It took me a minute to get into this one, but once I did I was IN.

I loved Hallie and Julian’s relationship. The not quite-grumpy/sunshine vibes, with Napa serving as the most perfect backdrop to these two falling in love.

I wish the letters had played a bigger part, and they felt kind of like a throwaway B plot after a while, which stopped me from giving this five stars.

Otherwise the TB steam was immaculate and I LOVED the anxiety rep!

If there's anything Tessa Bailey does well, it's sexual tension accompanied by dirty talk. In every book I've read of hers, she knocks it out of the park. Admittedly, it's one of the main reasons I continue to seek out her books. The way her characters are pulled into each other's gravitational pull, completely out of their control, is just so addicting to read every time. I really need to read more Tessa Bailey books, because I can't get enough!

I loved how Julian fell completely head over heels for Hallie despite not remembering her from high school. In particular, I especially love all the times he went out of his way to make her happy, insisting in his POV and at times to others that she always be happy and smiling. I'm not always a fan of the alpha hero, but the difference here is he never once tries to control her--only her happiness.

And obviously, the spicy scenes were top-notch as well, because Tessa Bailey is Tessa Bailey. Overall I highly enjoyed this one, and can't wait for the next book in this series either! I can't wait to see how Julian's sister's love story turns out, especially given the tiny snippets we saw in this first book.

Thank you NetGallery, Avon and Harper Voyager Publishing, and Tessa Bailey for an ARC e-book of this novel in exchange for my honest opinion and review.

Let me start by saying this... Tessa Bailey is an auto-buy author for this reader for SO MANY REASONS! Her writing style is hilarious, unique, boldly brave and her fictional men have a way with words... IYKYK.

Now - Secretly Yours is another masterpiece in the making. I will honestly say that the first chapter was a bit rough for me personally to get through - but once you get past in and into Julian's perspective the storyline takes off in a beautiful whirlwind of an adventure I didn't realize I needed. After getting to know the characters - the first chapter's chaotic feel makes much more sense.

Both main characters are dealing with their own form of mental health issues. After losing her grandmother - Hallie Welch is a mess. Literally and figuratively. Gardening is her passion, and she soon finds herself doing work for the Vos Family - whose son has recently returned for a sabbatical from work in order to write his own novel. This said son is also the man who she's been harboring a 15 year long crush for!

Julian is non the wiser to this crush, but can't help but feel a familiarity from the wild haired blonde who captivates his attention. Ruined schedules, racing thoughts, and bold impulsive decisions create a turn of events in this mans life he never saw coming... but desperately needed.

4.5 raving star review for this one! Read if you love:

**Friends to lovers
**Love Letters
**Wino culture
**Jealous/Cave-men styled MMC.
**Opposites Attract
**Loss/Grief/Mental Health Healing
**Hilarious Banter
**Explicit Bedroom Talk

Favorite Quotes:

"It's just that when she's in trouble or experiencing any kind of distress, I feel somewhat... upset about it." Natalie stared. "That is to say, I feel as if I'm going to explode if the situation isn't fixed for her. When she isn't smiling, the world becomes a terrible place."

"I didn't see it coming," breathed the older woman, staring unseeing our the windshield of the truck. "Then again, some of the best things in life happen when you least expect them."

"Fate keeps its own schedule. But sometimes fate drops a present in our lap, and we realize that if everything we'd arranged ourselves had gone according to plan, the gift from fate would never have arrived. Like you coming to live with Rebecca in St. Helena. All those attempts to get your mother on the right path didn't work out, but in the end, those struggles are what brought you here. Rebecca was always saying that. 'Lorna, what's meant to be will always find a way.''"

"That's why I've been trying to stay away from you. Anything that threatens this control I have ... I've been seeing it as the enemy. When it gets a hold of me, I don't recover quickly like Garth. It's something to avoid at all costs. But I can't do that with you anymore, because you're worth burning for. You're worth turning and driving straight into the fire."

