“He’d been in love with Lissa ever since he’d discovered girls. In fact, Lissa had been the first girl he discovered when she moved in next door at the age of nine.”
In What She Wants by Sheila Roberts, Jonathan Templar has had his sights set on childhood neighbor Lissa Castle for years. He thought he had put his crush aside but after 
seeing her each morning hosting a Seattle morning program, he dreams of finally making a move at their fifteen year high school reunion. He knows she’d never fall for a scrawny computer guy…even if he does have his own locally successful tech company. He finds inspiration in the least likely of places: his sister’s romance novels. He uses them as a textbook of sorts and makes lists of what women want and how the heroes act.
“Somehow he was going to find a way to transform himself from zero to hero, find a way to make her see that her truest childhood friend could also be her truest love. But how?”
His poker buddies are shocked at first when they find out, but then think he might be on to something. Jonathan’s friend Kyle is having a difficult time landing the woman of his dreams and tries some of the “wooing” techniques in the books with mixed results. And Adam is married but gets kicked out of his own home when his wife lets him know she is feeling neglected. He wonders if books grand romantic gestures will actually work in real life and sets about to win back his true love.
Sheila Roberts has written a wonderful romance. It is filled with soul searching, laughter and lots of love. It was interesting to see this written in the male POV, especially with regard to romance novels! Jonathan, Kyle and Adam were all charming and I have to say my favorite scene with them is the poker game that becomes more of a book club than anything. This story makes you cheer for the underdog, whether it’s the computer geek, the “height challenged”, or the husband who’s in the doghouse. You hope they all find their HEA by the end of the book.
Book Info
Harlequin MIRA Release date: March 26, 2013 | Series: Life in Icicle Falls