Tools of Engagement was an okay read. It's Tessa Bailey, after all, and though these newer books of hers are very slow to build, when the heat finally kicks in towards the latter part of the book, it is done quite well. Dirty talk and sexy scenes are Bailey's strength, after all.

But the story itself was a bit . . . eh. Lackluster. Unfulfilling. I saw another reader I follow mention that this felt less than a cohesive flowing story and more like a bunch of little snippets shoved together. Frankly, that's pretty close to what I felt, too, though I couldn't quite put my finger on how to explain it.

It was okay. I didn't love it, it's far, far from my favorite from Bailey, but it didn't piss me off, so that puts it firmly in the mediocre pile for me.

Tools of Engagement
By Tessa Bailey

This is book three of the Hot And Hammered series and really enjoyed this fantastic hot and spicy romcom read. I always loved watching shows about house flipping, house renovations, and HGTV so this was a fun read for me.

In this installment, the story is focused on Bethany who wants to flip houses on her own. I love that Bethany is the older woman in the relationship with Wes, the new young guy in town. The writing of their characters were spot on and I did enjoy the banter and the chemistry.

This was a fantastic end to the trilogy. Enjoyed these a lot.

I hadn't read any of Tessa Bailey's books before, but as an HGTV super-fan and a lover of fun rom-coms and sweet romances, I thought I'd give this one a try. I loved it! Tools of Engagement is about Bethany and Wes, two opposites who come together (reluctantly) to flip a house and SPARKS FLY. This book was super fun, sexy, funny, and sweet, and it was just what I needed!

4 out of 5 stars for Tools of Engagement by Tessa Bailey.

A cute ending to the Hot and Hammered series - Wes and Bethany argue as much as they both deny their chemistry - but will they ever flip the switch?

I enjoyed Wes and Bethany’s story.
It was cute. They have hot chemistry which did come alive off the pages. Also funny read.
It was a great conclusion to this series.

Tools of Engagement (Hot & Hammered #3). By Tessa Bailey. 2020. Avon (ARC eBook).

Bethany Castle has always striven for the picture perfect life, so she’s a logical fit as a decorator for her brother’s renovation company. But she’s been wanting to stretch her wings and gain more respect in the family business. Namely, she wants to do her own flip, but Stephen won’t agree. So she decides to strike out on her own when her sister’s fiance, former baseball star Travis Ford, hands the keys over to her for his decrepit childhood home. When a television producer gets wind of the sibling rivalry, Bethany and Stephen are invited on Flip Off, a competition to see whose renovation is the best.

Things are not looking so hot with Project Doomsday until Stephen’s newest hire, Wes Daniels, jumps ship to help her. Bethany claims she feels nothing but annoyance with the younger and just relocated Texan. But Wes thinks they’d heat up the sheets nicely. As the renovation progresses the two begin to open up and fall for each other but building a relationship may prove harder than winning the competition when Bethany’s perfect facade is challenged.

Wes was a really likeable character. The way he cared for his niece Laura and gives his support to Bethany proved that he had a really big heart under the cowboy charm. So it was really Bethany who needed to grow in Tools of Engagement, and she finally does after she’s able to recognize she has family, friends, and Wes and Laura in her life to support her and that it’s just as important to reciprocate that support. This was an entertaining romance by Bailey. A perfect addition to the Hot & Hammered series.

I'm totally HGTV obsessed to the theme of this book, about two siblings filming a rival home improvement show, was right up my alley! I loved the design tidbits sprinkled throughout the book, and the general plot line of the fixer upper project.

Bethany and Wes were both great, three dimensional characters who I easily found myself sympathizing with. Bethany feels the need to always be perfect in front of everyone and to put on a brave face, but in doing so, she pushes people away. Wes is hanging onto baggage from his youth, giving him the urge to always run and never establish any roots. But when the two are forced into close quarters, they're laid bare and can't deny their mutual attraction--even if they can't seem to stop fighting! The chemistry oozed from the pages and I adored watching them fall for one another.

My only downside was that their first meeting happened off page in a previous book, so I felt like I was starting more in the middle of their romance, but it just makes me want to go back and read the first two books! Tons of fun!

I absolutely loved this book!! This trope is one of my favorites and it was well done here. I was intrigued from the first to the last page and couldn’t put it down. Two thumbs up!

