I loved getting to know Natalie and August. They were able to work through things together and really understand each other. I loved the setting and their personalities! I had a fun time reading this book!

What a fun book! I adored the banter between Natalie and August. Their marriage of convenience was so well written, and I loved how it played out. The characters were all great, the writing flowed nicely, and I thoroughly enjoyed the book. 4.5 stars rounded up!

This book was a delightful marriage of convenience book. This is the sequel to Secretly Yours and I have to say I think I liked this one just a smidge better. Tessa has this way of writing these witty and unique characters that really pull you into her stories and holds you captivated. You can’t help but fall in love with her books and the worlds that she has crafted; this story is an amazing take on the grumpy/sunshine/golden retriever troupe and I floved it.

Natalie is so blunt and confident in all she does. She has this strong personality that is also a takes no prisoners vibe that you can’t help but relate to. But she is also layered and nuanced in ways that you couldn’t have prepared for. Reading her was overall incredibly refreshing, from her differing relationships between her with her parents and her brother to her trying to find where she ultimately belongs in this world it was beautiful to watch. Additionally, the unapologetic way that she banters, and roasts August will leave you with a smile on your face. I just love their dynamic it’s fantastic.

August is the perfect book boyfriend; he is so incredibly attentive and sensitive towards Natalie that it will make your heart melt into a puddle on the floor. This man can do no wrong in my book; he cooks for her he calls her princess gahhhhhh I just need one of him all for myself. But then on the flip side the dirty mouth that this man has will melt your kindle. It’s always the quite ones you have to look out for because dang this book was so much hotter than the first and I freaking devoured every dirty minute.

Thank GOODNESS! Tessa redeemed herself from the first book in this series. Honestly, I felt like someone was pulling my leg when I read 'Secretly Yours'. There was NO way, Tessa wrote that-- nothing about it reminded me of Tessa's other masterpieces. I gave it two stars instead of one because of home much I like Tessa Bailey.

NOW this.....this was like someone was singing "Tessa's baaaaaack!" I just loved Natalie and August-- both apart and together. I practically inhaled the book! What a lovely summer read that gives you ALL of the feels.

Quick recap:
We meet Natalie and August in the first book in the series, and really they were the only nice part about that book. Their chemistry is on fire and know EXACTLY which buttons to push to piss each other off, and their favorite thing to do is press said button. In order for her to get her trust fund and for him to get a loan, they end up married. They go from enemies to lover to dream team after that.

August is a character very much in the 'Brendan-vein' of Tessa's heros. So if you are needing a Brendan-fix, pick up this book!

Thank you #NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

”if i had one wish, it would be to slow down my time with you, natalie. a hundred years won’t be enough.” ♡₊˚

finished reading this just in time for it’s release!

this was a huge step up from the first book for me, but honestly even then it wasn’t a big favorite of mine. not that there’s anything wrong with it, but i think tessa bailey’s writing is starting to become not for me. i feel like she dives deep with the characters internal thoughts and always includes so much description and explanation. and like i said, nothing wrong with that at all, but personally it takes me out of the book for some reason. also, some of the monikers and things she says is just cringe worthy sometimes and i don’t know if i can continue to do it lmao

i really enjoyed natalie and august’s story, though it was a smidge too lust-to-love at first sight for me. the banter was hilarious, though, and i love how whipped august was for natalie. the plot was alright, but i felt like a lot happened really quickly and i wish things had been more paced, personally. i am glad i decided to give this one a chance, though, because i think if i could stop being so critical of everything then it would’ve been a really fun book! i did enjoy my time reading it, and i think a lot of other people will to!

huge thank you to avon and harper voyager, as well as netgalley, for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review!

By this point, I know what I'm getting into with a Tessa Bailey romance. Unfortunately Yours delivered exactly what I wanted - a super SUPER hot romance with delicious banter and comedic moments that had me snorting out loud. Also there is a hilarious cat.

If you are a fan of Bailey's generally then I think that this will be a book you will ultimately enjoy. A lot of Bailey's books can, for me, be sorted into two categories, those that balance the smut with angst and positive character growth in a way that lessons the alpha male-ness of a lot of her characters and those that tend to be just super hot and I think Unfortunately Yours fits into that second category.

I really like Natalie and August from the first "A Vine Mess" offering and was excited for their book. Marriage of Convenience is such a hard trope to pull off well in contemporary romance and I think this one worked well. The stakes felt real and deep and I was incredibly invested right away. August is an ex-SEAL and there are some great moments that utilize his past trauma and experience that had me riveted. Natalie has her own trauma and I liked how they balanced each other out.

