I enjoyed Rosie and Dominic's journey in salvaging their marriage. Dominic's devotion to Rosie was very clear throughout the novel, and I appreciated when Rosie came to realize that she had to take some blame in their issues as well. Taking accountability for your actions (or lack of actions) can often times be hard (especially when pride kicks in), but I liked that these two accepted that they both made mistakes. They felt like a real couple going through a rough patch that is often common with lack of genuine communication.

And I loved how this still felt like a Tessa Bailey novel, where the main characters had zero issues with burning up the sheets lol. Dominic was swoon-worthy with his love and refusal to give up on his marriage with Rosie, and Rosie was fierce and devoted to getting what she knew they both deserved as a marriage.

Tessa Bailey does it again. A sexy quick read of a couple finding their way back to each other. As someone who has been married for 7 years it's nice to have protagonists that are older, married and still ready to rip each other's clothes off. 10/10 would recommend! Can't wait for book 3!!!

Love Her or Lose Her is the story of a married couple, Dominic and Rosie. The couple met at a young age in school. There is hot sexual chemistry but nothing else. The couple grew apart mainly due to lack of communication. The story depicts the struggles married couples go through and the difficulty of maintaining a relationship especially when one partner does not communicate.

The book could have been a home run if it was not littered with profanity and explicit porn. I am not a prude, but I find when foul language is thrown into a novel on almost every page it distracts from the plot and believe me this is a really good realistic plot. This novel can draw a wider audience as it shows a couple struggling to save a marriage and most couples have similar experiences and can relate to Rosie and Dominic.

Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced readers copy.

I absolutely adored book 1 in the Hot & Hammered series by Tessa Bailey. Fix Her Up was witty, laugh out loud funny, and oh so swoony. Book 2, Love Her or Lose Her, I couldn't wait to read. I liked Rosie in book 1 and wanted her to have her HEA. There were some really good moments. I really liked the scenes with Armie. Some of the hotter scenes were indeed steamy. However, I found this couple to be entirely too frustrating. There was so much internal dialogue for the characters, and they repeated the issues ad nauseam. I got in the first half of the book - she needs words - he needs actions. But every other page repeated this same fact over and over, and yet, Dominic still used the fewest words of any character I have ever read. I wanted to shake them out of him! There were some really good, sweet moments between the characters, but these moments were too short in my opinion. They needed more dialogue and less internal musings. When it was all said and done, I am glad I read the book. I still love Georgie and Travis, I am intrigued by Bethany and Wes, and I am so curious about Stephen and Kristin. This is a great family dynamic that I want more of, and if that was the author's intention, she succeeded.

3.5 stars: This is one of those books that I know had my brain and my heart battling it out. On one hand, I felt like it had a lot of issues that were not addressed. On the other hand... *swoon.*

For the swoon: Dominic. Loves. Rosie. Oh man, does he love her. I'm not a huge fan of the alpha male, but this man loves his wife. I love romances about established couples/marriages and I think Bailey did a great job of showing how people who love each other can get to a point where they are no longer together. In her introduction she talks about love languages, and she leans on that heavily in the book. It was a bit simplistic, but it definitely worked, and it hit me in all the feels.

The strength in the book comes from how Bailey writes the relationship arc, how Dominic and Rosie navigate their love & their commitment. Dominic's arc is especially moving, and while a little heavy-handed on the toxic masculinity, it was food for thought. As someone who has a lot of trouble saying what they are thinking, even while my brain is screaming JUST SAY IT, I could 100% relate to what his character and his difficulties in talking. People who express their emotions easily will probably be very frustrated with Dominic, but I understood him perfectly.

Like in Fix Her Up (which you don't have to read to enjoy this one, although it might help a little for background), I loved the female friendships and support.

For the issues: once again, like in Fix Her Up, the sexism wasn't addressed. These men are NOT feminists. Also, while both main characters are supposed to be POC, the representation felt really forced. Honestly, it read like a white woman trying to get diversity points. And, while I can appreciate that people have strong sexual chemistry, Rosie and Dominic's was over the top and got a little tiring. The sex scenes themselves though were fine and in traditional Tessa Bailey style, very high heat. Be warned, the pet name is "honey girl," and it is used liberally.

I read this book in two sittings. I really liked the relationship arc & the story; it made me laugh, it brought tears to my eyes once, and at the end I gave a great big happy-relieved sigh. That being said, the book has it's issues.

**Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.**

I thought this one was so cute! I really loved how Rosie and Dominic learned to communicate, and the way they broke down each other's walls over time. I've never read a Tessa Bailey novel before, and I think if I'm being honest, the sex scenes were a little too spicy for me. My only complaint was I was hoping for a few more tender scenes from Rosie and Dominic, something to contrast with how explosive their chemistry was the rest of the time.

This book was way too spicy for me, but I gotta say: Tessa Bailey is great at what she does. And also I know so many of you need to know that Bailey cites Gary Chapman's The Five Love Languages as serious inspiration. I thought that was a delightful nugget, and the way she incorporates the love languages into the book was so fun.

First off I would like to Thank NetGalley and Harper Collins Publisher for allowing me to read an advance digital copy of this amazing book! Second Thank You Tessa Bailey for writing once again a great romantic comedy love story!
This book takes you on a marriage journey between Rosie Vega and her high school sweetheart turned husband Dominic Vega. Rosie has found herself in a marriage that communication has completely broken down once her love of her life returned home from his final tour of Afghanistan. In no way has Dominic stopped loving his wife he just thought he was doing what he needed to do...provide for his wife. They may not speak to one another but once a week their sexual chemistry is off the chains and they have hot and heavy bedroom time (wink-wink.) Rosie finally has had enough of the silence and leaves her husband and moves out. Dominic will not let his marriage end without a fight and asks for one last chance to get her back. Rosie suggest they do one last ditch effort and go to marriage counseling with the pot smoking hippest one she could find.
Can the two learn to speak each others love language to save their marriage?

This book has it all ... relatable characters, romance, comedy, steamy sex scenes ... give this book a go you will not be disappointed one bit!!

As soon as I read Rosie on the page of book 1, I couldn’t wait for her story. I’m so happy it delivered.

I loved Rosie and Dominic. I love their history and their passion. The chemistry between them was overwhelming at times, yet somehow it really grounded them. It was delightful seeing Georgie and Bethany and the rest of the group and I’m beside myself at the set up for book 3.

Plot wise, it was good. Some scenes did feel a little repetitive, but it helped to show how they were taking down the walls and communicating. There were some subtle swoons and it was very sweet seeing these two reminisce and reconnect. Oh and don’t forget: chemistry off the charts.

Overall, it was so easy to root for these two and I swear I went through the entire range of emotions rigs along with them. I can’t even wait to see more of their HEA in the next one.

**Huge thanks to Avon for providing the arc free of charge**

I have to admit, I started this book feeling slumpy. I am so glad it got me out of my reading slump. Rosie and Dom were adorable. I loved them and I loved their dynamic. What annoyed me with this book and kept it from being a 4 or 5 stars was the fact that Rosie as never satisfied. That drove me nuts.

It did also make me think more about my own marriage and made me try and see things differently. I can be like Rosie, never satisfied, not paying attention to how my husband shows me he loves me. So I have to say, me getting that from this book was huge.

A delightful story about second chances, cooking and pursuing your dreams. These two were so imperfect and raw and I loved seeing the gradual thaw between them.

Rosie has been living for years in what feels like a loveless marriage to Dominic. So when she finally gets the nerve to leave him and start going after her own dreams, she realizes that there was more to her marriage than she wanted to see. That marriages often break down because of both parties and not just one.

Rosie was a little selfish in her way of thinking about the marriage. She was quick to put all the blame for their situation on Dominic. Even when she starts learning there was more to his love than what she was seeing, she wasn't ready to give him credit. Dominic is an alpha male, but when outside the bedroom, his love for Rosie is shown in quiet and unassuming ways.

These two are smoking hot together. I hadn't read Bailey before but she has the sexy romance genre on point. She wrote this wonderful couple, whose biggest draw to me, was that they weren't perfect. They were realistic and relatable, and then you got them together in the bedroom and wowzah! They remind us that marriage takes work and that we fall in love with people for a reason, and sometimes we lose sight of those reasons.

I received this one from HarperCollins and I hadn't read book 1 before this and I don't feel that I missed anything, which I absolutely love. But I am definitely adding Fix Her Up to my TBR because this is definitely a series I don't want to miss out on. Well done!

