"Sexy, sassy and immensely satisfying"
Reviewed by Sandra Wurman
Posted November 5, 2010
Romance
Family is central to this story about two women whose life
choices were dictated by their relationships with their
parents and their avoidance of commitment. Beth was constantly on the move, separating herself from her
parents who she viewed as smothering. As the only child,
they doted on her. As soon as she could escape, she did. She
didn't value relationships or belongings -- just her
independence. Paulie Reed's demeaning relationship with her parents and
distaste for their lifestyle forced her to create a new
identity so she could live her own life her way. In doing
that, she walked out on her wedding leaving a confused and
surprisingly hurt groom behind. Both Beth and Paulie found themselves in Kevin Kowalski's
bar. Paulie works for him. Beth catches Kevin's eye. He
thinks she is a looker and his natural instincts as an
ex-cop and good guy kicked in when her date turned into a
rather abusive and nasty drunk. Her date turned out to
be her boss who summarily fired her on the spot. Not an
auspicious beginning. Beth was unimpressed with this chick magnet bartender who
collected phone numbers on cocktail napkins. Two days later,
Beth is bartender at Kevin's brothers wedding and, as
annoyed as she is to see him, she can't deny the fact that
he has been on her mind. She can't envision any kind of
relationship with the napkin collector, but something got to
her as she watched his interaction with his big affectionate
family. So, after spending an evening fighting this
attraction, Beth throws caution to the wind and agrees to
spend the night. But in the light of day, she is once more
reminded of her vow to not be a number on a napkin and leaves. Soon, Beth discovers she is pregnant and now has some
seriously life altering decisions to make. Her nomadic life
wouldn't work with a baby and she was in a mess -- no real
home or job to speak of and she was alone. Her parents would
help but their micromanaging was the root of her life style.
The only person she could turn to was Kevin and she was
totally unprepared for his reaction to her news. You see the
Kowalski's were this boisterous, welcoming, unassuming, and
generous-to-a-fault family and Kevin was determined that
Beth and his child be part of it. But the plan didn't
include any sort of relationship between Beth and Kevin. Kevin wanted more than just friendship and hoped that, with
time and patience, Beth would want more too. But Beth was
frightened by the feelings that were developing and was
determined to safeguard her heart at all costs. Would
patience prevail? Would the love and a good example of a
family that works give Beth the courage to take a chance? Loved it! This book by Stacey is a page turner that
immediately captures your attention and heart with its wit
and warmth and doesn't miss a beat as the story reaches a
very satisfying and entertaining conclusion. This is one
you will truly enjoy.
SUMMARY
Bar owner Kevin Kowalski is used to women throwing their
phone numbers at him, but lately he's more interested in
finding a woman to settle down with. A woman like Beth
Hansen. If only their first meeting hadn't gone so badly... Beth's tending bar at a wedding when she comes face-to-face
with a tuxedo-clad man she never thought she'd see again.
She tries to keep her distance from Kevin but, by last call,
she can't say no to his too-blue eyes or the invitation back
to his room. Then she slips out before breakfast without
leaving a note and, despite their precautions, pregnant. Kevin quickly warms to the idea of being a dad and to seeing
where things go with Beth. After all, he's not the player
she thinks he is. But she's not ready for a relationship
and, given his reputation, it's going to take a lot to
convince her to go on a second date with the father of her
child...
ExcerptOctoberEvery time the New England Patriots chalked
one up in the win column, Kevin Kowalski got laid. A score
for them was a score for him. Not that he was always looking
for a companion on a Sunday night, but the offers weren't
scarce. As he slid a foaming mug of Sam Adams down the
polished surface of the best damn sports bar in New
Hampshire's capital city—which just happened to list
his name as proprietor—he caught a blonde watching
him. The Pats were lining up at first and goal on the
big-screen, but her eyes were on him, letting him know the
New England quarterback wasn't the only guy in scoring
position. But tonight he was having a hard time
concentrating on the blonde with the chemically enhanced
lips, surgically enhanced boobs and alcohol-enhanced sex
drive giving him the you could go all the way
look. He was too busy keeping his eye on the brunette at
the other end of the bar. It wasn't just the fact she was
pretty, with a mess of dark brown hair falling to her
shoulders and eyes to match. Or that her fisherman's sweater
and jeans hugged her body in all the right places, though
that certainly didn't hurt. Mostly he was keeping an eye
on her because her date was going downhill in a hurry.
Either the guy in the uptight, button-down shirt and khakis
had had a couple before he walked into the bar or he had the
alcohol tolerance of a high-school freshman, because it had
only taken a couple shots of scotch for drunken-asshole
syndrome to kick in. Now there was some body language
going on between the couple and her body wanted away from
his body. His fingers would start looking for a soft place
to land. She'd deflect. Rinse and repeat. Jasper's Bar &
Grille had three rules. No smoking. No throwing beer mugs,
even at the Jets fans. And when a lady said no, it meant
no. The Patriots scored and the glasses shook on the
shelves as a triumphant roar filled Jasper's. The blonde
hopped up and down on her barstool, her boobs testing the
bungee ability of her bra straps. And the jerk with the
wandering hands raised his empty glass to wave it in Kevin's
general direction. He made his way down to the couple, but
ignored the glass. "We won't be serving you any more
alcohol, but you're welcome to a coffee or a soda, on the
house." Uptight Guy's face turned as red as a Budweiser
label and Kevin sighed. He was going to be one of
those guys. Jasper's had a zero-tolerance policy, so
as the guy's ass lifted off the stool, Kevin gave Paulie the
signal and watched her roll her eyes as she reached for the
phone. "I'm not drunk and I want another goddamn
scotch!" The woman put her hand on the guy's arm, as if to
push him back onto his seat. "Derek, let's—" "Who
the hell are you to tell me I can't have another goddamn
scotch?" Uptight Guy's bad-ass act was diluted a bit by
the weaving. "I'm the guy who reserves the right to refuse
you service." "Beth, tell this asshole to gimme another
drink." Kevin shook his head. "You're cut off." It
happened fast. Kevin wasn't sure if the guy was throwing a
punch or reaching in to grab him by the shirt, but his elbow
hit his date and knocked her backward. She didn't fall,
thanks to the guy sitting next to her, who was pleasantly
surprised to find himself with an armful of brunette, but it
distracted Kevin enough to allow the guy to land a weak,
glancing blow to his jaw.
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