You know a book is gonna be a doozy when you can’t stop picturing the hero as Niles Crane from the 90s sitcom, Frasier #notsexy. Needless to say this was another DNF for me, dog. 2023 is the year of the DNF.

Hallie is a gardener in Napa with seemingly no frontal lobe. She acts impulsive, irresponsible, and immature. It’s like 30 going on 13. She brings her annoying dogs everywhere and has no ability to control them (audacious)- listen bitch not everyone likes a dog. She’s also a virgin and writes Julian secret admirer letters that make me think she is for sure going to make a skin suit out of him.

Julian is a buttoned up Sanford professor who must be rigid and obsessively timely to control his anxiety. His attitude about his anxiety is so archaic, like send the hysterical lady to the seashore archaic. Dude- get some meds and therapy and live your life.

These two dingdongs are pretty boring. Hallie is a spaz. Julian is hot for her but can’t understand why. She writes him anon love letters. He writes back even tho he doesn’t know she’s the writer which is sorta shady. I didn’t even make it to the point of him devirginizing her, but the first hookup of theirs was so cringy…Julian’s dirty talk literally mentions Hallie’s dirty knees and then he tells about scheduling masturbating to her on his daily calendar #timliness.

This book wasn’t good. I’ve decided I’m not a Tessa Bailey fan. Her characters are cartoonish and unrelatable. The relationship between Hallie and Julian made little sense to me and his immediate possessiveness of her was off putting. I made it 50% of the way into this one, but should have quit sooner. It was boring, the characters were garbage, nothing made sense. Read at your own risk.

Smut- unstageable
Romance- 1 star
Story- 1 star
Niles from Frasier as a love interest- neg 781 stars
Using literal dirt talk as dirty talk- neg 912 stars

This book was a mess for me.
First off, the male main character gave me the ick. The first encounter Julian had with Hailey, the can only focus on her boobs. It’s creepy and very sexist. There are also several times in the book where Julian gets really territorial over Hailey in almost an animal like way that was a total turn off. Finally, his dirty talk was weird and dominating in a very forced and aggressive way. Overall, he was a tough main character to root for because he had all of these red flags.

Now onto Hailey. I appreciated the author trying to create a messy character that was sunshine on the outside but battling things inside. But for me, this just didn’t work. Hailey was really immature for her age. She was cyber stalking Juliane, committing childish pranks, and overall a total mess. She felt like a sterotype and not an actual person.

Overall this book just did not work for me and it was a rough read.

Secretly Yours is the first book in the A Vine Mess series, but it is still considered a standalone. A small-town, grumpy/sunshine book that revolves around Hallie Welcher, who has had a crush for years on Julian Vos. Their paths crossed again years later when Hallie was hired to patch the Vos estate. Knowing full well they are extreme opposites; they are still drawn to each other. One drunken night, Hallie did something reckless by leaving a secret admirer letter for Julian. As they insert themselves into the other’s personal and professional problems, along with the private letters, they begin to realize specific characteristics about themselves they tend to ignore… as well as strong feelings for each other.

If you’re expecting something as lighthearted and amusing as the Bellinger Sisters series (especially It Happened one Summer), this is nothing like that. There are fun moments in this book too, but it felt a bit more subdued than her recently released books. I like that both our main characters have an equal focus in this book and don’t feel one-dimensional. I like their opposite personalities; it works well for the plot of this book. I also love their thoughts and process as they realize their tendencies to significantly impact their lives and take the courage to change themselves for their betterment. I didn’t like the horny thoughts though. I would have preferred less of it in certain scenes in the book; it felt unnecessary.

I do enjoy how much impact they make on each other, which leads to positive character development. It’s something I look for in romance books, and this book delivers.

Thank you, NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the eARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

"If you can’t hold still….. make it count.”
"You want me to-“
"Touch yourself. Yes. It’s only fair, since I’ve been fucking my hand on a regular basis since you started working outside my window.”

