Yours to Keep

I originally read the blurb for this book and thought, a fake engagement. Riiiight. Still, I thought I'd give it a shot. After all, I enjoyed the other two books in the series, Exclusively Yours and Undeniably Yours. (Any of the three books could stand on their own as a read, but readers will get more enjoyment out of them if they've read all three--that way when characters show up in future books, they're like old friends.) To my surprise and delight, though, Shannon Stacey totally made it work--it's currently my hands-down favorite of the series!

Fresh from the Army, Sean decides not to return to Maine, where his brothers run the family lodge, but instead heads to New Hampshire to visit his cousins, the Kowalskis that we met earlier in show more the series. (The Kowalskis are now officially one of my favorite fictional families, by the way--you know when one or more of them show up on a page that fun and hilarity are soon to follow. The kids, especially, are a riot!) Sean has barely had time to set down his duffel bag when he finds himself "engaged" to Emma Stone, the best friend of his cousin-in-law Lisa.

I laughed out loud more than once while reading this one--Ms. Stacey definitely outdid herself here. The Kowalski brothers aren't any kinder to their cousin than they are to each other (thank goodness!) and it made for some truly hilarious situations. Their version of the "Newlywed Game" was memorable, as was the bribing of the children to go along with the crazy engagement scheme. I honestly didn't want this book to end, but was thrilled to see from her website that she has books planned already for Sean's three brothers. Dare we hope for one for his sister as well? ;-) show less

You know those books that you just can't seem to put down no matter how late at night it is? Well, that's how Yours To Keep was for me. I just couldn't get enough of Emma and Sean's chemistry and where their story was leading to next. Even though the story of faking being in love, then actually falling in love is a used and abused storyline, Shannon Stacey makes it her own by using fun characters and passionate relationships. I loved how Emma was strong headed and wouldn't take any crap from Sean, which is exactly why Sean started to fall for her. Sean's cute and caring ways with Emma made me fall for him with every page. But what I really fell in love with was Sean's huge, loving family. Something was always happening with their family show more and they were always there for each other, yet they were far from perfect which made them even more lovable. When I was reading this book, there were times I laughed out loud and times I was so into the story, I lost track of time. Yours To Keep is a must-read if you're looking for a nice romance for the summer. show less

I really hope this isn't the ending to this series. I love the Kowalski family. They are everything a family should be and more. Yours To Keep was hilarious. Pretty much every single page will have you laughing out loud. Sean is one funny character! I have no idea how Emma dealt with him. I would have fallen in love with him immediately. From the very first meeting.I really like Shannon Stacey's writing and I will read anything she writes. I want the whole world to read this series. It's that good! I loved it and cannot wait to see what Stacey has in store for us next. 5 out of 5 stars!

Once again, Shannon Stacey gives us another crafty, down-to-earth, romantic story about another Kowalski man--this time, a cousin. I always thought that the idea of fake dating was fun. A friend of mine told me that she once pretended to go out with a guy, and it took them a while to finally convince their friends that they were really going out (and then, of course, they got to laugh at their friends when they told them that it was all a joke). To try and pretend that you're in love with someone so much that you're going to get married? Yeah, you're going to think someone's going a little crazy, especially when you never met her before.

I confess that I'm not fond of explicit scenes--not at all--and this book has quite a few of them. It show more was the scenes in between that got me reading the books in this series. Stacey has a wonderful writing style and a great sense of humor.

Sean has just come back from the army. Having nothing better to do and feeling a bit sorry for Emma, he decides to go along with her plan. Watching the two blunder their way through this deception was hilarious, especially when Sean's cousins and their wives put him and Emma in tough situations. I love how the romance plays out, confusing Sean and Emma. Trust Emma to pick a fake partner who turns out to be someone with whom she could have mutual feelings.

Yours to Keep had me falling even more in love with the Kowalski family. If it wouldn't get old, I would seriously be a huge advocate for more Kowalski books. Stacey is an brilliant romance author to keep an eye on for more works. show less

3.5/4 starsThis was a funny, sexy, if slightly improbable story - (fake fiance for a month to save grandma's feelings) charting the romance between Sean, a Kowalski cousin (there are like 4 other single Kowalskis out there now people, so we may have more books in this series!!) and Emma Shaw, a good friend of Lisa Kowalski. I would have liked a little more about how Evan and Terry were going - there was just a mention that they were continuing with the marriage counselling but that is a small niggle really. I enjoyed the sweet secondary romance between Emma's grandmother and an older gentleman from the neighbourhood. So long as you can get past the set up which really, is a bit out there, it's a fun enjoyable book, filled with cute show more post-it notes from Sean. show less

I have a feeling this is going to end up in my "do not finish" pile. The dialogue feels fake, and while the premise straddles the line between "creepy" and "charming", so far the execution has fallen heavily on the "creepy" side.

The third installment of the Kowalski Family has me excited again! Bringing in Sean's, a cousin to the Kowalskis we know, love story was a delight to read. The premise sounds trite, but the story comes off sweet.

All the characters involved in this story I attached to and liked. There is Sean, our hunky leading man newly released from the Army, with the dimples and manners every Kowalski man has. Emma, our brunette leading lady, who can stand on her own two feet with a kind heart and family friend to the Kowalskis. Gram, Emma's grandmother who is sweet, but not so grandmotherly that she isn't a great character herself with an open mind to not only help set Emma up for love, but starts a new love interest of her own in her sixties. Mary, show more the Kowalski matriarch makes more appearances and gets in cahoots with Gram. There is banter, secrets, lies, humor, fake engagements, real sexual tension, and all the usual angst to go along with a romance.

If you are a Kowalski Family fan, this book is a need to read. I fell for Exclusively Yours (#1), didn't care for Undeniably Yours (#2), but redeemed as a fan with Yours to Keep. The cover also fits the story and characters really well I think. show less