Tools of Engagement by Tessa Bailey 4 stars (Hot and Hammered #3)

I was fortunate to win a chance at an ARC of this book from a HarperCollins newsletter. This is the first book that I have read by this author. The previous books are 1) Fix Her Up and 2) Love Her or Lose Her. From the description of the book, I was expecting a romantic comedy with sparks and heat. Instead, it is more romantic drama, with serious issues confronting the main characters. Wes is dealing with his new responsibility of being the sole caregiver of his niece, Laura after his half sister "needs a break from motherhood". Bethany is dealing with issues of self-doubt, what appears to be OCD behavior, and sibling rivalry.

There are some funny instances in the book; the private thoughts of Wes and Bethany were very funny and entertaining. But the serious issues confronting Bethany and Wes did not make for light reading. I think I might have enjoyed the book more if I had read the other two books, because those characters are the side characters in this one. This book was a fast read and well written, but had too much angst for what I thought I was getting.

Thank you Netgalley and HarperCollins for this ARC

Even though I didn't necessarily love this book as much as the other two in the series, I still found it incredibly sweet and I may or may not have teared up at the end (mostly may).

Bethany is a perfectionist. She likes to pretend that she has it all together and I could completely relate to her feelings that asking for help was a weakness. She was so stressed and didn't want anyone to know it. Wes was such a dreamboat. He is taking care of his young niece, Laura, after her mother (Wes's half sister) decided that she couldn't take care of her anymore. The relationship between Wes and Laura was so incredibly sweet and the first time Laura told Wes that she loved him, my heart melted. Both Wes and Laura were able to get Bethany to relax and let go a little bit, though they still had their work cut out for them. I thought the resolution of Bethany's feud with her brother Stephen was so sweet. The main thing that I didn't like was the reality show angle. It honestly didn't seem to advance the story very much and I thought it was completely unnecessary. I also thought that the pacing was slightly off with Bethany and Wes's relationship and that it moved a little too quickly. Other than those things, I thought this was a fantastic conclusion to this series.

I enjoyed the first two books in this series but this is definitely my favorite! I wasn't sure if I would like Bethany based on the previous books but I ended up loving her. I found her to be so relatable. I wasn't sure what to think of Wes but he ended up stealing my heart - and so did Laura! I love their interactions. It was so cute! This was a great book by Tessa Bailey and I can't wait to read what she puts out next.

I never would have thought one of my rare DIKs would go to a romance with kids in it, but 2020 has just been That Kind of Year. Tessa Bailey’s Fix Her Up, the first in her Hot and Hammered trilogy, was my Best Romance of 2019 pick, and while Tools of Engagement doesn’t displace it in my heart, it does end up close to it - maybe near another vital organ like a lung.

Wes Daniels doesn’t flip houses, houses flip him. At twenty-three, he’s a former foster kid who’s lived in fourteen houses and a car. Now, he’s living in the house of his sister, a struggling addict, who has left him with her five-year-old daughter. Formerly a Texas bull rider, Wes gets on the crew of the Castle family renovation business in Port Jefferson, where he meets Bethany Castle and engages with her in an enemies-but-we-should-be-lovers relationship. Bethany, the decorator of the family, puts the effort into effortless. Her perfectionism, as she admits it is, verges into self-harm territory (verges - it isn’t anything that requires a content warning). When she quits the family business (as she’s planned since book one of the trilogy), Wes goes with her to work on “Project Doomsday”, Bethany’s own first house for renovation. Then Bethany and Wes end up in a house competition on a TV show, and in a relationship that schools them both about all their internal assumptions about themselves: Wes that he’s not a keeper, and Bethany’s that she’s “cold”.

Wes and Bethany prove that mature people can be sexy, too. It’s difficult to even do justice to Wes. He’s not just an observant man, he’s an observant person (a believable quality in a foster kid), but he never uses his emotional astuteness to be unkind; only to get authentically closer to Bethany, being the sincere flirt or the sincere supporter at just the right moments. Bethany’s self-criticism is both her downfall and her greatest asset; while she runs herself down with scrutiny, it also gives her the ability to see her own role in her relationship issues with Wes and fix them. Their relationship is a genuine enemies-to-lovers one, so brace yourself for some (metaphorically) bloody first interactions (Bethany bears a resemblance at points to Taylor Swift in a break-up-song mood), followed by some dynamite confessions of love (Wes, in particular, is fantastically eloquent in a non-pretentious way and says things like “there is nothing you or anyone could do to make me want to be somewhere I couldn’t hold you”).

