I may not be the biggest sports fan, but if mother Tessa Bailey writes a story about a hockey star, I am going to sprint to my local book store and possibly get into a physical altercation with anyone who tries to take my copy.

Sig is a professional hockey player and Chloe is a harp prodigy and trust-fund baby. They meet one night by chance at Chloe's country club, and Sig is hit over the head with love at first sight. He's obsessed, he's pining, he's YEARNING over this woman. After sharing one incredible, life-changing kiss, the clock runs out on their meet-cute, and they exchange numbers, promising to hang out later that night.

Little do they know, both Sig and Chloe leave the country club for their own night's commitments, but it turns out they are driving to the exact same restaurant. In a disastrous turn of events, Sig's dinner with his Dad also happens to be the same dinner Chloe is having with her Mom. They both knew they were going to dinner with their parent to meet their new partner, but it turns out Sig's Dad is with Chloe's Mom. And they are ENGAGED to be married!! Sig and Chloe are officially soon-to-be step-siblings.

Chloe has lived a very sheltered and privileged life with her Mom, and decides to go out on her own and move to Boston when a new job opportunity arises with a local orchestra. Sig also plays hockey for a Boston team, so they are now living in the same city and he is able to introduce Chloe to his teammates and his found family. They both know a romantic future isn't possible for them anymore, but that does not stop them from pining over each other throughout the whole book. Have I mentioned recently how much I love men who yearn????!!!

Quite taboo of you, Tessa!! Mini spoiler: I was a little worried about how all of this was going to pan out, but I promise you it's not weird. They figure out a solution by the end and live happily ever (and not as step-siblings)!

Please pick this one up if you love:
Sports Romance
Forced Proximity
Forbidden Romance
Happily Ever After

Thank you to NetGalley, Avon and Harper Voyager, and the author for sharing this book with me in exchange for my honest feedback!

I’ll read everything by Tessa! Loved the dynamic between these two, especially his intense need to help her as much as he could. The taboo of her being his stepsister also gave it an edge that was fun. She o it slightly annoyed me with how much he would pay for her cosmetics… a little naive but I appreciated everything else!

This one was kind of a mixed bag for me. The whole “we can’t be together because our parents are dating” setup didn’t totally land—I just didn’t buy the taboo when they met as adults and had no real sibling dynamic. It felt like unnecessary drama.

Chloe was hard to connect with. I wanted to root for her, but her helplessness got frustrating fast. And Sig was doing a lot for someone who didn’t seem to give much back. I didn’t quite feel the balance in their relationship.

There was strong chemistry, though, and if you like angst and steam, there’s plenty of that here. It just wasn’t the right fit for me, but I can see why others might love it.

Thank you to NetGalley for the free advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I've read all 3 books in the series so far, and I think this is my favorite. This was a very well-written and enjoyable book. I adored reading about Sig and Chloe, and I loved how they were honest about how they felt about each other and that there was no second guessing that. The dramatic tension throughout the book was well-done and definitely kept me on my toes! I never gave up hope that Sig and Chloe would be able to make it work. I love these two characters, and they were very well-rounded characters. They were just so sweet together! I loved the romance as well as the side plot. Overall, I really enjoyed the book and will recommend! Can't wait for more books in the series!!

This book is my favorite by Bailey to date! And, knowing that I’m incredibly late to doing this review, I’ll keep it brief.

I loved these two protagonists as if they were my own flesh and blood. Everything about their dynamic left me craving more. This read went by way too fast, making me want nothing more than to read it again and again!

This was good in a high drama kinda way. Honestly the drama was a bit much for me and kind of ridiculous, the main conflict was just not really a problem.
Sig and Chloe were precious. I appreciated their tension. Maybe a palate cleanser after something heavy
Thank you

Ever since I read the second book in this series, The Au Pair Affair, I was very intrigued with Sig and his unconventional relationship with his future step-sister, Chloe . The pseudo forbidden trope was handled really well. Loved the humor, the sweetness and the appearance of Pierre was a nice touch. Overall, a fantastic read. This author always gives us the spice and Sig definitely gives us that!

The final book in the trilogy and I could wait to get my hands on it! Such a great read and the slice 🥵🔥

Thank you NetGalley and Publisher!

This storyline is on the verge of taboo with step sibling romance. I had to battle with the is it inappropriate as they met before finding out about the parents engagement. And they are in their twenties as well.

The spice was spicy and I enjoyed the slow burn of the will they won’t they aspect. I love how Sig is such a golden retriever and moves mountains for the girl he knows can not be together.

