Tools of Engagement
Tessa Bailey
4 Stars
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Bethany has always been a perfectionist. She has spent her adult career staging houses for Brick and Morty her families house flipping business but she want's more. She wants to do a flip on her own, smash a sledge hammer into the wall and start from scratch not just come in last minute. When Bethany confronts her brother about the flip she plans on doing on her own the dashing Wes decides to help her. Much to Bethany's disappointment.
Wes on the other hand has been raising his niece Laura in her mother's absence. He has always had an attraction Bethany and attraction that often ends in a lot of fighting. But his place in Port Jeff is questioned as he starts to grow closer to Laura and Bethany. His life of no strings attached and bull riding is starting to pale in comparison to the life he could have in Port Jeff with his niece and maybe even Bethany.
The best Tessa Bailey story I have read so far. This one seemed the most believable and the most romantic story-line in my opinion. My only issue is the slight inaccuracy's in the geography. Typically I know author's will fictionalize real places but at a point in the book one of the main characters Wes goes to neighboring Brookhaven. Any glance at a map or knowledge of the area not only shows that Brookhaven is a township that Port Jeff (still bothered it's always called Port Jefferson which no locals would ever call it) resides in and the tiny hamlet of Brookhaven is nowhere near Port Jeff. If your going to use real places I feel like you should at least be accurate to the area. Someone who finds themselves on Long Island might be inspired to go to Port Jeff and be confused by the fact that it isn't at all how it's described and further more that they can't just hop over to Brookhaven. (It's silly I know but I grew up on Long Island and the draw of these books was that they took place near my home town)
I have been given an arc of this title from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.