wedding, and Noah is expected to attend…with Carly, his girlfriend.

Carly Randall has no interest in living out a rom-com plot. But Noah is her best friend, so she agrees to help. Still, once they arrive on Cape Cod, she can’t explain the sudden butterflies she feels when he looks at her that way. Or why she doesn’t mind when Noah’s hands stray a little south of her back.

What happens on the Cape stays on the Cape.

Except not really, not at all, and once their sexy faux-cation is over, Noah and Carly return to a reality where everything’s changed. Going for it would mean risking their friendship…but forgetting how good they were together just isn’t an option.

One summer weekend is the story of Carly and Noah who are best friends. Noah has been working at an architectural firm and very much enjoys his job. Unfortunately his boss, Tom, keeps trying to fix him up with his soon to be sister-in-law. Noah is sure that the soon to be sister-in-law is pretty and nice, but he’s positive that if he goes out with her he will have one foot down the aisle. That’s not something he wants. What did he do? He lied to his boss. He ended up telling Tom that he already had a girlfriend and I know you’ll be shocked when you hear that he said it was Carly.

Carly has no idea that Noah has been lying to his boss and saying that she’s his girlfriend. Noah finally comes clean to her because it’s Tom’s wedding weekend and his boss expects Noah’s girlfriend to be in attendance. Of course he does. Carly says no at first, but then she realizes that this means a lot to Noah and so she agrees to go as his girlfriend. When they get to Cape Cod they are of course in the same room, in the same bed, and with playing girlfriend/boyfriend they end up kissing. One thing leads to another and they’re having sex. Neither one of them is prepared for the emotions that this invokes in them. Can they remain best friends when each of them aren’t sure how they now feel about the other person?

This was a pretty cute story, I have to admit. I absolutely love Carly and Noah’s relationship. They were such good friends and knew each other so well and their love for each other came through. They had been friends for so long that they truly did love each other they just weren’t in love with each other. Or so they thought. 🙂

Stacey has a great way of bringing friends together and I think this friends to lovers story was a good one. I very much enjoyed reading it, and would definitely recommend it if you’re just looking for a short fun read.

Rating: 3.75 out of 5

three-half-stars


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Guest Review: Under Contol by Shannon Stacey

Posted October 10, 2018 by Tracy in Reviews | 1 Comment

Guest Review: Under Contol by Shannon StaceyReviewer: Tracy
Under Control by Shannon Stacey
Series: Boston Fire #5
Also in this series: Heat Exchange, Controlled Burn, Heat Exchange, Controlled Burn, Fully Ignited, Fully Ignited, Controlled Burn, Hot Response, Hot Response (Boston Fire, #4), Under Control (Boston Fire, #5)
Publisher: Carina Press
Publication Date: August 28, 2018
Format: eARC
Source: NetGalley
Point-of-View: Third
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Pages: 384
Add It: Goodreads
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three-half-stars
Series Rating: four-stars

When faced with the opportunity to change shifts while staying in the same house, veteran firefighter Derek Gilman jumps at the chance. His new schedule means not working Saturdays, which means more time to spend with his two kids. His divorce may have been amicable, but being a firefighter and a single dad is a lot to juggle. And when fate brings a gorgeous, wealthy woman into his life, he’s pretty sure he can’t handle more than he already is.

Olivia McGovern loves plans. She planned to start her own business and planned its growth. It’s earning her seven figures now, but her personal life simply doesn’t exist. Getting trapped in a broken elevator figures in exactly nowhere, and freaking out in front of a sexy firefighter definitely isn’t on the agenda. Especially not one with two kids and an ex.

What would have been a random incident with an attractive stranger becomes something more when a charity event brings them back together. They’re from different sides of the tracks, literally—with friends, family and careers to consider. But as Derek and Olivia are discovering, chemistry doesn’t allow for plans, and love doesn’t bother with logistics.

Derek Gilman is a man who loves his family.  His marriage didn’t work out, but they stayed good friends.  He has two children and they mean the world to him.  He wasn’t expecting to meet anyone that would catch his eye, but when he gets stuck in an elevator with Olivia McGovern she pushes all of his buttons.

Olivia has no time in her life for dating.  She has a plan and a man plays no part of that.  Unfortunately for her plans, Derek gets under her skin and she’s soon having to make adjustments.  But can she make enough adjustments to her life to include Derek and his two kids and still live her life the way she wants to?

This was a cute story.  I liked Derek a lot.  I liked how he was with his kids and also the fact that he was such good friends with his ex-wife – kind of like he was before they got married.  With Olivia it took me a while to warm up to her because she was so Type A and had every minute of her day/life planned.  She needed some warmth and spontaneity in her life…and Derek provided that.

