Tessa Bailey does it again! Bailey's books keep getting better and better, and "Secretly Yours" is no exception. Set in Norcal wine country, "Secretly Yours" follows gardener Hallie, and her reunion from her childhood crush-turned-professor, Julian (who also happens to be winery royalty in their town). When Julian returns to his hometown to begin writing a novel, his mother hires Hallie to work on the garden outside the cottage where he is staying, and sparks fly. It was a little stressful, because although Hallie remembers Julian (and their almost-kiss in high school), Julian is drawn to her, but can't place her. Overall, it was a fun, steamy, summer read. At times, the grumpy-sunshine dynamic felt a little forced (Julian, please, get your brooding head out of your stuck-up ass), but overall I enjoyed the way that Hallie pulled the fun out of Julian. And as always, Tessa Bailey remains the queen of steamy scenes, so there's that to look forward to.

Bailey pens another sweet and funny romantic story perfect for curling up and getting lost in. The story is cute and the characters likable. I wasn’t a huge fan of some of the romantic themes but that is just my personal preference.

Rating: 4/5
Spice: 3/5
Storyline: 4/5
Tropes: second chances, grumpy-sunshine, opposites attract, age gap
Content Warnings: anxiety/panic attacks

Hallie Welch has had a crush on Julian Vos since she was a freshman in high school, and years later he’s back in town to write a historical novel. Hallie's everything he's not, a chaotic gardener that lives her life on her terms. She’s a whirlwind that crashes into Julian’s world, going against his routines and need for structure.

Secretly Yours is packed with everything you want in a romcom where opposites attract. Hallie is a plus sized MC with curly hair, who spends her days gardening/landscaping and taking revenge on behalf of her grandma’s favorite wine tasting store. Julian struggles with anxiety and OCD, so when his plans get derailed, he suffers from panic attacks. Hallie and Julian help one another accept their flaws and learn to embrace their authentic selves.

The story was surprisingly sweet. I couldn’t help but swoon every time Julian helped Hallie, even with the smallest of problems. And in turn, Hallie helps Julian be present and enjoy the now, instead of constantly worrying about the time and his schedule. Julian is so freaking nice and sweet, it hurts my jaw. The storytime scene. Swoon. There were so many moments where I could relate to Julian. I always love seeing more characters who struggle with anxiety and panic attacks. It helps break the stigma around mental health.

I felt like the side characters were lacking. Though I did like Julian’s sister, and would read her character's book. I also felt like the secret admirer letters weren’t necessary.

Thank you to NetGalley, Avon and Tessa Bailey for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

It could be that I read this book at a time I was a little pickier than normal, or that it just wasn't the book for me. I don't like to leave a bad review, but this book was just not a great read. The characters were annoying and not at all relatable or enjoyable. The plot was so minimal and hardly there, which made the book blah. There was something about the characters and side characters that was just a frustrating. There were moments when I thought the book might take a good turn and then, honestly, it was just a ridiculous. I don't feel like I'm that picky it's just that this wasn't written well enough for me to enjoy. I'm sure there will be others and I hope there will be others that enjoy it, but for me it was just one that wasn't enjoyable and one I wouldn't recommend.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

This is the first Tess Bailey book I've read. I'm hoping her others are better. It is an easy, enjoyable beach read.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC

As a longtime Tessa Bailey fan, I can assure you that SECRETLY YOURS does not disappoint. This wine country romantic comedy is full of laughs, whimsy, and swoons. A perfect, lighthearted read for those in need of a Napa Valley vacation.

I LOVE TESSA BAILEY. She hits it out of the park every time. Steamy, spicy romance with surprisingly complex character development for a rom-com - plus a gorgeous Napa setting.

I so desperately wanted to love this book and was so excited to get Bailey's new release. Unfortunately, this book fell flat for me.

Pros:
The writing was really good and the universe and descriptions that Bailey gave were great.
I liked that Hallie is a plus-size curvy heroine. Romance needs to show the variations in female bodies instead of showing women who only look one way.
I liked that neither Hallie nor Julian were perfect. They both had their flaws and it was refreshing to read about characters with real issues instead of "issues" that really aren't that big of a deal (like a character who's main flaw is that she can' seem to get her hair right).
I liked Julian's growth as a character and with his mental health. He started off in a place that wasn't very healthy, and it was nice to see him grow and change for the better since anxiety is something that requires continual work to improve.
I also liked Hallie's growth as well. By the end of the book she for sure seemed like a more functional person and gave the impression that she was ready to grow up.

