Kathryn Shay - The Reckoning

As the illegitimate son of the famous O’Neil clan, Kinley Moran bursts into their lives and it’s vengeance he wants--not to be accepted in the family he detests. Now a billionaire entrepreneur/investment broker, he plans to destroy them all with his wealth and power. Little does he know that Bailey and the boys are magnets who could lure him into changing his life’s purpose.
Jamie Ralston is a single mother and waitress at Bailey’s Irish Pub. At thirty, she has one goal--to graduate from college and become a teacher. But when another O’Neil brother shows up, she senses her plan for her future is about to change. Just how much, though, she has control over. She fights Kinley on many issues, but there’s one battle she cannot win: she’s irrevocably drawn to this wounded man.
Will Kinley resist the charm of the O’Neils? Will Jamie resist Kinley’s charms? Read THE RECKONING, a heartbreaking story that will make you cry, make you laugh but also make you cheer for this unlikely couple, and for the O’Neils. 

Comment: When I got interested in this O'Neil series by Kathryn Shay, there were only five books, one for each sibling. I tried and liked the first book well enough and decided to read the other books too, even though I didn't read everything in a row.

What a surprise it was when, finishing the fifth story, I saw in that moment that there was another one!

The author gave in to readers' pressure requests and wrote another book, featuring a secret half brother. I was amazed but well, I was curious for certain!

In this surprisingly 6th installment, the O'Neil family finds out that there is another half sibling they weren't aware of. The family has adapated and lived with the knowledge their half sister Moira was lost to a gang but only father Paddy knew Moira had a twin brother.

Is this brother, Kinley Moran, who one days shows up at the pub to reveal he has gotten the majority of the pub's ownership and he plans on making changes.

Everyone is surprised by this but waitress Jamie, who already feels part of the family, can't help but sympathize with Kinley and when he offers her a second job she needs, they see each other a lot more and it's no wonder their relationship deepens.

But can the family welcome Kinley? What about the person trying to get revenge on Kinley, will the family then help him?

I must say I was really caught by surprise with this story. The author has done things in a way that the 5th installment had really felt like the last one but she was clever in picking up not only a romance connection by using Jamie, introduced in that last book, as the female protagonist and also in finding a slight loophole to insert a new sibling in the mix.

For those who have read the other books, the explanation on how Kinley exists isn't that far fetched but to be honest, this is a totally unnecessary story.

While reading - and going through some choppy plot development and rather forced situations to explain some issues - I couldn't help but thinking that why on Earth this hidden sibling was never revealed to exist in the other books is just too weird and silly now that he does exist.

This is why, despite the appreciation I feel the author has thought of her readers and has written another story, I can't help but thinking this wasn't such a well inserted plot into the series. The whole thing feels an obvious add-on and isn't smooth.

I'd say the biggest issue for me, besides the whole secret baby no one ever knew about except the family patriarch (it never came to mind, really?) was how the story tries so hard to show us how Kinley is welcomed by the family. With suspicion and some negativity by Dylan and Pat as expected, but then everything is alright. I mean, I kind of knew this is what the story would be about but the scenes jump from one to another in some parts, there's just this expectation by the characters things will be solved by sarcasm and support in complicated moments and real life isn't like that.

Yes, this is fiction though, and that is why I accepted some things more easily.  think Kinley's character had a lot going on and because the author didn't  - obviously! - developed any part of his personality in the previous books, everything about him came to the surface here and none of his past was fully exploited, meaning he is an interesting guy and some details were Ok, but he is never as complex as he should, considering his baggage.

This means an easy way for his character to be appealing to us is through his romance with Jamie.

I liked them both but the author's style didn't really allow time and pages enough for their relationship to move along as gradually as it should. At times, it did feel as if they went though the motions to go from one point to another because the plot demanded so.

That aside, I still liked how they tried to be together and how they fell in love... they seemed more like a opposites attract type of couple but it was still nice to get to know them a little more by seeing how they interacted and reacted to each other's lives.

