Wh doesn't love a forbidden romance?! This one for me was a bit much though. I do typically like a damsel in distress, but can handle her stuff type of FMC but Chloe was borderline toddler behavior for half of the book. The chemistry between these two was undeniable but I think I just needed a bit more romance.

What an emotional ride! I loved Sig and Chloe’s chemistry throughout the whole book. Sig’s dedication to a girl who was totally opposite of him is swoon worthy! 10/10 live this and am so happy Tessa Bailey nailed it again! Will be rereading this until the hottie baseball romance that is next to bat!

I adore Tessa Bailey and have loved every single book she writes! This was a grand slam for me and I cannot wait for more books!!!

This was my favorite book so far out of the 2 previous books. I couldn't put it down and finished in less than 12 hours. The chemistry was palpable, and the author did something that made this book almost an automatic win for me. Instead of going back and forth on a timeline with flashbacks, she went from beginning to end, even though some of the events overlapped with previous books. I LOVED that. Like I got my connection to book 2 in the very beginning and got details to unexplained stories right off the bat. I saw where they started even with the overlaps of book 2 straight on to the end.
I loved the characters, and I thought Chloe was an absolute stereotypical airhead and that this book was going to be hard to read, but she showed up! And Sig was a golden retriever who LIVED for this girl.
This was an insta-love, BUT it worked for them because this story didn't need to be a "deny their feelings until a cataclysmic event happens and they don't want to be apart ever again." This book had YEARNING and adoration, which I've missed out on a lot of books these past few years.
It was a win Tessa!!!

Ever since I got a glimpse of these two characters, I’ve been dying to read their story,. and Tessa really put the puck in the net! I was a little worried because these tropes are hard to do right (step-siblings in particular).

Chloe is a child music prodigy who was sheltered and spoiled, but her character really comes into her own throughout the book. The spoiled princess character is usually hard no for me t, but Chloe somehow made it charming instead of annoying.

Sig is a pro hockey player who grew up poor and without an active dad but works hard to support his mom. He absolutely spoils Chloe and treats her like a princess and I am a total sucker for a “touch her and die” trope.

Sig and Chloe meet in a whirlwind of attraction when his truck breaks down at a Connecticut country club, only to find out hours later that their parents are engaged. The absolute angst that Tessa Bailey delivers in this one had me sweating! The forbidden aspect of the relationship really worked for me, despite not being explicitly talked about. The juxtaposition was done so well. It starts out with insta-love, but since they are soon-to-be-related-ish, the slow burn had time to really develop. It helped to provide a chance for Sig and Chloe’s relationship to deepen past the instant connection.

I will forever read whatever fun creation that Tessa Bailey puts out! I cannot wait for book four, “Pithcer Perfect.” Baseball? YES PLEASE!

I've read the first two books in this series (Fangirl Down is still my favorite) and was very excited to continue on in this series. Overall, this was a quick and enjoyable read, but was my least favorite in the series. I thought the book was a little too insta-lovey and couldn't fully understand why Sig was so into Chloe. I also had a difficult time fully connecting to Chloe, the FMC, which I think is a me problem. The FMC grew up sheltered and completely dependent on others which I just can't relate to. She's also very manic pixie dream girl which is one of my least favorite types of FMCs. On the plus side, I was bought into Sig as the MMC and Sig and Chloe's chemistry.

You also definitely do have to suspend disbelief about reality to enjoy this book. I wasn't 100% sure that the reason they couldn't be together would be that big of a deal in reality, but maybe I just have too open of a mind?

Compared to the rest of the series, I thought this book was on the milder side on the spice scale.

I think I have a guess as to which characters the next book might be about and will definitely be reading the next book in the series!

Overall, I would recommend this book if you liked the first 2 books and the series and liked or are curious about Chloe and/or Sig.

Thanks to NetGalley and Avon/Harper Voyager for the e-ARC!

