Authors: Judi Fennell
PRAISE FOR
What a Woman Wants
“Fans of Fennell's quirky style will enjoy the entertaining misadventures.”
â
Publishers Weekly
“The dialogue was fun and witty.”
â
Night Owl Reviews
(Top Pick)
“Fennell's latest will have readers laughing as they turn the pages.”
â
RT Book Reviews
PRAISE FOR JUDI FENNELL AND HER NOVELS
“The opening . . . is one of the best hooks I've read. I don't know who could set it down after the first few pages . . . An excellent choice.”
âJoey W. Hill, national bestselling author
“One of the most exciting and fun reads I have ever encountered.”
â
Fresh Fiction
“Phenomenally written novel . . . One of the best stories I have read this year, and I highly recommend it to anyone who loves a happy ending!”
â
Sizzling Hot Books
“Will keep the reader enraptured.”
âPublishers Weekly
(starred review)
“I had a smile on my face and a sigh of contentment . . . Lighthearted but full of emotion. The story stirred in me feelings of falling in love all over again. It was just downright enjoyable to read!”
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That's What I'm Talking About
“A light and breezy read for all . . . [Will] amuse the reader to the very last page. Well done, Judi Fennell!”
â
Night Owl Reviews
“Rip-roaring fun from the very first page . . . This book is one for the keeper shelf.”
âKate Douglas, bestselling author
“A tale that shimmers, shines, sparkles, and sizzles.”
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Long and Short Reviews
“Full of vivid imagination.”
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Seriously Reviewed
“Sizzling sexual tension, plenty of humor, and a soupçon of suspense.”
â
Booklist
“Ms. Fennell has captured a new fan.”
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Romancing the Book
“Chock-full of surprises . . . with a beautiful twist of romance.”
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Book Loons
“[Fennell] is proving herself to be a solid storyteller.”
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RT Book Reviews
Berkley Sensation titles by Judi Fennell
WHAT A WOMAN WANTS
WHAT A WOMAN NEEDS
WHAT A WOMAN GETS
THE BERKLEY PUBLISHING GROUP
Published by the Penguin Group
Penguin Group (USA) LLC
375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014
USA ⢠Canada ⢠UK ⢠Ireland ⢠Australia ⢠New Zealand ⢠India ⢠South Africa ⢠China
A Penguin Random House Company
WHAT A WOMAN GETS
A Berkley Sensation Book / published by arrangement with the author
Copyright © 2014 by Judi Fennell.
Excerpt from
What a Woman
by Judi Fennell copyright © 2014 by Judi Fennell.
Penguin supports copyright. Copyright fuels creativity, encourages diverse voices, promotes free speech, and creates a vibrant culture. Thank you for buying an authorized edition of this book and for complying with copyright laws by not reproducing, scanning, or distributing any part of it in any form without permission. You are supporting writers and allowing Penguin to continue to publish books for every reader.
Berkley Sensation Books are published by The Berkley Publishing Group.
BERKLEY SENSATION® is a registered trademark of Penguin Group (USA) LLC.
The “B” design is a trademark of Penguin Group (USA) LLC.
For information, address: The Berkley Publishing Group,
a division of Penguin Group (USA) LLC,
375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014.
eBook ISBN: 978-1-101-62549-1
PUBLISHING HISTORY
Berkley Sensation mass-market edition / November 2014
Cover art by Daniel O'Leary.
Cover design by Judith Lagerman.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Version_1
This one is for my mom and dad.
A parent's love is a wonderful thing.
Thank you for being here.
Berkley Sensation titles by Judi Fennell
I
believe, dear brothers, you all need to be fitted for Manley Maids uniforms.”
Liam Manley bit his tongue at his sister Mac's announcement as she laid her winning hand on the green felt poker table. She'd played himâhim
and
his brothers, and she'd played them good.
She'd played
poker
good. Who knew she even
played
poker?
And that bet . . . Four weeks' worth of free cleaning service for her company against their vacation homes and expensive sports cars. Why did Liam feel like a sucker?
“I am
not
wearing an apron.” Bryan, the youngest Manley brother, sounded so offended it made Liam bite his tongue even harderâso he wouldn't laugh at him. You might think Mac had asked him to wear . . . well . . . an apron.
Sean, his middle brother and fellow loser, kept stacking the poker chips, avoiding Mac's jack-high straight flush like the plague while keeping his mouth shut.
Bryan's mouth was hanging open. Any second their movie-star brother was going to start gaping like a fish. Where was a camera when he needed one? Bry would pay anything to keep
that
unflattering picture out of the press, and Liam could use a new hot tub for the house he was renovatingâmake that, had just
finished
renovating, which meant he had some time on his hands.
No time like the present to get started paying off the ridiculous bet. “When do you want us to start, Mac?”
“I have extra uniforms, so whenever you have the time.”
Extra uniforms? Since when did she have extra anything when it came to the business?
Something was going on.
He never would have thought Mary-Alice Catherine would resort to dirty tricks to get her older brothers to do what she wanted. Hell, when they'd gone to live with Gran after their parents had been killed in a car accident, they'd practically tripped over each other to take care of their baby sister. Now he was going to be tripping over brooms and mops and vacuum cleaners. Ugh.
“Hey, can I do my own house?” That was Bryan, working whatever angle he could to come out on top.
“You'd put Monica out of a job to weasel out of the bet? Really?” It was Mac's turn for mouth-gaping.
“I'm not weaseling out of anything.” But Bry didn't look happy. “You can count on me for Monday, too. I've got a month between projects and was looking for something to do anyhow.”
Liam highly doubted Bryan's choice would be to play maid, however. It wasn't Liam's, either. Still, he'd made the bet . . .
And so had she.
He finished off his beer then gathered the cards, dragging Mac's winning hand across the felt last. Bryan's gaze was on those cards the entire way. Sean kept his on the chips. They were probably the most anal-retentively stacked chips in the history of the game.
“I didn't know you had guys working for you, Mac.” Liam kept his voice even. Controlled. And if there was the slightest hint of something else in it, well, he'd be fine with Mac assuming it was anger at losing. But why would Mac (a) want to play poker so badly with them when she couldn't afford the cash if she lost and (b) make that bet
and
win? Something was rotten in the state of Manley.
“Wha . . . what?”
Yeah, that startled look in her eyes confirmed exactly what he'd thought. There
were
no guys employed by Manley Maids, so those uniforms weren't “extra.” She'd had them made in advance. For them.
Mac had planned this. Her winning was no fluke. He'd call her on it if he had any proof other than his gut, but he didn't. And God knew, he couldn't always trust his gut. It'd let him down before.
“Never mind.” He shuffled the offending cards in with the other forty-seven, then tapped the long edge of the deck on the table. “I'll be there Monday.”
And he'd use the mindless monotony of cleaning to come up with some way to pay his sister back.
In spades.