This is the fourth in the Meet Me at the Alter series by Samantha Chase. I read as a stand alone but it was easy to pick up on some of the previous couples. Daisy Sinclair is thrilled to work as a wedding planner and is becoming fast friends with her co-workers/owners. The men in their world are a group of retired navy seals who run a security company. One of the event planning co-owners is married to one of the seals. When Daisy is obsessed with finding the perfect way for her brother to propose the whole gang gets together to give suggestions. Xander Madden believes he’ll never settle down because he has always been told he is just like his mother who walked away from her family. Daisy and Xander clash like oil and water until their mutual attraction can’t be denied. They keep their relationship secret while learning about each other but in such a small social group things secrets are hard to keep.

I’ve only read a few of Chase’s novels and they are entertaining and fun. These are adults and there is a lot of behind doors sex in but nothing is explicit. Daisy thinks she’s found her guy but Xander needs to get over his past. The characters are all easy going and likable. It isn’t an overly complicated plot but I found it enjoyable and diverting. I listened to the audio book narrated by Avery Reid. I was able to tell the different characters by her voice which I really enjoyed. She especially did men's voices well (which isn't always the case for female readers.) Thank you to Dreamscape Media for an audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

***SPOILER ALERT***
I wanted to get into the story and to love it, but I could not get past how misogynistic and manipulative Xander is. He is a walking red flag and I hated to see him end up with sweet and loving Daisy. Even when he gets past his mommy issues, he still has serious anger issues that never get resolved or really even acknowledged. I’ve read one book by Samantha Chase before and I loved it, so I was pretty disappointed with this one in comparison.

The Proposal Playbook, a new addition to Samantha Chase’s Meet Me at the Altar series, tells the story of event planner and former teacher for young students, Daisy Sinclair. Petite Daisy grew up in a military family with three large older brothers. When she is leaving an event late at night she is very startled by hulking former SEAL Xander Madden, business partner of Daniel Alexander whose wife Josie is Daisy’s employer, as he tries to convince her of the dangers of a small woman being alone in a parking lot so late. All he manages to do is anger her. Her military Dad made sure Daisy had the skills to protect herself.

After a few more such encounters it becomes obvious that Xander has a knack for aggravating Daisy and she is easy to aggravate. But it also lets them understand the electricity that charges between them. However, everyone in their circle of colleagues and friends has warned Xander off of Daisy due to his once and done dating philosophy.

When the attraction can no longer be ignored, Daisy and Xander decide to keep their activities to themselves. And that just might be where the problems begin!

This is a fun romp with rich characters and fun exploits. I did enjoy this book and I do recommend it!

If I am being completely honest here, I did not enjoy the voice. It was just a little too emotionless. A story like this one requires a little more that I wasn't getting.

The overall story was great though. I really liked the sass and dialogue.

Just a little disappointed with this audiobook.

Narration/Audio: 2.5 out of 5: Nothing wrong with the narration. Quite enjoyed the narrator's tone. However, not fully sure if it was just my device or the audiobook itself, but it didn't have a crisp and clear sound like other audiobooks.
Story: 3 out of 5: While I personally enjoyed the the majority of the storyline, there just wasn't that full spark for me to say I loved it.
Cover: 5 out of 5: Simple and clean styling yet keeps the romantic element to it.
Overall: 3.5 out of 5

Thanks to NetGalley for the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

A sunshine/grump story with a wedding planner and a former Navy SEAL turned security romance. I adored Daisy and Xander’s story. The narrator did a great job. I enjoyed how the story went from hate to love, and how Xander especially grew as a character having to get over some of his part. He totally made me swoon at the end. Overall a great quick read!

