Top Shelf by Shelli Stevens is book three of the McLaughlin Series. Youngest and only girl among the siblings has her story here. It will not be a problem to have not read the other books in the series, if you start with this one. All the brothers make an appearance in the story, but it is a stand-alone with a complete HEA. One of the main characters is in the military but I would not say this is a military story as such.

All in all it is an okay story. I liked Kenzie and Brett even with their glaring shortcomings. While the story flows with a couple of time lapses, it is predictable. It became obvious early on, that the past villain would not stay in the past. His lack of judgement in the end seemed too stupid for someone who had evaded justice thus far. Then in all honesty the ending felt that it was just too brisk so that a teaser could be included concerning Kenzie’s brother with her roommate.

This series is on the steamier side. The talk as well as some of the scenes are explicit in nature. Still no cheating, sharing or one-night stands. Fans of this type of contemporary romance will enjoy this McLaughlin’s story.

Top Shelf by Shelli Stevens DONE Apr 17, 2018
Burned in the past, Navy chief Brett Craven has sworn off serious relationships. But when he meets Kenzie McLaughlin, a gorgeous redhead with a fiery personality, his well-reasoned strategy is blown out of the water.
Years ago, a terrifying attack changed Kenzie’s life, making her trust only a few men, including her brothers and her father. After a sexy Navy guy waltzes into the family pub and doesn’t hesitate to make his interest known, there’s no denying the attraction between them. Can Kenzie let her guard down long enough to fall for Brett?
This is Kenzie McLaughlin and Brett Craven's story.
Kenzie grunted and adjusted the massive box in her arms. She took a few more stumbling steps before depositing it—or dropping it—to the hardwood floors. She winced at the crunching of glass. Might need to buy new picture frames.
“Another box, another day closer to moving in,” the excited female voice quipped from behind her. “You need some help, roomie?”
Hands on her hips, Kenzie turned to grin at Delonna. “I think we’re good. Aleck’s right behind me bringing in another couple of boxes from his car.”
Brett Craven had been so determined to get out of the crowded hangar he hadn’t realized Petty Officer Simmons had been quick on his heels. He arched a brow at the younger man.
the weather can be a little moody this time of year up here.There was something to be said about being back in the cool drizzle of the Pacific Northwest.
Three of his orders he’d been fortunate enough to get stationed here on the island. With him coming up on retirement, he hoped these would be his last orders. He planned to stick around.
"I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book."
Top Shelf by Shelli Stevens is a 3 star book.
Shelli's Books with Tule:
Protect Me, Cowboy
Marshall Ranch
The 78th Copper Mountain Rodeo
Falling for the Hometown Girl
Marshall Ranch
One More Round
Straight, No Chaser
The McLaughlins
Top Shelf
The McLaughlins
Last Call
The McLaughlins

This was my first book by Shelli Stevens and it won’t be my last. This can be easily read as a stand alone. I enjoyed it and plan on going back and reading the others.

2 stars
This one was a miss for me. I am not sure if it is because I didn't read the other books in this series, but it felt like it was missing something for me.

This book was amazing to read , I loved everything it and learning what the characters went though

I love this series about the McLaughlin siblings and was eagerly awaiting Kenzie's story, which did not disappoint. Poor Brett and Kenzie - they had chemistry galore but their timing always was off. Watching Brett's huge mea culpa and them working through many misunderstandings, all with this series' trademark humor and romance was a refreshing and fun evening's reading. The contrast between Brett's straight and narrow Navy Chief and Kenzie's former wild child but still cheeky personality was well-played but Brett was also so kind and sensitive about Kenzie's past trauma. Now waiting for Aleck's story!

It got off to a good start. The shy Kenzie is attempting to get on with her life after she was almost raped. She is slow to trust men. Brett is a navy officer also slow to trust since he has been betrayed by women not just once but several times. He was doing a good job about getting Kenzie to come out of her shell but he messed it up when he stood her up, basically ghosted her and didn’t come back for several months. As a person who has been ghosted before, NOT COOL!
She knows nothing about this guy when she starts sharing very personal details such as that she was almost raped and her would be rapist wasn’t convicted. I know this is fiction and supposed to be romance, but I didn’t find it romantic at all because she just met the guy, he stands her up, and barely apologizes when she starts to divulge very personal information. She doesn’t know anything important about
I just couldn’t get into it after this.
I received a copy of this story from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Love, The McLaughlins!! A family that is very close and full of love. Kenzie McLaughlin has trust issues from the past until she meets Navy Chief Brett Craven, who doesn't believe in permanent relationships after he has burned in the past. After one date, he knows he can't have more. While out on ship, Kenzie is often on his mind. Now he has returned and needs to make amends to her.

Loved both of these characters, both with pasts that they need to overcome. Love the closeness of the McLaughlin family. This is a book that I could not put down, read in one evening. Part of a series but can be read as a stand alone, but you too will fall in love with this Irish family. Can't wait to read Aleck's story.

*Received as an ARC from Netgalley for an exchange of an honest review*

I loved this book. It's my first book in this series and I wasn't confused at all. Kenzie works at her family pub as a waitress is closed up person but it doesn't take long for Brett to open her up. Brett is Cheif in the navy who just came back from deployment overseas. Kenzie has very protective brothers who would do anything for her and that includes her friends and roommate. I really enjoyed this book read it in one sitting. I was hooked.

I wanted to like this book so much more than I did but I just felt like I didn’t get to know. Brett enough. I could t feel his pain of what he felt by being cheated on. I like when I feel invested in characters but this one I didn’t. I will admit it may have been better for me to read the other books in the series to feel more vested in Kenzie.

First book I have read in this series - I don't think it matters if you haven't read the other ones first, but after reading this you will want to read the rest!

