Member Reviews
I enjoyed this fun, light, sexy romcom so much that I went back and requested the first two in the series from the library. The main characters started out as quickly sketched archetypes, but their stories deepened as the narrative progressed. The story moved quickly and the resolution was satisfying. Definitely a good choice for a rainy afternoon.
Got a copy of this ebook from net galley. It was very good. Loved the story. People from different social classes, different upbringings and ages come together and fall in love. They quickly move their relationship along to living together to raise his niece. I wish there was more of a relationship besides a lot of sexy times but it is what it is. The only thing that aggravated me was how many times he called her baby. Ugh, find a new word Wes!
I thoroughly enjoyed the first two books in this series, and the third did not disappoint! This book tells Bethany's story. Bethany, the perfectionist who handles the interior design and staging for the Castle family flips, decides to prove to everyone that she is capable of handling her own flip. Joining her is Wes, who is seven years younger than Bethany, living in town temporarily to care for his young niece, and constantly arguing with Bethany. Wes was introduced in the second book of the series, and had instant sparks with Bethany. But are they good sparks or bad sparks? Throw in a reality TV show, the complications of a seven year age gap, and lots of personal insecurities, and you have a recipe for a great book!
Like the other books in this series, the romance is steamy, the characters are funny, and the story moves quickly. Great for rom-com fans, and with the love-hate relationship perfect for those who enjoyed Sally Thorne's The Hating Game.
I enjoyed this last book in Tessa Bailey's Hot and Hammered series. I liked the older woman/younger man aspect of the romance. I feel like I don't see that lot in romance books and it was a refreshing change of pace. The kind of HGTV spin was fun as well. I like a good love/hate trope and this one was fun and Bailey is an expert at writing dirty talk. Wes and Bethany had good chemistry and seeing Wes take care of his niece was adorable. I enjoyed this whole series so much!
Wes is a former rodeo bull-rider who hung up his spurs when he was thrust into sudden fatherhood at 23 after his sister bailed on her daughter. Now he's working construction and providing 7 year-old Laura with a stable home, trying to give her the opposite of what he had growing up in foster care. In his limited spare time, he enjoys trading verbal barbs with Bethany, the sexy stager who shows up on all his job sites. Not that she's willing to give him the time of day, obsessed as she is with their age difference. But the stamina of a younger man might be just what he needs to get past her many defenses. Bethany has always had high expectations for herself, and the pressure of always looking like she has it together is starting to take its toll. When she decides to strike out on her own and flip a house solo, the fear of failure threatens to get in her way before she's even started. Luckily, when Wes joins the project and riles her up, she's able to forget all the mistakes she might make and just go for it. Despite her best efforts, she finds herself falling for the young cowboy AND his adorable niece. Will Wes be able to convince her she doesn't need to be perfect for them to be perfect together? Or will Bethany's fear of failing him and their new little family convince her that they're better off without her?
I really enjoyed the first book in this series, but the second one was a little bit of a let-down for me. I approached this one with some reservations because I so enjoyed the little glimpses of Bethany and Wes in the previous books, and I really, really wanted to love their story. And I absolutely did. Their antagonistic back-and-forth was hilarious and hot. It's always so fun when couples that think they hate each other discover that they really don't.
There is plenty of humor here, to be sure, as well as banter and swoon and dirty talk, but there are also real issues like the fear that no one really wants you and protecting yourself by never letting anyone get close enough to see the real you. The addition of little Laura provided great comic relief (it cracks me up that she initially thinks Bethany is the real Elsa from Frozen), and watching both Wes and Bethany fear they suck at parenting but totally knock it out of the park because they care so much was so heartwarming!
This was a great finale to a really fun series, but I'm so sad that it has come to an end! Does it really have to? Perhaps one of the other members of the "Just Us League" (the group of women who get together to celebrate each other's accomplishments and help each other through problems) needs her own story? Or one of Wes' many babysitters? Let's Color or Faded Calf Tattoo? Come on....please?
**Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!**
Bethany Castle just wants everything to be perfect. All the time. Is that too much to ask? When Bethany and her brother Stephen go head-to-head in a house-flipping competition, Bethany's perfectionism might just land her in hot water. Luckily, Wes steps in.
Stepping up is what Wes seems to do best: when his half sister asks him to care for Laura, he steps up in a big way, and when he sees Bethany struggling not to panic about flipping a house, he joins her team and vows to help her complete the project.
The two have been trading sarcastic quips for a while, so there's clearly a spark between them. But with the issues and baggage they each carry, can their relationship stick? And can they flip the Doomsday house and win the competition?
I had a great time reading this book, and I would highly recommend it if you enjoy rom-com books with (SPOILER) a happy ending. The part I liked most about this book was how solid Wes was; it was nice that the character freaking out about the relationship and having the most doubts wasn't the foster kid or the man for once. Sure, he had some moments of panic (WHO AMONG US??), but he always came back to the same conclusion: he wanted Bethany and all of her neuroses.
