- Title: Hook, Line, and Sinker
- Author: Tessa Bailey
- Publisher: Avon Books
- Pub. date: 1 March 2022
- Series: Bellinger Sisters #2
- Page count: 400
- Genres: adult, romance, contemporary
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…
You can check out my review of Book 1, It Happened One Summer here.
Content warnings: explicit sexual content
The second book in the Bellinger Sisters series recounts the story of Hannah and Fox, the handsome best friend. The story picks up almost in-sync with the latter half of It Happened One Summer with Hannah and Fox keeping up with each other via text messages. It is painfully obvious that these two share a mutual connection but with the long distance factor, they haven’t become anything more than best friends yet.
Then along comes a movie set that needs a small town setting and Hannah jumps at the chance to recommend Westport. Within a matter of weeks, Hannah ends up moving to the fishing town along with the rest of her LA. Better yet, she ends up having to room with Fox since Brendan and Piper are hosting Brendan’s parents at his place. And so ensues a bestfriends-to-lovers romance that captured my heart!
I already knew I liked Hannah and Fox from the first book, but this book really amped up how much I liked these two. Hannah was one of the most relatable female characters I have come across. She is used to being the supporting character in everyone else’s life but her journey to self-discovery in this book was so inspiring.
Fox had so much depth in this book as well and I just loved seeing this new side to Westport’s playboy. He was just so precious and I needed to wrap him up in bubble wrap and protect him from all the hurtful and mean things people have said about him. I can really see now how Brendan and Fox are best friends, as well as how Hannah and Fox bring out the best in each other.
Like always, I loved Tessa Bailey’s writing! Her prose is fun, heartfelt and conveys so much with just the right words! The pace was perfect and it gives the story just the right amount of levity and gravity that it needs.
I really liked how the story was set over a span of weeks but the characters themselves went over such growth in that time. I loved how Hannah and Fox didn’t have to spend time together 24/7, and that their romance was slow burn bestfriends-to-lovers. Their journey to each other was so heartfelt that the epilogue had me tearing up big-time!
What makes this story charming other than its characters is its small fishing town setting. I love the laidback and calm vibe of Westport, and how Hannah slowly grows to realise her place in this town. The emphasis on how this close-knit community is a family in a sense was heartwarming. And it was quite fitting to read about Westport when I am living in a beachside town as well!
Hook, Line, and Sinker was an excellent follow-up to It Happened One Summer with its small town setting, slow burn, steamy bestfriends-to-lovers romance and the absolute magic that Tessa Bailey brings into her stories. Bailey just snagged my heart with this duology centered on these sisters finding their true love, and I am definitely spoilt for life after meeting Brendan and Fox.
More Hook, Line, and Sinker content: Kayla’s review, Ingrid’s review, and Etta’s review
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.
Have you read Hook, Line, and Sinker or will you be picking it up?
