Hallie Welch has had a crush on Julian Vos since she was a teenager. Fast forward 15 years and Hallie has been hired to plant flower gardens at the Vos Vineyards. Imagine Hallie's surprise when she finds Julian, now a professor at Stanford there. Ends up he is home for the summer writing a book that he wants to publish. Of course these two clash. Hallie is a laid back, go with the flow colorful person and Julian is very rigid and very strict on his schedules. The more these two interact, the more Julian stars to realize that maybe his life does need a little more color in it.

Hallie is at a crossroad....Julian obviously doesn't remember their almost kiss in the vineyard all those years ago but she still does have a crush on him. Hallie decides to write Julian a letter explaining her feelings, but doesn't sign it. She puts it somewhere that only he would find it during his morning run. Julian finds the letter and is intrigued, but he is still drawn to Hallie. These two opposites finally get together and they have a chemistry that is combustible. Everything is going perfectly until secrets are revealed and everything implodes. It will take some time and soul searching but in the end these two come back together in a beautiful way.

I just adored this opposites attract, steamy romance. I can relate to Hallie A LOT! I just loved her attitude about things.....especially against Uncorked! ;) Julian really needed someone like Hallie in his life. She helped him to see the things that really mattered and she was good for his anxiety. Together they were a perfect match! We got a sneak peek into Julian sister, Natalie's story and I cannot wait! Great start to a new series.

Best grab yourself a glass of wine and settle in for Hallie and Julian's not-so-secret sweetness! Secretly Yours is a romcom-y treat that is perfect for Valentine's season with its Napa Valley charm, its blushing and beguiling flower beds, its chaotic vs. orderly cast of characters, and its secret admirer letters that are bursting full of heart, humor, and happenstance.

Hallie is a gardener. A frazzled but lovable, curly-haired, dirt-stained-on-her-bum ray of sunshine who has harbored a secret and unrequited crush on the same guy since high school. Only, now that guy is back in town. On sabbatical from his prestigious ivy league teaching job. Writing a book and staying in an apartment on the Vos family vineyard, where she has just been hired to revamp the bland terrain with flowers.

Julian is a professor battling anxiety. He's returned home to write, to take stock of his life, the vineyard, and his mental health in a way that's all about order, schedules, and maintaining control. What he isn't anticipating is the clamor and clangor Hallie ushers into his life with her dogs and her unsystematic way of doing things, which seems to color every facet of her being from gardening to flirting to pranking a wine shop in town. It's enough to drive a man mad!

So, could their newly forced proximity spark something between them? Like a connection? Like an acknowledgment of the almost-kiss they shared in the vineyard as teenagers? Or does he not remember her? And if not, then maybe Hallie's biggest heart's truth would be less frightening to admit if she expressed it in anonymous letters...

At first, it seems like Hallie and Julian's personalities are too marked, too different to coalesce, that they'll clash hard enough to burn out, but it isn't long before that begins to change and you see how they blossom together because of them. By being around Hallie, Julian learns to push aside his strict rigidity and be present, giving himself leave to "stop and smell the roses" more. Likewise, by being around him, Hallie is able to stop hiding, to eddy her thoughts and feelings into soil where they can not only grow but be seen for what they truly are. It's cute, y'all. Very cute.

All in all, this was an endearing read! I do wish it hadn't been so insta-lusty (I'm more of a slow burn gal myself, what can I say?), and Julian's dirty talk came across as more jarring than sexy to me, but the small town setting added considerable charm and the summer romance was the sweet 'n spicy escape I needed.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Avon Harper and Voyager for the ARC in exchange for my review.

After 15 years of pining, Hallie finally has a second chance to connect with her crush, Julian Vos. The problem is, he doesn't remember her from their "almost moment" back in high school, and he seems to have changed quite a bit from the teenager she knew.
A drunken night leads Hallie to send Julian a secret admirer letter. And now, not only is Julian curious about this admirer, but he seems to become more entranced by the presence of Hallie.

This one, unfortunately, did fall a bit flat for me... even though it had its sweet moments and funny bits, the 15 year pining turned into insta-lust, and i found the letter concept uninteresting.

