So this is only my second marriage-in-trouble romance that I’ve ever read. I enjoyed the first and was really excited to read Rosie and Dominic’s story after being introduced to them in Fix Her Up. This book felt like it started really strong to me, and I was really enjoying it until about the halfway point. I loved the aspect of introducing love languages into a marriage so obviously lacking in communication. These two also obviously have a long history, having been school sweethearts and knowing each other for so long. Rosie leaving helped to spark a sense of independence and confidence that I really loved. But something in the story just fell.... flat to me.

The transition that Dominic went through seemed incredibly abrupt. This guy had apparently seen hell overseas as a Marine in incredibly dangerous tours of service, but all we ever hear about is his compulsion to provide and his lack of communication. The switch from zero talking to suddenly-spilling-every-thought-about-Rosie-EVER seemed wayyyy too short for a guy having so many other psychological issues to deal with. The story seemed to really gloss over this potential damage from serving in the military and move straight into easier ways to fix the marriage. He was able to fix his own tendencies much too quickly for me to suspend my disbelief. There were some deep, hard themes that could have been explored here, and great character development potential, but the tone of the book stayed fairly light and, as a consequence, just kind of shallow.

We also don’t really ever hear about why Dominic is worth loving and sticking to other than the great sex and the fact that he’s trying. Sex, history, and them suddenly being experts at each other’s love languages seems to be the only reason these two are able to salvage their marriage. I think the fact that marriage is so nuanced and the relationships change and grow so much just makes this a really hard trope to write. We hear a lot about how great Rosie is, but it didn’t feel like Dominic was celebrated much for anything but his great sexing and loyalty.

Certain aspects with the surrounding cast of characters also set me a bit on edge. The very obvious set up between Wes and Bethany felt really unnecessary to me when the plot could have been used on better character development for both Rosie and Dominic. The uber sweet support of everyone coming to help at exactly the right times also felt kind of forced to me.

All in all, the entire thing felt very “medium” to me. I didn’t hate it, but I’m not sure how successful it was, either. Maybe this trope just isn’t for me or is really hard to accomplish? I’ll definitely continue to series, and thanks to Netgalley and Harper Collins for my free copy of this book. But this can’t be counted as a home run for me, unfortunately.

**All views expressed are my own**

LOVE OUT LOUD

Romantic Comedy plus Marriage-on-the-Rocks equals the perfect combination, right? Yeah, it's not the first pairing I'd think of for a feel good rom-com either, but in this case it totally works.

"My heart. you get that, too. All of it. I'm begging you to take it back before it stops working. You're my home. I need you with me."

Now if you're looking for some emotional, angsty, woebegone realistic tale of a marriage on the brink that will make you ugly cry and feel totally depressed, stop right there. Love Her or Lose Her is a romantic comedy after all.

"We don't love each other the easy was. Dominic, but out hearts are in the right place every single time."

Rosie and Dominic's story balances heart-tugging emotions, swoony-sweetness, and insatiable love. Their love is fierce, committed love, old love and new love, a love that they've had for each other since they were teenagers and it's grown and evolved over the years. So much of their story is learning how to love each other for who they are now. To cast out insecurities and fears and learn to trust in each other to forge an even stronger love moving forward.

"Her husband needed actions to feel her love, and she would never stop finding new ways to show him, the same way he did for her with words. They would continue to grow a little more each day until they reached forever. They were best friends, soul mates . . . and perfectly, eternally flawed."

Love Her or Lose Her takes an unconventional mix and really makes it work. Rosie and Dominic's story is at it's core filled with love and some quirky and supportive friends (that you may remember from Fix Her Up that bring lots of humor.

[No cheating! HEA. (hide spoiler)]

Typically I love Tessa Bailey’s books. I know this is not a “women’s fiction” author, however, with the premise being a marriage in trouble I was hoping for a little more emotional depth. Based on the synopsis I really wanted to enjoy this book however it didn’t work out for me. I found the character development to be a bit shallow. As I read this book, I didn’t feel connected to any of the characters and did not buy into the idea that this was a marriage on the brink of divorce. Overall it was too light and fluffy for my personal preference.

***I ended up receiving this title via Edelweiss as well. Review posted to both.

I am really enjoying this series from Tessa Bailey. The characters are quirky and interesting. The stories are original and put a smile on your face.
Rosie and Dominic were unique. Yes, that's the word I am looking for. Rosie is outgoing, fun, and has a wonderful group of friends. Dominic was ex-military and came home a different man. He used to be fun, loving, insatiable. Now he just is. And … Rosie has had enough. Everyone but Dominic saw this coming. Now, they have some decisions to make. Rosie has no idea that Dominic will do whatever it takes to get his marriage back on track. He doesn't … can't ... live without his Rosie. It's time for him to step up, be the man he used to be, support his wife's dreams and just be there for her and for their marriage. Even as things start coming together, the marriage back on track, Dominic still has one secret he hasn't told Rosie and it may be the one that really tears the marriage apart.
From the Just Us League to Armie, I had times that I laughed and others that I was a little sad. But, I didn't stop reading Love Her or Lose Her until the end. I love how everyone pulls together and supports each other. I love how strong the woman are and how they make their men see the errors of their ways. Tessa Bailey just knows how to make me smile with her stories and I always look forward to her next one.

