If you haven’t read any of Shannon Stacey’s Kowalski Family series, stop right now and go pick up the first book, Exclusively Yours, pronto. Any format will suffice, but just grab it and start it soon! I recommend the Kowalski Family series to first-time and veteran romance readers more than any other series, and for good reasons - it is a wonderfully written, joyful, small-town romance series that gives all the feels. So with that said, if you haven’t read the series, I really don’t recommend starting with What it Takes for a couple of reasons. First, this is a “reunion” book, bringing back all of the couples and characters from the previous nine titles. Their stories will be lost on someone who’s not read the series. Second, I feel this story is the weakest of the ten books, and therefore, not a great example of how wonderful this series truly is.

Now that I’ve gotten that out of the way, on to my review… What it Takes is a combination between the love story of Laney Caswell and Ben Rivers and reunion tour of the Kowalski family and friends from the first nine books in the series. Unfortunately, the book tries too hard to cover both storylines, leaving me not quite satisfied with both. I did enjoy my time back in Whitford, ME; however, I felt I had to work too hard to follow along all the going-ons, and frankly, I would have preferred a stronger romantic storyline instead of the reunion.

The book opens and closes strong, following the budding romance between Ben and Laney. Ben grew up in Whitford, and is friends with the gang. Now that Northern Star Lodge has become so popular with the 4-wheelers, Josh got the town to offer his friend a job as a paramedic helping on the trails when riders get injured. Laney recently finalized a drawn-out divorce. Now she's starting over in a camper at the Northern Star Lodge where she’s spending the summer helping out the growing business. Once the pair meets, there are sparks flying right from the start. I adore the couple’s awkwardness, especially their initial meeting when Laney takes care of Ben's cuts. The humor is spot on and exactly what I have come to expect from Ms. Stacey. 

Just as the couple show signs of a romance, the Northern Star Lodge is overrun by the annual Kowalski Family Camping Trip (of doom), and the reader is treated to a rundown on every thing and everyone Kowalski. Additionally, there is a side story involving Emma and Sean (from Yours to Keep, one of my all-time favorite books!). While I loved seeing my favorite fictional family, I felt there was too much history from other books shared. The author spent a lot of time retelling the connections between the various characters and telling readers what everyone has been up to. As a fan of the series, having read each book (some more than once), it was redundant, and took away time that could have been spent on Ben and Laney’s romance.

Back to the romance, Ben and Laney make a great pair, once we get to see them spend some quality time alone. Laney is a strong woman, but she lacks the self-confidence needed to get on with her life after her divorce. She is so worried that she'll make life decisions based on pleasing others that she forgets to look into her own heart and discover what makes her happy. Her fears are understandable so it doesn't bother me when she pushes Ben away time and time again. However because there is so much scene time spent reacquainting readers with the Kowalskis, I felt it took away from any positive progress the couple made. And it’s just too bad because these two lonely people deserved a solid story. 

With all that, I truly enjoyed my return to Whitford, ME, and catching up with the Kowalskis. The series is one of my favorites, mixing small town romance and humor; dishing out life lessons and love. While What It Takes has all the hallmark notes that makes the series so fabulous, I felt at times it was weighed down by the reunion aspect of the novel. Ben and Laney's romance often to a side or back seat to catching up with the families. It wasn't until the last 15% of the book that I finally felt a connection to the couple. 

B-

Laney and Ben's story is woven into the annual Kowalski Family Vacation.  While the series was great and we are happy to catch up with some of our favorite characters, their story is a little flat.  A stand alone story would have been a better idea for them.  Even though the story was a little uneven, it is always good to find out what happens after the HEA.

I always love camping with the Kowalski family and in What It Takes by Shannon Stacey, it was great fun to see it from an outsider’s view. Laney is the newest heroine of the series, recently hired by the Northern Star Lodge to help out around the new campground and assist Rosie in taking care of the lodge. She is also fresh off a divorce and trying to find herself this summer. Ben, the local paramedic and best friends to Sean Kowalski (Yours To Keep) ends up spending a lot of time around the campground and lodge this summer.

While the romance between Laney and Ben was not my favorite of the series, it’s was still an entertaining read and fantastic by contemporary romance standards. This romance starts out slowly and while the book moves along at a great pace, I was frustrated with Laney putting the breaks on the relationship so much. I adored Ben and how he handled it though. He is so easy going and every woman’s dream really. Stacey does a nice job writing an original romance in the midst of the annual Kowalski family camping trip. While Ben and Laney could have easily been overshadowed by the Kowalski reunion, that didn’t happen.