There's a slight secondary plot, related to the person wanting revenge on Kinley. Sincerely, I think this was useless in the story, only there to add another supposed layer to Kinley's connection to the O'Neils later in the novel.

As a whole, this wasn't bad, it felt more like a reward, yes, as if the author wanted to please and say thank you for the readers. I applaud the sentiment, I do feel glad there was something more to read, that it was possible to see the family again, especially since all had their own families formed.

However, this wasn't a completely strong story and it's quite evident why. It's good for curiosity and reminiscence's sakes.

Grade: 6/10

Kathryn Shay - Always and Forever

In ALWAYS AND FOREVER, a contemporary romance, Patrick O’Neil has always taken his responsibilities to heart. The first sibling in a passionate Irish family, he’s there for his four Irish brothers and sister to listen, console and sometimes give them a swift kick in the butt. But his relationship with his wife Brie has been tumultuous from day one, and it hasn’t changed in nearly twenty years. Both bear scars from their past. 
Though their marriage is in jeopardy, when Brie finds herself in the most terrifying situation of her life, it’s Pat she needs during and after the ordeal. Back-dropped by New York City, an authentic Irish Pub in Greenwich Village, the politics and romance in Washington D.C, this family saga will tug at your heartstrings and keep your pulse pounding. 
Edgy, sexy and emotional, the conclusion to the O’Neil series will surprise the reader in its emotional intensity and unique plot-line.

Comment: This is the 5th installment in the O'Neill series by author Kathryn Shay. I liked the previous books in general, that is why I decided to read this one, although the main theme wasn't one I tend to look for - a married couple dealing with issues.

Nevertheless, I wanted to finish the series...

 In this book we have the story of the oldest O'Neill sibling, the one who has always been there for his brothers and sister and who seems to have a deeper sense of black and white. 

Patrick is a family man and he loves his wife and children, as well as his whole family. However, his relationship with his wife hasn't always been the easiest and there was a time things weren't  easy between them. Despite their highs and lows, they have stuck together. But can the weight of the professional lives and the expectations of their marriage cause them to become more distant than united? And when something frightening happens, can they be each other's support?

Based on what we see of Patrick and Brie - the main couple of this story - in the other books, I thought this one would be a little boring since they are an established couple so the "fun" of first love/falling in love wouldn't be there and I feared the author might emphasize how their relationship developed in the past instead and, usually, that isn't something I like reading about.

In fact, their relationship takes central stage in this story but thankfully for me, the secondary characters are always close by and I'm glad to say that this book worked out for me because there was plenty to focus on besides Patrick and Brie.

It was actually very sweet to have some updates on the other siblings' lives and of their marriages.

As for Patrick and Brie... now this book is finished, I can't say I was really into them as a couple. I can understand why they became a couple and how they created their own solid family but there's something about them, even putting the stress of family life aside, that didn't make me as invested in them as I was in the other couples.

I liked Brie really tried to be a career woman, someone who dedicated herself to her job and her professional side. I can imagine how difficult that is to accomplish while being a wife and mother but it did seem the couple had that in hand. 

In fact, it seemed a little off weird why was there a problem to begin with, but Patrick was a little pushed into the whole jealousy path but in his interactions with Brie that wasn't always as obvious. I don't think their relationship needed this obstacle...

This book also has another sub plot on going, related to something that happens to Brie at some point. This situation causes some anxiety and worry among the whole cast and the author chose to develop this as a sort of mystery. The doubts in who might be the culprit were quite well achieved, I think, although I rarely tend to guess who the "bad guy" is. When we find out, the reasons are so... flimsy that I could, sincerely, ignore it and push it aside.

Besides, the purpose was to highlight how Brie loves Patrick and thought of him in a time of need. Unnecessary tactics, though (for me) to showcase this little element of the marriage in trouble trope...

In the end all was well, as one can imagine. It actually made me think why was there a problem in the first place... Anyway, the main couple talked and made up, the secondary characters all played their parts and we even had an extra sugary epilogue to really display the happiness of everyone.

