Thank you NetGalley and Tessa Bailey for the ARC!

I think a lot of people will love this release! The characters are complete opposites. Julian, our hero, is very controlled and methodical. Hallie is eccentric and really fun - she’s impulsive and creative which I really enjoyed. Julian and Hallie together were so cute…they meet when Hallie comes to Julian’s house to do some professional landscaping. Julian is immediately attracted to Hallie, but for the life of him, he can’t understand why. They are so different but somehow, this relationship just works! And of course what would a Tessa Bailey romance be without some steam and a side of dirty talk?!

Secretly, Yours is a solid rom-com romance and the perfect Valentine’s Day read!

Another cute Tessa Bailey book...count me in! Secretly Yours is an enjoyable opposites attract read. Hallie has an eclectic style and is never anywhere on time. Julian likes to adhere by a strict schedule, he must be put together at all times. However, put the two together and you get an adorable match! I do wish the secret admirer aspect of the book were a bit more detailed and played a bigger role in the book. The book started strong with trying to save corked, but it didn't seem to be mentioned after a certain point. I wish both of these aspects of the book were more developed and incorporated throughout the read. I really liked the development of Hallie and Julian's relationship though. As the book progressed they definitely started to open up to each other, support each other, and embrace each other for who they are. Both are attentive listeners, who truly want what is best for each other, their families/friends, and their community. The supporting characters in this book are amazing. Natalie definitely seems to be going though a lot. I'm super curious about her life and can't wait to read her book!

I knew I would love this book before I even picked it up. Everything Tessa Bailey writes becomes one of my favorite reads. This book was no exception. The male lead learns to let go and live a little, and the female lead becomes more grounded. Tessa writes the best romcoms. I’m thankful to have been given the chance to read an early edition of this book!

She’s done it again folks! Tessa Bailey has delivered us a gorgeous little romcom. This book was a top-tier TB and a top-tier romance.

I’ve seen a lot of talk about this being a grumpy/sunshine, but I would classify this more as a calm/chaos situation. Julian (not very grumpy in my opinion) is a level of regimented that I wish I could be, and Hallie has the kind of free spirit I wish I possessed. I found both the MCs to be so lovable, and I found their slow-burn love story to be very soft & sweet. Tessa does spice so well, but she represents so many levels of sexual experiences that can make any reader feel seen.

Beyond the impeccable romance, this story is so funny! Who wouldn’t steal some cheese from an outsider’s business they didn’t want invading their small town? Sign me up for wine-talks at Corked & getting Sunday morning donuts at Fudge Judy’s!

This would be a GREAT book for fans of rom-com movies trying to get into reading or anyone looking for the perfect Valentine’s Day read.

I'm sorry where the hell did Julian come from? Hello? Sir? I cannot get enough of Hallie's antics and Julian's dirty talk and oh my god this book was fantastic. I've enjoyed a few of Tessa's books at this point and this exceeded my expectations. It was so spicy. Not in like a traditional way, with an over abundance of detail, but the things that man would say were, MMMH! *Chef's kiss*

I'm not sure what the trend with romcoms is these days but Tessa, happily, sits in this place where the romance is actually sweet. It's hard to pin point exactly because most romcoms have either a romantic couple, or at least a spicy relationship, the best have both. But this... This book. Was romantic. Sweeping gestures with none of the strutting and approval seeking and all of the meaning and pining and emotional build up and my god my heart is still pounding. The dialogue between these characters was witty and charming, and they both carried such a fondness and longing for each other. Sometimes that was sweet, and sometimes, that was chaotic declarations of wanting to be on their knees in the dirt. Also, so much wine. And secret letters. I have no complaints. This is an excellent book.. 10/10

The perfect spicy book to get you in the mood for Valentine's day, it has a love at first sight romance, secret admirer and lots of wine. Plus it will make you want to have a wine tasting.

Thank you to NetGallery and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Another Tessa Bailey book finished and I’m so happy I gave this a chance! I’m a sucker for a trope where they help each other recognize and overcome their flaws, so I loved Julian and Hallie’s relationship.

This is set in Napa and the small town/wine country vibes was a nice touch and made the book feel very homey. It almost feels like you’re a part of their little community.

As far as the main characters themselves, Hallie is chaos and Julian is all stiff schedules and no funny business. They theoretically shouldn’t work as a couple, but the progress they make was lovely to read. The spice is also an added bonus, just sayin’.

