Good book. Lachlan MacTavish, or "Mac", is an American businessman who has come to England to take delivery of his new clipper ship and check up on his sister. He arrives at her home to discover that she is dead and her two children are being neglected and abused. So he kidnaps them and desperately starts looking for a nanny and somewhere to hide until his ship is ready to sail. This leads him to Beatrice's estate, where he's dismayed to find out that the nanny has passed away.Bea has spent the last several months trying to keep her estate going, after the death of her father. Her father had been overprotective of her, with very old-fashioned ideas of a woman's place. Therefore, she had very little education and no exposure to how to deal with the needs of the estate. She is desperate to find someone who can teach her what she needs to know. She had also never been anywhere outside of the village where they lived.When Mac arrives she is somewhat overwhelmed by him. He is loud, forceful and large. But she quickly figures out that they could be helpful to each other. She offers to give him a place to stay with the children if he will teach her what she needs to know. This is where the fun begins. Bea doesn't have a lot of confidence in herself, but she knows she's smart enough to learn if someone will just teach her. She is tired of the way everyone keeps telling her just to find a husband and let him take care of it for her. She is determined to be able to do it herself and learns quickly how to stand up to Mac when he starts to ignore her. There are some really wonderful interactions between them as they learn to work together.Mac is partly frustrated and partly intrigued by Bea. He's desperate to hide the kids from their father and grandfather until he can get them out of the country, so he doesn't feel like he has time to teach Bea what she needs to know. When he does start to show her how things should be done, she argues with him every step of the way. He also finds her incredibly beautiful, though she doesn't believe him, He is impressed by how well she handles the children.There is also an attraction between them that gets stronger each day. Mac tries to ignore it, as he won't be staying in England and is too honorable to lead her on. Bea isn't sure what she's feeling about Mac at the beginning, but soon figures it out. While those feelings are wonderful, they also scare her because so many things are changing. When circumstances cause them to marry, Bea's nervousness creates some stress between them, but Mac finds the patience to deal with her fears. I loved seeing how Mac's support of her helped Bea overcome so many of her fears. Mac also develops more empathy for those around him thanks to Bea's influence. Both of them have their own stubborn views that they have to learn to compromise on before they can get the future they both want.The taking of the children and Mac's determination to protect them was well done. I enjoyed seeing him try to cope with it all. I loved the how Bea's love and care for the village and its people came back to help her when those same people helped protect the children. I loved the ending, with Bea really stepping out of her comfort zone on behalf of Mac and the children, and Mac realizing just how vital Bea is to his happiness.
This release of All a Woman Wants by Patricia Rice is a re-release in e book format. This book was originally published in 2001.Thanks to Librarything for the early review digital copy.Beatrice finds herself alone trying to run her father's farming operation after his sudden death. She never even got to finish her education and now the farm is going to seed quickly. Her only option is to start selling things off in hopes of making payroll.Before she can think of any other way out of her dire situation, a brash American with two small childen in tow, shows up looking for her Nanny who was recently deceased.Mac has his future mapped out. He is a businessman with no desire for the traditional family life. He wants to sail the seas and live a life of adventure. But before he sets sail for America he wants to check in on his sister. What he finds when he arrives at her home is unbelievable. He finds his beloved sister has died in childbirth and no one even tried to notify his family. The baby is found in the nursery screaming and wet and dirty with the maids explaining the father is drunk and passed out.So, Mac kidnaps the kids, and goes in search of a Nanny he was told about. What he finds instead is that the Nanny is dead. He then finds himself stricking a deal with the lovely lady Beatrice. She will allow him to stay there with his kids until he finds a proper nursemaid and he will teach her how to run the farm.Things go from bad to worse when the kid's father awakens to find his children gone and begins searching for Mac. Not only that, Bea's aunt arrives and manipulates Mac into agreeing to a marriage to Bea. Bea doesn't want marriage, she wants an education and independence. These two people come from entirely different backgrounds, with different goals for their futures. Mac wants to proceed with his business and adventures, while Bea insist on staying on her land and working for the community. To make a relationship work, each will have to grow up and accept that life is full of compromises and will have to learn if their dreams are more important than a life with each other. Mac is a normal red blooded American male. He is like many men of the era, believing women belonged in the kitchen and bedroom and were otherwise in the way. He especially feels uncomfortable with real ladies. Bea is tired of being treated as though she doesn't need an education, that she should marry someone to run the farm because a woman couldn't possibly be sucessful. Women should be knitting and having babies.The story was good, but there really wasn't alot going on sometimes. There were times when it seemed like we were stuck in a rut. The back and forth between Bea and Mac was drawn out a little too long before the action started to take place. The last several chapters were really action packed when Bea and Mac both were forced to stop over thinking everything and DO something one way or the other. Not the best historical of all time, but still enjoyable. Overall a B-
What do You think about All A Woman Wants (2013)?
ALL A WOMAN WANTS by Patricia Rice is an exciting Regency historical romance set in 1815 England. When a visionary and a homebody meets will love blossom? Fast paced and filled with trust and love. When Mac finds his beloved sister dead,her children abused and abandoned by their father,he set's off to get them to his parents in America. What follows is much more than he bargained for,wanted or expected. He finds Beatrice,who is left alone when her beloved father passes away,and leaves her with a huge responsibility to save her beloved home. She has never left her country estate,been sheltered from the outside world,knows not what to expect,or anything of running a huge estate on the brink of disaster. Enter Mac,his niece,nephew and a world of trouble. With humor,secrets,passion,romance and love you will not go wrong with "All A Woman Wants" which is love and happiness. A must read for any historical readers,and anyone who enjoys a great read where family is everything and worth the trouble. Received for an honest review from the author and Library Thing.RATING: 4.5HEAT RATING: MILDREVIEWED BY: AprilR, My Book Addiction Reviews
—My Book Addiction and More MBA
Lady Beatrice Cavendish has been sheltered and cossetted for all of her life, to the point of becoming a spinster by her doting father. When father dies, Lady C is left with all of his debts and no idea how the world operates, which is a major source of frustration for her. She realizes the extent of how sheltered she's been and determines to become an independent woman.Mac McTavish only plans to be in England long enough to visit his sister, who has been quiet too long, while he restocks his ship to prepare to sail back to America, where he will finally be master of his own business. Unfortunately, he finds his sister has died, and left two children behind, who are being neglected and abused by their drunken father. Rash and hot tempered, he kidnaps the children intending to take them back with him, but he needs a nanny. This need brings him to the door of Lady C, who seems to be the only one who can direct him to the nanny he is searching out.Circumstances force Mac to take refuge with Lady Cavendish - she will help him shelter the children if he will help her learn how to manage the nearly bankrupt estate left to her charge.It took me some time to invest myself in the story, but as it unfolded, I found myself drawn into the author's character studies. Two diametrically opposed personalities coming toward middle ground. I found the journey entertaining and the growth in the characters endearing, and yet there was still the dilemma of "home" to be settled once they found their way to each other. I enjoyed watching Lady C come out of her shell and the tremendous character growth she underwent. The romance I felt was done very well, and compared to other romance novels where the characters are carried away with hormones, this story had a more realistic approach to the physical side of things. It may have been drawn out overly long, and some of the "wickedness" might have been dealt with during the courtship so that by the marriage it wasn't quite as taboo. I was left wondering how they were going to determine where to live until the very end, seeing options open up. I can't say I'm satisfied with the choice that was made, but without writing another hundred pages to alter the decision, it worked. Obviously, one character had to make a big sacrifice, but as the book was about compromise, I might have preferred more middle ground.
—Karla Brandenburg
