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…
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?
- Title: Hook, Line, and Sinker
- Author: Tessa Bailey
- Publisher: Avon
- Genre: Contemporary, Romance
- Targeted Age Range: Adult
- Content Warnings: Death of a parent, infidelity
- Rating: ★★★★
I picked up It Happened One Summer on a bit of a whim last month — everyone I know was reading it, I missed Schitt’s Creek, and of course, Alexis Rose), and was thoroughly charmed by the small town of Westport, Washington (which is apparently a 3 hour drive for me), and its cast of characters. As much as I loved Piper and Brendan, I couldn’t help but be invested in Hannah, Piper’s sister, and Fox, Brendan’s best friend. So you can only imagine my excitement when I realized Piper and Fox would be getting their own story!
Hook, Line, and Sinker takes place a couple months after the ending of It Happened One Summer, although you don’t necessarily have to read the first book to understand the events of the second. When the film Hannah’s working on ends up shooting in Westport, she crashes in Fox’s spare bedroom. Of course, there are other matters at hand that complicate things: the fact that they’re best friends, the fact that Brendan (and Piper) have repeatedly told Fox that Hannah’s “off-limits”, Hannah’s crush on her director, Fox’s playboy reputation… Hook, Line, and Sinker was everything I could’ve asked for. It’s adorable, has sizzling chemistry, and some of my favorite tropes.
From the blurb of Hook, Line, and Sinker, you already know what’ll happen — Fox will try to help Hannah win over her director, the two of them will fall in love, and everything will be okay. The pacing of Hook, Line, and Sinker is quite fast-paced, and honestly, I was so invested in Hannah and Fox’s will-they-won’t-they that I couldn’t put it down, even if I knew it was a romance novel, and those are usually predictable in some way.
Just like Fox, and the town of Westport, I was enamoured with Hannah. Having spent her entire life playing the supporting role and never the leading lady, it was truly a joy watching Hannah learn how to stand up for herself, both professionally and personally. She’s kind, loyal, encouraging, and sweet — all things that I love reading more about. Hannah’s character arc, which involves her speaking up for herself at work and asking for more opportunities, connecting to Westport, and going after what she wants were all things that were deeply relatable. And while I’m not usually a fan of most bad boy tropes, I couldn’t help but love Fox. He’s not really a “bad boy”, just a boy who is unfairly judged, and I loved how Bailey wrote him. Despite being a mostly lighthearted story, Hook, Line and Sinker also discusses how harmful initial judgments, and small comments can lead to toxic masculinity, and can be harmful to men too — which is something I really appreciated about it.
When we first met Fox and Hannah in It Happened One Summer, Fox is a bit of a playboy, but one who is intrigued by Hannah. And unlike his past flings, he genuinely cares about her and her interests, and becomes her best friend. Watching Fox and Hannah’s friendship develop, and watching Hannah break down Fox’s walls was just so heartwarming. By the end of Hook, Line, and Sinker, I simply wanted to give Fox a hug and say “I’m sorry”. Together, Fox and Hannah make each other better — Hannah shows Fox he’s more than what other people think of him, his reputation, and his looks, and Fox shows Hannah what’s out there if she just speaks up for herself every once in a while. Without each other, I think it would’ve taken the two of them a lot longer to grow as characters: Hannah wouldn’t be able to see herself as “leading lady” status as quickly, and Fox wouldn’t have been able to settle down, or take his promotion.
Hook, Line, and Sinker is a perfect summer read. I’ve never been one for small towns and beaches, but the It Happened One Summer series might’ve converted me!
Links for Hook, Line and Sinker: Goodreads | TheStorygraph | Bookshop | IndieBound
Tessa Bailey aspires to three things. Writing hot and unforgettable, character-driven romance, being a good mother and eventually sneaking onto the judging panel on a reality show baking competition. She lives on Long Island, New York with her husband and daughter, writing all day and rewarding herself with a cheese plate and Netflix binges in the evening. If you want sexy, heartfelt, humorous romance with a guaranteed happy ending, you’ve come to the right place.