Julian was definitely an interesting character, and i adored his protectiveness over Hallie and his family. But i did feel that his relationship with Hallie was too physical, and he turned into a completely different person "in the bedroom," which felt a bit cringe at times.
They both had their moments, but i just didn't feel a proper connection between the two.
The drama was also just a bit mehh in the end...

It was still enjoyable, and i did go through it relatively fast. I'll still be reading book two, which will follow Julian's sister, Natalie.

*𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘳, 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘨𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘈𝘷𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘏𝘢𝘳𝘱𝘦𝘳 𝘝𝘰𝘺𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘳, 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘳𝘤 𝘪𝘯-𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸*

I recently read this book as an eARC from NetGalley. I went into this expecting a typical spicy romcom and that is exactly what I got. This book follows Julian and Hallie who grew up in wine country, Napa. Julian has just returned home after years away and Hallie has always held a torch for him, but they literally could not be more opposite. Hallie bringing the chaotic energy with Julian is all strict schedules. (this point I loved because it reminded me of my own relationship) Both characters get their own POV's which is great and, typical for TB, I enjoyed the spicy scenes very much.

I will admit I was hoping for a bit more in the character development side of things given that I felt like the conflict just did not add up, or even matter at all. I do not want to give away the plot considering it was just released today, but the biggest reason I could not give this one 4 stars was the v-card plot line. This main character is 29... let the girl live a little! Other than that, Julian's sister Natalie is an absolutely fantastic side character and I would for sure read a book about her. She was the comedic relief the whole book needed.

This will not be my last Tessa Bailey book, but unfortunately it was not my favorite.

This was a fun, cute read. I enjoyed getting to know both Hallie and Julian’s quirks. I loved that they were able to completely be themselves with each other while also improving themselves with no judgment from the other.

This was a fun and spicy start to my February reads!

Hallie is so loveable and hilarious. She has the biggest heart for her community. Julian is tightly wound and he needs to find a way to connect back with his family and roots.

"Julian required order. Hallie was disorder in the flesh."

Read if you like:
🍷 Opposites attract
🍷 Grumpy x Sunshine
🍷 Getting 𝒮𝑒𝒸𝓇𝑒𝓉 𝒜𝒹𝓂𝒾𝓇𝑒𝓇 letters, or writing them 😉
🍷 Steamy scenes
🍷 Wine tastings
🍷 Loveable dogs and landscaping

In honesty, the reason that I did not give this a five star rating is because of how alcohol abuse was handled with a supporting character. I know there will be more to learn about Julian's sister in Unfortunately Yours coming out in June, but I think that her drinking was dismissed by her family and friends in this book. Just my thoughts on that.

I do recommend this book to anyone looking for a flirty read for february!

Hallie is for now, my new favorite heroine. She’s a mess. Has a crush on Julian Vos since high school. When he returns to town to write a novel, he’s shell shocked by her. Can’t get enough of her. He loses his tight control over life.
Secret admirer letters, and family drama. Excellent read.

Secretly Yours by Tessa Bailey is the first of the Vine Mess series.

Hallie has had a crush on Julian since high school. Fifteen years later, Julian returns to his family vineyard to attempt writing a novel. Hallie, the town landscaper, makes sure to have their paths cross. Julian is rigid with his time as a result of anxiety and panic attacks while Hallie is more of a free spirit who goes where the wind blows. And clearly, opposites attract!

I thoroughly appreciated the representation of anxiety/panic attacks in a male character. The steam factor was blush worthy!

The second book in the Vine Mess series will be available in June!

Thank you to @netgalley and @avonbooks @harpervoyagerus for an advanced digital copy of this book! I devoured it in a day!

I thought that this was a very fun read. Hallie and Julian's story has a little bit extra, over the top feel to it that I found amusing and charming. Cuteness, sweetness, humor, drama, emotion and heart are into a tasty combination that I truly enjoyed. Hallie was, well Hallie. I liked her well enough. As for Julian, I thought he was amazing and adored him.