Kenzie works in her family pub. After a bad encounter in her past she doesn't really date. Then she meet Brett who is persistent in asking her for a date, but he has his own reasons for not wanting a long term relationship. But they can't ignore the chemistry between them

Just awesome! I have loved every book in this series and this one is no exception. I adore the McLaughlin clan and I just can't get enough of them. This is Kenzie's story and what a wild ride it is.

Trusting men other than her brothers and father isn't something Kenzie McLaughlin can do. Then she meets Navy officer Brett Craven and she thinks maybe, just maybe, he might be the one to take a chance on. Then he disappears for six months without a word. Now he's back in the family pub asking for a chance to explain!

Don't miss this one. I highly recommend it.

Shelli Stevens is a new author for me and ‘Top Shelf’ is my first attempt at the McLoughlin series which I can confidently say worked pretty well as a standalone.

Though that was probably as far as it went for me. If it started out well, with some kind of anticipation that built between Kenzie and Brett, that was all dashed away when it became clear that this was going to shape up to be a story about a man who behaved like a world-class moron (taking the romantic stereotypes a little too far here) and a woman who let herself be a pushover for over half of it.

For a story that’s this brief, I had frankly expected more from both protagonists, and felt disappointed when their moving forward was at best, a jerky start-stop before a metaphorical race to the finish. The hesitation to become a serious couple suddenly moved to marriage in a way that left me bewildered and incredulous, and that the book ended somewhat abruptly wasn’t that much of a satisfactory ending for me.

I really enjoyed this story about Brett and Kenzie. Kenzie was attacked about ten years before, not raped but attacked and her brother saved her but the attack really hurt her and she is still very much afraid. Brett is Navy and he is stationed at Kenzie's town but he only does casual and when he meet K he wants her but he also does not want to be the guy that hurts her. Unforunately his rejection does and when they meet again, he cannot resist her.

This is their romance and how things start casually and how they fall for the other. I really enjoyed their romance and their attraction.

This is the third in a series about the McLaughlins, a Scottish family on Whidbey Island in Washington state. Kenzie McLaughlin works at the family pub. She sarcastic and funny, but hasn’t recovered from an attempted rape a decade earlier. So she has trouble trusting guys. And the hero, Brett, a Navy officer who is deeply attracted to her abandons her after one evening because he doesn’t want to get serious about a woman when he’s going to be going out with the Navy for months at a time. When they meet up six months later, he decides that he shouldn’t have been so cowardly before. She forgives him and romance follows.

I didn't feel all that crazy about either character. Brett had treated her poorly after their first evening together and he should have been better than just standing her up. Kenzie is supposed to still be having problems from the attempted rape, but she has no qualms about engaging in a lot of sexy, suggestive talk. It’s all rather unbelievable who is supposed to have the problems with guys that she does.

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book that I received from Netgalley; however, the opinions are my own and I did not receive any compensation for my review.

I’m a little torn over this one. I was pretty excited about Kenzie’s story. I really liked her in the last two books and I couldn’t wait to read about her and Brett. To me, nothing really was happening until the last 10 minutes of the book and that was pretty rushed. Kenzie did not seem like the same girl in the last two and I was getting a wee bit bored. I didn’t love it or hate it, it was just meh.

3 1/2 Star Review......

Top Shelf is book 3 in The McLaughlins by Shelli Stevens, and the much-awaited story of Kenzie. While a lot of series are designed that each book can be read as a standalone, to really do this series, and the characters justice, you really should start at the beginning.

While I did enjoy this instalment, I wasn’t a huge fan of Brett. His character left me cold and I felt that considering Kenzie’s background and her apprehension to take a chance on dating again, she gave Brett too much leeway, and should have made him work harder.

That said, it’s a good read and a satisfactory edition to the series. Bring on Alec and his HEA!

What a great read! This is the 3rd book in the series but can be read as a stand alone. This is a feel good romance novel that is about taking a chance on love. I loved that the main characters Brett and Kenzie was honest about their feeling from the beginning. There wasn't any relationship drama in this story. The McLaughlins siblings are a great group of characters. I enjoyed all the Scottish slang words. I would recommend this book. #TopShelf #NetGalley

I really enjoyed this book! It is book #3 in the McLaughlin series, but I read it without reading the first two books. It absolutely reads as a standalone. I can tell what the other books were about/which relationships they covered, but didn't feel like I was missing anything important in this story.
I loved the McLaughlin siblings and I enjoyed the dialog with their Scottish phrasing and dialect. One of the biggest things I loved about this book was there wasn't any unnecessary relationship drama (beside 1 part). Kenzie and Brett were honest with each other and didn't hold back with their insecurities and feelings. So many romance books I read annoy me to no end because one or both of the main characters aren't honest with their feelings or don't trust their partner when they reveal their feelings. I loved that this book didn't have any of that. Something was wrong? They talked about it. One of them felt a certain way? They talked about it. absolutely loved that aspect of things! I am now looking forward to reading books #1 & #2 in this series since I enjoyed this book so much. I'm so glad I "found" this talented new-to-me author!
Thank you very much to Tule Publishing & NetGalley for the advanced copy!

So we finally got Kenzie's story and if you have been keeping up with the series you have also and if you haven't read the previous books, you should to give your more. Anyway, Kenzie has had a difficult time and since the rape attempt she doesn't date, she is living scared and she is tired of it. Kenzie had met Brett in the last book right at the end so we were wanting to know what happens with him. I have to say at first I was excited a hot sailor who doesn't, but then he disappoints me and I kind of wish that Kenzie had made go thru a little more hoops because she had finally been excited to go out with someone and then he is stupid. Luckily he ended up realizing it, but still more groveling should have been involved..So now my friends I am going to anxiously wait for Alec's turn. Enjoy!