Grade: 7/10

Side note: I thought, well this is, another series ended but then I checked GR and there's another book, after this one really tying everything neatly!

I read the blurb and now I'm thinking, how will the author explain this in a believable manner... but I'll read it nevertheless, to see if it was a good or a bad decision to keep up with the series after such a wrap up end in this book.

Kathryn Shay - High Stakes

Dylan O’Neil’s Achilles heel is his family. He’ll do anything to protect them. Rachel Scott, a cable newscaster, seems to offend and even hurt the O’Neils with her coverage of them. When Dylan exposes her irresponsible journalism in one of his popular columns for a local magazine, Rachel is furious and accuses him of bias and vindictiveness. Forced by the heads of both news agencies to resolve their differences, Dylan sees another side to Rachel, one with more warmth and depth than she displays to the world. And she finds him to be a caring man who safeguards those he loves. Attraction between them flares out of control, and they are drawn deeply into each other’s lives. But with the entire O’Neil clan against them, can they ever have a lasting relationship? 

Comment: This is the fourth installment in the O'Neil series by author Kathryn Shay. As I've said before, I liked the first book enough to be compelled to read the ones following but so far the other books have been a little extra lower in appreciation for me, compared with the first.

I had hopes for this since it would feature a enemies to lovers trope where the heroine is a reporter that had often caused problems to the hero's family.

In this book we get to know better Rachel Scott, the intrepid reporter who follows vice-president Clay (hero from book #1) and by her sensationalist pieces, she even cause problems for the secret service which caused harm to some people in book #2.

Dylan O'Neil, brother to heroine from book #1, also has a column where the points out issues related to any situation and he is famous for his follow-up pieces in determining if the news are right or not when accusations/doubts exist. He wants to remove Rachel from following his family so one night he follows her after his brother Aidan's wedding and they sleep together. 

Now that they are closer than any of them expected, will they both understand the other side?

I thought this story had all the ingredients to be a good one for me. I tend to like enemies to lovers quite a lot because the fun part is to see how the characters get closer, how they start discovering the better/good side of the other and that puts them in a different position: that of admiration and respect for the other person. When done well, this can be very romantic and sweet.

In this book this situation happened more or less like this but I think too much focus was given to the differences between them and not as much to the situation after they fell in love.

Dylan and Rachel have been logical secondary characters to fit the bill of the enemies to lovers trope. We've had simple scenes here and there in the previous books where Dylan would criticize Rachel so that was rather obvious from the start they had to become a pair. The way this was put into evidence in this story was, obviously, in how they had a night together but they keep saying they are too far apart and Rachel's past actions caused quite a lot of drama in Dylan's family, so no one would think they could be well together.

I think this part of the plot, the development, went well as was why they had to spend some time together, which caused them to see another side of the other unknown until then. Of course Dylan turns out to be loving and a defender of those he loves and Rachel has something in her past that caused her drive to be seen as lacking scruples by some.

I thought, well Rachel has to have a good reason to appear to hard and driven to get the exclusives, to be the first to give the news even if it's about the vice-president and his wife's family, something the public wants to know all about.

When we discover why, after all she wants to succeed to switch to international news, I was really... disappointed. So, she acts like that, she gives off the persona of a hard, cold woman because of that reason? It's not because she lives and breathes journalism and thinks she will be the best foreign correspondent ever... no, she wants it because it means prestige and why she feels she has to prove something was, in the end of the day, rather silly especially when she is confronted with those she felt like impressing and everything turned out to be a misunderstanding on her side. I mean... talk about wasting your time on the wrong path/thing!

So, after this is out of the way, the biggest conflict between out couple is how his family can accept their relationship or not. This sounded more realistic thinking of how before she went after those Dylan cares about. His family isn't too keen on seeing as part of the family, then the lovebirds decide they are better apart, they mope, Rachel has a revelation, Dylan convinces his brothers he is in love and the end has a HEA for them, as expected.

