I loved this steamy, hot Rom- Com❤️ I normally don’t read these but Bookstagram pulled me in! I was entertained to say the least!
A crush on someone since high school is bound to lead to a chaotic yet charming and contemporary romance! The characters were opposites which usually leads to a heartwarming relationship. She is a ray of sunshine, yet chaotic with her 3 dogs in tow. She surprises him with gopher chasing skills. He is stiff collared serious and needs this to reveal his sexy softer side.

If it is meant to be a light or burst of happiness inside our often routine lives, it did just that! What a fun distraction for a professor taking a sabbatical to write! Julian has been persuaded to help out with the family vineyard and live in his mother’s guesthouse. What he finds is an entertaining yet beautiful landscape artist working in his yard! Hallie, a gardener and a huge admirer of Julian’s intercedes his writing to adorn the yard and his mind. Her unforgettable crush is granted until in a drunken state she writes an anonymous letter to him!

Thank you NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for this ARC in exchange for my review!

Secretly Yours should most definitely be on your radar and at the top of your future TBR. If you’re already a Tessa Bailey fan, you absolutely won’t be disappointed with Hallie and Julian. And if, like me, you’ve been on the fence with her past works, take this as a sign to give it all another chance. I’m so happy I did! Hallie and Julian have great chemistry. Sometimes I find the sunshine character in the grumpy x sunshine trope a little exhausting, but I loved Hallie and her energy and thought the trope was well-balanced.

100% as spicy as her other books, but 100% not as cringe as My Killer Vacation.


I have an ARC of this, courtesy of Avon & Harper Voyager via NetGalley.

The synopsis of this book drew me in right away. Vineyards? Wine? Grumpy x Sunshine main characters? Secret admirer letters? You got me Tessa Bailey you really did.
Hallie is a chaotic gardener while Julian is a routine based professor who hates breaking his routine. Julians family owns Vos Vineyards whilst Hallie has taken over her grandmothers gardening business after she died. Hallie almost kissed Julian years ago and has NEVER gotten over her crush for him. So when she gets her chance she goes for it, and drunkenly drops a letter for him to read.
I love the idea of the secret admirer letters, but this book kinda lacked it. Whilst I believed via synopsis it would be more prevalent in the story but wasn’t and that disappointed me. When we did get the letters they were interesting and I loved reading Julain find it.
Their romance was almost instant and was a second chance ( I love that ). And the spicy scenes were kinda awkward? It didn’t fit Julians character to go from straight to just straight up sexual so it was weird but I still enjoyed the scenes.
Overall for my first Tessa Bailey book I’m pretty impressed and I’m super excited for book #2 in this series!
Thank you Netgalley an d Avon and Harper Voyager for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I really need to stop reading Tessa Bailey's books because they're always just too much for me, smh. They're easy and funny and spicy, but there is absolutely zero depth to any of them and I always trick myself into thinking that maybe this next one will have more, and it doesn't. They're not bad books, in fact they're perfect if you just want something easy and sexy, but they're just never quite what I want. Sigh.

I have read this title, and will update this review when HarperCollins offers a fair contract and liveable wages to their employees. I fully support the HarperCollins Union Strike. The fact that this strike is currently going on almost 2 months is crazy to me, and I hope that HarperCollins comes to the table very soon with new, fair contracts so their people can get back to work. Until such a time, I will be withholding my review for this title.

Thank you NetGalley and Harper Voyager for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

4/5 stars

This book was a fresh change of pace! Hallie is a whirl wind of a character. She is goofy and impulsive and it was fun to see what trouble she would get into next!

Julian was the storm cloud to her sunshine. He liked a strict schedule and needed organization in his life. He suffered with panic attacks and anxiety and I enjoyed how the author portrayed him.

Both characters were flawed and did their best to navigate through them. I enjoyed Hallie not having a set schedule and just showing up and doing her thing. She lived a very free life and it was fun seeing Julian trying to fit into that!

The only thing I wasn’t a big fan of was the secret admirer/letter swap. I don’t feel like it added much to the plot until the end. Other than that I really enjoyed the book and watching Hallie and Julian fall in love!

This is the third Tessa Bailey book I've read and I'm not sure why my stubborn head lets me to continue to torture myself. Her books are not fun for me and this book was no exception. I think I cringed and rolled my eyes the whole time. I only finished it because I was bored at work and needed something mundane to read. I guess it doesn't help that I definitely hate the grumpy/sunshine trope.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC!

So this is the first Tessa Bailey book I have ever read! I can see why people love her writing. Personally though this book was not my cup of tea. I found it hard to make myself finish it. I couldn't connect at all with the characters. I felt like the plot moved slowly.

I loved this slow burn / grumpy sunshine romance. Hallie and Julian were total opposites and it was fun to read their story. Both are flawed and a little lost in the world in different ways. This is book one of a series and there is a fun scene setting up for book two. Secretly Yours was a lot a fun - I read it in a day!

Thank you to Avon, Harper Voyager, and NetGalley for the ARC.

