Scrolling through my Netgalley shelf, I clicked on this Tessa Bailey book, I still have Book #1 in this series to read but had heard mixed reviews, so it's still sitting there to read. I have to admit, going into this book - because of what I had heard for the first one - this one I was a bit cautious about going. The book is set in the world of Wineries where we meet Wine Royalty Natalie and beginner winery owner August. Natalie despite being wealthy and wine royalty, her trust fund is tied up with stipulations like she has to be married first. August's best friend Sam died in action when they were in the military. Sam always talked about opening his winery when they returned to civilian life. Since Sam can't do it, August has opened it in his memory. The thing is that August isn't very good and doesn't have the funds to make it successful. Enter Natalie's proposition - she and August will be fake married. With that, Natalie can get her trust fund and with Natalie's connections- August can get an approved bank loan. What happens though when during their fake engagement, feelings become real and August gets an investor in Sam's dad- no longer needing Natalie's connections. Will this relationship blur into reality or will Natalie feel betrayed and quit? I have to admit, I wasn't keen on Natalie as her character annoyed me and she did act like a prissy person and superior and whiny at times. On the other hand, I did love August and he rivals with Fox from Hook, Line and Sinker by Tessa Bailey now for my affections. If you are on the lookout for a sweet fake romance novel with wine - check out "Unfortunately Yours” by Tessa Bailey today.

This is book 2 of A Vine Mess Series.

I was lucky to receive this as an ARC on NetGalley but have only just been able to read it because of university exams.

A down-on-her-luck Napa heiress suggests a mutually beneficial marriage of convenience to a man she can't stand... only to discover there's a fine line between love and hate. After losing her job and her fiance in one fell swoop, Natalie Vos returned home to lick her wounds. A few months later, she's sufficiently drowned her sorrows in cabernet and she's ready to get back on her feet. She just needs her trust fund to finance her new business venture. Unfortunatelv, the terms require she marry before she can have the money. And well, dumped, remember? But Natalie is desperate enough to propose to a man who makes her want to kill him--and kiss him, in equal measure. August Cates may own a vineyard, but he doesn't know jack about making wine. He's determined to do his late best friend proud, no matter what it takes. Except his tasting room is empty, his wine is disgusting (seriously, he once saw someone gag), and his buddy's legacy is circling the drain. No bank will give him the loan he needs to turn the business around... and then the gorgeous, feisty heiress knocks on his door. Natalie has haunted his dreams since the moment they met, but their sizzling chemistry immediately morphed into simmering insults. Now, a quickie marriage could help them both. A sham wedding, a few weeks living under the same roof, and then they can go their separate ways--assuming they make it out alive. How hard could it be? There's just one thing they didn't account for: their unfortunate, unbearable, undeniable attraction.

💜Marriage of Convenience
💜Enemies to Lovers
💜Forced Proximity
💜Opposites Attract

I love Tessa Bailey as an author! I could not put this book down! It had me hooked from the beginning!

I loved the storyline of this book! I really enjoyed Natalie and August’s characters in this book!

I definitely recommend this book! I cannot wait to read another Tessa Bailey shortly!

Unfortunately Yours has gone to the top of my list as my favourite Tessa Bailey book. I enjoyed Secretly Yours but August Cates made this a 5-star read.

I loved this tough former Navy SEAL and his force protectiveness of Natalie. A fake marriage of convenience that of course soon turns into more.

Thank you to @netgalley @harpercollinsaustralia for the eARC

Ok so I have mixed feelings about this one. On the one hand- Tessa Bailey is the queen of modern romance and it shows. On the other hand, something about this book just didn’t do it for me. I honestly don’t know what it was but something about the way the characters interacted with their situation just felt off.

I loved this one so much more than Secretly Yours! It was such a step up in comparison! I loved the relationship between Natalie and August, their contrasting characters worked so well together and I couldn't help falling in love with them both simultaneously. We saw lots of growth from both of them as they began to love each other and it was beautiful to read. I think marriage of convivence is now one of my fave tropes thanks to this book. There was just the perfect amount of spice to make this story more believable that these two are falling for each other without it being too over the top.

Would highly recommend this one to any lovers of Tessa Bailey! If you weren't completely sold by Secretly Yours, you should definitely give this one a go!

