Natalie Vos has lost her job and fiance, so she returns home to relax and come up with a new plan. Of course, a few months later, she is ready to start a new business venture. She will require her trust fund; however, she needs to marry before she can inherit the money. Natalie is feeling desperate.

August Cates owns a vineyard, but he doesn't know much about running the business or making wine. He's determined to make this work, but it's not going to plan. He has no customers. The wine tastes disgusting. No bank will loan him money to boost the business.

Natalie knocks on August's door with a proposition. A quickie marriage can help them both. They can go their separate ways after it's all done. They didn't anticipate the chemistry between the two of them.

I love Tessa Bailey's books, and this is no different. I felt butterflies. I felt the chemistry sizzling off the page. It was entertaining and funny. This is definitely a good read!

Boy do these books make me mad, but I love them so much, it's exactly what they were designed to do! Unfortunately, Yours is another Tessa Bailey book that tugs at your heart. Told in both perspectives of the male and female lead, it drives one mad to see the love they share and that they just don't get it! I loved the Napa setting and all the references to wine-making. I enjoyed this story more than even the first book in the series. Keep them coming Ms. Bailey - I will read every one!

"Unfortunately Yours" is a highly enjoyable romantic comedy that will leave readers with a smile on their faces and butterflies in their stomachs. Tessa Bailey's skillful writing and irresistible characters make this a fun and entertaining read from start to finish. If you're in the mood for a book that combines humor, sizzling chemistry, and a heartfelt love story, look no further than "Unfortunately Yours."

I was vacillating between three and four stars for this one, but since I ended with a smile on my face and had a few big grins throughout, I'm leaning towards the four.

If you read Secretly Yours, you will remember Natalie and August's tempestuous beginning: insta-lust followed by insta-loathing. Natalie has moved back home to her family's vineyard and is coping with the losses of her job, her home, and her fiancé with copious amounts of wine. The only wines she won't touch? Those made by Ex-SEAL and amateur vintner August, because his vintages more closely resemble paint thinner than Cabernet. They verbally spar each time they see one another, and the last thing anyone would expect is that the two of them will end up married.

Only, each of them needs the other's matrimonial help for business reasons: Natalie, to unlock her trust, which requires she be both married and gainfully employed; and August, to secure a loan for his failing vineyard, which he opened to honor his friend who died in combat. Of course, they both have secret reasons for wanting the marriage. August has been madly in love with Natalie from the start, although he's sure he's blown his chances with her. And despite their regularly exchanged insults, Natalie feels respected and strangely safe with August--although she'd die before admitting it. Of course, as you might imagine, their marriage of convenience becomes one of friendship and love, but not without some big hurdles along the way.

I love when the hero is absolutely head over heels for the heroine, has been from the jump, and is just waiting for her to catch up. There were some truly excellent scenes here where we can watch August mature and be a better listener and partner in the moment. But his dirty talk was juvenile and sometimes cringeworthy; I mean, if that's the lid for Natalie's pot, good for her, but I wasn't feeling it. And he could be kind of a drama queen when it came to protecting Natalie--she's strong on her own, buddy, so chill just a bit. That said, he did all the right things when it came to proving how much he cared about her.

And thank goodness Natalie puts the wine down early in the book. It worked for her as a side character, but not when she's trying to take control of her own story. I felt bad for how much she felt like she had to prove herself to everyone, and she deserved August and his complete awe. She was also much funnier than I expected her to be. Without giving away the best scene in the book, I'll just say that she gets August's attention in a delightful way. She gives as good as she gets with August in virtually every exchange (and that included in the bedroom...and the truck...and the wine cave).

The timeline of the book did throw me off. It's a plot that seems like it should take place over a few months, but start to finish, I think I calculated ~3 weeks (plus the epilogue). It works for August because he always loved her, but given Natalie's choices, it didn't quite make sense for her character.

Overall, you'll enjoy this more if you think about the details less. Focus on the big hunky Navy SEAL completely ga-ga for his sharp, sassy bride-of-convenience. There's a lot of heart here and some memorable scenes that will surely make you smile.

Just when I think that Tessa Bailey couldn't do it any better or make me love her books any more than I already do...I don't think I have the words to describe how much I love this book.

Natalie and August have my ENTIRE HEART. The dual POV made this story - hearing how obsessed August was with Natalie basically the entire book made him a top tier book boyfriend and I am a stan for forever.

Things I loved about this book: dual POV (worth repeating), THE BANTER, pushing each others buttons in the best way, THE CHEMISTRY, THE SPICE, the communication, the love. They watched and listened to each other and really learned ~ they just GOT each other and it was so beautiful to read.

