I do love romances with married couples as I feel there is so much that the authors can write about by picking on daily struggles that couples go through rather than focus on just the story to get to the marriage. This married couple romance was such a treat with beautifully written characters and such an amazing story. I would highly recommend this book. The chemistry between the hero and heroine is oh so sexy and hot.

* I received this ARC from NetGalley and the publisher for an honest review*

I enjoyed this book but I didn’t love it. I tend to prefer romances that show the beginning of the relationship rather than second chance romances.

I read an e-arc copy via NetGalley. This does not affect my rating or review.

I think I was excited to read this romance because as far as I know this is the few romances this author has with PoC leads. I figured hey, why not give it a try on audio. I actually think hearing the actress butcher the hero's Bronx accent, I would've been better off with just the ebook instead.

I really liked the concept of this book. About a married couple who just fell into a boring routine and just couldn't find the heart to do anything about it until the heroine filed for separation. I think my issue was just that the hero and heroine were both Latino/a, but I wasn't satisfied with the representation. The hero was Puerto Rican and kind of misogynistic and bonehead-ish. It was like he had no interest in his wife unless it was having sex with her. And the heroine was mixed race, Argentine and African-American meaning she was Afro-latina and yet, she never called herself that. She could've been just Argentine and it wouldn't have mattered. I don't see why she was both it the author wasn't going to incorporate both cultures. I don't know any mixed race black people who don't take some sort of interest in their black side, too. As an Afro-latina reader, I'm not sure why every Afro-latinx character every author chooses to write about is mixed race??? There are latinos(YES EVEN FROM ARGENTINA)that are black without being mixed race. I just don't know why people is 2020 haven't learned that yet!!!

The hero was kind of stereotypical and machismo, I just think it was a bad look for PR men and it's gonna limit my reads from this author unless they're white characters.

This is my second Tessa Bailey book (I read the first in this series) and I think I've decided that her books just aren't for me. I really disliked the male lead — how am I supposed to root for their marriage to work when he bought a house without even telling his wife?! I kept thinking that Rosie would be better off without Dominic, so it made them hard to root for. I'm usually not a fan of second-chance stories anyway, but I really couldn't connect with this one (and trust me, I tried). If you're looking for something extra steamy, then this is a good read, but the plot and narrative style didn't work for me.

Read about a quarter of this and it’s just not for me. I really dislike the macho male character and honestly would find it creepy if a man I dumped was out secretly heating up my car before work or interrupting my girls night to beg for me back slash try to sex me up. It does not feel like 2020 up in this book. Hopefully the book shows a shift in this dynamic but I’m just not here to watch a sexist dude become a butterfly.

Rosie and Dominic Vega are married and were childhood sweethearts. They have a steamy sex life but don't talk outside of random every day events. When Rosie suggests they see a therapist to her surprise Dominic is all for it. Never mind that the therapist turns out to be a pot smoking hippie dude. The two do start working on their marriage with Dom admitting he has PTSD issues and controlling issues. Rosie has to learn to deal with her issues as well. A good read.

I received a copy of this book via Netgalley and am leaving a review.

True to Tessa Bailey's style, she has created another romantic comedy that has filled with belly-rockin' laughter along with all the sexy times that will keep you clutching at your novel for more.

What a beautiful story that hits home and your heart!! A realistic telling of the ups and downs of marriage, going with the flow, caught up in the redundancy of life. But bravo for Rosie for standing up for herself, determined to get what she deserves, opening not only her eyes, but Dominic's too. This story gripped my heart and had me rooting for their marriage. It is so easy to get caught up in the normalcy of life, that remembering to live in the moment, find happiness is a worthwhile fight. I loved Rosie and Dominic's journey, and them learning their love languages. I think this is my second favorite Tessa Bailey book, after Brent and Hayden of course.

I received this book in exchange for an honest review from the publisher through Netgalley.

I’m usually not a fan of second chance romances, especially when it comes to married couples, but I was very interested in Rosie and Dominic when I first met them in Fix Her Up. Unfortunately, I really didn’t love Travis and Georgie’s story in the first book. But, on a whim, I requested a copy of Love Her or Lose Her and took a chance. And ohmygod ohmygod ohmygod it was nothing I expected and everything I hoped it would be.

Dominic and Rosie are high school sweethearts, but ever since Dominic returned from deployment five years ago, her husband has been distant. They do not talk. They do not spend time together. Every Tuesday night they finally give in to their sexual frustrations and fuck like bunnies. All sex, no talk. Afterwards, they both go back to existing. So the passion is there, but the words are not. Until Rosie decides to blow everything up and walk out the door.

