Tessa Bailey will forever be one of my favorite authors! Everything she writes is everything I love about contemporary romance, and her newest book isn't any different.

This book takes place in the same fishing town as 'It Happened One Summer'. In this romance, we get to know Hannah and Fox. Fox is a good time charlie kind of guy that has been taught from a young age that he's the kind of guy you bed, but not one you would ever take seriously enough for a relationship. He and Hannah have been texting each other as friends for the last seven months, and when they start hanging out together again, sparks fly.

I can't say enough good things about this one. Fox was the kind of guy that you really feel for. He wants so badly to change his stripes, but has been boxed in by his reputation in a small town. Hannah tried so desperately to make him see that he can be more, but Fox doesn't want to sully her reputation by being with her. Their chemistry was so amazing, and the slow burn bringing them together doesn't disappoint in the least. A really original twist on the usual boy meets girl that had me finishing this one in one sitting! I don't know how she continues to do it, but each Tessa Bailey book I read just has me begging for more.

Thanks so much to Avon Books for providing me with this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Confession: I requested this ARC back in October without having any real clue who Tessa Bailey was or that this was the second book in this series. After finally reading It Happened One Summer a few weeks ago, I could not wait to dive into this one. I was NOT disappointed.

I love Hannah and Fox so much! The author does a fantastic job of conveying their degree of compatibility. It was impossible not to root for them. It was also so clear why they struggled to figure themselves (and each other) out. My heart broke for Fox but I really liked that he was forced to work through his issues and things were not just magically resolved because Hannah walked into his life.

Also the harmonica story? DYING. My kids have harmonicas and I could just picture the scene with Hannah and Piper… READ THIS BOOK.

I was pretty nervous about reading this one because I loved It Happened One Summer so much but obviously shouldn’t have worried since I loved Hannah so much!

Friends to lovers isn’t normally my jam but Tessa still gave us all the tension between Hannah and Fox.

What a treat to be back in Westport!

Let me start off by saying that Fox and Hannah's friendship is everything. I have never seen a such a realistic depiction of friends to lovers. I don't think it can ever be an easy thing to go from friends to lovers, and this one portrayed the hardships of doing so, so well.

There were so many times when I wanted to reach into the pages and give Fox and Hannah a hug, I wanted to protect them at all cost. To be honest, there were times when I wanted to grab Fox by the shoulders and just yell at him to get out of his head and be honest with Hannah. PLUS!! The way they were there for one another and encouraged each other was what made me fall for them even harder.

Overall, such a sweet, beautiful book. A slow burn, but so worth it.

I have loved Fox and Hannah since the moment they began their back and forth banter in IHOS. I related to Hannah and could not wait for her book, and let me tell you, it did not disappoint. This is a slow burn, friends to lovers story that deals with a young woman named Hannah who’s always been a “supporting actress” in her mind, but never the main character. We follow her as she steps out of her sister’s shadow and discovers what she’s really capable of. She loves music and has a song for every situation. Then we have Fox, who is confident on the outside, but not so much on the inside. He is constantly slut shamed for his past promiscuous, playboy behavior, and always feels second best. He doesn’t feel good enough for Hannah and he doesn’t want to taint her reputation with his. But Hannah sees Fox for what’s inside, who he really is, not what others around them think he is.

I loved these two so much! I loved that Tessa touched on toxic masculinity and the effect that focusing too much on how a person looks can damage them emotionally. The prologue gave me everything I wanted to bridge the gap between where we left off with them at the end of IHOS and where HL&S begins. I loved seeing their friendship blossom and the cute little things they said to each other and that both of them were oblivious to how the other felt, even though it’s so obvious to the reader. These two help each other realize how to be the best version of their self and truly care about each other’s happiness. I was smiling through the whole book. I also felt that because they were friends first and tried really hard to resist their attraction to one another, it made me believe in their romance and love for each other even more so than Brendan & Piper. The only thing that kept me from giving this five stars is I felt the ending was slightly rushed, and I wanted a little more steam. Not necessarily more sex, but I needed a bit more tension and angst between them.
However, I loved the epilogue and the glimpse we got into their life (including B&P) so many years later rather than the typical “next step” epilogue where you just see them get engaged or married. This comes out March 1st and I promise you won’t be disappointed!

