Secretly Yours: A Novel (Vine Mess, 1) Paperback – February 7, 2023

Secretly Yours by Tessa Bailey is a steamy opposites-attract romantic comedy featuring Hallie Welch and Julian Vos. Hallie had a crush on Julian when she was fourteen and they almost kissed in his family’s vineyard. It’s fifteen years later and she still has forgotten him. He’s come home to St. Helena in the Napa Valley of California to write a historical fiction novel. As Hallie gardens outside his window, Julian gets distracted and Hallie gets drunk one night and leaves a secret admirer letter for him to find. Will they get their happily ever after together or is there another future for them?Hallie is the proprietor of Becca’s Blooms and is a premier gardener in the local area. She’s still reeling from her grandmother’s death and has become somewhat untethered. She’s impulsive, late, flighty, clever, immature for her age, and disorganized. Julian keeps to a rigid schedule. He’s organized, exacting, and efficient. However, he is also protective of others and quick to find solutions.This is a funny and light read with several steamy scenes and well-developed characters. Themes include romance, crushes, helping others, family, secrets, community, and much more. My main quibbles are that I wanted more tension and obstacles as well as some of the actions of Tessa were improper and unprofessional.Overall, this is an entertaining and light book, but not very memorable.I purchased a copy of this novel. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. Publication date was February 7, 2023.

Secretly Yours is a sweet romcom set in cozy small-town wine country with a cast of endearing characters, plenty of lols, and TB’s signature spice.This felt a bit different from TB’s previous books with a story driven by the main characters and their growth. That being said, I truly enjoyed living inside the MCs’ heads. TB gives her characters such depth and personality that they evolve from words on a page to taking on a life of their own. They’re relatable, imperfect, and endearing.FMC Hallie is creative, charming, messy, and impulsive. She treats time and deadlines as suggestions, and the idea of planning sends her running in the other direction. She’s a loveable bundle of chaos who will go to great lengths for the people she cares for.MMC Julian is, to be frank, an uptight control freak (I say this AS an uptight control freak). He plans his time down to the minute to maximize efficiency, and has no concept of - wait for it - stopping to smell the flowers (yw). So imagine his surprise when a chaotic, dirt-covered lady with an unruly pack of dogs becomes the object of his distraction during what was supposed to be a regimented summer of novel writing.The MCs are peak grumpy/sunshine vibes with their own personal twists. There are so many sweet moments throughout their romance that you’ll feel your heart squeeze.Ultimately, the main theme here is about growth– which is apt given Hallie’s work. They gain self-confidence while recognizing the importance of having people who are a stabilizing force and love you no matter what.TB does a great job of peppering in plenty of banter, shenanigans, and spice to counterbalance the angst. I really fell more in love with the characters than some of the story’s elements. There were a few things that felt out of place, especially (and ironically) the secret admirer letters.Overall, I really enjoyed this one and I’m excited for the next book in this series. If it’s not already, I definitely recommend adding this to your TBR!

It's tough knowing where to begin, but maybe I'll start off with the fact that sometimes I'm glad I took a chance on a really hyped book. I can hardly scroll through my timeline without seeing at least something from Tessa Bailey!Now I understand why.I don't normally read 'funny' or 'comedic' books. That being said, I would classify this as more of a lighthearted book, though it did have some humorous moments! If you enjoy quirky heroines, and extremely uptight, starchy heroes, this will likely be your jam! Does it require a suspension of belief? Yes. Did that matter to me? No, not in this instance. As long as I'm vibing, I will roll with it.Hallie and Julian really could not be any more opposite from each other. On the one hand, we have a woman who is as quirky and bumbling as her three dogs, and is not afraid to get her hands dirty. On the other hand, we have a rigid, professorial hero that hates disfunction or anything disturbing his routine and is a cinnamon roll at heart. (I love him already.) As the old phrase goes, they were perfectly imperfect for each other. What they learn in their courtship process is that there can be a happy, satisfying compromise between their two worlds, and that their worlds can--and should--exist together.Yes, this is the miscommunication trope on steroids. Yes, the secret admirer aspect is cutesy and we have a third act breakup. And yes, there's really not much conflict in the book other than the miscommunication. But sometimes, you just need a cute, feel-good read that's uncomplicated, ok? To me, this was one of those rare books where all of these things combined into a great story, with a great message: the people around can inspire you to grow into a better version of yourself and inspire you try something outside of your comfort zone.Lots of spice. Lots of swoonworthy moments. And the ending? Probably the greatest grand gesture of all time. So. Freaking. Cute.Overall, a great balance of humor, heat, and heart.

The book itself was very enjoyable to read, I loved the characters but some of them definitely have a odd quality to them

Un cadre bien choisi, deux personnages attachants avec leurs failles et leurs espérances....Mais de vraies faiblesses dans la narration et la structure qui diminuent la fluidité de lecture, des invraissemblances et des longueurs aussi qui donnent envie de passer certaines pages.

Loved it. Such a unique book with a very special cast of ppl. It was sweet and innocent but also scorching hot. A beautiful array of thoughts and such cute language. Oh my. I really, really liked it.

I managed to put this down and sleep - but it was a very near thing - I could have just kept reading and reading. I loved this book - although I am male, 75 and British - some books just bridge everything.

Typiskt Tessa Bailey bok. Läs!