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The Missus
Keira Evans likes an easy existence. That goes double for her love life. She’s happy to remain single and wants every woman she takes to bed to know exactly what the deal is. Trouble is, some of them don’t heed the warning and fall in love with her anyway. Keira doesn’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings, nor does she want to have to take out restraining orders every week. It’s a pickle.
But when Keira is trying to pry yet another lovesick woman out the door, her next-door neighbour, Alanna Hall, decides to come to her rescue - pretending to be Keira’s serious girlfriend who is furious at catching her in the act of cheating. The one-night stand, shocked at Keira's seeming deceit, decides to ditch the drama and never bothers her again. Keira’s amazed by the effectiveness of the charade and becomes convinced that a fake girlfriend could be the solution to all her woes. But how the hell can she convince Alanna to take on the position of phony girlfriend full time?
With spectacular timing, Alanna finds herself abruptly homeless when her relationship implodes. And look who happens to have a bed going spare in exchange for a little quid pro quo? Alanna’s uncertain about repeating her spontaneous performance for her philandering neighbour. But she’s a hell of a lot more uncertain about where’s she’s gonna sleep. And Alanna is nothing if not a practical woman.
Keira thinks she’s got it made now that Alanna’s ready to chase off every casual sex partner who doesn’t know when it’s time to leave. But living with Alanna creates more chaos in Keira’s perfect little world than she’s expecting. Particularly when the sham starts to feel real…
The Missus is the latest fresh and fun romantic comedy from the author of international lesfic bestsellers Spark to a Flame, The Plus One, and Just Married?
But when Keira is trying to pry yet another lovesick woman out the door, her next-door neighbour, Alanna Hall, decides to come to her rescue - pretending to be Keira’s serious girlfriend who is furious at catching her in the act of cheating. The one-night stand, shocked at Keira's seeming deceit, decides to ditch the drama and never bothers her again. Keira’s amazed by the effectiveness of the charade and becomes convinced that a fake girlfriend could be the solution to all her woes. But how the hell can she convince Alanna to take on the position of phony girlfriend full time?
With spectacular timing, Alanna finds herself abruptly homeless when her relationship implodes. And look who happens to have a bed going spare in exchange for a little quid pro quo? Alanna’s uncertain about repeating her spontaneous performance for her philandering neighbour. But she’s a hell of a lot more uncertain about where’s she’s gonna sleep. And Alanna is nothing if not a practical woman.
Keira thinks she’s got it made now that Alanna’s ready to chase off every casual sex partner who doesn’t know when it’s time to leave. But living with Alanna creates more chaos in Keira’s perfect little world than she’s expecting. Particularly when the sham starts to feel real…
The Missus is the latest fresh and fun romantic comedy from the author of international lesfic bestsellers Spark to a Flame, The Plus One, and Just Married?
289 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 22, 2021
109 people are currently reading
999 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 131 reviews
November 7, 2021
This was nice... just lacking in the chemistry with the two mains.
Bit intense with some of the characters though... like Kelly, Ben and most definitely Sandra. I think Keira and Alanna were the only normal ones in the book.
Bit intense with some of the characters though... like Kelly, Ben and most definitely Sandra. I think Keira and Alanna were the only normal ones in the book.
September 3, 2022
If you give the book its premise, I think it works out just fine. I mean, you have to go with Kiera being amazingly attractive and charming and blunt and that the beginning of their relationship can work the way it plays out. I actually liked West's establishment of their little plan because it doesn't go smoothly and there are hitches and things they have to work out over time. Indeed, working things out is what ends up forming the basis for their eventual relationship. And I kind of loved that.
And I liked them both so very much. Kiera is independent and determined—mostly because she has had to be. She likes what she has made of herself and I came to like it, too. She doesn't seem lonely, per se, but that's mainly because she doesn't know any better. Alanna is trying to live up to her profession as a therapist—giving people their individuality and freedom while trying to help where and when she can (and realizing that this is often impossible). I really liked how she gave Kiera space to be herself and concentrated on simply being her friend.
And I loved seeing them come together and find delight in their friendship.
There are some parts that are a bit convenient in the last quarter to thwart a too-early resolution, but a) they didn't come to a dark moment and b) they were just plausible enough not to strain too terribly. So I'm content with how it played out.