August is very possessive and jealous and for me it mostly worked. I think for a lot of readers it won't work as well. I think because August is SO possessive and jealous that at times it over shadows when Natalie is trying to speak up for herself? Because his trauma needs to be addressed and he needs to be placated before he will really listen to what Natalie has to say. All that is to say ultimately they both get to a good place and I really enjoyed this book especially when I read it sitting by the lake the entire long weekend.

Thank you SO much to Avon and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an E-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a Hate to Love Romance, and this is the second book in A Vine Mess series. I have read the first book in this series before picking up this book, and the main characters in this book first meet in the first book in this series. I do think you can read this book as a standalone. I love why August is making wine, and I loved getting to know this character. I wish Natalie would have opened up to August more, but I did love that August really tried to open up and share his feelings throughout this book. I really loved his character, and I loved getting his side throughout this book. I really enjoyed reading this book, but I do think the hate to love thing was pushed a little too much in this book. I was kindly provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher (Avon) or author (Tessa Bailey) via NetGalley, so I can give an honest review about how I feel about this book. I want to send a big Thank you to them for that.

Happy pub day to the newest from Tessa Bailey and thanks so much to Avon for sending me this gifted copy!

Tessa Bailey is the first romance author i ever fell in love with and so she has a special place in my heart. I never miss a chance to read her newest release and have read her entire backlist give or take a few.

Unfortunately Yours is an enemies (but he actually loves her) to lovers marriage of convenience between Natalie, a down on her luck stockbroker from a prominent family of vintners and August, an ex Navy Seal who is grieving is best friend and failing miserably at trying his hand at wine making to honor said friend.

Natalie needs to be married in order to have her trust fund released so she can try to rebuild her reputation on Wall Street and August needs the clout Natalie’s name brings so he can secure a loan and give wine making one final try. As with all of Tessa’s MCs, these two have explosive sexual chemistry, there’s a whole bunch of dirty talk, and a MMC who absolutely worships the FMC. The trajectory and dynamic of this story felt very reminiscent of It Happened One Summer which is one of my favorites so I think fans of that will likely enjoy this one.

Check this one out if you love:

- funny cats
- prank wars
- sexy banter
- men in uniform
- smart AF heroines
- family dynamics
- protective heroes

I enjoyed this one a lot and I’m excited to read whatever Tessa comes out with next!

Happy Pub Day to Unfortunately Yours!

Natalie comes from wine royalty. Working the family business was never in her plans however, as she has made a name for herself in the finance world of NYC. Back in Napa after losing both her job and fiancée in a bit of a scandal, Natalie is looking for a comeback.

August is an ex Navy SEAL and is trying to make it in the Napa wine industry. The problem is, his wine is utterly disgusting. These two meet and have an almost one night stand. After which, they pretty much can’t stand each other. So imagine Augusts surprise when Natalie proposes fake marriage as a way for them to both get back on their feet.

I read this last week in one sitting. The humor and wit were 5⭐️. I really enjoyed the layers that we were shown with these characters. August was incredibly supportive and loving and Natalie is smart and also secretly a softie.

Thanks @avonbooks for my early review copy!

I loved every bit of this. The fake marriage trope is one of my favorites and was executed brilliantly in this book. The banter and chemistry between August and Natalie was superb. This book was steamy and so sweet. I love this series and highly recommend it. Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the ARC of this in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed this book. I loved the tropes it has and how they were executed. I liked the characters and I love that we got to see more of Natalie and understand her as a character so much more. She was always a character that intrigued me the most in the first book so I loved that this one was about her. I liked August as well. I do wish he was more of a grumpy Navy SEAL, but I did love how sweet and caring he was. The setting of Napa Valley and the wineries was perfect for this book. I also loved the epilogue and just thought that it was adorable.

Natalie Vos and August Cates… enemies to lovers was never this horny!

It’s been a hot minute since I picked up a Bailey contemporary romance. My last read was Hook, Line, and Sinker, which I loved. This book has me coming in late to a duet but gives proof of the standalone ability of the story. I didn’t need to read the first book in this series to get involved with Natalie and August.