I enjoyed the self growth from Chloe from being a spoiled rich girl to a fully accomplished independentish woman.

The tropes are super cute and is a quick and enjoyable read.

Thank you to NetGalley for offering me a. copy of this ARC (which I finally just got around to!). Tess Bailey books are touch and go for me, but I thought this one was great! Although it's insta-lovey and unrealistic from the get-go, the book never hides that this is going to be the premise and leans into it hardcore. Essentially, we are following Chloe and Sig, who have a meet-cute when Sig's truck breaks down outside of Chloe's country club. It's an immediate attraction and pull to one another. However, later that night they learn that Sig's dad is engaged to Chloe's mom, so it's an immediate no to any relationship that they wanted to have. Chloe ends up moving to Boston to pursue her music dreams (she's a harp prodigy) and Sig, a hockey player, is there to make sure she's okay. What follows is watching our characters fall in forbidden love and seeing how they navigate these concerns to somehow get to a happy ending. Is it the most realistic book ever? No. Is it funny and cute? Yes.

Thank you to Netgalley, Tessa Bailey and Avon and Harper Voyager for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was different from the usual Tessa Bailey books but still and enjoyable read.

The FMC is meant to be cute and quirky but it was almost too much. The naivety was too much.

I’ll read the next one because I always read Tessa Bailey but this definitely was not my favorite read by her.

The audio is great tho!

I recommend Tessa Bailey’s books. Read It Happened One Summer and Hook, Line, and Sinker. Read Fix Her Up (honestly, the whole series).

But I can’t recommend Dream Girl Drama.

I will say I LOVED the opening scene at the Country Club (although I’m confused about why a professional hockey player would be unwelcome at a Country Club)..

Beyond that, this book just had a lot of issues for me. The plot and pacing were all over the place. The central obstacle seemed like… not an obstacle at all. And the characters didn’t seem to have any real chemistry.

Two stars, because I did finish it, so it wasn’t horrible. But there are much better options out there by this author!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc!

OH MY FREAKING GOD.

Hands down my new favorite Tessa Bailey book!!

This book was literally everything. The insta love was soooo well done. The tension and horniness between Sig and Chloe? UNMATCHED!!!. I freaking adored their relationship and how it progressed. How Sig took care of Chloe from the start.

I did not see the twist at the end coming! I was a teeny bit let down not gonna lie but whatever helped them stay together in the end lol

Ok it wasn’t badly written but eww I cannot read about rich people .. it give me the ick

For some reason it’s not letting me give a one star review so I had to choose the 2 star …

future step siblings fall for each other but they didn't know! They meet at the country club, feel an instant spark, and well, they feel an instant spark of "oh shit" when they meet for dinner later that evening that's being hosted by their nearly-engaged parents. Yikes.

I always enjoy Tessa Bailey's books and this one was no different! I was dyinggggggg for Sig to make his move and he was so patient and understanding and UGHHHHH. I'm not actually mad about it lol. I also appreciate how much he stood up for Chloe, his true "dream girl".

Super cute, would definitely recommend!

Didn't even realize I had skipped across half the books in this series like little rocks on a pond, but thankfully was able to pick this right up and enjoy it without having to backtrack.

I think I just have to accept that Tessa Bailey isn’t for me. It seems like the smut was written first and the plot was build to have something between the smut scenes.

⭐⭐⭐
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

“𝘋𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳?"
"𝘐 𝘦𝘹𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘳.”

ooooookay...i really wanted to like this one. i loved the first book of this series, but every one has kind of gone hill since then. this had the potential to be really fun, but it ended up being more desperate and creepy??

once these two finally have sex, it's dang good. a classic tessa smutty scene. but outside of those, i couldn't handle this plot. especially because the ending is super rushed and wraps up so quickly that it whiplashed me.

if you like the other books in this series, i'd still give this one a try.

I have weird feelings about this book because on one hand i couldn't wait for their book to come out but then when i started reading it was a different feeling. It honestly kind of gave me the ick and i felt that a lot of his pining for her and insta-love for her was borderline pathetic for his character. I don't see it being realistic for a man to want to do and say a lot of the things he did, and it wouldve been different if it was like an overly possessiveness; but it wasn't completely that. I also just started to find her to be annoying with the "ive grown up with money and never had to figure out anything for myself" vibe. The way he took care of everything for her was getting to the point that it was just driving me insane. Also the last minute not his biological dad to solve all their problems just fell very flat for me. I was excited for this one but it just ended up not being good for me.