LOVED IT!

"Secretly Yours" is filled with chemistry and yearning. It's sweet and fun and HOT! I loved how both Hallie and Julian were determined to grow and work on themselves so they could be better together. Hallie's journey to believing in herself and her potential was wonderful. And Julian's progress in understand his anxiety was excellently portrayed. I adored how they recognized the best in each other.

Looking forward to reading more in this series. Got an excellent tease for Natalie and August in this one!

Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for providing an eARC for review.

This book follows characters that could not be any more different yet are somehow perfect for one another. Hallie owns a gardening business passed down by her grandmother. She's messy and scatterbrained and does not like planning. She likes things her way, which as it turns out she won't know what that is until the occasion arises. She has had a secret crush on Julian Voss for 15 years and one drunken night she decides to more or less tell him. Leaving a secret admirer letter on his running path and regretting it in her post night out daze. She has to work on his garden and pretend nothing is awry but end up falling more for him as she learns who Julian is as an adult.
Julian Voss, the son of a father who ran away at the first sign of a problem. He plans everything to the second. If things are out of place he can't cope with it. His family owned wine business needs serious attention but so does his novel that he came home to write originally. A beautiful blonde woman bounces into his life unexpectedly ruining his routine in the best ways and makes him question if the way he's living is the way he should be living.
This was one of my most anticipated reads of the year and I can say it 100% topped any expectations I had for it. Such a fast fun and easy read. The aspect of the letters with the cute run ins with the main characters had me wanting more and not able to set it down.

Secretly yours is a cute rom-com about Hallie and Julian.
Hallie has been holding a torch of Julian since they almost kissed in high school; Julian returns to town years later, and Hallie finds her way to gardening outside his guest house, driving Julian nuts in the best way possible.

Secretly yours is a cute, spicy opposite attract rom-com. It could be silly at times which made me love it more. This felt like an early 2000s rom-com movie.
I found Hallie so fun and relatable, and I found myself falling for Julian. Tessa Bailey has a way of getting me to not only fall for her main characters but for all the side characters too. The funny and encouraging best friend Lavinia, the super flirty sister Natalie whom I can't wait to read her book. I found myself laughing and loving every interaction. This book is a hit for me.

I love Tessa Bailey's books and this one was no exception. She has a way of writing about love that feels raw, honest, and sometimes awkward. I loved the mental health storyline, especially since it was a male character struggling. Men are always taught to toughen up and "be a man", just like Julian's father had acted, so it was nice to see him learn to live with it and accept himself as he is. It was definitely a bit strange that Hallie had this unrequited crush on a boy from high school and never dated anyone for the next 15 years, just hopelessly in love with someone she had barely met. It also seemed a bit long, I felt like it could have been a bit shorter and still told the same story. Otherwise, this was another solid romance from Tessa Bailey, full of spice and dirty, dirty talk.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Hallie has been a chaotic mess for most of her life. Without her recently departed grandmother by her side, she isn't sure what to do about ... well anything else. Until Julian Vos, her high school crush, returns to town. Julian is dealing with his own inner demons (anxiety and control) when Hallie bursts into his life with bunches of flowers irregularly spaced. After Hallie sends a drunken, secret admirer letter, things become more and serious between the two, leaving them to figure out whether chaos and order can cooperate and even fall in love.

I love Tessa Bailey a lot and I enjoyed a lot of this book as whole. I loved Hallie, like absolutely adored her plus sized, gardening, chaos infused person with a passion. Julian was also really interesting to delve into, particularly how his anxiety manifested and his familial interactions. The spice was lovely, and the small Napa town romance element was all fine and good.

But...

As someone with anxiety, I found Julian's insta-love and the fact that the love seemed to make his anxiety fly out the window for the time being really implausible and kind of a yuck. Yes, having a new partner can do that. It felt untrue to how I know a lot of people experience anxiety and the things that can and cannot help. I am only one person though, so this is just my single opinion. However, once they got to know each other more and the insta-love felt more natural, I enjoyed it more.

Overall, a 3.5, fun, flirty, and spicy.

R O M 💗 C O M review: “Secretly Yours” by Tessa Bailey

What a cute love story about a little miss sunshine gardener and a grumpy uptight professor! Hallie and Julian met before in their teenaged years where they almost shared a kiss. Now years later they meet again in a small town where their lifestyles and personalities could not be more opposite!

