Review: All He Ever Needed by Shannon Stacey

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All He Ever Needed
Series: Kowalski Family #4
Author: Shannon Stacey

SUMMARY
(From Goodreads)

He won’t stay put for a woman, and she won’t chase after any man.Mitch Kowalski lives out of a suitcase—and he likes it that way.

Traveling for work has the added bonus of scaring off women who would otherwise try to tie him down. But when he’s called home to help with the family lodge, he’s intrigued by the new girl in town and her insistence that she doesn’t need a man. If there’s one thing Mitch can’t resist, it’s a challenge.

After a nomadic childhood, Paige Sullivan is finally putting down roots. Determined to stand on her own two feet, she lives by the motto “Men are a luxury, not a necessity.” But when Mr. Tall, Dark and Hot pulls up a stool in her diner and offers her six weeks of naughty fun with a built-in expiration date, she’s tempted to indulge.

They’re the perfect match for a no-strings fling. Until they realize their sexy affair has become anything but casual.

MY THOUGHTS

All He Ever Needed is the fourth book in the Kowalski Family series by author Shannon Stacey.  The main characters featured are Mitch Kowalski and Paige Sullivan.

I love this author.  Whenever she has a new book released, I gather all of my pennies and dimes just to go purchase it.  Her stories always have the perfect balance between sweet romance and witty dialogue.  The characters are engaging and the plot is always something I enjoy.  While the two characters have instant attraction to each other, I loved how the author kept it from instant love.  Let me tell you though — the instant chemistry was hot.  The sexy banter and scenes were so good and the hero actually had to put forth some effort to get to the end goal.

Both of the characters kept me engaged in the story and I didn’t find myself distracted by an of the side characters.  The side characters just made the story more enjoyable and rounded out the plot.  Again, author Shannon Stacey has mastered the art of wit, romance, family and plot.  She is an auto-buy for me and I can’t wait to get my hands on the next book in this series!

FAVORITE QUOTE

“Honey, love isn’t like rappelling into a cave, where you can control your descent and how deep you go. It’s just falling into the hole.” 

MY RATING

Outstanding book that will stay on my bookshelf for rereading!

Review: Louder Than Words by Laurie Plissner

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Louder Than Words
Author: Laurie Plissner

SUMMARY
(From Goodreads)

Since the snowy night when her family’s car slammed into a tree, killing her parents and little sister, Sasha has been unable to speak except through a computer with a robotic voice. Nothing is wrong with her body; that’s healed. But, after four years, Sasha’s memory, and her spirit, are still broken. Then one day, she’s silently cussing out the heavy book she dropped at the library when a gorgeous, dark-haired boy, the kind of boy who considers Sasha a freak or at least invisible, “answers” Sasha’s hidden thoughts — out loud. Yes, Ben can read minds; it’s no big deal. He’s part of a family with a host of unusual, almost-but-not-quite-supernatural talents. Through Ben’s love, Sasha makes greater progress than she has with a host of therapists and a prominent psychiatrist. With him to defend her, bullies keep the world from ever understanding Sasha, he pulls away. Determined to win him and prove her courage by facing her past, Sasha confronts her past — only to learn that her family’s death was no accident and that a similar fate may wait for her, in the unlikeliest of disguises.

MY THOUGHTS

Louder Than Words is the debut novel by author Laurie Plissner.

The summary of this book was what intrigued me instead of the cover.  While I can say the cover did absolutely nothing for me, the summary itself is what drew me into wanting to read it.  I loved the premise of this book — to the point to where I thought it was well outside the box of normal when it came to young adult paranormal.  The romance was a little on the darker side without the sweetness you would expect, but one that was different but good.  While I can’t say I was a fan of each of the characters, I can say that the author did have a great voice in her narration and execution of story.

It is kind of hard to describe how I felt upon reading the last page of this story.  It was good, but it wasn’t one that blew me away.  It had moments I enjoyed, but it also had moments that I didn’t.  While some parts I wanted to reread again and again, there were also parts I wanted to skim over to get to the next part of the story. There were several things going on at one time that led the reader down a different path than what you really wanted to read about.  At times it became too much and I wished the author would have just stuck with one or two things to keep me interested.

