It Happened One Summer

I've met Tessa Bailey at a couple of author events, and she is an absolute delight.  She's a hoot, very approachable and I'd totally have a beer with her (the highest of praise). She is known for her spicy Romances and It Happened On Summer is the first book in the Bellinger Sisters duology.

After one too many wild nights, 28-year-old impulsive, party-girl Piper and her younger sister Hannah are sent by their mom and stepdad to a small seaside town where Piper and Hannah spent their early childhood. It's time for Piper to grow up and learn some responsibility .. or so her parents hope.

Piper (who gives off a Schitt's Creek Alexis vibe) soon meets gruff sea captain Brendan who loves order. They have a bumpy start, but Brendan learns to slowly chip away at Piper's persona to find the person beneath. 

With an awesome strong sister bond between Piper and Hannah and some expected spicy scenes, the only thing that detracted from the story was the drama towards the end that was eye-roll worthy and so not necessary.

This book lived up to its hype. 

My Rating: 4 stars

Author: Tessa Bailey

Genre: Romance

Series: Bellinger Sisters 1

Type and Source: eAudio from public library

Narrator: Charlotte North

Run Time: 10 hours, 48 minutes

Publisher: HarperAudio

First Published: July 13, 2021

Read: December 29 - 31, 2024

Book Description from GoodReads: Tessa Bailey is back with a Schitt’s Creek-inspired rom-com about a Hollywood "It Girl" who's cut off from her wealthy family and exiled to a small Pacific Northwest beach town... where she butts heads with a surly, sexy local who thinks she doesn't belong.

Piper Bellinger is fashionable, influential, and her reputation as a wild child means the paparazzi are constantly on her heels. When too much champagne and an out-of-control rooftop party lands Piper in the slammer, her stepfather decides enough is enough. So he cuts her off, and sends Piper and her sister to learn some responsibility running their late father's dive bar... in Washington.

Piper hasn't even been in Westport for five minutes when she meets big, bearded sea captain Brendan, who thinks she won't last a week outside of Beverly Hills. So what if Piper can't do math, and the idea of sleeping in a shabby apartment with bunk beds gives her hives. How bad could it really be? She's determined to show her stepfather--and the hot, grumpy local--that she's more than a pretty face.

Except it's a small town and everywhere she turns, she bumps into Brendan. The fun-loving socialite and the gruff fisherman are polar opposites, but there's an undeniable attraction simmering between them. Piper doesn't want any distractions, especially feelings for a man who sails off into the sunset for weeks at a time. Yet as she reconnects with her past and begins to feel at home in Westport, Piper starts to wonder if the cold, glamorous life she knew is what she truly wants. LA is calling her name, but Brendan--and this town full of memories--may have already caught her heart.