I thought fix her up was my favorite in the series, but this one.. this one has me second guessing my rating. I’m in love. I’m in love with Wes. I’m in love with everything about this book. At times I thought oooof that’s quick but in the same breath I was crying and thinking this is perfect.

Thank you to Netgalley and HarperCollins for the copy in exchange for an honest review!

The story follows Wes Daniels, who is known for not settling down. Although he has a warm side--he's a caregiver for his five-year-old niece. Then there's Bethany, who seems perfect on the outside but is actually kind of a mess. The two start off hating each other, and go back-and-forth with sarcastic banter until they suddenly begin to fall for each other as they work together to flip a house.

It's your classic enemies-to-lovers trope, filled with a lot of chemistry, sexual tension and steamy scenes. It was a fun and quick read, and I'd love to pick up more from this author!

The third book in the series, Tools of Engagement gives us more insight into Bethany's need to have everything organized just-so. The dynamic between her and Wes was cute yet steamy but I did feel like it was missing a few chapters where we could have watched it grow more organically.

Wes is working a construction site when he meets Bethany. She so a glamorous ice princess type who does the finishing design for her brothers flipped houses. But he sees more in her and is intrigued. Bethany sees this cowboy with a little girl to foster and just cant take him seriously, she is drawn to him yet she’s just too uptight for a boyfriend. But she sure could use his help on a flip she is planning. Enter Flip Off, a reality TV show that pits Bethanys flip against her brothers. Wes leaves her brothers employ to work on Bethanys. With hearts involved, will he flip more than her house?
Wonderful contemporary romcom with some adult scenes. Bethany is dynamic yet flawed and real. Laura, the little girl Wes is trying to get guardianship of, calls Bethany “Elsa” and wonders aloud if, when she farts, it comes out as a shard of ice. Bethany is afraid to be anything but perfect such that she cannot be real. We all know that person or are that person. Wes;s character is much the same as regular heroes: strong, knows what he wants. But he is able to see Bethany;s terror of imperfection yet also see that she is lovable.
I would recommend this book to my patrons.

I absolutely adored this book! It was exactly what I’ve come to expect from Tessa Bailey: funny, infuriating, sexy as hell, and full of love. Bethany’s constant internal struggle with perfection and Wes’s infatuation with her from the jump made for a beautiful (and steamy) love story that lined up nicely with the other two books in the series. In the end, I was so happy everyone got their happy endings. Wes and Bethany, though messy, are extremely lovable characters that made this read a breeze. It’s going to be the perfect book for me to recommend all of my friends curl up with this fall..

This was a fun read that had some deeper issues explored. Bethany stages homes for her family's business, but is looking to branch out on her own. This causes her to stress and overthink every little detail in fear of not producing a perfect appearance.

Wes is in town to take care of his niece while his sister struggles to pull herself together. He's always been someone without roots, so staying in one place for months is new to him.

I thought their banter was pretty great. Tessa Bailey always excels at writing UST, so this didn't disappoint there. I thought Wes and Bethany worked really well together, and it was nice watching Wes slowly help Bethany bring down her walls and her incessant need to be perfect.

I do wish there was a little more time dedicated to their personal issues, or at least, some extra dialogue in the end with them discussing how they can improve going forward. But overall, this was an enjoyable read, and I loved seeing the other couples there (especially Rosie and Dominic, who were my favorite of the bunch!)

I also want to note that I liked how Becky was given a second chance and was welcomed into their Just Us League group in the end. She wasn't made to be the villain, and instead was shown as a woman who had a traumatic past that prevented her from being a good mother for a time. But her willingness to do what was best for Laura showed the type of person she was, and I'm happy she was able to get an extended family in the end.

Another great series from Tessa Bailey!

