I love the set up of this one. Having one of the "enemies" basically be in love from the beginning is such a refreshing change from enemies who are supposed to be "true enemies" but don't pull that off so then most of the conflict is gone. The ways in which Natalie and August were having to figure out their lives felt super believable and relatable and I appreciated that these felt like main characters/issues for adults versus the current trend of making everyone 25. Another great Tessa Bailey novel!

I have heard nothing but great things about Tessa Bailey, so when I saw this book at Target I immediately grabbed it. (Full disclosure I did get this book from Netgalley as well, but in my excitement, I also grabbed it at Target). This book is about a former Navy SEAL who lost a friend on a mission and his goal is to now fulfill his friend’s dream of owning a winery and making wine. The problem with this? He doesn’t know anything about making wine or owning a winery.

Natalie is winery royalty. Or at least her family is. She’s the family screw-up, and no matter what she’s done with her life since her teenage years, that title never seems far behind her. And in her desire to escape that reputation, she went to New York and had an amazing job making a lot of people a lot of money. Until one bad investment sends her back to Napa with her tail between her legs to lick her wounds.

The book opens with August trying his new wine at a competition where Natalie is one of the judges. The two of them had an almost night so they weren’t strangers, but August constantly seems to put his foot in his mouth, and doesn’t know how to stop it. So he and Natalie keep throwing out barbs at each other and the chemistry is off the charts. But…there are moments where he sees her. And those moments are everything. They make the book. This author is brilliant with her sexual tension, her banter, her character driven plots, but having August see in Natalie what everyone else is missing, even Natalie herself, is wonderful.

They’re both in need of something. He needs capital to continue his winery dream, and she needs her trust fund so she can head back to New York and start her own investment firm. Her fiance left her after she got fired, and surprisingly, the more time she spends bickering with August, the less she cares about her ex. And when her father refuses to unlock her trust fund unless she’s married, she decided August will be her perfect fake husband. She can help him get a loan for his business, and she can get her money and head back to New York. Win-win.

But it’s never that easy, is it?


Her family doesn’t believe her that it’s a love match. She’s already been the person everyone talks about in town, so her mom wants her to just quietly back out and let her do damage control. But Natalie is adamant so her mom plans a huge Napa winery heiress worthy wedding very quickly and that wedding was wonderful. August was wonderful. He’s just what Natalie needs. Even if she doesn’t realize it herself.

August is stubborn, though. And patient. He’s willing to put in the time and effort with Natalie. Suddenly his marriage of convenience begins to mean a whole lot more to him that just the financing for the vineyard and winery. But how can he convince Natalie to stay with him?

This book is sexy, it’s funny, and it’s deep. Natalie is trying to mend her relationship with her mom, she’s trying to prove herself to the world, and not even realizing that she doesn’t need to. I really enjoyed the ending and I will definitely be reading more Tessa Bailey books. She could teach a master class on banter and chemistry.

I tend to really enjoy Tessa Bailey's work, and this was no exception. I previously read "Secretly Yours," which was a good introduction to the dynamic that the two main characters in this book had. Marriage of Convenience is becoming one of my favorite tropes, so this really hit all of the boxes for me. Tessa Bailey is a permanent instabuy.

The companion novel to Secretly Yours, Unfortunately Yours follows Natalie Vos, Julian’s sister, as she enters into a marriage of convenience with her nemesis in order to gain access to her trust fund and restart her career and get back to her old life after a big mishap. Little does she know that she may have just met her match. I was nervous going into this one because I was NOT a fan of Secretly Yours (I actually DNF’d it), but I was VERY pleasantly surprised. While I found the characters of Secretly Yours to be insufferable, I fell IN LOVE with Natalie and August. Their banter and chemistry was unmatched, being both hilarious and sexy at the same time. Both characters had a lot of maturity and their personalities were vibrant and real which I appreciated as well. It had the perfect amount of spice- I’d say about a 3.5 out of 5 on the spice scale. It was such a fun and romantic story to immerse myself in and I had an absolute blast reading it, as well as a slight book hangover leaving these characters behind. Another hit for Miss Tessa Bailey!

Unfortunately Yours by Tessa Bailey
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Ok Tessa…this was much better than the first book in this duo! I almost didn’t ask for this one because Secretly Yours annoyed me, but I’m happy I did. Natalie and August were amazing together. I love a good enemies to lovers story! I laughed at their angry banter, and fell for their undeniable love for each other. This is a great end of summer read if you are looking to finish out the season with a love story!

Tessa Bailey never disappoints and Unfortunately Yours is no exception! August has to be one of my favorite heroes that she has written. A total golden retriever/cinnamon bun, but able to be a complete alpha when needed. And those love scenes....excuse me while I fan myself. This read will not dissapoint!

