Just as spicy as Secretly Yours, but even better!

Read this if you like: A doofus of a MMC, a witty FMC, flirty hate-banter that builds into TENSION, marriage of convenience, a Navy SEAL+a Wall Street investor walk into a wine bar in Napa vibes, JOKES+PRANKS+LAUGHTER, and the spice we've all come to love from Tessa.

I found myself really drawn in by Julian and Hallie in Secretly Yours, but I found myself even more excited to read August and Natalie's story, and it did not disappoint.

Natalie is a pretty bad ass character with a soft spot in her heart where the rejection of her family, the disloyalty of her employer, and the sad high school girl who never felt seen still live. Unseen, until August shows up in her life and he CAN'T HELP BUT SEE HER.

August. I truly love him but he's such a doofus. I say that with the mostly love from my heart. This guy picks up his life, moves to St. Helena to make wine with no experience, all to honor his best friend. It's sweet. Really sweet. He puts his foot in his mouth more often than you want (secondhand embarrassment is real), but his relationship with Natalie cracks open that vulnerable place he protects, and these two go from storming away to charging towards each other in the pages of this book.

I like Tessa's writing - it's silly and a little crazy, but also deep and emotional and transformative.

Definitely check this one out next week when it releases, especially if steamy Tessa Baily scenes are your jam. She does not disappoint.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for early access to this one, and to Avon/Harper Collins for the completed copy of the book! These are my honest thoughts.

August for the win! Who doesn't want a former SEAL willing to do just about anything for them!?! Dedicated, loving, and dorky but 110% committed to your every need and whim...

Yeah, August says he won but Natalie definitely won this forever after lottery. Their story is sweet and feisty just like they are!

The second book in the Vine Mess/Vos universe does not disappoint! Natalie Vos lost her job and needs to access her trust fund- just one catch, the recently dumped Natalie must be married to get the funds. Enter August, vineyard owner and bane of her existence. First comes a sham wedding, then comes....?

Great companion to Secretly Yours. I actually thought Unfortunately Yours was much, much stronger than Secretly Yours. I really enjoyed the love story between Natalie and August, and appreciated the tension provided by both August's background and Natalie's family.

I loved the first book in this series but wow I loved this one even more. Tessa absolutely NAILED the marriage of convenience trope. August and Natalie's banter was just the right balance of funny and snarky, the romance was swoony, and the dirty talk was dirty.

Natalie is so headstrong and capable. She knows exactly what she wants and goes out there and grabs it. No matter who stands in her way or tries to make her feel small, she perseveres. One of my favorite things about her and August's relationship is that he doesn't "save her". He does what any good husband should do, supports her and stands by her to help her realize her dreams. It's very clear that Natalie doesn't "need" him but its just as clear that she is happier with him by her side. With that said, boy do I love August. Ngl the whole calling her princess every 5 seconds thing got old fast but I genuinely loved his character. He was surly but not quite grumpy? He was obviously guarded but he knew that he was all in with Natalie from day 1 and he made sure she knew that. There were no mind games. He just fell for her and made his feelings and intentions abundantly clear. It may have started as a marriage of convenience but from the second they made their agreement, August did not come to play (the vows he wrote and surprised her with!!)

Thank you so much to Netgalley, Avon, and of course the brilliant Tessa Bailey for this arc!

The cover of this is the CUTEST. August is perfect, Natalie is fancy, and Menace is lounging.
NEVER do I enjoy a novel with military personnel- except for this one. Tessa really understood the assignment of having a hero who was soft and squishy while being a retired Navy SEAL.

August is trying to run a successful winery to honor his best friend’s dream. The problem is that he makes BAD wine. This happens to draw the attention of Natalie Vos, the Napa Valley wine princess. She’s the daughter of one of the most prestigious vineyards, but her passion is in investment. Unfortunately she made a bad trade, lost her job and fiance, and left New York in disgrace. With both of their livelihoods on the line, August and Natalie decide to engage in a mutually beneficial marriage of convenience. This will get her access to her trust fund and will get him the leverage to get a small business loan.

I love a marriage of convenience and forced proximity, especially when there’s obvious previous chemistry. These two were so lost for each other, worrying about each other while the other is gone and also dealing with the difficulty of shutting each other out of their most private concerns.

I flew through this, just like I tend to do with Tessa Bailey novels. She knows how to write spice, love, grief, friendship, I could just go on and on. It was a pleasure to read Unfortunately Yours.

