<b>3.75 - 4 Stars</b>

I am a huge fan of Natasha Anders and I have read everything she's put out.

Literally.
Everything.

I love her writing style and I love her plot lines.
As I've said before, they are like old school Harlequin goodness.

But GOOD. <i>Really</i> good.
And without any trite cheesiness.

So imagine my excitement when I saw this bad boy coming out.

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Yup, that's "I'm a fish but gonna walk on land" levels of excitement right there, people.

But anymermaid, as I was saying. I love me some Natasha Anders.

My favorite Anders book is <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/859110710">The Unwanted Wife</a>...followed closely by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1481283846">A Ruthless Proposition</a>.

Now, as you can see by my star rating, I didn't love this one as much as those two - which isn't to say this one wasn't good - because it was.

It just didn't hit the spot as much <i>for me</i>.

The H, Mason, is to die for, of course.
And the h, Daisy, is a refreshingly different h.

Daisy is one of three sisters.

Dahlia is "the pretty one."
Daffodil is "the cute one."
And Daisy is "the <i>other</i> one."

Meaning...Daisy is basically the DUFF sister.

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Just keeping it real.

Now, as much as I loved this spin, this and the story set up here left me in catch-up mode a little bit.

Why, you say?

Well, when Mason and Daisy make contact for the first time, Mason makes it very clear - to both the reader and Daisy - that he's not attracted to her or really IN to her in "that way."

Like, at ALL.

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Which kind of bummed me out, I guess.

So when he <i>did</i> start to develop an attraction for her, I had a hard time catching up to him, I guess.

But again, that's just me.

Soon after their meeting they make "a deal" requiring them to spend some time together.

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Which was super fun.

I just felt like it dragged a little in parts, that's all...which, again, I think is just me.

Because if not for that (the parts where I felt it dragged a little bit) this was a really fun and cute story and I really enjoyed it.

In fact, I will definitely be re-reading this and I can see it being one of those books that I like more and more as I read it a second and third time.

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3 stars
Overall Opinion: It pains me to only give 3 stars to this author. I loved her Unwanted series very much. And the last book, A Ruthless Proposition was 4 stars for me.

Brief Summary of the Storyline: The premise is a tried and true trope of the curvy girl, who could be described as a wallflower, meets sexy, gorgeous guy. Add to that the whole “proposition” that came from Daisy who needed a date to her sister’s wedding. She doubts herself because she is called “the other one” of her three sisters. Feelings develop between Daisy and Mason, but they are resistant to calling this a relationship.

POV: Alternating POV. This aspect is what really threw me off. I enjoy alternating POV’s and read them often. In this case, I felt the back and forth was too much, too quickly. It seemed to flip flop so much that one thought or action was not finished when the next was introduced. This is probably my main reason for not giving a higher rating.
Overall Pace of Story: Good, although again the back and forth of the POV’s caused me to stop in places.
H rating: I loved Mason and his history. More of this would have been a good thing. One point to make was the use of “big words” repetitively, turned me off a little. He was a military man and although he did cuss a lot, I expected that and didn’t mind it.

h rating: I could relate so much to Daisy. Maybe not so much the wallflower type, but body shape for sure. Her insecurities are some we’ve all had as women. I liked it when her spunkiness came out. I was really hoping she wouldn’t be a 27 yo virgin, but yes she was.


Heat level: Fairly low. H isn’t even attracted to h in the beginning.

Descriptive sex: Somewhat, of course more is always better for me.

Satisfying ending?: Very much so. I loved the epilogue and touching on Daff and Spencer’s story was done perfectly.

This is the first book I've read from Natasha Anders and I loved it. The characters, the storyline are real good. Mason and Daisy are smart, funny and just cute. Can't wait for the secondary characters to get their stories.

I just adore Natasha Anders' stories and The Wingman just gave me a million new reasons to adore her even more. I'm so accustomed to her angsty storylines and her brooding alpha males, that the lightness and sweetness of The Wingman was both unexpected and refreshing.

Mason Carlisle is a nice guy. Yes, he's anti-commitment. And yes, he's ex-military. And he may have modeled underwear at one point. He's as alpha as they come but he's also charming and funny and sweet underneath that roguish exterior. He's the full package and I absolutely loved him.