This isn't entirely five star material due to some of the plot conveniences. But I enjoyed it so much, and loved their relationship so much, that I'm going to call it "rounding up to five", anyway. There are nits to pick if you want them. I didn't bother paying them any mind.
A note about Chaste: Yeah, this one surprised me. There's the start of a sex scene and some disrobing and non-specific appreciation but then it goes dark. So this is questionably chaste. Enough for me to tag it as Chaste, but it's likely some will disagree. I think this was a good choice, actually, because this story is all about emotional intimacy and their relationship depends on them establishing that without either realizing how far they've come until the very thought of leaving is devastating.
And I liked them both so very much. Kiera is independent and determined—mostly because she has had to be. She likes what she has made of herself and I came to like it, too. She doesn't seem lonely, per se, but that's mainly because she doesn't know any better. Alanna is trying to live up to her profession as a therapist—giving people their individuality and freedom while trying to help where and when she can (and realizing that this is often impossible). I really liked how she gave Kiera space to be herself and concentrated on simply being her friend.
And I loved seeing them come together and find delight in their friendship.
There are some parts that are a bit convenient in the last quarter to thwart a too-early resolution, but a) they didn't come to a dark moment and b) they were just plausible enough not to strain too terribly. So I'm content with how it played out.
This isn't entirely five star material due to some of the plot conveniences. But I enjoyed it so much, and loved their relationship so much, that I'm going to call it "rounding up to five", anyway. There are nits to pick if you want them. I didn't bother paying them any mind.
A note about Chaste: Yeah, this one surprised me. There's the start of a sex scene and some disrobing and non-specific appreciation but then it goes dark. So this is questionably chaste. Enough for me to tag it as Chaste, but it's likely some will disagree. I think this was a good choice, actually, because this story is all about emotional intimacy and their relationship depends on them establishing that without either realizing how far they've come until the very thought of leaving is devastating.
May 4, 2023
This book doesn't take itself so seriously and it's just fun to read.
Don't expect great character arcs or amazing storylines, just some fun reading.
Don't expect great character arcs or amazing storylines, just some fun reading.
November 15, 2021
I think I've said this before, or perhaps a version of it... Natasha West continues to come up with prompts that make me want to read her books. The premise for this one really hooked me in. As for the delivery though, well, that's something else entirely.
As interesting as the blurb sounds, I thought this romance lacked a little bit of heart for what transpired between the MCs to be called love.
A lot of crazy stuff happened with the side characters, which unfortunately, took away from the promising romance. I'm not even sure if Alanna's (a counselor) sessions with her clients contributed meaningfully to the story in general, and there were a great deal of it.
As for the love confession, I got mixed feelings about the way the cat was let out of the bag 'cause it involved that one annoying side character again.
The book was still enjoyable enough though. And I give kudos to that one particular question in the last chapter that made me laugh out loud 😄
As interesting as the blurb sounds, I thought this romance lacked a little bit of heart for what transpired between the MCs to be called love.
A lot of crazy stuff happened with the side characters, which unfortunately, took away from the promising romance. I'm not even sure if Alanna's (a counselor) sessions with her clients contributed meaningfully to the story in general, and there were a great deal of it.
As for the love confession, I got mixed feelings about the way the cat was let out of the bag 'cause it involved that one annoying side character again.
The book was still enjoyable enough though. And I give kudos to that one particular question in the last chapter that made me laugh out loud 😄
August 2, 2022
Okay read. I didn’t like the way the story was sometimes told from the viewpoint of the two mains in that the complete pieces of conversation or thoughts were repeated in the next chapter. Don’t see the reason for it either because the specific pieces were easy enough to remember. Though I liked the premise of the story and the romance was all right I would have liked a bit more depth in the story. I think Keira with her issues could have used more background and the coming together of the mains was a bit too easy given those issues. So 3 stars.
December 13, 2023
Damn, 50% and I have to drop this one, too.
Wow, this is just bad. I'll give it a 1.5 rounded up for premise and because I think the narrator really tanked it.
First, whatever you do, don't listen to the audiobook. This narrator murdered it. Flat delivery, barely any voice differentiation for the characters...It's what you'd expect of anyone who's just reading out loud with no delivery.