If Secretly Yours was a good book, this one was even better. I felt more connected to Natalie. I loved her resilience to go after what she wanted with whatever method worked. I loved how our male MC did not even bat an eye to help his girl. Yes, we have those stupid man comments we often see in Bailey's books. I don't know if she is just trying to sound all macho, or she truly believes that men speak or think like that, or getting ideas from her husband. I don't know, it just makes me laugh.

This was supposed to be in the will not provide feedback. I was not able to download via Adobe digital editions to kobo, finally figured that out last night to review others. I apologize about that.

Thank you to @netgalley and @avonbooks for a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

After reading Secretly Yours and not liking it, I was skeptical of Unfortunately Yours. But I love Tessa Bailey, so in the end, I couldn’t resist! I liked August and Natalie’s enemies to lovers storyline. I liked that it was a typical spicy Tessa book. I liked the friendships and small-town setting.

I’m glad I gave this book a try. It didn’t disappoint.

4 stars

#books #bookishlife #booklover #readingisfun #iowabookstagrammers #iowabookstagram #netgalley #avonbooks #ltbreaderteam

I love a Tessa Bailey romance in the summer. Secretly yours was not my favorite set of characters, but I also found these characters pretty unlikeable. The princess nickname got exhausting to me. I love a fake marriage/dating trope, so that was fun to explore in the book and the vineyard focus was also interesting to continue from book 1. I also loved that the epilogue felt like a true wrap up!

Props to Tessa Bailey for pumping out book after book that is very witty, funny, and spicey, but let's not forget somewhat very cringe. I just don't enjoy her romance scenes as much as many other authors. I would have liked the trope, but the female protagonist got on my nerves, and I don't like that August's dick got brought up so much, it could have been a character in the novel. I feel like if you are looking for a fluffy beach read, this is for you.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for an advanced reader's copy for an honest review.

I received this book as an ARC, and when the time came to read it, I wasn’t in the mood. Imagine my surprise when I thoroughly enjoyed myself. August and Natalie’s “enemies” to lovers storyline was done really well. The characters have chemistry that was palpable to the point where I wasn’t so upset by the timeline. The characters did get a bit annoying at times and felt a little immature at some points, but overall, it was a fun time.

Tessa Bailey does it again (at least for me). I haven't read many of her books but the ones I have read have been amazing. This one was no exception.
I liked the setting for this series, I live close to wine country in New York so I can imagine California's Napa Valley and it is just a romantic setting. I also loved our couple and though I don't think I could win against Natalie I definitely want an August of my own.
The spicy scenes were also perfection, Tessa is one of my favorite spicy romance authors so far. I definitely plan on reading more of her books in the future

This is Tessa Bailey at her finest. I love marriage of convenience trope, and this book did it SO WELL. I immediately fell in love with August and Natalie. I love that the third-act "breakup" was so brief and did not uproot the story at all. Please, more like this, Tessa!

Tessa Bailey does it again! Her books are so funny and cute but definitely not missing out on the spice! There’s such a good mix of spice and cuteness you know she’s always going to write a good book

Natalie Vos moved back home to Napa after being fired from her investment firm. Shortly after returning home, Natalie met August, a former Navy Seal, and they hit it off immediately. Until August put his foot in his mouth and offended Natalie. Fast forward a few months and Natalie and August still disdain each other. However, they could both benefit from a temporary marriage of convenience. As long as they don’t kill each other in the meantime.

I DNF the first A Vine Mess, but wanted to give this one a try. I’m glad I did. The story was entertaining and the spice was hot throughout. While it takes a bit for Natalie and August to become civil towards one another, they’re attracted to each other from the start.

Tessa Bailey never disappoints!!! I LOVED this book. I love the characters and the chemistry they have. It really makes reading the books so interesting and fun.

The beginning was a bit hard for me to get into, and I felt a bit bored. However, once I got to know the main characters a bit better, the story became more interesting. I really enjoyed the banter between the characters and the setting, but I didn't feel too attached to the main characters. Overall, a fun and easy romance to pass the time.

Having not read Book 1, I had no trouble jumping in to Book 2.

I found the situation completely unrealistic and could not get into the story at all because of it.

I read fantasy all the time so unrealistic stories are my jam. But I guess in a Romance book, I expect it to be based in some sort of reality.

Overall it was cute and there was lots of banter. But it didn’t leave a lasting impression on me.

Die hard romance readers will enjoy this one I think so give it a try!

Tessa Bailey continues to be a faithful go-to author for me. Unfortunately Yours uses her signature banter and both character (while not the warmest or fuzziest - especially Natalie) melt around each other. And I definitely enjoyed this more than book 1 and this series is on an uphill trajectory for me.