Daisy MacGregor is the ugly duckling. Except she's really not. She's just insecure and often overlooked when compared to her beautiful sisters. I was worried that this was going to end up being a Cinderella story about a girl who loses some weight, undergoes a makeover, updates her wardrobe and ultimately scores herself the prince that wouldn't have ever considered her otherwise. I'm so glad Natasha Anders did right by these characters and by women in general and took this story to a beautiful place that sends a strong message that women don't have to change for a man because the right man will see our beauty no matter what.

This story is fun and sweet, but it's also heavy with emotion. It's light and sexy and slow burning, but it's also got its fair share of angst and turmoil and push and pull. It's signature Natasha Anders yet new and refreshing and completely different from anything else I've read from her. I'm so excited for the possibilities of what's to come in this new series.

Wow, I loved this novel. I was sucked in from the first page and did not want to put it down. I loved the heroine was strong and accepted who she was. I had a hard time warming up to the main character Mason. But as the novel continued I loved the relationship between the characters. I loved the dialogue and banter. This novel grabbed me and I was sorry when the novel ended. I also loved Daisy (the heroines) family. I loved how snarky her sisters could be. I loved this novel and can't wait to see what this author has coming next. I would highly recommend this novel.

I loved Natasha's writing style ever since I read her first book "Unwanted wife". I really enjoyed "The wingman", it was really well written story with lots of heat, romance and lovable characters. Another success by this amazing author!

2.5 stars. I did not really enjoy this book. It had potential, but it fell short for me. This is the story of Daisy and Mason. Daisy is well known in her small town as the "other one", the plain sister to two beauties. Mason has a reputation in town as the hot, former poor, bad boy, turned military hero/model/security businessman. Mason's brother has a crush on Daisy's sister so, one night while out at the local pub, he enlists Mason as his wingman, to keep Daisy busy while he chats up her sister. Mason is not at all interested in Daisy. But he does find she is interesting to talk to. Their night is cut short though, when Daisy overhears Mason and his brother talking about how he was not interested in her and only talking to her as a favor for his brother. But he feels bad for hurting Daisy so he strikes up a friendship with her. Daisy asks him to pose as her date for her sister's wedding. He agrees and convinces her to "fake" date him leading up to the wedding so that the townsfolk will think that he is her boyfriend. As they spend more time together, Mason sees that Daisy is not really plain, that she is beautiful in her own way, especially her spirit. Their fake dating starts to feel very real, but when the truth is accidentally exposed to everyone that their dating was fake, feelings are hurt on both sides. It takes a near-tragedy to make Daisy and Mason realize that they love each other and want a future together.

I felt really bad for Daisy. Everyone is so mean to her in this book! Her self-esteem is terrible because everyone in town marginalizes her. Her friends, her family and Mason. The fact that she is plain is pushed so hard in every other sentence that it made me want her to leave town and go somewhere where she could start fresh and be appreciated. Mason was very arrogant most of the time. He did have some issues stemming from being brought up poor and dealing with judgemental town people. But he still, even though he liked Daisy's personality, did not see a future for them for most of the book. He treated her badly and I don't think he ever fully appreciated her. Daisy had a sweet spirit and does start to know her own worth by the end of the book. I just wanted Mason to realize more what a gem he was getting and that he was the lucky one in the relationship.

This was my first book by Ms. Anders and it will probably be my last. I don't think the level of angstiness in her work is my cup of tea.

*Complimentary copy of this book received in exchange for an honest review*

The two main characters have some great chemistry and repertoire. I enjoyed the development of their relationship and how it had depth, dialogue as well as spark. It was nice to have a heroine that was curvy and considered "plain" as well as a hot military hero who was a underwear model for a while. The pace was steady and didn't lag anywhere and great secondary characters too. A enjoyable read!

She was supposed to be his one-night distraction. But their attraction is undeniable.

Introverted Daisy McGregor is used to being a wallflower, but what she lacks in style, she makes up for with an acerbic wit, a passion for life, and a deep devotion to her family. So she’ll suffer through her sister Dahlia’s bachelorette party and accept the cloud of pity for going stag to the wedding.