Bailey uses alternating-third-person narration for this book very well. I’ve DNF’d books for using third-person PoV as an excuse to write litanies of ‘he said, she said, and then she poured the coffee’, but Bailey’s book has a distinct narrator; it’s just Bailey herself and not Wes or Bethany. Her powers of description are about average, but there are so many spikes of sharp humor and observation that it doesn’t matter. Her main characters come across as distinct and understandable without the crutch of first-person PoV.

I have to talk about the kid in the romance, Laura, though happily, she isn’t in it all that much. She’s mostly just a five-year-old, conveniently emotionally healthy child who is tolerable because she’s one of the book’s indispensable plot devices. She just holds tea parties and eats sugar while infringing almost not at all on Bethany and Wes’s sex life. I can’t even take off points from this book for the unrealistic depiction of children - I wouldn’t have enjoyed it half as much if Laura had been portrayed as the traumatized time-consumer she’d most likely be in real life at her age and with her background.

Tessa Bailey books are very hot, so if you’re the sort of person who prefers romances in which the vagina is referred to as a ‘secret garden’ instead of a “pussy”, this will not be your book. The heat takes a while to arrive, however, and I was definitely checking the page count at certain points wondering when they were going to ‘do it’, but it comes - and so do Bethany and Wes.

Tools of Engagement needs no renovations and is move-in ready for your reading pleasure. Enjoy.

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Tools of Engagement is the final installment of The Hot and Hammered series. I enjoyed the two previous books and this one also proved to be quite entertaining. I like that the characters from previous books become the secondary support characters in this one. Also, we get a nice wrap up at the end of this book on all of the couples which helps "close the chapter," so to speak.

This is Bethany and Wes' story. Coming into this book, they have an established love-hate relationship with one another. Their banter is hilarious and I found myself giggling out loud at times. It's the perfect recipe for a rom-com. However, there are some serious topics as well. Bethany has extreme issues with insecurity and is driven to achieve perfection in everything she does. Obviously this is impossible, which sets her up for anxiety and feelings of inadequacy. She masks all of this and only shows others her perfect image.

Wes is seven years younger, which I never would have known through his behavior. However, since Bethany was hung up on the age difference, it is pointed out numerous times. That aside, Wes is definitely mature way beyond his twenty-three years. He steps in for his half sister and becomes the unofficial guardian of her kindergarten age daughter. Not only does he manage to give Laura a supportive and loving home, he is employed and paying all the bills. He does all of this while not even knowing where Laura's mother disappeared to. He was definitely book boyfriend material (taking out the fact that he's young enough to be my kid in real life). He was handsome, funny, loving and has a strong work ethic. His only weakness is that he never saw good solid relationships growing up, so he was a little unsure that he could make a long-term relationship work.

Watching Bethany and Wes spar and challenge one another was fun. Seeing them realize the good points and the weaknesses in the other person was touching. When they finally realize what they have and decide to fight for it, well that was the cherry on top of the sundae.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Publishing for this ARC. I voluntarily reviewed it and the opinions contained within are strictly my own.

Bethany Castle has it all together. At least, that what she wants people to think. Everything she does or touches must be perfect--which is why she's been dragging her feet slightly on actually starting her very own flip. For too long, she's been relegated to staging already finished houses for Brick and Morty, the family company, and hates her hard work being downplayed as just picking out paint and couches. But now she's finally doing it, finally going to do her own flip--no matter what her idiot brother thinks, says, or does to hinder her. The only problem? A lack of a crew. And experience.

Wes Daniels doesn't plan on being in town very long. Just long enough for his sister to get her act together and come back for her daughter, Laura. In the meantime, Wes is taking care of his niece, working for Brick and Morty, and engaging in a battle of wits with Bethany Castle. So Wes shocks everyone--but especially himself--when he aligns himself with Bethany, choosing to help her with her flip instead of Stephen's. Wes and Bethany can't be in the same room together without getting in a fight, how are they supposed to get through an entire flip? Just when they think things can't get more complicated, a TV producer catches wind of the Castle sibling house-flipping square off... and gives both crews only 2 and a half weeks to finish the projects.

Can Bethany and Wes pull it together and pull the flip off? And, more importantly, will they finally address their attraction for each other?

The final book in Bailey's "Hot and Hammered" trilogy, "Tools of Engagement" ends with a bang! We get to see deeper into the seemingly-perfect Bethany's life, mind, and heart, as well as get to know Wes better and enjoy an endless supply of banter, sweetness, and the two of them making fools of themselves over an adorable five year old! Plus, final visits with old friends (including a much-anticipated wedding!) and the Just Us League's final on-page hurrah (for there is no one strong enough to stop these amazing women!) as Bethany is the last of the original trio to pursue her dreams, take charge of her life, and--gasp!--end her man hiatus!

