Shannon Stacey’s newest Kowalski novel, All He Ever Dreamed, features the youngest brother, Josh. While his siblings have been out living their lives, Josh has been home taking care of the Northern Star Lodge. Now he wants someone else to take over at the Lodge so he can have his chance to do something he wants. Katie Davis has been best friends with Josh almost their entire lives and she’s gotten very good over the years at hiding that she wants more. When Josh suddenly starts seeing her as a more than one of the guys, do they dare become more than friends? Now that he’s finally getting the chance to pursue life away from the Lodge, will he discover that his dreams might be closer than he thought?
Although this is part of a series, it can definitely be enjoyed as a stand alone. I’ve not read any of the other Kowalski books and I didn’t have any problem keeping up. For those who have read Stacey’s previous stories will enjoy a chance to catch up with favorite characters. And everyone will get the chance to see who might be making appearances in future books.
I love both Katie and Josh. They are fun, charming and have great chemistry. Watching Josh realize that Katie is an attractive woman, and that his feelings for her are changing, is vastly entertaining. Stacey does a great job keeping it realistic by not changing the core part of their relationship, just adding the romantic element. Josh has a lot of conflicting emotions over getting involved with Katie, not only because it could ruin the best friendship that he has, but there is also the fact that he wants to leave town. Katie is also aware of his dreams and she has to take that into consideration when she decides whether it is worth the possible hurt to get her heart further involved with him. They handle this with a lot of humor and heart, quickly drawing readers in on their dilema.
All He Ever Dreamed is a delightful look at the chance best friends take when they develop their relationship further. And what it’s like to get what you’ve been wanting, only to realize it might not be what you want after all. If you haven’t met the Kowalskis, take this opportunity to fall in love with this fantastic family.
Romantic Reads and Such 