Cons:
I didn't buy the relationship between Hallie and Julian at all. This is my biggest issue with this book. I normally don't mind an opposites attract romance if it seems like the characters are still compatible, however, Hallie and Julian weren't compatible at all. Their personalities and lifestyles were completely at odds with each other. Additionally, the basis for their relationship made no sense to me. Hallie apparently had a crush on Julian from when she was 14. A 15 year long crush has prevented her from having any other type of romantic relationship or intimate connection with another person, over a man that she didn't know. She and Julian were not friends, they didn't grow up together, she knew nothing about him aside from the basic things you know about another person when you go to school together and are acquaintances (at best). In any situation, people would consider Hallie's unrealistic infatuation with Julian to be weird and unhealthy. Hallie essentially has the equivalent of a celebrity crush on Julian, the difference being that Julian isn't a celebrity and this crush had turned the point where it has prevented Hallie from making healthy romantic human connections with people that she actually does know. This leads me into Julian's interest in Hallie which seems to be mostly physical. While both characters do get to know each other a little bit, I simply didn't buy their connection as more than a passing fling for either of them. Hallie's strange infatuation/hero worship of Julian was simply too much for me. If she had been able to have at least one relationship when she was younger or something to at least prove that her interest in Julian wasn't an obsession, maybe I could've gotten on board more. As it is, I just didn't really like their relationship.
Another issue I had, I wish Hallie had not been a virgin. This is an all too common trope in romances that the heroine is a virgin and it's simply unnecessary. While I appreciated that it was not a central part of the plot and it wasn't mentioned too much, I just wish Hallie had been able to experience a relationship with another person before Julian.
Hallie's character also read as completely detached from reality for me. I couldn't stand Hallie for a good chunk of the book because she just seemed flakey and irresponsible. She did not run her business well at all, it's frankly a miracle she didn't go out of business considering that unless someone wants to pay her to do whatever she wants whenever she wants then she completely bails. I also thought her whole thing with uncorked was just ridiculous. It wasn't until the cheese incident that I actually understood why Hallie didn't like having that business in town. Before that she just seemed like an unhinged individual that couldn't move on from the past.

Overall, I gave this book 3 stars instead of 2 because I still adore Tessa Bailey and think that this book simply wasn't my cup of tea. I'm going to try listening to the audio version when it's released next year to see if it changes my opinion of the book. However for now, I am just not a fan of this book. I've read all of Bailey's releases since Fix Her Up and just didn't find this book to be in the same ballpark as her other releases. I would still recommend giving this book a chance since it very well might be your cup of tea, but for me, it wasn't what I was expecting. However, I am excited for Natalie's book.

SECRETLY YOURS is the latest masterpiece from the incredible author, Tessa Bailey! I have loved Bailey's previous releases including IT HAPPENED ONE SUMMER and HOOK, LINE AND SINKER; so I was so excited to hear the news of this new release. Upon the title getting downloaded on my device, it truly only took 48 hours for me to finish it. The chemistry in this book was absolutely explosive that I truly could not stop reading. I just needed Hallie and Julian to be together and in love. Some of the tropes in this book were a few of my favorites, and set in the background of the vineyard; this book truly excelled on so many parts. I am so excited for readers to get Julian and Hallie's beautiful story in their hands come February. Tessa Bailey has done it again and I am already ready to see what she does next!

I finally gave up on this book after reaching the halfway mark. I didn't find anything about it enjoyable - not the characters or the plot. I kept wanting to like it because I have enjoyed several other books by this author but I finally just pulled the plug.

Hallie and Julian had a slow burn that exploded into flames once they got past themselves. Both felt like they had things to prove to everyone when they just needed to accept who they are. This is a great story with great characters, and I can’t wait for more from this series!

Tessa Bailey delivers another heartwarming yet arousing contemporary romance.

Chaotic, sunshine, and free-spirit Hallie has had a long time crush on structured, serious, and sometimes grumpy Julian since high school. Now that he is back in their hometown Hallie finally gets the courage to tell him how she feels via an anonymous drunken secret admirer letter. Slight problem since Hallie started a gardening project at Julian's family vineyard, they have actually started getting to know each other and like each other in real life as adults. Too bad this not only is this pesky love letter betting in the way so are other things and a rival gardener Owen. Can these two short things out to get their happily every after, read "Secretly Yours" and find out.

Possible trigger warnings: anxiety and anxiety attacks, alcohol use as coping, fire, dysfunctional family dynamic, and loss of family member.

Troupes: virgin, grumpy sunshine, possessive man, miscommunication.

This was another incredible piece of work by Tessa Bailey. The two characters are flushed out perfectly and stay true to themselves until the end—with a few updates. I loved how this book touched on panic attacks and anxiety but still had a light-hearted tone, which didn’t take away from the seriousness of anxiety. Tessa always writes smutty scenes like no one else, and this book did not disappoint. What a great story through and through!

