Rating 4.5 Stars

Rosie and Dominic shared their first kiss in middle school, and thus, their romance began. However, Dominic seemed to be distancing himself from Rosie since returning from active duty, and Rosie, now tired of trying, decided to move out. This appeared to be a wake up call for Dominic, who agreed to last ditch marriage counseling. The question is whether love was enough to save this union.

Second chance romances are my kryptonite, and sweetening the deal, is the fact that these two shared so much history. I found it so easy to root for them to find their way back to each other, because it was obvious that they belonged together.

I have never been married, but I like that I am seeing more and more of these romances, where married couples try to work through their issues. A fairytale romance is great and all, but there is something so much more meaningful and hopeful about two people trying to save and reignite the love they had.

Bailey may have given these two a kooky therapists, but there was a method to his madness. He was able to get Dominic to open up, while also getting the two to understand each other's love language. Dominic was a man of action and he performed deeds to show his love. The problem was he did most of them in secret. The things he was doing on the DL for Rosie were really sweet, and I was happy, when she finally discovered all the small ways he expressed his love for her, and also liked the wonderful small ways she started showing her love for him.

Rosie needed words, and Dominic started small, with a letter, which was quite lovely, and definitely made me a bit misty. He would often share bits of their long history, and it was all so sweet and just turned me into a puddle of mush. He began to better understand what grown-up Rosie needed, and it was fantastic to see him rise to the occasion.

The thing I loved the most though, was seeing Rosie regain her confidence and go after her dream. The Just Us League was always behind her, But it was good that her husband was finally aware of her heart's desire as well.

This was a very heartwarming story, and all I can say, is that I smiled and teared up a whole lot. It was fun being back with the characters I loved from the previous book, while also meeting some new ones. There were laughs and love and grand gestures, which all enhanced my enjoyment and left me full of joy.

This is such a unique love story. The level of emotion and love is just astounding. This is not your typical boy meets girl, they fall in love and live happily ever after. This is about a couple who is already married but seem to have lost their way and what a story it is. Rosie and Dominic are both such complex and lovable characters and they’re such an incredible couple. Watching them struggle and fight for their marriage gave me so many feelings. I was in their corner from the beginning and I’m so happy they never gave up. This book is stunningly emotional, real and so poignant; it really hit me in the heart and soul. Tessa Bailey has penned something truly special here! I absolute loved it!!! This is such a great series so far with fantastic characters; I can’t wait for Wes & Bethany’s book which is sure to be amazing!

I am so thankful to the publisher and Netgalley for allowing me this early read!

It was great to read Rosie and Dominic’s story in this second book of what looks to be a trilogy. They were first introduced in the first book in the series Fix Her Up ad it was great to get to learn more about them. The couple has insane chemistry and it was interesting to see a romance novel focus on fixing a marriage.

I appreciate the opportunity to read an ARC of this novel. While I loved the premise, the story fell flat. I neither felt invested in Rosie in Dom as individuals, nor as a couple.

Enjoyable but I needed a bit more. I needed more to really buy into these characters and where they were coming from, how they felt. It was a decent read, I just was missing the wow.

I need to stop reading romance books about failing marriages because I'm always disappointed. Rosie and Dominic have a great marriage if your only qualifier is sex. One day Rosie realizes that because the sex is good (and the sex scenes in the book are well written and sexy) doesn't mean that she's happy with her husband not greeting her when she comes home from work or just talking to her at all. She decides that she wants a divorce. In desperation of not losing her, Dominic agrees with going to see a marriage therapist. Through the therapist, I realized that the book should be better called Communicate With Her or Lose Her. Not as catchy.

The book came so close to talking about actual issues. Rosie and Dominic express love in different ways. This was discussed and Dominic understands that he has to say things not just do nice things that she doesn't know about behind her back. I was so happy to read this. Then after this breakthrough the book didn't know what to do until the marriage therapist did a really cruel thing to them. It was brush aside in the end but it was cruel and dishonest. Dominic always did a stupid thing in the end but that got brushed aside because it was the ending of the book and the ending has to be happy with a bow on top of it.

