Review: Unfortunately Yours by Tessa Bailey

Unfortunately Yours by Tessa Bailey

Series: A Vine Mess #2

Publication date: June 6th, 2023

Pages: 384

Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

Synopsis:

A down-on-her-luck Napa heiress suggests a mutually beneficial marriage of convenience to a man she can't stand... only to discover there's a fine line between love and hate.

After losing her job and her fiance in one fell swoop, Natalie Vos returned home to lick her wounds. A few months later, she's sufficiently drowned her sorrows in cabernet and she's ready to get back on her feet. She just needs her trust fund to finance her new business venture. Unfortunately, the terms require she marry before she can have the money. And well, dumped, remember? But Natalie is desperate enough to propose to a man who makes her want to kill him--and kiss him, in equal measure.

August Cates may own a vineyard, but he doesn't know jack about making wine. He's determined to do his late best friend proud, no matter what it takes. Except his tasting room is empty, his wine is disgusting (seriously, he once saw someone gag), and his buddy's legacy is circling the drain. No bank will give him the loan he needs to turn the business around... and then the gorgeous, feisty heiress knocks on his door. Natalie has haunted his dreams since the moment they met, but their sizzling chemistry immediately morphed into simmering insults.

Now, a quickie marriage could help them both. A sham wedding, a few weeks living under the same roof, and then they can go their separate ways--assuming they make it out alive. How hard could it be? There's just one thing they didn't account for: their unfortunate, unbearable, undeniable attraction.

Available at:

Review:

Natalie is used to things not going her way. She had always wanted to be a vital part of her family but been overlooked. She went to New York to make a name for herself and she ended up fired and dumped in quick succession. She comes back home to lick her wounds but she won't be kept down for long. She knows that the best way to show the people who have discounted her that she is a force to be reckoned with is to get back on the horse. But she needs capital to start her own investment firm. Her trust fund is ripe for the picking but there is one catch, she has to be married in order to collect on it. Now if she can only find a poor sap who will marry her convincingly so she can collect the money and return to New York. Enter August. August has been the bane of her existence since she returned home. But among all the fighting there seems to be a spark there. One Natalie is quick to dismiss. However, August needs money too and with her name attached to his he could possible get a business loan he was otherwise denied for. It seems like a win/win! But are the two going to be able to convince others that they are madly in love with each other without falling head over heels in love for real?

The previous book in this series, Secretly Yours, was one I raved about to anyone who would listen. It was my first dip into Tessa Bailey and I was hooked. But after reading this book, I had strongly considered going back and revising my rating because it no longer stood up the monumentous 5 star read that this one turned out to be. I loved every page turn. Natalie was so strong willed but there was an inkling of some feelings always lurking underneath. She was so damaged and felt so unloved by her entire family that I broke for her. It humanized her and made her relatable. August wore his heart on his sleeve. He admitted to being obsessed with her from moment one while Natalie was a little slow in that regard. I loved watching a love story unfold where the male lead was going to do anything and everything to convince the person they were madly in love with to be with them. He didn't fight his feelings, he reveled in them! It was chef's kiss, the best book I have read in 2024 I feel.

The only shortcoming I find in this book and its predecessor is the fact that the series feels complete and that makes me sad. I want to read more about the Vos family and their various antics. I loved their characters and I wanted to see more of the family growing back together like they should have been from the start. I wanted to see Dalton Vos finally get what was coming to him and watch Corinne finally start to accept that her wayward daughter was something special in herself. I feel that the family connection could have been delved into a bit more but it wasn't something that took away from the books. It only was something I wish I had gotten to see.

This book is one of the best romantic comedies for me and I will recommend it to anyone with a pulse and a library card.

Review: Unstable by Lacey Carter Andersen

Unstable by Lacey Carter Andersen

Series: House of Berserkers #3

Publication date: July 16th, 2021

Pages: 164

Spice: 🌶️🌶️

Synopsis:

The House of Berserkers must fall...

My kidnapper believes that taking me as his wife will make him a true king of my people. But with a soul as black as his, I can never let that happen.