On top of that, though, the writing is not good. There's a lot of play by play and a lot of tell-not-show. The characters do way too much cliché, "Omg what am I thinking, that's so not me!" kind of stuff, it's gruesome. Additionally, the characters were dry and annoyingly clichéd. I'll admit, I liked the premise, there was some potential there - I love a good fauxmance and this one had a ton of comedic potential. Sadly, the delivery just isn't there. (Please, give me this one written by Robin Alexander and narrated by Lori Prince! It would be GOLD)
Oh well. Maybe it'd be a better read than listen 🤔
Wow, this is just bad. I'll give it a 1.5 rounded up for premise and because I think the narrator really tanked it.
First, whatever you do, don't listen to the audiobook. This narrator murdered it. Flat delivery, barely any voice differentiation for the characters...It's what you'd expect of anyone who's just reading out loud with no delivery.
On top of that, though, the writing is not good. There's a lot of play by play and a lot of tell-not-show. The characters do way too much cliché, "Omg what am I thinking, that's so not me!" kind of stuff, it's gruesome. Additionally, the characters were dry and annoyingly clichéd. I'll admit, I liked the premise, there was some potential there - I love a good fauxmance and this one had a ton of comedic potential. Sadly, the delivery just isn't there. (Please, give me this one written by Robin Alexander and narrated by Lori Prince! It would be GOLD)
Oh well. Maybe it'd be a better read than listen 🤔
March 10, 2023
A good book which was all a bit preposterous but it made me laugh and I was really urging Keira on. A real star. Recommended. 18th book of NW I've read so I must love her! still laughing on the reread.
November 8, 2021
What can I say? This book was alright, but nothing exceptional with some parts that I didn't quite agree with. Overall a strong 3 star.
The good:
I liked both MCs and their dynamic, the story was well written and most of the times I had fun reading it.
The bad:
rant
Unfortunately this book had one of my biggest pet peeves in it, namely that you need to help out family no matter how toxic they are, cause they are family. And this is especially the case with Alanna's narcissistic, manipulative and emotionally abusive mother. Alanna would be better off if she just went no contact with her (which funnily enough is even sort of hinted at when her mom is pissed at her and just leaves her be). But yet, we still keep going back to Alanna forgiving her mother, since "she's just like that, but no matter what, she's still my mom", even though it is clear that keeping in contact with her is causing her distress. I feel like this is done to emphasize what an incredibly nice person Alanna is, but honestly, all I could feel towards her was pity, since she's obviously a "boat-stedier" in this unhealthy relationship.
I know this is just a run-of-the-mill romance book and I shouldn't get this worked up on a small part of it, but I really hate how so many books keep up the Don't rock the boat mentality. If you have toxic family members, it is okay to cut them out of your life. You don't owe them anything, no matter what they say. And no, you don't need to be thankful for them for giving you a roof over your head and sort of raising you as a kid, because that is the bare minimum they were obligated to do after bringing you into this world.
/rant
Besides this, the constant lack of communication on the MCs part (especially since one of them was a damn counsellor) was sometimes driving me up the wall. I don't mind some angst and tension between MCs in romance novels, but this was the main theme for the entirety of the book which got a bit old after a while. And the ending was a tiny bit meh. With all that tension brewing throughout the book, I expected a more cathartic one. Ah well.
So as I said, this book is alright and it helped entertain me for it's duration and I might give this author another chance later on, but not anytime soon.
The good:
I liked both MCs and their dynamic, the story was well written and most of the times I had fun reading it.
The bad:
rant
Unfortunately this book had one of my biggest pet peeves in it, namely that you need to help out family no matter how toxic they are, cause they are family. And this is especially the case with Alanna's narcissistic, manipulative and emotionally abusive mother. Alanna would be better off if she just went no contact with her (which funnily enough is even sort of hinted at when her mom is pissed at her and just leaves her be). But yet, we still keep going back to Alanna forgiving her mother, since "she's just like that, but no matter what, she's still my mom", even though it is clear that keeping in contact with her is causing her distress. I feel like this is done to emphasize what an incredibly nice person Alanna is, but honestly, all I could feel towards her was pity, since she's obviously a "boat-stedier" in this unhealthy relationship.
I know this is just a run-of-the-mill romance book and I shouldn't get this worked up on a small part of it, but I really hate how so many books keep up the Don't rock the boat mentality. If you have toxic family members, it is okay to cut them out of your life. You don't owe them anything, no matter what they say. And no, you don't need to be thankful for them for giving you a roof over your head and sort of raising you as a kid, because that is the bare minimum they were obligated to do after bringing you into this world.
