Oh. My. Goodness. Most likely my top favorite Tessa Bailey book by FAR. I absolutely loved the banter between Natalie and August, and how they went from enemies to true lovers. August fell fast and hard, and Natalie was cautious but also fell just as hard. The way Tessa approached a military man’s PTSD was so sensitive and well done, you’d think she was beyond familiar with the subject. I loved the way the family warmed up throughout the story and while marriage between August and Natalie was for convenience, everyone who was in the path of their romance could see it was REAL. From the start! I loved the character development, the spicy scenes, the way August worshiped the ground Natalie walked on and never let her forget it. Ugh. SWOONY at best. Thank you so much for the opportunity to read. Tessa Bailey is my fav, and this book topped the charts for me!

Book two in the A Vine Mess duology.
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Natalie Vos made a mess of her job and left an ex-fiancé back in NYC. Home in Napa Valley the only thing she wants is to get access to her trust fund so she can go back to the city and start her own hedge fund. Too bad her traditional Italian father put a clause in her trust that says she has to be married to get it. Enter August Cates. He’s trying so hard to make his winery work because it’s the dream of his late best friend and military brother. He needs money; she needs a marriage certificate. What’s a sham wedding in between enemies?
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I read the first book in this duology and was underwhelmed so I didn’t read the second, but when my friend Allie texted me I had to read it, I’m kicking myself for waiting so long. This was a picture perfect adult romance novel that couldn’t have been better. Loved it!

CW: panic attack, misogyny, death of a friend, grief, alcohol

I did not read the first book in the A Vine Mess series and I was able to fully enjoy this title without feeling as if I was missing out on "inside jokes".

The bantering was top notch. The "they just need to communicate" feelings are borderline, but bearable. The relationship between Natalie and her mother felt forced because we weren't given much background in this book even after some of Natalie's history was revealed.

August, the hero, bless him, such an intuitive, sensitive, and attentive man. Love it.

Overall, this book was a joy to read. I'm a fan of the marriage of convenience trope and if you are too this book is for you.

Unfortunately Yours was such a fun, laugh out loud book. I loved the character’s banter and chemistry, and their relationship from start to finish was so satisfying to watch come to life. I enjoyed watching Natalie slowly lose her icy exterior, and boy is August a cinnamon roll of a man. All muscles on the outside, but sensitive and caring inside! Definitely a fun escape for me.

This was an easy, entertaining read - go check it out!

Tropes:
Marriage of Convenience
Enemies to Lovers
Forced Proximity
He Falls First
Small Wine Town

{thank you @avonbooks for the complimentary copy. All opinions are my own}

"I'm asking you to spend the rest of your life trying not to murder me in your sleep. Please."

This is quintessential Tessa Bailey and I loved every flipping second of it. She had me giggling, then cackling, then swooning and then laughing again. She does enemies-to-lovers so well and the banter was top notch here. There's chemistry, there's fun, there's tension and deep down there's honest, vulnerable love. And then more laughing. August is so pure in who he is and his dedication to Sam warmed my heart. August broke down Natalie's barriers and then some. As usual with Tessa it was the MMC who made the book. August was the perfect balance of sweetness and vulnerability, protective and possessive. And his lack of filter was so endearing - and hilarious. This is the second of A Vine Mess series and worked fine as a stand-alone. But you can bet seeing glimpses of the humor and steam I saw with Bellinger sisters I'll be backtracking to Secretly Yours.

The headlines:
✨ Enemies to Lovers
✨ Marriage of Convenience
✨ Forced Proximity
✨ He Falls First
✨ “My Wife”
✨ Dual POV

As most of this author’s books I have read this one is certainly enjoyable. It is a curl up and feel good kind of book. I debated when reading it if I thought there was too much bickering, but decided it was good for what the storyline needed to be. I am a fan of this author and will continue to be.

I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book provided by NetGalley.

After an expensive mistake cost her job and her fiancé, Natalie Voss returns to her family home in Napa Valley to rebound and regroup. After a few wine-soaked months she’s finally feeling ready to start over, but that means she needs access to her trust fund so she can have the capital to start her own hedge fund. Unfortunately, the antiquated terms of the trust mean she won’t be able to access a penny unless she’s married, and those prospects are currently slim. But desperate times call for desperate measures, so Natalie proposes a plan of mutual convenience to a man who alternately makes her want to smack him and kiss him.

