What a Widow Wants

Jenna Jaxon — 2019

Widowed by the Battle of Waterloo, the ladies of Lyttlefield Park are returning to London society—with their futures in their own hands . . . The widowed Lady Stephen Tarkington, Fanny to her friends, has finished mourning her cad of a husband and is ready to enjoy her freedom. The kind of freedom neither a gently bred miss nor a close-watched wife is permitted: dressing up as Aphrodite for a masquerade, drawing gentlemen away from the party, and hinting at late-night assignations with her dance partners. All is going pleasurably according to plan—until the Roman god Fanny kisses during a masquerade turns out to be Matthew, Lord Lathbury, whose proposal she refused years ago . . . Lathbury is charming, passionate, inventive, everything Fanny wants in a lover—but unfortunately, he’s on the hunt for a wife. He’s more than willing to use all his wicked skills to persuade her back to the altar, but he can’t wait forever. And now Fanny’s position is more precarious than she once thought. If the tongues of the ton set to wagging, it’s possible no offer in the world will save her from ruin. But does she want to be saved? . . .

Reviews

Lover of Romance @addictedtoromance

Jan 1, 2023

This review was originally posted on Addicted To RomanceI received this book for free from Lyrical Press in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. What a Widow Wants is the third book in Jaxon's latest series and I am hooked on this author. I have to say, this is my first time reading this author, and I was very intrigued by this story and I am so glad I took a chance on this author because it was well worth the read, but it was very different from most regency romances I have read in the past. I did enjoy the unique spin that Jaxon pulled with this book and seeing this story develop even if I did have some issues with the story overall. What a Widow Wants begins with our heroine, Fanny, who has just come out of mourning when losing her husband of ten years. She is not grieving him though, he was not a great husband to her. Fanny thought she loved him, but she was fascinated by his charm and rakish ways and even though there was another man that she was in love with too, she chose wrong and ended up paying for it. But three years into her marriage she had an affair with Matthew, Lord Lathbury, that was kept secret and only the two of them knew about and Matthew wanted Fanny to run away with him but she refused. She returned back to her husband, gave birth to a daughter and moved on with her life even though her heart has never forgotten Matthew. But when she comes out of mourning, Matthew enters her life determined to win her completely over and have her as his wife, she is the only woman he has ever loved. But when a truth is revealed to both of them, it could create a huge scandal and Fanny will have to choose over the risk of a scandal or true love.... There is some complex issues that are put into play in this book but I really enjoyed it although I did struggle with the whole heroine cheating on her husband even if he had countless affairs. But I did understand it to a point in some ways too. But what I really adored was seeing the hero chase the heroine with such determination. He wants her so badly and loves her and has to wait a long time to have her. But Fanny is fearful because of her first marriage and for the sake of her daughter, she wants to make sure that Matthew wouldn't hurt her too. But I didn't understand the later conflict either of the scandal and I just couldn't see why Fanny wouldn't be with Matthew when the truth comes out. I like secrets like this though because neither of them knows the truth until everything is revealed in a very shocking way and Jaxon really surprised me with this one here. I did find their love story to be endearing though, and I really liked seeing these two find their second chance to have a future together and I really became hooked into the story. Now I will admit that there are some slow parts in the beginning, its not quite as engaging but once you get to about 30% of the book that is where it really picks up and I quickly became invested in this couple's story and wanting to see how they would find their HEA and boy with each chapter it only got better and better. The last part of the book really shocked me in some great ways, because I didn't expect that much intensity and a bit of suspense that we see happen and it was so beautifully done and I want to grab the earlier books of the series because I am falling in love with this writer's storytelling.