"If the clutter is yours, I want it," he whispered against her mouth. "If you're late, I don't care. Just fucking show up."

"A hero with serious flaws and even weaknesses... could still be a hero. A person could only be brave if failing was a possibility."

"Weird how the worst scenarios coming true could pull everything into perspective."

"Bumpier journeys lead to better destinations. You. Me. We're the best destination of all."

Starting off with the positive I'm a fan of Tessa Bailey generally. This was not for me I found it annoying to read. They have a past but he doesn't recognize her. She's set up a meet cute? I wasn't a fan and stopped reading after a few chapters. DNF


***********************************I received an ARC for my honest opinion from NetGalley.**************************

Curmudgeon meets cute. Tall dark and quiet meets short blonde and bouncy.
Hallie had listed after Julian for years. Now is her chance as he settles in to write a novel. He can’t seem to concentrate with her derrière poised right outside his window.
He learns to unbend and she learns to trust.
And the letters they write to each other, him not knowing his secret admirer.
It’s a fun, feisty, firefly, and spicy scened read, exactly what you can expect from a Tessa Bailey book.

2.5 stars (rounded as 2)

This was a disappointing read, and being my first by Tessa Bailey, I had high expectations due to the hype.

No, it's not just my high expectations! Even if I dove into this with no hopes, I'd have the same thoughts. Simply put, the characters were well crafted, but there was zero emotional connect with them. I wanted to root for these characters so bad, but I didn't get the first thing about their attraction.

True that Julian was Hallie's teenage crush years ago, but shouldn't she have gotten over him long back? Even if Hallie is as alluring as Julian feels, she can't be the most beautiful woman he's met in all these years! I think in another book, with the same characters, same quirks, same settings, but different love interests, this story would be brilliant.

I hate how the plotline is simply about two completely opposite characters which a physical attraction who make a great pair, and fit in with ease. The story has no suspense, nothing compelling, no surprises, its just a weirdly made up story, to fit the very unfit trope of 'opposites attract' or 'grumpy X sunshine' Speaking of which, I found the secret letters very not cute and cringe.

As said before, I enjoyed both MCs as individuals and appreciate their backstories bringing out their personalities, which is the only reason I'm not giving this a one star rating. I liked the few scenes in which Owen (another gardner who likes Hallie) and Natalie (Julian's sister) were mentioned, and though Unfortunately, Yours is coming out soon, I think I will skip it. I may read another Tessa Bailey after I get over what a mismatch this was :(

Thanks to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the complimentary ARC. This does not affect my rating of the book.

Tessa Bailey’s “Secretly Yours” is the first in the “A Vine Mess” series. The book centers around Hallie, a gardener, and Julian, a type A professor who comes from vintner royalty. After an almost kiss 15 years prior, the two reunite in their home town. Both have mental health struggles- Hallie with impulsivity and perhaps some mania, Julian with severe anxiety, OCD behaviors, and panic attacks. There is a sunshine/grumpy trope.

The story is a quick, mostly fun read. Though I definitely wanted to know more, the side characters were developed enough to feel engaging. The main characters’ mental health struggles were palpable and Bailey does a great job building romantic tension. But that being said, there are several things that were red flags for me:
1. There was a secret admirer subplot that resulted in a lot of unnecessary drama at the end- it seemed like it all could have been cut. The drama was not redeeming.
2. The characters frequently acted out of character for themselves. For example, Julian’s sexual behavior and words. They didn’t fit with his anxiety and… stuffy properness.
3. Speaking of sex, it was a big deal that Hallie was a virgin. It seemed… almost demeaning. Like it mattered more that she was a virgin. And I understand the author was trying to show that she waited on her teen love, that it was true love… but he didn’t wait. It just felt gross. And her being a virgin doesn’t fit with her impulsivity.
4. I think the biggest thing I struggled with was the use of Julian and Hallie’s relationship to manage their mental health issues. The implication that she would be less impulsive and he would be less anxious because they had each other. It doesn’t work that way in real life.

