Review: What a Woman

What a Woman (Manley Maids - Book 4) by Judi Fennell

Publication Date: 03/03/2015
Publisher: Penguin Group
Imprint: Berkley
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Pages: 320
ISBN-10: 0425268322
ISBN-13: 978-0425268322

(Received for an honest review from Berkley)

Purchase: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Indiebound, itunes

Judi Fennell on the WEB: website, blog, twitter, facebook, goodreads

Books in the Series:

Manley Maids

1. What a Woman Wants
2. What a Woman Needs
3. What a Woman Gets
4. What a Woman

Coverart: Click on the image for a larger, clearer view of the covers in this series

Excerpt from What a Woman, courtesy of Amazon's Look Inside feature.

Synopsis:

After starting her housecleaning company, Manley Maids, one woman is determined to make it on her own. And what a woman she is…
 
Now that Mary-Alice Catherine Manley—Mac—has her hunky brothers working for her, she can sit back and watch the business roll in. But her new assignment quickly tosses that plan out the window. Mildred, her grandmother’s best friend, needs her house cleaned and Gran has volunteered Mac for the job. The problem is Mildred’s cocky grandson. He thinks Mac’s at his beck and call, but she has a few things to tell him…aside from how hot he is.
 
Jared Nolan is currently lying low, nursing some broken bones—and a  bruised ego. The former professional baseball player let himself be used by woman once, and now it could rob him of his beloved career. No woman is ever going to call the shots again, which is why, when the bossy Mac shows up, he’s going to show her who’s really in charge. He’s just not prepared for the undeniable attraction between them. And with the two of them in one house, there’s no telling who will come out swinging…

Thoughts:

Judi Fennell brings readers the fourth book in her Manley Maids series, What a Woman. This has been a very enjoyable series with a great premise, a meddling grandmother and four siblings not exactly looking for love. Fennell does a great job of giving readers a light hearted romance that will keep them laughing until the very end. Mac Manley, the only girl in the bunch finally gets her story in What a Woman and readers will really enjoy this high school crush turned romance. A great addition to the series!

There is so much to love about this series. First of all the premise was great. A sister and her grandmother forcing her brothers to not only clean houses as part of a bet, but to also find true love. I love it when matchmaking involves the extended family. This was a great idea and I think it panned out very well for Fennell. I'm glad that not only the boys get their stories and happy endings but Mac as well. She has been an enjoyable secondary character throughout the series and really shines here. 

Mac is feisty and full of sass. I've liked that about her character from the beginning. She not only catches her brother in bet, but she seems to know exactly where to send them to get the most for her money. It was nice to see more of her backstory here and learn about her school girl crush on Jared. I liked their banter and the romantic tension in the air when they were together here. She doesn't back down from him and he isn't about to let her get the upper hand in the relationship... so much fun.

Jared is a handsome former baseball player and he's lonely. He has spent a lot of time with women who didn't appreciate him or wanted to run all over him and when Mac shows up to get his grandmother's house ready for sale, the fight is on. It was fun watching them together and in spite of treating Mac badly when he was younger he comes off as a genuinely nice guy, especially with the puppies, yes I said, puppies. 

Bottom Line:

A very enjoyable addition to this series. What a Woman met all my expectations for a story about Mac, the feisty sister. She was a great character and deserved her own happy ending. I liked Jared a lot too but the best part was the easy banter and enjoyment they got from each other. There was a little bit of steam and some unusual antics with a condom that will have readers in giggle fits. A great addition to the series!

What a Woman is available NOW from your favorite bookseller

I'm giving this one 5 out of 5 apples from my book bag!

About the Author:

Judi Fennell, author of the Manley Maids novels, has had her nose in a book and her head in some celestial realm all her life, including those early years when her mom would exhort her to “get outside!” instead of watching Bewitched or I Dream of Jeannie on television. So she did—right into Dad’s hammock with her Nancy Drew books. These days she’s more likely to have her nose in her laptop and her head (and the rest of her) at a favorite writing spot, but she’s still reading either her latest manuscript or her friends’ books, or helping authors bring their books to readers with her formatting business. A PRISM and Golden Leaf Award–winner, Judi is the author of lighthearted romantic comedies. She lives in suburban Philadelphia with her own menagerie—which might just include a few of the two-legged kind.