When I say that I CRIED. multiple times. and I don't normally enjoy crying during books so you know I truly LOVED this one.

This is without a doubt my favorite Tessa book ever ~ definitely going to be a top 2023 read and I am already planning my reread.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to be an early reader!!!

Unfortunately, this was not my favorite Tessa Bailey book. There are some similarities to her other books, but it was hard not to compare it to some of my favorites of hers.

I felt like this was one of my least favorite of Tessa Bailey's romances. The characters were not as multi-dimensional as past characters have been, and there were so many silly mix-ups. Romance novels are formulaic generally, but this seemed like it was checking off of a list, and there wasn't as much true romance as I would have liked.

I think it was a very spicy book, for those who are interested in that. However I was lacking chemistry and felt that there were additional characters who never got fleshed out or served a purpose other than to act as a vehicle to thwart the couple here and there.

Unfortunately, this book was a miss for me. However, I will continue to check out Tessa Bailey's books.

Natalie Vos cannot think of a man she'd less like to be married to than August Cates. He's brash and loud and vulgar, and maybe smoking hot too. However, when money is tied up in trust funds and banks, August and Natalie end up tying the knot to further their own gains. When both begin to recognize the deep feelings they have for one another, will business and money interrupt their budding marriage or bring them closer?

I loved this romance. While the first of this duology didn't quite hit home for me, this one absolutely ticked off all the buttons. Marriage of convenience? Yes. Forced proximity? Yes. Fight hard, love harder? Yes. Making sure we're all emotional above board before the good stuff starts? Yes. Understanding grief and emotional trauma and being able to work with it? YES!

The pacing is perfect, with slow moments balancing out the fast paced courtship and action scenes (there's at least one!) I think this book on a whole embodies the best part of Tessa Bailey's writing. Her romance is equal parts love, understanding and pure emotion. It's also equally balanced out by the absolute burning spice that is their coming together.

I loved getting to see some characters we met in Secretly Yours (Hallie remains the queen) and to explore more of the wine country. This was a 10/10 for me!

3.5⭐️ This was cute yet slightly cringey at the same time. The last 40% is the highlight in my opinion.

~The only way Natalie can receive her inheritance is by getting married. She never thought the man she’d be marrying is the one she’s constantly bickering with. August sees an opportunity and runs with it. He only hopes he makes it out with what he needs most.~

SMH MEN.. The way I wanted to smack August. On more than one occasion too. That said, he really is so dang sweet to Natalie. I was totally swooning.

The cringe for me were the spicy scenes.. they were 🥵 don’t get me wrong but there were a few wtf moments that had me cringing so bad.

*I received an ARC of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review with my honest opinion.*

I think this is one of the softest and yet horniest books Tessa Bailey has ever written and I loved it so much!

Unfortunately Yours is the second book in the A Vine Mess duology. This one features Natalie Vos, Julian's sister. Natalie has been basically kicked out of New York on her ass by her job and her fiancee. She's hiding out at her family's vineyard trying to work up the courage to ask her mother for capital to start up her own investment firm but when her mother doesn't have the cash there's only one thing left to do. Get married, get a job and satisfy the archaic terms of her trust fund her estranged father set forth for her. Enter August Cates the potential rebound turned public enemy #1 for Natlalie.

I laughed so much at this book, Natalie and August's banter and "fights" were so hilarious but you could definitely see the feelings peeking out at times especially on August's end. He was SO gone on her from the very beginning, I loved it so much! The big strong Navy SEAL being such a soft ass marshmallow for the love of his life, wanting to do anything in his power to help her succeed in her life, protect her from any harm that might come her way...oh my god I wanted to melt! August had zero filter for pretty much all his thoughts and tho it got him in trouble a few times, most of the time I found it so endearing and sweet the way he would say things about her and to her in public (that comment as they got married, am I right? LOL).

While Natalie and August have plenty of sexy good times (and they really do have A LOT of sexy times) I still found it fun and entertaining because the plot was still there. Tessa can for sure write some smut and she does it in such a way that you're not bored after the second encounter the couple has, she doesn't use the same formula for scenes and I appreciate that she can be so ummm...creative in her writing this way! (I'm absolutely red as a tomato writing this review)

Watching them grow as a couple and really lean on each other in every aspect of their lives was really heartwarming and I'm so glad that Natalie got that from someone because her mother was crap at it to begin with. Also I did appreciate how her rehab stint was addressed, it was a major concern for me in the first book that I felt really wasn't touched on. And that epilogue at the end, so adorable, August really would be that guy to fill in at the dance recital, beyond precious!