ARC from Harper Collins, and Avon in exchange for an honest review.
Well I got approved for this book a while ago and waited on purpose. I didn’t want to be done with the series!!! Tessa Bailey has a way of writing so that you truly understand what the characters are feeling. You could see the progression from Georgie (Fix Her Up) basically acting like a clown, to Rosie (Love Her or Lose Her) and how she needed to find her identity to Bethany (Tools of Engagement), which I feel we all may have a bit of Bethany in us. Afraid to let out crazy out, our imperfections shine, etc. This was by far my favorite book in the series... it also made me wish that there were more books to come! You sympathize with Bethany and totally fell for Wes and Laura! These stories have so much swoony love and affection, but also the solid loving from the Just Us League. Who doesn’t crave a story with a women supporting women and men taking care of their women! Highly recommended if you can handle steamy romance scenes!

I’ve loved both of the books prior to this one and I’ve been waiting for Bethany’s book since the beginning. This didn’t disappoint.

I love love loved getting in Bethany’s head. She’s such a good person, just a little tightly wound, and getting to read her relax was fantastic. Wes is everything I expected: all charm and swagger on the outside and a full on squishy marshmallow on the inside. Together, these two had barbs and button pushing that was really thinly veiled flirting and more chemistry than I knew what to do with.

Plot wise, it was really good. There was a good amount of push and pull, but I was here for it. I loved reading them figure things out personally, professionally, and everything else in between. I could have done with just a little more conversation, but I think I’m just being greedy. The angsty times didn’t last long and the epilogue was perfect.

Overall, this has been a great series that I know I’ll revisit again and I can’t wait to see what Tessa comes up with next.

**Huge thanks to Avon for providing the arc free of charge**

I love Tessa Bailey. Her characters are usually pretty multidimensional and the kissing and love scenes are usually pretty steamy. I have loved the other books in this series, especially Rosie and Dominic's book. I enjoyed this book immensely, but it was not a favorite for me. I liked Wes and Bethany, but felt like there was a lot of rushing that occurred throughout the book. It took the two characters 2 weeks to fall in love and move in with each other all while Bethany is feeling more okay with not being g perfect. It just seemed a little unrealistic to me. Otherwise, it was a fun read and a good addition to the series. #ToolsofEngagement #NetGalley

This book was the perfect summer read! It was funny, heartwarming, and hot! Those scenes... Wow! It is definitely a recommended series for me!

I received thks ARC from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

Bethany and Travis might well be my favorite lead characters of this series. They've both got such deep emotional scars (which really seems to be very on theme for this whole series, actually) and they're so flawed in ways that make them really beautiful. They've got a great enemies to lovers thing going, plus an age gap romance - which I personally don't normally care for but it's great here.

Wes is just... *dreamy sigh* His interactions with Bethany and with his niece Laura are just so great. Raised in the foster system, Wes has some abandonment and attachment issues, and he's determined that his niece have the stability and security he never did. Then the way he pushes Bethany when she needs to be pushed and supports her when that's what she needs... *another dreamy sigh* I LOVE the chemistry between Wes and Bethany, and how they keep making mistakes, learning from them, and coming together again. Bethany's interactions with Laura are also so funny and sweet. I do wish her interactions with the Just Us league and the other women in the book felt a little more authentic and deep, but maybe that has more to do with who Bethany is as a person than any writing failure on Tessa Bailey's part.

This book really has it all - hilarious enemies to lovers/rivals to lovers spats and banter, hurt/comfort squishy heart emotional moments, and EXTREMELY hot bangin' sex. HOLY HANNAH, the heat level. *fans self*

This is the third book in the Hot & Hammered series. While it can be read as a stand alone, there are definitely spoilers for the first two books and the development of the Just Us Club (which has an impact on this book) occurs in the first book, Fix Her Up. This is such a great end to a really fantastic series.

In the third installment of Bailey's Hot and Hammered series, which is centered around a house flipping company on Long Island, we're re-introduced to the chemistry between perfectionist house stager Bethany and new-in-town Wes, who's several years younger than Bethany but was forced to shoulder a lot of responsibility at a young age. Wes, who's also a former rodeo competitor from the South, is instantly attracted to put-together Bethany, but she remains very skeptical of his motives for most of the book. When they're thrown together in a house-flipping competition that's being filmed for reality TV, their chemistry heats up as they begin to develop a mutual respect--Wes coming to see Bethany as a more complex person than the cool, calm, collected exterior she always portrays, and Bethany respecting Wes's devotion to taking care of his niece after his sister left town. 

