4.5 - “Bottom line, he knew in his bones that in fifty years, he’d still want to look at her face.”

Listen, August Cates is EVERYTHING. I haven’t felt so strongly about a book boyfriend in a while and Tessa Bailey absolutely delivered here.

I love a marriage of convenience trope, but this flipped it on its head and gave it a fresh perspective. From the beginning, we know August has it bad for Natalie. Their banter is so good that I was giddy while I was reading. The tension between them is electric and I could not get enough. They are so well matched and everything between them feels so genuine.

After Secretly Yours, I loved getting more about Natalie and her struggles. She feels left out of the family business, even though she’s been chasing success in New York. The deeper we get into her character, it’s clear that she just wants to be included and looked at as a vital piece of her family. I loved hearing more about her struggles in New York and what caused her to return to St. Helena. I felt like we got a full fleshed out character who experiences exceptional growth by the end.

August is the star of this book, though. He wants nothing more than to love and protect Natalie. I always love getting chapters from the man’s perspective and August is such a swoon. His storyline is so heart-wrenching. He is terrible at making wine, but the reason behind it is so sweet and genuine. He wants to honor his best friend and fallen soldier, Sam, by opening the winery he never got the chance to. When August and Natalie finally start to understand each other, they open up in ways that they’ve kept hidden and it really is so beautiful.

This is the perfect sweet and steamy romance for summer.

Unfortunately Yours was sent to me as an ARC and I squealed with delight when I was approved! Tessa Bailey has become a staple in my bookshelves over the years due to her wit, snarky banter amongst characters, and funny, relatable love stories.

Unfortunately Yours is the second book in her A Vine Mess series. The first book, Secretly Yours, sucked me in and introduced us to the eventual main characters of Unfortunately Yours, Natalie Vos and August Cates. The series is set in beautiful St. Helena, CA and includes lots of wine, bad decisions, and laugh out loud moments. I had fun reading this series imagining the beautiful vineyards and sleepy town. I even looked up a few photos for inspiration.

I thought that the UY storyline was more predictable than SY, but that really didn’t detract me from loving this book. I am ALWAYS cheering for the main characters to get together and so when you add enemies to lovers, and fake marriage, I’m all in, no questions asked.

Natalie Vos is a hilarious character. Her banter with August kept me laughing and I had a perpetual smile on my face reading this book. August Cates had me rolling my eyes and chuckling along side Natalie - his goofy, loving personality made it easy to root for him throughout.

The best part of the book? Menace! I have a soft spots for cats and this was just icing on the cake for me.

For the Tessa Bailey fans, read this book! There are just enough call backs to SY (Lavinia and her English humor), steamy encounters, and rom-com situations to make this book a joy to read

🍷Unfortunately Yours🍇
By Tessa Bailey

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
🌶️🌶️🌶️

What I Loved:
-Oh boy this one was spicy 🌶️!
-I really enjoyed the banter! The enemies to lovers really shined through. Their interactions had me laughing out loud.
-swoony masculine jellyroll MMC with a cat, yes please.
-Natalie was a great FMC, strong, smart and flawed.

What didn’t work for me:
-As a military spouse, I find some of the military stuff to be cringe, but that’s just me 😂.

Thank you to @avonbooks and @tessabaileyisanauthor for the ARC copy of this book

Move over Brendan and Fox, I’ve got a new Tessa Bailey book husband; August freaking Cates where have you been all my life?!

Queen Tessa has really really really nailed this enemies to lovers romance. The snarling, wine throwing, insult dripping banter had me laughing so dang hard! Natalie needs to marry to gain access to her trust fund and August needs to hitch onto Natalie’s wine dynasty family name to secure a small business loan for his own fledging winery he opened in memory of his best friend Sam. Somehow they both find themselves in a marriage of convenience and all August, always the hype man, says to Natalie before walking down the aisle “Your tits look insane.” 😂.
Watching these two argue and make up and support each other and fall deeply in love was pure JOY! There’s a bow-tie wearing cat named Menace, pranks galore, axe throwing competitions, loads of make up banging, and even a swift water rescue (6’4 tree trunk thighs retired Navy SEAL August freaking Cates in drenched sweatpants). But the best part was August and his LOVE for his girl, his wife, his Natalie.

💟”If the key to her happiness was at the bottom of the ocean, he’d strap on some flippers and goggles to dive down and get it. If she showed any signs of illness, even a common cold, he would consider bringing her to the ER. If she asked him to dress like Zack Morris at Halloween so she could dress like Kelly Kapowski . . . he’d already have suggested it first. Did all of that equal love? To him? Yes. He loved her. Really, really bad.”💟

Thank you SO much to NetGalley for the e-arc and Avon Books for my physical ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Golden retriever himbo alert. August Cates, the MMC in Tessa Bailey's newest rom-com, is so stupidly gone for Natalie, the FMC, I CANNOT STAND IT.

