It pains me to give any Tessa Bailey book only 3 stars, but I want to be honest that this just wasn't quite as engaging as her others.

A scatterbrained gardener and an uptight professor are the most unlikely pair, and they both know it. But when Hallie starts landscaping the outside of Julian's guesthouse, he can't help but be drawn to her. Julian's back in town at his family's vineyard with the hopes that he can finish his novel while on break. The unpleasant memories from his past here keep eating away at him, though.

Hallie meanwhile is still struggling to find her place in the world after her rock, her grandmother passed away. As a result, she's late for appointments, can't make decisions, and is generally living in her own brand of chaos.

One tipsy night, she decides to confess her crush on Julian from their school years by leaving him an anonymous letter. However, when he actually reads it and responds, she ends up dually interacting with him...as herself and as his secret admirer.

While I loved the opposite attract nature of this romance, there were some aspects that didn't tie in well to the story. The secret admirer portion took a while to have any significance and didn't feel like it should've turned into such a huge deal between them. I ended up being more interested in Hallie's budding friendship with Julian's sister than her and Julian!

Secretly Yours
A Vine Mess #1
Tessa Bailey
4 ⭐️

I had been dying to read this one since the words Tessa Bailey and new book were first uttered in a sentence. I thought the wait was going to do me in, but was so excited when that approval email finally appeared, I dove right in.

Blurb: 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.

I enjoyed this one. Being a wine lover and a fan of all things Napa, I adored the small-town feels of St. Helena and its residents. The story was cute and super quick.. Hallie and Julian were fun to read. Both flawed, vulnerable characters needing improvement. They brought the steam, but the chemistry felt a tad off to me. Overall I enjoyed reading but was left wanting a tiny bit more. Maybe more development to our MC’s, or more to the the rivalry. 🤷🏻‍♀️

What I enjoyed;
💐 Grumpy/Sunshine
💐 Anxiety Rep
💐 Opposites Attract
💐 Meddling Doggos

Mark your calendars, Secretly Yours is available 2/7.

I throughly enjoyed Natalie and cannot wait to see what she get’s up to in her book, Unfortunately Yours. Hello Marriage of connivence, come to me now! 😆 Pub Date: 6/6/23

Thank You to Avon Books, Harper Voyager, NetGalley, and Tessa Bailey for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinions.

Four and a half Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭒
Secretly Yours by Tessa Bailey is her first book in the Vine Mess series about life in a California vineyard. This steamy opposites attract story is the perfect start to a wonderful new series.

Story Recap:
Hallie Welch had a crush on Julian Vos ever since he almost kissed her when she was only fourteen years old. Now, she’s been hired to plant flowers around the guest house he’s staying in at his family's winery. Julian can’t take his eyes off Hallie as she digs around his garden.

Julian is a professor on sabbatical to write a book at his family's winery in Napa, California. He’s guarded and focused on his book. Hallie is the opposite, she’s a bit of a mess but in a good way. She’s fun and outgoing, even if ‘s still grieving her grandmothers’ death deep inside underneath her bright exterior.

Will this grumpy sunshine romance work out? Or will Julian go back to his university position alone?

My Thoughts:
Tessa Baily is such a talented author. I loved these characters, especially Hallie. She’s a bit of a mess, but also a force to be reckoned with! She’s grieving her grandmother’s recent death, but that doesn’t stop her from being her usual outgoing self. And grumpy Julian is still hot, and sexy even if he doesn’t talk much.

As with most of her books, Secretly Yours is a bit steamy which is either good or bad depending if you like that or not. But, it’s also a slow burn, so it takes a while to get to the steamy bits. Secretly Yours is a fun, light book, and the start of a promising new series set in wine country. I’m looking forward to the next book in the series.

Recommendation:
I highly recommend Secretly Yours to anyone who enjoys romance. I received a complimentary copy of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Tessa Bailey is an author that never fails to disappoint me. I absolutely adored this new book that's the first in another great romance series.

The MCs were funny and as always there was a good amount of spice in this book. I liked that it took place in Napa Valley and the small-town charm/residents that I hope we will get to know more about in the next book. Bailey always has a way of writing that makes it so hard to set down a book and this one had no exception. I started it late one evening and had to force myself to set it down only to devour the last 70% the next day. Julian and Hallie were complete opposites and I liked this aspect. They had funny banter and especially the way Julian spoke to her just had a chokehold on me. Bailey has an exceptional ability to write the fictional man we all wish we had in our lives.