I think I'd have liked Rachel's change/character development to be more focused on her career per se and not in her emotional state of mind...the way things happened, it felt like the path these two took into their HEA wasn't as necessary, they could have just spoken, confided in each other and voilá, problems solved.

Despite the things I'd change, this was still a good enough read, I liked having the other known characters playing their family part and how this out into evidence the important part which is how united the siblings are and how important family actually is.

Grade: 7/10

Kathryn Shay - Taking the Heat

Liam O’Neil simply wants to make it through the day. His son is depressed, his beloved wife died three years ago and he’s lonely! Enter, Sophie Tyler, a firefighter who lives on the edge and likes it that way. Though she carries some of her own baggage, she’s the total opposite of Liam. However, when she begins work at the family pub, they’re drawn to each. Then they fall in love. But nothing can erase the biting fear Liam—and his kids—feel about the danger Sophie is in every day. Eventually, an arsonist upsets the delicate balance of their relationship and they realize they can’t be together. Or can they?

Comment: This is the third book in the O'Neill series by author Kathryn Shay. What I have enjoyed the most with these books is how they are pretty simple, the characters interact, they have some issues and the story is on them, on their actions and how they deal with things. The drama is more internal than from an external source and sometimes it does feel good to simply focus on the characters.

In this story the focus is on the middle brother, Liam. Now a widow after the death of his wife Kitty, he does feel some loneliness despite his children and the love of his family.

His interest in dating again hasn't been met with much success but when the new waitress of the pub starts there, he can't help but like what he sees. Also interesting is how she, Sophie, seems to reciprocate the visual interest and they start talking and spending moments together, to the point they decide not to ignore their attraction anymore.

The problem is that Sophie's main job is to be a firefighter. Can Liam accept the risks inherent to the dangerous life Sophie leads? Can he cope after already losing a woman he loves? Can he be with someone his children might get attached to as well and then lose?

This was a good enough story. I think the majority of it was successfully done and I had a good time reading it. I'd change some details, though, and that is why this didn't feel more perfect for me.

The writing isn't new since this is not the first book by the author I try but it does seem to be a tactic of hers to allow the reader so much time in the character's heads. This can be good but at the same time, it makes several situations feel repetitive.

The biggest conflict in the book is how Liam and Sophie deal with her job. I think the author did a good job portraying the doubts and the anticipation people must have for their family members/loved ones who work in such dangerous fields. I understand why the book went this road and the often dichotomy between expectations and reality was interesting to follow. 

One could conclude it's not fair some people have to put their lives in jeopardy so much but...if not them, who would?

Before this notion is repeated constantly and the reader has to decide if Liam isn't being understandable or Sophie is intransigent in her choice, the romance develops in a good way. They seem to barely talk to being sort of too focused on one another. It's not that this is a bad thing and the fact we can follow both their POVs makes things better for me, I liked to understand both characters instead of just assuming by behavior or dialogue.

I think the biggest issue is that as quickly as they would be supportive of each other, a new problem would happen and this would go round and around and not be really dealt with.

In the end of the book, things just get temporarily solved but I can't really be happy with how it was, especially thinking about the emotional aspect of the protagonists and how this related to Liam's children as well.

The best part of the book for me was how amazing the interactions between characters happen and how we get to savor the family bonds. It's really nice to see how the family is supportive and there for their members.

Liam is a good protagonist, very caring, very reserved, the kind of hero I like and he cooks. I get his fears and for the most part, I sort of agreed with his way of thinking. But it does get to a point it feels he is just repeating himself.

Sophie is a sweet heroine, she works a difficult job and I do applaud her because she wants to do her job and not have it easier once she falls in love. 

I also could understand her side of things so it was complicated to think of a solution for them that would not mean one would have to compromise all the time for the other.

