Women's Fiction
![Tessa Bailey - [object Object] author](https://res.cloudinary.com/readsomnia/image/upload/authors/a_a_tessa_bailey.jpg)
Hook, Line, and Sinker: A Novel (Bellinger Sisters, 2)
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?
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?
Editorial Reviews
"sizzles with romance and wit...Bailey expertly captures both the intense chemistry and true friendship between Hannah and Fox as she takes them through humorous mishaps and miscommunication. This sparkling rom-com will have readers hooked." - Publishers Weekly
"Bailey continues the delightful story she began in the hilarious rom-com It Happened One Summer (2021), in which Californian Hannah met fisherman Fox... The music and seaside setting add flavor and color to this delicious, slow-burn love story." - Booklist
"A romantic comedy delight. If you loved Schitt's Creek, It Happened One Summer will be your absolute jam." - Christina Lauren, New York Times bestselling author of The Soulmate Equation
"I put my entire life on hold the moment I opened It Happened One Summer. I read it in one long, luxurious sitting, reading each page twice, not wanting to miss a moment, and dreading The End. I knew I was reading one of my new favorite books, and I will reread it for years to come, whenever I need a dose of small-town coziness and hard-bodied sea captains. Tessa disarms you with a laugh, heats things up past boiling, and then puts a squeeze inside your heart. The tenderness, vulnerability and heat I am always guaranteed with a Tessa Bailey book are the reasons she is one of my all-time favorite authors." - Sally Thorne, USA Today bestselling author of Second First Impressions
"Her voice feels as fresh and contemporary as a Netflix rom-com... Bailey writes banter and rom-com scenarios with aplomb, but for those who like their romance on the spicier side, she's also the Michelangelo of dirty talk. She wields filth like Da Vinci does a paintbrush, and there's a lot to be said for an author who can fill such exchanges with all the requisite heat, enthusiastic consent, and yes, even humor, of such a scenario without veering into corny territory." - Entertainment Weekly
"Two delightful people find both themselves and true love in Tessa Bailey's sequel to It Happened One Summer<...
"Bailey continues the delightful story she began in the hilarious rom-com It Happened One Summer (2021), in which Californian Hannah met fisherman Fox... The music and seaside setting add flavor and color to this delicious, slow-burn love story." - Booklist
"A romantic comedy delight. If you loved Schitt's Creek, It Happened One Summer will be your absolute jam." - Christina Lauren, New York Times bestselling author of The Soulmate Equation
"I put my entire life on hold the moment I opened It Happened One Summer. I read it in one long, luxurious sitting, reading each page twice, not wanting to miss a moment, and dreading The End. I knew I was reading one of my new favorite books, and I will reread it for years to come, whenever I need a dose of small-town coziness and hard-bodied sea captains. Tessa disarms you with a laugh, heats things up past boiling, and then puts a squeeze inside your heart. The tenderness, vulnerability and heat I am always guaranteed with a Tessa Bailey book are the reasons she is one of my all-time favorite authors." - Sally Thorne, USA Today bestselling author of Second First Impressions
"Her voice feels as fresh and contemporary as a Netflix rom-com... Bailey writes banter and rom-com scenarios with aplomb, but for those who like their romance on the spicier side, she's also the Michelangelo of dirty talk. She wields filth like Da Vinci does a paintbrush, and there's a lot to be said for an author who can fill such exchanges with all the requisite heat, enthusiastic consent, and yes, even humor, of such a scenario without veering into corny territory." - Entertainment Weekly
"Two delightful people find both themselves and true love in Tessa Bailey's sequel to It Happened One Summer<...
Readers Top Reviews
Lisa Bermingham
I don't like leaving bad reviews, but I also don't like leaving bad ratings with no explanation. So: This was... not good. The characters didn't talk like normal people, the dialogue and the narrative was so cheesy and had my cringing so much. The sex scenes seemed like they'd aimed for 50 Shades of Grey cheesiness and managed it. Just... not good. Most of the "chemistry" between the characters (there is no chemistry between the characters) is made by the author making them all "why was he feeling like he liked her when he absolutely did not like her?" And "but she didn't like him. No no no"... there would've been plenty to show the chemistry if all of the telling was left out, but as it is, it was rammed down our throats and I really didn't care if they got together or not. I'm genuinely not sure how I made it to the end of the book, but I think it would've been better to give them a son as well, and shown how Fox wasn't repeating his parents' mistakes. Just my two cents' worth 🤷🏻♀️
Erin KirstyLisa B
I was not prepared for how deep these characters were going to get, especially Fox. In book 1 he'd been the typical bachelor and in book 2 we really got to see why he is the way he is and I was really not prepared for how emotional it would get. This one did feel a little unnecessarily long for me, in some parts I felt myself losing interest a bit. That being said I really loved the characters and the setting. It's a really good companion to book 1.
Sambooka23Erin Ki
You have went and done it again, Tessa. Holy wow. Hannah and Fox are such a power couple. I absolutely adored It Happened One Summer and when I found out this was Hannah’s story, I went on to pre-order immediately - that was in Jan/Feb time and the book arrived when I came back from Portugal this month! I am fast becoming a massive fan of Tessa Bailey, she has the perfect amount of romance and sex, her books just thrill AND grip me. I thought it was a bit of a slow burner between Fox and Hannah, there were times I was shouting for them to just be together and get on with it, become a couple but I did enjoy Fox opening up to Hannah and being real - telling her how he feels etc. I love Fox and Hannah together. I love Hannah, she is a strong-minded woman but feels the burden of reality and life. Another fantastic write from @tessabaileyisanauthor . You are quickly becoming one of my favourites authors.
MariaSambooka23Er
Friendship and love; do you think a man and a woman can be friends, or there’s always something more? Hannah and Fox have been exchanging messages for the last few months, now it’s time to meet up again, as friends in Westport. Will they surpass their own barriers and follow the sparks between them? Or will they let their fears restrict their dreams forever? I don’t think this is a book from friends-to lovers; I think from the beginning they have feelings for each other but really don’t know how to put words to their thoughts. And I liked how they try to fight the attraction between them and try to fight their fears and barriers before they start something together. Also, it was really nice looking for all the songs and bands that are talked about during the story; it has their own soundtrack! This is the second book of the series “It Happened One Summer”; you can read it as a standalone, but I think these sisters’ stories are worth the read! I really loved how brave Hannah was, she was scared of being ignored in her job or not being good enough; but doesn’t have any problem protecting the ones she loves when she thinks someone is attacking them! Or how she never let the discussions closed, she always tries to solve the problems talking, never let anything midways. And Fox, he has his own problems, he undervalues himself and doesn’t think he deserves anything. Neither a stable relationship or being upgraded in his job. Maybe it’s time to need a little push? This is a story to make you smile and dream; romance, friendship and good music. What more can you need? Are you ready for “Hook, Line, and Sinker”?
LindaBCCMariaSamb
I personally feel like the key to a good slow burn is a lot of plot and world-building. This world already existed from IHOS, but instead of these characters existing in that space and finding conflict there, you get characters who spend almost the entire book in their own heads. I kept picturing these people zoned out with their eyes glazed over doing all of this *thinking* while Westport moved around them. Especially Fox, whose maturity is a constant dance between one step forward and eight steps back, over and over again. It was ultimately frustrating and repetitive to read.