A lot of women will see themselves in Bethany's need to appear perfect even though her anxious thoughts are torturing her constantly. Her progression from needs-therapy-twice-a-week to almost typical functioning was WAY too fast - it might have been nice to throw in a little shout out to the benefits of therapy and acknowledging mental health issues, but I can suspend disbelief in this case.
Also, side note: some authors REALLY struggle with writing realistic child characters, but that was not the case for this book. Laura was the right mix of developmentally appropriate, adorable, and absurd. Kudos to Tessa Bailey.
Tessa Bailey's third book in the Hot and Hammered series, Tools of Engagement, is a steamy enemies to lovers rom-com. The story follows Bethany Castle as she forges her own way in the family house flipping business. Unexpectedly, she finds herself in competition with her bother, Stephen, on a television pilot called "Flip Off"! When she ends up working oh-so-closely with her nemesis, Wes, as her project foreman, Bethany's confronts her own insecurites and hopes that their stubborness and tension won't become a "flipping disaster".
I enjoyed this book. Bethany's character was far more complex than I expected, Wes' character was a welcome mix of sensitive and alpha, and Tessa Bailey could teach a master class in how to write sexual tension. I felt like some of the narrative became repetitive and the ending was a bit rushed, but was left fully satistfied with this third installment in the series.
Advanced readers copy provided by #NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Available September 2020.
This was my first Tessa Bailey book and I started on the 3rd in a series. I didn't feel lost as the author did a good job of recapping the lives of other characters. This was a perfect romance novel, both characters, Wes and Brittany, carried around a lot of baggage but were not so messed up that they couldn't overcome and be in a grownup relationship. I loved Wes! He was an old soul at just 23 and his insight into love and what really mattered allowed him to be an alpha and someone an older woman could lean on and not boss around. The verbal jabs these two had made this fun to read. The characters made this book for me-not necessarily the store of flipping house. I look forward to more books by this author!
TV show about a tense house renovation competition - what a setup for a steamy romance.
Bethany is an organization master, both in her personal life and in her career in home renovation as she works for a family real estate business. The problem is that her brother is officially the"boss" of the company and certainly acts like a big shot, giving Bethany no autonomy to do her thing. One day, their conflict is picked up on by a TV station and the siblings are recruited to a reno competition show... but the only partner Bethany can recruit onto her team is the new guy in town, a very handsome Texan named Wes.
"Tools of Engagement" is a haters-to-lovers, steamy as heck romance with a slight age gap and a younger man. There are some well written sex scenes, but the novel doesn't rely on them as the the most important component. It is funny, it is fierce, it has tension - all great components of a fun romance.
This is the third book in the Hot & Hammered series, but I haven't read the previous two, so for me it was a functional standalone; however, I feel like I didn't entirely get the dynamic between some characters because I didn't know the backstory. That's why I'm giving it 4 stars instead of 5. I still thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, though, so I will definitely look into the other two.
*Thank you to the Publisher for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
3 stars
To be honest, never felt any connection between the main characters. I loved the little girl, butt hat was the highlight of the whole book for me. The plot line was off. Someone abandon a kill and a house?
The the ending felt a little rushed to me.
This book is the perfect fun read when you need to relax during a stressful time. If it was summer, this would be my beach read. It’s my favorite in the series so far. Classic Tessa Bailey steamy romance with a main character who suffers secretly from anxiety, which was very relatable and made me love her even more.
I was pulled in by the premise of this book and deeply enjoyed it. It had all of the good elements of a rom-com: tons of humor, a compelling romance, and a really satisfying ending. Would recommend for those who love home improvement reality TV shows and are looking for a behind-the-scenes story.
What a delightful book! Tessa Bailey has written sympathetic and realistic characters that you root for every step of the way.
Wes is a young, tough talking Texas guy who is used to running away when the going gets tough. Bethany is a little bit older, perfect in every way, and exceling in her job as a house stager. Sparks start flying - and it is so much fun to be a long for the ride! If this book came out ten years ago, Reese Witherspoon would star in the movie adaptation.
Watching these characters learn to lead with their hearts is a total joy.
Wow, this was a steamy book. Bethany stages houses for her family’s company but is ready to do her very own house-flip. The very sexy cowboy, Wes is ready to help her. They fight and push each other’s buttons- and we can all guess where that leads.
I found both of these characters to have a lot of depth and I really enjoyed reading their love story.
I appreciate that Tessa Bailey is trying to have her females be a little more empowered than the usual romantic lead females, but that means absolutely nothing if the leading men continue to be domineering, chauvinist (self-described, to boot), over-protective, ridiculous pigs. Why not be an example of the empowered female without having the lead be a caveman?
I received an advanced copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review!
