Such a fun story. It is the classic introvert/extrovert, Scheduled and chaos. I thought both characters complimented each other so well! The plot was laid out nicely. And the characters had flaws and were real. We got to go through their problems with them and be there as they transpired and helped them grow. I really enjoyed this book!

Secretly Yours by Tessa Bailey was a highly anticipated read for me as I have been suffering from a book rut for many months now and if anyone can break that spell, its Tessa. I wasnt completely overwhelmed with the book, but it kept and held my attention and that is saying a lot at this point.
The book got off to a pretty slow start and there was a bit of repetition that I could have done without but overall it was a very good story. I loved the heroine and all her little quirks, she was just lots of fun and a very creative girl. The H was ok, i did love how the book addressed his past issues instead of just skimming over them, like a lot of authors would. The surprise golden nugget however, came in the form of a sister... a good ways into the story she really came alive and became a very strong supporting character. She (Natalie) is set to have her own book released in a few months and im totally on board with that. She added a lot to the story and gave it an additional layer of depth that wasnt so much missing, but just a little more shallow than i would have liked it to be.
Overall this was a really good read and Ive already recommended it to some friends who i also think will enjoy it.

Tessa Baily is quickly becoming one of my favorite romance writers. I've loved everything I've read of hers and this book is no different. Lots of great chemistry and tension, witty banter and playfulness, cute dogs -- what's not to love? These characters were great and I really like the little bit of depth and complication that each character brings to the relationship -- it adds another layer to the story and makes the HEA that much more satisfying.

Secretly Yours starts a new series from fan favorite Tessa Bailey. Julian Los of the famous Vos Vineyards has come back home to St. Helena to write a novel. After bouncing around as a child, Hallie has settled in St. Helena running her grandmothers flower business. These two had one ill fated almost kiss in high school that resulted in Hallie obsession over Julian for the past 15 years. With him back home, now is her chance to see if he lives up to all her fantasies.

I am a fan of Tessa Bailey and there were aspects of this one I enjoyed and ones I thought were just ok. I liked the secret admirer letter writing but wish there was more. Hallie and Julian have chemistry and Tessa can write the heck out of a sex scene so that worked for me. I thought she approached Julian’s anxiety with care, purpose and patience, she definitely researched and handled the topic appropriately. I just wasn’t that interested in Hallie as the heroine, she was boring but doing completely bizarre things for attention like a child, under the guise of helping her friend. I would have liked a bit of an epilogue as well.

If you are looking for an easy, low tension, read with steam, you might like this one.

Tessa Bailey set the bar so high with the Bellinger sistrs that this one just was not the same. I'd give this 3 stars. The small town, summer romance was a fun read, but since I read it in January, the feels don't hit the same so I will definitely be re-reading on a beach or something to get a full effect. Overall, the miscommunication was a little hard to read. This book just didn't capture my attention as well as the Bellinger sisters did. The characters may not be as charming as those two.

First off, I adored how Tessa Bailey normalized anxiety in this book, it was so relatable and refreshing. Loved how Hallie and Julian brought out the best in each other without even realizing it. Surprising absolutely no one, I adored every single bit of this book. Julian and Hallie were amazing, the dirty talk was incredible, and I loved the story. *I received an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Looking for a book with main character chemistry?

I highly recommend Secretly Yours by Tessa Bailey! Bailey is a queen of chemistry and it was off the charts in this book. The banter was also terrific and the romance was steamy, making Secretly Yours an all-around win for me.

I loved everything about Hallie and Julian, both who they were individually and together. I’m not sure what trope their relationship/this romance falls under, but it has a bit of one-sided second chance and unrequited love, as well as forced proximity (kind of?). However it’s categorized, the romance is swoony, angsty, and completely binge-worthy.

The characters were relatable and my heart tore to pieces for every grief, trauma, and worry they had to carry. Apart from the MCs, the other relationships in the book were also perfectly written, and we got to know Natalie just enough to make me super excited for her book next.

This might be in my top 5 fave tessa bailey books and i wasn't expecting that given that it is traditionally published. Hallie is like Georgie (of Fix Her Up) 2.0 and I am so here for it. And Julian is for sure one of my favorite Tess Bailey heroes - yes the way he went from anxiety riddled professor to dirty talking sex god was a bit abrupt but I can dig it. From the opposites attract to the second chance to the small town setting, Secretly Yours set my. trope loving heart ablaze. Once I started, i could not put it down and I CAN NOT WAIT for Natalie and August's book!

