Hannah has always seen herself in a supporting role in life, never the leading lady type. But in order to achieve her professional goals, she knows she needs to start speaking up and going for what she wants--becoming a leading lady. Fox has always seen himself as a lady's man--that's what everyone told him he'd be, and he's fine with it. That is until Hannah came into his life, and since then he hasn't been interested in his one-night stand ways. When Hannah proposes the film production move their current film to Westport (to achieve the perfect feel for the film), will her blossoming friendship with Fox become something more?

I liked the theme of becoming your true self and going for what you want. That's what made this story truly enjoyable. I found some of the characters from the movie crew a bit flat and annoying, but Fox and Hannah's chemistry was hot enough to make me forgive that a little bit. An enjoyable read for those who have enjoyed Bailey's other novels.

I loved the first book so much and I was hesitant to hear that Hannah and Fox would be the main characters but it was so great! Their chemistry was (dare I say) even better than Piper and Brendon. The characters were multi faceted and the steam was so good but never too much.

I very much enjoyed this follow up to It Happened One Summer, although I have to say I like the first book in the series better than this one. It was good to see what happened with Fox and Hannah though, and to see how Piper and Brendan's relationship grew. The character development was good, and the story flowed well. It seemed more than your typical romance book too, the plot of each was slightly different than what most romances are about.

Loved this book. It was sexy, interesting, and emotional. I loved Fox and Hannah, and I think I preferred this book to the first one! Must-buy, for sure.

I was pretty confused reading this one, I’ve never read the first book so it was difficult to jump into this one

This copy was kindly given to be by Netgalley and the publisher to read for review. All opinions are my own.

This might be my new favorite companion series ever. Steamy, fun romances with a deeper lesson behind it we learn alongside the main characters. I loved Fox and Hannah. I connected in Hannah so much in what she calls not being the leading lady in her own life, that she is mostly the support for others. To see this feeling down on paper was a shock and I loved connecting to her that way. It was also refreshing to see our MMC work through his own insecurities and issues which our amazing Fox definitely had and I loved that he not only worked to make Hannah see herself the way he does, but she that she as well fought to have him change the way he sees himself. And his secret stashed records and player because he.... just read the book- its sigh worthy.

I never want to pit two sisters against each other, but this one just might be better than IT HAPPENED ONE SUMMER and that's really saying something.

So cute and so darn HOT!! Loved it even more than the first. Tessa Bailey knows how to right a fun, romantic, and sexy book!

I received an ARC for my honest review. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher.

I loved everything about Hook, Line and Sinker by Tessa Bailey! It pulled on all my romance reader strings, funny, sweet, sexy and heartbreaking at times.

Fox and Hannah pick up their story from the first book, It Happened One Summer which featured Hannah’s older sister and Fox’s best friend. These two were great supporting characters, but they needed to grow into their leading roles (it’s a thing Hannah wrestles with, being a supporting character in life but not the leading lady.)

Hannah is the youngest of the Bellinger sisters, and she has been trying to make her way in the film industry without using her stepdad’s name (he a famous producer). Hannah loves all things music and wants to put that passion into creating soundtracks for films. But she doesn’t have the confidence to ask for more at work, settling for her PA job as errand gal to the actors and director she’s had a crush on for the last two years.

Fox is a hardcore playboy who works as a relief captain on his best friend’s fishing boat. He doesn’t like commitment, only hooking up with a different woman and when his friends what’s him to take over as captain of the ship so he can start another crew with a new boat, Fox passes. But ever since meeting Hannah last summer, Fox has given up his playboy days even if no one believes it. Mostly because he’s kept that fact to himself. The guys on the fishing crew still thinks he goes to Seattle for his weekend hookups. Brendan, the best friend and captain doesn’t know and when Hannah is coming to stay in Westport for work, he warns Fox off of his soon to be sister-in-law.