I’m rating this 2.5⭐️s and rounding up to a 3. I love seeing neurodivergent characters. Many thanks to NetGalley, Avon & Harper Voyager, and Tessa Bailey for the eArc of this novel.

Secretly Yours by Tessa Bailey

Faith Jones was raised to be part a religious army preparing for the End Times. Growing up on an isolated farm in Macau, she prayed for hours every day and read letters of prophecy written by her grandfather, the founder of the Children of God. Tens of thousands of members strong, the cult followers looked to Faith’s grandfather as their guiding light. As such, Faith was celebrated as special and then punished doubly to remind her that she was not.

Over decades, the Children of God grew into an international organization that became notorious for its alarming sex practices and allegations of abuse and exploitation. But with indomitable grit, Faith survived, creating a world of her own—pilfering books and teaching herself high school curriculum. Finally, at age twenty-three, thirsting for knowledge and freedom, she broke away, leaving behind everything she knew to forge her own path in America.

A complicated family story mixed with a hauntingly intimate coming-of-age narrative, Faith Jones’ extraordinary memoir reflects our societal norms of oppression and abuse while providing a unique lens to explore spiritual manipulation and our rights in our bodies. Honest, eye-opening, uplifting, and intensely affecting, Sex Cult Nun brings to life a hidden world that’s hypnotically alien yet unexpectedly relatable.

————————————————
Thank you NetGalley for an ARC of Secretly Yours! I mean it’s a Tessa Bailey- you KNOW I’m going to love it. She just gets it. This book was everything I wanted and needed.

5⭐️

I am withholding review until hcp union workers receive a fair contract. Once this is settled, I’ll edit my review

Oh my, where do I begin with Tessa Bailey's latest work? I have to say, while I absolutely adore her writing, this particular book didn't quite hit the mark for me as her others have. Don't get me wrong, the characters were a breath of fresh air - it was so refreshing to see the man not always playing the alpha role, and kudos to the author for tackling the topic of mental health in such a nuanced way. I mean, who doesn't love a brooding, introspective hero, am I right?

The friendship between Hallie and Lavinia was pure gold, I cracked up a couple of times with their witty banter. I mean, can you say #friendshipgoals? However, I must admit, Hallie and Julian's relationship left me a bit underwhelmed. While the steamy scenes were certainly sizzling, I felt like the instant love between them just didn't quite cut it for me. A bit more character development would've gone a long way in helping me understand their attraction.

Overall, this book is the first of a duology, and I have to say, Julian's sister has piqued my interest. With all the hallmarks of an enemy-to-lovers trope (my personal favorite), I'm definitely looking forward to seeing where Tessa Bailey takes us next.

After reading It Happened One Summer last year, I fell in love with Tessa Bailey's writing style and knew that I was in for a long ride of reading all of her books, which makes me even more grateful that I was able to receive an advanced reader copy of Secretly Yours to review. This has been one of my most anticipated releases since it was announced and I am so happy with how the book turned out.

Hallie and Julian are complete opposites. Hallie can't keep a schedule to save her life while Julian needs his day to be entirely planned out in order to function. After harboring a crush on him since high school, she's decided that it's time to give up. That is, until he shows back up in town and she is assigned to arrange a garden outside of the house he's staying at. Hallie resolves to writing secret admirer letters to get her crush out of her system but she doesn't anticipate him actually writing back...

Hallie and Julian own my heart. They were absolutely so cute. Please, all he wants is to keep the smile on her face and if that isn't what I want in a love interest then I don't know what is. They change each other in the best ways and I just think their story is soooo adorable. The backgrounds for both characters were pretty well thought out but I do think that they could've been hashed out just the tiniest bit better. We have reasons as to why both characters are how they are but we don't really get to know how they got there. Again, it's thought out, but I was just hoping for a little more.

