It has been 8 years since I requested this title and I still haven't read it. I am still interested in the book and have since purchased a copy for my shelf but I don't know when I will get to this at this point, if ever. I appreciate the approval for this title and if/when I do decide to read I will leave a review on instagram, goodreads, storygraph, and amazon. thanks again for the approval.

I’ve been anxiously awaiting this story. Josh and Katie have been best friends for years. If Katie feels a little more than friendship toward Josh, well, that’s her secret to keep. Except the entire town seems to have noticed. Everyone, that is, but Josh. Until she’s forced to move in with him to help care for her mom – the housekeeper of Josh’s B&B – who has been really sick. Then he comes upon her in her pajamas and realizes she’s not just one of the guys. She’s all woman.

He struggles with how to react now that he’s seeing his best friend in a new light. As much as he wants to act on his attraction to her, he knows he shouldn’t. Because for the first time in his life he has the opportunity to leave home and discover himself. Katie is happy staying where she is. She feels no need to roam. So despite her feelings for Josh, she knows nothing can develop between them. Too bad their hearts don’t understand that…

Josh is understandably resentful that his family left him to run the lodge without asking if that was what he wanted to do. As a young man he had dreams of traveling, having a family, building a house, etc. All of those went out the window when his dad died and his siblings left him in charge of the lodge. In the previous book, he finally fessed up to his family that he was unhappy stuck at the lodge and they agreed to work it out with him. They agreed to consider either selling, or getting back on their feet financially so they could hire a manager.Josh is glad to finally have gotten it off his chest, but he can’t help but feel like nothing has changed. He’s still stuck at the lodge taking care of things while his siblings aren’t around. He knows that isn’t really fair, since there isn’t a lot anyone can do at that moment since their financial situation isn’t the best. That doesn’t change how he feels, though.

It was good that Josh’s feelings didn’t automatically change once he had the talk with his family. He tried not to feel sorry for himself or be angry all the time, but it was hard. I felt that was very realistic. His anger was justified and so was his resentment. I also understood his conflicted feelings about the lodge. He loved it at the same time he hated it. It stood for his family and was home, but it was also an albatross hanging around his neck.

I really loved Katie in this story. She’s a girl-next-door type. She loves sports and rarely puts on anything besides jeans and t-shirts, but she’s still a woman. When Josh finds her in her boxers in the kitchen, I totally cracked up. That was the first time he noticed she was a woman and not just his best friend. Her feelings for Josh were just as conflicted as his were for the lodge. She loved him and wanted to be with him, but more, she wanted him to be happy. She understood he was going to leave town as soon as he was able and she didn’t want to hold him back. Sure, part of her wanted him to stick around, but she knew that wasn’t going to happen. I liked her independence and practicality.

I didn’t love their romance as much as I expected to. The bulk of the book centered more around Josh’s feelings for the lodge and his conflicted feelings about his situation than their romance. At the end, I wasn’t as invested in them as I expected to me. I also felt Josh’s actions at the end were…not as well put together as they should have been. I don’t want to spoil the story, but I will say I wanted more from him to explain the way it ended.

Still and all, this was a solid read. I’ve come to expect light, witty stories from Stacey and she delivered again.

4 out of 5

I love Shannon Stacy's books, and especially her Kowalski Family Series. This addition did not disappoint. I loved Josh and Katie and enjoyed their story. It was great to have other familiar characters turn up. I thought the storyline was good, and it kept my attention. I look forward to more about the Kowalski's.