My Thoughts: Hook, Line, and Sinker by Tessa Bailey

Hook, Line, and Sinker
(Bellinger Sisters #2)
by Tessa Bailey

Publication Date: March 1st 2022
Publisher: Avon Books
Pages: 385
ISBN: 9780063045699
Genre: Adult / Romance / Contemporary
Source: Review Copy / Own

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King crab fisherman Fox Thornton has a reputation as a sexy, carefree flirt. Everyone knows he's a guaranteed good time--in bed and out--and that's exactly how he prefers it. Until he meets Hannah Bellinger. She's immune to his charm and looks, but she seems to enjoy his... personality? And wants to be friends? Bizarre. But he likes her too much to risk a fling, so platonic pals it is.

Now, Hannah's in town for work, crashing in Fox's spare bedroom. She knows he's a notorious ladies' man, but they're definitely just friends. In fact, she's nursing a hopeless crush on a colleague and Fox is just the person to help with her lackluster love life. Armed with a few tips from Westport's resident Casanova, Hannah sets out to catch her coworker's eye... yet the more time she spends with Fox, the more she wants him instead. As the line between friendship and flirtation begins to blur, Hannah can't deny she loves everything about Fox, but she refuses to be another notch on his bedpost.

Living with his best friend should have been easy. Except now she's walking around in a towel, sleeping right across the hall, and Fox is fantasizing about waking up next to her for the rest of his life and... and... man overboard! He's fallen for her, hook, line, and sinker. Helping her flirt with another guy is pure torture, but maybe if Fox can tackle his inner demons and show Hannah he's all in, she'll choose him instead?

In the follow-up to It Happened One Summer, Tessa Bailey delivers another deliciously fun rom-com about a former player who accidentally falls for his best friend while trying to help her land a different man... (Goodreads)

Hook, Line, and Sinker, the sequel to It Happened One Summer by Tessa Bailey, was high on my list of most anticipated reads for 2022. I read It Happened One Summer as soon as it was released in 2021, and it ended up being my most favorite read of the year. So of course I absolutely couldn’t wait to devour the sequel!

Tessa Bailey has quickly become an auto-buy author for me. I can’t seem to get enough of her books! And The Bellinger Sisters duology is definitely some of my favorites by her so far. As I mentioned above, I absolutely loved It Happened One Summer, and Hook, Line and Sinker is definitely a close second. The Bellinger sisters are so much fun!

While It Happened One Summer was all about Piper Bellinger, Hook, Line, and Sinker is all about her sister, Hannah. We first met Hannah in the first book, and I was really excited to read her story. The relationship between her and Fox was so cute! And steamy as well. I very much enjoyed watching their relationship grow over the course of the book. It really was such a great read.

The only thing I didn’t like about this series is that it was so short! I would have loved to keep reading about these characters and this world that Tessa created. I did enjoy the epilogue at the end of this book, so at least there was some closure. But I’d still love more! This is definitely a series that I will be reading over and over again. (I’ve already reread the first book, and plan to start it again soon!)

Overall; Hook, Line and Sinker was a really fun read! I was not ready for this series to come to an end, but it all came together nicely, and I enjoyed every minute of it. I definitely hope to see more books like this from Tessa in the future. If you’re looking for a fun and short series to devour this summer, do check out The Bellinger Sisters!

My Thoughts: It Happened One Summer by Tessa Bailey

It Happened One Summer
(It Happened One Summer #1)
by Tessa Bailey

Publication Date: July 13th 2021
Publisher: Avon Books
Pages: 416
ISBN: 9780063045651
Genre: Adult Fiction / Contemporary / Romance
Source: Netgalley Review Copy / Own

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Tessa Bailey is back with a Schitt’s Creek-inspired rom-com about a Hollywood “It Girl” who is cut off from her wealthy family and exiled to a small Pacific Northwest beach town... where she butts heads with a surly, sexy local who thinks she doesn’t belong. 