Melli’s Book Breakdown
🤍sunshine/grump
🤍hate to love
🤍former Navy SEAL Hero

I really enjoyed Daisy and Xander's sweet, and emotional story. They are complete opposites with Daisy, having a positive, sunny attitude the clashes with Xanders jaded outlook on love. Daisy is a wedding planner who is putting together a book of romantic proposal ideas. Xander is a grumpy, ex military specialist who is used to people not sticking around. Xander was always into one night stands, and Daisy isn't like that. Their first meetings never go well but after a run-in with a bag of flour, they both start to see each other in a new light. But can two people who are so different make a relationship work or are they doomed from the start? Daisy and Xander were so fun, but also frustrating at times, to watch come together. I loved how they melded together, supported each other, and drew from each other's strengths, and their chemistry was explosive!
Avery Reid did a great job narrating this delightful story and bringing it to life. This is my first time listening to her work and I love her easy ability to make this story feel real and authentic. She helped make this fun, heartfelt, and sweet & steamy romance even more captivating!

This romance was really enjoyable to read, and I loved being able to see more of the Meet Me at the Alter world that Samantha Chase has created. Within this story a cheery wedding planner and a grumpy former Navy seal find themselves at odds with each other. They are polar opposites in so many ways, and neither expects much to come from their interactions. That is until they can't stop thinking about each other. But she is someone looking for her forever, and he can barely commit to tomorrow.

I loved being able to see how Daisy and Xander's relationship bloomed throughout the story. They bring out parts of each other that no one else has been able to, and they end up really cherishing that. Thank you NetGalley for an arc of this audiobook.

My first book by Samantha Chase - I'm a huge new fan! I absolutely loved this book! The story was fantastic, the characters were so great and lovable, and I was completely hooked from the very start. 4.5 to 5-stars!

I already had a couple other books by her, but snagged this ALC from Netgalley so it was the first one I started with. I'll be going back and reading the rest of this series very, very soon! So good and I really fell in love with all of the characters working at Meet Me at the Alter, the wedding planning company. Fantastic, and I'm so happy this is a series!

Daisy was just so cute and loveable from the start, when she proved that she was tiny but fierce, and could stick up for herself. With 3 older brothers and a father in the military, she had been able to watch her back and took self-defense since she was young. Xander saw that she looked helpless, and even though he was never a guy who felt anything for women and only looked for hook-ups, was suddenly looking out for Daisy - until she completely puts in him in his place. Suddenly, he is smitten and he cannot understand where the feelings are coming from - this isn't him!

Daisy and Xander have never liked each other, so while they try to understand the enemies to lovers thing that is occurring, they keep it all under wraps. And it's brilliant - the writing, the story, and all of the characters and relationships with all of the characters, from the past books in the series and how they all have continued here. I can't wait to read more of Samantha Chase's brilliant words.

I highly recommend this book, especially the audio, to everybody, and I'm pretty sure I'll be recommending all of her works here in just a few more days or weeks, once I get a chance to read the rest!

I received an ALC copy from Netgalley, and this is my honest review!
#TheProposalPlaybook #NetGalley #AudioBooks

I had the privilege of listening to the audiobook of The Proposal Playbook through NetGalley. I didn't realize it was part of a Samantha Chase series - though it is a standalone, my understanding is there is some character development in the other books so I definitely look forward to reading those too! This was a very quick listen/read! It is definitely an opposites attract, very quick romance (perhaps a bit too quick? in love after a few weeks of sneaking around, but the chemistry of the characters is definitely there!). The narrator does a great job and adds to the listening experience. Highly recommend!

Chipper wedding planner Daisy is looking for ideas for her "proposal playbook." Her brother is planning to propose to his girlfriends, but he's having trouble coming up with a romantic concept. At a party, she asks a group of friends for their ideas. Security expert and ex-SEAL Xander says romance is an illusion. His mother deserted him as a kid, and he doesn't believe love lasts.

Offended by how he dismisses her, Daisy sets out to prove herself and prove him wrong. Can she thaw his frozen heart?

I've really enjoyed this series. While Daisy and Xander's relationship stands alone in this book, the characters from the previous books play a significant role in the story. For that reason, I recommend reading the books in order.