There is that slight mystery element with Corked and I hope that continues in the next book to and we get to watch this cute wine store thrive better than stupid UnCorked. I agree with Hallie that it's just tacky. especially in a wine shop. I also adored Julian's sister and cannot wait to see what happens with her in the next book. PLEASE BAILEY MAKE THIS MORE THAN JUST A DUET!

Overall, easily another 5-star read from Bailey and I highly recommend it to those who are fans of her books. I quite literally had a hard time putting it down and loved every minute of it. If you haven't read a Bailey book - pick this one up when it gets released!

Huge thanks to Avon Books, Tessa Bailey and NetGalley for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinions!

I wanted to read Tessa Bailey because we sell her books pretty often, but I think maybe her writing is just not for me, I couldn’t get invested in the characters, and the sex scene dialogue just didn’t do it for me. Still glad to have read it, so I can assist customers with book recs and so forth. Thanks NetGalley for the opportunity to read!

I have become a fan of Tessa Baily big time. She is one of the few contemporary rom com authors I watch for. This book is coming out on Feb 7th and it is the first of I presume a duology.
Hallie is a gardener in Napa Valley who is a full figured, chaotic, caring person.
She has had a crush on Julian Voss for 15 years, ever since he almost kissed her when she was 14.
Julian is a Stanford professor who has come back to live in his vineyard, a place he has been avoiding for 4 years because he had a panic attack after saving his sister in a fire that destroyed half of his vineyard. He has been trying to keep his control by strictly keeping to a schedule and not letting his emotions out.
He meets Hallie, and she completely gets upends his life. The story.of how to such opposite people manage to end happily is frustrating at times because there is of course, a big secret that almost ends in disaster. Come and meet these 2 wonderful people and all the friends and relatives who help change their lives. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. This is my honest review.

This book was so cute, fun, spicy and emotional! I went through so many different emotions reading this. There were parts I laughed at and parts I tested up at. That shows me how amazing the writing Tessa Bailey did in this book was, that she was able to bring out so many different layers to the story.

I truly love Hallie and Julian. They were well rounded characters that both had really good growth arcs in the book.

The anxiety storyline with Julian was perfectly executed. I felt Tessa captured the feelings, emotions, and fears that come with anxiety very well. As someone who suffers from anxiety and sometimes shuts down because of it, I related to Julian and connected with his character a lot.

The ending was one of the best written and well thought out endings I have read in a while. It wasn’t rushed and it helped give great closure to the story!

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC copy of Secretly Yours. All opinions are my own.

Secretly Yours is spicy and messy and I loved it all! Julian and Hallie take the grumpy/sunshine trope to the next level, but once they begin to accept and understand each other—major swooniness begins. Julian’s transformation was beautiful and incredibly moving, and it melted my heart along with Hallie’s. The passion and spirit of these characters and their stories will keep you riveted.

I just don’t think Tessa Bailey’s style of writing romance is for me anymore. The plot lines are too predictable and I’m not loving the characters recently.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Hallie has had a crush on Julian for over a decade and fights the urge to act on it until he takes the lead and falls for her despite not remembering they met previously. Mix in a lot of angst that the author captures perfectly and add in the Napa wine scene; you've got yourself an enjoyable, steamy romance. Timely love story as Valentine's Day is approaching!

Tessa Bailey is at it again. This book is on par with It Happened One Summer and better than everything she's written since. It's witty and cute and the characters are more unique than most romances leads and not in a way that feels twee or pick me. Julian is a dream and as always Bailey knocks the dirty talk out of the park. I could have done without the buying in to the typical myths about virginity that society peddles re tightness, etc and the complete lack of mental health treatment that Julian desperately needs, but for a book I went into with low expectations I was beyond pleasantly surprised.

A fun love story set in Wine Country, and out just in time for Valentine’s Day! Tessa Bailey did not disappoint with a new cast of characters that she does plan to continue (and I’m all in for it). Each of the characters are flawed, yet complement each other beautifully, and the non-romantic relationships are developed and given weight as well.
If you are looking for a fun steamy read, this is it!