I really enjoyed this book because it seemed different from other romance novels. I don’t read that many romance novels that involve a long term relationship and I enjoyed how that impacted this love story.

***Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review***
I loved Tessa Bailey's first novel and I got to know the characters from this book. I usually don't like to read books where the romance has gone stale or a couple is already married, but this one was surprising and lovely.

This married romance was everything I hoped it would be. The chemistry of the characters radiated off the page, but the best parts were Rosie and Dominic learning new communication skills and how to work with each others' love languages to connect and reform their relationship. They both truly wanted their relationship to work and were willing to do the work, and I enjoyed reading along as they learned.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for the ARC. All opinions expressed are my own

For the most part, I really enjoyed reading about Rosie's character development and the genuine support she receives from the other women in the book, as well as the importance and variety of love languages. The chapters written from Dominic's POV were harder to read for me personally; even though his thought process is explored and somewhat reflected on, it doesn't make the internalized misogyny easier to read. I also wasn't a fan of the "honey girl" nickname, despite whatever sweet sentiments were said before or after.

I was initially intrigued by the description of the book because I wanted to read about a couple who went to therapy and learned how to communicate again after years of being together. Unfortunately, I think the backsliding into the physical aspect of Dominic and Rosie's relationship undermined their need for open communication too often.

Love Her or Lose Her is fun, empowering, and makes some good points about what every relationship requires. Rosie is a dynamic and deserving heroine, but Dominic as a character is too overbearing and possessive for me to handle. Overall, not a bad, lazy day read, but not a favorite either.

Rosie and Dominic are a mid-20s married couple that met in grade school. After a deployment for Dominic, the spark in their relationship has died with the exception of their Tuesday nights. One day Rosie realizes she is fed up with this path, and the couple has to determine if their marriage is over, or if it's work fighting to stay together.

This is probably the steamiest book I've read - if that's your thing, read on. It was too heavy on the physical aspect of the relationship, and I would have preferred more substance, especially in Dominic's character development. A not-insignificant part of the book was about love languages and focusing on each other outside of their physical chemistry, but in each scene it came back over and over to just that.

I also was disappointed with some of the gender roles and character development, but did enjoy the build up of Rosie determining what's next for her in pursuing her (career) passion.

I was provided a complimentary ARC for an unbiased review through netgalley. Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Collins.

"He might be the perfect husband. If only he’d give her the time of day."

Rosie and Dominic’s story was a marriage in trouble story. And as the title states, Dominic has to man up and love her, or he’s going to lose her. I will say that I expected this story to be more romcom, because the first book (Fix Her Up) had a healthy mix of serious and funny. LHOLH was definitely more on the emotional contemporary side of the spectrum. There are some lighter moments brought on from side characters that we met in book one, and of course there is the high heat factor, but this one was definitely more about fixing the marriage between the mains. And that topic is frustrating and emotional.

None the less. It’s a good read, and if you’ve never read a romance where the couple is already established and trying to maintain the establishment, then I definitely think you should try this one out. Rosie is trying to fix her marriage and take hold of her dreams. Dominic is trying to make his wife happy the best way he knows how. Rosie and Dominic both grow and learn in this story, but Dominic is definitely a possessive alpha male. He changes some in this book, but that’s definitely a key trait.

I read Fix Her Up by Bailey and could see this book coming from a mile away. There was a hyper focus on Dominic and Rosie’s sexual tension and their lack of communication in that novel. A theme that continues into Love her or Lose Her. What I did not see coming was all the discussion of “love languages.” While I have heard of it in the abstract, this was a very romantic, easily digestible example. It made me think about what my love language is, and how I relay it to those around me.

I enjoyed Rosie and Dominic's journey in salvaging their marriage. Dominic's devotion to Rosie was very clear throughout the novel, and I appreciated when Rosie came to realize that she had to take some blame in their issues as well. Taking accountability for your actions (or lack of actions) can often times be hard (especially when pride kicks in), but I liked that these two accepted that they both made mistakes. They felt like a real couple going through a rough patch that is often common with lack of genuine communication.

And I loved how this still felt like a Tessa Bailey novel, where the main characters had zero issues with burning up the sheets lol. Dominic was swoon-worthy with his love and refusal to give up on his marriage with Rosie, and Rosie was fierce and devoted to getting what she knew they both deserved as a marriage.

Tessa Bailey does it again. A sexy quick read of a couple finding their way back to each other. As someone who has been married for 7 years it's nice to have protagonists that are older, married and still ready to rip each other's clothes off. 10/10 would recommend! Can't wait for book 3!!!

Love Her or Lose Her is the story of a married couple, Dominic and Rosie. The couple met at a young age in school. There is hot sexual chemistry but nothing else. The couple grew apart mainly due to lack of communication. The story depicts the struggles married couples go through and the difficulty of maintaining a relationship especially when one partner does not communicate.