Although I did think that Bethany and Wes had great chemistry with a lot of banter, I felt that the book overall tended to emphasize rigid traditional gender roles in a way that didn't feel like it was set in 2020, which made it hard to fully enjoy the book. Although the development of the "Just Us League," a group of women supporting women developed in the first book, seems on the surface to be a progressive, feminist act, there's a lot of repetitive binary talk of "girls do this" and "guys do that" that's never really challenged or explored in a modern sense. It's something I noticed more and more as the series progressed, and that I wish had been addressed. 

I received an eARC of Tools of Engagement from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Tools of Engagement is Book 3 in the Hot & Hammered series by Tessa Bailey. I adored book 1. I liked book 2 a lot, but it was a heavier subject matter. I was really looking forward to book 3 and it did not disappoint. You have the sweet rivalry between Bethany and her brother. The hate-to-love-you between Wes and Bethany. And a realty tv concept thrown in the mix. Characters from the other books make an appearance. I loved the dynamic between all the characters and it was definitely entertaining.watching Bethany and Wes get this house in order.

Tools of Engagement is a great choice for readers looking for a sexy contemporary with an all-in hero and a heroine who's taking a giant leap into finally running her own business. Wes and Bethany have wicked chemistry but Bethany suffers from self-doubt and isn't taking his comments about their 7 year age difference (she's the older of the two) well. They go from bickering to working together to deciding to be together very quickly in the book. This is inter-spaced with humorous moments with Laura, Wes' niece that he's looking after while his sister is off finding herself after separating from her husband.
There are serious topics in this book - Wes being guardian of his niece, quitting his job to work with Bethany on the fly (guess he didn't think about benefits or insurance?); Bethany's anxiety and obsession with being perfect that is blocking her from being close to anyone; the way her brother and family treat her and her role in the family business. However, they are glossed over in Bailey's typical fashion. Everything's wrapped up at the end. It's not so much the issues feel unresolved as they feel as rushed as the relationship.
There are nice glimpses of the couples, Georgie and Travis and Rosie and Dom from the previous two books. Bethany's brother and sister-in-law, Stephen and Kristin, continue to be the worst and Kristin attempts something that is guaranteed a YTA verdict in Reddit's AITA.
Ultimately, there were enjoyable moments of humour, and as per usual Bailey's sexy times are very hot. The pacing was a problem and there were just too many gaps/questions with some of the secondary storylines. Sometimes it feels like there's too much happening in either Bethany or Wes' POV to move forward in the story in the first half of the book and then in the second half the pace speeds up.

Really enjoyed this book! Bethany and Wes start out as enemies, trading jabs while they work and riling each other up. Bethany is desperate for her family to take her business skills seriously, and she and Wes end up as a team working on a house flip. Their funny banter and pokes at each other had me laughing in many places, and their undeniable attraction unfolded in a great way. In addition to the enemies angle, Bethany is seven years older than Wes, which is another thing they tease each other about. Wes is also caring for his 5 year old niece, and she ads a lot of adorable moments and character insights. This was just the kind of lighthearted, humor and chemistry-filled, step away from reality book I needed.
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Sooo I’m still swooning over Wes🥺⁣
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Wes’s half sister calls Wes out of the blue needing to take a parenting break. Wes leaves Texas to fly to New York to take care of his five year old niece Laura, who is the cutest thing ever.⁣
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Wes takes a construction job flipping houses with the Castle family to crush hard on their sister Bethany. Bethany is smart mouthed and on a man hiatus but Wes is there to break down her walls, and swoop in like the cowboy gentleman he is. ⁣
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Wes truly couldn’t be any sweeter. There isn’t a thing he wont do for Laura and Bethany. My only dislike was how frequently he called Bethany “baby.” I HATE pet names, especially “baby.” Other than that, I adored him.⁣
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I loved reading how Bethany softened over the course of the story, from an extremely insecure Type A perfectionist, to realizing its ago to let go for certain things.⁣
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If you’re looking for a cute romance that will make you laugh and smile and even melt your heart once or twice. This sweet story is for you.⁣
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⁣
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Thank you @netgalley and @avonbooks for an ARC for my honest review. ⁣
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#bookstagram #books #bookcommunity #romance #toolsofengagement

4.5 stars
Bethany Castle presents like she has the picture-perfect life where everything is always in order whether it be her outfits, her home, the houses she stages, or how she looks like she handles everything. But she hides the strong anxiety, panic attacks, OCD tendencies, and fear of failure from those around her. She appears to be cold and unaffected, and she is strong-willed and bossy. But that hides her fears and insecurities. She is not getting much fulfillment from her career anymore and needs more of a challenge and excitement to fill the void. So she has been trying to get the courage to take on her own flip house since her brother refuses to help her.

