Hallie Welsh has been pining for (almost) first kiss Julian Vos for 15 years. She is an absent minded gardener who lives in Napa Valley with her now deceased grandmother. Hallie is on a mission to save her grandma’s favorite wine tasting establishment Corked. When competitors open up UNcorked next door (how rude, right?) Hallie declares war on them.

Stuffed shirt Julian has returned to his family home after a tragedy four years earlier. Now a college professor he’s trying to write a novel but keeps getting interrupted. He must keep on a rigorous schedule due to his anxiety of needing every second planned.
When his mother hires the haphazard gardener and she shows up with her wayward dogs, how’s a man supposed to get any work done?
Tessa Bailey writes dirty talk like no one I’ve ever read before, and I am always here for it. When a seemingly stuffed shirt uses the dirty words? I swoon. I love Hallie and Julian, the town they live in and all the other background characters. The secret admirer adds a cute plot line and I’m crushed when it seems Hallie and Julian won’t work out.

The only part that gave me pause was Julian’s anxiety. Living with two humans with anxiety, his seemed vague and undone. Even after re-reading more carefully I wasn’t completely sure what was happening. That might be because he had never been able to address his mental illness and didn’t really understand it either.
Either way, it didn’t take me out of the story, just a bit confused. I wish Tessa would have left it out or gone into more details about it.

It wasnt my favorite Tessa Bailey but still a delightful read, and even a so-so book by her is better than most other authors. Im looking forward to the second book in the series.

I’ve never met a Tessa Bailey book I didn’t like. And this one was no exception. It started a little slow to me, but I really liked how Julian and Hallie’s relationship grew. Total opposites, yin and Yang, Hallie was the crazy to Julian’s ultra tame. Very cute, mild spice.

Tessa Bailey is a romance queen. Who doesn’t love a grumpy/sunshine second chance romance set in a winery? Though personally I tend to be more anxiety-ridden, over scheduled like Julian and chaotic characters like Hallie give me hives; I found Hallie to be super endearing. Very much looking forward to book two!

The grumpy/sunshine is my favorite trope and this book and characters do that trope justice. I think what annoys me about Bailey's books is that every female character is so quirky that they become a caricature.

I always enjoy Tessa Bailey's books. This was no exception, though it didn't flow quite as well as some of her others. I think the characters were a bit over the top, but overall I liked them, as well as their story and the setting in wine country.

I usually get into Tessa Bailey’s books but not this one. I think I’m tiring of the romances where the main character is a quirky misunderstood woman who is charming…. I just couldn't get into it unfortunately. But I enjoy Bailey’s books so I’ll always be ready for the next!

This was a pretty steamy romance. It’s an opposites attract with a chaotic/messy girl reconnecting with her high school crush who is a type-A planner.

I wanted to like this one more; but I felt like I was missing something. It felt a little surface level despite both Hallie and Julian sharing their deepest secrets/histories. I didn’t quite buy into their relationship which made me a bit bored.

Overall, this was fine. It’s entertaining but perhaps not fully engaging.

Wow. What a romantic book. I loved the connection between Hallie and Julian. So hot but also so sweet and fun. I am always a sucker for a hero whose goal is to prevent the heroine's sadness or pain and I've never seen a more blatant example. The conflict is a little light but the characters' emotions are so strong and engaging that it doesn't even matter.

This was a fun, quick read! However, the plot line was a little over the top for my taste. Hallie lives in Napa, having taken over her grandmother’s gardening business when she passed. And Hallie is still not over that loss - she is chaos incarnate trying to figure out where she belongs in the world. Julian Vos has returned to his family vineyard, taking a break from his role as a professor at Stanford. Little does he know, Hallie has harbored a secret flame for him, from high school! when they almost kissed in a vineyard. When they meet again in the present day, Hallie realizes she still has feelings for him and Julian cannot help but be attracted to her. However, they are utterly opposite: Julian needs structure and organization, Hallie thrives only without it. Will their mutual desire be enough to overcome these distinctive personality differences?

Very sexy! And there are other layers beyond Hallie and Julian happening here (a wine shop in distress, Julian’s sister returned home from NYC, a vineyard in trouble…) which does make it a compelling read!

Tessa Bailey does not disappoint. This is a story that follows a grumpy/sunshine romance between Hallie and Julian. Hallie is complete chaos whereas Julian is about complete control. He doesn’t recognize Hallie at first, nor know about her fifteen years of complete infatuation. But quickly Julian realizes that Hallie is the kind of chaos that he needs (and adores) in his life. The character development and their stories were amazing to read and kept me riveted from the start. Having Napa Valley as the setting was the cherry on top. I would have liked to know more about their relationship after their happily ever after, but am sure I’ll get that in the next book!

I am a big Tessa Bailey fan and although this book didn't disappoint, I enjoyed her other books more. In this story, I loved learning more about the main character Hallie as she embarked on a full circle journey with Napa royalty, Julian. I'm excited to see what happens in the sequel!

Not my favorite. I oddly still want to read the follow up but this wasn’t great. The actions seemed out of character for the MCs. Steamy but out of place.

