Hook, Line, and Sinker
2022 • 400 pages
Ratings45
Average rating3.6
15
Ratings45
Average rating3.6
AN INSTANT #1 NEW YORK TIMES AND #1 USA TODAY BESTSELLER 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?
Series
2 primary booksBellinger Sisters is a 2-book series with 2 primary works first released in 2021 with contributions by Tessa Bailey.
Reviews with the most likes.
I'm reluctant about ever piking up a TikTok recommendation again, because what the hell was this? I initially liked Fox (the name???) a little more than Brendan since he didn't grunt as often as the latter did. The epilogue was the only thing halfway decent about this book. Hannah remains the “supporting actress” and plays the role of a therapist perfectly. There's a huge lack of diversity within the book (who's surprised?) in addition to lackluster smut.
(Excuse any typos... it's literally 4a.m. and I'm mad for wasting my time on this book)
This is a delicious slow burn, friends to lovers romance. Hannah and Fox are first introduced in It Happens One Summer. Hannah being the supportive younger sister of Piper and Fox being Brendan's friend and fellow fisherman. We see glimpses of Hannah and Fox's friendship building in IHOS so when the opportunity arose to read their story early, I jumped on it.
In Hook, Line, and Sinker, Hannah's work brings her back to the tiny fishing town of Westport. In need of a place to stay, Fox offers up his guest bedroom despite warnings from Piper and Brendan to not get involved. What ensues is the continual build of a friendship that quickly turns into something more for both Fox and Hannah, however both have reservations that keep them from acting on it. This was a really angsty, enjoyable read. I highly recommend to Tessa Bailey fans and anyone who has not read her books yet, the Bellinger Sisters series is a great place to start!
Thank you to NetGalley/Avon for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I like this one a lot better than the first book. Somehow, it got more depth and there's more to the plot than just a romp in the bed. The slow burn kinda work here and I really like both the main characters with all their flaws and strengths. I like how Fox is not scared to be honest with Hannah, albeit the hesitation, the self doubting.
Fox is flawed, he got issues, but he is adamant and he's good. Hannah, meanwhile, is head-strong, a little bit unsure of herself and her capabilities, but she sure is lovable. She wouldn't go down with a fight and she sure got some fire in her. I love her to bits, especially when she got such good taste in music and she has songs for every occassion.
All in all, a good read. I still believe in romance novels, after all.
I really enjoyed this one. Loved being back in Westport. Loved how Hannah took up for Fox when everyone gave him a hard time for being a player. Loved their banter, slow burn relationship.
