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.

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!

4.5☆
Enjoyed it

What I liked:
The writing style
The characters
Part of a series: The McLaughlins
Standalone
HEA

I look forward to reading the other books in this series.

I fell in love with this series when I read book one , One More Round and then again with book 2, Straight, No Chaser. This one too was a wonderful story about family, love and overcoming fears and adversities.
This story belongs to Kenzie, the youngest sibling and only girl of the family. As a teenager she was attacked and that has made her cautious of men and dating. That is , until Navy chief Brett Craven shows up.
But he too has personal disappointments , trust issues and doesn’t want anything serious.
Watching these two interact and develop feelings , as well as how caring Brett was with Kenzie, was both fun and touching.
It’s a story about taking chances, trusting someone special, letting go of fears, and giving love a chance. It’s also a story about the power of love within a family.
Definitely a story worth your time. Can’t wait to see what Ms Stevens has in store Aleck, the oldest sibling.
I was entrusted this ARC by Netgalley and Tule. The opinions expressed are solely my own.