REVIEW: What A Woman Needs by Judi Fennell

In What A Woman Needs (Manley Maids #2) by Judi Fennell, Beth and Bryan are worlds apart. She’s a widow with 5 children, he’s a movie star most females lust over. When Bryan loses a bet with his sister and has to spend 4 weeks working as a Manley Maid for her housecleaning company and Beth’s friends hire her a house cleaner, it’s Bryan who shows up on her doorstep with his bucket of cleaning supplies. Raised by their grandmother, Bryan and his siblings are no strangers to hard work. Beth just can’t believe he’s in her house, cleaning her toilets!

There is an immediate attraction that neither of them wants or expects. Beth has enough going on in her life, and she’s already had enough time in the media spotlight following her husband’s death – and not in a good way. Now she just wants her quiet suburban life with her kids, even if it means she’s alone. Having Bryan around makes her feel things she hasn’t felt in a long time…and her body is quite happy with the feelings, but her mind is not. Bryan is completely unprepared for not only the lust he feels for Beth, but the desire to be with her. Nothing could possibly come of the two of them though, and they do their best to fight the attraction.

The longer Bryan is around though, the more immersed in Beth and her kid’s lives he becomes. He is a natural with her kids, in particular little Maggie. He is also a natural with Beth…there is no acting involved there! But Beth can’t take the chance with her heart or her kids hearts on someone who isn’t going to stick around, and Bryan has big aspirations for his acting career. Bryan is used to women falling at his feet, but if he really wants to be with Beth he’s going to have to decide if he’ll fight for her. Can they find a happy medium?

What A Woman Needs is an entertaining but heart felt fairy tale romance. Judi gives us realistic characters in a unique situation. Beth is strong, independent and it is admirable how she’s holding it all together! She is strong but has her struggles, and they make her human and easy to relate to. She is putting her kids first, even if her own heart gets broken again. Bryan might be a movie star, but he’s down to earth, sexy, and easy to like. He has not let fame go to his head, and is very protective of Beth and her children. They all manage to worm their way into his heart even when he tries not to let that happen. Bryan might be a movie star/house cleaner in What A Woman Needs, but Judi writes his character in a way that makes him real. I also really felt connected to Beth and Bryan because they are mature adults who have had real life experiences, ups and downs, and are still are where they are today. There is definite chemistry between them, and Judi lets it simmer and come to a boil in it’s time. I loved all the secondary characters, from Beth’s meddling friends, Bryan’s brothers and sister, and especially Beth’s kids.

Judi writes a well paced, character driven romance with a lot of inner conflict for the main characters in What A Woman Needs that will keep you reading to find out – Can they possibly make it work?

What A Woman Needs is the second book in Judi Fennell’s Manley Maids series, but it can be read as a stand alone. Beth and Bryan’s story occurs in the same time frame as What a Woman Needs (#1). There is some overlap of the two stories, but if you haven’t read the first book you’d never know this or feel like you’re missing anything.

I’d recommend What A Woman Needs to any contemporary romance reader who likes realism with a bit of a fairy tale theme.

Book Info:

Published June 3rd 2014 by Berkley | (Manley Maids #2)

What happens when three irresistibly sexy brothers lose a poker bet to their enterprising sister? They get hired out for her housecleaning venture. Now, the Manley Maids are at your service. Satisfaction guaranteed. It’s what a woman needs…

Big shot movie star Bryan Manley is destined for fame and fortune, not a repeat of his penny-pinching “normal” childhood. But a bet is a bet, so he agrees to play maid for Beth Hamilton—as long as he can use his servitude as research for his next role, and then resume his life in the spotlight.

After her husband’s death and the publicity surrounding it, all Beth needs is a quiet, normal life for herself and her children. She never expected a new Prince Charming to show up at her door, let alone as the new maid. But when the paparazzi follow, Beth is sure of one thing: Bryan has to go.

Then flirtation turns into seduction, and Bryan needs to convince Beth he’s more man than maid—or an actor playing a maid. Because this latest gig as the love of Beth Hamilton’s life just might be the role of a lifetime…