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Kõik, Mida Ta Eales Ihaldas (2013)

by Shannon Stacey(Favorite Author)

4.08 of 5 Votes: 2

languge

English

genre

Romance

publisher

Ersen

series

Kowalski Family

review 1: First, I'll say I waffled between a 3 and 4. While reading this book I was truly sucked in. There were two times I laughed out loud, stopped reading, interrupted my husband while he was reading so I could share the passage I just read. The night I finished reading it, all I wanted to do the whole day was get back to the book. After finishing the book, I started thinking more about the story and I realized, I don't really like the hero.This is book 5 in Shannon Stacey's Kowalski family series. In this book, Ryan Kowalski has come back to the lodge to help with the repairs. He has a thriving construction business 2 states aka 5 hours away. He brings with him 2 of his employees to help. Our heroine is Lauren. She's grown up in the small town, went to school with Ryan... more, and had gotten pregnant very young by Dean, Ryan's best friend. Lauren married Dean, had the child - Nick, and ended up divorced from Dean. Ryan's friendship with Dean ended when Ryan tried to convince Lauren probably over a decade earlier to leave Dean, take Nick and run away with him. Lauren had turned Ryan down and hadn't told anyone of that conversation. They're divorced now because she caught Dean having sex with another woman in their bed.Subplots include the wedding of the couple, Mitch and Paige, from book 4, the continuing saga of Rosie and Andy, and the straightening out of Nick, Lauren's son, which was also used as something that forced Ryan and Lauren to see each other. Oh, and Ryan's business is a force in the background always pulling at him.The joyful moments include seeing the whole Kowalski family as they arrived in a caravan for the wedding. I love how the guys pick on each other in a friendly way. The two times that I laughed out loud included when Ryan came home after spending the night with Lauren. All the adults in the family were in a betting pool as to which of the two women he drove home did he spend the night with. I loved the exchange between him and Josh who let him know of the bet. The second one happened when Ryan and Josh went into the hardware store, owned by Lauren's Dad, shortly after Ryan had spent the night at Lauren's. Her Dad was rather upset as to what Ryan had done to his little girl! Caught Ryan way off guard and Josh helped Lauren's Dad with the battle. Definitely my favorite scene in the book.As to what I didn't like, well, that turned out to be Ryan. He's the boss. He mentions it a lot at the lodge with the two guys he brought to help with fixing the place up. He has to be in control of his business - always checking up on his people. He behaves way more like a classic first child (and Mitch does not act like the oldest much at all). He also is rather controlling, bossy or even dominating with Lauren. When they had sex the first time, he held her hands above her head and her against the wall until she came. Could be sexy and erotic or controlling, dominating or even a bit rapish as she wanted to touch him but he wasn't done touching her. Still, she enjoyed it and seemed happy with it so I let it go. At his house, he told her to unzip her pants, bent her over the bed and pulled her hair so her back bent as he thrust himself into her. He again was controlling and pushy and took her his way. Again, she seemed fine with it all afterward. Actually in all instances that are shared with us when they have sex, he takes over control of what is happening between them. He also takes it upon himself to talk with Dean, Lauren's ex and Nick's Dad, prior to talking with Lauren to seek Dean's permission to marry Lauren since Ryan wants her and Nick to move to his house. Now, let me explore that with you for a bit.Ryan talks to a man that has no say in what Lauren does before he talks to Lauren. He actually had blown off talking about their future with her but once he was ready, he talks to her ex-husband and not her. I told every man I dated that if they ever wanted to marry me, they should ask me not my Dad. If they ask my Dad first, then they can go marry my Dad because he doesn't make my decisions for me nor does he own me. So, this is a touch point with me - men bartering with other men for the women in their lives. I know, many people think it is sweet and respectful and such. Maybe if Ryan had talked to Lauren's father, I'd be a little less bothered, but probably not much. Once Ryan had gotten everything squared away with Dean, he went to Lauren. He asks her to move to Massachusetts with him. Tells her Dean is okay with Nick leaving with them. He didn't ask her to marry him. He doesn't tell her he loves her. He tells her he wants her and Nick to move - quit her job, pull Nick out of school, leave the only town they know, leave her parents who are getting older, all of it - without a declaration of love, a proposal or even a discussion. Also, btw, I have it all worked out with your ex. What? Why are you mad? How did I overstep my bounds? Why should I talk to you about your future when I have it all figured out for you? Why should I respect your intellect and ability to work things out with your ex-husband yourself? I'm the boss and I know what you want because it is what I want. She gets mad and throws him out. Then he goes back to the lodge and gets some decent advice and a smidge of perspective. Lauren calls Hailey (LOVE Hailey!) who brings junk food and an assumption that Ryan proposed. Lauren also seemed under the assumption there was a proposal there. Then the next day, it is Lauren who calls and apologizes to Ryan. Ryan says things better this time around but at no time does he go through anything resembling groveling. In the end, I'm rather concerned that he lacks respect for Lauren and will continue to control their lives.So, given all that, I really enjoyed reading it. I really like the Kowalski's and Stacey's work. But, I also really want Ryan to experience growth to his character, because right now, he's a bit of ass.
review 2: I really wanted to like this more than I did because I think the setup - divorced Ryan, single mom Lauren, and a second chance at love - could have been really interesting. Don't get me wrong, I liked it, and it was a sweet story, but I didn't find myself as gripped with Ryan and Lauren as I have with other the main characters from Shannon Stacey.I think my biggest problem is that none of Ryan's baggage is ever really aired or addressed much. We see all of Lauren's issues, and while they are definitely messier because of 16 year old Nick, there's not much done with Ryan. We see a glimpse or two of what we went through the first time he asked Lauren to leave Dean, but that's it. Ryan left me wanting more emotionally, because while I do believe his feelings are true, he never really talks about it with Lauren.My second problem was pacing. It took almost a third of the book for Ryan and Lauren to get together, and then it almost immediately falls into insta-love for them both, with a big rush towards the end. Ryan, I can believe that from, because he carried a torch for Lauren since they were little... but adult Ryan never admits that to adult Lauren! He never tells her how long he's had feelings for her, even if those feelings changed from youth to adulthood - what a missed opportunity.Lauren, I have a harder time believing that she really loves Ryan because she admits she didn't think of him that way when they were younger (so this wasn't really a book about second chance love, since Ryan and Lauren weren't a couple when they were younger - I was a little disappointed by this). While she admits to fantasizing about him a LOT in her what if moments, fantasy does not love make. I recognize that Shannon Stacey does give her characters more time than other writers do to fall in love - several weeks - but her strength is her realism, so a few weeks to go from attraction to love on Lauren's part? Eh, I don't know if I believe that.That said, I do like Shannon Stacey's writing style, her humor, and her realism, and the crazy Kowalski clan has won me over. So, while I wanted to see a little more struggle and tension, and a little less insta-love, I can't fault her for the realistic way she wrapped up this book.3 stars less

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