Thank you NetGalley, Avon, and Tessa Bailey for the ARC!

Hook, Line, and Sinker might just be one of my favorite books this year! I enjoyed Hannah and Fox’s story so much more than Piper and Brendan’s (although I love them too!)

I honestly wasn't sure how two people that seemed so different were going to end
up together. I prefer to not know anything about a book before I read it. I want to judge for myself. In the past I would check movie reviews and not end up watching some
because “critics” didn't like it. But later i would end up watching it and really
enjoying it. I totally fell in love with the
characters in this book. I have read some books where characters descriptions are kind of flat or sometimes too detailed. Not with Tessa Bailey.

And the steamy scenes. WOW! The male
characters were portrayed very well; some writers tend to have guys react like
females would want them to but it comes across as unrealistic. Reading this
book was like I was watching a really good
movie. When I had to put the book down (to do normal life stuff; boring) it was as if I had left the movie playing without pausing so it felt like I was missing it!!

I’m still processing my emotions but this book is hands down wonderful, delightful, achingly vulnerable & raw & feels like a heartwarming hug after a long day. I am blown away by TB writing and ability to craft characters. This was everything I wanted in friends to lovers romance. A MUST-READ.

I received an eARC from NetGalley / Avon romance in exchange for my honest review

AHHHHH! Hannah and Fox are so perfect for each other! This book has made me Love the friends to lovers trope! Great character development! I loved how Hannah always called Fox's bluffs and was always patient even when it was hard. The dirty talk and sex scenes were some of the best I've ever read! I adored this book!

Fox and Hannah have such great chemistry in this second book of the Bellinger Sisters series. I really enjoyed their friendship and the slow build of the romance. I think this was better than the first mainly because I like the actual characters better. This is a cute story with some funny and steamy scenes mixed with some heart wrenching moments.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

“But being comfortable had kept her in the second-fiddle position so long…and tonight she was finally going to conduct the orchestra herself.”
— 𝙃𝙤𝙤𝙠, 𝙇𝙞𝙣𝙚, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙎𝙞𝙣𝙠𝙚𝙧, Tessa Bailey

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Oh my heart is 🥰 after finishing this one.

Both Hannah and Fox were incredibly complex characters, Fox more so than Hannah. He’s spent his entire life living under the cloud of this persona that was thrust upon him, and not matter how hard he tried to shake it, he couldn’t. So he stopped trying.

Until Hannah.

And Hannah is stuck in her career. She wants more than to just be some lowly PA for a production company. Thanks to Fox, and her father from beyond the grave, she finally gets the courage to shoot her shot and it pays off in ways she never could’ve imagined.

Fox and Hannah’s relationship was so damn pure. Fox fighting against his instincts to fuck Hannah and leave her, and Hannah seeing past the bullshit facade he puts on for the world, forcing him to open up.

In the end, they both teach each other about a love that’s worth waiting for, worth changing for, and that if you believe in yourself and your abilities, soon everyone else will, too.

Also, Fox’s dirty talk is God tier.

All in all, I loved this one way more than 𝙄𝙩 𝙃𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙚𝙣𝙚𝙙 𝙊𝙣𝙚 𝙎𝙪𝙢𝙢𝙚𝙧.

After “It Happened One Summer” I ran to request this book so fast, because I loved the first book.
And, well, “Hook, Line, and Sinker” was even better, in my humble opinion. I loved the romance in this one even more, as well as the story itself.

When Hannah and Fox met over the summer when she helped her sister Piper rehab their father's old bar, she immediately pegged him as a ladies man and therefore she was not interested. They ended up bonding over music, but Hannah's heart was spoken for elsewhere (even though unrequited).

Fox saw Hannah as the little sister of his best friend's fiancee. Meaning completely off limits. But Hannah has been the only person who really sees him for him. When they form a friendship after she leave talking about anything and everything - though mostly music, neither of them want to break the bond they've formed by taking their relationship to another level.

I loved the connection between Fox and Hannah. The prologue featuring their budding friendship through text and song was perfect. I almost wish we had more of that buildup. But once they meet again and Hannah ends up staying with Fox, I thought that Tessa Bailey really played the tension well. As well as the feelings of wanting more but not wanting to threaten the friendship. This wouldn't have come across so well had Tessa Bailey not established it.

