Author: Tessa Bailey

BOOK REVIEW: Same Time Next Year by Tessa Bailey

February 12, 2024 / Jen / 0 Comments

Same Time Next Year by Tessa Bailey
Purchase on: Amazon
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
From New York Times bestselling author Tessa Bailey comes a steamy novella full of hope and humor tracking a couple’s fake marriage for a year after the wild New Year’s Eve when they first say “I do.”

Adored by all, Britta is an ambitious waitress working at Sluggers. The popular bar holds a special place in her heart and is a regular hangout for the Bridgeport Bandits, the local hockey club. With a half brother on the team, Britta has a strict no-dating policy for hockey boys. But she does have a soft spot for one particular player.

A beast on the ice, Sumner Mayfield is on the brink of breaking into the NHL. But time’s running out. With his work visa about to expire, Sumner’s only chance to stay in Bridgeport is to marry an American—and get a green card. Otherwise, it’s back to Canada for the defenseman.

On New Year’s Eve, the team begs Britta to marry Sumner that very night. Sum is embarrassed yet hopeful—he’s desperately in love. But Britta balks at first. Until something about Sumner’s soulful brown eyes and ripped physique makes her reconsider…

Review:

Same Time Next Year was a steamy, marriage of convenience sports novella. I listened to the audiobook and not only adored the voices, but the story was so much fun too! I couldn’t stop smiling! I didn’t care how true to the facts this story was, or how over the top ridiculous it could be. For me what mattered was that I was attached to the characters and their connection and passion felt real. I easily got lost listening to their story!

He concedes this with a nod. “Maybe that’s true. But even if you’re strong alone, when someone wades into your lake and you feel something . . . if you choose to ignore it, maybe that strength is actually just something else in disguise.”
“Weakness?”
“Fear.”

Britta was so easy to listen to and like. Her half brother Bryce was a player on the local college hockey team, and she worked at a bar that they always hung out at. When she found out that Sumner was going to be sent back to Canada, she agreed to marry him since he was destined to go pro. Yet Sumner had the hugest crush on her, and I was wondering how long Britta would be able to hold off before she jumped in the sheets with him!

My wife is possessive.
Part of me wants to laugh out loud because the very idea that I could even consider another woman is so far outside the realm of possibility, she has no idea. What women? Where? I’m blind to every last one of them. There’s only Britta.

Sumner was the sweetest cinnamon roll ever! He was so kind and had it bad for Britta. I was obsessed with listening to his thoughts. They were hilarious and made me smile so much. And I loved how dedicated he was to wanting a family and how own happily ever after. It was refreshing. Yet Britta was wary of love and marriage because of her past. So as she started to open up to Sumner, it was heartwarming. Especially since Sumner saw Britta for who she truly was.

Holy fuck, my wife is so hot.

Sumner and Britta’s moments together that didn’t even seem to go anywhere could be so hot. The parking lot scene?! How can just kissing and touching be so erotic? Sigh. So when they did go further, it was sensual, detailed and so spicy! Tessa Bailey knows how to write steamy scenes! Mix that in with moments that had me screaming in joy, like the magazine haha! And this book was so easy to listen to. But keep in mind that this book was definitely filled with all the cheese, and all the my wife’s. It ended with a fabulous grand gesture and I can’t wait to read whatever Tessa Bailey releases next!

BOOK REVIEW: Wreck the Halls by Tessa Bailey

November 8, 2023 / Jen / 4 Comments

Wreck the Halls by Tessa Bailey
Purchase on: Amazon
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
#1 New York Times bestselling author Tessa Bailey delivers a sexy, hilarious standalone holiday rom-com about the adult children of two former rock stars who team up to convince their estranged mothers to play a Christmas Eve concert…

Melody Gallard may be the daughter of music royalty, but her world is far from glamorous. She spends her days restoring old books and avoiding the limelight (one awkward tabloid photo was enough, thanks). But when a producer offers her a lot of money to reunite her mother’s band on live tv, Mel begins to wonder if it’s time to rattle the cage, shake up her quiet life… and see him again. The only other person who could wrangle the rock and roll divas.

