Tools of Engagement

I completely read these out of order and I regret nothing because this was the best one.

Synopsis: Bethany Castle is a picture-perfect girl. Everything about her life is exactly how she wants it to be seen: perfect house, perfect job, perfect clothes and perfect hair. That is until Bethany decides she has had enough of helping her friends achieve their goals and instead wants to work on her own. Just staging her family's renovated houses for their business isn't enough for her anymore. Bethany wants to venture out on her own and reno a house from start to finish with the enlisted help of Wes, someone who completely gets on her last nerve but also may make her regret her dating ban.

Plot: I love me a good HGTV show so I knew I would enjoy this plot. What I didn't expect was all the additional elements to it that made it so good. The competition aspect of Bethany going against her brother to make the best house, the single-parenting issues Wes was going through and the great message of living in the moment (delivered in a non-cheesy way). This was relatable and funny and SO STREAMY wow. The ending was a little cliche and rushed but was still a perfect bow-tie ending as all cutesy romances should be.

Characters: This banter is unmatched. I absolutely loved the two of them together, they completely are puzzle-piece characters. Wes was my favorite of the two (besides his cringy over-the-top "southern" moments). His storyline was fantastic and he's making my standards go up even more. A perfect hero, so sweet he gave me butterflies. Bethany was also fantastic and hilarious to be in the mind of. There was great character development between the two of them which made me root for them not only as a couple but individually in their own storylines.

Instantly went and got the rest of Tessa Bailey's books after this.

4/5 stars.