Hi everyone!
Today I bring to you a book review- classic and simple- for a recent read that I really, really, loved!
I'm a huge fan of romance reads, and they're perfect for getting you out of a slump. Tessa Bailey is a well-known romance author, and her recent release, Hook, Line, Sinker, the second book in the Bellinger series has been creating a lot of buzz.
This book was a highly anticipated release of mine because I had read a couple of books by Tessa Bailey before- Fix Her Up, Love Her or Lose Her, Rules of Engagement (Hot and Hammered series) and I think those stories were good, but still, personally something with them didn't click with me and I couldn't give any of them more than 3 or 3.5 stars.
But I was sure that I liked the author's writing and I wanted to try out more of her works. When I heard all the praises about It Happened One Summer, and then subsequently read the synopsis of Hook, Line, Sinker as well, I was all for it.
I already have such a soft spot for friends to lovers, and combined with the boy-falls-first trope, it just became an irresistible package.
Synopsis
King crab fisherman Fox Thornton has a reputation as a sexy, carefree flirt. Everyone knows he's a guaranteed good time--in bed and out--and that's exactly how he prefers it. Until he meets Hannah Bellinger. She's immune to his charm and looks, but she seems to enjoy his... personality? And wants to be friends? Bizarre. But he likes her too much to risk a fling, so platonic pals it is. Now, Hannah's in town for work, crashing in Fox's spare bedroom. She knows he's a notorious ladies' man, but they're definitely just friends. In fact, she's nursing a hopeless crush on a colleague and Fox is just the person to help with her lackluster love life. Armed with a few tips from Westport's resident Casanova, Hannah sets out to catch her coworker's eye... yet the more time she spends with Fox, the more she wants him instead. As the line between friendship and flirtation begins to blur, Hannah can't deny she loves everything about Fox, but she refuses to be another notch on his bedpost. Living with his best friend should have been easy. Except now she's walking around in a towel, sleeping right across the hall, and Fox is fantasizing about waking up next to her for the rest of his life and... and... man overboard! He's fallen for her, hook, line, and sinker. Helping her flirt with another guy is pure torture, but maybe if Fox can tackle his inner demons and show Hannah he's all in, she'll choose him instead? In the follow-up to It Happened One Summer, Tessa Bailey delivers another deliciously fun rom-com about a former player who accidentally falls for his best friend while trying to help her land a different man...
My Review
“You can’t live life worrying about what people will think. You’ll wake up one day, look at the calendar, and count the days you could have spent being happy. With her.
Now let's come to talking about the actual book. I wouldn't say that it was something unique or completely different. I think that it employed so many of the familiar and popular tropes to its advantage. It combined all the tropes like forced proximity, roommates, friends-to-lovers, and redressed and executed them in such a way that it was incredible.
writing style
Tessa Bailey writes angst and tension like a pro, and I love angst. The way she established several things about the characters and built up the tension from the very first page is her great mark as an author. Her previous books may not have hit the mark for me, but this one was a bullseye. It is a matter of preference, as I mentioned with the tropes.
Tessa Bailey's writing style was angsty and emotional and a perfect fit for this story.
the characters
Then we come to the characters. People who have read Piper's book in the series would have had a glimpse of Hannah and maybe even Fox's character, but obviously, I hadn't so it was my first impression.
The book starts with a short chapter of text messages between the two characters, Hannah and Fox. We instantly get to know about their shared love of music. They have an instant rapport with each other and they continue texting for months, building a great, deep, friendship online- strictly platonic of course. But sometimes they do toe the line in between.
“You make me feel like I’m in the exact right place,” He exhaled into her neck kissing it reverently. “Nothing to run or hide from. Nothing I want to avoid.”
tropes and the plot
The real twist comes when the miles of distance between them is eliminated because Hannah is coming to Westport (the town where her sister lives, and Fox works on a ship there) with the entire film crew for shooting a film shes working on, and this is going to be her big opportunity to assert herself promotion in her job. Unfortunately, as fate would have it, she can't stay with her sister and will have to stay in Fox's apartment instead.
So there you have the forced proximity as well and a girl does it do wonders to the tension and angst.
“I didn’t know what right felt like until you,” he choked out. “I’m holding on to the good you give me. I’m holding on to you.”
the romance and stakes
But there are stakes. Reasons they can't give it to the attraction between them (because trust me, they do quite often- and sue you me for loving it when Fox does it- acknowledge how attractive or amazing and smart the other person is.)
Whether it is the people around them or their internal demons, they are reminded repeatedly of how a relationship between them can't work, or more accurately, how Fox is a complete playboy... heartbreaker... not suitable for being in a relationship...blah blah blah.
We get a glimpse of why Fox has such a strong reputation about him, the backstory, and just how much being shoved into this box has been a punch to his self-esteem in a way. How much he resents it, even though he obviously has played it up from his side as well. But we see that he feels as if he's been forced into the role of the lady's man.
"Word to the wise, don't ever learn the harmonica while you have braces."
"Hannah. Oh, God. No." His head fell back briefly, a laugh puffing out of him. "What happened?"
"Our parents were in the Mediterranean, so we walked to our neighbor's house and they were in France-"
"Ah, yes, Typical neighborhood problems."
Then there is Hannah, who's getting ready to be "a leading lady", to quote her own words. Someone who has asserts herself takes full advantage of opportunities, someone who isn't just sidelined to fetching coffee for the higher-ups. You get the gist.
"Hannah Bellinger had always been more of a supporting actress than a leading lady. The hype girl. If she’d lived in Regency England, she would be the second at every duel, but never wield the pistol."
Making the shoot in Westport successful is a chance to prove herself. She has found a great friend and confidante in Fox, but no matter how amazing their chemistry is, she is set on being platonic friends only. And that in itself is a surprising yet bittersweet thing for him because finally, a woman loves him for his companionship and accepts his flaws, and doesn't confine him to what she can get from his physical appearance.
The way these characters are written, as well as their backstories and the whole small-town setting with all its gossip from neighbors and backpack, plus all the soft, mushy feelings this book made me feel created an extremely enjoyable reading experience. I highly highly recommend picking this one up.
“Do you ever get so happy, you can barely stand it?”
Time to Chat!
Thank you so much for reading! I hope you liked this post. As it was obvious, I highly recommend picking this one up. Do let me know any of your thoughts in the comments down below!
Until next time,
Bye!
I really enjoyed the Hot & Hammered series, but I'm not sure I'll enjoy this new series. I'll definitely give it a chance though.