This book started out pretty slow for me. As much as the characters interested me I found the pacing slow and kind of boring. Then it all picked up about a little less than halfway through from that scene I quoted! Hallie has had a crush on Julian for over ten years. It was infatuation but when he comes back to his family’s winery in need of a desperate break, she gets to know who he really is as a person and just falls harder. I really enjoyed all those scenes where Hallie is hired and works for the Vos’s estate. It was fun reading how Julian is just enrapture by her. He can’t help but follow her wherever she goes. He finds her so freeing while he lives by schedules. Now I got to talk about those steamy scenes! You would not think with Julian being so stuffy and time managing that he would be such a dirty talker! The things that come out of his mouth! 🔥🔥🔥 This is the first book in the new series and I can’t wait to read the second book featuring Julian’s sister, Natalie!

Read if you like:
3rd person Dual POVs
Small town romance
Vineyard romance
Opposites attract
Forced proximity
Professor hero
Virgin romance
Dirty talk hero
Open door romance
Pen pals

Secretly Yours is an opposites-attract rom-com, grumpy/sunshine. Hallie has had a crush on Julian since high school. When Julian returns to their small town, she decides it is her chance to see if it's more than just a crush. As Hallie and Julian figure out their feelings for each other and how they can make it work, we get a lot of laughs. I loved how protective Julian was of Hallie and how he always came to her rescue.

Thank you to Netgalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book. All opinions are my own.

(3.5⭐️) This is my fourth Tessa Bailey read, and as per usual, I am definitely not disappointed! From past reads, it’s clear that she excels at writing romances with the perfect mix of comedic charm and profound language.

Although this was not my favorite of her books, I really enjoyed the small town atmosphere and the unique occupations of the main characters — it made the story blend together smoothly, but certainly added to my interest in Hallie and Julian’s connection. They were both likable characters that had very fleshed out backstories, which I appreciated, especially in a rom-com such as this one! However, I didn’t care as much for the side conflict with the vineyard. I found myself wanting all the pages to focus on the main couple, which is a testament to how much I liked their chemistry!


Thank you to Netgalley, Harper Collins, and Tessa Bailey for an eARC in exchange for an honest review :)

Secretly Yours is book 1 of the A Vine Mess series by Tessa Bailey. It is a rom-com told from both points of view with a happy ending.

WHAT TO EXPECT:
✔️ small town
✔️ grumpy / sunshine
✔️ unrequited love / secret admirer

Hallie Welch has had a crush on Julian Vos since she was a teen. Now that Professor Vos is back, staying at his family’s winery for a writing sabbatical, she’s thrilled to be able to beautify the estate’s gardens and perhaps get a chance to interact with Julian.

Julian though, has no patience for Hallie’s noisy, bumbling disruption to his very structured and precise work ethic, or does he? Her joyful presence is magnetic and he can’t seem to stay away from her cheerful chaos, especially once he remembers their almost kiss.

This was a cute opposites attract rom-com. The blurb led me to believe the letters would play a more prominent role in the plot, which was ok, but I did I have some trouble connecting with Hallie who was bit too stalker-y/obsessed with Julian.

Although her chaotic, all over the place personality was the perfect opposite to Julian’s need for control. I did enjoy the initial tension between them and all the shenanigans Hallie was doing to try to save her grandmother’s friend’s failing winery.

Thanks to Netgalley and Avon Harper Voyager for the ARC of this!

I think I just might be obsessed with Tessa Bailey’s writing. I absolutely loved this. The anxiety-rep, the needs-everything-just-so and the tornado-of-energy-and-spontaneity, the backstory, the fact that he just worships her body, the dirty talk, this was so good from start to finish. I was almost immediately invested and like tearing up at the emotional bits. I’m so excited there’s going to be more in this series so soon!

4.5 stars

Another winner from Tessa Bailey! I really loved Hallie and Julian’s story. These two could not be any more different but they just worked. It took a while for them to figure it out but it was so fun witnessing all the banter and frustrations between these two.