Thank you Avon Publishing & Tessa Bailey for this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

What a delectable book by Tessa Bailey. Secretly Yours was just the book I needed when I started reading it. It's a perfect palate cleanser with lovable characters. Hallie the chaotic sunshine and Julian the straight laced grump... though it wasn't your typical grumpy/sunshine it was in the same vein. Hallie is a freakin' HYSTERICAL female character that had me laughing out loud at parts. Her interactions with Julian were precious and comical. One of my favorite characters was Hallie's best friend Lavinia. She added color and comedy in just the right places.

What to expect
- slow burn
- LOTS of wine
- small town vibes
- secret admirer letters
- laugh out loud funny FMC

FINAL THOUGHTS: This was a cute, little rom com with just the perfect amount of spice. It did make me want to take a plane to Napa and drown myself in wine and pasta for a week. Hallie is just one of those characters it is really hard to fall in love with... even when she's self-sabotating. Hallie and Julian's story was sweet & is a perfect addition to your Valentine's Day reads.

*I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

At fourteen, Hallie almost kissed Julian at a party. Now, Hallie runs her grandmother's gardening business with a frantic and often late flair. She's doing her normal duty of trying to take down the new UNCORKED business in town when Julian returns. On sabbatical from his ivy league university job, Julian is back home to write his book. The opposite of Hallie, he values structure and predictability in his life. As Hallie begins planting flowers at the guest house he's staying at, Julian can't help but be sucked into her life and is desperate to learn more about her. When a secret admirer leaves a note for him. Julian finds himself interested in the author, but even more interested in Hallie and her carefree way about life.

This book is definitely one that you can sense every little twist and turn. It's full of the tropes that romance novels tend to have, but with that being said I loved it! Tessa Bailey has a way of writing that makes it feel like you know the characters as well as you do your best friend. Hallie felt very real to me because a lot of her constantly late and frantic personality mirrors a lot of myself. I enjoyed seeing the effect she had on Julian and even the town around her. The setting of the story was my absolute favorite part. The town itself has so much character and each side character is fully fleshed out and has an authenticity to them. While the book has some predictability, you can't help but smile as the two main characters fall in love.

I recommend this book to anyone looking for a fun escape from reality, hopeless romantics, and fans of other Tessa Bailey books.

This was a perfectly written romance for me in its appeal, the development of the characters, their interactions, and the overall story in general. It is absolutely delightful and enjoyable and I cannot wait for the next story...highly recommend!

In true tessa fashion, we received more grumpy x sunshine and delicious spice with her new release, Secretly Yours. Tessa is the queen of grumpy men and she did not miss with Julian. Hallie is so fun and free spirited. She was the perfect contrast to Julian. Who wouldn’t love a book set in Napa valley?!

Tessa Bailey always impresses me with her writing. I start each of her books, thinking they will be light fluff…a romantic comedy…and this is that but it is so much more. Hallie and Julian were total opposites. Sunshine girl and grumpy guy trope. Hallie who has had a crush on Julian since high school has taken over her Grandma’s landscaping business. She is a whirlwind, and feels like a “top spinning out of control”. Julian is the son of a vintner and they story takes place in St. Helena, but he is also a professor with anxiety issues and he keeps himself organized by being overly O/C about his life. When they get together, they are combustible, but neither acknowledges it and so begin the secrets. This was a fun read and i really engaged with the characters. Tessa Bailey does it again

Normally, I love Tessa’s books, but this one just wasn’t for me. I wasn’t a huge fan of the FMC and ended up DNFing. I feel funny giving it a star rating because I didn’t finish, but it’s required.

Tessa Bailey is so skilled at creating unique characters that I haven't encountered in other books, and the two leads in this spicy romance, Julian and Hallie, are no exception.

Things I Liked:
- the Napa wine country setting, with bits of small-town, small business life.

- Hallie's personal growth and her relationship with her grandmother. Even though her grandmother (Rebecca) isn't alive during the events of the book, we see how much of an impact Rebecca had on Hallie, and how her passing was such a turning point for Hallie.

- Julian was a surprise! Studious professor battling some big demons, but also jealous and protective and a bit of a caveman in regards to Hallie. And the filthy bedroom (or kitchen or vineyard) talk! He definitely fits the mold of the chivalrous manly who-made-you-cry hero.