While this book is good for a debut author,  I feel it could have been better.  I think the book just needed a little more polishing before the ending was revealed.  Even though it wasn’t a favorite book of mine this year, it is an author I will keep an eye out for in the future for more.

MY RATING

If the library doesn’t have it, don’t worry about reading it!

The Weekly Wrap Up (9)

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It’s time for the Weekly Wrap Up!
What did you miss this week on My Overstuffed Bookshelf?  Find out below!
(inspired by Smexy Books)

*****

I almost forgot to do the Weekly Wrap Up for the second week in a row! So this post will be two weeks wrapped up into one post.  It is safe to say that my family suffered greatly last week.  Even though the kids were home for Spring Break, I still made the time to read Lover At Last by J.R. Ward.  My family was forced to either fend for themselves or order out for two days.  Then I went into BDB hangover for a day.  I couldn’t bring myself to read another book for a day just so I could let the story sink in.  I also just finished up posting my reviews on my April Series Spotlight books.  This month I am featuring a great Historical Romance series by author Caroline Linden.  I have plenty of review books that will keep me bury this week. On to the Wrap Up!

DISCUSSION POST

The Labeling of Mommy Porn

REVIEWS

Changing the Game by Jaci Burton (4 Martini)
Lover At Last by J.R. Ward (4 Martini)
Taking A Shot by Jaci Burton (3 Martini)
What Happens in Scotland by Jennifer McQuiston (4 Martini)
One Night in London by Caroline Linden (3 Martini)
Blame it on Bath by Caroline Linden (4 Martini)
The Way to a Duke’s Heart by Caroline Linden (4 Martini)

POSTS FROM AROUND THE BLOGS

–Anna @ Anna’s Book Blog posted several posts featuring Cover Discoveries. Check them out and see the pretties!
Part One
Part Two
–Parajunkee has a great post on Ten Twitter Tools of Awesome that bloggers should check out!
–Bianca from Pages of Forbidden Love had an awesome discussion post on procrastinating.  Don’t be too hard on yourself Bianca!  I am just as bad. Let’s sit and drink wine over it. We can work on those posts tomorrow. 😉

Review: The Way to a Duke’s Heart by Caroline Linden

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The Way to a Duke’s Heart
Series: The Truth About the Duke #3
Author: Caroline Linden
Historical Romance

SUMMARY
(From Goodreads)

Charles de Lacey, Lord Gresham, is running out of time, running from his responsibilities, and running from love.

Destined to be a duke, Charles de Lacey has led a life of decadent pleasure, free of any care for propriety or responsibility. It comes as a terrible shock to learn that he might be stripped of everything, thanks to his father’s scandalous past. He has no choice but to find the blackmailer who would ruin him—and his only link to the villain is a woman who may be part of the plot…

To save his fortune and title, he vows he’ll stop at nothing—in fact, he’s all too eager to unravel the beautiful, tart-tongued Tessa Neville. She intrigues him and tempts him like no other lady ever has. With only his heart to guide him, and keenly aware that his entire future is at stake, Charles must decide: is she the woman of his dreams, or an enemy in disguise?

MY THOUGHTS

The Way to a Duke’s Heart is the third and final book in the Truth About the Duke series by author Caroline Linden.  The main characters are Charles de Lacey and Tessa Neville.

Charles is the oldest brother and the last one to fall in love.  He is also the brother who is known for being a scoundrel and bedding women without a care.  He could really care less about the family business and has now been handed over the job of finding out the truth and the blackmailer.  If he wants to secure the title of Duke of Durham, he needs to find out who has been sending the blackmail letters and proof that their fathers secret is found to be over with.  During his investigation of all this, he stumbles upon Tessa Neville in a small town.  He overhears about a letter arriving for her in a hotel from the man he is looking for.  While he tries to figure things out — and if Tessa is involved in the blackmail scheme — he finds himself falling in love with the outspoken and at times blunt bewitching woman.