It's not only the relationship though. As seen in the first book, Hannah has ties to Westport from her father whom she never knew. She still has trouble feeling the connection that her sister Piper seemed to pick up on so easily. She wants to understand who her father was and I like that Tessa Bailey ties all this into Hannah's passion for music.

The idea of the connection of music is strong throughout the story. The feelings or memories that music can conjure are universal and infinite. Being taken back to a time or place through a song is something we've all felt, and I loved the moments when Hannah would line up how she was feeling in a certain moment with a song.

On Fox's side, we see the pressure of expectation. In this case, from a young age, Fox was always told he would be a heartbreaker that he was going to be trouble. It became so the expectation that was set for him was unavoidable and that's all that people saw, but it also made for an inaccurate portrayal of who Fox really is. It was maddening and sad to see people short-change him, but wonderful that Hannah truly saw him.

Honestly, the last portion of this book is one of the more wonderful that I've read recently. I don't want to ruin anything, but know it was heartening to see where we leave things.

*ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I loved It Happened One Summer, and was looking forward to reading the second book in the series, Hook, Line, and Sinker. It's a slow-burn friends-to-lovers rom-com set in a fishing town in Washington State. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, even though I didn't love it as much as It Happened One Summer. Tessa Bailey writes funny, sexy, delicious romances with quirky heroines and hot heroes, and I am here for it! I highly recommend checking out her books! Also, follow her on TikTok. She is very funny.

Thank you Netgalley for the advanced reading copy! This is the second book in a romance duology by Tessa Bailey, and Hannah and Fox are the cutest couple to fall in love with! Hannah is back in the small fishing town of Westport to work on a film, and is just friends with the fisherman Fox, who has a reputation of being a carefree flirt who won’t commit to a relationship. Hannah and Fox became friends while Hannah was in town with her sister Piper (from the first book in this series); they bonded over their love of music and having an easy and trusting rapport. While Hannah stays with Fox in his apartment, sparks fly. This was more of a slow burn, but I enjoyed the respect that was given to Fox’s healing from his past and the pacing of how their relationship grew over time. Though a slow burn, this book definitely brings the heat, which falls in line with Bailey’s style. Definitely recommend this book if you’re a fan of Bailey and angst filled, sweet slow burns. I also recommend it for fans of contemporary romance, friends to lovers, and high steam.

Hook, Line, and Sinker was the perfect second installment of the Bellinger Sisters books! I loved the first book and was not disappointed in this one! Focused more on the growing feelings between Hannah and Fox, we get to read about these friends-turned-lovers and how much they genuinely care for each other. With Fox being the care-free flirt that he is, Hannah was pretty much immune to any of his advances to anything further than friendship after seeing just how many women keeps in contact with after a trip to the local record shop. With Fox coming to the realization that Hannah isn't interested, he's a bit confused as to why she bothers talking to him...and thus their friendship began! After keeping in touch through text after Hannah goes back to California for work, their connection through shared music tastes keep them from drifting apart while they're separated. But with a new location picked for Hannah's job, she finds herself back in that little fishing town she was in less than a year before. But with a heavy crush on her fellow colleague still going strong, Fox and Hannah's friendship is tested. Overall, 4/5 stars!

What can I possibly say about Tessa Bailey and her gifted pen that hasnt been said or even I havent said before?

If I stop for a minute and think about all the happy feelings her books bring me, I could consider myself a lucky winner of the romance book lotery.

Hook Line and Sinker is possibly one of the best books I've read from Tessa. Not only did she male the couple of Hannah and Fox a one to be remembered, you can tell this was an emotional writing process for her. I think this only adds to her charm.

And so we did meet Hannah Bellinger back in 'It happened one Summer', and I have to say I loved her character righ off the bat. Tessa could've built this character more bratty and airheaded, (just like Piper is in the beginning) but she chose to bring Hannah to life with a focus, a wit and a lot of humanity in her, and I just love that about the character. Her friendship with Fox is also something worthy of mentioning cause from the moment they go to that vynil expo in Seattle in book one, we see there are sparks flying, and when she returns to Westport for a movie filming, we will see a Hanna who only wants to impress and prove herself, making Fox question many lf his own insecurities. The buildup to their HEA is a road full of trials and funny moments like only Tessa can bring us.