Piper Bellinger is fashionable, influential, and her reputation as a wild child means the paparazzi are constantly on her heels. When too much champagne and an out-of-control rooftop party lands Piper in the slammer, her stepfather decides enough is enough. So he cuts her off, and sends Piper and her sister to learn some responsibility running their late father’s dive bar... in Washington.

Piper hasn’t even been in Westport for five minutes when she meets big, bearded sea captain Brendan, who thinks she won’t last a week outside of Beverly Hills. So what if Piper can’t do math, and the idea of sleeping in a shabby apartment with bunk beds gives her hives. How bad could it really be? She’s determined to show her stepfather—and the hot, grumpy local—that she’s more than a pretty face.

Except it’s a small town and everywhere she turns, she bumps into Brendan. The fun-loving socialite and the gruff fisherman are polar opposites, but there’s an undeniable attraction simmering between them. Piper doesn’t want any distractions, especially feelings for a man who sails off into the sunset for weeks at a time. Yet as she reconnects with her past and begins to feel at home in Westport, Piper starts to wonder if the cold, glamorous life she knew is what she truly wants. LA is calling her name, but Brendan—and this town full of memories—may have already caught her heart. (Goodreads)

It Happened One Summer was hands down one of my most anticipated reads for Summer 2021, and this book was everything I didn’t know I needed and SO MUCH MORE. Not only is it my first 5 star read for 2021, but it’s definitely one of my new favorite romances as well!

Tessa Bailey is one of the first authors I checked out when I got back into reading romances again a while back, and she has quickly become one of my favorite authors! I have read quite a few of her books so far, and they just get better and better as they go along! I’m so glad to have read this newest book by her, and I am planning to read more soon!

So I really want to spend this whole review telling you “OMG THIS BOOK IS SO CUTE” over and over again, but I am going to try to contain myself and write actual words instead. But seriously, y’all … OMG THIS BOOK IS SO CUTE!

First, let’s start with the characters … Piper is awesome. She’s not the kind of character I would normally love when we first meet her in the book, but once you get to know the *real* Piper, you’ll definitely love her. Yes, she was inspired by Alexis Rose from Schitt’s Creek, and she’s that, yet so much more. She’s so great! And Brendan was just a big, adorable, grumpy teddy bear. A bit of an ass at first, but boy did that change. I loooooved watching the relationship between him and Piper grow as the story went along. It was so cute. And steamy… SO STEAMY.

There are some great secondary characters in the story as well, including Piper’s sister, Hannah… I mention her because she and Piper have the BEST friendship. I loved it!

The storyline for the book is very, very cute as well. Again, it was inspired by Schitt’s Creek, so if you like the show, you’ll love this book! (And if you haven’t watched the show, you totally should. It’s awesome as well!)

Once I finished this fantastic book, I was thrilled to discover that there is going to be a sequel! The next book in the series, Hook, Line, and Sinker, is all about Hannah, Piper’s sister, and Fox, Brendon’s shipmate! I am so very excited about this book … I already have my copy pre-ordered, and I can’t wait to get my hands on it when it releases in March!

Overall; Yeah… if you can’t tell by this super gushy review, I REALLY LOVED It Happened One Summer! I’ve been waiting and hoping for my first 5 star read of the year, and I couldn’t be any happier that it was this book. I am already planning my re-read soon … and will be reading again before the next book is released! Fans of Tessa Bailey, or of romance, or of Schitt’s Creek, or of love in general, DO check out this book asap! And I hope you love it as much as I do.

My Thoughts: Tools of Engagement by Tessa Bailey

Tools of Engagement
(Hot & Hammered #2)
by Tessa Bailey

Publication Date: September 22nd 2020
Publisher: Avon
Pages: 368
ISBN: 9780062872937
Genre: Adult Fiction / Romance / Contemporary
Source: Own

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Hair, makeup, clothing, decor... everything in Bethany Castle's world is organized, planned, and styled to perfection. Which is why the homes she designs for her family's real estate business are the most coveted in town. The only thing not perfect? Her track record with men. She's on a dating hiatus and after helping her friends achieve their dreams, Bethany finally has time to focus on her own: flip a house, from framework to furnishings, all by herself. Except her older brother runs the company and refuses to take her seriously.