The thing is Fox and Hannah has been texting each other for the last 6 months and have become great friends. Sure there’s a sexual chemistry between them but they both agree they need to stay clear of anything physical. Plus there’s that 2 year crush Hannah has had on the director she works with.

Hook, Line and Sinker is full of heartbreaking moments with Fox over coming his past in order to be the man he believes Hannah deserves. I wanted to hug him some hard at times! If you’re looking for a great friends-to-lovers romance with humor, heart, and some spice, pick up a copy today! While this is the second story in the series, it can be read alone, but I recommend reading both books.

My first book by this author - fun story in a cute, cozy town. Will be going back to pick up the first in the series.

I have read quite a few of Tessa Bailey’s works. This novel definitely holds true to her romance form. Since this is #2 of the sisters, I had to read It Happened One Summer first. I’m glad I did. You don’t need to, but it helped for me to already know Piper and her story. Unfortunately, I liked Piper’s storyline better. I think the decorating plot line was stronger than a movie/music plot line. Fox was a good character and I liked that Tessa went deeper with his flaws and development.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for this eCopy.

I loved this sequel!! I was so excited to know Fox and Hannah were getting their own story! I love how much heart these two characters have and how much this little town shines. This is such a fantastic addition to the series and I loved the epilogue! Filled with charm, steam, banter and sweet love, it’s a must read.

Hook, Line and Sinker by Tessa Bailey

Book 2 in Bellinger Sisters Series

Review: 4 Stars

I received an advanced copy of this book for an honest review.

I generally enjoyed this book. I did have some trouble with it being written in 3rd person and after a month of struggling to connect, I bought the audiobook version to finish the last half. I am glad that I was able to finish the book with the audiobook, because I did enjoy seeing Fox and Hannah's relationship grow and the growth in Fox as a person.

I will definitely be looking forward to reading more from Tessa Bailey.

Rating 4
Author: @tessabaileyisanauthor

Even though this is considered a sequel you do not need to read the first one in order to enjoy this one. I haven’t read ‘It Happened One Summer’ but now I definitely want to! This book was super cute! I love when the friends to lovers trope is done well and the reader can actually feel the friendship between the characters. I’m not a fan of slow burn but I do love when we can see the relationship build. I absolutely love the setting/location this book took place in. The author did a great job of describing the little fishing village and making the reader feel as though they were there. It definitely made me want to travel.

I really liked Hannah’s character. She was smart, determined and full of drive. She is definitely someone who goes after what she wants. She isn’t afraid of working hard or putting herself out there. Fox was such a great love interest and is perfect for Hannah. I could immediately feel the connection between them. I loved that they shared an interest in music and how important it was for both of them. It reminded me of my fiance. He loves collecting vinyl records and listening to music. Before him I usually played the same songs on repeat but he has definitely helped me branch out and listen to more genres/artists.

Overall, this book was cute, sweet, and will make you laugh. I will be honest I started this book back in February but for some reason kept stopping. So while I did enjoy it, there wasn’t that feeling of “oh, my gosh I need to cancel all plans and spend my day reading this”. I would definitely recommend this book!

Thank you so much @berkleyromance & @netgalley for a #gifted copy on #Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Hook, Line and Sinker is one of the best romances I have read this year. If you like romance, you WILL like this book. I'm so happy Hannah got her own story because she was my second fave character (number one being her sister Piper by only a slight margin) in It Happened One Summer. Hannah and Fox are so great together in the end I couldn't but be smiling as I read the Epilogue.

Tessa Bailey is simply one of the authors I can never get enough of and I was so happy I was able to read this book. I can now have more detailed plot points to use to sell in my store beside my own personal love for her.

