“𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘮𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘸𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘳𝘰𝘭𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘏𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘦. 𝘐𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦, 𝘰𝘣𝘷𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘭𝘺. 𝘈 𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭-𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘏𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘦 𝘴𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘴.”

A steamy new rom-com about a starchy professor and the bubbly neighbor he clashes with at every turn...

Hallie Welch fell hard for Julian Vos at fourteen, after they almost kissed in the dark vineyards of his family's winery. Now the prodigal hottie has returned to their small town. When Hallie is hired to revamp the gardens on the Vos estate, she wonders if she'll finally get that smooch. But the grumpy professor isn't the teenager she remembers and their polar opposite personalities clash spectacularly. One wine-fueled girls' night later, Hallie can't shake the sense that she did something reckless--and then she remembers the drunken secret admirer letter she left for Julian. Oh shit.

On sabbatical from his ivy league job, Julian plans to write a novel. But having Hallie gardening right outside his window is the ultimate distraction. She's eccentric, chronically late, often literally covered in dirt--and so unbelievably beautiful, he can't focus on anything else. Until he finds an anonymous letter sent by a woman from his past. Even as Julian wonders about this admirer, he's sucked further into Hallie's orbit. Like the flowers she plants all over town, Hallie is a burst of color in Julian's gray-scale life. For a man who irons his socks and runs on tight schedules, her sunny chaotic energy makes zero sense. But there's something so familiar about her... and her very presence is turning his world upside down.

---

I'd heard great things about Tessa Bailey books so I was extremely excited to receive an ARC of Secretly Yours but, unfortunately, this book just wasn't for me. The miscommunication trope was a bit too much and the 180 of the MMC's personality in the bedroom was a little far fetched. Overall, there were just too many things that pulled me out of the story to truly enjoy it, but I hope to give other Tessa Bailey novels a chance at a later date.

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘈𝘷𝘰𝘯 𝘉𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘎𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘺. 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘸𝘯.

Wasn’t really feeling this one. 3.5⭐️

Hallie has had her eyes on him since high school. Knowing he’s back in town has her excited to know the man he is now. Turns out, they’re way more different than she expected. Julian is only home to finish his novel. He lives his life according to a set schedule and isn’t looking to change that. But Hallie, his sister, and a secret admirer are ruining his focus.

This was cute and slightly cringe.. (I’m talking about the spicy scenes.) That said, Julian is such a cute nerd and Hallie is total chaos yet they’re so right for each other. Loved their chemistry and banter.

The beginning prank had me cracking up.

*I received an ARC of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review with my honest opinion.*

I enjoyed the slow paced set by the secret pining trope but thought the chemistry between Hallie and Julian was a little off. A great, quick read though not one I would recommend for newcomers to Tessa Bailey's books.

Combine opposites attract, with surprisingly intense emotional depths, and a hint of a "You've Got Mail" vibes in reverse...SO GOOD.

Tessa Bailey delivered on every angle of this novel. Julian and Hallie's dynamic was playful yet deep, with great chemistry [hello Julian's dirty talk]. Both characters deal with the concept of evolving into the next person they are going to be. While the other doesn't directly help in either situation, they offer a safe space and understanding that their past does not define them permanently.

I loved how each character had their own separate arc, while their story smoothly mixed in. I especially appreciated the theme of personal evolution since we all need to remember that we can change. When you read this one, don't make other plans. Enjoy the binge!

Thank you Net Galley for this ARC!

One thing Tessa Bailey knows how to do so well is write a man who is obsessed with the main female character!

And Julian is top-tier y'all! He falls so hard for Hallie!! it's so freaking romantic and it kept me giggling the whole time!

Hallie is a bit messy and frazzled and Julian is more anxious and organized. They seem to be complete opposites but also fit together and understand each other so well.

I wasn't sure how I would feel about the whole "secret admirer" plot... I didn't love it but at the same time it was something different to read about.

Overall, the story was filled with cute funny banter, relatable MCs, amazing spice, and a very sweet happy ending! I really enjoyed it!

A small town romance in wine country 🍷We have college professor on a break from teaching writing a book and a free spirit gardener. Let’s just say the strict follows a schedule guy falls for the no plans girl! I loved how opposites attract in this one.

Hallie has had a crush on Julian since high school and when she finds out he’s in town she gets a gardening job at his family’s guest house (where Julian is living)! Julian is caught so off guard his strict scheduling starts to get thrown off a little by this vibrant woman!

Hallie starts writing secret admirer letters to Julian and things start changing.

The small town feel was so perfect for this one. I liked the little side stories (boo, UNCORKED) and Hallie’s friend was the best! There are a few things Hallie and Julian are dealing with in their personal lives but it adds more to their story.