The point this series is that love=horny. The happy couples are always wanting to have sex and everyone around them knows. It got tiring because what happens when a sex drive slows for (fill in the blank) reasons. Do they break up? Do they stop loving each other?

Also, I don't want to read the next book in this series as having a guy calling his love interest 'ice queen' is the opposite of sexy.

3 stars.

Love Her or Lose Her is the second installment in the Hot and Hammered series. I LOVED Fix Her Up and was excited to dive into this world again.

I went back and forth on how I feel about this book. I was hoping a few days would help me gain some perspective.

Let me start off by saying: it’s probably quite a bit more difficult to write about a couple who is already married and going through the not-so-glamours rough patch. I like angst as much as the next gal, but there was just something missing.

This book started off strong. I felt what Rosie was feeling - that she isn’t where she wants to be in life. That she wasn’t feeling fulfilled in her monotonous marriage.
Her husband - Dominic - was stoic except when it came to their routine Tuesday nights, where he’d finally show some passion, then back to robot mode.
She’d had enough.

Rosie leaving was just the rude awakening Dominic needed. He wants Rosie back and is willing to do anything to accomplish it.
Honestly, at this point, it was looking like a 5 star read for me. I was completely invested. The urgency with which Dominic was fighting for their marriage was admirable.

Where did things fall a little flat for me? I’d say it was midway through the book when they were being dealt with tasks. Their therapist was a tad silly. And the back and forth between them and other characters disrupted the flow.
This had me conflicted because I liked the side characters, but they did overwhelm the story in my opinion.

I like how the author didn’t just put all the blame on Dominic. It takes two. It was refreshing to see Rosie realize her shortcomings as well, and take responsibility for her part in the strain of their marriage.

The chemistry between Rosie and Dominic was hot and undeniable. But when they weren’t lusting after each other, I just didn’t see their connection. And I think that’s the most important part if you want a reader to fall in love with a story of an already established couple.

There was some definite great aspects that I absolutely enjoyed about this book - the humor, the chemistry and the different concept. And there were things I didn’t enjoy as much. So it’s a pretty much middle of the road for me. But that’s just me. I think a lot of people will actually like this one and I would recommend it if you love Tessa Bailey.

Ohhh my God, this book really worked for me.

I felt extremely meh about Fix Her Up. It was mostly fine, but parts of it really didn't work for me, or left me feeling uncomfortable. BUT NOT THIS ONE. The thing I enjoyed most about Fix Her Up were the side characters, i.e. Rosie and Dominic, so with this being their story I was so excited to read it. It is way more heartfelt and emotional while still being incredibly steamy.

Dominic and Rosie are the perfect couple. Married high school sweethearts, best friends, and ridiculously in love. Or at least, they used to be. Now Dominic barely speaks to Rosie, their relationship is in the gutter, and Rosie decides she’s had enough. She wants to live out her dream of opening a restaurant and she wants more out of love too. When she tells Dominic she wants a divorce, things start to change. He begs her not leave, not understanding what the problem is. He’s loyal to a fault, a good provider, and they love each other. What could possibly be making Rosie feel this way? Enter the ultimate marriage boot camp, a last-ditch effort to save what was once something beautiful between them.

This book is so emotional, it got me good. Rosie and Dominic really take a hard look at their marriage and realize that their communication is off. They learn about love languages and how to provide for each other in the way that best suits each other, and I just loved reading about them falling in love all over again.

The biggest problem I had with Fix Her Up was the characters. Georgie did not appeal to me, and neither did Travis. He was way too alpha male and some of the things he would say gave me an icky feeling. Dominic can also be described as an alpha male, but it feels different in his case. He grew up seeing his father in that role, providing for his wife and children and trying to give them the life they want and deserve. Dominic wants to do the same for Rosie. He begins the book being not great at verbally expressing his emotions. He’s more of an actions kind of guy and thinks he’s showing love by providing a home for his wife and working long hours so there’s money for food and essentials and comfort. He wants to be the provider, but he also doesn’t dissuade Rosie from working and providing as well. Granted she has a shitty job when the book opens, he never asks her to quit, instead he does little things that are revealed later that improve her work experience. He wants her to have her dream restaurant, he just doesn’t know how to effectively communicate that. He’s definitely alpha, but he has more reservations than what I found in Travis while reading Fix Her Up, and that worked so much better for me.