3.5 Stars

Not my favorite Tessa Bailey read, but still an enjoyable and warm romance that her readers will love!

At fourteen, Hallie Welch nearly kissed Julian Vos and ever since, her heart has belonged to him. Now, the Vos son is back in town, attempting to write a historical fiction novel. With his fondness for structure and schedules, Hallie, a chaotic gardener, is the last person he ever expected to be distracted by. She is often covered in dirt and followed by her pack of dogs, testing his concentration each time she makes an appearance on his family's vineyard. Let the infatuation begin!

Packed full of elements Bailey's books are known for - banter, dirty talk, a lovestruck hero, etc. - Secretly Yours is a pleasant read. Though the MCs couldn't have been more different, that was the biggest strength of their dynamic ultimately. As a reader, I enjoyed both the serious character of Julian and Hallie's free spirit. Because the book had dual POVs, the tone of the book felt balanced as you switched back and fourth between them.

Mostly, I think I just struggled with the pacing a bit. The beginning chapters were slow-moving and it took me a while to get invested. And then, once the plot picked up speed, the back third of the book felt a bit rushed. Also, there was some anxiety / panic attack representation that I didn't 100% love the handling of, but I didn't find it offensive either.

Lastly, I am very excited for the second book in this series! Even by the end of Secretly Yours, Natalie, Julian's sister, remains a bit of mystery. Some of her backstory was introduced, as was her love interest, and let's just say I. AM. INTRIGUED!.

In my very honest opinion... Tessa Bailey can do no wrong!

Secretly Yours was an absolutely adorable tale that includes one of my favorite tropes: ultimate grump meets sunshine. Hallie is gorgeous, fun, and chaotic while Julian... could not be any more different. While Hallie enjoys spontaneity and messes, Julian thrives on scheduling out every detail of his ordered, clean life.

When Julian finds that he can't get Hallie out of his mind, he is utterly distraught. Order and cleanliness are the only things keeping him sane, and he can't afford to lose his sanity, especially when he's home for the first time in years and having to deal with his mother and their failing wine business.

After Hallie drunkenly leaves him a love note, the two begin an intense, hot relationship that is bound to end in calamity... right?

In true Tessa Bailey fashion, this book is heartfelt yet shockingly sexy, and I cannot wait to get my hands on the second book in this duology!

Special thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a digital copy in exchange for my honest opinions.

Landscape gardener Hallie has been secretly in love with Julian since high school, and even after he moved away from Napa to become a history professor, she's still pining for him. So when she hears he's coming home for the summer to stay at his family's vineyard, she decides the property needs some urgent landscaping. But when they run into each other and Julian doesn't even remember her, Hallie realizes it's time to move on--even as Julian is secretly fighting his new attraction to the sunny blonde whirlwind digging up his front yard.

Possibly unpopular opinion: I don't think this book needed the secret admirer letters that Hallie impulsively writes and leave for Julian. The central conflict would be the same, and they aren't used enough to further the plot. But otherwise I enjoyed this story of sort-of second chance love.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for the ARC to review. All opinions are my own.

Rounding up to 4.5 stars! Tessa Bailey fans will adore this book! I loved the characters and the Napa setting! Super steamy tension and swoon worthy moments. Can't wait to sell this in store in early 2023!

This was my first Tessa Bailey book and oh my God I didn't know what I was missing until I read this I loved it so much it was such a fun and amazing read ill be going and purchasing all her books now and reading them

Look, sometimes “insta-attraction” or lust or whatever can work and sometimes it just doesn’t for me. I need a BUILD UP, some tension, give us some time to see feelings grow so that I can care. Julian develops such strong feelings for her in 0.05 seconds! At least Hallie has the excuse of the 15 year long crush she’s been harboring.

I also think when he “acts” on this attraction, it came off out of his personality. He needs “order” and “boundaries”. Intimate scenes made me raise an eyebrow and not in the good way.

I still don’t understand his explanation for his behavior during the third act? I also thought we would’ve learned more about the heroine’s background with her mother, but NOPE.

This one is kind of a miss for me.

Heartwarming book about polar opposites falling in lust and love. Hallie and Julian are struggling with their unfulfilled lives, neither of them entirely happy but not quite knowing how to fix it. Hallie has had a crush on Julian since high school but he doesn't remember her. She is wild and free and messy and doesn't fit into his regimented life, but he can't resist her. The sex scenes are graphic but not overdone. Tessa Bailey has done a great job finding the balance of giving enough to satisfy the reader without making the book boring or leaving the plot behind. The characters were developed, flawed and empathetic. This is a great book.