Out at the pub, sexy bad boy Mason Carlisle is a reluctant wingman tasked with entertaining Daisy while his brother flirts with her oldest sister, Daffodil. When the plan fails and Mason’s true intent is revealed, he feels intense guilt—and a sensual spark of desire for the unlikeliest of women.

Daisy decides to use this unfortunate encounter to her advantage: to make it up to her, Mason will be another kind of wingman, playing the role of her boyfriend and wedding date. Will their ruse unravel completely—or will Mason and Daisy’s undeniable attraction ignite a scorching love affair that knows no rules?

I really loved this book! I liked the main and secondary characters. There was some heat but I felt that the sex didn't detract from the story and when that happens, that's what makes a bad story. I hate when a book is so much sex and not enough story and this book was the opposite, it was a lot of story and a little sex. I wasn't flipping pages and wondering when enough is enough. I also wasn't hating the angst because there really wasn't any.

Daisy is one of those characters that we all are. As women, we all relate to her. She's frumpy and doesn't have the perfect hair, she isn't a size 2 and she doesn't wear the coolest fashion. She likes flannel shirts and jeans and her hair is usually in this, it's not up and it's not down but what is it? She's a walking hurricane of a mess and you know what? That's okay because a real man will look at her and Mason is a real man...OMG, I wish we had those in real life!! Seriously, because I don't think they exist. No, really I don't think men like Mason exist which is why we have book boyfriends. Mason is absolutely got flaws and he is absolutely shallow. At one point, he's like "this chick is a mess but little Mason seems to like her" and that's the shallow part...lol. But then he's also protective over her to a fault! Like, I can say she's a mess but if you do - my wrath is coming! He's that protective.

I loved that the "big misunderstanding" didn't last half the book and it was a couple pages and that was it. In real life misunderstandings happen and you move on. I would definitely read this author again. As a matter of fact, I went and got her other books as soon as I finished up this one. Of course, it will have to wait for a free weekend but I'm down for that. She's an awesome writer who delivers a book that tells a story, has realistic characters and doesn't overdo it on the sex front. Heck yes, she's on my top 20!!

I was given a copy of this ARC from the publisher on Netgalley for a honest review. All of the above comments are my express opinions and no one else's.

While acting as wing man for his brother, Hero Mason is thrust into the path of Heroine Daisy, who asks him to be her plus one at her sister's upcoming wedding to use as a shield against her extended family. They each deny their growing feelings for one another and Daisy has less confidence in total than most people have in their little finger, so she can't comprehend the idea that Mason is actually interested in her.

The ugly duckling schtick gets a bit tiresome towards the end, especially after it is revealed that Daisy has the figure of a pin up model and is apparently capable of multiple vaginal orgasms.

Other things that annoyed me about this book:

1. The wedding is in 2 weeks. Having planned a wedding, I know that that is an unacceptably rude amount of time to leave it to RSVP for a guest.

2. Daisy is ugly to everyone ever until Mason pays her some attention and then she suddenly never was ugly all along.

3. Mason, who seems to want a family at some point, bought a property in a sentimental space, designed it himself, and only included one bedroom. What does he plan to do if he gets married and wants kids? Seems impractical.

4. A little bit disorienting at first because I couldn't figure out which country this was supposed to take place in. I have no problem with it being set in South Africa but given that most people expect USA or the UK, it kind of messes with your mental roll when you discover an unexpected location a fair way into the story.

Eh. The book was okay. Cutesy and a fast enough read.

I love this kind of romance book. The stress is off and they're able to just get to know each other when both know that it's not real. Maybe more people should try this approach.
Daisy is surprised to find that what Mason feels for her is the real thing. After all she's been known as the "other sister" for so long, that's all she sees. The overweight, ugly sister. Mason makes her feel beautiful.

Natasha Anders has never let me down before and I'm happy to say The Wingman was exactly what I was in the mood for!! The basis of the novel is that Daisy McGregor has always been "the other sister", the McGregor sister no one takes a second look at. So when Daisy is out for her sister's bachelorette party she spots the gorgeous Mason Carlisle and the two strike up a friendly conversation. Assuming Mason has no romantic feelings toward her, Daisy asks him if he would be her fake date for her sister's upcoming wedding. Well, you know what they say about assuming...wowzer!! I just knew from that point in this novel that I was going to love what Ms. Anders had in planned for these two!