Tessa did it again. I have loved nearly everything she has put out and this is no exception. I wasn’t sure if I was going to enjoy this book after reading through the first 2 chapters. I couldn’t decide what trope I was working with here: grumpy/sunshine? Second chance? Small town? But I decided to give Julian and Hallie a chance, and I’m so glad I did. I didn’t think I could love a Tessa MMC as much as Fox, but man, Julian is just *chef’s kiss*. Not that I don’t also adore Hallie! She’s just as spunky and strong as most of the FMC I have adored throughout Tessa’s books. But there is something so special about Julian. I loved the way this book evolved. I thought I knew who the antagonist was going to be, but I was surprised in the end. The story had good pacing and kept me laughing and enthralled throughout. This was a quick, easy read with just enough twists and turns and that exceptional Tessa Bailey spice level that I’ve come to expect. Overall a great read. Can’t wait for the second installment!

This is the first in a duo set in Napa. The setting adds to the charm of this book. Hallie is a somewhat chaotic, effervescent gardener/landscaper who crosses paths with her high school dreamboat crush, Julian. He seems to be perfectly perfect, always buttoned up and in complete control. But when they are together, the chemistry is undeniable. Spice alert...there are some hot, steamy scenes (totally not complaining about those at all!) I can't wait for the next installment, Unfortunately Yours, coming out in June 2023.

A lifelong high school crush, wine country, love letters, drunken shenanigans…it’s a great recipe for a cute romance! Following the success of It Happened One Summer and Hook, Line & Sinker, Tessa Bailey is back with another 2-part series beginning with Secretly Yours, intertwining the lives of chaotic free spirit gardener Hallie Welch and organized straight & narrow professor-turned-writer Julian Vos.
This book also mentions some heavier (and important) topics like mental health and grief that shape the main characters’ trajectories, and my only wish is that the story could’ve dived deeper instead of what felt like skirting over them. This first novel in the series releases Feb. 6th!
Thank you to NetGalley, Avon and Harper Voyager for the opportunity to read this one early!

Hallie Welch has held a torch for Julian Vos ever since they almost kissed at a party when she was fourteen. Now, Julian is back staying at his family's vineyard, and Hallie is determined to get another shot with him. The pair run into each other when Hallie gets hired to revamp the gardens around the guesthouse, but it's clear they have nothing in common. Hallie is flighty, chaotic, and unorganized; Julian is stuffy, straight-laced, and schedules everything down to the minute. One night, Hallie gets the brilliant idea to leave Julian anonymous letters confessing her feelings. While Julian is intrigued by this mystery admirer, he can't help falling for Hallie. Julian has always viewed the world in black and white, but with Hallie, everything is bursting with color, and it begs the question-- do opposites really attract?

I've enjoyed everything I've read by Bailey, but this didn't do it for me. I had a hard time feeling invested in the story because I didn't care about the characters. I thought Hallie was annoying, and Julian was way too overprotective of her after only a few interactions. They both felt underdeveloped, and their relationship also felt lacking. It didn't feel like it had much depth. I wanted more tension and build-up, but they went from acquaintances to ripping each other's clothes off too quickly. I thought there would be more focus on the love letters, but they felt like an afterthought. I also didn't love the anxiety representation and how it played into the conflict at the end. Unfortunately, this whole thing was a big miss.

Tessa Bailey just keeps getting better with every book she writes. She had me at a book with a winery and gardening background. Add a second chance romance and I loved this book.

This book isn’t just about the romance though. Both Hallie and Julian still had a whole lot of growing up to do even though they were supposedly adults. I loved the vulnerabilities they both showed as they recognized where they both needed to improve. All that plus just the right amount of really hot steaminess. All that plus Hallie was not a willowy main character which made the book even better for me.

I loved this book and would highly recommend it. 4/5 stars

Thanks to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for an eARC of this book.

High school crush, wine and flowers! Beautifully chaotic Hallie finds out her high school crush has returned to their home town in a hilarious story of will they won’t they. I like the chaos meets structure vibe through out this story.

Another book by Tessa Bailey? Yes please!!

I enjoyed this book! I loved the secret admirer aspect and it’s perfect for Valentine’s Day.

The spice was perfect and I loved every single last character in the book!!!

The only thing that kept me from giving it 5 stars, is that I felt like some parts were a little drawn out.

I already can’t wait for Natalie’s story!!!

My review will be on my Bookstagram (Bookmarkedfavs) on Wednesday 1/25!

Thank you to Avon for my advanced ecopy of Secretly Yours by Tessa Bailey.

Hallie and Julian were just the best. I loved that Hallie had crushed in Julian for so long. This second chance steamy romance was really great in most ways.

My only hang up was the way Julian was when they were intimate. This didn't feel genuine to the character development of him.

Overall, I enjoyed it.

All thoughts are my own.