I will always find ways to enjoy a book if marriage of convenience is involved,, and I feel like I was just ignoring everything I didn’t like about this because HELLO MARRIAGE OF CONVENIENCE!

But to actually review the book, I will say there were points that I loved. I am a sucker for some good banter, but I think at points the banter fell flat or felt very middle school crush worthy. Love the opposite lifestyles attract type of vibe, but it would’ve been great to have more time with August in his natural scene instead of just mentioning how rugged he is or giving us a glimpse for a single chapter.

As for August in general…idk man I think this being a MoC is the only reason I was able to start loving him. Like without the marriage forcing them to develop their feelings,, he would’ve just been a middle aged white guy who comments on women’s bodies WAY too much for comfort 😭. Natalie had her moments,, but overall I think so much emphasis was out on her faults that in the moments that we saw her prevail, it was very short lived and underwhelming.

Regardless,, this was a pretty decent read seeing as I finished it in a day 💀 #marriageofconveniencelover4life

3.5 stars
I was intrigued by Natalie and August in the first book of this series, especially how there seemed to be attraction that died out really quickly.
The two characters are cute, and I like them together. I rooted for them to get to a good place, both personally and as a couple. I hated how dismissive Natalie's mother was of her, and throughout the first half of the book (and book 1), all the comments about Natalie's drinking.
Natalie and August have lots of chemistry, but there was something about how those scenes played out that was awkward to me.
Overall, it was a good story with a nice ending.

Tessa Bailey did a wonderful job with this sequel to Secretly Yours. Natalie and August’s story is funny, spicy and romantic. These two belong together like peanut butter and jelly. I loved the way that they learned what each other needed and how they let their love truly shine through when the other needed it most. I will def be putting this on my reread list.

Natalie Vos is newly unemployed and single and moves back to Napa Valley to brainstorm ideas to fund her new business venture. August Cates is a former Navy SEAL and vineyard owner *without* a penchant for making wine. His business is drying up because his wines are that bad. Natalie and August have some explosive lustful attraction, but cannot stand each other. Unfortunately for them, they both have what the other needs - Natalie has a trust fund that will only be released upon marriage, and August needs a wife so the bank will approve a business loan to save his company. The two agree to get married to support their business goals.

Enemies-to-lovers AND marriage of convenience?! SIGN ME UP. Natalie and August have some really hot chemistry. The Napa Valley setting is romantic without being stuffy. August falls first and HARD of which I am always a fan. While it is a lighthearted, sexy read, there are still frank discussions of mental health and PTSD. As is standard with Tessa Bailey novels, the dirty talk is *chefs kiss.* And another added bonus - no classic third act break-up (but there is a misunderstanding for some added drama). I enjoyed this novel in the series more than the previous book and still look forward to other TB books in the future!

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Tessa Bailey can never do no wrong ! This book did not disappoint at all. I absolutely love Tessa and all her spicy writing! She makes it so realistic, captivating and just overall so addicting that once you start her book you just can’t put it down!!!

Okay this book was SO much better than Secretly Yours. I absolutely loved the relationship dynamic, and the fake marriage trope was done super well. The spice was fantastic and the MC’s banter had me laughing out loud at times. Loved this one!!

I used to genuinely enjoy Tessa Bailey books, but the last two have really not been for me. Something about the conversations has just become too cringy to me. I guess it’s time I give up on reading her books.

5/5 ⭐️

BUT 100000001 in my heart.

Thank you @tessabaileyisanauthor and @harpercollinsinternational for this ARC!

Tropes:

💍 Marriage of convenience
🍷 Enemies to lovers
💍 Prank wars
🍷 Forced proximity
💍 Small town
🍷 Opposites attract

Buddy read with @ohmynameiskaylee, I love you!

August freaking Cates, I don’t know what Tessa puts in her MMCs but gosh she hit the fricking moon and universe with this man. If Natalie haven’t married him herself I would gladly have taken her spot because he’s so husband materiel as it can possibly get. He loves with all of his heart, he’s protective and he can make you feel like you’re the only woman in the world. And his dirty mouth? Gosh!!! I had to start off this review with some August praise because he’s out of this world.

Natalie Vos needs to marry and be employed in order to gain her inheritance and August Cates needs Natalie as his wife to get a business loan from the local bank manager in town. They decide to help each other out by marrying and in that way they both can get what they want out of it, Natalie can get the money she needs for an investment for her new company in NYC and August can get himself a loan to make the wine yard dreams of his late best friend come true. But is it just a marriage of convenience or is it something else?

But the book? It was written to perfection. There was not a single thing I disliked. It was so good from start to finish and it really made my exceptions for love higher than I have ever had them before. Natalie and August is that kind of couple you can’t help but immediately love and you don’t want them to ever be apart. It’s a marriage of convenience technically but if you ask me they definitely didn’t marry because of some advantages. I will take this book with me to the grave.

And I can’t end this review without mentioning the woman of everyone’s dreams, Natalie (Vos) Cates. I love the determination she has and she doesn’t take anyone’s crap. She’s totally the definition of a girlboss and I love her. Her and August are soulmates.