Overall, very entertaining read, I read it in one go and didn't want to put it down. Thank you so much to Avon and Harper Voyager for providing me with an eARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!

First of all, a very strong 5 stars to Ms. Bailey on this one. While I liked the first installment of this series, I loved this one. I fell in love with Natalie and August in the first book so I knew it wouldn't take much convincing to make me love this book. And convince Tessa did.

Natalie is struggling with career upheaval back in NYC and turning to old vices (mainly wine, which - understandable) as a method of coping. Unfortunately, to get back on track, she needs to find a way to get ahold of her trust fund. Harder than it looks since she has to be married to do so and her fiancé left her as soon as she lost her job. Here's where August comes in. August is a former Navy SEAL himbo turned (very unsuccessful) vintner who is just trying to make his late best friend proud.

Oh another problem - they hate each other. What could possibly go wrong?

Let's be honest, a good old love-hate relationship results in the best banter and it was absolutely hilarious. You could feel the tension radiating off the pages and when August makes Natalie swoon, he also makes me swoon. Can you get butterflies from ink and paper? I didn't think so until this book.

The best part of this book? Basically NO miscommunication! Rom-com readers everywhere rejoice! I've said it a million times, but I hate the miscommunication trope with a burning passion. I is the one thing that will knock an otherwise 5-star read down for me. Natalie and August, which having plenty of other communication problems, are able to confront their problems and process them together.

Lastly, the epilogue?? August as a girl dad? I died and went to heaven.

Overall a great, fun romance that's a pretty easy read when you're looking for some good banter and a little bit of spice.

This enemies to lovers, marriage of convenience romance was absolute perfection! I loved Natalie and August's story and the verbal sparing, emotional confessions and steamy scenes between the two. I really liked the first book in this series, Secretly Yours, but Unfortunately Yours was on another level!

I really enjoyed this book! I felt like the characters were really well developed and they each had their own flaws that contributed to the story (except Menace. Menace has no flaws 🐈).

The book follows Natalie Vos, of the Vos wine empire and August Cates, former SEAL turned vintner. They strike a deal to marry so that Natalie can gain access to her trust fund and August can get a loan to keep his (terrible) winery afloat. They didn’t expect to fall for each other, but of course it happened.

The book covers a surprising amount of heavy topics: (minor) alcoholism, trust issues, grief, PTSD. And I felt it was done well. I wish the grief was talked about just a *little* bit more, but that’s just a me thing-I want my heart to be ripped out and stomped on just a little!

August and Natalie also had great chemistry. It started as lust and banter and quickly turned scorching and I was here for it! I also love an obsessed MMC and August was OBSESSED with Natalie. Very swoony, chefs kiss. Overall, this was a really fun read and I’m looking forward to Tessa’s next release!

Thanks to NetGalley, Avon/Harper Voyager, and Tessa Bailey for this eARC in exchange for my honest review!

I can always count on Tessa Bailey to write a hilarious, fun, and sexy romantic comedy! This book was no exception. I loved watching the enemies to lovers dynamic between August and Natalie play out over the course of this book (and in the first book of the series). The banter between the two of them was very entertaining. This book is definitely my favorite of the two in the series! (I thought Hallies character was a little too out there for my taste) The epilogue showing August as a girl dad was absolutely adorable. While I thoroughly enjoyed this book, it’s missing something for me that would push it to 5 star rating. Overall, this was a fun, light read that I would recommend to a friend! Thankful to have received an ARC!

Tessa Bailey brings readers back to Napa for the second installment of the Vine Mess series following Natalie Vos (sister to Julian) and August Cates, retired Navy Seal and failing winemaker.

I had such a great time traveling back to small town Napa for Natalie and August’s story in Unfortunately Yours. Tessa has blessed us with an enemies to lovers, marriage of convenience romance and it was so much fun and surprisingly sweet. This book is full of witty banter, a swoony and ultra protective hero and a heroine looking for a place to belong and a person to belong to. I can confidently say that Natalie finds that and more in August Cates.

August has been secretly worshiping Natalie; at times it is a secret even to him since their unfortunate argument at Wine Down Napa. He is intimidated by her social standing and finds her infuriating, but also the most attractive woman he has ever laid eyes on. Natalie finds August intolerable; he is grumpy and unpolished, but her traitorous body finds the Adonis irresistible.