The one thing that every Natasha Anders novels always has is a serious amount of feels!! There were parts of this book that had me laughing out loud and other parts that literally hurt my heart. I loved Daisy right off the bat and was keeping my fingers crossed Mason would be the man she truly deserved!! I really loved the supporting characters and would LOVE if Natasha were to make this into a series so we could get their stories in the future! The Wingman is a 4.5 star novel that every romance novel lover will completely devour! Go check out this great novel NOW!!

The Wingman,  Natasha Anders

Review from Jeannie Zelos book reviews

Genre:  romance,

I’ve enjoyed a few of Natasha’s books now so looked forward to this one. I liked it – a lot, but I didn’t love it. It sounded perfect for me but there were a few things that niggled.
I hadn’t realised the setting was south Africa BTW, just for info. It fits the story really well, and made a pleasant change from the mainly US settings in romance. It did mean though that I was puzzled by some of the references at first, the free clinic and the dangers it posed etc.

Daisy, oh how I know how she feels. I can remember as a teen going out with friends ( i haven’t any sisters) and always feeling like the unattractive one, too short, too tubby ( though I wasn’t), too clumsy, the one that would stand back always, let my friends do what they wanted, be the one that was the back-up girl, the one boys would approach in order to get to know the girl they would really want to talk to....
Even so after a while Daisy's constant putting herself down began to grate. There’s only so many times you can say things, deflect a compliment without sounding just plain rude.
I did feel for her when she learns of Mason’s reasons for chatting to her, that was pretty awful. she really made the most of Mason’s guilt though :-) It played into all her fears about herself.

I loved the two nasties, the b itch girls, I so love those in a story and they were perfect.
I liked the setting, once I’d clicked in was S Africa, loved Daisy’s intelligence, her work as a vet, seeing a few of her patients and their owners.
I liked her sisters, but could see why Daisy felt so different. Oddly I wanted to be a vet too when I was a kid....I related to the young Daisy too.

The overall story was fun, some lovely humour, great snark and putdown for the two b itches, they were perfect lines.
Loved Masons interaction with the groom at golf too, he deserved that and more.
I was niggled a bit at Daisy, but in general it was a fun read, a light, romantic, fluffy story but not enough drama, sad bits for a re-reader for me.

Stars: hmnn, I'm hovering between a three and a four. Three and a half then.

ARC supplied for review purposes by Netgalley and Publishers

A sweet, touching, funny novel, so light and frothy that 303 pages felt like a novella. I enjoyed every gorgeous, funny page and would happily have read on and on.

Spencer Carlisle is desperate to talk to the eldest McGregor girl, Daffodil, at her sister Dahlia's hen night at Ralphie's Pub and enlists his younger brother Mason to distract the youngest (short, chubby, glasses wearing) Daisy. After spending an enjoyable evening chatting with Daisy, the ruse is uncovered when Daisy overhears Spencer thanking Mason for keeping her occupied. Almost as a joke, Daisy tells Mason that if he wants to make it up to her he must be her plus one at Dahlia's wedding, and Mason (to his own surprise) agrees.

It's a meeting of opposites. Mason is a former bad boy, former soldier, former male model, millionaire. All tall, smouldering good looks, fast cars and menace. Daisy is the 'other' sister, the good girl, the clever one. The ones her aunties remind her who will look after her parents in their old age whereas Dahia and Daffodil are tall and beautiful. Mason has travelled the world while Daisy has stayed at home and works with her father. No-one will believe it if they just turn up together at the wedding so Mason suggests they go on a few dates to get to know one another.

If this synopsis reads like the book blurb it is because for once the blurb matches the reality. I've lost count of the number of times I have bought a book (or TBH requested it from NetGalley) based on the blurb and found the reality was a pale imitation of what the blurb suggested/implied. Not here. This was exactly what I was hoping for when I read the blurb.

I can't recall reading a romance set in South Africa before. Australia, New Zealand, the UK, Canada but not South Africa. I don't know whether that contributed to the enticing whiff of difference about this novel or not. All I know is that, in my opinion, Natasha Anders didn't strike a single bum note. Mason was both endearing and a bit of a sexist pig. At first he thinks that Daisy is fat and badly dressed and looks terrible, He sees her as the sort of good girl who needs a 'relationship' and wants to 'make love', he's not looking for that and he thinks about asking his brother where to go to pick up the other sort of woman, the ones who aren't looking for anything more than sex for the night. Even his sexual attraction to Daisy comes as a surprise and an inconvenience. But at the same time he is Daisy's most fervent supporter. He alone builds her self-confidence - and for that I love him.