I could NOT put this book down! I started and finished all in one day, and I totally would have read it in one sitting if real life did not get in the way. Rosie and Dominic spoke to my heart. I felt their issues on such a real level that I just wanted to scream a them both to “open your mouth and talk!” They both have their own “love language” they need to navigate I loved seeing the emotional journey from beginning to end.

One of the main reasons I’m not a fan of reading second chances or married couples is that I always start with the assumption there will not be enough sexual tension to keep me on the hook. But let me tell you Rosie and Dominic have some of THE BEST sexual tension between them! Seriously, I can’t even count how many books I’ve read since the last time there this much explosive sexual frustration. Plus, when they finally do succumb to their urges, ohmygod it is scorching hot! I will never not remember that hotel scene!

The ending was more than a bit predictable, but ohmygod it was good!

No worries, there was plenty of interference from the Just Us League. Bethany and Georgie…and even Kristin get involved. Plus, Stephen and Travis are not going to stay out of their friends’ marriage while it’s falling apart. Oh oh oh! Bethany’s prospective beau makes his appearance and ohmygod do they hate each other. Their book is guaranteed to be delicious.

Holy "Is it hot in here or is it just me?" Steaminess!

I loved this sexy romantic comedy about a young married couple whose rocky relationship needs an intervention. Maybe it's because as a married woman I could relate to so many aspects of their issues. It's so easy to fall into a daily rut and lose sight of not only who you were and are but your spouse as well.

Dominic and Rosie are are on the brink of divorce after being married for 10 years. They are unhappy, lack communication and living in a marriage of silence. The only thing still working between them is their sex life and boy was it steamy, hot & heavy!!! But are the sparks in the bedroom enough of a reason to stay together?

As the couple drifted apart, they lost sight of their dreams and themselves. Dominic knows he can not live without Rosies and is willing to do anything to bring her home - even seeing an unconventional therapist. I loved their journey to finding each other again and discovering that they both played a part in the unhappy state of their marriage. Bailey did an amazing job of having them wrestle with their feelings of inadequacy and love.

This was my favorite book in this series so far. I binged this and was up way past my bedtime - with flushed cheeks! 😉

Title: Love Her or Lose Her (Hot & Hammered 2)
Author: Tessa Bailey
Genre: Contemporary Romance
My Rating: 4 ++

………………

There were so many mixed reviews for this one, but I didn't let it deter me from reading it for myself. Neither should you. I thought it was a decent read. You might as well.

We start the story with Dominic and Rosie who are a couple that have been married for years; which I loved. Dom and Rosie are trying desperately to fix their marriage. In a nutshell, Rosie’s had enough of Dominic’s crap and declares she’s leaving him…for good. That was the wake-up call Dominic needed to get his head out his rear and fight for his wife. Can Dom find Rosie in time to make amends, and save his marriage? Or is it too late for the handsome couple? Find out yourself with this entertaining read. It was entertaining just wished it had a little…more…oomph, I guess. Beside that the sex scenes were UH-MAZ-ING! And the overall plot, and development of the characters was great, and worth seeing for yourself.

*I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

I loved this story! Great characters that just pop off the pages. A well written storyline you can really sink your teeth into. Definitely worth the read!!

Love this book which is usual for me on Tessa Bailey books. Very cute story about reigniting the fire in a couples love and learning to build foundations and trust again. Romance novels often leave out long running love stories opposed to meeting for the first time, loved ever page!

Oh my god, I loved this!! I completely devoured it in 2 sittings and was left with a big smile on my face. I adore Tessa Bailey and her writing. The chemistry, steam, and characters are always perfect and this one tops the cake.
I loved Fix Her Up so I was eagerly awaiting the sequel and it was blew my expectations out of the water. This was so different than the books I’ve been reading lately in the sense that it deals with an already married couple working through real communication problems. Rosie and Domenic have been each other’s everything since Middle School, but they’ve both grown and changed and they needed to find their way back to each other. I loved how strong Rosie was, especially with her big dreams of opening up a restaurant. She’s so sweet and caring and I was so proud of her for making her a dream a reality by the end of this. Domenic was such a hot possessive alpha male, and although in the beginning I was frustrated with him, I loved watching his character develop and watching him open his heart to Rosie was extremely sweet. And the TENSION! The sexual tension was oozing off the page. It was so steamy!! I was literally fanning myself when I read some scenes with these two. It was addicting to read and I couldn’t get enough of it!

I really loved learning about the love languages and how people accept love in different ways. Very interesting and I loved watching Rosie and Domenic open up to eachother and fall back in love. It was so incredibly sweet and I couldn’t put this book down. I also really liked seeing Georgie and Travis continue their HEA! Super cute! I’m now dying for Bethany and Wes’s story!!! Those two are going to be hilarious to read about!!