Thanks Netgalley for this ARC!

I loved this story!! The two main characters couldn't be more different but they worked out perfectly. It was a quick and fun read that makes you want more (hopefully we'll see them in Natalie's book!) Hallie and Julian both had their faults but acknowledged them to be better for themselves and understand the other. This book is good for anyone who like grumpy/sunshine or has enjoyed any other book by Tessa Bailey. I'll definitely be buying this once it comes out

Secretly Yours features a sweet gardener, Hallie, who is grieving the loss of her grandmother (her mom figure) and Julian, a professor who is home to write a novel. Instantly, they seem completely opposite: she's got this sunny, generally optimistic personality while he's intense and grumpy and super type A. Even with all of their differences, he cannot seem to resist her and she's always secretly had a thing for him. Over the course of weeks, Hallie gardens her way right into Julian's heart and he cannot help but look for her gardening on the grounds, can't help but want to protect and support her, and cannot stop the inevitable fall for her. Meanwhile, Hallie's crush continues to grow into real feelings that she somehow captures in a secret admirer letter to him--a letter she never intends for him to see but after he does, she *facepalm* continues to write them.
Over a series of events, Julian and Hallie find themselves together and things appear to be going in the right direction, even with some lingering questions about what their future will be. There are a few hurdles--the letters, both of them struggling with career choices, and a major miscommunication--but thankfully, the angsty times are brief and we get to their HEA quickly.

Secretly Yours is a fun romcom, with a hefty side of steam, that would be a great weekend escape and it looks to be the start of a fun new series.

This was such a cute eye catching cover. The insta love and dirty talk just didn’t fit for me. There was too much going on in this story (maybe to set up a new series).

Thank you to Netgalley and Avon for an arc in exchange for my honest review.

Publication: February 7, 2023

I've been on a romance kick lately and mostly because I have been trying to expand to different authors/different spice levels. When I saw I was approved for this book, I was beyond excited!

This was my first Tessa Bailey book (I know, I'm late to the party) and it fell right down the middle for me. Some things I really enjoyed: the writing style, the setting of the small town, the mental health representation with Julian and how fleshed out the characters were. All these things made me think that this would be a 4 or 5 star read.

However, there were things that I didn't enjoy which led to my rating. I didn't like the whole behaviors of Hallie pining after Julian. I couldn't get into that aspect and it really took away from the story. I'm not sure if this would be considered miscommunication but this is not my favorite trope. Also, the character of Hallie I found to be immature and a little too chaotic. Maybe this is what Bailey was aiming for but I couldn't get along with Hallie as a reader.

For my first book, I would say that I'm interested in trying one of her other books out and seeing if we are a good fit together.

I loved the small town vibes and the side characters were great. The main characters tho…..so immature at times and some of Julian's dirty talk was so cringy! It seemed very out of character for him.
Overall not my favorite Tessa Bailey book.


Thank you so much to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read an ARC of this book!

This series is called A Vine Mess and I just have to say that's an apt name.

Hallie is a hurricane of a woman, indecisive to a fault, and refuses to be bound by structure. Julian is the total polar opposite of Hallie. He's an uptight, particular man who needs a rigid schedule and cannot tolerate any deviation at the slightest. Hallie's chaotic energy turns his world upside down and despite his proclivities, he's drawn to her and can't focus on anything else.

I enjoyed the small town vibes in this (even though St. Helena, Napa is actually a big tourist destination IRL??). We're initially focused in on small businesses, Hallie's friendships with other business owners, and intimate day to day recounts.

I liked the opposites attract situation we had going on between Hallie and Julian. I usually can't stand messy heroines, but Hallie's reasons for being the way she is pulled on my heartstrings. Getting to see Julian find his place back in St. Helena while bending over backwards to get Hallie to smile was lovely. We get glimpses of his caring heart and some teddy bear moments that made my ovaries burst.

Now for the bad:
Tessa Bailey's bread and butter is her smut. Her ability to write delectable dirty talk and morph her prim and proper mmc into possessive, filthy cavemen remains unparalleled. Unfortunately, the transitions into the smutty scenes were not smooth at all and they came out of nowhere. The two characters would just be having a casual conversation and then Julian would whip out some very forward lines and I was shook. I understand duality is a thing, but this was plain old disjointed.