"Unfortunately Yours" is an enemies-to-lovers, marriage of convenience, he-loved-her-the-whole-time, bomb of glorious banter, sexy scenes, and obsessively sweet love. Natalie and August start off with their walls up and constantly picking at each other's insecurities, but when they both run into cash flow problems, they hatch a marriage plan to access trust fund money to solve all their problems. Cue the "fake relationship" and forced living together shenanigans.

Even though these are classic romance tropes, Tessa Bailey has a way of making them feel fresh and unpredictable. And soooo funny, like un-hinged funny, some of the things August and Natalie say to each other.

Warning for military copaganda: August is an ex-Navy SEAL and it is mentioned throughout the book.

Like Tessa Bailey's other books, this is just a fun, cute, rom-com. Her books, although not the most realistic, touch on real life issues, have humor, frustration and love. They are perfect summer reads - so definitely add this on to your list.

Natalie Vos finds herself back home in Napa after she loses her job and fiance. In order to return to her life in NYC, she needs her trust fund, which unfortunately she can't touch until she is employed AND married. Enter August Cates, a vineyard owner who is terrible at making wine, despite his determination to make his late best friend proud. He and Natalie want to kill each other and secretly kiss each other. August was denied a bank loan and will have to shut the vineyard down - until Natalie decides to propose. Will their fake marriage fool those around them? Will they survive living under the same roof - or will their attraction take control?

Thank you Netgalley and Avon for my advanced reader copy.

Just went through a break up & genuinely was not in the mood to read a romance book. Honestly did not want to THINK about men or love or romance. I pushed through and still ended up giggling, smiling, and pining for August.

This was a great summer read by the pool!

The book is about a wine connoisseur and a former Navy Seal who ends up in the wine business due to the death of his best friend. On a mission, he realized that he’s not great at the process of wine making and loses all his money in the endeavor. Natalie, who is cut out for this lost all her money due to a shaky agreement in New York, IN COMES A FAKE MARRIAGE.

Now both people that absolutely detest each other, but cannot deny the attraction between the two are now living in the same home with a grumpy cat, a trust fund/ loan officer breathing down their neck, and all of St.Helena breathing down their necks.

This was an absolute ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ read for me. Pre- order it now! Go Tessa Bailey!

Marriage of convenice and sorta enemies to lovers? Yes!

Natalie comes from the Vos wine family. She has worked in NYC for years but a job firing and engagement breakup has her back home and feeling a bit lost.

August, former SEAL, is trying - and let's face it, spectacularly failing - at starting a winery which was the dream of his best friend lost in battle.

When they two collide it's not fireworks, it's a grenade. They are explosive. There are strong feelings, but are they love or hate?

Circumstances bring Natalie to ask August to marry her, in a marriage of convenience that will be beneficial to them both.

But what happens when feelings start getting real?

I liked the first book but Natalie and August were even better in my opinion. Their banter was amazing and the sparks ignited when they even looked at each other.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Harper Voyager/Avon for an ARC and to Harper Collins for a lovely finished copy in exchange for my honest review!

Thank you @avonbooks for the #gifted copy of UNFORTUNATELY YOURS!

Oh my gosh I love August Cates. I’m such a sucker for stories where the man falls first and August falls hard and fast for Natalie Vos. This man would do ANYTHING for her.

Their banter was so fire. I loved how they would bicker like cats and dogs but the second anyone said anything remotely insulting about the other in their presence, they would go full attack dog and defend each other.

And while they bickered and pushed each other’s buttons, they moment they realized that a particular barb was actually covering a hurt or a trauma, they would apologize and work to understand that hurt.

Basically I’m just a sucker for couples with good communication skills and actually work to understand their partners.

UNFORTUNATELY YOURS comes out June 6!

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5295140049
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/Cs6bYuQx-18/

🅡🅔🅥🅘🅔🅦
This is the second book in the A Vine Mess series by Tessa Bailey and I really enjoyed this one! I was a bit hesitant going in as the first book wasn’t my cup of tea, but I enjoyed the sister in the first one and she is the FMC in this book, so I wanted to still check it out. I ATE THIS UP. Literally read the entire thing in a day. It isn’t quite IHOS or HLS level to me, but it was a solid Tessa Bailey novel!