There's a little bit of suspense -which I find unnecessary - regarding an arsonist, there's the children's personalities which the author tried to develop a bit, there's the minor notion of how the secondary characters are dealing with life... there's quite a lot in the author's books to think of, they certainly feel rich. However, this one dragged a bit and when everything is close to be solved, it's as if the big issues were always passable to be easily solved. I don't think they actually were, though.

I'm still curious about the next book.

Grade: 7/10

Kathryn Shay - Close To You

CLOSE TO YOU tells the story of Secret Service Agent CJ Ludzecky, who is assigned to the coveted Vice Presidential Protection Division, guarding the Second Lady of the United States and her two children. After overcoming a rocky start in the Service, CJ is out to prove herself big-time. There's no room for men in her life, especially not the Second Lady's charming, sexy, sensitive brother, Aidan O'Neil.
In this Secret Service romance, back-dropped by the hustle of New York City, the political world of Washington, D.C. and the pastoral scenery of the Finger Lakes, CJ tries to protect her charges, while Aidan tries to persuade her to let him into her life. The invasion of the press, a hostage situation involving the Vice President, a former gang member and a kidnapping attempt all move the story—and CJ and Aidan's relationship—to a stunning conclusion. 

Comment: Last year I got interested in reading the first book in this O'Neil series by author Kathryn Shay because it featured an enemy-to-lovers plot I usually like. I've enjoyed that book enough to want to rad more and I've discovered the author has all couples in this series sort of enemies or with different perspectives and still they would fall in love. This is the story of Aidan, brother of Bailey, the female protagonist of book #1.

Aidan is trying to find a way to convince his father he might be able to have a career in photography but his father immediately has a heart attack, which propels action from the whole family, including his sister, now married to the vice president of the US and with her come the secret service agents in charge of her protection, as well as of her children. 

One of the agents is CJ Ludzecki, thought to be one of the best female agents working with the vice president's team but who has some rumors following her. 

The attraction between CJ and Aidan is immediate even if they express it by going head to head. However, as life goes on and situations arise which put them close to one another, can they ignore the circumstances and find a way to be a couple?

I had high hopes, going into this story, that the difference in lifestyle between the protagonists would the center point of the plot. Although the work both protagonists put them in different levels, I can't help but feeling it would be easier to discuss. CJ's work was dangerous on its own way I can totally get it; but being that difficult it wasn't and so I felt the conflict could have arisen from a different area. After all, at the end, it wasn't that impossible to solve things. 

Nevertheless, I can appreciate the fact the author took time to exemplify why the work related issues were driving the protagonists apart and why, until some point, it was big enough conflict.

Another aspect driving the plot forward is how CJ's past experiences in regards to her job were filtered through the need to act her role. She must be ethical and proper at all times and in terms of work advancement, she can't have reasons to not be respected by her peers. I do understand this need to be a good professional and it was interesting enough to see how falling in love doesn't mean you can put aside all the usual daily worries inherent to a job but... in terms of a romance plot it was a little too much.

Thinking about this subject, though, I can't just put aside the fact the romance itself was a little off. I mean, CJ and Aidan were a good enough couple and I liked how they took time to accept and work on their mutual feelings. However, the way they discussed their "relationship" and who they were individually just didn't make me that eager to see them find a HEA.

I suppose I could understand both their reasoning s to be who they were but for some reason I could accept CJ's life choices and personality a lot better than Aidan's. Still trying to figure out why.

An element of this story I liked was how the previous characters all made an appearance and the O'Neil family was very present. At the same time, the romance between Aidan and CJ only seemed to go on because they were "forced" to interact due to the others. I just don't think their story was as romantic as it could have and the secondary characters, despite being enjoyable to see their interactions, weren't really important for this book even if it was for them the plot existed. 

My opinion on this book is that something is off but I can't say it's this or that element alone that did it, but probably the more emphasis on the heroine's difficulties over the hero's is something to point at; after all I feel like she got more air time and development.