In this story, we are also treated to a side story between Sean and Emma and their current challenge in their marriage. It’s amazing how a simple worry can cause such an emotional pull. Stacey does a fantastic job bringing all the Kowalskis back together and giving the reader to catch up with them all a little. Complete with lots of doom, post it notes, and dirty scrabble! It was so much fun!

What It Takes is a great story to extend the Kowalski family stories for all those that love them. If you are new to the series, this is a fun one that will have you falling in love with the family and will make you want to go back to the very beginning of the series. It’s is a story filled with everything we love in a contemporary romance – love, family, friends, kids, sexy scenes, camping, and ATVs. Pick up your copy now, but be warned, once you start, it will be hard to put it down until the every end.

When I found out there was a Kowalski Family reunion book coming out I was doing cartwheels (well in my head anyway)!!  I'm happy to say that Shannon Stacey did not disappoint!  This is truly one of my favorite fictional families and catching up with all the characters I love was incredible.  Add to that a fantastic romance between town newcomer Laney Caswell and returning local boy Ben Rivers and I was one happy reader with this one.  If you haven't read the Kowalski series yet do yourself a favor and do it!  If you have, you'll enjoy this one as much as I did.  I definitely recommend this one either way.

This is another great book about the Kowalski family.  I have read all of the books in the series and found them all to be entertaining.  This book is about a friend of the Kowalski family who has recently moved back into town, Ben, and someone the Kowalski's have hired to help with their family business, Laney.  Both characters were interesting and the chemistry between them was great.  The best part of the book though is the coming together of the entire family again and catching up with the couples from the previous books.  I especially loved the parts about Emma and Sean, they were from my favorite book.  The book is filled with lots of love and laughter and is a great story.  I would recommend reading the series from the beginning though so you can appreciate it all the more.

Whew! Those Kowalskis are exuberant, aren't they? Especially when ALL of them show up for their annual camping trip. Which isn't to say they aren't fun. Because they are. They're just loud and rowdy and full of life.

Which is exactly what Laney needs, in my opinion. She bottled herself up during her marriage and now she's ready to see who Laney Caswell is. The Kowalskis are just the family to help break her out of her shell. Well, the Kowalskis and Ben.

Because even when you try your hardest to deny it, those sparks make themselves known. Let's face it, Laney and Ben have sparks. Good ones. Who doesn't like a good sparking every once in a while.

Revisting the extended Kowalski family was fun. Ben and Laney's slow burn romance (which sometimes burned a little on the faster side) made me smile. The trials and tribulations of big families in a small place was everything I was looking for. *thumbs up*

I love the Kowalski series and was so happy to find out that there was going to be a Kowalski reunion and catch up with all of my favorites.  Along with the Kowalski's you meet a family friend, Ben Rivers and a new Northern Star employee, Laney Caswell.
Ben Rivers moves back to Whitford, Maine after Josh Kowalski offers him a paramedic job. He's been wanting to move out of the busy city and find a wife and settle down, so this is the perfect opportunity. Laney Caswell had a less than happy marriage that she is finally out of. Laney took a job at the Northern Star to try to find her old self and figure out what makes her happy. Ben and Laney are drawn to each other from the very first time the meet. Laney doesn't want to start a relationship, she wants to work on herself and find her happiness. Ben is willing to give her the space and time but Laney figures out that Ben is her happiness, she wants him. I loved following up with all of the Kowalski's and enjoyed Ben and Laney's story as well. The instant attraction and chemistry that Ben and Laney have was wonderful and it kept you wanting more.  I absolutely loved this story and hope that there is more Kowalski stories in the future!

love the Kowalski's, this couple was an ok read

Remind me never to go ATVing.

I so could never live in a camper. Better than a tent, though.

Her ex-husband sounds like a class-A douche.

I forgot everybody. It's been too long.

Oh, good. At least she has family here.

Ah, Mary's wooden spoon.

Hi, Emma!  Hi, Sean! These two are hilarious. Bonfire, indeed.

There will be a crapload of s'mores, Ben. You'll end up wearing some.

Does she really think he's the type to drink and drive?

Did we know Kevin and Beth had another baby? Did I miss something?

First "of doom" of the book. And it's by a cute three-year-old. Love it.

Ew, Keri. What scent of candle did you use?

I've never been camping, but I'm pretty sure I've had a s'more.

Haha, attaboy, Ben! Get a free meal out of your parents' squabbling.

I'd have divorced him just to have grilled cheese.

Whoo-hoo, it's a Terry-ism, ladies and gentlemen.

Haha, I could never play Dirty Scrabble with my mother.

Snort. Now these crazy Kowalskis have got her adding "of doom" to her thoughts!

I guess paramedics have to draw a line. They're not doctors.

Shoot. Tough life, Sam.

