For all my romance readers out there, I have a romcom for you! As the first book I’ve read by Tessa Bailey (I know, I’ve been living under a rock), I was so happy it was this one. The storyline was fun, and I couldn’t help but root for the characters. If you haven’t read it yet (but have seen the cute cover all over your Instagram feed), I suggest taking the plunge and getting it!
From the Back Cover:
Georgette Castle’s family runs the best home renovation business in town, but she picked balloons instead of blueprints and no one has taken her seriously since. Frankly, she’s over it. Georgie loves planning children’s birthday parties and making people laugh, just not at her own expense. She’s determined to fix herself up into a Woman of the World . . . whatever that means.
PHASE ONE: A new framework for her business (A website from this decade?)
PHASE TWO: A gut reno on her wardrobe (FYI, leggings are pants.)
PHASE THREE: Updates to her exterior (Do people still wax?)
PHASE FOUR: Put herself on the market (And stop crushing on Travis Ford!)
Living her best life means facing the truth: Georgie hasn’t been on a date since, well, ever. Nobody’s asking out the town clown for a night of hot sex, that’s for sure. Maybe if people think she’s having a steamy love affair, they’ll acknowledge she’s not just the “little sister” who paints faces for a living. And who better to help demolish that image than the resident sports star and tabloid favorite.
Travis Ford was major league baseball’s hottest rookie when an injury ended his career. Now he’s flipping houses to keep busy and trying to forget his glory days. But he can’t even cross the street without someone recapping his greatest hits. Or making a joke about his . . . bat. And then there’s Georgie, his best friend’s sister, who is not a kid anymore. When she proposes a wild scheme—that they pretend to date, to shock her family and help him land a new job—he agrees. What’s the harm? It’s not like it’s real. But the girl Travis used to tease is now a funny, full-of-life woman, and there’s nothing fake about how much he wants her.
Why I Loved It
The Characters
I’m not going to lie; I was a little worried that I would find this book too young/immature for my taste. I don’t typically read “New Adult” books because, apparently, I’m an “old soul” and have had the mental maturity of a ninty-year-old woman since I was a teen. I thought I wouldn’t connect with someone like Georgie, a young woman who was trying to be seen as a respectable adult. I was also a little thrown by her profession, which made her seem like a goofball, but I was wrong. Is she youngish? Sure. But she’s also at that point in her life when she’s ready to make the transition into womanhood.
Cue Brittany Spears: “I’m not a girl, not yet a woman.”
Her defiance and determination were things I could relate to, which is why her age and stage of life didn't concern me as I got into it. I liked her ingenuity and backbone, even during times when she was feeling vulnerable.
Then there’s Travis. He was a bit of a jerk at the beginning which gave him that alpha male vibe I enjoy if done right. However, we also got a look inside his head and learned more about his feelings, softening him up a bit. It made me understand why Georgie was determined to take care of him and prove to him that he's worth more than he thinks. And because of her persistence and support, we get to see his transition from feeling worthless and forgotten to a good guy. Totally swoon worthy.
The Sexy Times
Now I’m not someone who reads a whole ton of erotica-type books. I may read one out of every fifteen books I pick up. However, I do love great chemistry. Even if a book doesn't have any sex scenes, the sexual tension and chemistry need to be there for me.
Oh boy. They were present and accounted for in this one.
Warning: Some spoilers ahead.
Honestly, it was a little jarring when they had their first encounter (but not in a bad way). For Georgie, who was a virgin, I expected things to be more romantic or that they’d ease into it. But Travis (aka Two Bats because ahem) was quite the dirty-talker and is very experienced in the bedroom. My expectations were thrown out the window when he started saying all kinds of sexy things and she was totally into it. Had they not had a history of growing up together or if we didn’t get to see the softer side of Travis and the exploratory side of Georgie, this might not have worked for me. But Tessa found a nice balance of safe and sexy, so I liked it a lot.
In the end, it was a heartwarming story of a woman coming into her own and a man seeing there was more to life and himself. I loved reading about the characters’ growth and the budding love between them. It gave me all the feels.
Sounds like a story you’d like? Grab it here and let me know what you think!
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