SYNOPSIS: This is the second book in the "A Vine Mess" series where we follow the story of Natalie Vos, sister of Julian Vos whose story we followed in "Secretly Yours." After returning home from losing her job and finance, Natalie is ready to return to work by starting her own financial firm but she needs the money from her trust fund which she can only get once she is married. August Cates may own a vineyard but he knows jack about making wine and has a reputation where no bank will give him money to help his business venture to make his late best friend proud. When Natalie proposes a marriage of convince, one which benefits both of them, August is quick to agree. But what will happen when they're forced to live under the same roof?

Unfortunately Yours was another miss for me - I was so hopeful that it would improve from the mess that was Secretly Yours, and it showed promise in the first 40%, it quickly took a turn and ended up another 2 star read.
I still consider myself a Tessa Bailey fan, and am waiting for more like the Hot & Hammered trilogy and Window Shopping!

Thank you so much to Harper Collins for sending me an ARC of this one.

Whilst I did enjoy this one (although judging by my review you wouldn't think it), I did feel like I was rolling my eyes an awful lot. Some of the 'intimate scenes' were just cringey and using descriptions that are 1. anatomically incorrect and 2. just cringe

I also found the authors use of romanticizing soldiers PTSD a little frustrating. I understand in her mind she is probably shedding light but to me, it felt like she went "his friend died on duty, now he's overly protective to the point of controlling but its cute not PTSD"

I also felt like the plot of this was nonexistent. Because both characters got what they wanted at the beginning essentially, there was no high stakes. And the fake 'separation' in the third act was so bland and out of character.

I'm beyond sick and tired of the big boy / tiny girl thing too. I get it, you want us to like this big hunky man, but being reminded of it all the time is just painful.

I think if you like Ali Hazelwood's romance style, you'll like this. Which is a lot of people. But not me.

A fantastic read by Tessa Bailey, all the feels between the covers!
This is a fast paced hot and spicy read that will keep you turning the pages! The storyline is filled with all the feels, have the tissues at the ready!
I enjoyed the characters and particularly how they go back and forth between their emotions, their marriage brings out their personalities and shows them helping each other with their weaknesses.
There’s so much caring and depth in the main characters, the author knows how to add spice to her storyline!
I would strongly recommend this book and author!

Huge thanks to Harper Collins, NetGalley and the wonderful Tessa Bailey for the opportunity to read and review this book!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This follows Natalie and August. Natalie is at a low point in her life but there is the arrogant and annoying ex navy seal winemaker name August that may give her the opportunity to start again fresh in New York as she wants to prove herself.

I really enjoyed this book. It was fun and an easy read. I love August and his commitment to Natalie and the things he would say was swoon. I have a few things I want to mention though… Enemies To Lovers was a main selling point to this book but its more flirt hate towards each other. If I’m picking up an enemies to lovers I want them to be enemies not wind each other up and hate flirt. Also disappointed in the second half of the vows reveal. Honestly thought it would be more of a big deal but it really wasn’t and didn’t really care for a few more sentences.
I will say though this is way better than Secretly Yours for Sure.

If you love:

🔹Secret Pining For One Another
🔹Marriage Of Convenience
🔹Winery’s
🔹Trying To Have A Voice
🔹Prove Yourself
🔹Fighting For What You Want

Genre/Type: Enemies To Lovers Romance 18+
APK: Kindle ARC
Pages: 384
Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟
Spice: 🌶️.5
Series or Stand Alone: Second Book in the A Vine Mess Duet
Tropes or Themes: Enemies To Lovers, Marriage Of Convenience, Fake Dating, He Falls First, Winery, Navy & PTSD
Check Triggers ⚠️

All Round Romance Reader 
Sienasummerrreads 💕📚
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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I was lucky enough to receive an arc from NetGalley.

I loved this book. Marriage of convenience is one of my favourite tropes.

Natalie loses her job and her fiancée, returning home to her family estate she dwells on the fact that before she can afford her new venture with her trust fund, she has to marry.

Enter August Cates. Vineyard owner who has 0 idea about wine. No bank will give him a loan to fix his business.

When Natalie and August meet, they agree, a quick marriage would benefit the both of them. But, can the marriage stay convenient? Or do the couple start feeling the attraction that will become undeniable?