Aw, he has all of Joe;s books? That's a good friend, right there.

Danny's in college? Where did the time go?

Emma's still getting sticky notes from Sean! Awww!

That is definitely a crying movie. Saying good-bye to Bruce Willis has never been sadder.

Yeah, that scene...Poor Mae Whitman.

She thinks too much. It's annoying.

Uh-oh. He's practically named their kids and she's planning on when to get the hell out of Dodge.

Haha, poor Katie! I'm glad Sean never had a pirate ship at his disposal when he was a kid.

She can take care of him a little bit without becoming submissive.

I love the Kowalski family.  Even though technically this book was about a couple who are not official members of the Clan, close friends count! I would definitely say the Kowalski's feel Ben and now Lannie are members of their family.

First of, Laney has left a long marriage to a man she simply lost herself to.  She comes to the Northern Star as a worker and lives in a camper in their new camping grounds.  Ben has returned to Maine after being raised there but living in the city as a paramedic for years.  They simply were made for one another and fight their instant connection.  Laney is fresh out of a marriage and on a soul searching mission to find herself and not get back into a relationship. Ben is nearing 40 and ready to settle down, not so much SETTLE with Laney because she is gorgeous, funny and their sexual attraction is obvious, but he doesn't want to spook her and scare her away from what he feels would be an amazing relationship. 

While these two are dancing around one another, we are gifted with the other Kowalski clan in their annual vacation- which this year brings them to the lodge.  Catching up with the families, babies and teenagers was great. Still loving he ladies nights and naughty Scrabble.  

This series is one I just love as I am so drawn in to this family.  Each book gets better and better and the family bonds stronger.  While there is a large group, internal family drama is minimal and they deal with their problems and go on, without anger and lingering hard feelings.

Back to Laney and Ben! They navigate the newness of their flirting, crushing, lusting and realize they can't hold back from being together. But with Laney, is this simply a fling or can she get back so quickly into a relationship.  Great read! Recommend!

The Kowalski's are definitely Shannon Stacey's sweet spot. She knows and translates them and their extended community so well. You almost feel like you're in the room.

Ben and Laney fit so nicely in the Kowalski world. Ben, a childhood friend of Sean, makes perfect sense at the lodge reuniting with friends who feel like family. Laney is looking to reclaim her independence and find her true self. What better place to do this than steps away from Rosie's kitchen in the bosom of what family feels like. The attraction between Laney and Ben is immediate, yet the romance blossoms overtime. It's a HEA you know will happen, yet is all the more sweet because you have to wait for it. Well done Ms. Stacey!

I received an ARC of this book, from the publisher, via NetGallery, in exchange for a fair and honest review.

what a great addition to the series. I didn't want it to end. It was great to visit with everyone from past stories too.
What a way to spend an enjoyable afternoon

Up front, in the subtitle in fact, we're told that this is a Kowalski Reunion novel and are thus forewarned that there will be a LOT of catch up with the Kowalski family. Normally this really bugs me in a story because that means that the main story will suffer. However, Ms. Stacey manages to make the "main story" about a new Kowalski employee and a local boy-returned-home feel like a fully formed novella in amongst a rather extended epilogue for almost every other of the nine previous Kowalski books. As long as you go in expecting that this will not be a fully developed story, you won't be disappointed.
Laney Caswell just got out of a marriage where she was deeply unhappy because she sublimated her own needs for those of her husband. Now, she's spending the summer at the Kowalski camp trying to figure out who she is without a man. She definitely is not interested in getting involved with anyone. When she sees Ben Rivers and electricity strikes but Laney wants to make sure that she finds herself before she gets involved with anyone else.
Ben Rivers is thirty-eight and ready to settle down. His work as a paramedic has been hard and so he played hard too. Now that he's moved home, he's realizing exactly how much he's missed. He is incredibly attracted to Laney but is willing to step back in order to give her room to make her own decisions. 
And that's why this book is so good. Both Ben and Laney have adult conversations about what they want and each respects the other. I wish we had gotten some more background on both and the myriad updates about the Kowalskis and their friends got confusing, even to someone who read all the stories, but it was overall a very nice story for regular Kowalski readers.

Three and a half stars
This book comes out February 28

I wish I was part of the Kowalski family. Coming from a small family, it makes me smile to think of get togethers like they have.
I think that it's pretty much a necessity to read at least the last two books in the series before this one. There is a lot of Josh and Katie, and Sean and Emma throughout this book. While all of the Kowalski clan is part of the book, they are more secondary characters.
Both Ben and Laney are in their late 30's. Ben is so patient with Laney, knowing that she can't rush into another relationship. He knows that he's only looking for a forever relationship. Where Laney is a little more gun shy.