Name: Sarah Campbell's review of Tools of Engagement by Tessa Bailey
Item: Tools of Engagement
Rating: 3
Author: Sarah Campbell

Tessa Bailey

In Tessa Bailey's latest rom-com, two enemies team up to flip a house... and the sparks between them might burn the place down or ignite a passion that neither can ignore! 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. "Her voice feels as fresh and contemporary as a Netflix rom-com." --Entertainment Weekly

Tools of Engagement

rach

Alice Dulude

Emily Hester

Jocelyn Smith

This was sweet. Weirdly would've liked to read more about the remodeling, but it was nice.

Sarah Campbell

Scarlett

big ab

so bad that it’s good. pornographic property brothers.

Loved the hot and hammered series!! Catch me chasing my dreams and flipping a house!!!! 

Brittany Peterson

Yasmin Dunnewind

A cute easy read 

Expecting perfect can only lead to disappointment. Besides, it's the flaws that give a person character. That's where the beauty hides

such a fun and quick read. i was smiling most of the time while reading this bcs i am a simp for books with simp mc. 

Beatriz Aguiar

why was the mc sooo exagerated? no need 
we get it, she has problems but c'mon

the writing was also annoying

Laura 

Maybe Tessa Bailey isn't so bad after all

I was a bit nervous to read this because Fix her up was such a mess. ( I think that book might have traumatized me a little bit ) 

This book is a delightful read and Bethany and Wes are such a fun couple! I related a lot to Bethany and it was nice to see her overcome her insecurities and become a happier person.

I liked this book a lot! Definitely cheesy and an easy-to-read romance, but this love story is definitely cute. Out of the three books in this series, this was probably my favorite. Wes and Bethany make a very cute couple and I definitely found myself rooting for them. 

Paige Leitner

I liked this book a lot! Definitely cheesy and an easy-to-read romance, but this love story is definitely cute. Out of the three books in this series, this was probably my favorite. Wes and Bethany make a very cute couple and I definitely found myself rooting for them. 



Amelia 

This was by far my favourite of the Hot and Hammered series. Ugh soooo good. Tessa Bailey will always be an Insta-buy for me, she sure as hell knows how to write a romance!

Kasey Montagnat

4.5 🌟this book is a YES! such entertaining banter/ verbal sparrings! Bethany and Wes are such a perfect match for each other! Bethany keeps everyone at a distance especially her family by maintaining a facade of I-have-my-shit-together perfection. However, Wes is able to see through this and has become Bethany's calming, safe place to be herself. Wes's attraction and love for Bethany are unwavering throughout the book. Even when, Bethany breaks down and shows her flawed/vulnerable side, Wes just loves her more instead of running away much to Bethany's dismay. Wes was possessive but in a respectful way. He was just perfect.

I've never had a home to rest my ache I'm tired of bein' on my own and broken.  - Clinton Kane's "Hopeless" perfectly translates Wes's constant state of being moved from homes in foster care, never having a permanent home with a family that wants him. (oo Wes and Travis can bond about that)

omg Taylor Swift's "Mine" is soo Bethany's song!!  I was a flight risk, with a fear of fallin' Wondering why we bother with love, if it never lasts!!! and Braced myself for the goodbye, 'Cause that's all I've ever known  omg maybe it's Wes's song too I fell in love with a careless man's careful daughter/ She is the best thing that's ever been mine" ahh Taylor Swift's songs are so universal lol

I think these two were my favourite couple from the series, and I loved how they handled their difficulties. I also adored the little girl.

But it was very unrealistic. Starting with the reality show. They had basically begged the mc to participate and they started filming 3 days after the first discussion. It doesn't work like that.

And also the ending was terrible. They got engaged after a 3 week relationship? Give me a break! And also how in the epilouge everyone started to pop out babies like... it was just impossible.

Eszter Baranyi

This book was ridiculous

I think these two were my favourite couple from the series, and I loved how they handled their difficulties. I also adored the little girl.

But it was very unrealistic. Starting with the reality show. They had basically begged the mc to participate and they started filming 3 days after the first discussion. It doesn't work like that.

SPOILER:

And also the ending was terrible. They got engaged after a 3 week relationship? Give me a break! And also how in the epilouge everyone started to pop out babies like... it was just impossible.

Tessa Bailey writes dirty talk like NO OTHER

Katie Bell

Jennifer Eggleston 

4.5 stars

Bethany and Wes, or is it Cruise and Zellweger? I was waiting to read Bethany’s story and it didn’t disappoint! While there was an age gap, older woman/younger man, it was not an obstacle (especially the way Wes phrased it). 
Just an enjoyable book. Watching Bethany be transformed and how these two jittery hearts come together to become a HEA is goodness.

as always, tessa bailey knows how to write smut. it did take me awhile to get into this book, and I felt like there was a lot of pressure on wes to reassure bethany with her insecurities, but I like how we got character development from bethany. wes’s relationship with his niece, laura, is also pretty sweet and how bethany fell in love with her was adorable too. idk, this book was nice and sweet but there was something about it that was unfulfilling for me. I still enjoyed it, but not one of tessa bailey’s best in my opinion!

