Series Name: A Vine Mess, #2
Although yesterday, for a very brief window, she’d been on a two-person team. With the most unexpected of allies. August. Maybe that’s why she was awake so early – again – trying to sear images from her desired timeline into her brain. Because it had been a little too easy to call a truce with August and let herself just … be. Be okay with that big arm slung around her hip and his prickly chin rating on top of her head, nuzzling her hair every so often.
Unfortunately Yours is my new favourite Tessa Bailey novel!
After losing her job and her fiancé in one fell swoop, Natalie Vos returned home to lick her wounds. A few months later, she’s sufficiently drowned her sorrows in cabernet and she’s ready to get back on her feet. She just needs her trust fund to finance her new business venture. Unfortunately, the terms require she marry before she can have the money. And well, dumped, remember?
But Natalie is desperate enough to propose to a man who makes her want to kill him—and kiss him, in equal measure.
August Cates may own a vineyard, but he doesn’t know jack about making wine. He’s determined to do his late best friend proud, no matter what it takes. Except his tasting room is empty, his wine is disgusting (seriously, he once saw someone gag), and his buddy’s legacy is circling the drain. No bank will give him the loan he needs to turn the business around… and then the gorgeous, feisty heiress knocks on his door.
Natalie has haunted August’s dreams since the moment they met, but their sizzling chemistry immediately morphed into simmering insults. Now, a quickie marriage could help them both. A sham wedding, a few weeks living under the same roof, and then they can go their separate ways—assuming they make it out alive. How hard could it be?
There’s just one thing they didn’t account for: their unfortunate, unbearable, undeniable attraction.
Ok, I need everyone to read this book so we can squeal about it together. Unfortunately Yours has shot to the top of the list as my favorite Tessa Bailey book ever. It will probably be one of my favorite reads of 2023. Unfortunately Yours has the heat, zany characters and laugh out loud moments that we love with a Tessa book. And it also has an incredible amount of empathy and softness. August and Natalie are my new end-goal couple. I want what they have and will not settle for less. Unfortunately Yours is a must read book of the summer filled with a fake marriage of convenience, enemy to lovers story line that will have you cheering out loud.
Natalie and August: oh my god. These two are so great together. Natalie was one of my favourite characters from Secretly Yours and I was so excited to learn more about her: she’s smart, successful and has a lot of hidden hurts. What happened? Luckily August is also fascinated by her. The gruff ex Navy SEAL has seen a lot of shit in his life but is completely undone by Natalie. I loved watching him slowly open up to her and share his soft spots with her. Natalie has never had anyone else put her first and August is happy to put her first in every situation. While the sex is scorching (naturally: this is a Tessa Bailey book) the intimacy that is built between Natalie and August is so raw and real and made me want to clutch the two of them together and squish both of them. In August I think Tessa has created the perfect book boyfriend: I am completely in love with him and all of his layers and his vulnerability. He knows he’s not perfect and he’s not expecting Natalie to be perfect but he is willing to work for their fake relationship to be real because he knows it’s worth it. It helps that he falls first and is constantly working to show and not just tell her what a treasure she is. SWOON.
I loved returning to Vos Vineyards and seeing how the dysfunctional Vos family was going to handle Natalie’s obviously fake engagement and shotgun wedding. We also get to check in and see how Hallie is adapting to being Julian’s girlfriend and let’s just say she’s as charming and chaos-causing as always. Thank goodness! I need this to be made into a movie or a TV show STAT. Read this book only if you’re ready for a book hangover. You’ll want to dive in again instantly after you finish it the first time. If you don’t have our own ex Navy SEAL to keep you company while you read it, I recommend reading this book with a crisp glass of wine.
Thank you HarperCollins Canada for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.