After being tricked by a man before, Tessa Neville has sworn off men.  She is intellectual and could care less about society and the gossip the other ladies thrive on.  She would rather be reading or combing through accounting books for her family than deciding which ball to attend and what color dress is in style.  She finds herself in a small town to look at an investment opportunity for her brother and to see if it is profitable to invest in it.  She has no idea why the His Grace Charles de Lacey is showing an interest in her and her companion, Mrs. Bates.  She considers him to be indolent and just another handsome face.  What she discovers though is a man who enjoys her company, her mind, and eventually her body.

While the previous book is still my favorite in the series, I have to say that this one gave it a run for the money.  Charles — or Charlie — was sweet, fun and an all around gentleman.  While he has indiscretions he is not proud of, he loves the challenge that is Tessa.  When his usual charms doesn’t work to catch her eye, he decides to approach her as just a fellow friend.  This friendship evolves into something more and Tessa is the one who can help him solve the mystery of the blackmailing scheme.

Each character in this series has been a delight to read about.  I enjoyed the suspense and mystery of who it could be that was spreading the rumors.  I loved the discovery of the blackmailer and the reasons behind it.  I also loved how the author’s voice sucked me into the courtship of each couple while not overpowering the reader with too much detail and narration.

If you haven’t started this wonderful series, you are truly missing out on the great journey.  Even though this book could be read as a stand alone novel,  I do recommend reading the series from the first book to get all of the details into the drama and mystery of the who-done-it.  Now if I can just convince the author to give Mrs. Bates a book!

MY RATING

Very Good! I would recommend this book!

Review: Blame It on Bath by Caroline Linden

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Blame It on Bath
Series: The Truth About the Duke #2
Author: Caroline Linden
Historical Romance

SUMMARY
(From Goodreads)

A marriage of convenience . . . or of destiny?

Gerard de Lacey is determined to find the man who is blackmailing his family, but with his inheritance and status at risk, a hasty marriage to a wealthy bride also seems in order–just in case things take a turn for the worse. Charismatic and capable, Gerard knows he can win the hand of any lady he chooses. Still, he’s not expecting a rich widow to find him and propose the very thing he wants: a marriage of convenience.

Katherine Howe’s first marriage was one of dreary duty. Now that she’s being pressured to marry her late husband’s heir, she’s desperate for a better option. Gerard de Lacey, with his sinful good looks, charming manner, and looming scandal, fits her needs perfectly. The fact that she’s nursed a secret affection for him only makes it better–and worse. Because Gerard will likely marry her for her fortune–but can he love her for herself, as she loves him?

MY THOUGHTS

Blame It on Bath is the second novel in the Truth About the Duke series by author Caroline Linden.  The main characters featured are Gerard de Lacey and Katherine Howe.

After finishing the last book in the series, I was a little curious about Gerard. At first, I wasn’t sure if I was going to like reading about his journey.  He is the youngest of the bunch and he seemed a little hot headed.  I hoped the author would make him a little more interesting with some softer emotions shown to the reader in his book.

Holy. Freaking. HOTNESS.

Gerard de Lacey was one fine specimen who could be so dirty in the bed. Not only was the sexy scenes so much better in this book, but Gerard was swoon worthy.  He is faithful, dependable, sweet, and very sexy.  While he went into this marriage with Kate on the basis of an arrangement, he was completely changed by the end of the book.

While this book heavily focuses on Gerard and Kate exploring their marriage of convenience, the mystery of the blackmailer is still in question.  I wish there would have been a bit more focus on the mystery, I can’t say I am completely disappointed in getting some lovely romance between the two.

So far this is my favorite of the series.  While it is only book two, the author did a much better job in focusing on the romance in this book for the swoon factor.  I am looking forward to seeing how Charles will handle being the one left holding the bag in unearthing the blackmailer.

MY RATING

Very Good! I would recommend this book!