Vineyard owner August Cates knows absolutely nothing about making wine, but he’s determined to see his late best friend’s dream through, no matter what. But that dream is seeming increasingly impossible as his wine is horrible, and his tasting room is empty. Thanks to the poor showing of his wine, he can’t get the loan he needs to turn things around. But then Natalie approaches him with an insane idea. He’s been dreaming of her since they first met, before their fiery chemistry turned into biting, snippy insults.

A quick marriage of convenience would be enough to get them both out of the mess in which they’ve landed. Just a few weeks of sharing a residence and then they can go their separate ways, but of course they didn’t count on the very real attraction that has been simmering between them for weeks.

Though I was a bit anxious about how much August and Natalie struggled to communicate, this was actually so well done, and issues were worked out by these two as rational adults. Sure, they struggled to learn how to do so, and they both messed it up at times, but the book takes place over just a couple of weeks so there were thankfully none of the drawn-out separations I so loathe. I was surprised at how much I related to Natalie’s struggle to be seen and valued and I loved August for her. He was the quintessential former soldier hero, but his golden retriever exterior hit a wealth of emotion. He had issues to work through and I loved seeing him finally let Natalie help. I also loved how openly loving he was toward her, especially when she finally grew comfortable enough to allow it and eventually reciprocate. These two both just needed someone to take them seriously, to expect more from them, and I loved that they were able to be that for one another. I definitely enjoyed this story much more than the first one. This adorable book gave me warm fuzzies when I finished it, and it has earned a spot on my keeper shelf.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I love the set up of this one. Having one of the "enemies" basically be in love from the beginning is such a refreshing change from enemies who are supposed to be "true enemies" but don't pull that off so then most of the conflict is gone. The ways in which Natalie and August were having to figure out their lives felt super believable and relatable and I appreciated that these felt like main characters/issues for adults versus the current trend of making everyone 25. Another great Tessa Bailey novel!

I have heard nothing but great things about Tessa Bailey, so when I saw this book at Target I immediately grabbed it. (Full disclosure I did get this book from Netgalley as well, but in my excitement, I also grabbed it at Target). This book is about a former Navy SEAL who lost a friend on a mission and his goal is to now fulfill his friend’s dream of owning a winery and making wine. The problem with this? He doesn’t know anything about making wine or owning a winery.

Natalie is winery royalty. Or at least her family is. She’s the family screw-up, and no matter what she’s done with her life since her teenage years, that title never seems far behind her. And in her desire to escape that reputation, she went to New York and had an amazing job making a lot of people a lot of money. Until one bad investment sends her back to Napa with her tail between her legs to lick her wounds.

The book opens with August trying his new wine at a competition where Natalie is one of the judges. The two of them had an almost night so they weren’t strangers, but August constantly seems to put his foot in his mouth, and doesn’t know how to stop it. So he and Natalie keep throwing out barbs at each other and the chemistry is off the charts. But…there are moments where he sees her. And those moments are everything. They make the book. This author is brilliant with her sexual tension, her banter, her character driven plots, but having August see in Natalie what everyone else is missing, even Natalie herself, is wonderful.

They’re both in need of something. He needs capital to continue his winery dream, and she needs her trust fund so she can head back to New York and start her own investment firm. Her fiance left her after she got fired, and surprisingly, the more time she spends bickering with August, the less she cares about her ex. And when her father refuses to unlock her trust fund unless she’s married, she decided August will be her perfect fake husband. She can help him get a loan for his business, and she can get her money and head back to New York. Win-win.

But it’s never that easy, is it?


Her family doesn’t believe her that it’s a love match. She’s already been the person everyone talks about in town, so her mom wants her to just quietly back out and let her do damage control. But Natalie is adamant so her mom plans a huge Napa winery heiress worthy wedding very quickly and that wedding was wonderful. August was wonderful. He’s just what Natalie needs. Even if she doesn’t realize it herself.

August is stubborn, though. And patient. He’s willing to put in the time and effort with Natalie. Suddenly his marriage of convenience begins to mean a whole lot more to him that just the financing for the vineyard and winery. But how can he convince Natalie to stay with him?

This book is sexy, it’s funny, and it’s deep. Natalie is trying to mend her relationship with her mom, she’s trying to prove herself to the world, and not even realizing that she doesn’t need to. I really enjoyed the ending and I will definitely be reading more Tessa Bailey books. She could teach a master class on banter and chemistry.

