Yours to Keep by Shannon Stacey {Kowalski Family, book 3}

Sean Kowalski no sooner leaves the army than he’s recruited by Emma Shaw to be her fake fiancé. Emma needs to produce a husband-to-be for her grandmother’s upcoming visit, and, though Sean doesn’t like the deception, he could use the landscaping job Emma’s offering while he decides what to do with his civilian life. And, despite his attraction to Emma, there’s no chance he’ll fall for a woman with deep roots in a town he’s not planning to call home.

Emma’s not interested in a real relationship either; not with a man whose idea of home is wherever he drops his duffel bag. No matter how amazing his “pretend” kisses are…

Title: Yours to Keep {Kowalski Family, book 3}

Author: Shannon Stacey

Publication: 06th June 2011

Publisher: Carina Press

201 pages

This book is the third instalment of a series. However it can be read as a stand-alone.

My review

I was immediately drawn to this book by its cover. I find it utterly irresistible. I didn't know that it was the third book of a series. However, it's really not a problem as you can read it as a stand-alone novel. Yours To Keep is an adult romance, I wanted something different from my usual reading and I was not disappointed at all. It's more mature than my usual reading, with adults characters and preoccupations. Some dialogues are more or less crude and there are some relatively explicit scenes. Those details didn't bother me at all, but I prefer to mention them as some of my readers may be quite young. 

In fact, Yours to Keep is the third book of a series, but they can be read separately as each one deals with a different member of the Kowalski family. I did not read the previous two, yet I had no difficulty at all to dive into the story and I totally enjoyed reading it. On the contrary, it made me want to read the previous books in order to find out more about the Kowalski family.

If you do not like adult romances, then this book is probably not for you. For me, it was something different, it's changed a bit and I appreciated it because it was entertaining and refreshing. I totally enjoyed this book, it offers us a funny and refreshing read and it put me in a good mood. The romance is interesting and often very cute. In addition, some elements make the story more original and full of humor, especially the sticky notes and Sean's brothers.

As it's often the case with this kind of books, the plot is rather predictable, but that does not stop me from spending a great time with it. Shannon Stacey's writing is very pleasant and smooth and her characters are appealing. Indeed, they have quick and sharp tongues. There is a lot of humor and I often smiled and even laughed to the dialogues, especially thanks to Sean's brothers.

The characters are endearing, either Sean or Emma. The third-person narration is alternated between the two of them and it enables the reader to have the two points of view. The plot is fast-paced, without downtime and with a few twists. In fact, it's a rather special kind of situation. The reader knows in advance how things will evolve, but he cannot help but continue to read and follow the characters' story. If I had to describe it, I think it would be a bit like an accident, you cannot help but watch, or at least this kind of situation is often described like this - although for me the comparison doesn't work as I never look at car crashes.

To sum up, if you like adult romances, if you want to spend a good time, relax and have fun then you should check Yours to Keep out. Humor, a funny plot, engaging characters and a very successful atmosphere, here is what is waiting for you. I'm very romantic, so I was totally conquered and I now really want to discover the two previous books and the story of the other family's members.

A copy was provided by the publisher, via Net Galley, against my completely honest review. Thank you.