/rant
Besides this, the constant lack of communication on the MCs part (especially since one of them was a damn counsellor) was sometimes driving me up the wall. I don't mind some angst and tension between MCs in romance novels, but this was the main theme for the entirety of the book which got a bit old after a while. And the ending was a tiny bit meh. With all that tension brewing throughout the book, I expected a more cathartic one. Ah well.
So as I said, this book is alright and it helped entertain me for it's duration and I might give this author another chance later on, but not anytime soon.
June 11, 2023
Cute, fun & short. Liked the characters but I just felt like they lacked chemistry and I think I liked the premise more than the actual delivery
June 2, 2023
what a quick, fun read.
January 16, 2023
audiobook for the win!!!
I listened all of this book in one sitting. It was good don’t get me wrong BUT the relationship seemed a little rushed for me, not enough development.
I listened all of this book in one sitting. It was good don’t get me wrong BUT the relationship seemed a little rushed for me, not enough development.
October 25, 2021
This was lovely read; amusing with good balance with fun romance.
December 7, 2021
3.5 stars rounded to 4
January 20, 2022
A Great twist to faux relationships. Love the mom, the neighbors who not the boyfriend or the ex-girlfriend. I laughed and I fell in love with characters.
January 24, 2022
I am going to list this under fake relationship, but I really expreienced this as a romatic comedy, as most of the dialogues really are a hoot! What a funny refreshing take on the trope!
October 31, 2021
Really liked it. Incredibly likable characters. It was sweet and funny. I should have seen the final twist from miles ago, yet I didn't.
December 28, 2021
This is my first book by Natasha West and some parts were so funny and enjoyable and other parts were meh. The premise is fun. Keira Evans is the queen of one night stands. She is always up front and honest about it but not everyone believes she will stick to it. Her across the hall neighbor Alanna Hall comes to her rescue one time pretending to be the an outraged partner helping get a stubborn person out the door. When Alanna needs a place to live Keira invites her to move with the idea that she can be the person to get unwanted people from overstaying their welcome. Of course thought the process they become friends.
This is a very slow burn romance. And even thought intimacy is often talked about there isn’t any in the book. What is in the book is two different people getting together slowly. On the way you get some fun side characters. Alanna is a professional counselor and you get sessions with her clients which at times are very funny. But that is filler and not progressing a romance. Alanna’s ex and her mother also add to the drama/humor mix. For me I didn’t see sparks or passion between the likable MCs. They say the right things but I just didn’t feel it. I sometimes think British dry humor and timing is a little different for Americans to read. I enjoyed the book but wasn’t invested in the romance.
This is a very slow burn romance. And even thought intimacy is often talked about there isn’t any in the book. What is in the book is two different people getting together slowly. On the way you get some fun side characters. Alanna is a professional counselor and you get sessions with her clients which at times are very funny. But that is filler and not progressing a romance. Alanna’s ex and her mother also add to the drama/humor mix. For me I didn’t see sparks or passion between the likable MCs. They say the right things but I just didn’t feel it. I sometimes think British dry humor and timing is a little different for Americans to read. I enjoyed the book but wasn’t invested in the romance.
November 6, 2021
I enjoyed this way more than I thought I would. Natashan West's characters have a wonderful, dry sense of humor and I enjoy it a great deal. Is the plot improbable? Yes. Is it charming as all hell and heartwarming when the two main characters let their guards down around each other? Also yes. Very enjoyable.
November 8, 2021
The premise is very clever. The writing is excellent, and so many laugh-out-loud moments. This is a fun book to read
December 28, 2021
fast paced but felt a bit too rushed. the mcs barely got fleshed out and there wasn’t a lot of development individually as i’d have hoped for. good read tho !
January 7, 2022
Funny, interesting and weird in a good way.
Natasha West really knows how to write a great romantic comedy.
Natasha West really knows how to write a great romantic comedy.
February 19, 2022
Very engaging and entertaining. I really liked Keira and Alanna and their ridiculously funny and nonsensical shenanigans!
January 31, 2023
Was cute and a little funny. A lot of the characters were exaggerated and felt almost like a soap opera but I quite enjoyed that style.
