Unfortunately Yours by Tessa Bailey
Pub day is June 6 🎉

I loved this *marriage of convenience* romance! It's not just a fake engagement. They really do it, these crazy kids get married! 💍💒🔔

Natalie Vos, a Napa wine heiress, wants to start her own hedge fund, but she needs capital. She has a trust fund, but no access to it until she is married. August Cates is trying to start a wine business in honor of his best friend, but it's going terribly and he is desperate for a loan. Natalie and August have equal parts chemistry and animosity, and yet they find themselves agreeing to marry in order to benefit both of their business dreams. No chance of catching feelings, they are sure. . .

🍷I loved August. He has a sad Navy SEAL back story and is making wine for his best friend's legacy. He's so soft and sweet sometimes, but he was dreamed up by Tessa Bailey so he's also dirty talking, crude, and bossy in all the best ways.
🍷The cutest bickering and banter 😍
🍷Did I tear up during this wedding!? Yes.
🍷He calls her princess.👸I decided I like it.
🍷Well balanced: sweet, funny, and emotional!
🍷I read that TB said August is one of her favorite heroes and NOw I KNOW WHY! He is amazing.
🍷There is a part in the book where Natalie and August have a fight, but they resolve it immediately. It's a quick one--not the third act conflict. I just loved this scene and the one before it. Lots of intimacy building happened in this chunk of the book!
🍷The *my wife* energy is so strong in this one. This is why MoC is so good. When the hero is clearly head over heels and has to pretend the marriage is not about love, but when he says "my wife" and is suddenly feral, possessive, and clearly attached... it's the best part!!

Thank you so much Netgalley and Avon!

I was pleasantly surprised by this one because even though I’ve read a lot of Tessa Bailey’s books, I felt like overall this one had a little more heart and depth to it. Especially compared to the first novel in this connected series. The grumpy/grumpy vibe of the couple was hilarious and made their romance even more adorable, and the marriage of convenience plot line was the stuff of 2000s rom coms. This one was definitely a fun quick read!

I loved this enemies to lover and loved the banter between august and Natalie. Loved the family and how this s marriage of convenience worked out. she has become an auto read author for me.

After a mishap at work cost Natalie Vos her job and fiancé, she has no choice but to crawl back to her family's vineyard in Napa. It only takes a few weeks of drowning her sorrows in countless bottles of wine before Natalie decides enough is enough. She's ready to take back the finance world by storm but needs the funds to do it. After she discovers she can't touch her trust fund without being married first, she devises a plan. August Cates has no business owning a winery, but it was his late best friend's dream, so he'll stick it out. But with no bank willing to give him a loan, he's running out of options. So when Natalie suggests they tie the knot to help each other, he can't say no. All they have to do is pretend to be married for a while; how hard could it be? There's only one tiny problem: neither was planning on falling in love.

I didn't like the first book in this series, so I was a little hesitant to pick this up. I'm happy to report I thought it was great. I loved the chemistry between Natalie and August. They were both hot-headed and sassy. One minute they were at each other's throats, the next, they were ripping clothes off, and I was here for the drama. Usually, I'm not the biggest fan of the super alpha-male love interest, but it worked so well here. August was protective and macho but also a lovable goofball. It was so satisfying watching him and Natalie let their guards down and be vulnerable with one another. I loved seeing Natalie let herself breathe and be seen by August. Aside from the ending feeling a bit rushed, I did have one other nit-picky issue with this which was that August has a cat who we see for a little bit in the beginning, but then never really hear about again. Whenever authors do that, part of my focus is always on who's taking care of the pet rather than on what's going on, which I know is totally irrational. Other than that, I really enjoyed it.

Tess Bailey knows how to write spice and romance!!!! AHHHHH I really like this! In the last book I was so excited to read about this couple. This was funny and the banter was everything!!!

I think I have a new favorite hero, August from Unfortunately Yours. He’s basically a giant cinnamon roll, that can bench press you, while also saving kittens out of trees, but all he really wants is to love you and make you smile.

Yes, I can get behind that kind of hero.

August’s dirty talk was *chef’s kiss*, and the chemistry between him and Natalie was hot and sizzling. While their relationship starts as a marriage of convenience with a smidge of hate-to-lovers, their true feelings came out so quick. Both Natalie and August were so supportive of each other it hurts.