This book is cute, funny, quirky, spicy and can be totally devoured in one sitting! I loved the wine country setting and the female MC having a green thumb as someone who loves plants/flowers 🌺 🌸

Read this if you enjoy:
💞 second chance romances
💞 secret admirers
💞 opposites attract situations
💞 dual POVs
💞 small town romances
💞 sunshine vs grumpy
💞 mention of wine, dogs and gardening

BOOK RATING: 3.5/5

Thank you kindly to Tessa Bailey, Avon, Harper Collins Canada and Netgalley for my advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest review! This book releases February 7, 2023 (tomorrow) just in time for Valentines Day 💝

The third person POV made it really difficult to connect with the characters and while there were moments that reminded me of my love for HLS and IHOS, there wasn't enough to keep me interested.

Not my favorite Tessa Bailey book, sadly. I loved the setting and all the wineries, there was absolutely potential for this to be a 5 star book. I was unamused by the characters and found them to be kind of bland.
One thing I do love to see in books is letters whether they’re anonymous or not because it’s just such a simple show of affection that you don’t see as much in todays world with technology and social media. So A+ for that part.
Additionally, I can appreciate how Hallie wanted to keep her Grandmother’s legacy alive but I felt that committing little crimes to hurt Uncorked was a little childish. I had a hard time getting into this book and just expected more because I loved the Bellinger Sisters series. This series doesn’t compare in my opinion. I’m hoping for better when Surprisingly Yours is released.

*In support of the HaperCollins union, I will not be posting this review to any public sites until the workers have a fair contract*

It Happened One Summer and Hook, Line and Sinker were some of my favorite reads of the past 2 years. Secretly Yours was a fun read but I didn't feel as invested in Julian & Hallie's story. The competing wine antics felt a little half baked and the love story just was not believable to me. You can still expect lots of Tessa Bailey Sexy Times (I always lol thinking about first time readers picking up her books based on the cutesy covers and then having their minds blown by the adult content), the chemistry just didn't sizzle for me like some of her past characters. Based on what I have seen from Natalie and the ex-Seal in this book, I'm really excited for the next installment and hope I will enjoy it more. 3.5 Stars


Many thanks to Avon and Harper Voyage and Netgalley for the ARC.

Thank you to net galley for this eARC!

Hallie had a romantic moment in high school with Julian at a party his sister through, but did not result in any actual action. 10+ years later, Hallie is working as a gardener in their hometown. Upon discovering that Julian has returned to town, Hallie reaches out to his mother to do some gardening at their house to bump into Julian again... only problem is that he does not remember her. Julian likes control, and zero chaos, but finds himself drawn to Hallie who is the definition of chaos.

I liked this book of Tessa Bailey's. Julian and Hallie were likable enough and their polar opposite qualities created a balance and compromise to both of them. Tessa never fails with her dirty talk. As the plot does center on the secret love notes, I thought there would have been more emphasis on this. It seems Hallie and Julian really did not need these love notes at all to connect.

Still liked it and would recommend!

I really enjoyed this one!!

I've seen some harsh reviews for it, but I found it to be entertaining and enjoyable!

I loved Hallie and Julian. Julian was a mess and it was nice to see a male character that had anxiety and going through things. I liked the way he progressed throughout the story and his relationship with his sister. I'd love more of that! Hallie was a mess as well, in a different way and I adored her. I loved her relationship with her grandma and my heart broke for her. I'm so glad she had her bff and her grandma's bff.

The thing I hated the most was the garden/dirt fetishes. They were weird, to me. No shame if that's your thing, but it was hard for me to buy into and imagine. The rest of the sex scenes were top notch though.

Also something to note: the secret letters really don't play a big part in this. There's like 3 letters apiece. Which was okay with me b/c I also don't really like that lol but if you're going into this one wanting a bunch of letters I think you might be disappointed.

Can't wait for book #2!

I really enjoyed this opposites attract second chance romantic comedy.

Hallie first had a crush on Julian and tried to kiss him when they are teenagers. Now, she found out he is back in the small California wine town where they grew up and she wants a second chance.

Julian is all structure and control where as Hallie is sunshine and chaos. They perfectly foil each other and their contrasting personalities made for some very funny moments.

This story was the perfect mix of sweet and spicy. Julian and Hallie had amazing banter and tension. I also enjoyed the story being set on the winery. I really enjoyed this story and characters. I can't wait for the next book to release!

This might be my first book by this author (if I have read another, it's been a while) but I will be checking out more! It was sweet, funny and lighthearted, but also dealt with some real issues!

Hallie Welch is a hurricane of a personality! Her life is a bit chaotic, she's unorganized and cannot keep to a schedule. She's well loved by everyone and is a gardener by trade. She has had a serious crush on Julian Vos, of Vos Wineries, since she was a freshman in high school and he was a senior. She hears Julian is back in town and she doesn't know whether to jump for joy or hide.