January 20, 2022
sweet
This is a sweet love story. Kiera grew up in the system. She had a lot of casual sex. Alana helped her on occasion when the women didn’t want to leave. They entered into a false girlfriend relationship. When Alana moved in they fell in love. Happy ending.
This is a sweet love story. Kiera grew up in the system. She had a lot of casual sex. Alana helped her on occasion when the women didn’t want to leave. They entered into a false girlfriend relationship. When Alana moved in they fell in love. Happy ending.
August 21, 2023
3,5/5
I didn't expected to enjoy this one so much,but I did.
It was so funny I had times when I was laughing aloud and had to look around me,the slow burn was killing me ,I was just waiting for then to stop being idiots I loved them together, they were simple and so cute!!!!!
Will definitely check out more books from this author
I didn't expected to enjoy this one so much,but I did.
It was so funny I had times when I was laughing aloud and had to look around me,the slow burn was killing me ,I was just waiting for then to stop being idiots I loved them together, they were simple and so cute!!!!!
Will definitely check out more books from this author
March 28, 2022
I didn’t think there was great chemistry and it seemed like the characters were more like caricatures. They didn’t seem particularly realistic. I wanted to like this, it was a good premise and I wanted a sapphic romance, but it fell flat for me.
January 19, 2022
this was very entertaining in the beginning, but the main characters definitely didn’t have any chemistry so I didn’t really enjoy the book :(
July 6, 2022
damn ma :D
December 3, 2022
I didn't realize this was a UK couple until I started reading, but it was a fun change in setting. I love getting the different view on slang and manners and things that come with a country switch.
The tidbit about Keira as an author was well done. I love when Alanna asked her why she wrote when she seemed to struggle so much with words, and she said, ‘You don’t write because you’re indifferent to words. You do it because you have a sick, co-dependent relationship with them that causes you to rage and delight all the livelong day.’ Damn, that is the truth! When I write, I sit here with a thesaurus open, as well as a search engine, in case I need more than synonym help. THAT is writing in real time! I loved that honest tidbit.
The only thing I didn't like about this book was the way their friendship developed. It just seemed kind of...there? Like, we jumped ahead to where they'd been living together for a few weeks, maybe two months at that point, and they've settled into this routine with hook-ups and stuff. And next thing I know, Keira is thinking about how nice it is to have a real friend to talk to. Which is sweet and all, but I felt like I missed something. How did they connect? Over what? The apps? Cause that isn't much of a connection.
Overall, I liked them and I liked their story, I just wish there had been more to it. A good example of a friendship development is When You Least Expect It. Forgive me, NW, I am not trying to draw attention away from your book, just painting a comparison. This was cute, and Kelly being the sort of magnet in the situation that drew the truth out was funny, I just MORE. I wanted to really see them become friends first.
SPOILER ALERT:
I knew her mom was gonna end up with Benjamin. Saw that coming! Barely, but I did guess it. And...ew.
The tidbit about Keira as an author was well done. I love when Alanna asked her why she wrote when she seemed to struggle so much with words, and she said, ‘You don’t write because you’re indifferent to words. You do it because you have a sick, co-dependent relationship with them that causes you to rage and delight all the livelong day.’ Damn, that is the truth! When I write, I sit here with a thesaurus open, as well as a search engine, in case I need more than synonym help. THAT is writing in real time! I loved that honest tidbit.
The only thing I didn't like about this book was the way their friendship developed. It just seemed kind of...there? Like, we jumped ahead to where they'd been living together for a few weeks, maybe two months at that point, and they've settled into this routine with hook-ups and stuff. And next thing I know, Keira is thinking about how nice it is to have a real friend to talk to. Which is sweet and all, but I felt like I missed something. How did they connect? Over what? The apps? Cause that isn't much of a connection.
Overall, I liked them and I liked their story, I just wish there had been more to it. A good example of a friendship development is When You Least Expect It. Forgive me, NW, I am not trying to draw attention away from your book, just painting a comparison. This was cute, and Kelly being the sort of magnet in the situation that drew the truth out was funny, I just MORE. I wanted to really see them become friends first.
SPOILER ALERT:
I knew her mom was gonna end up with Benjamin. Saw that coming! Barely, but I did guess it. And...ew.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 131 reviews