“If something happened to you, it would end me. But that fear is only an indication that my heart belongs to you, all right? It’s right here. Please just take it.”

Hallie and Julian. She’s been in love with him since she was a teen, but he doesn’t remember her. Julian’s back in town and Hallie’s been hired to revamp the garden at his family’s estate. They’re polar opposites: he’s all about control and she brings in all the chaos. Despite all that, Julian still can’t stay away from her especially when he receives an anonymous letter from a secret admirer—hoping that it’s from the woman that’s been turning his world upside down.

Julian Vos!! This grumpy man who has a soft spot for his sunshine gardener. The man that would anything to make sure that she’s smiling and protects her! Adding him to the list of book boyfriends! <3

💌READ IF YOU LIKE💌:
- dual POV
- friends to lovers
- grumpy professor x sunshine gardener
- opposites attract
- secret admirer letters
- unrequited high school crush
- slow burn
- family owned vineyards
- grand gestures
- a pack of 3 crazy dogs
- small town in Napa
- prank calls

cw: anxiety, panic attacks, death of loved one, ptsd, grief, parents divorce, estranged parental relationship, mention of fire

Thank you to @netgalley and @avonbooks for the advanced copy! Secretly Yours is available on February 7, 2023!

What can I say, I’m a sucker for a Tessa Bailey series with each book featuring a different sibling. This was a fun twist on a grumpy x sunshine though I’d say Julian was moreso just stressed than grumpy. Not my favorite Tessa Bailey of all time but I still enjoyed it! . Now here’s hoping I can get an ARC of the next book because I LOVED Natalie!

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of Secretly Yours in exchange for my honest review! I’ve been a fan of Tessa Bailey for awhile now and no one does romance like she does!!

In her new novel we follow Julian and his neighbor Hailey. It’s your typical grumpy x sunshine plot line but with added Tessa Bailey humor! Although I must admit I will be chasing the high “It Happened One Summer” gave me my life this novel was still a great 4 star read!

Personally, I loved this new novel from Tessa Bailey. It was fun to enter into a “new world” and meet a new cast of characters after the pleasure of the “It Happened One Summer” duopoly.

We won’t be bringing this into our store as we have trouble selling inventory of seasonal/holiday based stories but I have no doubt this title will do well!

Let me say this up front: I love Tessa Bailey and will ALWAYS love Tessa Bailey. She is an absolute goddess of romance, and I will buy every single book she puts out. That being said....

I had some issues with this one. The premise is simple: Hallie is a nutty florist who has had a crush on Julian Vos since the 9th grade. He was a senior, so he didn't want to date her. Well, fifteen years later, Professor Julian comes back to Napa for a much-needed break, and to help his family's vineyard. The two MCs meet again, and once he remembers who she is, start a hot fling. In between this, Hallie has been putting anonymous secret admirer letters to Julian in the trunk of a tree. These letters quickly turn philosophical, and of course, they have an HEA.

I have no issue with the story. The plot was fun and interesting. I love the idea of a professor and a florist. Here's the main problems I had:

1. Hallie was absolutely ridiculous. Hallie acted like a 14-year-old throughout the entire book. Seriously. And she's 29! It's one thing to be adorably quirky, but it's another thing all together to be super immature and crazy. She literally made me cringe. I can see what Tessa was going for; an adorable, messy florist and a strict, anxious professor. However, it was like she made Hallie a giant caricature. It was grating. I think Bailey was going for a screwball-comedy type vibe, but it just didn't work to me. She was reduced to an immature stereotype. I couldn't stand Hallie from the first page. She definitely didn't deserve Julian.

2. The secret admirer letters were an obvious attempt to show that even though Hallie and Julian are complete opposites, they still connect over more than just sex. It was so obvious that it was like being beat over the head with "These two are complete opposites, but look! They connect on a deeper level!" And already knowing how immature Hallie is, her letters to him sound way too intelligent. And Hallie's backstory isn't really explained, either. Not enough, at least, to understand why she is the way she is. The letters were completely unnecessary to the story.


Now on to the few things I liked:

1. The storyline (minus the secret admirer letters).. I loved the IDEA of a quirky florist and a starchy professor having sexual tension and then finding their HEA. Napa as the setting was an interesting, unique choice for a location. With more three-dimensional characters, the plot would've been a home run.

2. Julian. JULIAN.. What can I say about Julian? Bailey writes the hottest dirty-talkers better than any romance novelist I've ever read. There were quite a few lines from him that had me fanning myself. Whoa. If you have a thing for grumpy, starchy MMCs, you'll love him. I loved Julian's story, too. He's a history professor at Stanford who has really, really bad anxiety, and because of this, has structured his life with strict timetables that he has to follow. Julian seems to have some form of obsessive compulsive disorder because of this. His backstory is also unique, as is his family and their dynamics. The entire time I was reading, I just kept wishing he had a better love interest. He truly deserved more. However, because Tessa Bailey wrote this book, he will still go down as a 2023 Book Boyfriend, because WOW, can she write a sexy MMC.