Sig and Chloe’s forbidden love story will captivate you, drawing you into their complex emotions and making you yearn to know their fate. The writing is masterful, evoking a range of feelings—laughter, tears, joy, and even anger. The steamy romance will ignite your passion, leaving you yearning for more. This book is definitely worth seeking out to discover the thrilling journey of Sig and Chloe!

Full of Tessa’s signature spice and obsessed MMCs, with just a touch of taboo. I read this in one day because I was hooked so fast- can’t wait for the next hot athlete in the series!

This book is the third book in this interconnected standalone series by Tessa Bailey. It follow the story of Sig and Chloe, two people who meet and have instant chemistry only to find out they shouldn’t. Let me start off by saying Tessa Bailey is an auto buy author for me and will continue to be so. However, I had to stop reading this book at around 80%. I know that some romance stories are insta love, and normally that doesn’t bother me. But the way these two describe loving each other SO deeply after just meeting was wild to me. It gave me the ick. I felt like most of the chapters were just “omg I would die without this person”. Maybe I just read it at a bad time but out of all three books in this series this one was my least favorite.

This book was full of things that usually make me crazy.

Step-siblings? No, thank you.

Slow burn? I'd rather die.

BUT IN WALKS TESSA BAILEY WITH HER PERFECT CHARACTERS

No seriously - I loved this book. I also read it in one sitting, because I quite literally could not put it down. I barely stopped to go to the bathroom let alone function like a person in any meaningful way.

Please read this immediately upon its release - you will not regret it!

eARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

This was a bit of a slow burn with the chemistry building a little bit of a taboo romance that I just couldn’t stop reading. I was living for the passion between Sig and Chlo. I was about to explode as I waited for it to build, and build and build…. And that final twist that I just wasn’t expecting!! I loved how Sig cheered her on the whole way through. I mean, step-brother, lover, bestie, whatever he was she was so lucky and blessed to have a man like that in her life. Where exactly do I find one? Could someone point me in the right direction. I would be seriously grateful. And Chlo brought the fun and adventure to Sig’s life to keep things interesting. All the things he did for her just made my heart turn to mush. I found myself laughing out loud at this book and I also shed some tears… like more than some. It was such a good story. I enjoyed it immensely. I cannot wait for the next Tessa Bailey book!

Thank you so much Tessa Bailey, NetGalley and Avon for the ARC.

I am really enjoying this series! I am excited for the next ones already. I actually loved the ending on this one!

For a Tessa book, this one started off as a flop for me, but I persevered and ended up loving it. I think that was mostly up to personal preference though, as I like more of a slow burn and this was an instant fall in love, crash out type of love. Definitely give it a “big shot.”

✨Dream Girl Drama✨
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
I was so excited when I received this book. The Hot Shot series are some of the only TB books I’ve actually enjoyed. However, something about this one just felt…weird to me.

When Sig and Chloe meet for the first time, neither of them know that they are about to become step-siblings. Even though they want to be together, they know they can’t be. The tension and angst is a sloowww burn, but it’s so good. Sig is just a little too protective for my liking. More controlling..but that really might just be personal experience speaking there. He really just gave me the ick.

Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed the book. It was an easy read and there are a lot of really cute parts of this book! Thank you to Avon Books and NetGalley for an e-arc of this book!

While this is not my favorite TB book, it was still okay. I really didn’t understand what the issue was with them saying as step siblings…? Sig and Chloe are both grown ass adults in their mid-twenties so I really didn’t see the issue there but I must be missing something. Chloe really was not my favorite. She was so helpless and clueless and very manic pixie dream girl and it was kind of annoying by the time i got halfway through the book. And while i loved Sig he was such an enabler of Chloe that it was kind of ick. The spice was 🔥🔥 so that kind of saved it for me. And I will definitely be reading the next book.

Thank you again NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book early!

Unfortunately for me Tessa Bailey's books are usually a hit or miss and this one is definitely a miss.

