Tools of Engagement by Tessa Bailey (ARC Review)

Title: Tools of Engagement
Author: Tessa Bailey
Type: Fiction
Genre: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Publisher: Avon (HarperCollins)
Date published: September 22, 2020

A digital copy of this book was kindly provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Note: This book is part of a series, and there are likely some spoilers in the synopsis below.

Hair, makeup, clothing, decor… everything in Bethany Castle’s world is organized, planned, and styled to perfection. Which is why the homes she designs for her family’s real estate business are the most coveted in town. The only thing not perfect? Her track record with men. She’s on a dating hiatus and after helping her friends achieve their dreams, Bethany finally has time to focus on her own: flip a house, from framework to furnishings, all by herself. Except her older brother runs the company and refuses to take her seriously.

When a television producer gets wind of the Castle sibling rivalry, they’re invited on Flip Off, a competition to see who can do the best renovation. Bethany wants bragging rights, but she needs a crew and the only member of her brother’s construction team willing to jump ship is Wes Daniels, the new guy in town. His Texas drawl and handsome face got under Bethany’s skin on day one, but the last thing she needs is some cocky young cowboy in her way.

As the race to renovate heats up, Wes and Bethany are forced into close quarters, trading barbs and biting banter as they remodel the ugliest house on the block. It’s a labor of love, hate, and everything in between, and soon sparks are flying. But Bethany’s perfectly structured life is one kiss away from going up in smoke and she knows falling for a guy like Wes would be a flipping disaster.

⤖ My Review ⬻

Before I dive into my review for Tools of Engagement, I want to quickly mention that I really enjoy this series and that I’ve been following it since the first book, Fix Her Up came out! I will also say that the second book in the series, Love Her or Lose Her is my favourite so far. And that should kind of set the tone for what this review is going to be like…(Although, as is always the case with these kinds of reviews, please keep in mind that these are my personal opinions and that my experience with a book does not reflect what your particular experience might be). Alright, so, Tools of Engagement: I had two feelings about this book before I actually started reading it.

1) I wasn’t as excited for it as I was leading up to the first two books because the chemistry between the main couple in Tools of Engagement wasn’t quite there for me in the previous books. (Fix Her Up hooked me with the synopsis, while Love Her or Lose Her hooked me when book one touched on the story of that couple and created a sense of mystery.) 2) Simultaneously, I hoped that what would come to pass in Tools of Engagement with the main couple would change my mind!

I’ll be blunt though, and say that my mind was not changed…and it comes down to a personal preference I think. There were certainly some cute moments–also some steamy moments–and I definitely saw the potential for the couple. In the end, this book ended up being my least favourite of the tree. That being said, if the author decides to continue the series, I will definitely read the next book/s!

⤖ About the Author ⬻

Tessa Bailey is originally from Carlsbad, California. The day after high school graduation, she packed her yearbook, ripped jeans and laptop, driving cross-country to New York City in under four days. Her most valuable life experiences were learned thereafter while waitressing at K-Dees, a Manhattan pub owned by her uncle. Inside those four walls, she met her husband, best friend and discovered the magic of classic rock, managing to put herself through Kingsborough Community College and the English program at Pace University at the same time. Several stunted attempts to enter the work force as a journalist followed, but romance writing continued to demand her attention. She now lives in Long Island, New York with her husband of eleven years and seven-year-old daughter. Although she is severely sleep-deprived, she is incredibly happy to be living her dream of writing about people falling in love.