Tara Bounkeovisane

Tate

Favorite Quote: “She’d been looking for weaknesses in the foundation they were building together. She’d been up to her old tricks of searching for a way out so she wouldn’t have to face her imperfections.” 

Summary: Bethany Castle’s life is organized and structured. On a hiatus from men, she is focused on her career and breaking away from her family’s business for more control and independence. Wes Daniels is new in town, the new guardian of his young niece (and Bethany’s first employee). Wes drives Bethany up the wall but as they work in closer quarters, he begins to drive her crazy in a new way, blowing up that carefully maintained perfect life. 

Review: I feel that the inclusion of the reality TV side plot was unnecessary. The plot of Bethany breaking out and competing against her older brother and the family business was strong enough to carry the plot throughout the book. Bethany and Wes’s different familial obligations allowed them to connect to each other on a deeper level. This trilogy has really emphasized female friendships and while the writing does toe the line of being cheesy, it is nice to read of such unconditional support and love. I would love to be a part of one of the club's meetings and be surrounded by all that positive and loving feminine vibes. 
Bethany feels so much pressure to appear as perfection personified and we see that anxiety manifest through her house and her wardrobe. Her journey of overcoming this pressure of perfectionism compliments her breakout from the family business. Bethany and Wes’s relationship also displays her development as she chooses to accept chaos into her perfection. Wes and his sister’s relationship was complex but came off in a very realistic way. Wes’s confidence and sense of competence are what made him attractive. I wish that Georgie and Bethany’s relationship was delved into more, really all of the Castle siblings' relationships because there is an underlying sense of resentment between them. This was explored more in Georgie’s installment but there was certainly potential for more. I didn’t care for much of Georgie and Travis’s interactions in this book, they were very sickly-sweet and overly participated in PDA. As I mentioned in the beginning, the reality TV storyline was unnecessary and I feel that this book would have been improved if the storyline had been removed. More time should have been allotted to the familial relationships of both Bethany and Wes. I would have also liked to learn more about the Castle parents. Bethany being insecure about Wes being younger was valid but it felt a little irrelevant to all the other conflicts within Bethany and Wes’s relationship.

Elisa Bieg

This was an enjoyable read: funny, spicy, with better banter and better characterization than the first in the series (I haven’t read the second yet).

I don’t personally enjoy all the dirty talk, but aside from that the sex scenes were good, and the chemistry between Wes and Bethany was great. There is a bit of a sense of slow burn and gradual buildup which I thought was well done. 

The ending is a bit rushed and cheesy, but I liked the background, family setting, and circumstances both of our main characters got — I felt that it gave them more depth. I also really enjoyed reading about Bethany’s personal challenges, which I found relatable as well as realistically and fairly accurately portrayed — though I thought the resolution came a bit too quickly and I didn’t like that it all was credited to Wes. 

Overall, not a bad read, and it will definitely hit the spot if you’re craving a bit of a smutty rom-com. 

3 1/2 STARS

Cara 🤍

Sheena

Surprisingly I liked this a lot better than "Fix Her Up" despite its rave reviews. In my opinion, Bethany and Wes had so much better chemistry and the sexual tension, woo-wee! Our cowboy wasn't afraid to shoot his shot and it was refreshing to see a male lead pursuing the heroine for once. He was the perfect book boyfriend with his patience and sweet encouragements he gave Bethany during her struggle with her insecurities. I really liked seeing them together despite how fast their relationship moved later on in the novel and the appearances of the previous characters that were featured in past installments. Am I the only one who wants to read how Stephen and Kristen's stable but unstable relationship started? They're a riot! Nevertheless, this is a great addition to the "Hot & Hammered" series.

samantha youngclaus

i mean it was fine but i genuinely could not figure out when/where they fell in love. i do think we need more ice queen women in romance tho so i liked that but the rest was just meh

I enjoy Tessa Bailey's stories because she consistently creates strong and hot male leads. I thought I had my heart set on Brendan Taggart from It Happened One Summer, but Wes from this novel definitely earned his place. But I don't mind sharing my heart with the two of them 🤭😏

The way the characters developed throughout the story, as well as their banter and chemistry together, was all incredibly well done. Not to mention Wes' devotion to his niece, who doesn't adore a good man who is skilled with children?

This story made me genuinely laugh, gasp, blush, and tear. Everything that was promised was given in this. I'm prepared to read every novel Tessa Bailey has written 🙏🏼

Clay

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

I enjoy Tessa Bailey's stories because she consistently creates strong and hot male leads. I thought I had my heart set on Brendan Taggart from It Happened One Summer, but Wes from this novel definitely earned his place. But I don't mind sharing my heart with the two of them 🤭😏

The way the characters developed throughout the story, as well as their banter and chemistry together, was all incredibly well done. Not to mention Wes' devotion to his niece, who doesn't adore a good man who is skilled with children?

This story made me genuinely laugh, gasp, blush, and tear. Everything that was promised was given in this. I'm prepared to read every novel Tessa Bailey has written 🙏🏼

Corey’s Books

Tools of Engagement by @tessabaileyisanauthor 
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 for meeeee 
Spoilers 

Bethany and Wes story of wanna-be enemies to lovers is painfully adorable, a good bit Spicy, and character development I was excited to see

Jocelyn Smith &
Tools of Engagement by Tessa Bailey

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