I think my biggest problem with this book (perhaps aside from the overuse of the word "niggle") is the lack of love letters? Because the title stemmed from her secret admirer letters I had assumed that they were going to be a much bigger part of the story than they were. I believe she wrote a total of three letters and the first one wasn't even thought about until almost halfway through the book. I guess I was just hoping for a little more on that front but they didn't really do anything and were really just.. there. They didn't really add anything to the story which is a tad disappointing.

Overall I think this was a really cute read and I'm thoroughly excited to read Unfortunately Yours when it comes out later this year! I do have to say that I enjoyed It Happened One Summer more but really, not much could top it.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange of an honest review.

I always enjoy Tessa Bailey’s novels for their humor, romance, and fun characters. Secretly Yours features all three of these, so if you have enjoyed Bailey’s past novels you should definitely give this one a read—or make it your first Tessa Bailey book! I was a bit confused about the secret admirer drama, as it felt like it was made out to be a bigger deal than it should have been, but I enjoyed Hallie and Julian. I’m so looking forward to Natalie’s book! 3.5/5 stars

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

2.5⭐️ rounded up.

Thank you to NetGalley, Avon and Harper’s Voyager, and Tessa Bailey for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Okay guys, I was so excited for this book, but it honestly didn’t live up to my expectations. I am a huge fan of Tessa Bailey’s books and I absolutely loved the Bellinger Sisters books, as well as the Hot & Hammered series, and Secretly Yours did not have the same charm or captivating characters (for me) as either of those series. I feel like Secretly Yours had a lot of potential, and maybe if it had a bit more substance or a little more to it, than the book would have delivered. It just felt like it wasn’t fully developed to me. I liked both Julian and Hallie, they just also weren’t as fully developed as some of TB’s other characters (or to put it in a better way, they didn’t have a robust character arc). I loved Hallie’s hijinks in the beginning of the book and found them hilarious. I appreciated the mental health rep in Julian, even though it felt shaky and not fully addressed at times. The last 20% of the book kinda through me for a loop, because the big conflict was kind of a mess and made Julian and Hallie’s relationship feel strained and juvenile. This was definitely a slow burn for TB, but I think it takes away from Bailey’s strengths. I was also really excited for the letter aspect of this book, but it played a really small part of the book at the end of the day. The side characters really shined and I enjoyed all of them. I’m excited to read Natalie’s book, as she definitely shined on every page!

Secretly Yours tells the story of Hallie, a gardiner, who has been in love with Julian since she was in high school and met him at a party, they took a walk together, and he almost kissed her. For 15 years she has been fantasizing about him and that almost kiss, so much so that no other man can live up to her fantasy man. Enter real Julian who returns back to his home town to write a book and sparks fly between the two of them, making the novel quite a steamy read. I enjoyed it but I also found it very hard to get into until about half-way in.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

If you're looking for something that is so cute it makes your stomach flutter, this is it. Secretly Yours is absolutely adorable and a must read for everyone that enjoys romance.

The chemistry and tension between the characters made this a hit from the start. It's a classic grumpy x sunshine and the dual pov's made it even better. Seeing Julian's struggle from his side made it so much sweeter when you get to the end. Plus, his internal monologue obsessing over his need to make Hallie smile also made me smile like an idiot every time. In classic Tessa Bailey fashion, the dirty talk (while unexpected from such a buttoned up mmc) is top notch. Hallie is one of my favorite characters from Bailey to date. Between her bright personality, façade of a carefree attitude, and general indecisiveness she was far more relatable than most fmc's that I've read.

Unfortunately, this would have been a knockout 5 star read but it fell short in a few areas. For one, the secret admirer story line really took a back-seat for the majority of the story. It felt like it was almost forgotten until it was needed as a plot device for the classic rom-com conflict at the end. While I appreciated the anxiety representation she showed with Julian, I wish this had been explored more in his pov. There's pretty little detail on why he actually experiences such significant blackouts when he has a panic attack. It left me asking "why?" each time they were discussed and I feel like this could have been developed more. Lastly, I felt like the addition of Hallie's virginity was pretty unnecessary. I don't know a single woman that casually makes it to 29 having no sexual experiences. It would have been fine if she was less experienced than Julian, but it honestly doesn't match her character and they way they approach her "purity" made me cringe.

