Review: Exclusively Yours by Shannon Stacey

I was recommended this series because of the strong familial element and the cute and sweet romance, so I was very excited to read my first Shannon Stacey contemporary. In EXCLUSIVELY YOURS, Keri Daniels, our heroine is a magazine writer for Spotlight. Her boss, Tara has requested a job from her that requires her to use her past as a jump-off. Tara wants an interview with Joseph Kowalski, a well-known author who doesn’t like the spotlight. Unfortunately for him, Spotlight wants him and so now with Keri’s job on the line, she is forced to face her ex-boyfriend Joe twenty years after their high school romance.

Joe isn’t one to divulge secrets of his private life so in order for Keri to ask her questions, Joe proposes that she accompany him and his family to their annual camping trip. For each day she spends with him, she gets to ask one question and in return, Joe asks one question from her.

I have to say that I really liked the premise of this story. The camping trip allowed for enough adventure and fun for the hero and heroine to play around with. And the one question per day bit was really a cute aspect of the story that guaranteed a happily-ever-after.

However, there was one thing that bugged me about this story. You know when a story lacks because its pacing is too slow? Well, this was the exact opposite. I felt like everything was happening so quickly that I didn’t get to enjoy the good parts as much as I thought I would. Don’t get me wrong, each scene was written nicely, but I just felt that they should have been longer or at least better paced.We meet Keri and Joe fairly quickly in the book and then suddenly their romance starts to bloom. I felt like I didn’t get a chance to really know Keri or Joe individually before their romance started. Because of this, I didn’t have that same connection with the characters as I have with others.

Also, the big Kowalski family has its advantages and disadvantages. The side story with Terry and her problems added in more heart, which I think saved her from being seen as the “mean Keri-hating sister”. However, the rest of the family and their pop-in appearances really threw me over. There were so many new names and personalities that were thrown into my face that I felt really overwhelmed. To me, a strong family doesn’t necessarily mean a big family. So I hope that that will get better when I read the next book in the series, UNDENIABLY YOURS.