Customer Reviews

What A Woman Needs (Zebra Debut)

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If you like the large regency romances(a la Lisa Kleypas, Julia Quinn, Eloisa James, etc.), this one's for you! Even if you're a romance reader but are repulsed by the regency genre, this one's still for you! I don't care for reviews that summarize the plot but let me just say it's about a rogue who's looking to marry a fortune and an aunt who's out to protect her niece from just such a rogue. Great characterization of two mature (in their 30s!) individuals who are not what they seem. Wonderful dialogue. And not a contrived plot device to be seen. What a refreshing change in the typical paperback regency! I took a chance on an unknown author and was pleasantly surprised at the quality of the writing. Do yourself a favor and buy this book!

From page one the characters in this charming book reached out and grabbed me. Page after page I just got sucked in deeper until I closed the book with a happy sigh. This book had everything you need to create a good romance: a dashing hero, a beautiful feisty heroine, something that always seems to interfere with the hero and heroine, and, most of all...PASSION! The love scenes are ample & steamy, and the plot is a good one. A fast paced book with an intricate plot that I cannot help but enjoy. What a Woman Needs has a strong (but not obnoxious) heroine who is in no way ordinary, a back story which is compelling but doesn't get in the way of the love story, and of course a wonderful hero. Both the hero and the heroine have secrets of their own, which are slowly brought to light by the author, like layers being peeled from a (very good) onion....

It was written with an amazing level of intensity and feeling that my heart was pumping furiously with the palatable passion and keen scents of danger in the story. The relationship between the leads is endearing. The secondary characters are enjoyable as well. I found the characters to be multi-dimensional and the author weaves a mystery into the story without slowing it down or interrupting the romantic flow. The interaction between the leads was great. They really enjoyed smarting off to each other because they did not like a lot about each other in the beginning. But their disagreements were often very funny. This book is sharp and fast-moving. Filled with Lovable and exciting characters. This was a very entertaining book. This book was a pleasure to read and I couldn't put it down until it was finished. Filled with Lovable characters, exciting and not too heavy mystery twists. I positively devoured this book. :-) This book is a gem.

Caroline Linden has found a perfect match for the notorious Stuart Drake with feisty Charlotte Griffolino. They are well matched in temperament, intelligence and in their unhappy childhood. It was an interesting. There is enough conflict to make the story line interesting and not so much that your left wondering why they ever got together.

Stuart Drake needs an heiress. Decades from securing his title and ancestral properties, Stuart has bought a nice little estate--but now his father has cut off his income and Stuart stands to lose everything--unless he can find an heiress and marry her. Fortunately, there are plenty of heiresses around and Susan Tratter seems like an ideal candidate. Admittedly he doesn't love her, but she seems infatuated with him and she's pleasant enough, and rich. That is a better basis than most marriages. There's only the simple matter of persuading Susan's aunt.

Charlotte Griffolino, Susan's young aunt, knows fortune-seekers too well. She recognizes Stuart's game immediately and will do whatever it takes to protect her niece. What it takes starts with ruining his reputation by repeating London gossip and, when Stuart breaks into her home in an attempt to recover his engagement ring, Charlotte repeats the favor. From there, things get sexy in a hurry. But there's something else going on--someone has tracked Charlotte to England, is rifling through her things, and absconds with Susan. Now Charlotte has no one to turn to except Stuart--the man she did everything to destroy.

Author Caroline Linden starts sexy, with a bondage scene, but really hits her stride when the intrigue portion of the book kicks in. The with Charlotte and Stuart working together to solve the mystery of Susan's disappearance really work, as does Charlotte's decision to risk her reputation and have an affair with Stuart. Stuart makes a great tortured hero and Caroline is a woman with a very definite past. Fans of Amanda Quick will definitely want to get their hands on this sexy regency-era historical/adventure.

What is it with historical romantic fiction these days? What is it with the stolen treasure/a heroine falsely accused of murder/a long-lost treasure map? What happened to good ol fashioned sexual tension coupled (pardon the pun) with some familial objections and secret rendevous? If I want suspense and a cliched gun-goes-off-oh-no-who-does-it-hit? scene I'll read some John Grisham. What a Woman Needs in her romantic fiction is basically Pride and Prejudice but with more sex.
The author has all the makings of a Judith Ivory-esque book: good writing, two appealing romantic leads, a complication with the heroine's family, some hot bedroom action. She proceeds to muck it up with some convuluted story about a lost treasure which of course takes away from valuable snog time. If you like a predictable chase scene, this is the book for you.
All I know is Elizabeth Bennett and Mr. Darcy never had to chase after mummies.

