Review: Falling for Max by Shannon Stacey

Falling for Max by Shannon Stacey

(Kowalski Family #9)

July 19, 2014

288 pages

Genre: Contemporary Romance, Standalone

Contains: strong language, sex

Source: Personal purchase

Max Crawford has reached the point in life where he's starting to think about settling down. Unfortunately, he's always been a little awkward when it comes to social interactions, and working from home doesn't help. He spends so much time alone, painting beautiful, historically accurate model trains that half of Whitford has begun to joke that he may be a serial killer. Not exactly prime husband material.

Tori Burns has found happiness in Maine, thanks in large part to her shifts at the Trailside Diner. She likes the work, and she loves the local gossip. When shy, geeky Max Crawford becomes a regular, she's intrigued. When she finds out he's in the market for a wife, she's fascinated…and determined to help.

Molding Max into every woman's dream turns out to be much easier than expected. But has Tori's plan worked a little too well? As she turns his comfortable life all sorts of upside down, she'll have to find a way to show just how she's fallen for him…the real him.

I loved reading about Max. I remember being introduced to him in the previous book in the series and found him very intriguing. And he was! It's so nice to read about a guy made from his own cookie cutter. I loved watching him come out of his shell with Tori's assistance. But I also loved that he was just himself. Tori didn't try to change him. She just made him more comfortable and confident in who he really was. And she liked him for who he was. On the flip side, Max also liked Tori for who she was.

Hence the friends to lovers situation. This was a nice slow burn. I loved the slow progression in their relationship. It didn't start typically, and that was a nice change. They developed a sweet friendship, causing them both to face the relationship expectations they'd held dear. They had to reconcile personal assumptions, past hurts, and negative family influences. Tori's struggle in particular was difficult at times to read simply because everyone could see how blind she was being except her. I felt it drag out a little longer than necessary, but she had to see it for herself before she could truly move on, so it still fit the storyline.

I loved the camaraderie between Max and Tori and their sweet romance. They were a really great couple, and I enjoyed their story. Max is a great guy. I only wish there was a bit more to the ending. Not necessarily an epilogue (although I do love them), but simply more to the last chapter.

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