This is one of my favorites from Tessa. I loved watching these two fall in love with each other. They are both secretly protective of one another and feel safe to just be despite their constant banter and verbal sparring. They just really get each other, and I love that they found a place to belong with each other. I adored how August makes Natalie wait till they are both emotionally invested to consummate their marriage.

Overall, I really liked this one. If you weren’t a fan of Secretly Yours, I would still give this one a try because it is so GOOD.

And an epilogue 8 years later, I am UNDONE.

Thank you so much to Avon Books for the early copy!

Unfortunately Yours
by Tessa Bailey
Pub Date: 06 Jun 2023
Avon and Harper Voyager, Avon
General Fiction (Adult) | Romance | Women's Fiction
Rating 4.25/5

Unfortunately Yours is hilarious, romantic, and filled with all the right elements for a delightful reading experience. Chandler Cates and Natalie Vos are polar opposites who love to butt their heads. This fun-to-read book features laugh-out-loud banter and strong attraction between the two leads.

Synopsis:
A sham marriage agreement will help Chandler and Natalie survive financially in the future. As long as they can live together for a few weeks after the wedding before divorcing, this goal is possible. Their master plan has only one flaw: their infuriating sexual attraction. It's an interesting problem they didn't anticipate.

Thank you NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager, Avon for the wonderful opportunity to review this book. I highly recommend Unfortunately Yours to romance readers.

Thanks to @avonbooks for sending me an advance copy of Unfortunately Yours by Tessa Bailey, out June 6th!

This is the second duology of Bailey’s that I’ve read, (shoutout to the Bellinger sisters) and both times I’ve loved the second book more than the first.

Natalie and August’s story picks up right where Hallie and Julian’s left off, but can be read as a stand-alone. Natalie and August have an undeniable attraction, but can’t stop taking shots at each other — until a bonkers proposal (literally) results in them joining forces.

The tropes:
✨he falls first
✨hate to love
✨marriage of convenience

In her author’s note at the beginning of the book, Bailey writes that she wanted to make enemies to lovers work by having incontrovertible proof that the hero has always loved the heroine, and I found that to be one of the best elements of this story! Natalie’s story strikes a less unhinged tone than her brother’s, but still feels true to TB’s silly, swoony, spicy storytelling, and as usual made for a great time.

5 SCORCHING, AMAZING, STARS! I am absolutely in love with this book. Let's start from the cover and move on through... Menace is on the cover and that in itself is just perfect. This type of cover has always been my favorite and I think this one was so well done. I wish August was a bit bigger because he seems larger than life in this book, but it's so cute and really eye catching.

From the introduction of August and Natalie in Julian and Hallie's book, I've been excited to see how their chemistry comes out in their own story. It did not disappoint at all! The way that August treats Natalie is nothing short of perfection. He is completely whipped by her, but he still keeps her on her toes and keeps the spark between them. Natalie is able to give as good as she gets when it comes to verbally sparring with the sexy Adonis she's become tangled with.

The fake marriage trope is one of my favorites and it's made even better when it comes out that the MMC was always crazy about the FMC. The angst level was very low, which I really appreciate, because sometimes I just want a feel good, sizzling love story. If you want spice, then this book is just the right choice. August has a filthy mouth and the chemistry, sexual tension, and interactions between these two will have you fanning yourself. Natalie is one lucky lady.

Epilogue for the win! I haven't swooned this much in a little while and getting a look into their future gave my heart butterflies and I just want to have more! Go read the first book so you can be ready for this one, they've quickly become some of my favorite Tessa Bailey books, neck and neck with The Bellinger Sisters duet!

I have been looking forward to this book since finishing Secretly Yours. While I loved Hallie and Julien, Natalie and August had me hooked from their first interaction in that book. Their volatile enemy-ship becomes a mutually beneficial relationship in this "fake marriage" adventure. Though, not a spoiler since this is a Romance, it doesn't stay fake for long at all. The spice level is incredible, the high intensity arguments of two hot headed folks translates well into the bedroom. I adored every moment of this book and loved seeing these two characters grow together to overcome their issues. Plus, an adorable orange cat named Menace? What's to lose!

Arc provided by NetGalley
4.5
In the first book of this series we are introduced to Natalie and August, whom have a pretty rough start (wine in the face kinda rough). In this story we see both characters trying to deal with each of their own struggles unsuccessfully. However, a marriage of convenience seems to be the best option for these two people who just can't seem to get along (besides their obvious physical attraction to each other). Both characters were very loveable once you see their perspectives. Nat and August probably have some of the best banter I have read. Their story was fun with a lot of different emotions flowing through both of them. This story can be read as a standalone but I would recommend reading the prior book, Secretly Yours.