When a television producer gets wind of the Castle sibling rivalry, they’re invited on Flip Off, a competition to see who can do the best renovation. Bethany wants bragging rights, but she needs a crew and the only member of her brother's construction team willing to jump ship is Wes Daniels, the new guy in town. His Texas drawl and handsome face got under Bethany's skin on day one, but the last thing she needs is some cocky young cowboy in her way.

As the race to renovate heats up, Wes and Bethany are forced into close quarters, trading barbs and biting banter as they remodel the ugliest house on the block. It's a labor of love, hate, and everything in between, and soon sparks are flying. But Bethany's perfectly structured life is one kiss away from going up in smoke and she knows falling for a guy like Wes would be a flipping disaster.

In Tessa Bailey’s latest rom-com, two enemies team up to flip a house... and the sparks between them might burn the place down or ignite a passion that neither can ignore!  (Goodreads)

I have been such a huge fan of the Hot & Hammered series since I read the first book way back when it was released, and I was so excited to finally read this third and final book! Tessa Bailey definitely saved the best for last with Tools of Engagement… Out of all the books in this series, I think this one is definitely my favorite!

I have been SO curious about Bethany since we met her in Fix Her Up, and I was so excited to finally read her story. Especially after Wes was introduced to us in Love Her or Lose Her. I had no idea what to expect from these two together, but it was everything that I didn’t know I wanted and more. We get to see a side of Bethany in this book that we didn’t see in the previous books, and it made her so much more relatable. And I love that Wes helps her through so much. They are SO cute together and have SO much chemistry.

I loved it. I also loved Wes’s adorable niece as well, and how the whole community came together to help with her. And I also loved that characters from the previous books were included in this one as well. It always makes me so happy when we can catch with the previous characters just a little bit.

I also thought the storyline for the book was really fun! I do watch home-makeover shows sometimes, and this is only the second book that I have read so far that has had it in the story. I was definitely interested!

Overall; Tools of Engagement was such a great read! Definitely my favorite in the Hot & Hammered series. And while I enjoyed it so much, I am also super sad to see it come to an end. If you haven’t already gathered from this super gushy review, I love Tessa’s books! I’m definitely excited to read more of the ones I haven’t read for her yet, as well as her newest upcoming release, It Happened One Summer, which comes out in July! (I AM SO EXCITED!!)

Waiting on Wednesday: The Roomate & Tools of Engagement

The Roomate
by Rosie Danan
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Publication Date: September 15th 2020
Publisher: Berkley
ISBN: 9780593101605

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House Rules:
Do your own dishes
Knock before entering the bathroom
Never look up your roommate online

The Wheatons are infamous among the east coast elite for their lack of impulse control, except for their daughter Clara. She’s the consummate socialite: over-achieving, well-mannered, predictable. But every Wheaton has their weakness. When Clara’s childhood crush invites her to move cross-country, the offer is too much to resist. Unfortunately, it’s also too good to be true.

After a bait-and-switch, Clara finds herself sharing a lease with a charming stranger. Josh might be a bit too perceptive—not to mention handsome—for comfort, but there’s a good chance he and Clara could have survived sharing a summer sublet if she hadn’t looked him up on the Internet...

Once she learns how Josh has made a name for himself, Clara realizes living with him might make her the Wheaton’s most scandalous story yet. His professional prowess inspires her to take tackling the stigma against female desire into her own hands. They may not agree on much, but Josh and Clara both believe women deserve better sex. What they decide to do about it will change both of their lives, and if they’re lucky, they’ll help everyone else get lucky too. (Goodreads)

Does this sound super cute, or what??
I am SO into cute rom-coms and contemporaries right now, 

and this sounds right up my alley.
I'm super excited to check it out!