A steamy, witty, fun romance. This is the second book in the series and a fun addition. I enjoyed book 1 more, but it was lovely to reunite with the characters in this town. The main characters hooked me in book 1 so I was already rooting for them. This would work as a stand-alone but I recommend starting at book 1!
3.5⭐️

Tessa Bailey does it again! After reading It Happened One Summer, I was super excited to read the second book apart of this "series", and it definitely did not disappoint. It is the perfect read when you need a delicious fun rom-com. This book is a nice palette cleanser between any dark or heavy series you may read. Also, it was so cute that sometimes I had to sit the book down just to have a school girl scream. The characters are super relatable, and it is easy to follow the plot. If you want a cute spring/summer read, this should join your list!

I don’t know what’s wrong with me. SO many fellow reviewers who I’m usually on the same page with about books loved this one. But I just…didn’t.

Actually, I loved the heroine. She had some issues, KNEW she had some issues, and was doing what she could to overcome those issues. Hannah also was one of those rare young adult heroines who knew she deserved more than the hero was offering and stood up for herself to ask for more, but also gave the hero plenty of grace because she knew who he really was deep down. I loved that when the hero acted like a big fat jerk she was able to understand he was acting from a place of fear and not because he was really a big fat jerk - AND didn't respond out of her own hurts.

But yeah, the “hero” acted like a big fat jerk. For a lot of the book. And maybe my empathy is broken right now because I couldn’t hardly summon up any feelings of sadness about the hero’s past that would make how Fox treated Hannah acceptable or understandable.

My other issue with this book is the writing, which is fraught with repetitive thoughts (“I’m not a relationship guy” and “I’m not a leading lady” are just two things were heard ad nauseum), an abundance of non-communication, and a heaping side of wounded hero who acted like a numskull far too much of the book.

I really want to be one of those readers who love Tessa Bailey. The comedic part of her stories is entertaining and her dialogue is fantastic. But I didn’t connect well with Hook, Line, and Sinker, so this is another one in the mostly-miss column for me with this author. And I’m not sure if she’ll get any more chances…

* thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review

This was my most anticipated book of 2022! I was slightly sad that this book was not as funny as I expected. It was a bit more emotional than I expected. It was still a fun read, but I was super excited for the banter between Fox and Hannah. I do like the character development but was hoping for more.

The majority of my thought on this book center around Fox and his inability to feel any self value other than as a sexual object. I thought the flipping of this being typically done with a female character was refreshing to see. We often forget that men can feel objectified too and become victims of their upbringings.
The main take away I got from this book was less about Hannah and Fox and more a take on toxic masculinity. How its turned into the sexualization of children (do you have a boyfriend/girlfriend? to 5 yr old. Fucking weird) that they are gonna be "heart breakers" and the expectation that is placed on especially male children to be promiscuous and never settle down.

Fox didn't know how to be anyone other than the person he was basically assumed he would become, because he just so happened to be attractive and the child of a womanizer. The sins of the father, truly. That label was slapped on him the moment he was assigned male at birth.

Fox emotionally coped with the way people saw him by becoming that person. Fox is masking every time he talks to the men in town and putting on a persona of who he thinks they want to see. Its very clear during the conversation on the boat when he lets his buddy think hes going to go be with all these women, when really all hes thinking about is Hannah.

When Fox did finally break away from that and give himself completely to a relationship, he was being used sexually. We are so quick to disregard how this could affect men, because well why would it be upsetting, men only care about sex, right? When if this happens to a woman were outraged that she was taken advantage of.

Fox is doing things secretly to "win" or be worthy of Hannah because hes too embarrassed to do them publicly. Not because of himself, But because he knows people will simply see Hannah as another one of his conquest and he refuses to let anyone think of her negatively. When he committed to Hannah he did it fully, but privately. He collected records, the record player and has not been with a single person since starting to talk to Hannah. very Joshua,"my room is the same shade as yours eyes"- the hating game of him.

Anyways, there is something really magical about the person who finally allowed Hannah to connect with her father by singing his words, taking over her fathers boat. It felt full-circle.

Hannah is carrying her father on with what's important to her, music. And the person who made that connection happen is continuing his legacy on the water.