This is an opposites attract, grumpy/sunshine story with tons of fun banter and strong chemistry between Daisy and Xander. It was kind of annoying how their friends interfered in their relationship, choosing sides and holding Xander back. Daisy's a big girl who can make her own decisions. There was plenty of conflict between the two love interests, so I didn't think the interference by the friends was actually needed from a story perspective. But there are probably readers of small-town romance who love that sort of thing, so this is a personal preference.

If you're a Samantha Chase fan, or you've read the previous books in the series, you'll definitely want to read this novel. The audio narration enhanced the enjoyment of the story.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

I’m going to be honest, I didn’t know that this was a series before going in. So as a result, I lacked any background info I could’ve obtained from the previous books. There were also a lot of side characters I couldn’t keep track of either. Point of the matter is: I felt lost the entire time.

However, I did manage to keep track of the main couple, Xander and Daisy. I thought they were pretty cute. But their romance seemed pretty standard compared to other romances I’ve read in the past. Despite me saying that, I liked their overall banter and their chemistry was good.

One thing I wanna add was I thought their friends were unnecessarily harsh with Daisy and Xander’s relationship. Like if they wanna date, let them date and be happy. There was literally no reason for them to be harsh.

So yeah, this didn’t do much much for me.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an ALC in exchange for an honest review.

I haven’t reader listened a Samantha Chase book that I haven’t enjoy yet!

The Proposal Playbook was cute. The characters were very likable and the chemistry between them was fun to read about. A little hate to love is always fun the read about, it makes the connection that much better!

I can always count on Samantha to write a solid good book, her stories are fun to read and the writing is always so good!

***Thank you Netgalley for the ARC in return for an honest review***

I will start by saying I love this series and this each book can be read as a standalone. We are branching off the main Meet Me At The Altar Trio as they have brought on a fourth to help with their booming business, Daisy, the former preschool teacher who may be petite but has three older brothers and was raised in a military family and so knows how to handle herself. Xander Madden, a former SEAL and partner of the security firm Josie's husband also owns, does not know what to do with Daisy, especially since he finds himself having feelings for her even after he has been warned off by all his friends. He knows he is a flight risk, especially with his background, but he cannot help himself and when lines are crossed. What starts out as a secret and casual turns out to be more but what is going to happen when everyone finds out.

This one was so good! I really recommend this series and yes, this one can be read as a standalone but take my advice and go grab the first three too!

**Received this ARC for review in audio from the publisher via NetGalley**

Daisy Sinclair is a wedding planner that believes in the perfect proposal. Xander is an ex-Navy Seal, who's mother left the his family when he was young. He doesn't believe in any Daisy's chipper ideas of the wonders of love. Quite the opposite, he finds it irritating. One night while working late, a break in makes Xander really look at Daisy and he can't seem to stop thinking of her. I love that fact that Daisy doesn't let Xander bully her around. She is the perfect complement for him.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for an audio ARC of The Proposal Playbook in exchange for an honest review.

This is this first book I’ve read/listened to by this author so I wasn’t sure what to except. Overall, I enjoyed the audiobook. The narrator was great, although the NetGalley app makes it slightly hard to listen to when you increase the speed. I wasn’t sure what to expect out of this romance and based on the build up/dialogue I thought it was going to be a steamy read and was surprised when it was closed door.

I loved a good grumpy x sunshine trope. Xander and Daisy were both great characters and Xander’s back story about his family trauma really added to the story. I loved the side characters and would be interested in reading their own stories. While this is part of a series, it can definitely be read as a stand alone.

I thought the pacing was a bit off. Typically for a grumpy x sunshine or slightly enemies to lovers, there needs to be a good amount of tension and slow burn to make it believable. I wish it was dragged out a little bit more.

I enjoyed this one and would love to read more by this author! If you’re looking for a sweet, closed door romance with some depth then definitely check this one out.