Rosie and Dominic have been together forever, but since he returned from his deployment over five years ago, their relationship has not been the same. They rarely talk to each other, and live mostly separate lives except for their scheduled weekly “sexy time.” Dominic thinks that everything is fine, but Rosie is unsatisfied. When she finally decides to call it quits, Dominic agrees to try a last ditch effort to save their marriage through counseling.

Overall, I thought this book was ok. Dominic’s hyper-masculine approach to his relationship with Rosie was too much at times (especially his so-called “dirty talk”). It often took me out of the story because of the cringe awkwardness. Additionally, I really didn’t enjoy Dominic’s secretive nature. His need to provide for Rosie was taken to the extreme and I found it difficult to believe. I wish Dominic’s character had been more developed.

I really enjoyed Fix Her Up because of the balance of humor and romance. Love Her or Lose Her is a much more serious novel. That being said, this was a fairly quick read and I didn’t hate it. I did appreciate how love languages were worked into the story. The ending was very sweet and I enjoyed their misadventures in marriage counseling as well. Tessa Bailey did a good job of showing these two characters falling back in love.

While I had hoped for a more humorous approach, I anticipate that most romance readers will probably enjoy this book.

In our roundup on RetailMeNot, 24 Last-Minute Stocking Stuffers Under $15, "Love Her or Lose Her by Tessa Bailey ($10.99 Kindle edition), [is] a sexy and sweet romp about a still-in-love couple on the brink of divorce trying to work their way back together."
https://www.retailmenot.com/blog/cheap-stocking-stuffers.html

Tessa Bailey is typically one of my auto buy authors. I tend to find her books dirty, funny, sometimes overwrought and dramatic but with this book this book felt different, more thoughtful and grounded and I have to say I like this change. Rosie and Dominic Vega are high school sweethearts who share a dream to better themselves. But they have lost the ability to communicate with each other and have become dependent on passion to cover up cracks. Until one day, Rosie realizes that passion won't be enough to feel like she is a healthy fulfilled relationship and tells Dominic how unhappy she is and that she wants to divorce. Initially Dominic tries to ignore the problems that Rosie lays out but through introspection and communication with his friends, he and Rosie enter couples therapy to work through their issues.

This is the very first romance that I've read where a couple goes through counseling to try to work through obvious issue and it was so refreshing. Instead of glaring and annoying, "why did they do that moments?!", there were actual moments of communication and growth.

Like most of Tessa Bailey's romances, the hotness factor was high, but it was also coupled with strong moments of sweetness and ultimately the book felt like the HEA was actually earned.

Tessa Bailey is definitely going on my list of new favorite authors to keep an eye out for! The Hot and Hammered series has been so much fun to read so far. I love the diversity not just in characters, but in storylines. I can honestly say I did not anticipate what was coming next for Dominic and Rosie and it was so fun to watch them remember who they were and find their way back to each other. The gang in their small town is too funny and I can't wait for more of this world with Bethany and Wes' story!

I actually really liked this one. It had the depth that I'm usually missing with romance books. I usually don't like super alpha/macho "i'm the man" dudes. But I think because Dom is a Man of Color I sort of get his programming. If that makes sense. I also like that he actively works on it. I may even have liked his personality more than Travis. The only thing I wish would have been explored more was the psychological effects of his time overseas.

Tessa Bailey is slowly working her way into my must read author list. This new series is adorable and hot and I can't get enough of it. This story was so moving and uncommon considering the couple is married. Looking forward to the next one!

Fix Her Up was one of my favorite books of the year so I was ecstatic to find out that the series was continuing! This time we are witnessing Rosie and Dominic's story,which picks up right after Fix Her Up ends. Tessa took a risk when writing this one because she used a very unhappy situation - a failing marriage - as a starting point for a romantic comedy. It shouldn't have worked as well as it did, but man was it good! I *might* even go as far as to say that this one was better than the first, because it was so realistic and emotional. The great dramatic moments you normally find in these types of books were quieter and internal which made them much more tragic but relatable. Who can't relate to feelings of inadequacy or losing part of themselves over time? Its part of growing up. I loved the fun that the therapist brought to the story, which was unexpected and wonderful. He provided a perfect reminder to them and us, the readers, that sometimes you need to look at something from a different perspective and not take things so seriously.

This book has all the emotions. While reading I felt Rosie and Dominic's emotions come through in the writing. This is a powerful story of two people who deeply love each other but have been so involved in their own heads and lives and have forgotten how much loved they shared. They will take you on a beautiful emotional journey of love and life.