When Hallie was fourteen, she had the biggest crush on Julian, and now fifteen years later with Julian back in their small town, she realizes her feelings had never really gone away. Julian doesn’t quite remember her at the beginning, which breaks Hallie’s heart, but when he realized they had met before, he was determined to find out how. With Hallie hired to plant flowers on his family’s property, these two are in contact with each other. Julian can’t figure out his attraction to this chaotic, bubbly, sunshiny free spirit. With his anxiety, he needs order, structure, and a regimented schedule, but something about this woman lessens his anxiety and all he wants is to make sure she is always happy. The chemistry between these two is strong so I anxiously waited for them to finally give in to their attraction. The dirty talk that came out of this uptight professor was pleasantly surprising. I’m not quite sure how I feel about the secret admirer letter plot and thinking of all the problems it could cause had me bracing, but in the end, I was happy.

Overall, Hallie and Julian’s story was sweet and fun with some spice mixed in. I also really liked the dual POV to see what really made these two tick. I am definitely looking forward to more in this series.

Thank you to Netgalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book. All opinions are my own.

I think this might be one of my favorite Tessa Bailey books that I've read! Napa Valley is one of my favorite places on the planet so I love that the setting for this book was by so many of my favorite spots! If you are looking for a steamy romance, highly recommend.

I had to dnf this book. I was a bit uncertain with the beginning but this main character is 29 years old and pulling pranks on a business like she's a teenager. This book would have made more sense if the characters were in their early twenties but they're old enough to stop being childish and I really didn't like it. I love me a good romance book and normally I really enjoy books by Tessa Bailey but this one just did not do it for me.

This book caught me a little bit by surprise.

I love the grumpy/shine trope, and having a wild child come and mess up a stoic professor’s strict schedule follows the trope to a T. But then we start digging in to how Julian and Hallie have gotten to this point, and have so much depth to them.

I definitely related to Julian more than Hallie, she felt so
chaotic, but after learning her backstory, I was really able empathize with her.

Tessa Bailey is always brings some of the best dirty talking heroes, and she definitely delivers in this book.

I definitely am looking forward to the next book, we get a good peak at the main characters in this book, and it was spectacular.

Secretly Yours is Tessa Bailey’s latest steamy romantic comedy and the first in her Napa Valley series.

Hallie Welch fell hard for Julian Vos at fourteen, after they almost kissed in the dark vineyards of his family’s winery. Now the starchy Professor Hottie has returned to their small Napa town to write a novel. Hallie is thrilled when she is hired to re-landscape the gardens on the Vos estate, hoping that they can restart their relationship. Unfortunately their polar opposite personalities clash. Hallie is grieving the death of her grandmother who raised her while Julian is suffering from serious anxiety.

Hallie accidentally leaves Julian a secret admirer letter that she wrote while intoxicated. He’s both fascinated by the anonymous letter writer while puzzled about Hallie distracting him from his novel-writing with her beauty and antics. He must decide which woman he wants.

This is not my favorite Tessa Bailey novel. While I love the idea of the plot, I just couldn’t care about either Hallie or Julian due to their immaturity. I liked Natalie, Julian’s sister, better and would prefer to read her story, which is next in the series. I’m sure that there are readers who will strongly identify with either Hallie or Julian and love this book, but it’s just not for me.

I received an Advance Review Copy (ARC) from NetGalley and Avon/Harper Voyager for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Reviewed for NetGalley:

This one didn’t really work for. I found Julian crass and Hallie as a bit of a stalker.

I didn’t get the wine rivalries and the character chemistry came across as bland.