I didn't realize that this was part of a series (oops) but overall really enjoyed the book. Who would have known that flipping a house could be this hot! WOW! There was lots of romance and a heck of a lot of comedy. This story was really a lot of fun to read so off I go to read the rest of the series!

I wanted to read this book as I thought it was about flipping houses and interior design. However, it was more about the relationship between the two lead characters--in a little more graphic detail than I wanted to know. The story had some really sweet parts in it that carried the story along, but the sex scenes seemed to be thrown in as filler to the plot, but yet tended to overpower the story. I know that there is a second book on the way, but assuming it is like this one, I shall skip it.

Tessa Bailey has done it again! I’ve read every book in this series, and this one is by far my favorite! I loved the enemies-to-lovers storyline so much. The tension was sexy and the ending was worth the wait. I also loved how Bethany was able to find herself in the book. She was easy to root for and her growth was inspiring. Highly recommend for any romance lovers!

Tools of Engagement was great. It’s funny, sexy, smoking hot and has heart. I loved watching Bethany and Wes fall for each other. I loved their banter and watching them stumble through all that was thrown at them. I definitely recommend this book.

Thanks to Avon Books for providing an eARC of this title in exchange for an honest review.

We finally get to Bethany and Wes' story after it being set up in the second book. Bethany clearly needs to be in control at all times which means that men tend to find her cold and withdrawn which las lead to her taking a break from men. Then came Wes, who is 7 years younger and does nothing but get under her skin. The two are constantly at each other's throats, but it feels like there's something more to their verbal sparring.

I was really excited to get to this book because it felt like the enemies to lovers book of my dreams, but it ended up being only lukewarm to me.

Tessa Bailey is the queen of dirty talk, but I have learned after reading a number of books that her alpha heroes are mostly afflicted with a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde type syndrome. Wes is snarky and confident and when he's not giving Bethany hell for her age and pretty much anything else with his jabs, he's laying it on thick with the alpha talk. Then going back I kind of remembered other men in her stories flipping from normal to Alpha mode when things get steamy. It just stuck with me.

Some of the tongue in cheek humor that I gave a pass in the other books tended to grate on my nerves a bit more in this one. I guess it just didn't feel very organic and almost felt like things were stuck in as a wink and a nod from the author.

I really liked the subplot with Wes' niece but I feel that the home renovation tv show subplot was a bit tacked on. I think there could have been a lot more drama than using it as a backdrop for certain scenes and for a potential romantic rival to pop his head in and say "sup?" before being thrown out of the running completely.

That said I didn't hate the book. I'd say this would be more of a 3.5 stars than a flat 3 that I am allowed in most review sites. I really did like their chemistry and I related heavily to Bethany's issues and their dynamic was very sweet as was their happy ever after.

If you've liked the rest of the series so far this will likely be a homerun. For me after not liking the second book whatsoever, it was just okay.

This book really didn’t work for me, and I’ve been grappling with why that is. The reason may be because I didn’t read the first two books in the series. I really struggled with Tools of Engagement. I don’t know what it was, but I felt myself cringing a ton while reading this book, especially around the steamy scenes. I liked that it was focused on a strong woman who was chasing her dream. Overall I liked Bethany as a character. My favorite character, by far, was Wes’s niece. She was such a sweet little kid, and Wes was the best with her. Overall though, this is a love story, and I just did not enjoy the romance and chemistry between the two leads.

Overall, I truly did enjoy Tools of Engagement by Tessa Bailey. It was a cute romantic comedy with a lot of great banter and an interesting, quirky heroine who overcomes her own insecurities with herself and her relationship. What begins as two people who are against each other but can't help but be attracted to each other soon turns into an intimate deep understanding between Wes and Bethany. I love watching two people fall in love and these two were pretty comforting and fun to read about. My favorite couple in the series is probably still Dominic and Rosie but I really did enjoy reading about Wes and Bethany. The relationship between Wes and Laura was such a sweet part of the story to experience. Truly did enjoy reading this book. I would give it probably 3.5 stars.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Avon/Harper Collins Publishers for sharing this feel-good ARC with me in exchange my honest review