Anyway, read the blurb, if that sounds EXACTLY what you want to read then you won't be disappointed. Oh, and there's dogs.

Recommended for anyone who enjoys books about the underdog, fake relationships and feeling the odd one out in your family.

I most definitely will be looking for the next book, hopefully it's about Spencer although Chris would be good too.

a sweet read. good couple.

I loved this book. I loved the chemistry between Daisy and Mason. They are perfect together❤️. Mason was so sweet to Daisey and he broke through all of her walls and made her see that she was beautiful. Great story.

Yay, we've got a winner! What a sweet and fun little romance (and is it just me or does the cover guy look like Patrick Wilson?).

To be honest, I'm usually not a fan of the „ugly duckling“ trope. They typically go like this:
Shy and visually unappealing wallflower heroine experiences something humiliating and decides she has to get her shit together and make something out of herself. Hero, who has never acknowledged heroine as an actual girl before, finally sees her now that she's pretty, and falls head over heels in love with her. Because, you know, she's so much more lovable when she's hot and popular.
And as entertaining as those reads may be, they tend to leave that ugly taste in my mouth that something's just terribly wrong with that...

So I'm immensily relieved and happy that is not the path Natasha Anders took with The Wingman.
Sure, Daisy is what you would expect from an „ungly duckling“ heroine – she's shy, insecure and touchy, a typical people-pleaser. For as long as she can remember, she's been the „other McGregor sister“, the odd one out while all the guys lusted after her sisters. She's never had a relationship, always keeping a low profile, not wanting to attract any attention for the fear of being hurt.
BUT: Even though she's kind of resigned herself to that fate, she has developed a thick skin and a snarky, dry kind of humor that I loved. And even though she sometimes lets herself be dragged into self-pity parties, she never wallows in them for too long, coming out quickly with her head held high.
So when she finds out that Mason's sudden attention was nothing more than a scheme to distract her so his brother, Spencer, can hit on her older sister, instead of going all woe-is-me, she grabs the opportunity and uses Mason guilt to coerce him into posing as her date at her sister's wedding.

Mason, being the genuinely good guy that he is, is actually happy to help and sees a chance to redeem himself. He even goes so far as to suggest they pretend to be dating in order to shut up her well-meaning but misguided family and all the other naggers once and for all.
Cue drama, lots of hot-and-cold behavior, misunderstandings and bitchy bridesmaids.

Mason was absolutely yummy - easy-going, charismatic, a little damanged and very alpha. A little too bossy for my liking from time to time, but he was being so charming about it I couldn't stay mad with him for long for being such a freaking caveman. I loved how he had Daisy's back from the second the met, how he helped her overcome her insecurities and wouldn't take crap from her when she got all self-conscious and defensive on him.
Most of all, though, I loved how he saw how beautiful she was, inside and out, from the start, and didn't require a huge makeover on her side to fall for her.


A light and cute read that tackled the rather serious underlying subject of bullying with a charming sort of nonchalance, and that made do without any sap and grand gestures of love, and thus seemed all the more relatable and realistic. There were even two adorable dogs. Nobody can resist the charm of adorable dogs.
Well done!

Just one thing that bugged the hell out of me, though: Daffodil, Dahlia and Daisy? Seriously? Who does that?!

Unfortunately, I found this book rather boring and was unable to finish it.

It pains me to be the one with the unpopular review for an ARC.
It must be a case of a "its not you, its me" type situation.......

Honestly it pains me a lot because The Unwanted Wife is one of my favorite books written. Its a constant re-read of mine when I want to feel deeply reading a book.

I could sing the praises of The Unwanted Wife for days.. for days... and then this..................

The writing felt very amateurish. There was no connection btwn the 2 MCs and I wondered why someone was primed as fat when really she's not? And it took 2 supermodels to see her worth? It was all very eye roll inducing for me.
I truly didn't even know where the setting of the book was until about 40% through.

Mare~Slitsread