Beat Dawkins, the lead singer’s son, is Melody’s opposite—the camera loves him, he could charm the pants off anyone, and his mom is not a potential cult leader. Still, they might have been best friends if not for the legendary feud that broke up the band. When they met as teenagers, Mel felt an instant spark, but it’s nothing compared to the wild, intense attraction that builds as they embark on a madcap mission to convince their mothers to perform one last show.

While dealing with rock star shenanigans, a 24-hour film crew, brawling Santas, and mobs of adoring fans, Mel starts to step out of her comfort zone. With Beat by her side, cheering her on, she’s never felt so understood. But Christmas Eve is fast approaching, and a decades-old scandal is poised to wreck everything—the Steel Birds reunion, their relationships with their mothers, and their newfound love.

Review:

Wreck the Halls was a friends to lovers, famous, romance set around the holidays that was so much fun! While this story took me till almost 30%, chapter 10, to be completely pulled in, once it did I was hooked! With laugh out loud scenes, spicy moments, and a heartfelt love story, I enjoyed reading this story.

The woman had her and she knew it. To be in the same room with Beat Dawkins again . . . She wasn’t strong enough to pass up the chance. Melody shifted in her boots and tried not to sound too eager. “What time?”

Melody and Beat were the children of rock star royalty. Both of their moms had been in a band decades ago, that transcended time and was now popular again. Yet their moms had a falling out before they were even born. So when Melody and Beat first met as teenagers, awww it was smile worthy. Paparazzi seemed to be kind to him and horrific to her, and Beat made Melody feel seen and lifted her up. Yet when we jumped to present day, Beat seemed to be in a world of trouble. He was being blackmailed. So when a producer offered him a lot of money, to partake in a reality show to bring his mother’s band back together again, he knew that was the answer to his problems. And that he would get to spend time around Melody again.

He leaned down, brushing his lips against her forehead in what seemed like an unconscious gesture.

I absolutely loved Beat! He was kind, thoughtful, protective and swoon worthy. He seemed to have a wonderful family life with his parents, and was busy helping out with their charity and fundraiser work. Yet Beat had a secret which made him keep everyone at arm’s length. And that secret bled into his sexual life. I was thinking that it had to be something kinky, but nope I was way off base. It was a little different and I wasn’t sure how to feel about it. But I was excited to see how Beat would learn to trust, especially when it came to Melody.

Touching her was like breathing.

Melody seemed to live a quiet life restoring books and seeing her mother once a year. But as she spend more time on the reality show, not only did Beat fall under her spell, but so did the world. I couldn’t stop smiling at how adorable and quirky Melody was. How relatable she could be. How easy she was to like. And I completely got how she was still crushing on Beat all those years later. How could she not?! But my favorite thing about Melody was feeling everything she did as the story unfolded. When she went to see her mother? I felt all the emotions. And I loved that we also got to watch her find her voice!

“I don’t know if I’m good for you, Mel.”
“Maybe. Maybe not.” Melody shifted her hips, slowly turning in his lap until she was facing the front of the plane. She looked back at him over her shoulder and gave a slow roll of her lower body, memorizing the way his eyes darkened. “Are you going to let us find out?”

Melody and Beat felt like kindred spirits. Neither of them had true friends that they let in, because they were always second guessing why they were around them. Was it really for who they were? Or was it because of who each of their mothers were? So I loved that they felt that instant connection to each other. That they could talk and understand each other so well. That their friendship was so easily formed. And how later that friendship started to cross the line. Beat and Melody together were hot and seductive, even if their intimate talking was a little cheesy at times. Yet they definitely had some emotional healing to do. Melody with her mother. And Beat with himself. And while the third part breakup was inevitable, I just wanted them to get back together again ASAP. So the grand gesture was perfect and made my heart so happy!

“Oh, darling.” Sympathy shone in his mother’s eyes. “Didn’t I mention? She’s not being subtle about her feelings, either. Friends shmends.”
“It’s complicated,” he said, hoarsely.
“Are you in love with her?” His heart answered for him, pounding behind his jugular.
“Yes.”
Tempered joy flooded Octavia’s expression. “Then perhaps you should uncomplicate it.”