The Proposal Playbook is book 4 in the Meet me at the Alter series, which follows a group of best friends that own and run a wedding and event planning company. Full disclosure, I enjoyed book #1 of this series, book #2 a little less, and book #3 I Dnf-ed @ 37% because the hero thought he was crushing on his brother’s fiance and I personally can’t handle even not-technical cheating. The Meet Me at the Alter series each have very similar leads, with super capable women falling in love with emotionally stunted men. Two of the previous book couples reconcile only after the said emotionally stunted man breaks up with the love of his life because he’s kind of a dummy and it takes him a loooooong minute to figure out his emotions.

So just…expect more of the same from The Proposal Playbook. This book is a bit grump/sunshine, with Xander being an ex-navy seal grump who doesn’t believe in love or staying-power in relationships after his mom left him and his dad when he was a kid. Daisy is all in on believing in sunshine fairytale proposals, and she clashes with Xander at every turn. The book struggles in convincing me they could like one another for any reason, and we don’t start to see the love story until after the halfway mark, which is a little late in the game for me.

At 43% in, all I can think is “Wow, Xander is such a dumb dumb. I understand why he falls for Daisy, but why is Daisy falling for him!?” He keeps harping on about how he “speaks first and thinks later” but he also doesn’t have any emotional awareness in his inner dialogue either? By 50% in Xander and Daisy have been hooking up for weeks but they still haven’t exchanged phone numbers, which is so weird. The next part of the book is actually VERY SWEET though, as we see Xander fall in love for the first time in his life and he taps into his romantic side and finally we start to understand why Daisy would stick around with him.

I won’t include specific spoilers, but ya know, the break-up/make-up ,emotionally stunted man formula is well established in this series and dumb dumb Xander isn’t here to break any molds. Truly, I think if we had seen Xander in some therapy and working through some of his childhood issues, he would have crossed over into a great hero with a lot of character development. As-is he has *one* hard conversation with his dad and we’re to believe he’ll never have any problems again. It’s a little hard to believe in the HEA, but at least Daisy lays some hard boundaries for him in the end.

Avery Reid is a great narrator, and she does well with both characters. She 100% captured Xander’s sort of asshat character perfectly.

I received a free copy of this audiobook from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Enjoyable audio from Samantha Chase, narrated by Avery Reid.

The Meet Me At the Alter series is a series of interconnected stand-alone romances that follows the women that work at a bridal planning business. Daisy, the female lead in this series, is a relatively new addition to the business as they expand, and she's just a feisty and amazing as the leads from the prior books as well. To say that and the male lead, Xander, are like oil and water is a vast understatement. They rub each other the wrong way from the moment they met.

Xander and Daisy both have the same flaw - they judge each other immediately, without knowing the other at all. They don't understand why their friends are friends with these people. Xander is protective, and he underestimates Daisy's ability to protect herself. Daisy just sees what's on the surface, and she doesnt' want to get to know more of Xander based on the little that she has seen. But when they're continuously forced together, they have to learn to deal with each other better. What they learn, however, is that they each hold hurts and insecurities make them seem wrong for each other when they're really right.

Each of these characters needed to grow up before they could be together, and Chase gave them the space to grow. Avery Reid did a great job on the narration, bringing the hurt and emotions out, and also capturing the playful and humorous times, too.

This is my first audio book in a long time and I really enjoyed the narrator.

The Proposal Playbook is such a cute story. It's been awhile since I have read a Samantha Chase book and instantly remembered why I love her books so much.

There is such a natural and fun banter between the Daisy and Xander. They are complete opposites, or are they? The more time they spend together, the more they will realize that first impressions can be deceiving. Although super cheesy and cliché at times, it didn't stop my heart from bursting with happiness or laughing out loud.

(I received this copy from publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review)

The Proposal Playbook by Samantha Chase is so good! I loved how the author wrote the characters of opposite attracting. Daisy and Xander have such great chemistry. The imagery is so good. I especially loved the scrapbooking! The added humor in the book is fun too. Avery Reid was so good at bringing the characters to life with her voice. She added to the enjoyment of the book. Thank you #NetGalley and #Dreamscape Media for allowing me to review this book. I loved it