I just finished Tools of Engagement by Tessa Bailey, who is one of my contemporary faves. She did not disappoint with this one, although I found this book a little hard to escape into right now because of current world events. The fact that it held my attention showed I still really enjoyed it though, and I definitely recommend it! This is Wes and Bethany's story, which has been teased ever since he arrived in town and the two of them have arguments with very obvious tension. This one would be great for anyone who loves single dad romance, house flipping shows, or identifies with Bethany’s struggle of hiding behind her perfect exterior.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for the chance to read and review an ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Bethany and Wes’s story is a mash up of lots of things. You have single dad, age gap, and opposites attract all of which come together to tell a fun story. I had a really hard time liking Bethany since she is pretty much written to be an ice queen but by the end of the book I was rooting for her as she was able to let her insecurities show some. Wes was a lot easier to warm up to as a fun loving cowboy willing to drop everything to take over raising his niece. Overall it is a good book and a quick read. #ToolsOfEngagement #NetGalley

Loooooved! I was so excited to see the third book in this series by Tessa Bailey! I was thrilled to finally have Bethany's story, and I was not disappointed! Her relationship with Wes is hinted at throughout the first two books, but it was so satisfying to read her story. I loved it so much!

Oh my goodness-this book. This is my first Tessa Bailey read, and I have already ordered the other two in this series. I think we all love a good "will they/won't they" story, and this one surely doesn't disappoint. These characters have so much chemistry, you feel it as you are reading it. Not to mention, it's very well written. I started reading this morning, and literally didn't put it down until I was finished. A great plot line, great chemistry, and a little steaminess-what more are you looking for in a book? This is definitely one I will be re-reading. Highly recommend!

Adored this read. Tess Bailey brings the heat, and the humor. Hilarious family competition, hot romance, and fantastic friendships. Top 2020 read.

There is so much to love about this book. Bethany and Wes are very much opposites. She is tightly controlled, high anxiety, and obsessed with achieving perfection. Wes is a little bit wild, a lot of mess, and way laid back. They are both working on finding out how they fit in to their worlds. Bethany is also 7 years older than Wes - but in emotional age she might be a little bit younger.

Wes is caring for his niece while his sister takes a "break" from parenting. Wes and his sister grew up in foster care. At age 23 Wes has lived in 14 different homes and has learned that nothing sticks around for long. His plan is to care for his niece until his sister gets her act together - and then be off again.

Bethany is grounded in a tightly knit family and small town. She is a talented designer with an ivy league education. She also suffers from crippling anxiety and fear that she has hid from her family and friends with a smooth veneer of perfection.

Bethany and Wes are oil and water until Wes is the only one of her brother's crew that is willing to work with her on her first independent house flip. That brings Wes and Bethany together in a very real way and lets them open up to each other. Once they do that - you can see that they are the only ones who truly see each other.

I loved the imperfections in all the characters and how both Bethany and Wes don't try to fix each other - just support each other. I do hope that Bethany does get some therapy, tho.

Overall this is a great read - and although I didn't read the first two books in the series - I don't think I missed anything in this story because of that.

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley, but these opinions are my own.

Tools of Engagement is a feisty romcom from the wonderful Tessa Bailey! I've been loving the books in this seres but I think this is my favorite so far! I hope she continues to write books like these because if she does I'll be reading them all!

I love this series, there's no secret about that! I was so excited about Bethany & Wes's story and I really enjoyed it!
This book is fun, flirty and steamy & easy to fly through!
I will say my favorite in the series is the first one, Fix Her Up but this was still a fun read!
I will read about any character in Port Jefferson & I'm glad Bethany finally got to tell her story!

Cute book, a nice conclusion to the trilogy. Although handsome man takes care of newly vulnerable young child is a bit of a cliche, this was well done.

Bethany Castle is always in her element. She is calm, collected and cool. After all, she is the interior decorator for her family's business and that's exactly what she does best. Put everyone else at ease and make them feel welcome. But what about her, who is going to be there for her when she doesn't have the energy to always be "perfect"?

Wes Daniels, isn't used to sticking around in one place for a long time. He's used to jumping from one place or another; hence his career at being a bull rider. Life throws Wes a curve ball and he soon finds himself in Port Jefferson taking care of his five year for the unforeseeable future.