Rosie is also so much more appealing as a leading lady. Her personality is easier to connect to and her growth is fantastic. When she realizes that she and Dominic are both contributing factors to their marriage failing, and it’s not just him, it’s so raw and real and I loved it.

There were definitely still a few cringy things during the steamy scenes, but overall this book was so much better than Fix Her Up in my opinion, and I cannot wait for book three in this series!

*Thank you to Netgalley and Avon for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review.*

Don't be fooled by the sweet cartoon cover - this book is a scorcher. Like... hot hot hot. Rosie and Dominic have been together since the seventh grade, and their marriage is in trouble, but their sexual chemistry is emphatically not the problem.

Rosie (who we met in Fix Her Up) has been feeling isolated in her marriage for a while, and trapped in her job. Dominic has been exclusively focused on providing for and caring for Rosie in invisible ways, and has stopped communicating. I'm not sure I've read a book that has the heroine leaving the hero in chapter two, but having a black moment that early on left me wondering how they were going to repair their marriage.

Bailey does a wonderful job of making their love for each other clear, and having them discover how to express that love. She also takes the unusual step of actually showing the characters in therapy (which has some serious comic moments, but also very very poignant).

I was a little annoyed by Dominic's stoicism and inability to reveal a secret he'd been keeping, but mostly I appreciated how quickly he accepted other feedback on how to be a better partner.

I'm really enjoying this series - it has comedy, a sweet cast of characters, and it also sizzles.

I received an ARC from the publisher via Netgalley for review.

Dang the steam is real with this one. I was not expecting that level of smut somehow. I didn't read the first book in this series although I know there were mixed reviews. Books like this make me wish for half star reviews because it's really not quite a 4 star but 3 stars seems low. I found the story engaging and inoffensive (not to say it couldn't be, just that I didn't pick up on it) which is pretty much all I'm looking for in a romance. Some of the terms used during the sexy times were a bit personally cringe-worthy but that won't bother everyone.

I was so in love with the first book in this series, I thought there would be no way that the second one could hold up. Oh boy was I wrong! I think I liked this one even more. I just thoroughly loved Rosie and Dominic Vega. Their relationship was so sweet and even though they were married, it had a really excellent slow burn. I am officially ready for the next book in this series!

I loved the first book in the series and the secondary characters were a big part of my happiness with this book. This second book in the series give the secondary characters a spotlight and I loved it!

I was not expecting how this book was going to make me cry! The feels in this had my emotions all over the place. If you got to read book one, we were introduced to married couple Dominick and Rosie. This is their story.

We learned they were having some trouble in book one and in Love Her or Lose Her, Rosie is at the end of her rope and decides to do something about it. This couple needed a wake up call. The author takes us on their journey to discover if their marriage can be saved.

I'm going to be honest here and say that I fell completely for Dominick. I don't want to give anything away so I am not going to go into details. I'm just going to say that this broken marriage was not what I thought it was going to be. The things you find out will make you swoon. Yes, swoon. I know that's not what you would think about a troubled marriage. Let's just say the proof is in the details.

What this book taught me is that it just goes to show that you can have a madly in love couple and still struggle. We all know that it takes work for a marriage to survive but this also pointed out that we may be blind to a few details. It really was a great way to follow an already established couple and see love come alive again.

I loved <b>Fix Her Up<b>, and had super high hopes for the second book in the <b><i>Hot and Hammered</i></b> series. Unfortunately, this one is a mess.

I had problems right off the bat. The principal characters are appealing on paper, but once you get to know them (OOPS! THAT NEVER ACTUALLY HAPPENS), I didn't like the trope - a marriage in trouble, and I always struggle with this authors addiction to nicknames. But since the first book featured a children's party planner who liked dressing as a clown and being silly - AND I LOVED HER - I ignored the warning signs and read it anyway.