But he knows just how to break me.

My mutant is his plaything. My berserker stands at his side. And my dragon shifter may betray everything he holds dear to protect me.

It's said that I'm destined for greatness. But if I have anything to say about it, that destiny will be to destroy this house and every cruel life within it.

I just hope I can overcome the monster inside of me, or else we're all doomed.

UNSTABLE is a paranormal reverse harem romance. The first book involving these characters is called Untamed, and it takes place in the shared world, Wicked Reform School. I recommend reading that book before this one, as well as, the book Unknown. This is a very steamy romance where the woman is the focus, and she doesn't have to choose between her men.

Available at:

Review:

Kiera was transported from one prison cell to another but this one is a literal prison cell with the Demons. Now she must strike a deal with the devil: retrieve the relic that Maxen had stolen from their people and be set free. So Kiera and her men with one grumpy guard, Cole, are on the way. Along the way they are faced with Cole's wavering loyalty as well as Maxen's men trying to stop their motley crew from achieving their goal. Maybe if they can finally set things right they can find happiness together. And maybe Cole is more important to their group than just someone who could potentially betray them all.

The final book in the trilogy went really fast. Most of the books were short so it was not a surprise but everything was tied up that I felt would have gone on for a while. The solution to Kiera marrying Maxen was carried out as if the reason for holding back on such actions just disappeared. They even introduced a new male into the harem in the bottom of the ninth and with the bases already loaded. The book felt a little rushed as if the author was just trying to end the series and didn't care if the bows she tied in all the issues were crooked or not. I would have liked if there was a little slower a pace so I could enjoy the couples being reunited again after having to remain separate when imprisoned with the false king. Emory suddenly lost all his self-deprecation, Adam grew a backbone, and Drake could suddenly do things he couldn't do before and was told he'd never do again. No real reason for any of these changes other than it was the final book and the end was nigh. 

The rushed pace didn't take away from the fact that I did like the characters overall. I liked Cole most of all for some reason. But even with him, he suddenly questions switching sides out of the blue and for no reason other than Kiera is really pretty. That seems a little surface level for a grand romance. But it didn't take that much away from the likeability of the characters. 

The book was slightly less impressive than the other two just because the loose ends didn't meld together as efficiently as I would have liked. But it was still don't regret reading the series.

Review: Beach Read by Emily Henry

Beach Read by Emily Henry

Publication date: May 19th, 2020

Pages: 400

Spice: 🌶️🌶️

Synopsis:

A romance writer who no longer believes in love and a literary writer stuck in a rut engage in a summer-long challenge that may just upend everything they believe about happily ever afters.

Augustus Everett is an acclaimed author of literary fiction. January Andrews writes bestselling romance. When she pens a happily ever after, he kills off his entire cast.

They're polar opposites.

In fact, the only thing they have in common is that for the next three months, they're living in neighboring beach houses, broke, and bogged down with writer's block.

Until, one hazy evening, one thing leads to another and they strike a deal designed to force them out of their creative ruts: Augustus will spend the summer writing something happy, and January will pen the next Great American Novel. She'll take him on field trips worthy of any rom-com montage, and he'll take her to interview surviving members of a backwoods death cult (obviously). Everyone will finish a book and no-one will fall in love. Really.

Available at:

Review:

January Andrews's life has been rocked with the death of her father. It turns out the man who had loved her mother so unconditionally through two brushes with cancer had cheated on her. The evidence of his infidelity was standing there at his funeral clutching a key to a beach house and a letter from her father. January put off going to the beach house her father had left her until she had no other choice. Her work being spun like a top caused her perfect life to crumble down around her. Her fiance couldn't love the woman she had become and her skills as a romance writer were called into question. She couldn't seem to find the motivation to write a stitch of romance without it feeling false. She had thought that her parents were the goal to live for and she had written her romances with them in mind, but now she had to wonder if love even existed. Add to that her archnemesis, and fellow author, living right next door to her father's beach house and she is ready to rip her hair out. But it seems Gus is also having trouble with writer's block. So a wager is made. They write a book in each other's styles and see who can get their book published first. The two are driven together for research purposes and as motivators for each other until the spark of hatred starts to turn into a spark of something completely different. Can January let herself believe in love again or did her cynical nemesis have it right, is love not true to reality?