While this book is set counting down till Christmas, it doesn’t have a lot of Christmas feels within the pages. Besides snow, snowball fights and I’m truly blanking on what else, this was just a wonderful winter book. On top of loving Melody and Beat, there were side characters that I loved too. Melody was the producer and she seemed like a true friend to Melody. I loved that she had a little side romance story going on for her too! This story closed with a wonderful happily for now, and I’m so glad I picked this book up!

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

March 3, 2022 / Arielle / 5 Comments

BOOK REVIEW: Hook, Line, and Sinker (Bellinger Sisters #2) by Tessa Bailey Hook, Line, and Sinker (Bellinger Sisters #2)
by Tessa Bailey
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:

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...

Review

Is Tessa Bailey a genius or is she a genius, people?

I am absolutely kicking myself for not having read this sooner but I think I was nervous. I’ve read a few different romances with the trope of the ~playboy whose phone is constantly going off with booty calls he has lined up~ and they typically have at least one moment in the book where things go south between the couple in some, stupid, preventable way.

That was NOT the case in this book. GOOD LORD. For starters, I’m not sure that I have ever read about a character similar to Fox’s that, on the outside, was the stereotypical hot playboy who NEVER is in a relationship for the exact reasons that Fox was. My heart hurt so. Damn. Bad for him. It was one of those age old cases of growing up with a shitty example of a father, thinking certain behaviors were a norm when clearly no young kid should EVER be thinking that way, acting on those said behaviors starting in his teenage years, and then because they lived in such a small town, everyone around him continued to perpetuate that stereotype for him. SO BASICALLY THIS FUCKING MARSHMELLOW OF A HUMAN BEING thought his only worth was in being that hot, wild cat, never-to-be-tamed, kind of man. Sure he still found pleasure in the hookups but was he ever fully satisfied–NO and yet he still didn’t even think he would ever even deserve that kind of normal happiness with a woman. Good fucking lord. Toxic masculinity at its finest right there, folks.

…and Hannah was always comfortable waiting in the wings, anticipating her cue to talk on as best supporting actress, even providing bail money on more than one occasion. That was where she shined. Bolstering the heroine at her lowest point, stepping in to defend the leading lady when necessary, saying the right thing in a pivotal heart-to-heart.

In comes Hannah. The quieter, more reserved Bellinger sister but one that loves with the fierceness of a thousand burning suns. She considers herself to be in a supporting role instead of holding a leading lady title so naturally she’s gotten really good at being a hype woman and solid support system for everyone in her life other than herself. When Hannah and Fox were foisted upon one another so that Piper and Brendan could spend time together in It Happened One Summer these two left a massive impression on one another.

AND I AM SO SOFT FOR THE WAY IN WHICH THAT MANIFESTS. Like I am a sucker for text exchanges in romances so naturally the ones we saw here were so lovely. And the records. And the secret record player. And the moments when they ask each other what kind of song their day was and they both just get what the other is asking.

“Hannah. I can’t answer what I don’t know,” he said through stiff lips. “What do you want me to say? Do I want to fuck you? Yes. Oh my God, I”–his eyes closed briefly, those fisherman’s hands flexing on the steering wheel–“I want you underneath me so bad that I can’t lie in bed without already feeling you there. I’ve never even had you, and your body haunts mine.”

But the main thing I loved? Hannah. Hannah may find it easier to be a supporting actress but damn if those qualities aren’t SO important in a person. The way she was so supportive and loving to Fox when he needed it most–when he needed to believe he was worth something more than just a playboy who would never take life seriously she was there. She did not allow him to sabotage their friendship/relationship when he felt it was treading too close into “real feelings” territory. Like I’m talking multiple times. She was steadfast and just simply loved with every fiber of her being. Good lord I’m literally tearing up thinking about it LOL. I don’t know, something about this was just extra special to me and I loved every second. (Also not like this needs to be said the steam was obviously hot as hell *insert 10 flame emojis*)

“Good night,” Hannah said warmly, going up on her toes to kiss his cheek. “What kind of music day did you have?”
He let out a breath, happy to be back on familiar ground. “Coming home after four days on the water. Mmm. Something about home.”
“‘Home’. By Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes.”