Overall this was still a 4.5 star read for me. Great for a quick and easy modern romance which Bailey has clearly perfected. I look forward to the next of the A Vine Mess duology in June!

4.5/5 stars. First and foremost, thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review. Secretly Yours was a sweet romance and I devoured it within a short amount of time. I adored the MCs, as well as the side characters. The differences between the MCs made for a very interesting dynamic. Julian was very adamant about schedules and Hallie the opposite (ensue chaos). Julian the MMC also struggled with anxiety and I enjoyed seeing the mental health representation. The banter of course was top notch as per usual when it comes to Tessa Bailey. Lastly, the secret letters were a nice thought, but in the end I just felt that they didn't add much to the story. Overall I enjoyed the story and would recommend if you're looking for a fast-paced romance that will give you the feels.

Thank you NetGalley and Harper Voyager for this ARC!

Secretly Yours is absolutely adorable AND STEAMY!! The chemistry between Hallie and Julian was flying off the pages! As with all the Tessa Bailey books I've read, once I was on the last page, I ONLY WANTED MORE.

Hallie Welch's long time crush, Julian Vos, who she almost kissed, is back in town. When she is hired to revamp the gardens of the Vos Estate, she wonders if she will be getting the kiss she's been fantasizing about for the last 15 years. However, the Julian she fell for at 14 is definitely not the man standing here today. He's now a grumpy professor, while she's sunshine in a bottle. Being polar opposites, their personalities inevitably crash.

One drunken night, Hallie decides to write Julian a secret admirer letter. Julian can't think of who it's from, but when Hallie starts becoming a distraction (one he clearly was unprepared for), the more he wishes the secret admirer was her.

This book is too cute for words. It has grumpy x sunshine, dual pov, opposites attract, small town romance, childhood crush, and secret admirer letters. There's also something about a grumpy character who wants to provide endless smiles to the sunshine character, very endearing. And Julian Vos is so good at doing just that. All he wants is for Hallie to smile and it's EVERYTHING.

Secretly Yours comes out February 7, 2023!! Happy Reading!

“All moments are not equal. Every second was not a grain of sand in an hourglass. Time was bigger than him. Maybe time wasn’t something that could be controlled at all; it was about making time matter with the people he cared about.”

I've always been told Tessa Bailey books are hit or miss. I've only read her Bellinger Sisters duology prior to Secretly Yours, both of which I enjoyed, so I had high hopes for the first installment of A Vine Mess. Although Secretly Yours is quite different plot-wise from both Bellinger Sisters books, this novel still had the same humor and flow as Bailey's previous books.

Summary:
Hallie Welch plays by her own rules. As a florist, she goes into each garden without a plan, letting the flowers tell her where they want to be planted. Her house is a mess, she wears ten necklaces at a time rather than choose one, and at 30 years old, she's never had a boyfriend because she's still hung up on her high school crush.
Julian Vos, on the other hand, has life scheduled down to the minute. He's taken a year off from teaching at Stanford to write a historical fiction time travel novel, and like the creative he is, Julian has scheduled his writing into meticulous 30 minute non-stop sprints.
To ensure his focus, Julian is staying in the guesthouse on his family's vineyard, home to the luxury vines that produce Vos wine. But when his mom hires Hallie to redo the landscaping around the guesthouse, Julian's practiced concentration is broken by the beautiful, bubbly blonde and her three crazy traipsing outside his window. Meanwhile, Hallie is ecstatic to have a second chance with her crush after their almost kiss when she was fourteen. Except Julian doesn't remember her.
Determined to not let the snub affect her, Hallie decides she and Julian will be friends. But after a drunken girls' night, she makes the mistake of pouring her feelings into a letter (anonymously, of course)--and leaving it for Julian to find. Much to her surprise (and embarrassment), Julian responds, beginning their whirlwind secret correspondence just as Hallie and Julian grow closer in real life.
Week after week Julian and Hallie learn more about each other, breaking down their walls and playing into their ever mounting sexual tension. As their relationship becomes more and more real, Hallie knows she should tell Julian that she's his secret admirer, but after living life precariously for so long, it suddenly feels important for Hallie to be cautious with Julian.
Will secrets ruin Hallie and Julian's burgeoning relationship? Will their polar opposite personalities clash irredeemably? Or will they provide each other the balance they've been looking for?

