Book details
Secretly Yours (A Vine Mess #1) by Tessa Bailey
Published February 1, 2023 by Avon US
RRP AUD $22.99
★★★★☆
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.
Review
I LIVE LAUGH LOVE TESSA BAILEY
Tessa’s books are literally sunshine in paper form, and I will not hear any other arguments. I always know what to expect, and it’s a silly, fun and cute romance read with just the right amount of seriousness and and complexity. I’m really loving how fun and summery her newer books, and this one is no exception!
Secretly Yours was SO adorable, it’s set in a small town where a lot of vineyards are, and even though I know literally nothing about wine, the vibes were solid. Hallie is an extremely chaotic gardener with the most pure heart, and Julian is the complete opposite of Hallie in every way. Hallie fell for Julian way back when they nearly kissed when she was fourteen, but after he moved away, she thought that was it. Until he came back. Julian’s a grumpy professor who just wants to sit down and write his novel, but finds himself becoming more and more distracted by Hallie as she revamps the gardens directly outside his window. Hallie, needing to express her feelings somewhere after a wine-fueled evening, leaves a secret admirer letter for Julian and the story progresses from there.
I absolutely loved Hallie’s character, she was a golden retriever in human form, pure sunshine and the kindest intentions, even if things get SUPER chaotic. She perfectly complimented Julian’s stormy, quiet personality. I thought everything was so much fun! I liked that Julian was different to Tessa’s usual super alpha male type leads, and I adored the chaos, conflict and unhinged thoughts I could see from them both HAHAH! The secret admirer letters were cute, but not my favourite thing to see in romance novels ebth. The tension was there, but mostly stemmed from internal conflicts within the characters and was because of how different their personalities are, but I still thoroughly enjoyed it!
Tesssa’s books are honestly so much fun to read, I know I can pick them up at any time for a fun summery read and I really appreciate that! They’re always funny and romantic, and works perfectly to help break up the darker/heavier fantasy and romance books I like to rotate between. I would absolutely recommend this, but I’d suggest to go into them for the vibes hehe.
I received a review copy from the publisher, this does not change nor affect my opinion in anyway.
About the Author
New York Times Bestselling author Tessa Bailey can solve all problems except for her own, so she focuses those efforts on stubborn, fictional blue collar men and loyal, lovable heroines. She lives on Long Island avoiding the sun and social interactions, then wonders why no one has called. Dubbed the “Michelangelo of dirty talk,” by Entertainment Weekly, Tessa writes with spice, spirit, swoon and a guaranteed happily ever after. Catch her on TikTok at @authortessabailey or check out tessabailey.com for a complete list of books.
Shanayah Reads 