I did get teary on the treadmill finishing the epilogue, especially as I listened to True Friend from Hannah Montana. Then I posted about it and Tessa laughed at me. So she knows what she’s doing!

This is the first Tessa Bailey book that I’ve given 5 stars to. I finally feel like I understand the hype around her books after reading this one. I loved both Natalie and August. I especially love when the man falls first and falls harder. The genuine love August had for Natalie before she had for him just reeled me in. Not to mention this book had just the right amount of spice and banter. I love that this book showcased Natalie as strong and independent with a drive to prove people wrong. I love a strong female lead with a supportive male lead to add to it. This book is the second in the series A Vine Mess and in my opinion was much better than Secretly yours the first in the A Vine Mess Series. This book is our June 6th! Be sure to get it! Thank you again to Avon Books and Tessa Bailey for an early finished copy!

Read this book if you like:
- Marriage of convenience
- Opposites attract
- Subtle spice
- Banter

Thank you Netgalley for the advanced reading copy! This is the second book in Bailey’s A Vine Mess series, and full disclosure, I loved this book WAY better than the first in this series. Natalie and August have to enter into a marriage of convenience for him to get a business loan and for her to get the trust fund, and of course, they fall in love. Many tropes are done well in this book: marriage of convenience, enemies to lovers, and man falls first and hard. I loved August and Natalie’s banter: this is Bailey at her finest with her writing style, really sweet and funny, causing me to laugh out loud many times in the book. I think this book is also a great blend of steamy, well paced, and I loved that August fell first and hard, realizing quickly Natalie was it for him for life. I liked Natalie’s character progression as well, with her career and life goals moving forward in a nice way throughout the book. The steam level is also classic Bailey, meaning it’s high very high steam and open door. I recommend this book for fans of Bailey, contemporary romance, marriage of convenience, and funny banter.

5/5

This book was truly phenomenal and may be her best yet. The passion and desire between Natalie and August is unmatched. Even when they hate each other, they can’t seem to stay away. I love the exploration of overcoming failures and realization that it’s okay to ask for help. Natalie and August are imperfect but they love one another’s faults and continue to communicate and forgive.

I personally think this book is better than the first in the series and encourage everyone to give it a read!

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review

👰🏻‍♀️Unfortunately Yours by Tessa Bailey⚓️ This is book 2 in the “A Vine Mess” series that takes place in Napa Valley. I loved Natalie in book 1, so I was excited for her to get her own story. Although there is reference to book 1, you can definitely skip and read this as a standalone. Off the bat, Natalie and August have amazing banter and chemistry that really set the stage. Tropes include enemies to lovers, marriage of convenience, forced proximity, and small town. August’s golden retriever energy was endearing, as was Natalie’s independence and desire for authenticity. I loved the character arcs and growth, and the spice was peak Tessa Bailey. TB said in the prelude that these were some of her favorite characters and it shows. I really enjoyed this book! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Special thanks to Avon Books for an eARC courtesy of Net Galley.

August needs a business loan and Natalie needs her trust fund which states she needs right be married. So what do they do? A fake marriage of course!

This one was so cute and a little spicy! August is so sweet but also so hilarious. He’s just going to say what he thinks and sometimes it works for him but sometimes it gets him in trouble 🤣 Natalie is trying to come back from her fiancé breaking up with her after losing her job. She never really fit in anywhere and that’s one point in the book that comes up a lot.

Natalie and August seem like they can’t stand each other but some unexpected twists make you think otherwise. Will they be the ultimate dream team or end their marriage before it can even start?

Another good one in this series!

This is a royally hilarious romantic story. Readers will laugh so hard at the witty and delicious conversations between Natalie and August. As Natalie tries to reclaim her place in the Napa Valley, August is busy trying to make a name for himself by creating wine. Natalie is Napa royalty and August is a former Navy SEAL. They team up for a fake marriage that leads to all kinds of hilarious antics. Readers are going to be absolutely enamored and entertained by this page turning story. It is a wonderful love story and a delight to the senses.

i had high hopes for the next installment in this series and i'm so happy it ended up being a win! tessa bailey excels at the "man obsessed" trope and this book lives up to its older siblings in that department.