Be sure to pick up anything by Tessa Bailey but especially Love Her or Lose Her if you’re craving a deep love story with charm and steam!

I loved Fix Her Up, however, this book fell short for me. This one seemed to lean heavily on sex scenes for shock value and the character development and story fell short for me. I will be posting a photo and description on Instagram but will withhold my personal opinion in the posting.

As always Tessa Bailey delivers a hot, sexy but sweet story about reconciling. I loved the drama and romance in Dominic and Rosie. So well written and thought out.

I was a bit hesitant to continue with Tessa Bailey's Hot and Hammered series as I did not care for the first book. The tropes and characters in Fix Her Up just weren't for me. However, I liked Bailey's writing style and the glimpses of Rosie and Dominic in Fix Her Up seemed promising, so I decided to give it a chance. I am so glad that I did! I thoroughly enjoyed Love Her or Lose Her and I've realized that marriage in trouble is fast becoming one of my favorite tropes! A decade into their marriage, high school sweethearts Rosie and Dominic's relationship isn't what it used to be. They come to realize that they both have a part in the current not-so-great condition of their marriage and we follow along as they attempt to figure out what the other needs and how to communicate with each other (I found the discussion of love languages extremely relatable and interesting!). I was immediately invested in Rosie and Dominic's romance and found myself rooting for both of them as they tried to navigate their changed relationship. I look forward to what's next in the series - the setup for what I'm assuming is the third book sounds great!

The story was sweet and the same things that bothered me about Tessa Bailey's last novel bothered me about this one. As a Long Island native I thought this would be a fun read like the last. But Bailey still refers to the places in Port Jeff (which she calls Port Jefferson constantly) like a tourist. This makes it feel less believable considering all the characters have been Port Jeff natives since childhood. My biggest issue with this story was how many times the two characters seemed to have resolve their issues only for another falling out to occur. Typically the exposition of the story happens towards the end with a nice tie up in the last few chapters. However huge issues occurred 3/4ths of the way through the book and were resolved a few chapters later only for more issues to occur. I was left unsatisfied while searching for a conclusion that took far too long to occur. The biggest plus from this story was seeing the lives of the other characters from Port Jeff that we had visited in previous story. I am very excited to read about Bethany and Wes who were obviously the next main characters but I hope it feels more authentic and less like a tourist visiting.

Rating: 3.5 stars

I don't know why I torture myself with second chance romances, haha.

There were moments that had me really liking Dominic, like when he brings Rosie's jacket for her and hangs it in the entryway without saying anything about bringing her jacket. He shows his love through doing things for Rosie and doesn't want "credit" for them. (I TOTALLY called that Dominic's love language is acts of service and Rosie's is words of affirmation about a chapter before they actually talk about love languages in the book, which I thought was funny.) And Dominic struggles with a lot of self-worth issues, which I really felt for. But MAN, I got really tired of reading him come to this light bulb realization that their problem is a lack of communication and that he needs to open up and talk to Rosie about his fears/insecurities, and resolving to do better. And then in the SAME PARAGRAPH he *consciously chooses* to continue hiding those selfsame fears/insecurities. After about the third time we lather-rinse-repeat I just threw my hands up in the air and gave up on Dominic.

I really liked Rosie and her friendship with the Just Us League. Her chemistry with Dominic is also hot, and I was RIGHT THERE WITH HER on her feelings about her boss. I have felt that feel, Rosie. I have also had a boss who was the human version of Le Squirt Bon Bon. Rosie and Dominic go through a lot of growth in their own selves so they can repair their relationship, and this was a great look at how couples don't just get together and live HEA, but sometimes you need to really work at a relationship to keep it healthy.

This is the second book in the Hot & Hammered series, and can be read as a stand alone. There are some minor spoilers for the first book in the series, Fix Her Up, the main characters from that book, Georgie and Travis, are prominent side characters in this one.

I enjoyed Fix Her Up, so I didn't hesitate in requesting Love Her or Lose her. I was intrigued that this was about marriage in trouble. While Dom and Rosie are high school sweethearts, they hardly recognize each other. Tired of silence, Rosie finally leaves. Dom finally recognizes their situation is dire and agrees to counseling. There are steps forward and steps backwards for these two.

Again, I like that this book was centered around a marriage in trouble. I also liked that the two characters are latino and latina. There is certainly chemistry between the two characters. However, I think there was too much focus on the physical part of their relationship, which wasn't amongst their issues. It overshadowed the seriousness of the troubles they were having. I felt like Dom was was written too much like a stereotypical alpha. Some readers may like that, but it was a turn off for this reader. I feel there was an opportunity to tackle some serious issues, but the author didn't deliver.