I loved this book! A solid hate-to-love story is always a win for me! Wes and Bethany's story was so fun to read! (Mild spoiler ahead) The ending happened a little quickly for me, but the book was, overall, well paced! It's got plenty of steamy scenes and lots of heart. This was my second favorite (next to Fix Her Up) by this author, but it did not disappoint! I highly recommend!
Tessa Bailey's steamy and sassy Hot & Hammered series comes to an end with Tools of Engagement, an enemies-to-lovers rom-com that features a heroine stifled by her need for perfection and a younger man suddenly faced with caring for his five-year-old niece.
I have loved all the books in this series, but Tools of Engagement might be my favorite one of the bunch. Each book is a standalone, but it's delightful following the couples from each previous book -- and seeing the groundwork laid for the subsequent books. We first met Bethany in Fix Her Up, and saw her infuriating first encounter with Wes in Love Her or Lose Her. But in Tools of Engagement the two clash in spectacular fashion, when Wes joins up with Bethany for her first solo flip project, in defiance of her older brother.
The chemistry between these two sizzles, and I loved seeing inside each characters' mind as they come to terms with their attraction to one another, and the personal hurdles that trip them up along the way to coupledom.
Bethany's desire to put forth that "perfect" persona is especially relatable, I think, given the world we live in today, where everyone is able to "curate" the life they want to project via social media. Everything in their home just so, every outfit styled to perfection (and never repeated), hair and makeup always perfectly coifed, and nothing but utter success in career and life.
But we all know life isn't like that. It's messy, and so are our homes and our clothes, and some days it's a success just to get out of bed, never mind outfits or hairstyle or makeup.
Bethany is crumbling under the stress she's given herself in always maintaining this flawless, perfect image -- and it's when she shows some of that vulnerability to Wes that they truly start to connect on a deeper level.
Seeing the two open up to each other is a lot of what makes Tools of Engagement so special to read. Sure, there's some hot as hell sex scenes. (It IS a Tessa Bailey book, after all.) But the relationship between these two characters is what really makes this such a fantastic book. Plus, the addition of Wes's niece Laura, and appearances from the characters we've grown to know and love in the earlier books in this series, makes for an overall delightful reading experience.
This review will be posted online at NovelNovice.com closer to release date in September.
This a classic enemies to lovers story. Fun and fast paced with all the same characters from the previous books in the series. I liked the two main characters a lot more in this book than in the others. Bethany is portrayed as having her whole life together, but is constantly "on" - always thinking about what others think of her. Wes had to grow up at a young age and has a quiet, casual confidence that plays nicely off Bethany. This is a fun book to read even if you haven't read the others in the story and an enjoyable read for romance book lovers.
The Hot and Hammered series by Tessa Bailey has been one wild ride after another. It started with Fix Her Up, pairing a party clown with pro-baseball player suffering a career-ending injury, and then moved on to Love Her or Lose Her which was my first romance novel featuring a married couple. And in Tools of Engagement we finally get to see romantic sparks fly between mortal enemies Wes and Bethany.
Bethany is a perfectionist who hyperventilates at the thought of anything being out of her control in the slightest. I saw a lot of myself in her honestly. Throughout the book she is forced to confront her need for perfection and I found her journey, at times, to more fascinating than the budding relationship between her and Wes. She takes the overdone heroine trope of the past--perfect, beautiful, and untouchable--and flips it on its head giving us the truth behind the mask.
Wes is what you expect from a Tessa Bailey hero. He's gorgeous and rough around the edges and dirty talking and possessive. And yeah, some people don't like that in their heroes, but if you read Tessa Bailey I have to assume you know what you're getting into to. I mean, this is book three, so... Anyways, Wes has a little journey of his own going on (you'll have to suspend a tiny bit of belief in the legal process here, folks), but it was just the cutest thing watching him become closer to his niece. And the way he was constantly supporting Bethany and accepting her for her true self made him the hero we all want to have in our lives.
You're not going to find hate sex here (as much as you might have thought you would from the previous books). The book ended up being so much more than the enemies to lovers trope we might have expected from their constant banter and hate-filled looks. It was an emotional trip down some pretty deep, dark roads for a rom-com. There was less sex than a usual Tessa Bailey novel, I think, but the sex that was there was as hot as you'd hope to find.
As for Laura, Wes' niece? I'll say this. Normally I hate children in books because, as someone who spends the majority of their time with children, they're almost never done right. They either talk too mature or too childish or they're solely there for entertainment purposes or they aren't entertaining at all. You see the problem? But darling little Laura was actually one of the best parts of the book which surprised me greatly.
I didn't think that Tools of Engagement was the best book in the series, but they can't all be the best book in the series, you know? It's not a complaint about the book, just a matter of opinion. It was a sexy, entertaining read that had me laughing and smiling which is always to be expected from a Tessa Bailey novel.
Easily my favorite book in the series!! This was wildly sexy and very fun. I can't wait to see what's next!