Hook, Line, and Sinker by Tessa Bailey

Summary:
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?

Review:
Hook, Line, and Sinker follows Fox Thornton, the local playboy, and Hannah Bellinger, sister to the main character of the first book in this series. I really liked Hannah. I liked Fox but didn’t love him.
I liked their romance well enough. I definitely liked It Happened One Summer better, but I still had a good time reading this one. It was nice to be back in this small town that we’ve come to love from the previous story.
I’m going to keep this review short because I don’t have too much to say. I waited too long to write this review and there isn’t anything specific that II remember sticking it while reading. It’s a Tessa Bailey romance novel, so you know what you’re going to get.

Keep on reading lovelies, Amanda.

It Happened One Summer by Tessa Bailey

Summary:
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. 

Review:
It Happened One Summer tells Piper’s story. She had just been dumped and arrested. But her stepfather isn’t feeling sympathetic. He cuts her off and sends her away from L.A. She’s sent to Westport, the small town she grew up in before her father died. It’s here that she meets Brendan and falls for more than just Westport.
I really didn’t think I was going to like Piper. I thought she was going to be a really spoiled and unlikable rich girl. Piper was some of those things. She’s spoiled, but she quickly showed that she’s willing to work for what she wants. She starts fixing up the bar that they technically own. She didn’t annoy me like I thought she was going to.
Brendan also surprised me because I thought he was going to be mean to Piper and he ended up being a total marshmallow.
I loved the two of them together. They were an easy couple to love. I’m excited to read Hannah’s story and see more of Westport.

Keep on reading lovelies, Amanda.

Tools of Engagement by Tessa Bailey

Summary:
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 disaste

Review:
Tools of Engagement follows Bethany who wants more responsibility when it comes to the family business. She wants to do a whole house, from demolition to decorations. But her father and brother don’t take her seriously. Enter HGTV jumping in and creating a sibling house flipping competition. Bethany is working with Wes while flipping the house and things get busy at the job site.
I still think the second book in this series is my favorite, but I did really enjoy this one. I liked the family aspects that were involved with Wes and his niece. I also liked seeing Bethany make an effort to show and be more herself.
I can totally understand why this series is so popular. I really had a fun time reading all three of these books. I read them back-to-back so I really got to enjoy the friendships and the romantic relationships all together. I will definitely be recommending this series in the future.

Keep on reading lovelies, Amanda.

Love Her or Lose Her by Tessa Bailey

Summary:
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 10 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 hippie. 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.

Review:
Love Her or Lose Her is the second book in the Hot & Hammered series. I really enjoyed Fix Her Up so I was very excited to read the sequel. We follow Rosie and Dominic who are high school sweethearts. The story starts and Rosie is finally leaving Dominic. She doesn’t feel like they have a salvageable relationship, but Dominic doesn’t want to give up and agrees to therapy (which surprises Rosie). I don’t know what it is, but I really love romance novels about already married couples and this one continued that trend. I really liked Rosie. She has goals and dreams that she’s actively working on making reality. She has things that she wants and she’s not going to wait to get them any longer. But when things between her and Dominic start to get better, Rosie’s not sure if leaving him is the right thing to do anymore.
I loved this book. I think it’s my favorite in the series. I loved seeing Rosie and Dominic find their way back to one another emotionally. I think the book was totally steamy, just like the first one. I was easily invested in the chahracters and the romance. I rooted for them and felt the ups and downs alongside them.
Overall, I loved this one. I will be reading move from Tessa Bailey as soon as I get the chance.

Keep on reading lovelies, Amanda.

Fix Her Up by Tessa Bailey

Summary:
After an injury ends Travis Ford’s major league baseball career, he returns home to start over. He just wants to hammer out his frustrations at his new construction gig and forget all about his glory days. But he can’t even walk through town without someone recapping his greatest hits. Or making a joke about his… bat. And then there’s Georgie, his buddy’s little sister, who is definitely not a kid anymore.
Georgette Castle has crushed on her older brother’s best friend for years. The grumpy, bear of a man working for her family’s house flipping business is a far cry from the charming sports star she used to know. But a moody scowl doesn’t scare her and Georgie’s determined to show Travis he’s more than a pretty face and a batting average, even if it means putting her feelings aside to be “just friends.”
Travis wants to brood in peace. But the girl he used to tease is now a funny, full-of-life woman who makes him feel whole again. And he wants her. So damn bad. Except Georgie’s off limits and he knows he can’t give her what she deserves. But she’s becoming the air he breathes and Travis can’t stay away, no matter how hard he tries…

Review:
Fix Her Up follows Georgie and Travis. Travis is a baseball player whose career ended early due to an injury (though I don’t ever remember being told what the injury was and he never really talked about it). He’s a player, nicknamed ‘Two Bats’ (yes, this is about his penis. Yes, this is a stupid nickname.) But when a new job opportunity arises, he must shed the ‘play boy’ image and show that he can be wholesome and family network approved. Enter Georgie. Georgie has had a huge crush on Travis her whole life. He’s her older brother’s best friend. So, she’s always been Stephen’s kid sister. This is an image she’s trying to shed. She feels like no one takes her seriously (which I mean, she’s a professional clown so…). She and Travis ‘fake date’ to make Travis seem more wholesome and to get people to stop thinking of Georgie as a kid.
I liked Georgie. I could relate to her with her family dynamic. My dad owns his own business and it’s always been planned to be passed on to my older brother. So, I was sort of left to wonder what the heck I wanted to do since my life wasn’t planned for me since birth. I was left to make my own way, like Georgie. Though, I didn’t become a professional clown. I liked how Georgie was persistent and stubborn. She was determined to help Travis at the beginning and she really did help him.
Travis was interesting because we see him pretty down at the beginning of the story. But we also see things turn around for him. His character growth was really enjoyable. I loved being in his head while he can’t seem to stop thinking about Georgie. I thought the struggle of ‘but she’s my best friend’s sister’ was a good one. Especially since he couldn’t ever really manage to stay away from her.
Now, I have to mention this. If you like romance without explicit sex scenes, this series is not for you. Because these books are hot. They’re explicit and incredibly steamy. I loved it. I loved the positive talk about masturbation. I also loved the communication between the two whiles being intimate. Some reviewers have said there’s too much talking, but damn that dirty talk was absolutely excellent.
Overall, I had a lot of fun reading this book. The sex scenes were steamy and the romance was one that I could get behind. I liked the growth and development of the two main characters. I also liked the growth of the side relationships. Georgie betters her relationship with her sister and makes a new friend, Rosie, and I loved these three women together. The only thing that I would have liked to be different was that I wanted more of Georgie expanding her entertainment business. We see her talk a bit about getting more performers, but the story focuses more on the romance and on Travis’s future than Georgie bettering her business.

Keep on reading lovelies, Amanda.