Rosie has dreams of owning her own restaurant one day. She works as a perfume salesperson at a big box store and she hates it. She's a brilliant cook - and her friends and the <i>Just Us League</i> (a women's empowerment group started in <b>Fix Her Up</b>) never stop reminding her how talented she is. The group has even fundraised a portion of the money needed to start her own restaurant, but Rosie lacks the confidence to 'go for it.' So she spends her days at a job she hates, dressed in heels that make her miserable, and returns home to a silent, stoic husband who only pays attention to her on Tuesdays, when they have incredible sex. YEAR AFTER YEAR SHE LIVES THIS LIFE. Great, supportive friends + miserable job + disinterested husband + dreams of owning a restaurant.

After a stint abroad in the military, Dominic returned home a different man. Quiet and afraid to voice his feelings, he exists to serve his wife. He loves her and wants her...and thinks his father's version of marriage - provider first - is the way to his wife's heart. DESPITE ZERO EVIDENCE OF SUCCESS IN HIS OWN MARRIAGE. He doesn't ask Rosie about her life or her dreams or her desires, he simply clings to memories of long ago conversations about the type of home they envisioned for themselves, and works to provide for them. He loves Rosie more than ever (they were childhood sweethearts), but makes no attempt to get to know this adult version of her, only shedding his stoic facade when they have intense sex every Tuesday night.

Hmmm....so Rosie is fed up with her life and when the story opens, it's a TUESDAY SEX FEST DAY, and she's just not feeling it. Why should she feel like shit 6 days a week in her lame marriage she asks herself (for real girl, why did it take this long???!!!). So instead of telling her husband she wants more than amazing Tuesday night sex, she leaves him. As one does. No conversation, no 'why won't you talk to me?', no 'do you love me?', no...nothing.

Dominic, who apparently didn't realize giving your wife the silent treatment for years and then expecting great sex once a week isn't exactly normal, freaks out. When Rosie offers an opportunity to fix the complete disaster that is their relationship by seeing a marriage therapist, he's wary but desperate, and agrees.

And then this odd story goes totally off the rails.

Rosie and Dominic start going to a marriage therapist who: is getting high when they arrive for their first appointment and has a threesome in a tent they set up as a bonding exercise during a homework assignment after the second one. Ahem. Look, you adore your spouse, want to fix your marriage, and you agree a therapist that neither of you has any confidence in is a good bet. I call bullshit.

Marriage therapy is a real thing. It's hard work. Saving a marriage isn't a joke. But in <b>Love Her or Lose Her</b>, it's all jokey, jokey, sex-y, sex-y, funny friends, awkward bonding, jokey, jokey. Bam. Marriage saved. Because unlike most other struggling marriages, Dominic and Rosie actually LOVE EACH OTHER MORE THAN ANYTHING ON EARTH and HAVE AMAZING, INCREDIBLE, CRAZY HOT SEX and WOULD DO ANYTHING FOR EACH OTHER. Except for that one pesky BIG problem. They refuse to communicate with each other. Which - newsflash - is essential in any working relationship. Just freaking talk to each other.

Friends, I liked the brief glimpses of Georgie and Travis, and that's about it. Even the sex is overkill in this one. Chemistry is great, but if you can't share your hopes and dreams with someone you claim to love and is your soulmate, I don't think you're actually in love? We never know Rosie and Dominic beyond their insatiable lust for each other...and although I enjoyed the first tease of Bethany and the future love of her life...once the Just For Us league got involved and they bickered and bickered and bickered, the relationship grew tedious by the end. I think I'm already over them, too. Bummer.

Dominic and Rosie have been together since middle school but have stopped communicating outside of the bedroom. Rosie is done with feeling alone in her marriage. She wants out but Dominic isn’t letting her go. I loved this book. Bailey does a great job delving into each of their emotions and how they can love each other deeply while still failing to give each other what they truly need. I physically hurt for them at times but Bailey really manages to keep things from being too emotional. There is still laughter and all the dirty talk Bailey is known for. This might be favorite Tessa Bailey book ever.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I'd be lying if I said this wasn't more than a little disappointing. Fix Her Up was one of my favorite romances of the year and unfortunately this one didn't even come close to hitting the same mark for me. I didn't feel the chemistry between Rosie and Dominic that I was hoping to feel based off of the snippets of tension we see between them in Fix Her Up. Also, if you disliked Travis (the love interest from Fix Her Up) for being too hyper-masculine, you will definitely not like Dominic. His entire personality revolved around ~*being the man Rosie needed*~ and it just.. really didn't work for me. Overall, this book was entertaining and I didn't hate it, but it definitely had more strikes against it than positives for me and I am sad.

