Shannon Stacey – Undeniably Yours
Posted 10th February 2012
Category: Reviews Genres: 2010s, Domestic, Romance
1 Comment
Not as undeniably yours as the other books in the series are likely to be.
Publisher: Carina Press (Harlequin)
Pages: 204
Type: Fiction
Age: Adult
ISBN: 978-1-4268-9072-7
First Published: 2010
Date Reviewed: 30th January 2012
Rating: 2.5/5
Kevin Kowalski met Beth when he chucked her boss out of his bar, costing the woman her job. When they meet again – Kevin and Beth that is – the inevitable happens. But then inevitable takes a hike when Beth gets pregnant despite all precautions. Kevin wants to give a relationship a chance, but Beth’s unwilling.
Sadly, Undeniably Yours does not have a patch on the other two books in this series, in fact it’s rather like the rebellious middle child who doesn’t fit in with the rest of the family. Whereas Exclusively Yours and the later Yours To Keep are fun-filled family-orientated romances that stir the heart and take you on a journey with the Kowalskis, Undeniably Yours sits by itself in the corner pushing all the chances for fun away. And that’s quite the literal description.
Beth was nomadic before falling pregnant, and while her viewpoint of losing her freedom is understandable, the way she keeps Kevin at arms length is not. Kevin is overbearing in the way that he tries to help Beth but the reasons Beth gives for shutting him out are just silly. She is afraid they might break up if they got together, and doesn’t consider the possibility that it might actually work out.
Beth doesn’t think this once, she spends the entire book repeating her thoughts over and over. There is also the fact that suddenly, from being so inviting in Exclusively Yours, the Kowalski family are difficult to read about. Here they come across as overbearing, like Kevin, never leaving Beth to work things out for herself. And in regards to Beth’s own parents, one minute she’s missing them, the next she’s remembering why she kept herself away from them, yet when the time comes for the reader to meet them they seem incredibly accommodating. There may be some truth in the idea that Beth may have read them wrongly, but it still doesn’t add up.
The set up was good, but Undeniably Yours is a world away from the other books. The focus is all on the pregnancy, or rather all on Beth’s repetitious mind, and barring the interludes for Paulie’s story (which is a welcome respite) there is nothing else. Even when the other Kowalskis are there they aren’t there for long.
If you’re okay with the idea of a plot about a silly woman pushing the father of her baby away while happily living a few steps away and spending time at home with his family – and nothing else – you might find it alright. But anyone who has read and thoroughly enjoyed other Kowalski books should note that this is nothing like Stacey’s standard Kowalski fare.
I received this book for review from Carina Press.
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February 14, 2012, 4:51 am
Aww, as a middle child myself, I feel like I should support the fraternity and read this book :-)