The book could have been a home run if it was not littered with profanity and explicit porn. I am not a prude, but I find when foul language is thrown into a novel on almost every page it distracts from the plot and believe me this is a really good realistic plot. This novel can draw a wider audience as it shows a couple struggling to save a marriage and most couples have similar experiences and can relate to Rosie and Dominic.

Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced readers copy.

I absolutely adored book 1 in the Hot & Hammered series by Tessa Bailey. Fix Her Up was witty, laugh out loud funny, and oh so swoony. Book 2, Love Her or Lose Her, I couldn't wait to read. I liked Rosie in book 1 and wanted her to have her HEA. There were some really good moments. I really liked the scenes with Armie. Some of the hotter scenes were indeed steamy. However, I found this couple to be entirely too frustrating. There was so much internal dialogue for the characters, and they repeated the issues ad nauseam. I got in the first half of the book - she needs words - he needs actions. But every other page repeated this same fact over and over, and yet, Dominic still used the fewest words of any character I have ever read. I wanted to shake them out of him! There were some really good, sweet moments between the characters, but these moments were too short in my opinion. They needed more dialogue and less internal musings. When it was all said and done, I am glad I read the book. I still love Georgie and Travis, I am intrigued by Bethany and Wes, and I am so curious about Stephen and Kristin. This is a great family dynamic that I want more of, and if that was the author's intention, she succeeded.

3.5 stars: This is one of those books that I know had my brain and my heart battling it out. On one hand, I felt like it had a lot of issues that were not addressed. On the other hand... *swoon.*

For the swoon: Dominic. Loves. Rosie. Oh man, does he love her. I'm not a huge fan of the alpha male, but this man loves his wife. I love romances about established couples/marriages and I think Bailey did a great job of showing how people who love each other can get to a point where they are no longer together. In her introduction she talks about love languages, and she leans on that heavily in the book. It was a bit simplistic, but it definitely worked, and it hit me in all the feels.

The strength in the book comes from how Bailey writes the relationship arc, how Dominic and Rosie navigate their love & their commitment. Dominic's arc is especially moving, and while a little heavy-handed on the toxic masculinity, it was food for thought. As someone who has a lot of trouble saying what they are thinking, even while my brain is screaming JUST SAY IT, I could 100% relate to what his character and his difficulties in talking. People who express their emotions easily will probably be very frustrated with Dominic, but I understood him perfectly.

Like in Fix Her Up (which you don't have to read to enjoy this one, although it might help a little for background), I loved the female friendships and support.

For the issues: once again, like in Fix Her Up, the sexism wasn't addressed. These men are NOT feminists. Also, while both main characters are supposed to be POC, the representation felt really forced. Honestly, it read like a white woman trying to get diversity points. And, while I can appreciate that people have strong sexual chemistry, Rosie and Dominic's was over the top and got a little tiring. The sex scenes themselves though were fine and in traditional Tessa Bailey style, very high heat. Be warned, the pet name is "honey girl," and it is used liberally.

I read this book in two sittings. I really liked the relationship arc & the story; it made me laugh, it brought tears to my eyes once, and at the end I gave a great big happy-relieved sigh. That being said, the book has it's issues.

**Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.**

I thought this one was so cute! I really loved how Rosie and Dominic learned to communicate, and the way they broke down each other's walls over time. I've never read a Tessa Bailey novel before, and I think if I'm being honest, the sex scenes were a little too spicy for me. My only complaint was I was hoping for a few more tender scenes from Rosie and Dominic, something to contrast with how explosive their chemistry was the rest of the time.

*sobs uncontrollably*

Friends, I hate that I didn't love this more, as Fix Her Up was one of my favorite romances released in the past year, but here we are. It's still deliciously steamy, but I just didn't connect with Rosie and Dominic the way that I thought I would based on our brief introduction in the first book of the series. If you enjoy the "overbearing man" type of romance, you'll enjoy this much more than I did. Please give this one a try for yourself, as I'm clearly in the minority for this one!

This book was way too spicy for me, but I gotta say: Tessa Bailey is great at what she does. And also I know so many of you need to know that Bailey cites Gary Chapman's The Five Love Languages as serious inspiration. I thought that was a delightful nugget, and the way she incorporates the love languages into the book was so fun.

First off I would like to Thank NetGalley and Harper Collins Publisher for allowing me to read an advance digital copy of this amazing book! Second Thank You Tessa Bailey for writing once again a great romantic comedy love story!
This book takes you on a marriage journey between Rosie Vega and her high school sweetheart turned husband Dominic Vega. Rosie has found herself in a marriage that communication has completely broken down once her love of her life returned home from his final tour of Afghanistan. In no way has Dominic stopped loving his wife he just thought he was doing what he needed to do...provide for his wife. They may not speak to one another but once a week their sexual chemistry is off the chains and they have hot and heavy bedroom time (wink-wink.) Rosie finally has had enough of the silence and leaves her husband and moves out. Dominic will not let his marriage end without a fight and asks for one last chance to get her back. Rosie suggest they do one last ditch effort and go to marriage counseling with the pot smoking hippest one she could find.
Can the two learn to speak each others love language to save their marriage?

This book has it all ... relatable characters, romance, comedy, steamy sex scenes ... give this book a go you will not be disappointed one bit!!