This is my personal preference but I'm not a fan of the fmc harboring unrequited love. Call me crazy, I prefer books where the mmc is a pining mess holding a flame for the fmc. In this book, Hallie has a 15 (FIFTEEN!!!) year long crush on Julian, who we later find out doesn't even remember who Hallie is present day. Ummmmm, yikes. (Though my concerns are slightly assuaged when the mmc swiftly falls into infatuation with the fmc after their first encounter.)

There's a handful of the subplots established to be used as footholds for the mmc and quickly abandoned. The wineshop rivalry? Only there so that Julian can secretly help save CORKED in order to make Hallie happy. We don't find out what happens to the new competing wineshop later on. The second love interest? Only there so the reader can get some angsty Julian jealousy. The secret admirer love letters? Arguably the most enticing part of this story, but it's not the main focus at all and is there just for the third act conflict.

Overall, I'm still gobsmacked; while there's some good in this book, there's a lot that took me out of the story and left me reeling. I know for a fact many readers will eat this up, but this unfortunately wasn't for me. I am, however, intrigued by Natalie's character and will most likely pick up her story. What can I say, I'm a glutton for punishment.

Read this for:
second chance romance
grumpy sunshine
opposites attract
what are feelings/what is this thing beating in my chest hero
virgin heroine
small town? vibes

Secretly Yours seriously hit the rom-com spot for me.... Tessa Bailey has yet again created flawed, quirky, and seriously lovable characters (who know how to talk dirty of course...) I knew I was going to be a sucker for any plotline that revolved around wine, but I also seriously loved the passion the main characters had for keeping small businesses alive. As someone who wouldn't know what to do without their favorite local wine store, it was a believable and sweet subplot.

I tend to cringe at the "secret admirer" vibe but somehow main character Hallie pulls it off without being too cringe (only a little haha.) And as someone who thrives off routine, Julian definitely spoke to me.

I'm so thankful to have gotten this as an ARC from NetGalley and look forward to reading the next book in the series!

More than spicy with vocabulary to match, Secretly Yours is a delectable story of wine, a woman, and anxiety. The wine-Vos Vineyards. The Woman-Halli. The anxiety-the plague of Julian Vos. Halli is impetuous and free. Julian is uptight and controlled. Somehow these polar opposites rock each other’s world. So much keeps them from a completely bonafide relationship that time holds in its hands.
I voluntarily read an advanced copy of this book, All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I had high expectations for this series. Firstly, I feel like the writing style in this book was very hard to get used to. I normally love Tessa Bailey's writing but there's just something about how the story was written in here. Maybe it's the tense that it was written in? It's not something I usually have trouble with but maybe there was also too much internal monologue(?)...

I think this book was too much of a slow burn for me and it made things really boring. For the most part, the story was flat and there wasn't any character development. It seems like the plot was all over the place and I honestly thought the letters would play a bigger part. The characters were bland and I was also very confused about Julian's character after he accepts his feelings for Hallie because it was a very abrupt change with no progression. I also did not feel the chemistry between Julian and Hallie at all.

The biggest thing that annoyed me-which also changed my rating from 3 stars to 2 stars-is the (deliberate) miscommunication. I don't think there's anything else I hate more than the miscommunication trope and this book was full of that. The conflict at the end was so silly and random and their relationship could have progressed much faster (and made things more interesting) if they just...talked. I also didn't understand the point of the letters because they were written way after and it just felt very pointless. The characters themselves felt very immature and even the spice had me cringing this time. At this point, I think Tessa Bailey books are a hit or a miss for me, and this book was unfortunately a miss.

Thank you so much to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read an ARC of this book!

Let me start by saying that I love Tessa Baliey's work and when I saw that she was releasing a new book following the end of the Bellinger Sisters books, I was so excited!

I loved the small town feel and the side characters were the exact needed amount of spice and sweet, without overshadowing our main characters. I will say that this one wasn't my favorite Tessa Bailey book. Both Hallie and Julian were immature at times and I wasn't a fan of Julian's dirty talk. Because he is presented as such a reserved and strait laced character, the wild dirty talk felt so far out of character for him that it took me out of the story.

That being said, I did still enjoy other parts of this story and am looking forward to reading Natalie's (Julian's sister) story next!

3.75 stars (rounded up)!

I can't help but love Tessa Bailey's books, even if they make me occasionally cringe. "Secretly Yours" is the start of a new series from her, and if this book is any indication, it's going to be another good one...not quite as good as the Bellinger sisters series, but good, nonetheless.

Small towns, old crushes, wine, gardening, and opposites attract grumpy/sunshine collide in Bailey's latest rom-com. Hailee and Julian are thrown back into each other's lives, and though he barely remembers her, she had been smitten with him in high school. Her bright chaos and his strict, rigid lifestyle meet together into a storm of want and need and lust. Then, a secret admirer enters the equation.