I did not read the premise before requesting this book (just the author) and boy I should have!

The first chapter of the book started out strong for me but once the plot started unfolding I had a difficult time maintaining interest. It took me forever to finish this book and I really was trying to give it a shot. I did not find the main characters as endearing as some of Tessa Bailey's others and so it was difficult for me to root for them.

Dream Girl Drama is probably the most sexually frustrating and tension filled Tessa Bailey I have ever read. Sig and Chloe deserve an award for holding out as long as they did cause my goodness I was frustrated for them. They had a connection from their very first meeting only to have it derailed by their parents but they didn’t let it stop them from being in each other’s lives even if it wasn’t how they wanted to be.

Sig had it BAD for Chloe and he moved heaven and earth to be there for her and couldn’t stand the thought of them not being together even when they weren’t together. I loved how Chloe was able to spread her wings and gain some independence and really pushed herself to be the best harpist and not just rely on her natural ability once she met Sig.

Huge fan of the set up for the next book in this series Pitcher Perfect!! A hockey and baseball romance story? Sign. Me. Up. I missed seeing Josephine and Wells (Fangirl Down) but we did see Tallulah and Burgess (The Au Pair Affair) since Sig and Burgess play together on the Bearcats.


Thank you @avonbooks @tessabaileyisanauthor and @netgalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest feedback

I’m usually a fan of Bailey’s romances but I just did not get this one. Why was he so obsessed with her after 5 minutes and willing to pay for everything? Plus she was so spoiled and naive that it was not attractive at all. I feel like there could have been something there if the build up made more sense but overall just not for me.

Thank you so much to Tessa Bailey & Avon for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion!
Love love love this book!! Sig and Chloe... I was so excited about reading this book after Au Pair Affair (and of course Fan Girl Down) and when I found out I was chosen to get an ARC I was excited beyond belief!
So, the book! I love this story and it reminds me so much of Piper and Brendan, the instant chemistry and just love you can feel coming off the page is amazing! I don't know how Tessa does this time after time!! The tension is so thick you could cut it with a knife and when it finally snaps... it was worth the wait! The only thing I wanted in the end was a little more story of their HEA, but part of me felt like we could see and feel it throughout the book.
5 out of 5 and 10 out of 10 in spiciness!

OH HELL NO

i hated this:
(1) the romance sucked. there was no reasoning behind WHY these characters liked each other. they're hot i guess?
(2) the "manic pixie dream girl" was actually for real. like for REAL. why tessa? the characters needed more grounding.
(3) more of a nuanced point, but I think that sig's "protection" of chloe was somewhat problematic. I get that she's never had to think about money before, but hiding the truth about the consequences of her actions from her is NOT okay. he infantilizes her SO MUCH and treats her more like the idea of a lover rather than a real person. ***
(4) the alpha maleness was CRAZY. like fellas, women CAN have platonic relationships with men. and ladies, men CAN have platonic relationships with women. I'm so sick of tessa and her alpha male nonsense. like please, chloe can choose her own friends. you don't own her, sig.
(5) and the "twist" to fix the relationship was STUPID. like duh of course it would come out that chloe and sig were not related. but like... there's no tangible difference since sig grew up thinking harold was his father? so for all intents and purposes, they are step-siblings?? but also, THEY'RE GROWN UPS??? WHY DO PEOPLE CARE SO MUCH?? like it's a tad strange (i wouldn't do it), but my perspective on the relationship doesn't change just because of a paternity test.

thank you avon for the arc!


*** expanding on this point a bit because I think it's key in critiquing this book fairly. emotional ab*se functions in many different ways. one way it can manifest is not teaching someone life skills (so they can never escape the ab*ser). obviously, ab*se is a strong claim to make, and it shows up more in the chloe/her mom dynamic. however, sig's refusal to treat chloe like an adult and to teach her real life skills like budgeting is still problematic. it's not sexy. it's wrong.