Bailey brings her own brand of romance to Napa Valley in this story involving winemakers and wine family members. August is our winemaker, throw in the fact he’s also an ex-Navy Seal, and it’s a fabulous opportunity for too hot to handle. He’s built like a shit-brickhouse, a fact Bailey never forgets to remind us of, and he’s not always the brightest, but this Seal has a heart of gold. Natalie is wine family royalty, and she’s not afraid to use that status to help her navigate the pitfalls she’s recently fallen into. Between her life disasters and August’s wine ones, these two are destined to either screw or fight their way to oblivion. The interesting part is the road it takes for these two to get there.

I’ll say that Bailey heats this one up with two folks who have already been circling each other for a while, throw the need for a marriage of convenience, and I honestly couldn’t stop turning pages to see how these two enemies were going to become lovers. Both August and Natalie have a lot of internal wounds that the pair have to battle against, along with some much heat I thought my reading app might burst into flame. Bailey still has it because the sex scenes are scorching, and the dirty talk, while not her finest, packs a punch.

What didn’t work? There were some pacing issues where I thought the story sped by too quickly and may have slowed down in the wrong places. At the same time, this one has storytelling that’s more unique and off the beaten path, which I did like because it kept me surprised. There’s a cat included in the book too, and I was a bit disappointed that this feline only seemed to stir up trouble when the book needed it, plot convenience.

Overall, if you like ex-military heroes, feisty heroines that give as good as they get, and enemies to lovers, you’ll enjoy this one. It’s a nice read that I was able to sink into and get away from reality for a bit. For those who enjoy Lauren Layne (the scorchers) and Jessica Lemmon.

~ Landra

💍 MY THOUGHTS: She’s back! Ok, she never really went anywhere but her last couple of books, My Killer Vacation and Secretly Yours weren’t my favorites - good not great. Especially compared to how much I loved Hook, Line and Sinker and It Happened One Summer. But Unfortunately Yours is a great read!

I love Natalie and her snarky, cut to the point, sarcastic attitude. She’s been hurt and discounted in the past by her family and most recently by her fiancé and colleagues in New York so she’s a bit messed up by it.

Enter August. A sexy, ex Navy Seal with a goofy side. He dishes it right back to Natalie but also sees right through her tough exterior and knows what she needs even if she doesn’t.

Also, I really liked Julian and Hallie more in Unfortunately Yours than I did in Secretly Yours.

Read for:
❤️ He Falls First
💒 Fake Marriage
🏡 Forced Proximity
💥 Enemy to Lovers
🫦 Witty Banter
🍷 Napa Valley Setting

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 5
Steam Level: 🌶️🌶️ / 5

✨ Thank you @netgalley and @avonbooks for the ARC in exchange for an always honest review.

I stopped reading this book at 60%. Honestly, Tessa's work is hit or miss for me these days. Her older work is much better. I just didn't care for the main characters and the writing just wasn't for me.

I appreciate the opportunity to be able to read this book though!

This was an absolutely swoonworthy, fun, fabulous summer read. First of all, August, I mean, come on! He is top-notch book boyfriend material. The things he feels and says to Natalie as they embark on a fake marraige is enough to make any woman's heart melt. Natalie, one strong, amazing FMC. These two, who start as enemies become each other's answer to everything. What I truly love about this story (besides it being set in wine country) is that Natalie and August each have a story, a sad story, in their recent pasts that are driving who they are when they feel like the only choice they have is to rely on one another.

I couldn't put this one down and am quickly becoming a huge Tessa Bailey fan. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

- marriage of convenience
- enemies to lovers
- forced proximity

I was tearing up almost as much as I was laughing through this one. Two people floating through life, feeling lost and alone until the found each other; Natalie and August are hands down my favorite Tessa Bailey couple. The way they anchor each other, providing this stability that they've both been missing and pushing each other to grow made this an immediate comfort read and I wanted to pick it up again as soon as I finished. This is my favorite book from Tessa and the epilogue left my heart feeling so full it could burst.

A Navy SEAL and a Napa wine princess make an unlikely pairing, but they were so good for each other. It started out as tiny barbs and jabs, but the way they care for one another, always pushing but never wanting to go over the line of no-return -- a mark that can be easily missed in enemies to lovers. I love Natalie Vos with my whole being, she's one of those characters that I would hand you in a list if you wanted to get to know me. Be sure not to miss Tessa's note at the start, because knowing that August loved her from the very beginning and getting to see that unfold absolutely killed me. They make a great team and while they may bicker and poke fun at one another, they are each other's biggest defenders.