This book was set in St. Helena with some winery biz and wine shops mixed in. I grew up in Napa and this book talks a lot about the fire that happened a few years ago. It was like a perfect storm - extreme drought conditions, 50 mph winds and a utility company that's too big to fail. So many fires happened that week the week I gave birth to my youngest, she is why we have so many air purifiers. Also if they say the fire jumped the road - it sounds alive and no thanks. Freaking wind.
This was so cute and steamy with the uptight Darcy-ish Napa royalty Julian (they are there). I'm definitely the zany Hallie trying to fit my square piece in all the round holes. Trying to save the mom and pop stores as all the douchey trendy spots pop up everywhere. The secret admirer notes are definitely my favorite - I always wanted admirer notes!

Thank you avonbooks and netgalley for the e-ARC for the honest and voluntary review.

Sunshine meets Grumpy in this sweet romance of wine country love.

Hallie Welch is the town's happiest landscaper who's questioning her life choices after the loss of her grandmother. Jullien Vos (who happens to be Hallie's high school crush) comes back to his family's vineyard after taking a break from his teaching position to write a book. However, Jullien can't get any work down because he's severely distracted by Hallie as she redesigns the gardens right outside his room. Lust swirls as the days pass and Hallie and Jullien must work their way through secret admirer letters, mental health issues, and of course, their raging feelings for one another.

What I liked: I love the trope of Sunshine and Grumpy and in Tessa Bailey's hands its always scrumptiously sexy. I also greatly appreciated the strong representation of anxiety.

Secretly Yours is out now!

My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

4.5 stars from me, rounded up to 5! Secretly Yours is a sweet (?????) novel about discovering yourself, forgiving yourself, and finding someone who loves you for you, with the standard Tessa Bailey MC who can DIRTY TALK with the best of them.

I will say, I was excited about this book because I LOVE BOOKS WITH TEXTS/EMAILS/LETTERS EXCHANGED, but I was a little disappointed. While "the letters" were an important plot point, they weren't a PRIMARY form of communication.

I loved Julian as the MC. He left his busy professor life to take a break and write a novel, but this journey back home made him evaluate his life choices and his mental health. Experiencing all those feelings with him, having him let his guard down with Hallie, seeing him lose control and then BE in control... he was probably the best part of this story.

I related to Hallie quite a bit. She's a curvy, quirky virgin going through an identity crisis after the passing of her grandma, but it was super believable and seemed authentic in her community and environment. Her friend group is small, but she cares so much about the people in her life and in her small town.

If you love TB, you'll love this one.

While it’s no secret that I’m a big fam of Tessa Bailey, there was so much to love about this one. Julian is a professor living with anxiety and PTSD while Hallie is a wild and impulsive gardener. Both characters are complex and beautifully written. I enjoyed the character development and the emphasis on overcoming different internal struggles.

The teenage crush turned adult romance part of the plot kept me excited and engaged from the first page. Add in the vivid friend and family ties with some small town shenanigans and you’ve got the perfect blend to get drunk on romance.

If you love grumpy/sunshine, opposites attract, secret admirer letters, or small town romance I’m confident you’ll enjoy this book as much as I did!

Thank you NetGalley, Tessa Bailey and Avonbooks for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Secretly Yours by Tessa Bailey
3.75⭐️

First and foremost: Tessa Bailey brings the HEAT in her books. This is your warning 😂

Second: I enjoyed this book for the most part! It was a sweet romance and he was very protective over her, which I’m always a fan of. She fell first. He couldn’t get her out of his head. Overall, a good book and it hooks you so you don’t want to stop reading.

But. I didn’t love how obsessive Hallie was over Julian. I didn’t love how drastically Hallie changed Julian. Those things bugged me a little BUT I did really enjoy reading the story and romance. And that SPICE!

This author can be a little hit or miss for me, but I really enjoyed this one. Julian in particular was a very realistic, relatable character. Hallie was a bit immature and chaotic for my tastes, but she made for a good opposites attract vibe with Julian. I love epistolary romance, so I do wish the secret admirer letters had been as big of a plot point as I thought they might be from the blurb, but this was a fun, enjoyable read nonetheless.

2.5 I think it might be time I admitted Bailey isn’t for me. Everything was just…okay? The characters were slightly annoying, the anxiety rep was half hearted, and the third act was stupid. The sex and dirty talk where Bailey shines were good but the character lacked chemistry so again it ended up being… okay? And it seemed out of character for Julian so all in all it wasn’t that great.

