cover image All He Ever Desired

All He Ever Desired

Shannon Stacey. HQN, $7.99 mass market (384p) ISBN 978-0-373-77756-3

Stacey’s many existing fans—and likely new ones—will enjoy her second trip to tiny Whitford, Maine, and the ongoing romantic escapades of the Kowalski brothers (begun in All He Ever Needed). Single mother Lauren Carpenter is raising a teenage son, Nick, and wondering if she made a mistake years ago when she refused to run away with Ryan Kowalski. Ryan, her ex-husband’s former best friend and a building company owner, is back in town temporarily to help spruce up the Kowalski family’s lodge and business. After a chance meeting, Lauren discovers she’s still attracted to Ryan but isn’t sure how to proceed. When Nick is caught vandalizing the lodge, Lauren and Ryan are thrown together. Readers will enjoy revisiting other Kowalski family members, including previous protagonists Paige Sullivan and Mitch Kowalski, as Lauren and Ryan (and Nick) find their way to a happy ending. Agent: Kimberly Whalen, Trident Media Group. (Mar.)