"If I had one wish, it would be to slow down my time with you, Natalie. A hundred years won't be enough." Okay I am excited, because to be honest I wasnt in love with this world or characters when I read the first book in this series... but this book just did it for me. I am a sucker for Tessa Baileys characters and really enjoy the pacing of her books as I think there is the perfect balance of sort of pinning to full on love ration and this story was no different. I had the absolute most fun reading this story and I definitely think that it is going to be another instant hit of hers. I am forever thankful for receiving this arc and I cannot wait to read it again the next time I am in a slump.

I enjoyed this book. It was an interesting read . I found that I was able to read quickly and enjoyed the pacing and premise of the book. I would recommend to others.

After reading Julien and Hallie's love story, i was so excited to get a sequel with Julien's sister and follow this family. It brought the steam and all the laughs, but packed in more world issues. The themes of anxiety, PTSD, and family struggles- this one will hit home with many readers. Bailey also brought the sass and it was awesome!

I don't usually get hyped for soulmates in real life or in fiction, but these two are it. They are passionate, messy, fun, honest, and open.

Would recommend!!

I devoured this book! This was such a good small town enemies to lovers. Rival wineries, a stuck up heiress who has her own family issues that she masks to pretend she’s fine, and a new to wine guy who is really bad at it but is trying.
Both of our characters were introduced in Secretly Yours and this picks up directly after the ending of the book. I love Tessa Bailey and her writing and couldn’t put this down. I can’t wait to read her next book!

August and Natalie have hated each other in a long time. He needs money to get his wine going and Natalie needs to marry to get her money. What better way than to marry in paper only.
Things do not go as planned and the bickering between these 2 had me laughing at times and sometimes wanting to yell at them both.
Thanks to NetGalley for the book to review.

I will always love a Tessa Bailey book!
This marriage of convenience is funny and sweet and spicy and just downright adorable. August and Natalie are a perfect match and their banter was top tier. They had amazing chemistry and I am a SUCKER for a boy obsesses trope. Give them to me every single time

This book was so fun! I loved it - it was the perfect follow the chemistry was hot! I would totally recommend anyone to read this!

Obsessed is an understatement!!

After the first book in this series, I wasn’t sure if I’d love this but I was WRONG!!

This book was a shot of pure serotonin right into my bloodstream. I loved August and Natalie as a couple so much that I actually was on the verge of crying a couple times because of how perfect they are for each other. (Yes. I am a sappy mess. Sue me.)

August was so goofy and dopey and just adorable I love, love, loved him. And Natalie worked with him. They talked things out. There's this amazing scene where he says something idiotic and she gets mad and instead of retreating to their corners he actually asks her why and gets down to the root reason. That's- that's fucking amazing. That's something completely unheard of in the span of my entire career as a romance reader.

Ugh I think I'lI be searching for this dynamic for the rest of my life in books. August is such a unique, fun character type for a male lead and I just can't get over it.

Thanks Avon for the ARC!

My first ever 1 star rating 😩

This was my 4th Tessa Bailey novel and each one I've read seems to have gotten worse then the previous. I loved It Happened One Summer, kind of enjoyed Hook, Line, and Sinker, tolerated Window Shopping, and unfortunately LOATHED Unfortunately Yours.

I wanted to DNF so badly after reading about 20% and I'll be honest the only reason I suffered through the last 80% was because this was my first read provided by NetGalley and I felt obligated to to finish the book so I could give my full honest opinion, so here it is...

I cannot fathom how this is the same author who wrote It Happened One Summer. That was one of my favorite rom-coms ever and this might have been the worst book I've ever read. I've never physically cringed so much while reading. The amount of times he calls her "princess" in a totally non-joking way made me want to throw my Kindle out of a moving vehicle. None of their banter did anything for me other than make me cringe. Natalie refers to August as being soooo dumb MANY times using words like "oaf" among others and this gave me the ick for both characters immediately. And the humor was not for me. I don't think I cracked a smile even once. Actually, my husband looked at me while I was visibly grimacing / looking disgusted while reading this and asked me "why are you still reading that!?" lol. I really wish I could be kinder about this book but I truly did not enjoy any moment of it.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this copy in exchange for an honest review. I wish really wish I could've loved it!

Thank you to Net Galley and Avon and Harper Voyager for this ARC! I'm a massive Tessa Bailey fan and loved the first book in this series Secretly Yours, so I couldn't wait to read Unfortunately Yours!

I'm a sucker for a marriage of convenience trope, so I knew I was going to enjoy it! Natalie Vos is back home at her family's vineyard losing her job in NYC and being dumped by her fiancé, Meanwhile, her now local nemesis August Cates is trying to help bring his late best friend's dream of running a winery to life. In order to get access to her trust fund and August get a small business loan, they decide to team up and get married. The only problem is that despite Natalie despising August after some rude comments, he has a massive crush on her.

Like every Tessa Bailey book, they have great banter, but I mean, Natalie and August took it to a whole new level just absolutely roasting each which was hilarious. They're also protective of each other while each battle their own issues with grief, family and work.

Unfortunately Yours was sweet and fun romcom, and I think it would be an amazing vacation read! Highly recommend, especially if you love Tessa's other books!

Another fun Tessa Bailey! I did not however like this as much as yours truly. But it was still a fun, steamy little read!

⭐️⭐️⭐️✨(3.75) rating

“And when I look at you, I swear I have. Existed just for you all this time. It feels like I have.”

This book is exactly what I needed it to be to get me back in the swing of things with my reading slump. It was a fun, quick and easy read. I actually really enjoyed the plot of this book and the banter the two main characters gave us!