I really enjoyed Fix Her Up (book #1 in the series), but Love Her or Lose Her (book #2 in the series) wasn't one I connected with as much. Tools of Engagement might be my favorite of the series. I love a sweet (and dirty) talking, sexy cowboy and Wes was all of those things. The banter between Wes and Bethany was so perfect and the sexual tension was always simmering between these two. But more than that, I loved how Wes seemed to completely get Bethany. He pushed her when she needed it and backed off when she needed her space. He was affectionate and attentive and always so damn sweet.

His sweetness and desire to protect both this niece and Bethany was definitely what made me fall for Wes. The interactions between Wes and his niece were some of my favorites. They were so sweet together and I ended up falling for both of them. A lot of times the single parent trope doesn't hold that much appeal to me, but these two were so perfect in this book!

I loved the interactions between Bethany and the Just Us League. I enjoyed revisiting with Georgie, Rosie and the rest of the gang. Watching Bethany transform and let go of her insecurities was perhaps my favorite part of this book. As Tessa states in her acknowledgements - we don't always have to be that perfect person that's thrown across our social media. It's okay to just be who we are.

Tools of Engagement releases September 22, 2020 - add this to your TBR list!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher.

Surprisingly I liked this a lot better than "Fix Her Up" despite its rave reviews. In my opinion, Bethany and Wes had so much better chemistry and the sexual tension, woo-wee! Our cowboy wasn't afraid to shoot his shot and it was refreshing to see a male lead pursuing the heroine for once. He was the perfect book boyfriend with his patience and sweet encouragements he gave Bethany during her struggle with her insecurities. I really liked seeing them together despite how fast their relationship moved later on in the novel and the appearances of the previous characters that were featured in past installments. Am I the only one who wants to read how Stephen and Kristen's stable but unstable relationship started? They're a riot! Nevertheless, this is a great addition to the "Hot & Hammered" series.

I loooove Tessa Bailey and Love her or Lose Her is one of my favorite books ever! However, this one did not do it for me. It was a great book but it wasn't a great book for me. It seemed like with this series Bailey tried different things for each one of the books in this series. And this one just didn't work for me. And that's not saying it wasn't good. It was a good book with Bailey's typical fantastic writing but the set up was off for me. A lot of interruptions between the main couple that I didn't love. Saying this book didn't work for me just means that it wasn't the best book I had ever read by her. Not every book can be a hit out of the park. I was left with saying "meh". It was still good but not what I usually see from Bailey.

Tools of Engagement by Tessa Bailey

The first page HOOKS you right in (I mean come on!! That was the cutest thing ever) and then the story just flows so perfectly. We are entertained the entire book. These characters were fun to read about. Bailey takes us on a bit of a “Flip” rollercoaster. We get lots of emotions, ones you feel yourself while reading the words.

Wes and Bethany have a lot going on in each of their lives but once these two start the flip, we watch as they each gravitate toward one another. How they each can calm the other. There is lots of witty back and forth between the two. And the chemistry is out of this world. Side characters you fall in love with. Super cute scenes with Wes and Laura that will have you swooning. This book was simply entertaining!

I loved every element to this read.

Bailey is super talented and knows how to hook the readers! I would highly recommend this book to any romance reader.

*I was provided a copy of this book by NetGally in exchange for my honest and voluntary review. All thoughts and opinions written in the review are those of my own*

3.5 Stars

*Thank you NetGalley and Harper Collins for the E-Arc in exchange for an honest review*

I've given the first two romances in this series 5 stars. They made me laugh, cry, and swoon. This one however, missed the mark for me. Which I'm sad to say because I LOVE enemies to lovers and all the tension that comes with it.

For me this felt a little disconnected. The narration felt choppy and the plot just felt like a drag from point A to B. Bethany has anxiety and possibly OCD but this is never addressed as anything serious or anything more than just perfectionism? Mental Illness and struggles need to be addressed it novels as more than just plot points. Everything was just a little all over the place for me to truly connect with the characters.

Tessa Bailey writes good romances and I was so excited to receive this arc but this one fell a little short for me.