This is a cute story, but it's not my favorite Tessa Bailey book. I liked Hailee and Julian as characters. I love all the things Julian did for Hailee, even if they made him go against his better instincts. Julian is a caring grump who is worked out of his routine by the tornado that is Hailee. And Hailee! She has a heart of gold. I loved reading about how she had a crush on Julian when they were younger, not in a creepy way. As always, Tessa Bailey manages to write some excellent, steamy dirty talk. Love that for her, and for us as readers! I like the anxiety representation as it felt realistic and fleshed out in these characters. I really enjoyed all of the side characters, and I'm hoping certain ones get books of their own (?!). Where this book was a little "ehh" for me was in the immaturity of its leads. I can see others having an issue with how all over the place this book feels, but I thought it matches Hailee's personality really well (even if this was unintentional). The letter-writing part feels like the least fully-formed plot point. It sort of felt like the letters were more of an afterthought than anything? The fact that Julian had to even secondguess that they were written by Hailee is a bit absurd, considering he's so intelligent. Still, I had fun with this book. It made me laugh and swoon from time to time. Can't wait to read Tessa's next book!

Thank you to NetGalley, Tessa Bailey, and Avon and Harper Voyager for providing me with an ARC copy of this book! All opinions are my own, and I was not compensated for my review.

First off I wanna say thank you to Harper Collins for giving me the chance to read this ARC before release day.


*Possible Spoilers Ahead*


I love Tessa Bailey so when I saw she was releasing a book after the Bellinger Sisters I was excited. Secretly Yours is about a chaotic gardener Hallie and straight as an arrow history professor Julien. 15 years prior, Julien and Hallie share an (almost) kiss and ever since then Hallie has been in love with him. Fast forward to now, prodigal Julien is back from Stanford on a sabbatical trying to write his novel when his mother hired a gardener to do up the guesthouse. In walks Hallie and when she realizes that Julien doesn’t recognize her from the night she still thinks about she’s disappointed and tries to forget about it but Julien, although into lists and schedules, basically throws everything to the wind. I’m not going to go more in-depth because it’ll be major spoiler but this book really resonated with me.

Hallie is 29 years old and just lost her grandmother, someone who was a constant in her life and helped her stay grounded while her mother was pulling her in and out of school and around the world. So when she lost Rebecca suddenly, she was spinning out. This part hit close to home because early last year, I lost my grandma unexpectedly as well and I loved her with every fiber of my being. She was my best friend for a long time so I’ve been feeling lost, in a way, while I navigate life without her; just like Hallie tries to do.

I did have some qualms though: there wasn’t an epilogue, I love epilogues because even though it’s a glimpse at the future, there’s a sense of finality to a story. Another thing I wasn’t too crazy about was the lack of follow through the the whole Corked situation. In the beginning it seemed like a big deal and yeah some things were done about it but it kind of just fell to the wayside for everything else. There was a lot of repetitiveness in both Hallie and Juliens inner monologue which probably could have been cut out and some of the way Julian spoke to her during sex was ..odd?

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed it and can’t wait to read the sequel about a certain sister and Ex-Navy Seal

4/5 ☆

I loved this book so much is was a fun and fast read for me. I would definitely recommend it to others! Thank you NetGalley for this copy!

High School Crush turns Secret Admirer turns 2005 Tom Cruise on Oprah in this spicy romp through Napa Valley.

Not sure if this tagline makes sense, but it’s fitting for the book in my humble opinion, so we’re running with it. This was very cute! I loved how our heroine was a little curvier than most, and I loved how our main love interest, aka Julian, was, ahem, very appreciative of said curves, as well. It had the Sunshine meets Grumpy trope, which you can never go wrong with. Then, Grumpy turns into Sunshine only for Sunshine, which makes it even better.

The quaint little town of St. Helena was a real treat too. I just wish we’d gotten to see more of its history! And Julian’s sister, Natalie, was comedic gold. I loved both her and Hallie’s dynamic. She was probably the highlight of the book for me. Also, just loved the Vos Family dynamic, as well. Mama Vos really began to grow on me…Lol.

My only qualm was it took a little bit for me to get into it. I feel like the plot dragged for about the first half of the book. And I was not a fan of Lavinia, unfortunately. She actually annoyed me a little. Buttttt that ending was so sweet! All in all, this would be the perfect spring/summer read for rom-com lovers! Low stakes, spice, and a HEA guarantee. You can’t go wrong with that!

Big thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager for sending me an ARC copy of this book!