Thoughts:
I thought this was a cute, classic romance concept falling perfectly in line with Bailey's collection of books. I'm definitely more of a Julian than a Hallie, so at times I found her character annoying, but Bailey did a good job adding depth and backstory to round out her carefree attitude. I really connected to Julian's intense scheduling and anxiety, but I wanted to know more about his black outs--especially following the vineyard fire years prior. Although Bailey eventually describes the scene, I was still left with more questions than answers, and I think exploring Julian's mental health more could have been a good choice.
Something that caught me off guard were the salacious sex scenes. After reading the Bellinger Sisters duology, I knew Bailey had a penchant for spicy sex, but there were certain scenes in Secretly Yours that went a bit further than I was used to. I would definitely recommend caution for any readers who don't like anything racier than a typical Ali Hazelwood or Emily Henry sex scene.

Overall:
Secretly Yours is cheesy, raunchy, and a classic example of a 'just kiss already!' romance. Bailey clearly knows the genre like the back of her hand, and has followed up her extremely successful Bellinger Sisters series with a promising start to her new duology A Vine Mess.

Secretly Yours will be published February 7, 2023.

This is a sweet romance story of a gardener and a vineyard owner, but don’t let the sweetness fool you! This book is spicy. Like, four-jalapeños-next-to-it-on-the-menu-level spicy.

I enjoyed Hallie and Julian as the main characters. I love when love interests challenge each other, and seeing their development as individuals was just as enjoyable as reading about their interactions and seeing the dynamics of their relationship change throughout the book. Anxiety and grief are strong themes in this book, but they’re dealt with in a tastefully light manner that is artfully done. (Though it’s not mentioned by name, there are undertones of OCD in one of the characters in this book as well.)

I am personally not a fan of the “possessive/authoritative/jealous man” trope, so that was a bit of a pitfall of this book for me. It’s not a major character trait, but it features enough that it stuck out to me and I found it a little off-putting. But that’s absolutely a matter of personal taste — if that’s your thing, this book is definitely for you.

This is actually the first book I’ve read by Tessa Bailey, even though I’ve wanted to check out her books for a long time! She has a really beautiful way with words. There are some sentences and phrases throughout this book that are just absolutely gorgeous. I like her writing style quite a bit. My only qualms with this books were primarily character-related, so I will still definitely be reading more Tessa Bailey.

“Secretly Yours” will be out in next week, on February 7th, 2023!

Thank you to Avon Books and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

A SONG THAT PAIRS WELL WITH THIS BOOK:
“Adore You” by Harry Styles

READ IF YOU LOVE:
— Grumpy/Sunshine
— Steamy spice galore
— Opposites attract
— Small town settings
— Dual POV
— Body positivity

Oh. My. Gosh. Julian and Hallie might be my favorite book couple yet. You have a high strung anxiety ridden male main character matched with a free-spirited wildly disorganized female character. And it could not be better! Plus, add in secret love letters? I ate this book up in 24 hours. Tessa Bailey doesn't fail you, ever, right? Hallie is a normal curvier sized woman and Julian a toned muscled runner and he loves her body and she is confident in hers. They both grow a lot in their love story but also come to accept themselves for who they are. The banter is solid and the happily ever after is perfect. Chefs kiss to this book. Its not Tessa's spiciest book but I felt like the amount was perfectly fine, and the plot was stellar. You will not want to miss this book as the perfect valentines release!