It boils down to this, though: you either love Hallie or you don't. The secret admirer letters and Hallie are the only reasons I'm giving this book 3 stars. Otherwise, it would have easily been a 5-star. And as I've stated before, I will buy and read anything Tessa Bailey puts out. She's amazing and I can't wait to read her next one.

I am so torn! First: I L O V E Tessa Bailey. Period. Second: I wasn't super feeling this one. I think the problem is that I have set the bar SO HIGH for Tessa Bailey, that this one fell short. Another problem could be that there were several things in this book that are not my cup of tea- no matter who writes them.

A drive-by summary:
Hallie is a rainbow tornado. Her smile brightens any room she walks into and then she leaves it messy. She is unapologetic in her chaos and can make fun of herself. She has been harboring a crush for fifteen years-- that's right, read that again-- 15 years! for the Julian Vos, eldest son of the vineyard royal family turned Stanford professor. After 4 years away from home, Julian is back to hunker down and write his book. He is ruthlessly regimented and never deviates from a plan or schedule. That is, until Hallie is hired to redo the garden bed in his guest house. They become friends who are desperately attracted to each other, which only gets complicated when she writes him a secret admirer letter on drunken evening.

I liked Hallie and Julian's banter and interactions, what I wasn't a fan of were the circumstances surrounding the story. The secret admirer thing was fun at first and then I think dragged the story down. The whole time, it felt like it was an easy thing to fix (on Hallie's part). Harboring a crush for 15 years is....oof! I wouldn't have minded if she still went out and tried to find another romantic connection. But this was NOT the case. Hence, this was a personal peeve of mine.

Was it well written? yes
Did it have the typical Bailey humor we all love? YES
Did we have a dirty talking hero? Hell to the yeah
Was it my favorite? Nope.

Now, I am SO SO looking forward to reading the sister's story. She was funny and just came alive on the pages. Even the short interactions we got of her and August was enough to have me running to read it when it comes out.

Thank you #NetGalley and for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Oh wow, I loved this book. Tessa Bailey is one of my new favorite authors. I love how she builds her characters, and, of course, the spice. This is the prequel to Unfortunately Yours, which I inadvertently read first, so I was familiar with the characters. It was awesome to learn more about Hallie and Julian, and to get even more backstory for Natalie and August.

Free-spirited florist Hallie is the perfect foil to uptight professor Julian, and it doesn't hurt that Hallie has had a crush on Julian since high school. Of course, both Hallie and Julian have some issues they need to iron out, but this second chance romance hits all the marks for me.

I recommend reading this first before Unfortunately Yours, because, trust me, you will want more after Secretly Yours!

This book, like all Tessa Bailey books, was pure magic. The characters were extremely flawed and yet completely lovable, they were characters I rooted for the entire time. It’s the perfect rom-com, and the humor was perfectly timed. I can’t wait to read the 2nd in this new series.

When opposites attract, what does one do when the guy you’ve secretly been pining over for years come back to town? Hallie is a great character who hasn’t been able to let go of the one guy that shouldn’t work but somehow does. Julian finally sees the girl after so many years of being blind. Great story!

Will give feedback and my review when the HCP union gets a fair contract. Thank you so much for the book and can't wait to leave a review in the future.

If there’s a Venn Diagram of contemporary romance readers and watchers of Hallmark movies, Secretly Yours is the perfect book for the fans in the overlap.

On its face, Julian and Hailey’s love story is familiar and comfortable romcom fare: Julian is a grumpy professor home to write a novel and get some personal time for reflection. Hallie is a sweet, scatter-brained girl trying to find her place after a personal loss.

This familiar ground still feels fresh, however, as we see beyond the brave facades of the two characters.

Tessa Bailey writes heroes who struggle with emotional expression exceptionally well, as evidenced in books like It Happened One Summer. Many a grumpy/sunshine or enemies-to-lovers trope will give a cruel or narcissistic undercurrent to the male main character and there isn’t enough groveling in the world to smooth that over. In Secretly Yours, Julian may make mistakes, but he never becomes the kind of man undeserving of Hallie.

Instead, we get to see a stoic, smart, sexy hero who learns to love Hallie and her quirks without trying to change her.

As to be expected in a Tessa Bailey book, Julian Vos is a dirty talk champion. That facet feels well-placed as a part of his character development and not tacked on as fan service. Julian being able to express his baser feelings paves the way to facing the rest of what’s swirling around in his head.

Hallie doesn’t require as much emotional growth as Julian, but she does realize that she deserves to receive love, and give it, on her own terms. Insecurity exists within her, but it was good to see a curvy heroine not obsess about her size as the reason why the hero is messing up.

My sole quibble with the story was the secret admirer letters Hallie leaves Julian. For this to be the complication, both characters were forced to behave rather childishly to something that, in the real world, would be a one minute conversation with a good laugh after. This book could lose the epistolary part without suffering much.

I’d recommend Secretly Yours if you are looking for a breezy contemporary romance or a Hallmark movie-style plot with plenty of spicy times.
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Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. Expected publication Feb 7, 2023.