- creative open door spice, with safe sex prioritized and lots of focus on Hallie taking charge of her sexuality, despite being a virgin

Things I Disliked:
- the alcohol use by Julian when he's dealing with mental health issues seemed flippant, especially the idea that he didn't remember almost kissing Hallie in high school because he was tipsy and having an anxiety episode.

Overall, I really liked this story and am interested to see what the author does with the next installment, assuming it's going to be focused on Natalie, Julian's sister.

I've shared on here how I don't read romance books as often these days as I used to. Maybe because I'm middle-aged or enjoy ending a book by sobbing into my wine. :) I'm still not quite sure why. But I do love the escape romance can provide and this one was a nice diversion from real-life stress.

I'll be honest. I'm hit or miss with Tessa's books. I wasn't a huge fan of Fix Her Up, I DNF'd Love Her or Lose Her, and I LOVED It Happened One Summer. But this one hooked me with the mention of #GrumpySunshine (although I'd say this one is #StarchySunshine).

I've seen a few reviews that said it wasn't Tessa's best, but I liked it. I love the unraveling of a starchy, schedule-driven man by a sweet-yet-scattered woman, and this one did that really well. And once Julian unravels? Phew, they don't call Tessa Bailey a master of steamy for nothing. I also liked the very-real issues this touched upon, including anxiety, panic attacks, and disorganization. Although they were polar opposites, Hallie and Julian really did bring out the best in each other.

My quibbles: The letter-writing portion seemed out-of-place and not really necessary to drive the plot. I also felt like this focused a bit more on Julian to the detriment of Hallie's characterization. I honestly don't know why she needed to be a virgin. It would have been cool to make Julian the inexperienced one--especially considering his rigid lifestyle and personality (pun not intended!). But, hey, I'm not a romance writer, so what do I know?

If you're looking for a fizzy, fun, sexy read, check this one out! And if you read it and liked/didn't like it, let me know why. I'd love to chat this book with you!

Another wonderful read from my favorite rom-com writer, Tessa Bailey. While I didn’t love this as much as Hook, Line, and Sinker (my absolute fav Bailey novel), I found it much better than My Killer Vacation. Hallie is a mess— literally and figuratively. But when her high school crush, Julian, returns home to write his novel, she tries to finagle her way to seeing him. Tessa Bailey gives us a dual POV and we get to see Julian’s own struggles with anxiety (and I would surmise to guess a little OCD as well). So when he “meets” Hallie, it’s a true opposites attract. A decent amount of spice and a few memorable and momentous one-liners brought this to a solid four stars.

📚Pub Day Shoutouts📚
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Thank you so much to the tagged publishers for advanced readers copies of all of these books! I couldn’t possibly read them all this week but just wanted to give them a shout out and share a little about each of them:
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The House Guest- described as a cat and mouse game. Alyssa gets divorced from her rich husband and suspects she’s being scammed. A new friend offers to help her and drama ensues ! Thank you @forgereads !
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The Black Guy Dies First- explore the black journey in modern horror. This one I’m going to lend to my movie obsessed husband! Thank you @gallerybooks !
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Don’t Fear the Reaper- sequel to my heart is a chainsaw. Jade returns to town as convicted serial killer Dark Mill *escapes to complete his revenge killings! Thank you @gallerybooks
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Secretly Yours- a steamy small town rom com about an uptight professor and the bubble neighbor he clashes with at every turn! Thank you @avonbooks
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QOTD- Do any of these new releases sound like something you would like to read ?
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#bookstagram #booksofinstagram #booksofig #booksofinsta #bibliophile #booknerd #bookworm #bookwormsunite #bookobsessed #bookaddict #bookaesthetic #newreleasetuesday #bookaesthetic #bookish #readersofinstagram #readmorebooks #readersgonnaread #readersofig #bookaholic

3.5 ⭐️
I really liked the setting and general concept of this book but I felt like it was missing something. The letter thing was somewhat thrown in there for drama and I’m not sure how I feel about that either. Julian’s “spicy” character didn’t really match how his actual character was portrayed. Hallie was consistently a hot mess and I liked her because of it.
As for Natalie, she’s a mess too and I kind of feel bad for her and want to know more about what’s going on with her.