Summary:
Coming off a broken engagement and dismissal from her NYC job, Natalie Vos has returned home to Napa as the heiress to a family vineyard, only with hopes to return to New York. With a business partner and potential investor on the line, Natalie needs access to her trust fund to start her own company. The issue? Natalie must be employed AND married before she can have access.

August own a local winery, only known for its disgustingly fermented wine and lack of knowledge to the industry. Oh, and Natalie hates him. But Natalie sees a solution: Marry August. Gain access to her trust. Help August get a loan to keep his winery afloat and assist him with his fermentation process.

The only thing that could go wrong is strong sexual magnetism. And unrequited feelings. And Natalie and August not knowing what they really want.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/5
🌶️🌶️ 2/5

Tropes:
Fake Marriage
Unrequited Feelings
Secrets

Deb’s Thoughts:
I really enjoyed this book and this series is my first dive into Tessa Bailey’s work. I really enjoyed the story of August and Natalie but did miss the amount of spectacular squirm-in-your-seat spice from book 1. I’m excited to read book three when it releases!

Thanks so much @tessabailey and @netgalley for providing the ARC for me to review!

Tessa Bailey is back with another exciting romance! Unfortunately Yours is the story of Natalie, a down-on-her-luck Napa heiress and her offer to marry August, a man she cannot stand for a mutually beneficial relationship. But Natalie will soon realise that there’s a fine line between love and hate and August might just be that line.

August may own a vineyard, but he knows absolutely nothing about wine, so who better to help him than the queen of the vineyards herself? Meanwhile, Natalie needs access to her trust fund if she’s ever to be taken seriously again by the world. Who better to marry than the one guy she knows she won’t distract her with unnecessary feelings? What starts as a reluctant marriage of convenience turns into much more as both realise that there might be more to the other…

You know those guys who are all in when it comes to the woman they want to spend their life with? Yeah, August is that trope personified. He’s ride or die for Natalie and even when their animosity turns downright ruthless, you can still tell he’s having the time of his life fighting with her. He’s also a huge softie who loves to put his foot in his mouth and thus serves all the golden retriever energy vibes we love to see in romance.

Meanwhile, Natalie grapples with her own insecurities since she has often been underestimated and now feels all the more pressure to succeed but when she’s around August, she can be herself without having to fear rejection.

Now, miscommunication is my absolute pet peeve and there is a lot of that going on in this story, so if that’s not something you’re in the mood for, this story might not quite work for you. It definitely made me want to pull my hair out at a few specific moments in the story. However, I loved how both August and Natalie grew throughout the story and learned to communicate with each other better by the end and how they, no matter where they stood with each other, supported the other’s endeavours. Together they are explosive (between the sheets and out on the streets) and make for a wholly entertaining reading experience.

Fans of the marriage of convenience trope will get their fill in this summery romance that is sure to leave a smile on your face.

Natalie Vos and August Cates may have perfected the art of insulting each other, but when Natalie needs a groom to secure her inheritance, there is only one eligible bachelor who comes to mind...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Unfortunately Yours was a scorching hot and seriously hilarious, marriage of convenience, reading delight! Natalie and August love to hate each other, but once their vows are said, they are truly connected... for better, or for worse...

Natalie was a brilliant woman who has recently had a change of luck in her personal and professional life. Returning home to St. Helena was a less than ideal situation, but once she has access to her trust fund, she is hightailing it back to NYC to jump back into her career in finance... where she belongs. Natalie may have hailed from winemaking royalty, but feeling unappreciated is a way of life when it came to proving herself to her family.

August is a hunky, ex-Navy SEAL who landed in St. Helena, determined to start his own winery. But while August may have had the vineyard and all the necessary equipment, he knew absolutely nothing about wine making... and it showed.

I absolutely loved the entertaining banter and the undeniable chemistry shared between Natalie and August. Every argument they had felt like foreplay, and their sexy encounters more than proved it! August was a big ole hunk of a sweet man who would do anything for Natalie, and eventually she realizes just how much she would do for him, too.

A Vine Mess was a sexy and super fun little two book series with lovable characters, laugh out loud hijinks, and engaging plots!

I received a complimentary copy of this book for my honest and unbiased review.

I think Tessa and I are breaking up. It’s been a good run, it’s not you it’s me, and all that jazz.


She can write steam, I will give her that. But like this dude reminded us every 5 mins that he was a navy seal. We got it.

Also, I’m bored of the marriage of convenience rich parent is withholding money or inheritance until the person is married blah blah blah. I mean it’s 2023. Let’s come up with a better MOC situation.