I agree with Laura Gee. This book began with a bang: an unapologetic yet endearing hero and the self-assured, smolderingly beautiful heroine and their electrifying first encounter. After their intitial (humorous I admit) entanglements in Kent, after the disappearance of the heroine's niece, the story fell apart, turning Charlotte(the heroine) into a sobbing mess and Stuart(the hero) into a semi-cliched and hollow character. The plot then ran amouk and the only thing that stood out amongst the confusion was the fact that Charlotte remained aggressive sexually--a rare occurance in a romance novel. But for a debut author, Linden shows promise and talent and I shall pick up her next novel.

I have to admit that the book slowed down slightly in the middle of the story, but I enjoyed this book very much in spite of that. I have to admit that I fell in love with Stuart also.
What a dream. Even though he didn't have any money he was quite masterful. Linden could have portrayed him as weak but for the good of the story, she didn't and therefore I was glued til the end. He made the story for me. The heroine,Charlotte was an interesting character with a not so savory past and credible enough for me to be able to feel for her plights. There was just enough spice to the story to keep me interested. Great debut !

other reviewers have pretty much summed up the storyline, so I'll just add a few points.

The hero and heroine of this book are not your usual duo. They are older (30's), they have scandal in their past, and they are both fairly "damaged" people. The author was able to weave a highly sensuous, though heartfelt love story from these two flawed people.

The love scenes are refreshing as while they are unapologetically explicit, they are also tender, and are a touch stone for both characters previous failures in life. That they were both used and used others via sex in the past but realize how beautiful, and hot!, sex with the person you love can truly be. The love scenes are scorching and not for the faint of heart:)

As to it's flaws-they are few, and in my opinion, not to detracting from the storyline. I do agree with the other reviewers-the treasure hunt at the end seemed unnecessary at first, but it did help to "tidy up" some loose strings at the end. A few characters were also added in the last half of the story, that were not needed, though it seems that the author may use these characters in future books.

All in all, a fresh, highly sensuous Historical that I do recommend.
4.5 stars.

Stuart Drake needs money and he needs it fast. Having his father cut him off entirely has forced him to resort to finding and marrying an heiress. All goes according to plan when Stuart meets the lovely, and instantly smitten, Miss Susan Tratter, that is until he meets her guardian. Stuart can't afford set backs and is determined to charm the old crone -only she isn't an old crone. She's not old at all! -in fact, she's strikingly beautiful. And Aunt Charolette has ideas of her own for Susans future, none of which involve gettting fooled into marriage to a fortune hunter rumored to have ruined two young women. So the battle begins between the two which eventually leads to an affair. Added to the mix is a kidnapping, deception and retribution.

Lots of sexual tension and passion in this one! I really enjoyed the verbal sparring between the H/H in the begining of the book, which led to some really good love scenes towards the middle. Stuart and Charolette are very likeable and the chemistry between them is explosive. Its good to finally read a book where not only the hero, but the heroine has a shady past and questionable reputation (probably even more so than his).

The writing is very good and Linden manages to keep the reader interested enough for this to be a real page turner. I enjoyed the ending (which contained a few surprises) and am no doubt going to be watching for new books by this author.

His father holds the title and the related purse strings as Stuart Drake learns when dad cuts him off without any money for the scandalous rumors of impropriety that is rampant amongst the Ton. Refusing to beg or correct the record, Stuart fears the small estate he recently purchased will be lost unless he marries a wealthy heiress. He chooses amiable pretty and most important rich Susan Tratter to court as his future wife though he knows he does not love her.

However, her pretty Aunt Charlotte Griffolino is like a lioness protecting her cub though the age difference between the women is slight. Charlotte wants better for her niece than a gold-digger so she fans the gossip fire that further devastates Stuart's already tattered reputation. When someone from Charlotte's past kidnaps Susan, she turns to Stuart to help rescue her niece. As they risk their lives and definitely their reputation, Charlotte and Stuart fall in love. However, she has a secret that once he learns of it she feels he will detest her; while he is abashed with how he sought wealth and believes she will never accept he found love instead.

WHAT A WOMEN NEEDS is an entertaining regency romance that sets the tone with the opening bondage scene and never slows down once Charlotte and Stuart begin battling for supremacy. The story line is action-packed as the lead couple turns from animosity to a tryst to amateur sleuths falling in love. Though Stuart's angst seems overly done, Charlotte is a unique heroine with a sexual past; together they make a formidable team starring in a fine historical tale.

Harriet Klausner