Bailey has a bunch of good ideas for stories I feel and falls just short of executing them well. While I did enjoy the cuteness of this book and the overall heart-warming feels it gave me, it's just a cute story with a happy ending. A good fluffy read and nothing else, which is what I hope she was going for.

I love Tessa Bailey and everything that I have read by her. So this hurts me to say I could not get into Secretly Yours. I hope this is just this book and I’m going to give her second book in this series a try. I will not be reviewing this book on my social media accounts.

Tessa Bailey tends to be a ‘hit or miss’ author for me, and sadly, Secretly Yours was no exception. I think that if she challenged herself to not always write characters that come across as caricatures.

I did not root for the couple in this book, and the “sunshine x grumpy” trope really only works when it feels authentic, not when you just are constantly being reminded that she is a giant ray of sunshine and he’s cranky. I feel like so much of the romance in this was superficial and based off of sexual attraction more than anything, which was frustrating.

I know that Tessa can write some strong romance. I would really like for her to take her time with this and write something that feels genuinely fresh.

I really enjoyed this read, it was such a cute story with memorable characters!! I love Tessa Bailey, this wasn’t my favorite from her but I thoroughly enjoyed it!

I liked the premise of this book with the secret admirer letters, but I wasn't buying the chemistry between the two characters. It was a cute story overall, but I'm hoping the next in the series will appeal to me more.

I think this was my least favorite Tessa Dare in a while. I didn't find the main characters to be very likable and I didnt find their connection to be very believable. Of course, the writing was still fun and made me laugh a couple times but it wasnt great.

[RECOMMENDATIONS] For anyone new to romance! Scratch that... just for anyone!

[SYNOPSIS] Hallie and Julian had a will they won't they moment in their teens... and they didn't. Now they're adults, Hallie has been hired to revamp the gardens of the Vos Estate, and she's wondering if the sparks that were smothered then, will resurface. However, he isn't as sweet as she remembered... and they begin to clash constantly. He is a grouch, aka the grumpy to her sunshine. Julian is on a sabbatical from his professor job, hoping to write a novel, and somehow Hallie is always just... THERE. Looking gorgeously distracting.

[REVIEW] I love Tessa Bailey so much! Honestly she just writes like she is having FUN!!! She makes her romance novels full of fun little silly things for us to eat up, and keeps us fed. She isn't afraid to put a fun twist on a classic trope, to get spicy, and just make you laugh out loud. It's hard for you to be in a bad mood when reading a Tessa Bailey book. Their chemistry in this book was off the charts for me, and I love a grumpy sunshine.

**This e-book was gifted to me by Avon and Netgalley - thank you! All opinions are my own.

I usually love Tessa’s stuff but this book was not it for me. Both the MMC and FMC were insufferable and I didn’t feel their connection.

I wasn't a huge fan of this book. Something about the story just didn't connect for me. However, I love the second book in this series and highly recommend reading it.

I love any and everything Tessa Bailey writes and this book was no exception. I really liked the grumpy/sunshine trope. The character were approachable and hilarious, and then with the added spice. I loved it, and definitely recommend.

My least favorite Tessa Bailey book by far and I am bummed as heck about it. While this did have plenty of her characteristic steam, it was missing all of the charm that I can usually expect alongside it. From the romance to the plot itself, Secretly Yours felt undercooked in just about every way. I will certainly still be reading more from Tessa in the future because I usually adore her books, but methinks I will be taking a bit of a break until she puts something out with a synopsis that really grabs my attention. Hopefully I will enjoy the next thing I pick up from her more!

Loved this grumpy sunshine pairing! They were somehow perfect for each other and I just wanted to see them get their HEA

I really liked the grumpy/sunshine trope in this book. I also really enjoyed the alternating POV between characters - it felt very natural and instinctive (not choppy at all). The characters were all very endearing and you want to root for them all throughout the book. The relationship between Hallie & Julian was great - really enjoyed that they learned to grow together instead of trying to change for each other. This was a great rom-com with a very satisfying happily-ever-after.

A sweet chance at romance. Love that they’re in completely different fields of work to be able to cross paths. Very cute.

I unfortunately got approved for the arc right around the same time it was released and forgot I even requested! Im thankful for the chance to read but I ended up deciding to wait to read it, Tessa bailey is a really good writer & her books are so good, Im glad I got the opportunity to even have the arc I just wish I would’ve got around to reading it!

I love Tessa Bailey’s writing style, she just has a way of making me want to finish all of her books in one sitting. This book was no different. I love a good romance.i saw some mixed reviews but honestly this book was an easy read and I was satisfied with the ending. I really enjoyed it!

I've come to count on Tessa for two things: Heat and Humor. This one was no different. Just a fun read with her signature sizzling, knock-the-door-wide open spice and expert, laugh-out-loud banter!

A sort of grumpy meets with sunshine romance, and it was absolutely delightful. A perfect Tessa Bailey romance that has everything we expect from her: great chemistry between our MCs, a romance that just leaves you smiling by the end, and great development from our MCs as well as a humanity that just leaks from the pages and you cannot help but empathize with them. Our two main characters, Hallie and Julian, met when they were younger and had an almost kiss moment that was absolutely world changing for Hallie. Since then, she has carried a torch for Julian Vos, and when their path’s meet again fifteen years later, she feels this could be the chance to finally kiss the person she has fantasized about for years. She decides to offer her gardening services to Julian’s mother at their vineyard, and she starts spending her days outside Julian’s rooms. Their personalities crash: she has no structure and no rules, while he always lives a life of structure, maintaining a strict timetable and a plan for his sabbatical year from his teaching position. However, after a drunken night with her best friend, she remembers the next day that she left an admirer letter in his morning running path to find. And she starts developing a sort of friendship with him, while still sending one or two more letters as the admirer, all the while keeping him in the dark that it’s her. I really enjoyed getting to know them, and the world that they live in. The fact that they knew each other from the past but now life has thrown them again together is also perfect, since it also adds tension to their dynamic. As always, Tessa Bailey’s romance is incredible, and it was GREAT smut. I was so ready to see them together and the heat between them almost jumped out of the pages. Another part that I loved was the character development.

It’s a romantic comedy with perfect moments, but there is also something so human about each of them and how the relationship develops. It just feels relatable, and I happily read the pages of their story. Of course, the tension at the end was expected, but it still left me smiling and wanting to clutch the book to my chest. And as a nice addition to the story, we get to meet and know a little bit about Natalie Vos’s story, the sister of Julian and the protagonist of the next story in this world, and I cannot wait to read this one too. Like always, Tessa Bailey’s stories are a fun time and you can always expect great romance, smut, and characters.

I thought this was a really fun book! Tessa Bailey always has great relationships & steam in her books, so that’s always a delight.

I wasn’t overly impressed but it was a solid and good book. Expected for the author and nice to spend time reading