Reading Notes:
- I know it’s the third book in a series, so some things are going to be missed, but still needed to restate a few, or more, establishing details at the beginning.
- Love the idea for these main characters.
- They definitely needed more backstory for them in THIS book though.
- Can I slap the condescending twit of a brother?
- I know it’s a romance book, and we’re supposed to go along with it, but some of these bits of “banter” are inappropriate? Just a touch over the line maybe?
- The number of things that are just skipped over in the process to creating a tv show and having people on camera is a little ludicrous.
- Super disappointed that Bethany’s character is so ignorant about house renovations. It makes no actual sense.
- No seriously. She’s such a type A person. So why this total drop in preparation and knowledge? Even with her anxiety and insecurity issues, makes no sense.
- Gotta admit that Bethany and Wes’s chemistry is great though, and that makes up for a lot.
- Damn, Tessa Bailey can write some steam.
- Therapy! Someone get this girl into therapy.
- Promises of taking it slow and then, BAM!, gratuitous sex scene... okay, yeah, I’m actually totally here for this one. Ha.
- I can’t comment further bc of spoilers but something that just happened knocked off half a star.
- Considering the brothers flip is right across the street from her house, it’s odd that it wasn’t mentioned more.
- Definitely wished for more Ollie and Carl. Wasted opportunity there.
- Overall, it was an easy and compulsive read with delightful characters, but some of the developments and details tripped me up.

This is the third book in the Hot & Hammered series. This was a younger guy and older woman trope, which I actually haven’t read before. Wes and Brittany know exactly how to push one another’s buttons. But, they also know how to take care of one another. They actually work very well together. There are some really steamy sex scenes in this book as well. If you’re a fan of the authors writing, you will enjoy this book as well.

The Hot and Hammered Series has been one of my most fun romance series reads this summer. Each read has been more playful than the next and Tessa Bailey has continued to surprise me with the little twists thrown into each novel. Tools of Engagement is the third novel in the series and by far one of the best. Not only does it eliminate the quirk that annoyed me in the first two books (cutesy nicknames like baby girl), but after watching Bethany for two novels, it was amazing to get a look into her lives and see how she had become so intent on making everything in her life perfect.
he addition of the HGTV spin into the novel was also excellent and made perfect sense considering we had watched this family build and renovate house after house.

Yes, readers should read the entire series in order, but if they wanted to skip ahead to Tools of Engagement first…I would completely understand.

While thoroughly enjoyed Bethany and Wes' HEA, with some distance and reflection, I think I needed more - at least from Bethany. Wes's backstory and his relationship with his niece, and even the way he interacted with Bethany made him such a likable character. His background gave him a maturity that made the age difference between them a non factor. And while we did get a touch of what made Bethany tick, I don't think the reasons behind her obsessive/perfectionist tendencies (and resulting anxiety disorder) were fully explored/explained. I also really wish we could get some insight into why they all put up with her brother and his wife because - no. Other than that, I really loved Laura, and Wes, and seeing Georgie and Rosie happy. I'm hoping that with a whole community of club members, we can get a few more books in the series. I'm not quite ready to say goodbye to the Hot & Hammered world. 4 out of 5 wine glasses.

Fun, hot and full of heart. I smiled from start to finish!
➵ Heroine : Bethany Castle stages houses for her family’s real estate business. To the outside world she’s organized, poised, perfect and cold. Inwardly she has doubts and insecurities which block her from developing meaningful relationships.
➵ Hero : Wes Daniels is the new guy on Bethany’s brother’s construction crew. He’s seven years her junior, with a self-assured southern drawl and a sexy cowboy hat who got under Bethany’s skin from day one.
➵ Plot/Pace : Bethany wants the autonomy to flip a house on her own, but her brother won’t let her until a reality TV producer hears of their competitiveness and invites them on “Flip Off” where the winner gets the bragging rights. She only needs one thing: a construction crew, and that’s when Wes decides to do a Zellweger and make the first crack on Bethany’s high walls.
➵ Sexiness : The attraction between Bethany and Wes is apparent. What makes this story so steamy hot is the chase between them. Bethany was reluctant while Wes was relentless. Being forced to work together also compels them to open up to one another and when the time comes, the two are explosive.
➵ Feels : I feel head over heels for Wes. He was beyond perfect. Coming in to take care of his niece when she needed him most and know just how to help Bethany emotionally made my ovaries explode again and again. I love both their growth but mostly his.
➵ Facts: #ToolsOfEngagement is book 3 of the #HotAndHammered series by author Tessa Bailey. Told from both points of view with a #happyending. #Standalone. Tropes: #contemporaryromance | #enemiestolovers | work romance | #HGTV.