Tools of Engagement
(Hot & Hammered #3)
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Publication Date: September 22nd 2020
Publisher: Avon Books
ISBN: 9780062872937

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Hair, makeup, clothing, decor... everything in Bethany Castle's world is organized, planned, and styled to perfection. Which is why the homes she designs for her family's real estate business are the most coveted in town. The only thing not perfect? Her track record with men. She's on a dating hiatus and after helping her friends achieve their dreams, Bethany finally has time to focus on her own: flip a house, from framework to furnishings, all by herself. Except her older brother runs the company and refuses to take her seriously.

When a television producer gets wind of the Castle sibling rivalry, they’re invited on Flip Off, a competition to see who can do the best renovation. Bethany wants bragging rights, but she needs a crew and the only member of her brother's construction team willing to jump ship is Wes Daniels, the new guy in town. His Texas drawl and handsome face got under Bethany's skin on day one, but the last thing she needs is some cocky young cowboy in her way.

As the race to renovate heats up, Wes and Bethany are forced into close quarters, trading barbs and biting banter as they remodel the ugliest house on the block. It's a labor of love, hate, and everything in between, and soon sparks are flying. But Bethany's perfectly structured life is one kiss away from going up in smoke and she knows falling for a guy like Wes would be a flipping disaster.

In Tessa Bailey’s latest rom-com, two enemies team up to flip a house... and the sparks between them might burn the place down or ignite a passion that neither can ignore! (Goodreads)

Ahhhh! I am so very excited for this book!
I have loved Bethany from the very beginning of the series,

and I am so excited to finally read her story.
I hope it's great!

**"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine,
that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.**

My Thoughts: Love Her or Lose Her by Tessa Bailey

Love Her or Lose Her
(Hot & Hammered #2)
by Tessa Bailey
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Publication Date: January 14th 2020
Publisher: Avon
Pages: 352
ISBN: 9780062872852
Genre: Adult Fiction | Romance
Source: Netgalley Review Copy | OWN

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New York Times bestselling author Tessa Bailey returns with a unique, sexy romantic comedy about a young married couple whose rocky relationship needs a serious renovation.

Rosie and Dominic Vega are the perfect couple: high school sweethearts, best friends, madly in love. Well, they used to be anyway. Now Rosie’s lucky to get a caveman grunt from the ex-soldier every time she walks in the door. Dom is faithful and a great provider, but the man she fell in love with ten years ago is nowhere to be found. When her girlfriends encourage Rosie to demand more out of life and pursue her dream of opening a restaurant, she decides to demand more out of love, too. Three words: marriage boot camp.

Never in a million years did Rosie believe her stoic, too-manly-to-emote husband would actually agree to relationship rehab with a weed-smoking hippy. Dom talking about feelings? Sitting on pillows? Communing with nature? Learning love languages? Nope. But to her surprise, he’s all in, and it forces her to admit her own role in their cracked foundation. As they complete one ridiculous—yet surprisingly helpful—assignment after another, their remodeled relationship gets stronger than ever. Except just as they’re getting back on track, Rosie discovers Dom has a secret... and it could demolish everything. (Goodreads)

Love Her or Lose Her is the second book in the Hot & Hammered series by Tessa Bailey, and is almost one of my most anticipated reads for this January! I discovered Fix Her Up, (the first book in the series), last fall, and absolutely fell in love with the characters and the story. I couldn’t wait for this sequel to see what was going to happen next!

As I mentioned, Love Her or Lose Her is the second book in the series. (If you’d like to see my review for the first book, Fix Her Up, you can check that out here!) In the first book we get to meet ALL of the characters in the series, and while that book was about Georgie and Travis, this book is all about married couple Rosie and Dominic! I was super excited to start their story!

To sum it up, the storyline for this book is all about  Rosie and Dom, high school sweethearts, who have been married for years, yet are drifting apart for various reasons. In a desperate attempt to save their marriage, they decide to attend marriage rehab as a way to find each other again.