The beautiful sea port background is a huge plus that I at least enjoyed tremendously. It literally makes you daydream. Tessa Bailey delivered another heart warming and wonderful love story, that I honestly will not forget any time soon❤️

Thank you Harper Voyayer and Avon Books for the provilege and honor of this ARC. Trust that I never take them for granted ☺️

I loved this book. The characters, the plot, the locale - I could read more books set in Westport and its townspeople, whose lives revolve around dangerous crab fishing expeditions. It’s a must read for romance lovers.

This is the follow up to It Happened One Summer, where Piper and Hannah go to Westport. They’re originally from there, but their father died on a fishing expedition and their mother moved away.
They end up refurbishing their father’s pub, and where Piper meets and falls in love with Brendan, the captain of a crab fishing boat.

In this book, Hannah manages to convince the director of the movie she’s working on to shoot in Westport, and she stays with her friend Fox. Hannah’s got a crush on the director and thinks of the hunky Fox as her friend only. He’s got quite the reputation as as ladies man, but Hannah likes him for his personality. Fox works for Brendan, and he knows he can’t mess around with Piper’s sister. As the two spend time together, their real feelings surface and things get quite steamy.

I enjoyed every bit of this book! I hope Tessa Bailey has more Bellinger sister tales to tell us! 5 enthusiastic stars.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Tessa Bailey’s new novel Hook, Line and Sinker is the follow-up to last year’s popular romance, It Happened One Summer. The main characters of this installment are Hannah Bellinger and Fox Thornton, who we met in the first book. It was pretty clear in that first book that the two of them were attracted to one another, and I loved both characters so I was very excited to head back to the small coastal town of Westport, Washington to see what, if anything, might develop between them. I was also hoping for a few glimpses of Hannah’s sister, Piper, and her significant other, Brendan, our sunshine/grumpy duo from the first book and was not disappointed.

What I found most intriguing about Hannah and Fox is how truly vulnerable they both are. On the surface, Fox seemingly prides himself on being a ladies’ man and his reputation precedes him everywhere he goes. The more we get to know Fox though, the more we see that Fox is actually quite uncomfortable with his reputation. It has almost beaten him down to the point that he feels like he has nothing to offer any woman he actually cares about. He’s also attracted to Hannah but has been warned by pretty much everyone in Westport to stay away from her, that’s she’s too sweet for a player like him. He therefore settles for a friendship with her.

Hannah also has some insecurities. She is passionate about music and would love to pursue a career putting together soundtracks for films, but she just doesn’t feel she has what it takes. As she tells Fox, she’s just not “leading lady” material and will always be in the background. Fox knows about her passion for music because it was at a vinyl album convention that the two of them first bonded and he makes it his mission to get her to see that she can do anything she puts her mind to. Hannah treasures his friendship and support, and they grow even closer when Hannah, who is planning to stay with her sister when she comes to Westport, ends up staying with Fox instead due to some logistical issues. Temporarily living together is all it takes for their friendship to grow into something more and I enjoyed watching them navigate the waters between friendship and more than friendship.

It takes a while for Fox and Hannah to get to where I wanted them to be, but I found their friendship to be very endearing so the slow burn didn’t bother me at all. They always have a great time together, but they are also there for each other when it counts, offering emotional and moral support as they each set out to figure themselves out and what they’re actually capable of. Just as Fox makes it his mission to give Hannah the boost she needs, she does the same for him, making it her mission to prove to him that he is so much more than just a ladies’ man with a handsome face.

Bottom line, Hook, Line, and Sinker is a slow burn romance that is worth the wait.

I LOVED this book. I couldn’t put it down. Hannah and Fox formed such a genuine friendship that led to a really beautiful love story. I really appreciate that Fox was imperfect, insecure and just so real. Hannah had her own insecurities but it’s so rare to really see vulnerable male characters. It allowed us to really know Fox and get to know him as Hannah did, not through his own POV. I think that added a lot to the progression of the relationship and feeling the shift.

Overall, I cant wait to recommend this to everyone I know. Thank you NetGalley, HarperCollins, and Tessa Bailey for access to the arc!