The Wife He Needs

I struggled through this book from beginning to end. I bought it thinking I would give this author one more try. I even tried a the audio book thinking it would be better. It wasn’t. I don’t know if the narrator was bland, the book was so bland that the narrator couldn’t infuse any emotion, or a combination of both.

I started read this author about 8 years ago beginning with the first Westmoreland books, and I was hooked. It is 2021, and I feel like I am reading a book from an earlier era. I didn’t feel like there was anything contemporary about this romance. What year was this supposed to be? How many times can we say “her feminine scent”?

I feel so sad. I really wanted to like this book. I admire the talent it takes to create. This book just didn’t do anything for me. I could see the potential, but I was so bored. I wanted to know about the Outlaws and their lives. Even the early Westmoreland books held my attention more that the last few books that were released.

The audio book may have been more entertaining if there had been a male and female narrator. Someone like Jakobi Diem and Wesleigh Siobhan.

I liked that Reagan was so accomplished. I was irritated by Garth restating how he could only love one woman. No connection. No sexual tension. No nothing. I was hoping for so much more. I would give this 1.5 stars.

Liked it, but because it was a shorter book things in the story were less filled out.
I would have liked to see more of the story line.
I enjoyed the characters

Having been waiting for some time now for the Outlaws. The Outlaws of Alaska are an extension of the Westmorelands family. The family keeps getting bigger and bigger love. There is so much togetherness and love with wonderful characters.

Garth is the oldest of the Outlaws and was once in a loving relationship over 10 years ago while in the service and lost her to death. It has been very hard for him to find love again in his pilot Regan who has loved Garth from afar. Will Regan be able to help Garth get over his lost love and take a chance on her. Pick up your copy today to see if there is HEA in story for Garth and Regan.

A friend/boss/to lovers story that carried a few twists. The lesson taught was never say “Never.”The two men in Regan’s life Garth and her father Franklin learned this lesson the hard way much to the delight of Regan. Slow-moving in some chapters, all in all, a good story.

After the combat death of his fiancée, Garth can’t open himself to love again. Regan has loved him forever, but all he can offer is passion. Will she take a chance and prove to him that she’s the wife he needs?

This steamy, emotional, well-crafted story from the great Brenda Jackson will touch your heart.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received.

The Wife He Needs by Brenda Jackson is Westmoreland Legacy: The Outlaws Book 1. This is a Mills & Boon Romantic Suspense: Heart-racing suspense, adventure and romance under extraordinary circumstances.

The six Outlaw siblings are cousins to Brenda Jackson’s famed Westmoreland characters. This first book is, eldest son, thirty-eight-year-old Garth’s story.

Garth Outlaw, former Marine and oldest son of Bartram “Bart” Outlaw, is planning to enter into a loveless marriage. He’s resigned himself to the idea of a marriage of convenience. Unfortunately, or fortunately, his plans are altered, and he’s spending two weeks with Regan Fairchild and not the woman he was expecting to marry. He’s attracted to Regan but that’s all it is: attraction.

Regan Fairchild, corporate pilot for Outlaw Freight Lines, knows that she’s the woman for Garth, whether he realizes it or not. Now they’re unexpectedly vacationing together. Should she continue to hide her feelings or risk it all with a man reluctant to open himself to love?

The Wife He Needs is a nice start to a new romance series. It perfectly preps for the series with a great introduction to the Outlaw siblings. The characters are likable with integrity. It’s a quick, entertaining read, the perfect length and pace. Beautiful scenery: Spain and Alaska. Brenda Jackson has crafted a successful formula for an engaging romance: beautiful people, beautiful locales, and most importantly, passion. My mind was fully engaged and entertained but not blown, thus a 4 out of 5 star rating. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and recommend it to all readers who enjoy contemporary romance.

Third-born Cash and his story are next: The Marriage He Demands. I look forward to its release.

My thanks to HARLEQUIN – Romance (US & Canada) and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book. However, the opinions expressed in this review are 100% mine and mine alone.

Good start to the new series about the recently discovered Outlaw branch of the Westmoreland family. The various members are introduced in Breaking Bailey’s Rules, including the fact that family patriarch Bartram Outlaw wants nothing to do with the Westmorelands. His kids, however, are happy to meet their cousins, some of whom make brief appearances in this book.

Garth is the oldest of the Outlaws and in charge of running the company. He decided it is time to get married, but there’s a catch. Years earlier, while in the Marines, Garth fell in love with a woman who was killed in action. He believes he can’t (or is it won’t) fall in love again, so he plans a marriage of convenience. He has a two-week getaway scheduled with a woman he met through a dating service to see if they would suit. But when he arrives at his destination, the woman is a no-show, leaving him at loose ends. So he asks Regan, his pilot and longtime friend, to stick around.

Regan has known Garth all of her life. Her father was the Outlaws’ pilot before her, and she grew up with the Outlaw kids as friends. However, her feelings for Garth are decidedly not friendly. She had a crush on him from the time she was sixteen, and in recent years that crush turned to love. Regan knows he only sees her as a friend. Even though she’s been a fill-in date a few times, she longs for more. When he invites her to stay with him for those two weeks, she sees her chance to show him she can be what he needs.

I enjoyed the development of the relationship between Regan and Garth. We know Regan’s feelings from the beginning, but Garth’s are more complicated. He’s sure he will never love another and plans to enter a loveless but convenient marriage. One motivating factor for the marriage is the inconvenient attraction Garth feels for Regan. He thinks that marriage will solve that problem. For the first couple of days Regan and Garth spend together both struggle to hide their attraction though some of it leaks through their erected shields. Garth gets the bright idea that they can indulge themselves for the two weeks, as long as she realizes that love and marriage are not in the cards. Though Regan is stunned and angry at first, she decides that the best way to show Garth what he needs is to give him what he thinks he wants.

I loved watching Garth and Regan spend time together. While their physical connection was intense, the time they spent otherwise occupied deepened their emotional connection. Many scenes of shared interests, from performances to hikes to cooking, brought them closer together. They also shared some more painful memories, such as Regan’s loss of her mother and Garth’s loss of his fiancée. But Garth is a hard nut to crack, and their return to Alaska ends their affair.

I ached for Regan, who had such high hopes, only to have them dashed by Garth’s actions. Meanwhile, Garth is deservedly miserable without Regan. By the time he sees the truth of his feelings, matters become complicated by an unexpected visitor. I ached for Regan and how, devastated, she makes a hard decision about her future. I loved the scene with Garth’s siblings and the kick in the pants they provided. Garth did an excellent job of not quite groveling but finally opening up his heart to her. I loved the ending and Garth’s over-the-top demonstration of his love.

I enjoyed getting to know a little bit about each of the Outlaw Westmorelands. I can’t wait for the next book in the series. I would also like to find out the story behind Bartram Outlaw’s attitude about his Westmoreland family.