A minor issue that wasn’t really a third-act break-up ensues, but once again, communication and talking reign supreme.

Unfortunately Yours is the kind of Tessa Bailey book I will read over and over and over.

Thank you to Avon Books for the review copy!

The second in Tessa's Bailey's newest series, Unfortunately Yours is a uber fun, deliciously spicy enemies-to-lovers, marriage of convenience read. I loved the dynamic between the two main characters and their banter—it's a love story filled with jabs, pokes, and a whole lot of heart.

Gahhh the chemistry was amazing in this book. I loved Natalie & August's banter and again the chemistry was awesome. I also loved the fake marriage trope in this, I've learned I'm a sucker for that trope. This was definitely my favorite book in the series.

This one was fun as hell, which I always think is what Tessa Bailey is going for. Marriage of convenience is my absolute catnip, and she pulled it off here. Bravo!

All hail Tessa Bailey - queen of writing dirty talkers and the MOST memorable characters. August Cates is seriously one of the best heroes I have a read in a long time. I really liked Natalie as well - but the star of this book is August. I am still smiling thinking about their relationship and so many of the moments in the story. August is a good guy. A truly good guy - with some PTSD and serious grief. Losing his friend - who truly seems like he was more than just a friend or brother to August - broke him in ways he is still trying to work through. He's fiercely independent and definitely his own worst enemy when it comes to Natalie. But he is also incredible loyal and GONE for her (something I love about Tessa Bailey heroes - there is just something so sexy about a man completely over the moon for his partner).

But more than that - Natalie and August are just fire together. I will never forget the scene at the Wedding where they play Brick House. That scene will live rent free in my head, playing like a movie reel for a long time to come. Or really just the whole wedding. Really - a navy seal brings his cat, dressed in a tuxedo, to his wedding. Is that not enough for you?

My only gripe about the book is one I have about a lot of books where we are focused on one character who needs to do some work on themselves. And August definitely needed to do so more work. But I think as much as Natalie did deserve to have August and her family step up for her - she also needed to do some work. I think she had started t0 - but I am not sure she really recognized her own part in things. But that is really a small thing in the grand scheme of a really really great book.

This is definitely a must-read. I was very very lucky to received an ARC of this via NetGalley, but these opinions are all my own.

This Book is everything is was supposed to be! 5 million trillion stars.. Tessa is always a buy it now book.. This book did not disappoint at all!

I definitely enjoyed this book a lot more than the first one but I still had some qualms about it. I didn't really see the enemies part of the enemies-to-lovers; I'm not even sure when/why they stopped disliking(?) each other. I'm also not quite clear on why they were "enemies" in the first place. I would have loved if the book took a deeper dive into that, as well as August's and Natalie's backgrounds individually. Natalie seems to have an abundant amount of knowledge regarding winemaking but this doesn't really get talked about much, which I'm kind of surprised about considering this series is called A Vine Mess. As for August, I think his journey into owning a vineyard would have also been interesting. Personally, I feel like this book didn't really have as much sustenance as it could have because it doesn't really focus on the plot. This book was mostly about August and Natalie's physical relationship. It left me wanting more build up to their relationship; everything happens almost too quickly. There were definitely some very cute/swoony moments between them but I just couldn't connect to the characters. Overall, this book just felt very surface level and I would have loved if the author explored more with the characters' backgrounds as well as their feelings. There was a lot of telling but not enough showing done with their feelings. Also, I also feel like some things in this book were very random (ex: Menace the cat, Julian and Corinne's relationship with Natalie, etc.).

Loved the follow-up story of Natalie and August. A definite enemies to lovers Natalie and August didn't care for each other (or did they?) when they first met. Always arguing with each other. But Natalie needs her trust fund so she can go back to NY and August needs a loan from the bank to improve his winery. The two decide to have a "fake" wedding and things take a turn for the best.

I was glad that Natalie got to have her own story. The two characters were great together.

Thank you to #Netgalley for the ARC.