Thank you NetGalley, Avon, and Tessa Bailey for the advanced copy of Secretly Yours in exchange for my honest review.

If my opinion counts for anything, I firmly believe Tessa Bailey can do no wrong. Her books always make me laugh, feel all the things, and lorrrrrd have mercy the spice! I enjoyed watching how the relationship unfolded between our MMC and FMC, and that kitchen scene? HEW!

I will read anything Bailey writes, she has quickly become one of my favorite authors. I can't wait for the second book in this series!

Secretly Yours will be on US bookshelves February 7!

This was a cute, spicy rom com, but not my favorite from Tessa Bailey. I didn’t love the main character, the romance was well developed. Overall I would recommend it.

Tessa Bailey sure knows how to make a girl blush. In short Secretly Yours is fun, silly and sexy.

I finished reading in one sitting. It is an easy-to-read romcom with lots of dirty talk and dirty thoughts 😉 Grumpy × sunshine trope. The grump ends up being a misunderstood softy (who happens to struggle with anxiety), and the sunshine girl ends up being impulsive, erratic, day drinking windstorm. Throughout the book, I really wanted to give these two a big hug and offer they both go to therapy.

Our main characters are older, meeting each other again after 15 years apart. Julian is a 30-something-old professor, taking a mental health break while visiting home. He's working on his novel, sticking to his rigid routine, and relaxing. Until 29-year-old-Hallie whirlwinds into his life. Hallie is a fun, wild spirited gardener, working on the landscape features next to the guest house Julian is staying in. Julian doesn't remember Hallie, but Hallie has held a torch for this man for 15 years. Ever since their almost kiss when she was 14 years old.

The way we are connected to the characters because of the dual pov is *chef's kiss*. I never want to read another rom com without the dual pov again. We get to experience Hallie's ferocity and strong will as well as Julian's self-doubt and anxiety. The way Julian is written is cheesy and perhaps a bit over the top, but toe-curling nevertheless. The side characters are written well and with intent. I could imagine them just as clearly as I could imagine our main characters.

Imagining these adults act out of their norm because they turn each others lives upside down made my heart pitter patter. All of the little side plots weaving our main characters closer together were amazing, but I didn't necessarily care for the secret admirer/note sharing trope. I'm not one for insta-love, but there's a strong case of it in this book.

Thank you to NetGalley, Tessa Bailey, Avon and Harper Voyager for an eARC.

Tessa Bailey is always a hit or miss for me (I loved the Bellinger sister books, but didn't love her newest romance/murder mystery). However, this one was definitely a hit for me.

Bailey has a way of writing male leads that is so over-the-top and cheesy - but still make your toes curl with dirty talk nonetheless. I loved the setting, a small wine town, where everyone knows everyone. And I loved the opposites attract trop - chaotic, go-with-the-flow Hallie, and strict, organized Julian.

I can't wait for the sister's story and hope she gets her ish together!

This is a fun spin on the grumpy-sunshine trope. Julian is a seemingly uptight professor whose anxiety is better when he is structured and on schedule. Hallie is the chaotic gardener who is never on time and can't make a plan. They need each other in ways they could never imagine. I loved the two of them, together and as individual characters.

This is a funny, sexy, swoony novel. Tessa Bailey does not write a bland vanilla sex scene!

The side characters are interesting and well developed and I can't wait to read the next in the series.

This was a sure case of "insta-love", sunshine-meets-thunderstorm...and he was her high school crush. Ok, no problem. However, my issue was how the clichés just kept adding up. This was multiplied by the drama caused by questions that could've been easily answered but the characters preferred to make assumptions. Sadly, this went all through the climax (which was actually quite painful to read in the worst way).

Sadly, this wasn't my cup of tea. I hope it's yours!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for letting me read this ARC

thank you netgalley for the eARC of this book!

tessa bailey's writing will always be fun & entertaining to me. her ability to craft these dynamic characters and curate their interactions are always so fun to read and truly keep you engrossed from start to finish, and this book is no exception. i loveddd reading this relationship progress, and despite the fact that i wish it was more of a slow burn, the book ended and left me with a warmth in my chest. another warm, at times spicy, and swoon-worthy romance from bailey!! defo a must read during valentine's day season for all my romance lovers

This was another super fun rom com from the queen Tessa Bailey! This is a double POV, grumpy (but actually a softie) sunshine romance. It follows Hallie who is a gardening human tornado and straight laced writer Julian. They briefly knew each other in high school and Hallies always thought about him. When she hears Julian is back in town she decides to pay his house and garden a vist. When Julian interacts with her, he's hooked but doesn't remember her. Hallie gets drunk one night and decides to leave an anonymous letter for Julian to find. This starts a relationship between the two in more than one way. Julian starts to fixate on the real Hallie and begins to feel the need to protect her. He also still has this small relationship with the anonymous letter writer. Creating hold ups on both sides of the relationship. I did like this book but I think I enjoyed the characters more than the plot. There was a lot of conflict that I didn't find necessary. I am very excited for Natalies book though! This book was a 3.5/5 stars read for me! Im so excited and thankful to have been give this ARC!