One of the things I loved the most about this book is how relatable it was. I have been married to my amazing husband for what seems like forever, and I totally understood how BOTH of the characters in this book felt. I know a lot of people will. The tips that they received in marriage counseling were fantastic, and could be put to good use for ANY relationship, which was fantastic. I love that, and I definitely need more relatable books like this in my life, as I have not read nearly enough. This definitely made for a wonderful storyline.

I also really loved the characters in the story. I saw a lot of myself in Rosie, and a lot of similarities of my husband in Dominic. Even though they had problems, you could tell that love was there. I rooted for them all throughout the book. I also loved that we get to see almost all of the characters from the first book again in this sequel, and I’m very much looking forward to the next book to see them all again!

Overall; I adored Love Her or Lose Her by Tessa Bailey! It devoured this book in one day, and it’s been WAY too long since I have been that caught up in a book. I loved it! And now I can’t wait to get my hands on the next book, which is Bethany’s story, and I imagine I’m going to love it as well! I have also found a new favorite author in Tessa Bailey, and I am very much enjoying finding as many of her books as I can to read! If you love a good love story, do check this series out!

Waiting on Wednesday: Love Her or Lose Her & Undercover Bromance

Love Her or Lose Her
(Hot & Hammered #2)
by Tessa Bailey
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Publication Date: January 14th 2020
Publisher: Avon
ISBN: 9780062872852

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New York Times bestselling author Tessa Bailey returns with a unique, sexy romantic comedy about a young married couple whose rocky relationship needs a serious renovation.

Rosie and Dominic Vega are the perfect couple: high school sweethearts, best friends, madly in love. Well, they used to be anyway. Now Rosie’s lucky to get a caveman grunt from the ex-soldier every time she walks in the door. Dom is faithful and a great provider, but the man she fell in love with ten years ago is nowhere to be found. When her girlfriends encourage Rosie to demand more out of life and pursue her dream of opening a restaurant, she decides to demand more out of love, too. Three words: marriage boot camp.

Never in a million years did Rosie believe her stoic, too-manly-to-emote husband would actually agree to relationship rehab with a weed-smoking hippy. Dom talking about feelings? Sitting on pillows? Communing with nature? Learning love languages? Nope. But to her surprise, he’s all in, and it forces her to admit her own role in their cracked foundation. As they complete one ridiculous—yet surprisingly helpful—assignment after another, their remodeled relationship gets stronger than ever. Except just as they’re getting back on track, Rosie discovers Dom has a secret... and it could demolish everything. (Goodreads)

Soooo, I read the first book in this series, Fix Her Up, earlier this year and absolutely LOVED IT! It was my very first read by Tessa Bailey, and I am now HOOKED. I am most definitely looking forward to continuing along with this series as soon as possible!

Undercover Bromance
(Bromance Book Club #2)
by Lyssa Kay Adams
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Publication Date: March 10th 2020
Publisher: Berkley
ISBN: 9781984806116

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Braden Mack thinks reading romance novels makes him an expert in love, but he’ll soon discover that real life is better than fiction.

Liv Papandreas has a dream job as a sous chef at Nashville’s hottest restaurant. Too bad the celebrity chef owner is less than charming behind kitchen doors. After she catches him harassing a young hostess, she confronts him and gets fired. Liv vows revenge, but she’ll need assistance to take on the powerful chef.

Unfortunately, that means turning to Braden Mack. When Liv’s blackballed from the restaurant scene, the charismatic nightclub entrepreneur offers to help expose her ex-boss, but she is suspicious of his motives. He’ll need to call in reinforcements: the Bromance Book Club.

Inspired by the romantic suspense novel they’re reading, the book club assist Liv in setting up a sting operation to take down the chef. But they’re just as eager to help Mack figure out the way to Liv’s heart… even while she’s determined to squelch the sparks between them before she gets burned. (Goodreads)

And the first book in this series, The Bromance Book Club, was just recently released, and it's another book that had me completely hooked! I absolutely can't wait to read the sequel as well!

