WHAT A WOMAN WANTS by Judi Fennell

A Manley Maids Novel
Berkley Sensation
March 2014
978-0-425-26829-2
Contemporary Romance
Mass Market Paperback
Reviewed by Dawn (love2read28@gmail.com)
Obtained by Publisher
3.5 Hearts

Sean Manley is kicking himself as he is forced, alongside his other two brothers, to work for his sister’s housecleaning business. He was all set to buy a historic mansion and turn it into resort while making money from it. Now that whole plan is tossed aside as he is forced to clean the mansion he wants to buy. But he never anticipated that the owner, Livvy Carolla to charm him even as he tries to keep quiet on what brought him there. But secrets tend to come out even as hearts find their way to one another. Can Livvy forgive Sean and let him show her that the future with him is the best bet she can make?

In the beginning of WHAT A WOMAN WANTS, we find out how Sean got roped in working for his sister’s cleaning business and this story is Sean’s four weeks as a housecleaner. I got to admit, this was one charming tale that had me smiling a lot. The author weaves a wonderful tale of a man who finds the woman meant to be his is one he never anticipates. The story flows smoothly and delivers a few twists that had me on the edge of my seat at times. The story is smoothly written and the characters are enjoyable. What really cemented this story with me was the sense of family the series is about and translates into WHAT A WOMAN WANTS very nicely.

I loved how Sean wanted to not hurt Livvy even as he plots to win the mansion from her and it came across nicely amid the pages. Livvy is a heroine who has her head on straight even as she deals with a rough childhood and is determined to sell to the highest bidder the mansion she inherited and open her own bakery. The sparks fly fast and furious between these two and I loved how different they were yet complimented one another. To me, the opposites attract angle just worked for this story beautifully.  The one drawback was the whole “will he/won’t he’ from Sean throughout the story in regards to his attraction to Livvy. He blew hot then cold got tiresome after awhile and I really wanted to smack him upside the head and yell either go after Livvy  or not. That was the one thing about Sean I just didn’t enjoy very much and found myself skimming over those parts of the book after awhile. The other thing I was not to found of was the author’s penchant of throwing in some pieces of the story that never got cleared up completely and left me hanging at the end of the story. I wished the author finished those missing pieces in the story.

If you enjoy family centered stories, then you might enjoy WHAT A WOMAN WANTS. The ending is perfect and I closed the book with a happy sigh. I am looking forward to exploring this author more in the future.

This is an objective review and not an endorsement