This one for me was a 4 star read. I enjoyed the chemistry, the banter and of course the story. I even found myself a bit emotional in some places. This was a great read for me

Another fantastic read by Tessa Bailey!
I loved the simmering tension, the angst and the slow-burn nature of the main characters relationship. The emotional growth that August and `Natalie experience together is another reason that I love Tessa Baileys writing so much. Please keep delivering these gems to us!

I received a copy of this wonderful book via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I had high hopes for "Unfortunately Yours" by Tessa Bailey. For the most part, this was definitely a lot more enjoyable than the first book in the "A Vine Mess" series. The romance between Natalie and August was more developed than in the previous book. And the marriage of convenience trope and the banter between the main MC were done well. However, the overall story was pretty average but enjoyable nonetheless.

What I loved about this book:
🍇 Napa Valley setting
💍 Marriage of convenience
☀️ Grumpy girl/Sunshine boy
❤️‍🩹 Second chance
❤️‍🔥 Enemies to lovers
🔥 Tension and witty bickering
🌶️ Incredible spice
🐱 Reluctant cat dad

Review;
I absolutely loved August and Natalie's story! I read it in a day, as it was so hard to put down. These two characters start off attracted to each other, then loathing each other, before they both need to get married to solve seperate problems in their careers and lives. August clearly loves Natalie since the very beginning, but cannot get it right with her. He can't help but bickering with her, and he knows exactly how to push her buttons. Natalie needs to get back to New York and revive her career in finance. She feels alienated by her family and feels such loneliness, it hurts to read.

Their marriage of convenience soon turns into something really lovely and sweet and spicy. I loved how August just said what he meant - there was no miscommunication. He told Natalie how he felt about her and asked her directly how she felt about him. His lack of filter was hilarious and his honesty was so refreshing. It was hard to read about his past as a Navy SEAL and losing his best friend in the midst of it. Natalie was a cautious character and really struggled to let her walls down. I loved that she found it so easy to confide in August and that he was such a strength for her.

I also appreciated that there was no third act breakup, there was just time for these characters to sort their shit out in time for a beautiful ending and an even more glorious epilogue that had me all emotional.

Listen, I could go on about this book forever. The writing is wonderful, the characters were fleshed out and wonderful. Their relationship, with the banter and the bickering, and the caretaking, and the SPICE (phew! Tessa Bailey and her dirty talk!) - I loved them and this book. I would definitely recommend this and reread it!

[Book Review]

Unfortunately Yours | @tessabaileyisanauthor
Genre: Contemporary/Chick Lit/Romance/Fake Relationship
Publisher: Harper Collins Australia

🍇🍇🍇🍇🍇

If you are a fan of:
✔️ Chick Lit
✔️ Fake relationships
✔️ Rom-com energy

Unfortunately Yours is the THIRD TesBai read I’ve devoured; and again I was not disappointed.

I’m an absolute sucker for the fake relationship and enemies-to-lovers tropes, add in the sassy banter, and you’ve sold me.

There aren’t many storytellers I’ve read who can emotionally invest me in their character development, story line, and cheer their novel main leads on. Tessa Bailey kills it in this arena 🙌🏽

Full marks for giving me a glimpse into the characters future with the ending epilogue.
Brilliant.
When you feel like you know these characters over 380+ pages, I need a proper closing chapter.
Yep, I’m a super needy reader 🤣

Thank you @netgalley @harpercollinsaustralia and @tessabaileyisanauthor for this ARC and the opportunity to read another of Tessa’s most anticipated reads.

#bookstagramfomo

When Natalie Vos loses her job and her fiancé, the only way forward is to return home. Yet when she decides that she has had enough time feeling sorry for herself, she must overcome one major hurdle. Marry in order to gain her trust fund. However, August Cates, ex-Navy SEAL might be too much for Natalie, particularly as she doesn’t know whether to kiss him or kill him. August’s business is also suffering, and Natalie’s proposal seems too good to be true or could it be?
The chemistry between this couple is explosive and made this fake marriage trope, all the more entertaining. The banter between these two was incredibly lively and some of the bite backs by August were very memorable. A wonderful read!!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Unfortunately Yours is the second book, following on from Secretly Yours. I have absolutely loved this series!

