REVIEW: Catch Her if You Can by Tessa Bailey

OUR REVIEW:

If I've said it once, I've said it every time a new book in this series comes out....this series has a hold on me and as soon as I see it on my Libby app, I'm reserving it like it's my job. 

After reading so many emotionally heavy books, Catch Her If You Can was such a pleasant break from it all, which is interesting because there were some ugly aspects to this book. Madden and Eve have been circling around each other (and my imagination) for a while and we finally go to the bottom of their story. It's a tale as old as time. Not really, I just felt like typing that. It's a story of secrets and love and desire and friendship and how all of those things feel impossible and big...and yet. And yet, Madden and Eve manage to build years and years of friendship while suppressing and denying all of the real and intense feelings that zap between them until Madden learns the truth and refuses to let Eve hide from it. What happens next is the natural push and pull of these two trying to figure out if it can work, the fear of wanting it too much, and the love and care they have for each other-so much so that they almost lose it all, as per all romance novels. 

I don't care what anyone else says, I will continue to jump on the newest release in this series until there isn't one to jump on.

BUY IT: https://amzn.to/4mmqFGh

SYNOPSIS:

Madden Donahue, the newest catcher for the Yankees, has been in love with Eve Mitchell since high school, but for some mysterious reason, the burlesque club owner always turns him down. That never stopped him from being her self-appointed protector. Case in point, now that Eve’s sister has left Eve with her two children indefinitely, Madden steps in with a proposition—marry him for the much needed health benefits.

Eve has secretly harbored feelings for Madden all along, but there’s one problem—her best friend Skylar called dibs on him when they were fourteen. Eve has always put their friendship above all else, and she’s not willing to risk losing Skylar over a man. Raised by the local strip club owner, Eve is woefully short on friends and treasures the ones she has. But with Skylar happily paired off, Eve finds herself accepting Madden’s proposal—on the condition that their marriage remains strictly private. She’s not about to let her unique profession and maligned reputation destroy Madden’s shiny new career.

Madden won’t let Eve get away that easily, though. What starts as a marriage of convenience soon ignites into something much hotter, and now it’s up to Madden to convince Eve that their connection is far more than a business arrangement. As the passion builds, can their fake marriage become the real deal?

 

REVIEW: Pitcher Perfect by Tessa Bailey

 OUR REVIEW:

This series is just fun, y'all. I know when I pick up the next one it'll be a good time with some giggles and some characters who have real feelings hiding in there somewhere. In the case of Pitcher Perfect, we'd seen both Robbie and Skyler in a scene before and it was memorable. We basically start there with their story and learn that that particular meet cute is started Robbie's fall for Skylar. It took a little longer for her, but the events and stories that bring them together are sweet and exactly what I needed for a quick, fun romance. 

If you enjoyed this series, I really think you'll enjoy Robbie and Skyler's story. 

BUY IT: https://amzn.to/47SE1TH

SYNOPSIS:

Boston Bearcats rookie Robbie Corrigan is living the dream. He’s made it to the NHL, his best friend/teammate and fellow “orgasm donor” is his roomie—and the women of Boston love them both. Life is sweet. That is, until he meets Skylar Paige, division 1 softball pitcher, girl least likely to take anyone’s bull…and the one member of the opposite sex immune to his charms. Robbie might be dazzled by the badass pitcher, but Skylar pegs him as a filthy player and wants nothing to do with him.

When he discovers she’s carrying a serious torch for her brother’s best friend, Robbie knows he should just go back to clubbing and whipped cream bikini parties, but he can’t seem to leave Skylar to flounder on her romantic quest to land another man. Nor can he miss out on the opportunity to spend time with her and hopefully redeem himself. Before Robbie knows it, he’s agreed to be Skylar’s fake boyfriend/love coach at an upcoming family wilderness competition where her crush will be in attendance. What could go wrong?

Through a series of contests that require them to trust each other, Robbie and Skylar grow closer and closer until their fake relationship starts to feel like the realest thing they’ve ever known and the sizzling lessons in sensuality burn out of control.

But it’s all just pretend…right?

REVIEW: Dream Girl Drama by Tessa Bailey

OUR REVIEW:

In book two of this series, my curiosity was fully piqued, and Sig and Chloe did not disappoint. They were just as fraught with tension as I suspected they would be and while I've been around the romance block a few times, so I didn't quite see the scandal of them being together, I quite enjoyed it nonetheless. I enjoyed learning more about Chloe and how much more depth she had, since she'd seemed a little shallow when we first met her in book 2. I enjoyed learning about Sig and his huge heart and secret insecurities. It was nice to read about genuinely kind characters who cared so much about each other that they'd sacrifice being together to make sure the other one was okay. Sounds convoluted, and completely messed up, but somehow that's what they felt they needed to do, and yet it all ended up being okay. Romance crisis averted. 

I don't know what it is about sports romances that get me every single time, but they do. I guess I love the idea of it--the idea of this big jock falling hard and being helpless to stop it? It just works, or it does in this series, and I seem to be a sucker for it, so sign me up for the next one. 

BUY IT: https://amzn.to/48vrC83

SYNOPSIS:

A steamy chance encounter between a professional hockey player and the manic pixie dream girl he just can’t seem to forget takes a turn when the pair realize that their parents are engaged—in an all-new rom-com by #1 New York Times bestselling author Tessa Bailey.

When professional hockey player Sig Gauthier’s car breaks down and his phone dies, he treks into a posh private country club to call a tow truck, where he encounters the alluring Chloe Clifford, the manic pixie dream girl who captivates him immediately with her sense of adventure and penchant for stealing champagne.