I think there's a certain balance missing in this story. The elements the author focused on the most were interesting yes, but then others were just not as detailed. It makes the whole book feel incomplete. Then, after many pages of doubts, of not knowing what to do for both protagonists, we have a cheesy epilogue that solves it all in a pretty bow. I found the end too quick and easy for the sort of drama we had throughout the book. Another failed detail in my opinion.

I still want to know what happens to the other single brothers so I'll read their stories, hoping they can be as dynamic and well balanced as the first story in the series felt like for me.

Grade:7/10

Kathryn Shay - Someone to Believe In

Bailey O’Neil, aka, the Street Angel, has been the arch enemy of Senator Clay Wainwright since he was a district attorney and she a young, idealistic social worker. He put her in jail for harboring a teen offender and never looked back. Eleven years later, she’s a thorn in his side as an anti-gang specialist trying to get kids out of gangs. While Clay wants to put them in jail, Bailey is determined to help these troubled teenagers make good lives for themselves. But when Bailey and Clay are thrown together on the mayor’s task force, the impossible happens—they’re attracted to each other. Their passion erupts early on, and only grows stronger the further they get into a relationship. When they fall deeply in love, their conflicting views drive a wedge between them. Both the Street Angel and the Senator must find a way to deal with their differences in order to make a life together.

Comment: I got interested in this book last year after I've read a comment about it as having the "enemies to lovers" trope between a woman who defended a hands on approach strategy to stop female gangs and the senator who opposed her. Sine both realities (the gang one and the American politics one) are quite different from I have in my country, I thought this would be an entertaining story but also one where I could learn things.

This is the story of Bailey O'Neil, the youngest sibling of five, who went to prison when she was younger because she helped someone who committed a crime. The prosecutor was Clay Wainwright, a man that now is a US senator and someone who still believes in the law and doesn't agree with the methods Bailey uses to help teenagers of female gangs.

Since Bailey still works as she used to, the two of them often exchange comments on the media about their work and the opponent's beliefs. However, things change when the governor asks them to work together in a task force and instead of being enemies as they have, they discover there is quite an attraction between them...

This book reminded me of the books often published in the 90s. The romance is central but there is a huge amount of setting and explanations about secondary issues, soemthign the romances of nowadays don't present the same way. I actually liked the vibe the book gave and the way the characters discussed things among themselves without it all being only about the main couple finding ways to have sex or us reading about their inner monologues.

Not that there is something wrong with this approach but I kind of liked this novel for making me remember older romances...

I liked this book for the most part. The trope was well done, I think, in regards to the reader see the evolution from not standing the other person to accepting their differences and actually giving in to the attraction.

I also liked how the characters used good arguments to defend their positions and why there was a conflict between them without ever getting to an unbearable point. I liked how they discussed things.

What I didn't like as much in the novel was the several sections with the POV of a teenager named Taz. I understand why the author decided to include it and I do appreciate the fact it was all third person narrator, but Taz' voice was distracting and didn't rally add much to the story itself, especially how her situation ended up being solved.

Another issue was how the main couple would here and there reach an impasse and one would storm out. Later on they would make up.. I can, again, accept its realistic style but it got a little annoying. Thankfully, it wasn't that often.

The differences between Bailey and Clay were there and I'm glad that it wasn't just an excuse to bring them together. The author has managed to add enough information to make their opposition to be believable. I learned a few things and it's always good to have more information on something not familiar to us and I must say I'm glad the author didn't over did it by giving us page after page on the theme. What was included was enough to make things feel realistic.

As for the romance and the relationships, that was more complex and my favorite part. I liked Bailey and Clay did compromise on some things and that they were trying to be fair to one another, it was especially good to see each one respecting the other and their positions even if they did/said things from their personal thoughts which weren't as positive.

I really liked how the romance progressed and the little steps we were able to see along with them. It was also nice to see the secondary characters interact with them.

All in all, a romance that kept me interested, despite one or two less appealing elements, and I'm thinking about reading at least the next one in the series, featuring Bailey's brothers... hopefully it's as engaging.

Grade: 8/10