📚 Unfortunately Yours by Tessa Bailey
⭐️ 4 / 5
💕 A much anticipated sequel from TB which was positively steamy. I loved the creative spin on marriage of convenience and he-falls-first tropes, and the honesty from both characters from the start. This is a fresh take on romance and I enjoyed it. However the pace just slowed for me near the end and it made me lose excitement for the story. I also at times found August to be too intense to be realistic. Thank you for the arc in exchange for an honest review

Having loved Yours Truly (and others by Tessa Bailey), I knew this would be a great read. However, I did not anticipate just how much I would enjoy it!

I love how this author tends to create short “series” types of stories which work so well standalone books. I shy away from series as they feel like a commitment that I can’t always stick with but these “book twins” are ideal if you ask me.

If you were into the spice and tropes of Bailey’s other books, you’ll love Unfortunately Yours.

I enjoyed reading about another Vos sibling!

Natalie and August’s story was full of tension, frustration, and everything we love from Tessa Bailey!

I did think it took a little while for things to pick up (the story line, the character development, etc.) but overall, I really enjoyed this!

My review for this will be on my instagram (Bookmarkedfavs) on May 3rd!

Super fun! I've had a mixed reaction to Tessa Bailey's novels, but the last few have been total hits for me - this one included.

Natalie and August give me the best kind of angina. And I mean it in the good kind of way. Because these two have this banter that makes my sheets burn alongside my heart. Everything from the start of their friendship, to the entanglements of their relationship makes you want more of them. Tessa knows what she is doing. SHE KNOWS how to pull her readers in!

Tessa Bailey is a master of rom-com. "Unfortunately Yours" was an amazing book. The story sucks you in and has you hooked and rooting for the main characters throughout the whole book.
Natalie is in Napa Valley recovering from a fallout from job. August is trying to make his best friend proud. These two couldn't be more different. Fate intertwines with these two and the result couldn't be better. From fights to making up these two can't be better suited for each other.
This book is well written and keeps you wanting more. Would highly recommend for any rom-com lover. 11/10

Unfortunately Yours: ★ ★ ★ ★

Tessa Bailey (A Vine Mess, #2)

“I can’t breathe for loving you and loving you is the only way I can breathe.”

Tropes:
- Enemies to lovers
- Marriage of convenience
- Cinnamon roll ex-Navy SEAL who falls first
- Forced proximity

After losing her job and her fiancé, Natalie Vos comes home to reground. But now, she's ready to get back to New York so she can start up her new business. Only, there's a stipulation–she needs money and to have her trust fund released, she needs to be married. And who's a better candidate than the ex-Navy SEAL who makes her fantasize about committing murder?

First of all, THIS COVER!! When this was announced, I was already obsessed with it and then I saw marriage of convenience and nearly fell over. I enjoyed this one a lot more than Secretly Yours, but likely because fake dating/marriage of convenience is my absolute fave trope.

This is a textbook enemies-to-lovers story with two hot tempers and stubborn hearts who know they lust after each other like it is their job, as most Tessa Bailey characters too. There was no lack of physical attraction on either of their parts, and I really liked that they both acknowledged it and didn't try to play games on that front. Sure, they made jabs at each other all the time but that was just who they are. Tessa Bailey volleying & banter is, in my opinion, some of the best because it is so funny so that was very enjoyable.

August was such an inherently protective man and the way he would absolutely lose his mind at the idea of Natalie being in any kind of danger was just incredible (even if it was soap opera levels of drama). Natalie was stubborn and broken in a different way and I loved the way she found her legs with August and became so much more confident in her self-worth.

August especially, surprised me with how well he communicated (for the most part). When Natalie would try to pull the we only got married for money card on him, his response was literally, "Sell that line somewhere else," and I LOVED THAT. Natalie wasn't the best communicator either and they both were keeping secrets from one another which like somehow blew over pretty well in the end and didn't result in a steaming pile of horrific miscommunication that made you rip your hair out.

I was honestly fine with how the "third act breakup" was handled in this book, because normally it's explosive (and stupid) but the lack of communication on their part somehow ended up alright. Don't get me wrong–there is still some miscommunication and seemingly unnecessary third act conflict which didn't need to be there, but all in all, it was totally alright. Not as bad as some of the others that we, as the book community, have dealt with.

ARC kindly shared by Netgalley for an honest review.