This was a 5 star romance for me! I loved Tessa Bailey's last book "Tools of Engagement", so I was psyched for her newest release as well and it did not disappoint. I was loving the light-hearted summer vibes, but this definitely isn't you typical fluffy romance. These characters have depth and emotion to them. I was invested in their story and truly felt their connection. Contemporary romance doesn't get better than this! I will highly recommend to my friends and followers.

People can change if you give them the opportunity to. Poeple also sometimes need to get out of the familiar in order to change and realize who they truly are and what they want from life. This is exactly what happens for both Piper and Brendan in this story.

Piper, an LA socialite seems to have it all... until a rogue party lands her in jail and her stepfather ships her off to the middle of nowhere in Washington, to presumably learn a lesson. Brendan is the captain of a fishing ship, and he is stuck in his comfortable routines--has been since his wife died 7 years ago. When Piper and her sister show up in the small town their father was from, they immediately rock the boat with their mere presence. Will they be able to fit in to the small town life?

I initially didn't connect with Piper's character--a bit self-centered, ditsy, and annoying. But as the story goes on and she begins to figure out what's truly important to her, she starts to open up and I started enjoying the story a whole lot more.

This is a bit of fun for readers who enjoy stories about women finding themselves while also finding love.

I immediately fell in love with Piper and Brendan from the start. They had the enemies to lovers trope vibe going on that you can read about the sexual tension between them. They may have come from a different background but that does not stop them from falling in love. Piper may have had everything handed to her. But she has more going on with her than she thinks. She just needs a bit of time and space to realize her true potential. She gets it when she starts to revamp her biological father bar. It may not start off great but it gets there. Brendan never knew that he was going to love again. He always thought that he was not going to remarry again or fall for someone who is not used to the fisher lifestyle. Piper throws him a loophole when they keep becoming closer and closer as they spend more time revamp her father bar. Full warning, it's a bit spicier than her usual books. But I am all for it! With an enemies to lovers trope, they are bound to have a spicier romance.

LIKES:
📝 fun, easy writing
🗣 full of witty banter!
👥 dual POV (piper & Brendan)
👱‍♀️ Piper is spoiled yet witty and surprisingly deep!
👨🏼 Brendan is gruff yet strong and caring!
👯‍♀️ + supportive sisters
🌊 coastal Pacific Northwest setting
🧗‍♀️ danger & suspense to hook you!
🏡 + small town vibes
🧲 opposites attract
🖤 + themes of grief
🌱 + themes of growth
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DISCLAIMERS:
🥵 steam level: 5/5
🌶 might be too spicy for some
🥴 the steam feels really fast and out of character
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VERDICT: an opposites attract romance with strong themes of growth in a small-town coastal setting (loved this part!) but be prepared for fast, out-of-character romance

Another winner from Tessa Bailey! As one of the few people that has not watched Schitt's Creek (yet), I was a bit worried that I wouldn't be able to connect to the story and characters fully, but that was definitely not the case! I loved the sunshine and grump trope and the emotional depth of both Brendan and Piper. I do wish we had gotten more about Brendan's past, but that's honestly my only complaint. As usual, we get the steam level that has become one of the author's signatures and the chemistry between the characters is phenomenal. I'm so excited for Fox and Hannah's story - early 2022 can't get here quick enough!

What a treat of a book!! I knew I had to read this one once I saw that it was inspired by Alexis from Schitts Creek. This is the PERFECT summer romance story that stretches further then just superficial love. You find yourself rooting for the characters and enjoying the different trajectories they all take. So looking forward to the next book by this author!

Loved this book so much. The characters were so fun and likable. And boy, it was steamy *fans self* Very much looking forward to the next book in the series. Also want to go back and read all of Tessa Baileys other books.

It Happened One Summer is a wonderful start to a new series by Tessa Bailey. I know I love a rom-com book if my cheeks hurt from smiling at all the touching romantic moments. My cheeks were definitely hurting. Bailey has a smart and wonderful way of writing romance. The book engaged me right away and I couldn't stop until I finished. This was a one day read for me! I also really enjoyed how Bailey wrote the intimate scenes. These moments were not only about the physical, but readers gain insight on the characters, their insecurities, and their personalities. While the chemistry between Piper and Brendan is front and center; overall, I loved the relationship between Piper and her sister, Hannah, the most. There was genuine love, respect, and compassion between them. The story had some nice humorous moments as well. Great characters, great romance, great storyline and great writing.

5 Sparkle STARS

I absolutely loved everything about this book. I laughed out loud, had the small-town homey feel, and the dirty talk and steamy times we come to expect from Tessa Bailey.

What I loved:
1. Piper is the stereotypical LA socialite, but once she arrives at Westport we see see she is so much more. Piper is kindness incarnate. She is working hard to prove herself, and as the story evolves it is more about proving her worth to herself more than the fake people in her pre-Westport life.
2. Brendan was dirty talking hero perfection. He is gruff and grumble but a beast in the sheets. I lived for it.
3. Brendan and Piper are so great together. I loved their dialogue, their interactions, and how they love each other.
4. The town of Westport and the secondary characters just added to the charm of this whole world.
5. I wasn't sure about the single narrator, but she did an amazing job reading the male and female characters.