Wes Daniels is new to town. A younger, former rodeo cowboy, he now finds himself taking care of his five-year-old niece, working construction, and relying on the help of virtual strangers (led by Bethany's Just Us League). He has never really had a constant home or security and considers himself a rolling stone. He is cocky, charming, sarcastic, and flirty. And he is just as stubborn and bossy as she is.

These two have been antagonistic since day one. Their sparring is flirty, fiery, snarky, and kind of like foreplay. And he is the only man to stand up for her when it comes time to take on her own flip.

Now these two enemies with unresolved sexual tension are having to rely on each other in close quarters while they have unexpected eyes on them as they find themself in a TV reality show war. And they begin to see the cracks in the other's veneer. They start getting dirty and things begin to get hot and heavier. But they are both terrified or a real relationship or feelings. He was never supposed to stay. She is afraid to be found lacking again. She pushes him away only for him to realize that maybe this time he wants to stick. And he challenges her to mess up her life and realize she does not have to be perfect for people to care. It is not only about rebuilding a house, but also their own sense of self-worth and realizing that some things are worth fighting for.

This is a witty, emotional, sexy, enemies-to-lovers story with a bit of an age gap. This is my favorite installment of this series that brings back her siblings Georgie and Stephen and their significant others, as well as their friends Rosie and Dominic. I liked seeing the characters start to break down and show their vulnerability and inner strength, as well as how the community wants to help them. Bethany especially needed someone who could see her flaws, accept them, and at times handle her for her own good. And Wes had a need to be wanted and needed and to just belong somewhere. His niece, Laura was a sweetheart, and seeing them interact with her was heartwarming. It is a wonderful ending to this series about rebuilding lives, holding onto love, and finding a home.

Although I'm a fan of this series, this book didn't do it for me. It was well-written and funny. I am aware this is a personal reading choice, but I'm not really a fan of age-gap reads, especially if one of the couple is in their early twenties. I don't think I remembered he was so young or I wouldn't have requested it. The male love interest seemed unformed somehow and although the book had the charm and humor I come to expect from Tessa Bailey, I couldn't get over his age. Perhaps if he'd been say twenty-seven and she had been mid-thirties, the age difference wouldn't have seemed such a gap.

I haven't read the other books in this series, and in "Tools of Engagement" I constantly felt like I was a little behind the characters and missing something important. Wes is a cowboy-type who is taking care of his niece after his sister bails, and Bethany is an interior designer for her family's construction company with major insecurity issues. On some levels I could really relate to Bethany- who doesn't have insecurity and always worry about what others are thinking, if they look fine, if they are good enough? - but Bethany goes overboard with it to the point where you expect her to have ulcers and I kept looking for the deep trauma in her life that would cause it. Wes has bounced through foster homes and it would make sense if he was always worried about being good enough and having people like him enough to stay. He certainly has his own issues, and I thought author Tessa Bailey did a good job with those, as well as the growing relationship between Wes and his niece Laura. I wish there had been more build up before Bethany decides to do her own flip- we get almost no scenes of her with her family in a business setting with her trying ideas and everyone else telling her to just handle the couches- which would have made her decision to try her own flip feel more satisfying. Maybe that is in other books in the series?

And I have to admit that while I like teasing banter between love interests as much as anyone, I wasn't a fan of the early interactions between Wes and Bethany. He thinks they are flirting and in fore-play mode from the beginning, she thinks he means everything he says. But she accepts it instead of calling him on what is basically sexual harassment. He doesn't want other men looking at her, only wants to hire ugly guys to work on construction (apparently thinking Bethany is so shallow one cute guy will have her break her man hiatus while he's trying to get her into bed?) and his first reaction to the ridiculously fast TV series is that it's a bad idea because guys everywhere will be looking at Bethany and she belongs to him. Past the halfway point these smoothed out, but it still put a cramp in me liking Wes, or the book.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

I recently read Getaway Girl by Tessa Bailey and absolutely loved it. When my friends at Avon sent me the ebook fo Tools of Engagement, I was very excited. It didn't disappoint. I really just loved Wes and his willingness to stay and fight for Bethany. I related so much to Bethany's need to have things perfect and hide her insecurities. The banter was fun, the steam added so much to the relationship between them. Perfect Friday night read!