In typical TB fashion, there was some instalust/love going on (however as the characters met in book one, it was fine for me), lots of dirty talk, and a decent amount of spice! We all know Tessa loves her characters spunky and a bit wild, and the main characters here did not disappoint. I really enjoyed the FMC, Natalie. She was a strong, snarky gal and is just trying to get back on her feet after losing her job and fiance. August is a golden retriever of a MMC, an ex-Navy SEAL who has the hots for Natalie, even though they hate each other. Their relationship was so fun to watch develop and the banter between them had me laughing out loud. Throw in a marriage of convenience and some forced proximity and this really was romcom gold.

It had some heart warming moments as well, with both characters having some emotional wounds that needed healing, so seeing them work through that was sweet. We also got a lot of dirty talk in this one and boy, the mouth on this man was top notch in many ways, let me tell you.

The pacing and plot were pretty fast paced and this was an easy, light-hearted read. Overall, I think Tessa Bailey fans will enjoy this one as well! If you’re familiar with her style and enjoy her insta-lust/love stories, the banter and spice in this one is a can’t miss!

𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙄𝙛 𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙇𝙞𝙠𝙚
Marriage of convenience
Forced proximity
Hate to lovers
He falls first
Golden retriever MMC
Dirty talk and banter

I will post a review to the linked Instagram on release day.

Thank you @netgalley and @Avonharper for this ARC in exchange for my honest review! If you've read my reviews before you would know that tessa bailey is one of my favorite authors and is the queen of smut writing! Unfortunately, yours is a solid book with a good plot but it has cringe moments. The biggest one is august cates (MMC) is a retired navy seal for me, this was cringe because my husband is in the Navy, and we make fun of what movies and books make navy men act like.

This is also a marriage of convince, and this isn't usually my cup of tea, but I also love how August is a big ole' cinnamon roll. August is the first to fall and does whatever needs to be done to make sure Natalie is happy. It’s a slow burn with a lot of frenemies to-lovers action.


Overall, this isn't my favorite Tessa Bailey book but its not horrible. My favorite is still hook, line, and sinker! It was a fun, easy read with great smut and an even better understanding that the person you are is perfect, and you will find someone who loves you for you, not for who they want you to be <3

(will be posting this on my bookstagram closer to pub date) @ticareads_

Marriage of convenience between near-strangers for the win, yet again! There's a reason why I love the trope so much, and this was another great example. These two almost had a one night stand before things went south, so they're not-so-friendly when they agree to a temporary marriage that benefits them both. They're also fully aware that they are attracted to each other in a big way, which is surely a recipe for disaster. I loved the opposites attract vibes, particularly the rugged Navy SEAL turned (terrible) winemaker, who is so absolutely smitten with his girl. He's also a bit of a golden retriever, with a loving, protective personality that gives off easygoing vibes... outside of the bedroom, at least. That paired perfectly with the put-together, independent heroine, and it was so satisfying to see them realize how well they fit. The only thing that's holding me back from a 5-star rating is a slower start, but I sincerely enjoyed this overall.

The story follows Natalie, a woman who comes from a family of winemakers. She's been working in finance for the last several years, but a failed business deal has left her jobless and reeling. Natalie would love to start up her own business and return to the city, but she needs money to make that happen. In an effort to obtain her inheritance, Natalie decides to enter into a temporary marriage of convenience. The last person she expected to volunteer for the role of husband is August, a former Navy SEAL and owner of a failing vineyard. He could also use the money and respect that a marriage to winemaking royalty could provide, so it's a scenario that could benefit them both. Unfortunately, they're also openly attracted to each other, and that could pose a problem. It's not wise to enter into a fake marriage with someone you have real lust for, and neither one is sure what to do about that.

I'm a fan of Bailey's writing, but I will admit that the first book in this series was a DNF for me. Every author has a miss here or there, and I think a lot of us acknowledge that was one. So I went into this a little less enthusiastic than usual, and it's entirely possible that's the reason this had a slower start for me. It also takes me awhile to get into third person POV, as so few contemporary romance novels are written from that perspective these days. But August and Natalie's chemistry was apparent from the start, and I love a good marriage of convenience romance. As the story progressed, I came to love their bickering/bantering and playful vibes in a major way. It was easy to see why they were perfect for each other, and I also loved how their marriage benefited both in ways that had nothing to do with money. They make each other stronger, and that was obvious. They also have some crazy good chemistry, with plenty of super spicy scenes sprinkled throughout. I can't quite call it a slow burn, but I appreciated how they worked to build up the emotional connection before going all in. In the end, this was a very strong 4-star/low 5-star read for me, and I'm excited to see what's next from the author.

This officially takes the top spot as my favorite Tessa Bailey book!

I was hesitant at first because while I found Secretly Yours charming and I enjoyed reading it, it didn’t have the heat from It Happened One Summer or the character depth of Hook, Line, and Sinker (though I did love that it tackled some tough topics, like anxiety).

Let me just say, Unfortunately Yours CAME TO PLAY!