A perfect spicy romcom that will also have you laughing at their antics!

💜 Marriage of convenience
💜 Opposites attract
💜 Enemies to lovers
💜 Forced Proximity
💜 Small town
💜 He falls first, and hard
💜 The chemistry 🔥🥵🫠
💜 Amazing banter

Need I say more!

i must admit i liked this so much more than i thought i would. i’m normally not much of a romance reader but i was willing to give this one a go because i’m yet to read anything by Tessa Bailey and wanted to see what the hype was about! and the characterisation in this book was delightful. the characters were very likeable, even Mr Navy Seal was not as insufferable as i was expecting). i really enjoyed the pacing too, it didn’t feel rushed but there was always something happening for me to be invested in. overall a pretty solid read!

Dear Tessa Bailey,

Anyone who knows me knows that enemies to lovers is a trope that’s more miss than hit for me. I don’t enjoy love interests being cruel and that seems to happen often with enemies to lovers. In this case, I was aided by your acknowledgements at the front of the book which said:

When I sat down to write this enemies-to-lovers book, I asked myself, “What is the one thing I need to feel satisfied after a book about two people feuding? What is going to make me feel better after the harshly spoken words?” The answer came to me right away. I need irrefutable proof that the hero has loved the heroine all along…

When August and Natalie first meet they are extremely attracted to one another. Then she disliked his, admittedly terrible, wine and things devolved from there. After that, for the next few months, every time they saw each other, the pair exchanged catty remarks. August regrets it each time but can’t seem to stop himself. It did help me to know that he never felt true enmity toward Natalie. My impression was that the same was true for Natalie actually. But what helped me the most was that it was clear that their snark was their chemistry sparking without anywhere to really go. The energy and creativity in their insults to one another and the clear rules they obviously have in their “battle” made it glaringly obvious they were hot for one another. And, while some of the insults are very robust there’s a line they don’t cross. They don’t bring others into the battle. They’re far more likely to defend the other to an outsider than anything else. They are trying to be provoking and get a rise out of the other but they are not actively trying to wound. If either of the pair sees they’ve cut too close to the bone there’s instant remorse/apology and they don’t go there again. Perhaps it’s a subtlety in the execution of this trope but here it worked for me just fine.

Unfortunately Yours is the second book in the Vine Mess series (I think there may be another to come or maybe a novella?) but it reads well as a stand alone. I didn’t feel like I missed out on anything reading the two books backwards (Secretly Yours is first).

Natalie Vos is the daughter of a winemaking family in Napa Valley. She never felt like she fit in with the family. She rebelled as a teen and got into a lot of trouble. She is still paying for it with her family. After a rocky start, she was “scared straight” by a short stint in rehab at age 17. After, she went to Cornell and then to New York where she had a successful career in finance. She was a partner with a fiance who was also a partner in the same firm. But then she made a bad trade which lost a lot of money. Then she lost both the job, the fiance and, her home (given they were living together). Back in Napa to regroup, Natalie is determined to return to New York, start her own firm and show them all that they made a big mistake Pretty Woman style. But starting a finance firm in New York takes a lot of capital. After swallowing her pride and asking her mother, Corinne, to front her a loan and being turned down for the simple reason that Corinne simply does not have the money, the only option is for Natalie to get her hands on her trust fund. Her estranged father set up the trust and it has a stupid archaic condition to it that Natalie cannot get out of: she must be both gainfully employed and married to get the cash.

August Cates is a former Navy SEAL who left the Teams after the death of his best friend and fellow SEAL, Sam. Sam’s dream had been to open a vineyard and make wine. August knows nothing about wine but he’s determined to make Sam’s dream come true. Only, he sucks at making wine and he sucks at asking for help. August has a weird thought in his head that he has to do this on his own in order to truly honor Sam’s memory. (Natalie thought this was about August’s grief but I admit I thought it was a bit out there to expect to make great wine with zero experience and no-one to guide you, grief or not.) August’s wines are objectively terrible. Now he’s run out of money and and has to admit that he has failed.

But then Natalie and August realise that they could help each other out. Natalie’s family connections could get August approved for the business loan he has been unable to get himself and August could provide Natalie with the wedding ring and the job she needs to access her trust fund.