I also loved that grief and mental health were some topics that Tessa incorporated. As an anxious girly, it’s refreshing seeing more “real world” issues included in romance books.

Overall, I do think this was a quick and fun read and I’ll definitely be checking out the next book!

In true Tessa Bailey form I loved this book. We have Hallie who is such a free spirit (hella cliche, but so what), she’s flighty and a go with the flow, she runs a cute little landscaping business that once’s was owned by her grandma who recently passed away, then we meet Julian who is her crush of many years, and he’s back in town. Julian is the opposite, he likes order and everything has to be planned. But when he meets her, he can’t seem to get away from her, he likes all of these things about her, but she’s throwing him off. I love how mental health is represented in this book especially in Julian and also a little in Hallie. I will say this, Julian is not what I expected when it came to showing Hallie how he really feels, lol. The characters in this book like Hallies best friend and Julian’s sister made me laugh so hard, I can’t stop thinking about them even now that I finished the book.

This book gave me, a ton of humor, amazing romance and steam, funny female characters, amazing mental health representation, WINE, and supporting the community. This book had it all, this is exactly what I needed to read to start off the month of Love. Thanks NetGalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🔥🔥🔥

🌸Small Town
🌸Second Chance
🌸Grumpy/Sunshine
🌸Opposites Attract

Secretly Yours is the first book in the A Vine Mess series and I am so here for it! I loved this one so much…almost as much as It Happened One Summer! I absolutely adore Hallie! She is a fun FMC that is bubbly, funny and a chaotic mess. And she has been in love with Julian since she was a teenager. So when he comes back to town she calls up his mom and lands herself a job at their home! Julian is working on his writing, sticks to a strict schedule and the last thing he wants is a distraction in the way of a chaotic gardener. And the mouth on this man…holy heck! Was not excepting that from him! These two are so opposite and the banter between them is everything! I live for this kind of banter! They are perfect for each other in every way!

Thank you to Netgalley, Tessa Bailey and Avon and Harper Voyager for the arc copy! I loved Hallie and Julian’s story I can’t wait for Natalie’s and more of this fantastic world!

Tessa Bailey writes perfect romances, to me. And this one ❤️❤️❤️❤️

I love how her characters evolve and we, the readers, get to see them evolve and learn, etc, the perfect amount of miscommunication and communication, engage in excellent, sex scenes (or fantasies), that are laugh out old funny along with being very, very nicely spicy, and we get to read about the fall into love. To me, a Tessa Bailey book is one I already know I’m going to really enjoy.

I adored Secretly Yours, and ’m so glad that this is the first book in a new series because I’m already looking forward to reading Natalie and August‘s story next!

📖recommendation 📖



Thank you to Avon and NetGalley for the DRC!

I’ve enjoyed many of Tessa’s books, but this might be the first one I’ve read where I truly related to the main couple. The put together and sometimes uptight Julian returns home to his family’s vineyard, years after a fire. He’s put himself into a self-imposed purgatory thanks to a mistake that happened years ago.

Hallie is mourning the loss of her beloved grandmother and almost spiraling without her guidance. When Hallie is asked to do some gardening at the vineyard, it puts her directly into Julian’s path. And she has long held a crush for Julian.

This steamy book really gives a satisfying and surprisingly deep romance between two polar opposite individuals who are both hunting and desperately seeking stability and solace.

I highly recommend and hope to read the second installment ASAP!

This is the first Tessa Bailey book I’ve read and if this is what the rest of her books are like, I don’t think I’m interested in reading further. Spoilers ahead.

Starting with the positives:
- Julian and Hallie did have chemistry

- The first sexual scene is one of the hottest things I’ve read and the rest of the other scenes were pretty well written.

- Hallie is plus-sized, or at least that's how I understood it. It is a con that this wasn't blatant though.

The negatives:
- First, UNCORKED being in all caps really drove me nuts. Also, the whole setup of Hallie being a blatant menace was very unrealistic and I just rolled my eyes. (Did anyone else catch that there wasn’t a lot wrapped up at the end either? I thought we were going to have a whole thing about how the town planning committee fucked up/got bribed etc.)

- I wish more care was put into all the other scenes instead of just the sex scenes. I thought this was a debut novel until I remembered who it was by. I love well-written sex scenes but it just doesn’t feel right to have that be the only well-written part.

- At first I thought Hallie was a pick-me, but then she just ended up being a borderline stalker with a ridiculous amount of immaturity.