Hallie Welch is a bit of a mess trying to figure out who she is after the passing of her beloved grandmother; always running late with no set structure or plans for her future (or even that day). She’s also harboring an unrequited crush on Julian Vos that has stunted her dating life for the last 15 years. Julian, on the other hand, is the picture of order and precision, who is back in town while taking time away from his job as a professor to write a book. Hallie re-enters his life in a whirlwind (though he doesn’t remember her from their high school days - yikes), and you can immediately feel the chemistry between them. They are the textbook definition of opposites attract, and the setup of his desire for stability matched with her fun-loving spontaneity set the tone for a classic case of them helping each other reach a happy medium between the two types. The book also tackles some heavier subject matter, her grief and his anxiety along with familial pressures, and I really appreciated how each of those topics was addressed. I was definitely rooting for the small town businesses whose struggles make up a side plot, and was far more invested in that storyline than the secret admirer letters. Also, not going to lie, Julian’s slightly possessive need to make Hallie happy at all costs did something for me.

I am already looking forward to more books set in this world, and especially since the next one is about Julian’s sister, Natalie! Secretly Yours is probably my 7th or 8th Tessa Bailey book, and it’s absolutely one of my favorites. I’ll be purchasing a copy for my shelves for sure!

Thank you Avon and NetGalley for sending this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

I adore Tessa Bailey books and while this wasn’t my favorite of hers I still enjoyed it none the less.⁣
⁣
I loved the chaos and kindness that was Hallie, but felt like she was pretty immature at times.⁣
⁣
Julian was stuffy and uptight and so organized but had a beautiful heart. These two couldn’t be more opposite for one another but they were the perfect balance for one another.⁣
⁣
The secret admirer letters were cute and felt more mature in conversation than some of the actual conversations Julian and Hallie had. I felt like they had amazing chemistry and I always enjoy dirty talk but sometimes I just wanted to tell them to talk to each other instead of holding on to their demons they carried alone. ⁣
⁣
Overall this was cute and had funny moments too, and I enjoyed watching these two grow as people and all or the chaos of Hallie’s dogs.⁣
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I enjoy all of tessa Bailey's books & liked this one. It wasn't one of my favorites but still enjoyable. The steam was decent but I didn't love the chemistry between the two characters. I enjoyed them each on their own but I just didn't love them as a couple. Overall a 3/5

"Secretly Yours' by Tessa Bailey is a great rom-com book. She delivered a new masterpiece that is a must read for any Tessa Bailey fan.
Hallie is a whirlwind of energy and Julian is a strict down to the minute detail guy. These two end up thrown together and it greatly affects them both. Hallie is overcoming the death of her grandma and Julian is coming to terms with his own life. Hallie blows into Julians life when he needs it the most and Julian shows Hallie that she is who is meant to be. These two are the exact meaning when they say opposites attract.
Loved this fast paced story and can't wait for the next one in the series to be released. Tessa Bailey did it again. Highly recommend.

Thank you SO much to Avon and NetGalley for the ARC.

Unfortunately, this wasn’t my favorite Tessa Bailey book. It didn’t fully feel fleshed out enough and the characters were a bit *too* immature and over the top. The pacing was off and I found some of the dialogue slow. I really need Mrs, Bailey to write a dual pov in first person that is my wish.

However, this book is packed full of elements Tessa Bailey's books are known for - banter,
dirty talk, a lovestruck hero, etc. - Secretly Yours is not a bad book but I did not love it as much as I would’ve hoped. I am excited for the next one tho, as it looks a lot better!!

I'm a fan of this author, and lordy, can she write a hot and spicy scene! In "Secretly Yours", our hero is a buttoned down professor who (apparently?) struggles with anxiety while our heroine is an unmoored and chaotic landscaper who has had a 15 year crush on the hero.... And he's completely forgotten her. Yikes.

An enjoyable read, yes, but the characters weren't particularly well explored or developed. In addition, it used a plot point that I find particularly annoying- the BFD problem that could have been easily resolved with a 5 minute honest conversation, but no, they just brood in silence for weeks instead. Was it a deep read? No. Did I finish it happily? Yes. Will I read the next book in the series? Of course!