Secretly Yours

Yesterday I had the pleasure of attending an author event for Tessa Bailey. Romance lovers were thrilled that she came to Kitchener where we filled the Kitchener Public Library's auditorium with romance lovers - which included many of my fellow bookstagrammers!

Honestly, it was one of the best author events I've been to (and I have been to MANY!). I can't remember laughing so much at an event. Nothing was off the table in terms of topics so with the spiciness of her books, you can imagine how things went. I still cannot stop thinking of male forearms. *swoon*

Secretly Yours is the first book in a new series for this seasoned romance author. It has the grumpy versus sunshine, opposites attract and second chance tropes, a beautiful small-town Napa Valley setting with characters you'll love to meet. Hallie is a chaotic and quirky gardener who has had a crush on Julian since high school. Julian, now a university prof on sabbatical, is ruled by his rigid schedule and is back in town to work on a book while staying at his family's vineyard. Naturally.

This story has its light moments (and great banter - I loved Lavinia and Natalie!), but also has depth with its focus on bigger issues - the impact of childhood trauma, anxiety, and dysfunctional families. And, of course, there are saucy bits where Bailey reminds readers of the power and sexiness that comes when a person confidently knows their own body.

I was a bit surprised that some parts got less page time than I had expected, namely the feud between the two wine bars and the secret admirer letters, but the romance was on point! We know Hallie and Julian are all kinds of attractive, but I loved that what really drew them to each other was their support of each other and .... their kindness. Whaa? Yup. Kindness and a good heart are underrated, folks! And sexy as hell.

This sweet and spicy romance is already in stores and would be the perfect light read for Valentine's Day! I cannot wait for June when the next book focuses on Julian's sister, Natalie. I will keep my fingers crossed that Tessa makes it back to Kitchener, Ontario on her next book tour. 

My Rating: 4 stars

Author: Tessa Bailey

Genre: Romance, RomCom

Series: #1 in A Vine Mess romance series

Type and Source: Trade Paperback, personal copy

Publisher: Avon Books (HarperCollins)

First Published: February 7, 2023

Book Description from GoodReads: A steamy new rom-com about a starchy professor and the bubbly neighbor he clashes with at every turn...

Hallie Welch fell hard for Julian Vos at fourteen, after they almost kissed in the dark vineyards of his family's winery. Now the prodigal hottie has returned to their small town. When Hallie is hired to revamp the gardens on the Vos estate, she wonders if she'll finally get that smooch. But the grumpy professor isn't the teenager she remembers and their polar opposite personalities clash spectacularly. One wine-fueled girls' night later, Hallie can't shake the sense that she did something reckless--and then she remembers the drunken secret admirer letter she left for Julian. Oh shit.

On sabbatical from his ivy league job, Julian plans to write a novel. But having Hallie gardening right outside his window is the ultimate distraction. She's eccentric, chronically late, often literally covered in dirt--and so unbelievably beautiful, he can't focus on anything else. Until he finds an anonymous letter sent by a woman from his past. Even as Julian wonders about this admirer, he's sucked further into Hallie's orbit. Like the flowers she plants all over town, Hallie is a burst of color in Julian's gray-scale life. For a man who irons his socks and runs on tight schedules, her sunny chaotic energy makes zero sense. But there's something so familiar about her... and her very presence is turning his world upside down.