Thank you Avon for the copy of Tessa Bailey's Secretly Yours for review. This is the fun, steamy, light read many are looking for in the romantic but dreary weather month of February. Some stand outs: body positivity, a little social justice advocacy vibes for fighting for a local business, second chance/first crush themes. This book hits all the notes it intends to hit and does it with some humor, fun secondary characters, and a lot of chemistry.

“That did it. His mother was definitely punishing him. She’d sent him this curvaceous gardener to throw off his concentration and flaunt his need for organization. Detailed plans. A schedule. Relative sanity.”

Hallie Welch fell hard for Julian Vos at fourteen, after they almost kissed in the dark vineyards of his family’s winery. Now the prodigal hottie has returned to Napa Valley. When Hallie is hired to revamp the gardens on the Vos estate by Julian’s mother, she wonders if she'll finally get that smooch. But the grumpy professor isn’t the teenager she remembers and their polar opposite personalities clash spectacularly.

On sabbatical from his ivy league job, Julian plans to write a novel. But having Hallie gardening right outside his window is the ultimate distraction. She’s eccentric, chronically late, often literally covered in dirt—and so unbelievably beautiful, he can’t focus on anything else. Like the flowers she plants all over town, Hallie is a burst of color in Julian’s grayscale life. For a man who irons his socks and runs on tight schedules, her sunny chaotic energy makes zero sense. But there’s something so familiar about her... and her very presence is turning his world upside down. Can he let go of his rigidity and structure and finally find happiness?

Although not quite to the caliber of Hook, Line and Sinker, this second chance romance is still an entertaining and enjoyable read. It has some heat and endearingly adorable characters. I really enjoyed watching the relationship between stickler robotic Julian and free spirit whirlwind Hallie unfold. I laughed out loud multiple times! Oh, and there’s wine! 🍷

Thank you to Netgalley, Avon and Harper Voyager, and the author for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I am a big Tessa Bailey fan and have read pretty much EVERYTHING by her. This wasn't my favorite one of hers, but it was still her typical cute, and steamy romcom. I enjoyed the secret admirer letters but for some reason there was still something missing throughout the story line that did not grab me. Still a sweet Valentine's Day read!

Thank you NetGalley and Publishers for this ARC in exchange for my review!

SECRETLY YOURS is the first book in the A VINE MESS series, and I look forward to reading more. Set in the Napa Valley, this is Julian and Hallie’s story and it involves wineries and wine–of course.

Hallie is a gardener and landscaper who doesn’t like schedules. Her life is chaotic with three dogs that she takes almost everywhere with her. She still misses her grandmother, who has died and with whom she lived and worked. Julian is a professor at Stanford and has taken a break to write a novel. He is nothing but punctual and lives by the clock. When their paths cross, there’s a lot of chaos along with schedules and romance.

Julian and Hallie are nothing alike, but they do say opposites attract—they sure do! She remembers him from high school fifteen years before, though he has no recollection of her. Hallie has pined from afar for all those years and decides to secretly do something about that now. Their miscommunications are what romcom’s are made of, in addition to his comedic, dysfunctional family that he’s trying to make whole again. There are some laugh-out-loud moments as well that gives a lightness to the story.

I enjoyed getting to know the characters, including the secondary ones, which added another layer to the story. Communication is key, and Hallie and Julian definitely have trouble doing so especially when his schedules are disrupted by none other than Hallie, who is planting around the guest house he’s occupying. But there’s definitely chemistry, and when they finally act on it, there are steamy moments (and very rarely are they between the sheets.)

SECRETLY YOURS has a good flow and is filled with angst, romance, and ultimately love in several different forms. There is closure, but do I wish the story went on just a little longer. I look forward to reading more in this series.

If you like some laugh out loud moments along with romance and some loving, give Tessa Bailey books a try.

SECRETLY YOURS - TESSA BAILEY

3.5⭐

PLOT - Hallie Welch always had feelings for Julian Vos since they were in high school and now he is back at his family's winery in the small Napa town when Hallie after a night out with friends does something reckless like leaving a secret admirer letter for Julian.
Grumpy professor Julian has hots for Hallie as she works in his garden and yet he is curious about his secret admirer.
Around Hallie he forgets his own set of rules and routine. Can Julian let go of his past and accept Hallies sunny disposition into his lifestyle forever?
MY THOUGHTS
I enjoyed this one though not as much as her other previous works.
Read this one of you enjoy
Grumpy vs sunshine
Small town setting of a winery
Steam 🔥🔥