I tend to really enjoy Tessa Bailey's work, and this was no exception. I previously read "Secretly Yours," which was a good introduction to the dynamic that the two main characters in this book had. Marriage of Convenience is becoming one of my favorite tropes, so this really hit all of the boxes for me. Tessa Bailey is a permanent instabuy.

The companion novel to Secretly Yours, Unfortunately Yours follows Natalie Vos, Julian’s sister, as she enters into a marriage of convenience with her nemesis in order to gain access to her trust fund and restart her career and get back to her old life after a big mishap. Little does she know that she may have just met her match. I was nervous going into this one because I was NOT a fan of Secretly Yours (I actually DNF’d it), but I was VERY pleasantly surprised. While I found the characters of Secretly Yours to be insufferable, I fell IN LOVE with Natalie and August. Their banter and chemistry was unmatched, being both hilarious and sexy at the same time. Both characters had a lot of maturity and their personalities were vibrant and real which I appreciated as well. It had the perfect amount of spice- I’d say about a 3.5 out of 5 on the spice scale. It was such a fun and romantic story to immerse myself in and I had an absolute blast reading it, as well as a slight book hangover leaving these characters behind. Another hit for Miss Tessa Bailey!

Unfortunately Yours by Tessa Bailey
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Ok Tessa…this was much better than the first book in this duo! I almost didn’t ask for this one because Secretly Yours annoyed me, but I’m happy I did. Natalie and August were amazing together. I love a good enemies to lovers story! I laughed at their angry banter, and fell for their undeniable love for each other. This is a great end of summer read if you are looking to finish out the season with a love story!

Tessa Bailey never disappoints and Unfortunately Yours is no exception! August has to be one of my favorite heroes that she has written. A total golden retriever/cinnamon bun, but able to be a complete alpha when needed. And those love scenes....excuse me while I fan myself. This read will not dissapoint!

If Secretly Yours was a good book, this one was even better. I felt more connected to Natalie. I loved her resilience to go after what she wanted with whatever method worked. I loved how our male MC did not even bat an eye to help his girl. Yes, we have those stupid man comments we often see in Bailey's books. I don't know if she is just trying to sound all macho, or she truly believes that men speak or think like that, or getting ideas from her husband. I don't know, it just makes me laugh.

This was supposed to be in the will not provide feedback. I was not able to download via Adobe digital editions to kobo, finally figured that out last night to review others. I apologize about that.

Thank you to @netgalley and @avonbooks for a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

After reading Secretly Yours and not liking it, I was skeptical of Unfortunately Yours. But I love Tessa Bailey, so in the end, I couldn’t resist! I liked August and Natalie’s enemies to lovers storyline. I liked that it was a typical spicy Tessa book. I liked the friendships and small-town setting.

I’m glad I gave this book a try. It didn’t disappoint.

4 stars

#books #bookishlife #booklover #readingisfun #iowabookstagrammers #iowabookstagram #netgalley #avonbooks #ltbreaderteam

I love a Tessa Bailey romance in the summer. Secretly yours was not my favorite set of characters, but I also found these characters pretty unlikeable. The princess nickname got exhausting to me. I love a fake marriage/dating trope, so that was fun to explore in the book and the vineyard focus was also interesting to continue from book 1. I also loved that the epilogue felt like a true wrap up!

Props to Tessa Bailey for pumping out book after book that is very witty, funny, and spicey, but let's not forget somewhat very cringe. I just don't enjoy her romance scenes as much as many other authors. I would have liked the trope, but the female protagonist got on my nerves, and I don't like that August's dick got brought up so much, it could have been a character in the novel. I feel like if you are looking for a fluffy beach read, this is for you.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for an advanced reader's copy for an honest review.

I received this book as an ARC, and when the time came to read it, I wasn’t in the mood. Imagine my surprise when I thoroughly enjoyed myself. August and Natalie’s “enemies” to lovers storyline was done really well. The characters have chemistry that was palpable to the point where I wasn’t so upset by the timeline. The characters did get a bit annoying at times and felt a little immature at some points, but overall, it was a fun time.

Tessa Bailey does it again (at least for me). I haven't read many of her books but the ones I have read have been amazing. This one was no exception.
I liked the setting for this series, I live close to wine country in New York so I can imagine California's Napa Valley and it is just a romantic setting. I also loved our couple and though I don't think I could win against Natalie I definitely want an August of my own.
The spicy scenes were also perfection, Tessa is one of my favorite spicy romance authors so far. I definitely plan on reading more of her books in the future