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Summary
Summary
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, and 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
Reviews (4)
Publisher's Weekly Review
House-flipping leads to a love connection in Bailey's sweet and super-spicy third Hot and Hammered rom-com (after Love Her or Lose Her). When San Antonio cowboy Wes Daniels's sister decides to take a break from her responsibilities, Wes travels to Port Jefferson, Long Island, to take care of his five-year-old niece, Laura. Home renovator Bethany Castle is competing on the house-flipping reality TV show Flip Off and hires Wes to be part of her construction crew. The reality show setting adds both tension and comedy as the macho Wes immediately begins pursuing perfectionist Bethany. As Wes settles into his uncle duties and his chemistry with Bethany evolves into bold, erotic sexual encounters, his resolve to return to Texas once his sister comes back wavers. Wes's swaggering, often expletive-filled flirtations, and Bethany's insecure internal monologue paint clear pictures of both characters, but sometimes slow the plot. Though Wes and Bethany are solidly drawn, it's adorable Laura who sparks the most authentic and evocative moments. Chick-lit lovers will flip for this sexy, heartwarming story. Agent: Laura Bradford, Bradford Literary. (Sept.)
Kirkus Review
A woman desperate to prove her value to her family's house-flipping business falls in love with her foreman. Bethany Castle used to embrace her perfectionist tendencies, but lately, those urges are starting to control her. Even a job she used to love--staging homes for her family's Long Island construction business--has become stultifying and unsatisfying. Bethany dreams of leading her own project; she knows she's capable of more than selecting paint colors and arranging furniture. When her brother responds to her dream with derision, Bethany furiously quits the business. She starts her own project and hires handsome newcomer Wes Daniels as her foreman. Wes is a recent transplant from San Antonio. When his sister's marriage disintegrated a few months earlier, she asked him to care for her 5-year-old daughter so she could get her head together. Wes has taken a job working construction, awed and bewildered at how, at 23, he's settled down into sudden respectability and what feels a lot like fatherhood. Wes thinks his razor-sharp banter with Bethany is flirtation while Bethany is horrified at her wild attraction to a man seven years her junior. Catching wind of the Castle family feud, a TV producer persuades Bethany and her brother to appear on a reality TV show that will judge which one of them flips their house most successfully. Although Bailey creates likable characters and writes snappy dialogue, the subplots about the TV show and Wes' guardianship of his niece interferes with Bethany and Wes' emotional development as partners and lovers. The two are conquering their own demons on separate journeys, and their unevenly paced romance only flares to life in the final third of the book. A romance between charming characters is sidelined by weighty subplots. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Bethany Castle is the most sought-after home stager in Port Jefferson, Long Island, and her family owns Brick and Morty, the well-respected house-flipping business. But she wants more out of her career. She wants to branch off and flip houses on her own, despite not having the right experience. She breezes into her brother Stephen's current flip, making jaws drop, and announces her plans. It is then that construction crew member Wes pulls a Renée-Zellweger-in-Jerry Maguire and volunteers to join her on the project. Almost before the hammer hits the first nail, the two are getting tangled up in more than a construction job. Bailey brings the heat back in her third installment of the Hot & Hammered series (after Love Her or Lose Her, 2020). Though it's full of steamy scenes, the book is more than a romp, as Wes reveals himself to Bethany and vice versa, with emotions that will pull on readers' heartstrings. Excellent as both a stand-alone and part of the series.
Library Journal Review
Rodeo rider Wes Daniels has recently moved to Port Jefferson, NY, to care for his five-year-old niece after his sister decides she needs a break from parenthood. Wes adapts to a lifestyle of responsibility, which includes working construction at Brick & Morty, the leading local house-flipping company. It's also Bethany Castle's family business. Bethany has helped Wes with meals and organizing child care, but she seems uninterested in anything else. Bethany is on a self-imposed break from men, and while presenting the picture of poise and polish, she struggles with fierce insecurity. She enjoys staging homes for her family's company, but longs to flip a house on her own. When Wes joins her in this venture the attraction between the two intensifies. Quirky secondary characters, inviting small-town setting, and sensual scenes are highlights of this charming and funny novel. VERDICT Fans of the "Hot and Hammered" series (Fix Her Up; Love Her or Lose Her) will delight in visiting with familiar characters, but this can certainly be read as a stand-alone. Fans of Christina Lauren and Helena Hunting should add Bailey to their list of go-to rom-com authors.--Maureen Roberts, Baltimore Cty. P.L.
