Review – All He Ever Dreamed by Shannon Stacey

The blurb:

Josh Kowalski is tired of holding down the fort—better known as the Northern Star Lodge—while his siblings are off living their dreams. Now that his oldest brother has returned to Whitford, Maine for good, Josh is free to chase some dreams of his own.

As the daughter of the lodge’s longtime housekeeper, Katie Davis grew up alongside the Kowalski kids. Though she’s always been “one of the guys”, her feelings for Josh are anything but sisterly. And after a hot late-night encounter in the kitchen, it’s clear Josh finally sees her as the woman she is.

Katie’s been waiting years for Josh to notice her, but now that he has, she’s afraid it’s too late. Giving her heart to a man who can’t wait to leave town is one sure way to have it broken. But Josh keeps coming up with excuses not to leave—could it be that everything he’s ever wanted is closer than he could have imagined?

It’s finally Josh Kowalski’s turn. In earlier books, we learned that while the older Kowalski siblings left home to chase their dreams, Josh put his on the back burner to take on the responsibility of running the family lodge. Now the family has come together to find a solution and Josh’s chance to escape is finally in sight. But Josh has noticed that his best friend Katie is definitely not one of the guys and now he doesn’t know if escape is what he wants.

Katie has been in love with a clueless Josh for years but he’s never seen as more than his best buddy. Katie temporarily moving into the lodge and a midnight encounter in the kitchen changes all that. As both give in to the attraction and friendship turns into something more, painful choices have to be made and hearts may be broken.

I loved this one. There were many laugh out loud moments, as I’ve come to expect from Shannon Stacey books, but there was also more than one scene I read with a lump in my throat. None of the choices made by any of the characters were easy ones and the pain, confusion, and love came through clearly. I ached for them all while still cheering on Josh and Katie for not compromising their dreams. I wasn’t sure how a happily ever after was possible for two people that wanted such different things out of life but when it came, it was believable and beautiful. All He Ever Dreamed is my favorite Kowalski book to date and I can’t recommend it enough!

Favorite quote:

“Dammit. I need to know what he does for a living.”

“I heard he’s a serial killer.”

“You should go on a date with him.”

Hailey stared at her for a few seconds, her eyes wide. “I’m just going to sit here while you replay that last bit of conversation in your head.”

Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: January 21, 2013
Format: Digital

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