•     •     •

Do these sound great, or what?? I managed to snag a copy of both books from Netgalley, and I can't wait to start them. (Hopefully soon!) I'm very much looking forward to reading both books. :)

What about you?? Are you super excited for any upcoming new books??

**"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine,
that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.**

My Thoughts: Fix Her Up by Tessa Bailey

Fix Her Up
by Tessa Bailey
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Publication Date: June 11th 2019
Publisher: Avon Books
Pages: 400
ISBN: 9780062872838
Genre: Adult Fiction | Romance | Contemporary
Source: Edelweiss Review Copy

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A brand new romantic comedy from New York Times bestseller Tessa Bailey!

Georgette Castle’s family runs the best home renovation business in town, but she picked balloons instead of blueprints and they haven’t taken her seriously since. Frankly, she’s over it. Georgie loves planning children’s birthday parties and making people laugh, just not at her own expense. She’s determined to fix herself up into a Woman of the World... whatever that means.

Phase one: new framework for her business (a website from this decade, perhaps?)

Phase two: a gut-reno on her wardrobe (fyi, leggings are pants.)

Phase three: updates to her exterior (do people still wax?)

Phase four: put herself on the market (and stop crushing on Travis Ford!)

Living her best life means facing the truth: Georgie hasn’t been on a date since, well, ever. Nobody’s asking the town clown out for a night of hot sex, that’s for sure. Maybe if people think she’s having a steamy love affair, they’ll acknowledge she’s not just the “little sister” who paints faces for a living. And who better to help demolish that image than the resident sports star and tabloid favorite?

Travis Ford was major league baseball’s hottest rookie when an injury ended his career. Now he’s flipping houses to keep busy and trying to forget his glory days. But he can’t even cross the street without someone recapping his greatest hits. Or making a joke about his… bat. And then there's Georgie, his best friend’s sister, who is not a kid anymore. When she proposes a wild scheme—that they pretend to date, to shock her family and help him land a new job—he agrees. What’s the harm? It’s not like it’s real. But the girl Travis used to tease is now a funny, full-of-life woman and there’s nothing fake about how much he wants her... (Goodreads)

I was super excited to start reading Fix Her Up by Tessa Bailey, not only because I had heard good things about the book, but also because I’m trying to add more contemporary, (especially rom-coms), to my reading list, and this book seemed to fit the bill. Having finally read the book I have to say: HOW have I not discovered Tessa Bailey before now?? I. am. HOOKED!

Fix Her Up is the first book in the brand new Hot & Hammered series, and while I’m not sure how many books will be in the series just yet, I do know that I will be reading every single book the moment they release. (So far there is a book 2, Love Her or Lose Her, which is due to release in January.)

I am a HUGE fan of contemporary novels, and I do not get to read them as often as I’d like. I’m always on the lookout for new ones to add to my reading list, and if I could find more books like Fix Her Up, I would definitely read them more often.

I enjoyed so many things about this book. I love that it was a rom-com, and the storyline is addictive, funny, and super steamy. This book made me laugh and smile SO many times, and it’s been too long since a book has done that. It was just so much fun to read, and I loved it!

I also really liked the characters in the story, and I love that the story is told through alternate viewpoints from the two main characters, Georgie and Travis. I loved Georgie right away, with her sense of humor and spunk, it was hard not to like her. I did, however, take a little while warming up to Travis. But, in the end, he won over Georgie, and me as well. And these are not the only great characters in the story, there are a lot of interesting secondary characters as well, and I am looking forward to seeing more of them as the series goes along!

Overall; If you can’t tell by this super gushy review, I really, really enjoyed Fix Her Up! It was a quick, fun read. I wish I had read the book sooner, but I am thrilled that I finally did so, and have discovered the awesomeness that is Tessa Bailey. I will definitely be checking out more of her books, including the next book in this series, Love Her or Lose Her, out in January!