It doesn’t really make sense of course until you factor in that August is already in love with Natalie even though he hasn’t admitted to himself yet. As it happens, the business loan turns out to be unnecessary before the wedding because reasons but August doesn’t tell Natalie and goes ahead. He wants, more than anything else, for Natalie to have what she wants and needs to make her happy. Over a very short time he also realises that it could just be him that will do that and then he sets out to try and prove it to her.

I have to say, that kind of devotion – unreasoning, complete and adorable – is kind of catnip to me.

They fought like they hated each other, but somehow, Lord, he’d been ready to drop to his knees in front of her on that sidewalk last night.
“I’m better elsewhere. I’m something. I’m someone when I’m not here.”

After the shock of hearing that breathy confession had worn off, he’d just gotten mad.

Who the fuck made her feel like that?

How long had she been feeling like crap without his knowing about it?

He knows he’s being ridiculous. He doesn’t care. It’s how he feels. The thought of Natalie in pain or upset makes him physically ill. The thought of anyone hurting her makes him go all caveman to protect her. At the same time, he respects her intelligence and abilities and admires her skills. He doesn’t wrap her in cotton wool. He stands firmly at her side or at her back, depending on context, making sure everyone is treating her right.

Her lips twitched slightly to let him know she was joking and his fucking heart just sort of wrapped itself in a bow for her.

For her part, Natalie, has her own vulnerabilities and she finds that once August realises what those are, he makes it his mission in life to let her know that she is perfect in every way. Natalie has wine knowledge and skills she can add to August’s winemaking endeavours too – together they make a formidable pair. They laugh at each other’s jokes, they stand up for one another and support one another no matter what. Plus they have off the charts chemistry which will not be denied. Proximity means that itch is going to get scratched – and good.

The sex scenes are, as I’ve come to expect from you, creative and scorching hot. There were laugh-out-loud moments for me and also “awwww” moments where August (in particular) was just to darn gone over Natalie that I got a bit swoony.

I enjoyed the “prank wars” but thought they were a bit short. I really wanted to know what was next on August’s agenda there.

I suppose it could be said that Natalie was a bit “poor little rich girl” – she hadn’t exactly had a hard life. But there was more to her than that and I didn’t get the sense she didn’t realise her own privilege.

You do tend towards a bit of gender essentialism – mostly in the form of dick references and it’s present in Unfortunately Yours. I note it, wish it wasn’t there, but can move past it and enjoy the book anyway. Others can’t and fair enough.

I did like where the “hiding the not needing the bank loan anymore” thing ended up, I enjoyed the humour and the scorching chemistry between the leads. Plus, the ending was a delight and fit August perfectly (and made me laugh). After the first couple of chapters where I was metaphorically finding my feet in the book, I raced through the read, often smiling like a loon.

Grade: B+

Regards,
Kaetrin

An entertaining read with a lot of heart. Natalie and August have been driven into a corner with their financial situations - though nothing that a marriage of convenience cannot fix. Natalie and August sizzle on the page, and their unconventional journey from marriage and THEN love is one to remember.
Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to review Unfortunately Yours.

This was absolutely adorable and hilarious. The chemistry and fire between the two characters were off the charts. I just thought the wit and remarks were so funny, I loved it. The plot was so sweet and didn’t have the miscommunication trope, which I truly appreciated and loved. I really enjoyed the side characters as well, and I loved that we got to know them more than I expected to.

Natalie is in it to prove herself. She has the brains and the determination to succeed, just not the finance. She comes from a rich family, and all she wants to do is prove that she isn’t just another spoiled little rich girl. She’s sassy, confident and soft all at the same time. She’s intelligent and has the guts to put herself out there to try and get what she wants.

August is tough, protective, and super funny. He’s serious when he needs to be, but most of the time the words that come out of his mouth made me laugh. He brings a really good balance to Natalie, they both challenge each other to be better. He’s so soft at heart, he cares deeply and I really liked that about him, it made him and Natalie work. He doesn’t back down and rises up to the challenge.

This was a really really great read, and I don’t think I’ll be able to recommend it enough. It’s sweet and full of laughter and just a book I could not put down.