i will say though, the beginning of this book was a little rough for me. i'm not a big fan of hate-to-love in a contemporary setting because the "banter" always gets a little mean (i am sensitive so it also could just be me hurting my own feelings). some of the comments august (our mmc) would say to natalie (our fmc) were so hurtful and i gasped at his audacity!! however, once we moved past the jabs and moved into the obsessed swoony tessa bailey hero archetype, i was sold. august and natalie have a very whirlwind romance filled with sexual tension and suppressed feelings and i was glad to be part of the ride. and ofc like always this book was very horny in classic TB fashion.

i wish, however, that they would have gotten married sooner in the book because it was towards the 40-50 percent mark that the wedding in this "marriage of convenience" book finally took place. I would have LOVED some more classic forced proximity and "fake dating" vibes. also... some of the "dirty talk" was a little cringey but besides that very solid tessa bailey installment. anyone who loves her books will enjoy this one.

thank you Avon and Netgalley for the ARC (advanced reader's copy) in exchange for an honest review. This book comes out on June 6!!

Tessa Bailey really does escapist spicy rom-coms well, and her latest installment was a fun enemies to lovers, marriage of convenience romp. I really liked these two characters and their growth over the course of the book, and I loved the setting in wine country. Quick and easy fun beach read.

This one was a cute enemies to lovers! Tessa Bailey is a great cozy escape and I enjoy her books a lot.

I loved this enemies to lovers marriage of convenience romcom! I will admit I didn’t love Secretly Yours so I was a little nervous, but this had all the humor and heart and dirty talking fans of Tessa Bailey would expect. We met both Natalie and August in Secretly Yours, but I think you’d be okay reading this one as a standalone.

Natalie has returned home to Napa after losing her high powered career and fiance all with one bad business decision. She needs her trust fund in order to start a new company, but the terms of the trust say she must be married in order to inherit. August Cates is a former marine, new to the winemaking industry, but has sunk all his money into a vineyard that keeps producing terrible wine. The two strike an agreement, they’ll marry in order for her to receive her trust fund and him to make the connections needed in Napa to secure a business loan.

August is one of my favorite Tessa heroes, just totally dumbstruck by his feelings and attraction for Natalie. He’s one part golden retriever, one part Marine veteran dedicating his life to fulfilling his fallen brother’s dream. He’s large and strong with a totally soft and gooey middle and I just love when the guy falls first.

Natalie was also a great character, everyone underestimates her and I loved how she proved herself capable. They constantly butt heads, leading to some truly excellent banter and the forced proximity leads to a lot of sexual tension (though, technically, this is sort of a slow burn).

I really had a great time reading this!

I've been on a quest to find a fun, Napa set novel (I live an hour and some change from Napa) and I pleasantly found it in Unfortunately, Yours! Tessa Bailey knows her way around a steamy novel and this one was great! I very much enjoyed the marriage of convenience trope and August was truly book boyfriend goals -- he was the hero that we all needed.

This is book was outstanding. We have grumpy/sunshine, marriage of convenience, he falls first, and banter that is just freaking amazing 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

Oh and lots of dirty talk that leads to very satisfying spice. August and Natalie are both needing money. August needs it to continue building his winery and Natalie needs capital to get her investment consulting company started. Why not get married to release Natalie’s trust fund and put the Vos name closer to August’s winery for that loan he has been applying for.

So when these two come together… how does faking their love come so easily? 🫠 The chemistry they naturally have and fight against is so good. This is genuinely an enjoyable love story that i never wanted to end. It made my heart so happy and i couldn’t get enough of these two.

Last thing, August Cates is next level book HUSBAND. I will stan for this man til the end of time. Oh and the EPILOGUE 😭😭 perfection.

Thank you for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was very good and one of the stronger books for bailey in my opinion - I will read the first one in the series now too. Good character development

Before reading this book, I was unfamiliar with Tessa Bailey’s writing, but when I saw her books being recommended by several authors and readers on IG, I was excited to check them out. These recommendations were from people who more often than not feature (or write) closed door romances, so I assumed this would be the same and didn’t look any further into her previous works as I should have! So, that’s definitely on me… I was certainly surprised to find this not to be the clean romance I was expecting and prefer to read!! Ooh boy… the doors were very much open and the language was strong. But again, that’s definitely on me for not doing my due diligence before picking this one out. That said, the writing was good and the story interesting from what I read, but there were definitely too many parts to skip over for me personally to fully be able to just enjoy it anyway. I can certainly see why readers who DO enjoy those spicier books would enjoy this book though. It’s just not something that I personally enjoy myself!!

** Complimentary copy received for consideration. All opinions are my own.