August is top-tier book boyfriend material. Seriously. He’s a 6’3” beef-cake, former navy seal, who is head over heels in love with Natalie, and absolutely hilarious.

Natalie has a lot of crap to work through (who doesn’t?), but she does so in a way that doesn’t make her seem whiny or unlikeable. She is strong when she needs to be, but doesn’t let that strength hold her back, which I find rare for FMCs in RomComs. They tend to go so hard one direction that it becomes their flaw. That wasn’t the case with Natalie.

The spice in this book was TOP NOTCH! And the filthy words that came out of that beautiful man’s mouth were perfection.

I would absolutely recommend this book and I can without a doubt say that I will be rereading this in the future.

3/5 🌶️
5/5 ⭐️

This is my new favorite Tessa Bailey book. I absolutely adored August, and I rooted for him and Natalie from the beginning.

I loved all the tropes, and I don’t know…there was just something about this book that was so…high quality. It just hit different.

I enjoyed Secretly Yours a lot so when I saw I was approved for an arc of this I was super excited. One of my favourite tropes is marriage of convenience and lets just say this book did the trope justice for me.
I loved Natalie and August’s characters although at some points they can be very stubborn and annoying. They both seemed to be extremely headstrong characters which caused most of their conflicts but even with that they always solved. ( I will say some of the conflict was stupid ). For romance, well, there's spice. And lots of it. The scenes were amazing, and unlike the first book didn’t feel awkward at all for me. The scenes actually fit both of these characters.
The only issue I have with this book is that their relationship for most of it felt very just, towards the sexual aspect. And it moved very fast and i wish it felt like the characters connected more!
Thank you Netgalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

WOOO, this was such a step up from Secretly Yours. I was so pleasantly surprised with how much i did like it.

Marriage of convenience is one of my favorite tropes and this book was textbook MOC. Both making the decision to marry for personal gain, but both decide before they even truly marry that’s not really the reason they’re marrying.

AUGUST - lord have mercy. August is something else. Supportive, caregiver, protective. I adored him.

Natalie was strong, confident and such a beautifully misunderstood human. She had a lot of inner battles going on and i loved watching her character develop.

While i did enjoy this book alot, it was cringey to me that the MCs said “marriage of convenience” so much. like we get if, why are we being so repetitive with the trope term. It was too much for me.

Banter was spot on. Tessa writes in a way where you have every emotion by the end of the book and i love that.

It’s giving: marriage of convenience, forced proximity, and enemies to lovers

I was really underwhelmed with Secretly Yours, so I was a little hesitant going into this book, but was pleasantly surprised at how good it was. There’s a lot to love about this book, including its immaculate marriage of convenience trope, the incredible spice, the witty dialogue, and the love interest falling hard for his girl.

One of my biggest dislikes is that Natalie and August’s relationship comes out of nowhere. The set up for this book happens in Secretly Yours and is barely mentioned in this one so it’s a little confusing if you haven’t read that book. I also think the ending of this book was kind of rushed as it tried to wrap up loose ends that definitely would have led to more conflict if it was properly fleshed out.

Overall, this book is incredibly funny and super sexy. Also, Tessa Bailey really knows how to write an epilogue that punches me in the feels every time.

This book was very cute! Such an Easy read. I loved the characters and their fun banter! I would definitely recommend this cozy rom- com!

Tessa Bailey my queen 👑
I don’t usually go for the marriage of convenience trope but this book has me second guessing myself.

The banter and chemistry between Natalie and august was SO good! I couldn’t bring myself to put it down. Natalie being such a black cat and August the golden retriever being completely obsessed with her; was the best vibe I could have asked for.

I loved Julian and Hallie’s story but this book may be my favorite of the series 🙈

Thank you Avon Books/Harper Collins Publishing and Netgalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Man, I enjoyed this book. Tessa knows how to write them.

August was such an enjoyable character. He always said and did goofy things which made him that much more likable. A lot of my laugh-out-loud moments came from lines he said or thought. He had problems he was working through just like Natalie, but he presented himself in a loveable way. The way he loved Natalie was so beautiful.

I loved getting to know Natalie more in this book. We got a little glimpse of her problems in book one that she was forced to encounter in this book. But getting inside of her head and seeing how things felt to her was different. She was also pretty cool. I kinda wish we could have seen her with a friend in this book. But that was also kinda the point, that she didn't have anyone she felt she could trust or lean on.

There were some emotional parts in this novel that made me tear up. I love that Bailey can go from emotional to sexy in point five seconds. And there were so many good, romantic lines in this book that I wish I could bottle them up.

Overall, a great follow-up and end to the A Vine Mess series. Bailey's books will always be enjoyable to me.