What I didn't like:
1. Nothing. Loved it all.

This is rom-com, steamy goodness from cover to cover. I cannot wait for the next standalone in this world.

It Happened One Summer is about Piper, who is forced to move to another state after her partying ways gets too much for her stepfather. She’s now responsible for managing her late fathers bar. Clad in Chanel, Piper is set on proving that her stepfather and Brendan, a grumpy sea captain, wrong.

This book was just chefs kiss. I enjoyed everything about it from the characters, the plot, and the writing itself. The chemistry between the two was top notch. I laughed. I cried. I swooned. It Happened One Summer is one of the best books of 2021. have Tessa Bailey’s books sitting on my TBR shelf and this book solidified that shes an author worth looking out for.

I have been on what feels like a Tessa Bailey binge in the past month. She's one of the authors I really enjoyed early on in my romance discovery days. I loved her early Entangled Brazen titles, but somewhere along the way, I lost interest in her books. But now I'm back and back to loving her stuff! It Happened One Summer brings together the charm of a small-town romance with the signature Tessa Bailey steam. I loved it!

The book is described as a Schitt's Creek-inspired love story in which a wealthy heiress is forced to move to a small coastal town of Westport where she butts head with a local grumpy fisherman. For those of you who've watched Schitt's Creek, it's basically an Alexis and Mutt reimagination. It's a classic sunshine-meets-grump romance novel and Tessa Bailey delivers with two characters that are easy to root for. The chemistry between Piper and Brendan is sweltering from their first meeting as they butt heads. The evolution of their romance is stellar. They go from bickering to being friends to lovers as their feelings for each other intensified. It's slow-burn done really well. As expected the sexy times in this book are FIRE with Brendan delivering on the dirty-talking front. If you've read Tessa Bailey before, then you know she's a pro at writing dirty-talking heroes.

Besides the romance, I enjoyed the coastal town setting, the descriptions of Brendan's fishing career, and Piper's personal journey throughout the book. She and her sister, Hannah, get more in touch with their late father's life while renovating his beloved bar and bonding with her paternal grandmother. While I did leave this book feeling joyful, I did have a couple of complaints. For one, I wish Tessa Bailey would quit using cis-gendered language (thank you Leigh for teaching me this term) in her sex scenes. It was a lot here in this book. My second complaint is that I wanted more of a conversation and confrontation between Piper and her mother when she finds out about what her mom kept hidden from her. It was odd that it never really happened.

All that said, I left this book desperate to read the sequel featuring Hannah and her new Westport friend, Fox, so you know I had a great time reading this one. If you're looking for a fun and steamy contemporary romance, I'd give It Happened One Summer a shot.

Oh my! This was HOT but also gave me butterflies and a few tears. I must admit I rolled my eyes at party girl Piper’s apparent shallowness. However, we soon learn that there is much more to Piper. Brendan, the gruff fisherman has a similar reaction but soon sees there is more to Piper than outer beauty( although he is attracted to that as well) IHOS has all the ingredients I like: quirky town with crusty characters, a feisty heroine and a too good to be true hero. We see Brendan fighting his feeling for Piper and then boom he is all in. Then he woos her with carpentry! I love a manly man and it doesn’t get much manlier than a crab fisherman who can build stuff! That is as sexy as it gets! Well... until we get to the sex scenes and we see that his skills are not limited to carpentry and fishing. Whoa! The scenes are hot and graphic and I loved them. Most of all, I loved the honesty that Brendan cultivated in their relationship and the way he confronted Piper’s fears head on. I liked they way they both showed their love and reveled in how good it feels to love someone that much.This was just a delicious read and I thank Netgalley and the publishers. This is my third book by Tessa and I can’t wait for the next one.

This was a complicated one for me. Good book - probably 4 stars, but it’s hard to separate the potential toxicity of Brenden and Piper who maybe wants to be treated like that. He just seems controlling and I’m not sure I dig it.

Definitely my favorite romance of year! Tessa Bailey does it again!! If you haven’t read this, RUN to get a copy! I’ve found it SO hard to find a super sexy and well written romance this year, until THIS

It was my first Tessa Bailey book, but I loved it! Perfect summer read! Such a great, easy, steamy read that I absolutely loved! Highly recommend!

It’s not often I read a book and as soon as I finish it, I want to re-read it just so I can stay in that world a bit longer, but that’s exactly how I felt about Tess Bailey’s It Happened One Summer. I’ve read Tessa a long time and this is hands down one of her best books ever. I loved the journey of this couple and while it is billed as an enemies to lovers story, I feel it’s more of an opposites attract, fish out of water story and it was impossible to put down.