Sparks fly during a moonlight kiss and the enamored pair can’t wait to see each other again, but when Sig finally arrives to meet his dad’s new girlfriend over dinner, Chloe is confusingly also there. Turns out the girlfriend is Chloe’s mother. Oh, and they’re engaged.

Sig’s dream girl is his future stepsister.

Though the pair is now wary of being involved romantically, Chloe, a sheltered harp prodigy, yearns to escape her controlling mother. Sig promises to teach her the ins and outs of independence in Boston—but not inside his bedroom. They both know there can never be more than friendship between a famous hockey player and his high-society, soon-to-be stepsister. But keeping their relationship platonic grows harder amid the developing family drama, especially knowing they were meant for so much more…

 

REVIEW: The Au Pair Affair by Tessa Bailey

REVIEW:

I loved the first book in this series and I f-loved this book too. What can I say, I'm a sucker for a good sports ball romance and while this was more focused on the relationship between Tallulah and Burgess, there were some good diversionary hockey-focused scenes. 

Tallulah and Burgess were fun to read in a very opposites attracts way. He's a broody, single father, hockey player, who has the biggest heart. She's a sunny, smart, bubbly graduate student who has been burned so badly by her ex-boyfriend that she has isolated herself for years in order to protect herself from that ever happening again. When he hires her to be a nanny to his young daughter, Tallulah definitely questions her choices and almost backs out, but his obvious care and love for his daughter, and willingness to do anything to make Tallulah feel safe and comfortable wins her over. As the spend more time together, they discover that they're good for each other. She nudges him into living more of his life and he nudges her into doing the things her previous isolation had prevented her from doing. Pushing those boundaries created the opportunity for their attraction to build and grow and before you know it, they were falling for each other. Things were going so very well until they weren't and dang, it hurt to see them hurt, as they were both such likable characters, but it definitely made that HEA that much sweeter at the end.

Lately I've needed these easy, fun reads and The Au Pair Affair definitely was that--it practically read itself. So, if you're looking for something quick and fun and romantic, check this one out.

BUY IT: https://amzn.to/4g5ra3R

SYNOPSIS:

A sports rom-com about a burly, surly, single dad who falls head-over-hockey-stick for his quirky live-in nanny...

Tallulah is smart, vivacious, and studying to be a marine biologist. She’s also twenty-six and broke. So when Burgess, a battle-scarred hockey veteran and newly single dad, offers her a job as his live-in nanny, she jumps at the opportunity to get paid while living in a super fancy neighborhood and being around Lissa, his cool but introverted tween.

Her tween charge isn’t the only one who could use some help fitting in, though. According to…well, everyone except Burgess, he needs to get back on the dating scene, and adventurous Tallulah is just the girl to show him how. But as boundaries are slowly crossed and Burgess finds himself pulled between his daughter, who wants her parents back together, and his insane chemistry with Tallulah, a huge rift is formed, and Tallulah does the “right” thing—breaks her own heart and walks away.

Though Burgess knows it’s for the best—he’s too jaded, with too much baggage—a chance meeting, and a new push from his daughter, forces him to put everything on the line and fight to prove he learned his lessons well and is worthy of a happily ever after with Tallulah. 

 

REVIEW: Fangirl Down by Tessa Bailey

OUR REVIEW:

I ended up enjoying this novel so much that I'm still thinking about it days later....and I honestly didn't expect that at all. As a matter of fact, at the very beginning of this novel, I wasn't sure how I felt about these characters. Josephine seemed too fangirl-y and Wells seemed too cantankerous, but once I actually spent some time with these two, I found them to be fun to get to know and read. 

Josephine almost seems too good to be true--she's loyal and kind and wise...as maybe a smidge stubborn. She's self-aware and also aware of what she's walking into when she agrees to work with Wells. Wells, while definitely cantankerous, is actually a huge softie when given the chance to be. He's got some serious trust issues but once he feels the full force of Josephine (and her family), he comes to know and understand what it feels like to be treated with respect and love, which causes him to be less of an asshat and more of the good guy he really is.

The banter, the chemistry, the backstory, and the love story all captured my attention, gave me the giggles, and had me missing these two when it was all over--if that's not the sign of a good read, I don't know what is. 

 BUY IT: https://amzn.to/3vgHA6x

SYNOPSIS:

1 New York Times bestselling author Tessa Bailey launches a super sexy sports romance duology with a rom-com about a bad boy professional athlete who falls for his biggest fan...

Wells Whitaker was once golf’s hottest rising star, but lately, all he has to show for his “promising” career is a killer hangover, a collection of broken clubs, and one remaining supporter. No matter how bad he plays, the beautiful, sunny redhead is always on the sidelines. He curses, she cheers. He scowls, she smiles. But when Wells quits in a blaze of glory and his fangirl finally goes home, he knows he made the greatest mistake of his life.

Josephine Doyle believed in the gorgeous, grumpy golfer, even when he didn’t believe in himself. Yet after he throws in the towel, she begins to wonder if her faith was misplaced. Then a determined Wells shows up at her door with a wild proposal: be his new caddy, help him turn his game around, and split the prize money. And considering Josephine’s professional and personal life is in shambles, she could really use the cash…

As they travel together, spending days on the green and nights in neighboring hotel rooms, sparks fly. Before long, they’re inseparable, Wells starts winning again, and Josephine is surprised to find a sweet, thoughtful guy underneath his gruff, growly exterior. This hot man wants to brush her hair, feed her snacks, and take bubble baths together? Is this real life? But Wells is technically her boss and an athlete falling for his fangirl would be ridiculous… right?