Huge thanks to NetGalley and Avon for allowing me to read this eARC in exchange for my honest review.♥

BOOK REVIEW: Fix Her Up (Hot & Hammered #1) by Tessa Bailey

July 12, 2019 / Arielle / 5 Comments

Fix Her Up (Hot & Hammered #2)
by Tessa Bailey
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
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...

“I didn’t want to visit tickle town, but you left me no choice.”
“Stop calling it that.”
Georgie half laughed, half squealed, attempting and failing to twist onto her belly. “Oh my God. A naked man is tickling me by force. I never want to hear clowns are scary again.”

Holy sheeeeeeet this was good. So far this book weirdly seems to make people either fall madly in love or hate which is pretty impressive. I am strongly in the LOVE camp. Wow. This is my first book my Tessa Bailey and you can best believe she is staying on my radar now (I may have already ran to request an advanced copy of Love Her of Lose Her. Now, I think this book cover, similarly to The Hating Game, is going to make people think that they are going to find something else when they open this up. I know that I would have before reading the reviews that I did.

This book is NOT cutesy and fluffy and tame. This book is emotional, and filthy, and addicting. I listened to most of it yesterday while I was doing things at my desk at work and holy shit….you probably shouldn’t do that hahahah. I kept being super paranoid about my volume being too loud or my headphones suddenly being ripped from my computer which would have led to my coworkers being probably momentarily stunned and I would have had to run away and hide my blushing face for at least a week. Seriously though, the dirty talk. I’m sweating and fanning myself just thinking about it. If you’re not a big fan of that, I don’t think you will like this book, tbh. Travis is a very, in-your-face, tell-it-like-it-is-especially-sexually kind of character lol.

“The quiet got too loud once you’d come and gone.” Another long kiss that left her gasping. “How dare you.”

What I love most about this book though, is that it’s more than just some book about sex. Bailey gives us so, SO much more emotionally with ALL of the characters. Georgie was so relatable on so many different levels. Even if you’re not a youngest child, I think it’s safe to say that we’ve all been treated like a kid before, even long after we should have been. We’ve all been not taken seriously at one point in our lives and know how shitty that can feel, especially if it’s coming from someone you know and love. I appreciated that while Georgie and Travis started their “fake relationship” to help fix one another’s appearances, that they both kind of still ended up helping themselves in the process. Of course the fact that they could be real with each other and talk about what they were REALLY thinking or what they really WANTED out of life helped a lot…but Georgie especially ended up taking her life into her own hands just after Travis had stuck up for her to her family ONE time even. I do love a good H saves h story but who also doesn’t love stories that also feature the heroine saving herself, too?!

I also really loved when Georgie, Bethany, and Rosie started the Just Us League. I think that really went a long way with Bethany realizing how hurtful (even without meaning it) and unfair she was being to Georgie about being a clown and all that jazz. Also….can we just talk about how much I’m DYING to get Rosie and Dom’s story. Especially after that….charged….scene before they did the tough mudder. Wowwowwow. I am going to snatch that up so fast.

FINALLY I just loved Travis and Georgie together so much in general. I have always really liked the older brother’s best friend gets with young sister trope. It’s weirdly exciting and always steamy with the “no I shouldn’t be doing this but I literally can’t helping ripping you’re your clothes off right now” type of thing. Even though Travis seems like he has the possibility of being a douchey, macho character (his dick is called Two Bats but I’d like to think he didn’t name it that himself lololol), there was SO much more depth to him. I hurt for him so much hearing about how shitty his parents were to him and and how much it hurt him for people to objectify him day after day. I can’t even imagine what that must have felt like. Knowing that Georgie was there, rooting for him since high school made my heart fucking melt into a gooey mess. ALSO THAT PROPOSAL???!?!?! Sighhhh This a must read, you guys. Seriously.

Georgie’s heart was in her eyes. She could feel it. How much she showed him in that moment. Ten years of nursing an all-consuming crush she’d assumed was love, when she’d had no idea that this was what love felt like. This. This was it. So heavy at times it couldn’t be lifted, so light at others it made you capable of floating.