Wingman (Elite Ops, #2)

by Emmy Curtis

[EBookObsessed]

Thankfully, Book 1, Wild Aces, was enjoyable because you have to go read that before you start Wingman. There is a big conspiracy going on at the Red Flag competition where all the best pilots in the world are invited to come compete against each other for fun, and these pilots find themselves unwitingly dragged into it.

This second book focuses on Missy and Conrad. Conrad is the pilot and Missy handles weapons and navigations. Missy and Conrad are both sexually attracted to each other and both know it is a very big no-no to sleep with your fellow officer so each handles the attraction very differently. Conrad pretends that he is sleeping with a different lady almost every night, inventing stewardesses and nurses and waitresses and all the naughty tales he tells Missy why he can't come hang out with her and the other pilots. Conrad doesn't want to spend time outside of the plane with Missy and also doesn't ask Missy questions about herself because he doesn't want to create a deeper attachment to her. This is a big problem later in the story.

Missy is going to request a transfer after the Red Flag competition because she knows her attraction to Conrad is a problem and she won't get anywhere with her own career if she stays in the shadow of the man she can't have. When she finally has a chance to tell Conrad about her transfer request, she knows she has made the right choice, because Conrad is shocked that Missy would leave him before he is ready to retire or move on. He expected her to be there for him for his career.

At this turmoil in their relationship, we have the happenings of book 1 and the issues created by Missy's friend Eleanor overhearing a conversation she shouldn't have. The conspirators believe that Eleanor shared the information on this convesation with Missy so they point fingers at Missy for Eleanore's plane crashing (see Book 1) and take her into custody. Conrad is frantic to help help Missy, but when he is questioned about what he really knows about Missy and her life before joining the air force, he realized what a selfish ass he has been and goes about trying to get Missy freed of the charges and to make up for his assedness.

In Wild Aces, I felt like the conspiracy issue wasn't explained enough, and in Wingman, we get more information about what is going on but it is hard to piece all of this together unless you are reading both books back to back (and I am certain the next book as well) since they are all happening at the same time. Some of what is happening in Wingman was all a big question mark in Wild Aces. It is very brave of the author to think we can all keep up with the little details months and months later.

Honestly, I didn't remember every tiny detail, but I did remember some things, like the men Eleanor and Missy saw in their hanger and Eleanor noticing that Missy and Conrad where not at their post when they were supposed to be watching over the planes one night before her plane crash, so there was a little "oh, yeah" on my part here and there throughout the story.

I enjoyed this story, almost as much as Wild Aces, but mostly because of Conrad and Missy. The problem is that it is a lot for the author to expect the audience to be able to piece together these two stories with a half a year separating the release dates and even worse when that third book won't be out until later this year, a year after the first book was released. At this point, I might suggest waiting it out for Free Fall to be released and then just read them back to back.