- The second sex scene was hot until OF COURSE Julian had to be able to tell just by feeling that Hallie was a virgin.. And then went on a weird inner monologue about being her first and it just gave me the ick.

- The ending was overall rushed, a lot of things between the two were not resolved. Ending actions weren’t really explained?

I dunno, this had potential but really just fell flat and I’m surprised that something like this came from an author a lot of people praise so often.

A rom com set in Napa is an immediately yes for me. Bailey does a great job writing characters who are polar opposites. I enjoyed that one of the MCs had anxiety issues - I love that authors are normalizing mental health more and more. There was definitely some unnecessary drama and a bit of a miscommunication towards the end which knocked this one down a bit for me. I'm so glad bookstagram introduced me to Tessa Bailey!

"That butt had aged like a Cabernet. Full-bodied and - she assumed - delicious."

Thank you NeGalley, Avon, and Harper Voyager for the eARC of Secretly Yours by Tessa Bailey!

Tessa Bailey is one of my auto-buy authors. I have yet to be disappointed by a Tessa Bailey book and I'm happy to report, that streak is still going strong!

I absolutely loved the setting and found myself dreaming of sitting on my porch sipping a glass of wine - if only it wasn't negative temps outside! Hallie Welch is an adorable FMC that is also a badass business owner. I found myself drawn to her personality and as a result loved her relationship with Julian.

And you guys as someone who struggles with panic attacks and OCD, I freaking LOVED Julian. It was sooooo refreshing reading a MMC that wasn't super strong with zero flaws but was actually a human dealing with some actual challenges. It made him so relatable.

But don't worry, in true Tessa Bailey style, he could dirty talk with the best of them!

This book is definitely worth the read, especially if you like:
Grumpy x Sunshine Trope
Small Town Settings
Dual POV
Second Chance Romance
Opposites Attract
This book did have a couple of open-door scenes so if that isn't your thing, you've been warned, but the plot remained the focus of the story and this *felt* like one of Tessa's more tame books!

Loved the main character. So spunky and impulsive and passionate. This was a fun book to read. Entertaining and interesting enough to keep the pages turning !

My full review and star rating will be withheld until HarperCollins Publishers reaches an agreement with HarperCollins Union. At that time my review will be updated with all my thoughts included.

Tessa Bailey is one of a kind! I have been enjoying her romance novels for year and think they keep getting better and better. If you're looking for an adorable romcom to read for Valentines day then pick up Secretly Yours! You can't go wrong with it!

Grumpy, regimented, master-of-lists-and-schedules college professor meets a sunshiny, impulsive, disorganized gardener when Hallie Welch is hired to beautify the grounds outside the guest house of the Vos estate where Julian Vos is making his temporary home. Except this isn’t the first time they've met, and Hallie has been enamored with Julian since they were teenagers.

As opposite as two people can possibly be, it doesn’t look like Hallie stands a chance. And just when it seems Julian might be warming up to her, despite his best efforts, he starts getting notes from a secret admirer, which further complicates and confuses things.

I wondered what all the hubbub was about since I see this author's books talked about repeatedly in social media groups, so I thought I’d give it a shot. The writing is terrific, and I love the storyline and characters. My only critique comes from me being an impatient reader, so the repetitive contemplation and introspection added little. I found myself skimming through paragraphs to get the action and dialog.

I can definitely see why this talented lady's work is so popular. Bringing two such opposite characters together while having them learn and grow along the way takes a skilled, careful hand, and I loved Julian and Hallie's story!

Julian and Hallie were total opposites but couldn’t control their magnetic pull they had toward each other. They both have their flaws and hurts but it seemed that when they were with each other everything was better. They go through their doubts of being right for each other. Will they both conquer their fears for their own fairy tale before it’s too late.
Tessa did a wonderful job with Julian and Hallie being put together in places to get to know each other. Love the scenes when she is gardening and he is trying to work. Their banter and meet ups were cute and enjoyable. We see Julian’s softer side by how protective he is of Hallie. Some of the racier parts were not for me and that is why this would be 3.5 stars for me.
Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this for my honest opinion.

This book was amazing and the character development was also amazing. I always enjoy Tessa Bailey's writing and her dirty talk, and this book didn’t disappoint. I loved how loose and chaotic the heroine was and how buttoned up the hero was. It was great seeing how they changed throughout the book. Something I wasn’t expecting to see but loved was that the heroine had three dogs.