Review: Hook, Line, and Sinker by Tessa Bailey

Hook, Line, and Sinker by Tessa Bailey
Series: Bellinger Sisters, Book 2
Publisher: Avon
Genre: Contemporary Romance 

ISBN: 9780063045699
Release Date: March 1, 2022
Source: Publisher
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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?

Hook, Line, and Sinker is friends-to-lovers romance at its finest. Tessa Bailey returns to the small fishing town of Westport, Washington and pairs up music-loving Hannah Bellinger and king crab fisherman Fox Thornton. The result is a fast-paced, engaging romance that will make you smile one moment and tug on your heartstrings the next.

Fox broke my heart. The handsome relief skipper is used to his good looks attracting women and the razzing he gets from everyone in Westport. But beneath the carefree surface is a deeply wounded man with low self-esteem. Toxic masculinity and oversexualization from a young age have chipped away at how he sees himself. He doesn’t think anyone – even those he loves the most – will ever take him seriously and doesn’t try because of that. But he’s a kind man with a huge heart and a sharp mind who is so easy to fall for. I loved that Hannah saw him, got beneath the surface, and wouldn’t compromise. She wouldn’t let Fox devalue himself and she fought for him and for what they could have. Hannah is at a crossroads in her life when she comes to Westport. She sees herself as supporting actress material, but not leading lady. Just like she does for him, Fox sees Hannah for all that she is. He supports her, urges her to step out from the shadows and into the sun, putting her skills and talents to use. I loved watching both of them come into their own over the course of the story.

Separately, Hannah and Fox are great characters. But together they’re absolute dynamite. There’s a lot of push-pull between them, but it makes sense and Bailey makes every bump in the road to happily ever after worth it. Fox and Hannah have fantastic chemistry; their banter made me smile, the sexual tension was sizzling, and the way they supported one another captured my heart. I loved every page of Hook, Line, and Sinker, from the zippy text messages to the unexpectedly sweet moments to the spicy bedroom scenes to the heartbreaking and heartwarming character development. I cannot wait to revisit Hannah and Fox again and again and again!



FTC Disclosure: I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.