Julian has had a successful career as a professor, but when a coworker has a bit of a breakdown, he decides it's time to take a break. He returns home and lives in his mother's guesthouse to work on a book. He plans his day to the second. Since a family tragedy several years ago, followed by a panic attack, the planning makes him feel in control.

Then Hallie is working on the grounds near his guesthouse. One glimpse of her and he is smitten. As he starts to fall, his planning and scheduling falls by the wayside and his life becomes a bit chaotic as well.

This is a sweet (with a little steam) story that shows learning to love yourself, dealing with loss, and mental health issues.

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

Thanks #NetGalley for the advanced copy of #SecretlyYours by Tessa Bailey in exchange for an honest review.

I'll be honest and Tessa Bailey's books are hit or miss with me and this one falls into the "Hit" category. There were times that I didn't like the heroine's actions but in the end I was rooting for these two to end up together. I loved seeing Hallie's arc unfold as she figured out who she was since her grandmother passed away. But as much as I loved Hallie's arc, Julian's arc is what made this book a hit for me. I was a little worried that this was going to be one of those books where the sex makes all the mental health issues go away and there is a little bit of this but even more, the reader gets to see Julian learn to love himself through his "weaknesses" and we see him realize the need to seek help for his anxiety. The last chapter really pulled it all together beautifully.

I think I’m still in shock that I got this ARC. Tessa Bailey is one of my favorite authors and I love everything she writes. This one was no different.
I enjoyed Hallie’s character, she was fun and quirky but she was obviously going through something after the lose of her grandmother.
Julian was 🔥 or maybe it was just his mouth. Im not really sure. Either way he was a great character. His struggles were more evident than Hallie’s and I really appreciated the focus and importance of mental health in this book.
Hallie is a fabulous gardener living in Napa Valley trying to figure out where exactly she belongs after the death of her beloved grandmother.
Julian has some home to his family vineyard after being away for 4 years after a traumatic experience.
When Hallie and Julian come face to face her crush on him from high school on grows stronger, however he can’t remember her at all, yikes!
This is a lovely, heartwarming and spicy romance. Now I need Natalie and that sexy ex-navy seal’s book!

I understand where the author was trying to go with the plot line but the execution wasn’t amazing. I found the main character, Hallie, a little too childish and annoying. I get she’s suppose to be the complete opposite of the love interest, Julian, but I think it could’ve been done without making Hallie a 29 year old virgin who has been pining for the same guy for 15 years after she’s had one conversation with him in the middle of a party. I did like Julian a lot and thought his character had a lot of depth. It’s still a cute book with smutty scenes that screams classic Tessa Bailey. I would recommend Secretly Yours if you like cheesy, fluffy, romance novels with a glass of wine.

I’ve loved all the Tessa Bailey books I’ve read thus far, but I just wasn’t super invested in these main characters. Especially odd after this long of a book. There was some solid spice and slow burn action. I just felt like the same things were said over and over and over, and I eventually got worn out and skimmed through to the end.

Secretly Yours was a cute and spicy book. I would say it was a typical Tessa Bailey book in terms of spice. Hallie is a very quirky character while Julian likes clean, order, and control. They are completely different in so many ways yet compliment each other so well. I liked how although they were so unique there were parts of each of them that I found to be very relatable. My favorite parts of this book was how in their own ways they went out of the way for one another with their actions. I feel like in many books the MMC will say a lot, be protective but doesn't always show it. In this book actions spoke as loud, if not louder than the words they spoke. My least favorite part of this book was the letters. I honestly did not feel like they were needed. I would rather have heard more about Corked, or them building their relationship in other ways. I think they could have shown a deeper or more in depth connection of how the two opposites attracted. This is probably rated in the middle of the Tessa Bailey books I have read. I still liked It Happened One Summer, and Hook Like and Sinker better, as those are some of my all time favorite books, but I still enjoyed this book and am curious to read about Natalie in the next book. I also wouldn't mind Owen getting a HEA.

Thanks Avon and Harper Voyager and NetGalley for the free ARC.

This was my first Tessa Bailey book and overall I really enjoyed this book. Julian and Hallie are opposites and second change couple. Hallie is the type to fly by the seat of her pants and is very carefree. Julian likes his routines and strict schedules. Julian falls for Hallie fast and will do anything to make her smile. This was a sweet small town romance with some good spice. I rated it 3.75 stars and 2 spice.

I’ve read 5 of Tessa Bailey’s book, and I don’t think this one is my favorite. It all just felt too rushed between Hallie and Julian. this is an opposites attract romance but it felt too rushed and I didn’t really connect with the characters.