January was a delightful character. I could feel every emotion she felt and the witty comments she threw back at Gus whenever she got the chance, that is exactly what I would do in similar situations. I found her to be smart, kind, selfless, and wounded in a way that made her question how good a person she was but to an outside observer, she was still amazing. I loved that she was quick to move past her animosity of Gus and open herself up to a friendship developing even when he was still a little closed-off. She was the type that loves with her entire heart and I resonated with her. Gus was written really well also but I felt a keen connection to January from start to end.

The cover really sets you up to be surprised for what is between the pages of the book. The cover is light and cartoony to the point where you feel like the book is going to just be a fluff piece. But there are thorns on this rose and they will make your heart bleed. Appearances can be deceiving which is kind of the entire premise of the book. January was seen as this fairy princess who believed life was nothing but sunshine and rainbows while Gus was seen as the stoic asshole who write about pain and misery because he was a miserable person. It was only when you dug deeper that you saw the two people were much different. Gus had a heard and, yes, he was filled with pain but there was also a hope that was flickering within him to understand his world around him. January may have believed her life to be perfect but she started to see the cracks and started to realize even sunshine can be blotted out with dark clouds.

I am usually very stingy with my 5-star ratings. It has to be a book that I would grab off a shelf and tell someone "you have to read this" in order for me to feel it is deserving of such high praise. But I have read my first book by Tessa Bailey and it was a 5-star read. And now my first book of Emily Henry's also earns 5-stars. I will be reading a lot more of their books and look forward to seeing if these 5-star authors maintain their streak.

Review: Secretly Yours by Tessa Bailey

Secretly Yours by Tessa Bailey

Series: A Vine Mess #1

Publication date: February 7th, 2023

Pages: 380

Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️

Synopsis:

A steamy new rom-com about a starchy professor and the bubbly neighbor he clashes with at every turn...

Hallie Welch fell hard for Julian Vos at fourteen, after they almost kissed in the dark vineyards of his family's winery. Now the prodigal hottie has returned to their small town. When Hallie is hired to revamp the gardens on the Vos estate, she wonders if she'll finally get that smooch. But the grumpy professor isn't the teenager she remembers and their polar opposite personalities clash spectacularly. One wine-fueled girls' night later, Hallie can't shake the sense that she did something reckless--and then she remembers the drunken secret admirer letter she left for Julian. Oh shit.

On sabbatical from his ivy league job, Julian plans to write a novel. But having Hallie gardening right outside his window is the ultimate distraction. She's eccentric, chronically late, often literally covered in dirt--and so unbelievably beautiful, he can't focus on anything else. Until he finds an anonymous letter sent by a woman from his past. Even as Julian wonders about this admirer, he's sucked further into Hallie's orbit. Like the flowers she plants all over town, Hallie is a burst of color in Julian's gray-scale life. For a man who irons his socks and runs on tight schedules, her sunny chaotic energy makes zero sense. But there's something so familiar about her... and her very presence is turning his world upside down.

Available at:

Review:

Hallie is the token wild child of her small town. She sticks to no schedule and does what she believes is right even if the methods at which she accomplishes these goals are riddled with chaotic energy. She is the type that will commit small acts of vandalism and theft in order to show support for a locally forgotten wine store her grandmother used to frequent before she passed. She is also the type of gardener who would show up an hour and a half past the time she was supposed to be there to revamp the Vos's estate. The last time she had set foot on their property had been when she was fourteen and almost had some serious lip-lock with Julian Vos. But at fourteen the opportunity had come and gone. Julian went off to college to become a ivy league professor and Hallie had remained with her grandmother taking over her business. Her crush on Julian had lasted for fifteen years and she wondered if he was the same as he was when she had first known him. Julian was anything but. In his place was a grumpy professor turned aspiring author who stuck to a strict schedule and resented Hallie her carefree nature. They were so completely opposite that there was no way they would ever work. But for some reason they both feel the pull towards one another that is inescapable. Which leads Hallie to drunkenly write Julian an anonymous love letter confessing her feelings about him which makes the professor consider maybe people can change if given the right motivation.