Olivia and Derek fall in love pretty quickly but neither is willing to compromise their lives for the other.  They live 40 minutes away from each other.  She makes a lot of money, he makes a fair amount but nothing spectacular.  Her job is in downtown Boston, his isn’t.  Money and location ended up being an issue between them and that annoyed me for some reason because he wouldn’t compromise and his pride was getting in the way.  I mean, I could tell how much they loved each other, and their relationship was pretty good, but the story lacked a spark.  Maybe it was because the book was so centered on them and lacked outside issues?  IDK.

We got some time with the other guys in the firehouse and characters from past books.  We also got, woven into this story, a bit about Grant and his girlfriend Wren.  I’m thinking the next book will be their book and it looks like it will be a good one.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Boston Fire

three-half-stars


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Review: Under Control by Shannon Stacey

Posted August 29, 2018 by Rowena in Reviews | 1 Comment

Review: Under Control by Shannon StaceyReviewer: Rowena
Under Control (Boston Fire, #5) by Shannon Stacey
Series: Boston Fire #5
Also in this series: Heat Exchange, Controlled Burn, Heat Exchange, Controlled Burn, Fully Ignited, Fully Ignited, Controlled Burn, Hot Response, Hot Response (Boston Fire, #4), Under Control
Publisher: Carina Press
Publication Date: August 28, 2018
Point-of-View: Third
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Pages: 384
Add It: Goodreads
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Ripped Bodice | Google Play Books
Series Rating: four-stars

When faced with the opportunity to change shifts while staying in the same house, veteran firefighter Derek Gilman jumps at the chance. His new schedule means not working Saturdays, which means more time to spend with his two kids. His divorce may have been amicable, but being a firefighter and a single dad is a lot to juggle. And when fate brings a gorgeous, wealthy woman into his life, he’s pretty sure he can’t handle more than he already is.

Olivia McGovern loves plans. She planned to start her own business and planned its growth. It’s earning her seven figures now, but her personal life simply doesn’t exist. Getting trapped in a broken elevator figures in exactly nowhere, and freaking out in front of a sexy firefighter definitely isn’t on the agenda. Especially not one with two kids and an ex.

What would have been a random incident with an attractive stranger becomes something more when a charity event brings them back together. They’re from different sides of the tracks, literally—with friends, family and careers to consider. But as Derek and Olivia are discovering, chemistry doesn’t allow for plans, and love doesn’t bother with logistics.

Under Control is the fifth book in the Boston Fire series by Shannon Stacey and it features firefighter Derek Gilman and newcomer Olivia McGovern as they fall in love with each other. Their story starts when they’re stuck in an elevator together and Derek helps Olivia with her not quite but maybe a little ankle injury. There’s an attraction on both sides but nothing comes of it because Olivia had to rush off after she was saved and Derek was still in the elevator but luck would be on their side when she shows up for a charity meeting and Derek is there too.

One of my favorite things about this series is that Shannon Stacey is writing romances for the everyday person and I’m so here for it. I mean sure, Olivia is a little richer than anyone that I know but I thought that her relationship with Derek, who has money worries and problems that I can totally relate to was a good one. I loved seeing them figure their shit out together. Olivia has issues with divorce and the baggage that comes with it, which is completely understandable given her family dynamic and seeing her try to figure her way through dating a man who shares custody of two kids with his ex-wife made for an interesting romance.

I loved seeing Derek try to find a balance in the early days of his relationship with Olivia and being there for his kids and their insecurities about their Mom’s big news. There was a lot of internal things these characters battled in this book and I thought Stacey did a wonderful job of weaving Derek’s life with Olivia’s and I love a straight up contemporary romance, which is what this was.

It was so easy for me to fall right back in with these characters. I enjoyed seeing the guys from the other books and seeing the girls get their gossip on with each other so that was fun though there were times when I thought a bunch of guys at a Red Sox games talking about buying engagement rings was a bit cheesy. Still, this book was a great addition to the Boston Fire series and I’m super excited for Grant’s book. This is what I look like, waiting on Grant’s book…

Overall, this was a solid romance and it left me satisfied that Derek finally got his happy ending. Olivia was a great match for Derek and I was super thrilled with how things turned out for them. I enjoyed getting to know Derek’s kids, seeing all of my other Boston Fire friends and there’s still much to look forward to so woot, you did great Shannon Stacey!

Grade: 4 out of 5

Boston Fire


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