I really liked Fix Her Up so I was excited to read the second book in this world. This is a second chance romance about a married couple, Rosie and Dominic. Like Fix Her Up, this was a very shmexy read. The sexual chemistry and interactions between Rosie and Dominic was super smutty, and it felt more natural compared to Travis and Georgie’s relationship.

Both characters are pretty intense and the plot is about them struggling to heal their broken marriage so it’s already a darker vibe. This made it a more angsty and serious story. I enjoyed FHU more because of Georgie’s charming personality. She brought a lot of light and levity to the romantic tension.

With Rosie and Dominic, they go from a level 1 to a level 10 in the tension, sexual chemistry just by breathing next to each other. And dare I say? After awhile it was too much sexual tension for me? I think I needed more humor between them. The couple goes to therapy, an aspect I really loved in the story, and that’s where we see more of them simply talking and trying to be comfortable with each other again.

The book focused very heavily on the concept of 5 Love Languages by Gary Chapman. A concept that says people have a innate preferred way of expressing and receiving love. Dominic expresses love by service. He does little things for Rosie. Rosie expresses love through words. And because they don’t understand each other’s love language, they’ve both been feeling undervalued and unloved in their marriage. I have read the Champan’s book and while I like the concept, I think Bailey focused too much on different love languages as the issue in the couple’s relationship.

This is worth reading if you liked Fix Her Up. It’s a lot more angsty and dark because of the characters’ personalities and their relationship, but it was still fun. And I loved seeing all the characters from the FHU. It looks like Bethany is next and it’s going to be a enemies-to-lovers one!

** Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for providing me with an arc to review.

Phew.... talk about STEAMY and HOT my friends!!

I LOVED this book! This was the perfect book to take on my honeymoon to Mexico.

What more can you ask for? Steam, spice, emotions, romance, and relatable characters! The fact that she wrote about a married couple?! I loved it even more!

The romance between these two characters was sweet, sexy, and oh my INTENSE! This is what a romance is all about my friends. You can't turn away from the chemistry between these two.

Dominic and Rosie are are on the brink of a separation after being married for 10 years. They both are unhappy with lack of communication and misunderstood desires that has led to a marriage of silence. They both are scared to talk to one another.... will their marriage last?

I've heard mixed reviews for her first book which I haven't read but this is ONE that you cannot miss!

4.5 stars!

Thank you so much to Avon and Netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Pub date: 1/14/20
Published to GR: 11/24/19

I really enjoyed reading Fix Her Up, and Tessa Bailey did not disappoint with the second in the Hot & Hammered series. Rarely do romance novels focus on characters falling in love for a second time, and it was wonderful to watch Rosie and Dominic work for a second chance at love.

Okay I have iffy feelings about this book. For me it was a lot of hit or miss. I really liked Rosie and I came to like Dominic too but it was a bit of a tough book to get through at least for me. It was really different than most books that I read which I kind of enjoyed because they start out being married versus that being the ending even though it was a bit of the ending too. I just had a really tough time getting into this one, because of the fact that I found Dominic to be kind of challenging for most of it and I was just screaming, "TELL HER" like the entire time. The Just Us League though was absolutely incredible like even better than the first book, Tessa Bailey does such a great job in establishing a community to support the main characters. I think Bethany and Georgie were my favorite parts of this book, especially Bethany. Bethany was just so funny and I loved the girls relationship that part was so good. I'm also really looking forward to Bethany and Wes's story, that one sounds like it's going to be good, I love a hate to love story. Anyway, overall it was okay just not my favorite so 3 stars.