I have always been a dark romance girlie for years. I only recently started venturing into the world of romantic comedies when I started reading Lucy Score books. This was my first Tessa Bailey book and it did not disappoint. I now understand why people find her writing to be so addictive. I was hooked from the first chapter on and couldn't put it down for two days straight. The characters she created were infectious and personable. The town she wrote about made me wish my own small town was a little more connected and loyal like theirs was. It gave some really good insight into anxiety disorders and the affects they have on people. It expressed the importance of family and the ability to communicate effectively with one another. One of the facets I enjoyed the most was watching the characters change for the better but they didn't change for each other, they changed for themselves. They realized their shortcomings and flaws and worked to correct them. It was great to watch them each have their own moments of personal growth.

I laughed, cried, swooned, and raged from one page flip to the next. Bailey took me on a rollercoaster of small-town living with two wounded but not broken people who were so different but fit so perfect together. If you have not read any of Tessa Bailey's books yet, I would highly recommend you start. She is a master of her craft and I can't wait to devour the rest of the books she's published.

Review: Unknown by Lacey Carter Andersen

Unknown by Lacey Carter Andersen

Series: House of Berserkers #2

Publication date: January 2nd, 2021

Pages: 192

Spice: 🌶️🌶️

Synopsis:

The House of Berserkers may destroy us all...

I have a beast inside of me. A monster that awakens at the best and the worst times. The beast allows me to avenge my best friend's death, but it's also led to my downfall.

And a betrayal so deep it cuts like a knife.

Taken prisoner by the psychotic Lord of the House of the Berserkers, I must find a way to stay alive and to keep the men I love safe. Everything has changed between the mutant, the berserker, the dragon shifter, and I.

But what hasn't changed? We're in another wicked place and our connection will either save us or destroy us. Only time will tell.

UNKNOWN is a paranormal reverse harem romance. This is a very steamy romance where the woman is the focus, and she doesn't have to choose between her men.

Available at:

Review:

Keira is in hell. She has been captured and held against her will by a man who fancies himself the King of the Berserkers. He has determined what with her being the holder of the prophecy that she will marry him whether she likes it or not so that he can be seen by their people as the one true king. Keira is determined to not find her way down the aisle with the sadistic man but when he holds the three men she loves as leverage she may not be granted a choice. But one of those men may not be worth sacrificing for since he was one of the main reasons they were captured in the first place. Emory's betrayal cuts deep and Keira can barely stomach being in the same room as him despite having never stopped loving him. With a war with demons and an impending wedding on the horizon can Keira and her men find a way to get free of their shackles or will they all succumb to the will of a psycho man with a god complex?

This next installment in the series was possibly the most frustrating book I have read in a while. I don't mean in the execution or the story but in what happens to the characters. It seems like they just can't catch a break. They are beaten and tore down every step of the way. They each find time with Keira but it is always a quick scene because they aren't able to linger due to all the impending doom. I was pretty confused that Maxam had such a following when the way Keira always told it he didn't have anyone willing to back him save vampires and shifters. So the fact that he had so many nefarious plots lined up to toy with the main characters was surprising.

There wasn't a whole lot of Drake and Adam in this book. They were there but it seemed very much focused on Keira's experience and, with Emory watching over her, Emory's. I knew I was meant to hate Emory for betraying them but even if I were seeing the situation through Keira's eyes alone I could see that Emory was all in with her up until they were faced with capture and then he saved his own skin like a coward. But he had also been tortured by Maxam for almost his entire life, that is bound to leave some scars. I felt only frustration and sorrow for Emory.

I think this book was extremely short and if I had known the books were so short I probably would have read a different series by Lacey than this one. I like bigger books that flesh out the plot and the characters a bit more so I can feel fully immersed in the world. That isn't to say this isn't a good series so far. But it is still very much middle of the road for me.