When this story began, I was afraid I wasn’t going to get through it because the heroine, Piper comes across as shallow, not very intelligent, spoiled, and irresponsible. Piper is a Hollywood “It Girl” famous because of her famous step-father. Her life is looking good, attending parties, and posting on social media. She’s given cosmetics, clothing, shoes, handbags, and jewelry to be seen in. She’s good at what she does but even she’s beginning to see she’s getting past the age of popularity. When she suffers a very public break-up, followed by a very public arrest, her step-father puts his foot down and sends her to Westport, Washington where she and her sister Hannah were born and lived until their father was killed in a boating accident and her mother moved them away. Three months living on her own on a very tight budget in an apartment above the bar her father owned and hasn’t been in business but kept up by a caretaker. Piper is not happy about her fate; the only thing that makes her feel better is that her sister insists on going with her.

To say the Bellinger sister’s make a splash when they arrive in the tiny town of Westport is putting it mildly. Finding out that No Name, the bar her father once owned had been kind of taken over by some of the town’s residents as a local hang out, and that the caretaker had obviously been cashing checks and not doing anything was just the beginning of the shock for them. Most of the men are happy to help Piper and Hannah with their bags, but Brendan Taggart immediately see’s Piper as trouble mainly because he can’t discount his reaction to her which comes out as being pretty much an a$$hole from the start. Thing is Piper doesn’t engage, she knows she has to prove to her stepfather she can make it on her own and she plans to do that somehow.

I loved watching Piper’s transformation because it was subtle, it proved all along that underneath the flash, there was a woman with a heart of gold, one who made everyone in her orbit feel important, and one who wasn’t afraid of hard work despite never being expected to do it before. I grew to really appreciate Piper and her kindness was infectious. I loved that despite being brought privileged she treated everyone she met with the upmost respect. Honestly, I’d be her friend in a heartbeat, a real one. While Brendan was physically attracted to her, it was easy to see that he enjoyed her spirit, the whimsy she brought into his world, and how she challenged him.

Brendan Taggart is captain of the fishing boat the Della Ray; he loves the sea, his job, and understands his responsibility to his crew. He’s pretty rigid in his life and he hasn’t taken off his wedding right even though his wife has been gone for 7 years he feels a duty to his father in law who gave him the Della Ray. His interactions with Piper have left him feeling off kilter, she makes him crazy, but he also likes the way he feels when he’s around her and he feels a bit protective of her something he’s never felt before. Brendan was a bit rough around the edges, a fisherman through and through, born and raised in Westport with no plans to ever leave.

A bit like oil and water; Piper and Brendan don’t seem to mix yet somehow they work. I enjoyed watching Brendan work at No Name without being asked just to be near her but never really in her space. He had to work through how he was feeling and once he did it was game on. He was determined to be a gentleman and treat Piper with the respect he knows she deserves and hasn’t really gotten, but Piper proves to be very persuasive. They were explosive together and sexy as hell and I loved watching them fall in love.

If you enjoy feel good, sexy romance with characters that are flawed but work to be the best people they can be, interesting secondary characters, then look no further than It Happened One Summer by Tessa Bailey. This one is high on my favorites of 2021 list.

I absolutely loved this book! As the daughter of a Bering Sea fisherman, I had high expectations of this cast of characters. It was perfection. Loved every page. Review linked below.

I ripped through this Tessa Bailey book. SO F’ing GOOD. A+ from me. The H is a grumpy sea captain, the h is spoiled, rich and recently burned from a public break up. The H is just the right balance of kind and dominant. Bailey does a great job of getting you to love the h. Not easy when she appears at first to be 100% vapid.

Ohhhh, I loved this book. Piper, classic valley girl realizing there's more to life than parties was hilarious. I really loved the growth of her character throughout. Brendan was also amazing. The crotchety fisherman vibe is what I'm here for.

I can't wait to see where Bailey takes the other characters and how everything plays out.

Higher recommended!

I loved this soooooo much!!! I loved Piper and Brendan! I loved the gruff macho male and the silly fun loving young woman! I loved them together! It was just the perfect grumpy/sunshine romance and I just couldn't put this book down! I always just wanted to keep reading it! I never wanted it to end! Piper is so fun, silly, and a sweetheart! I liked her so much! She was a celebrity who really strived to be liked and famous on social media. And she learned to really appreciate what was in front of her. And she didn't even need to really change herself! She didn't have to go through the big transformation to be liked by Brendan or anything! I loved that! I loved that he loved her for who she already was, and didn't feel the need to try to make her change herself to suit him and his town! The town really started to accept her for herself, with her silly moments and all her quirks! Watching them fall in love with each other was so sweet! I loved them so much! He really tried to get Piper to love him, and it was so sweet and I just adored the lengths he went to help her out. I also loved his alpha personality! If you're not really into male characters being super alpha like, I maybe would go to this with that in mind. I love alpha male characters, so I was totally fine with me! But I know that might not be everyone's cup of tea! Highly recommend this book! I loved it! It's silly, it's fun, it's full of amazing and entertaining characters, and it has so much heart in it! I cannot wait for the next book in this series! I cant wait to read more about these amazing characters! I think everyone will enjoy this book! It's just so amazing Definitely one of my favorites this year! I adored it so much I can't recommend it enough!