![]() 5/5 And I thought It Happened One Summer was a friggin’ emotional rollercoaster. Tessa Bailey saw me and she said “oh yeah? You like getting your little feelings stomped all over? Huh? Huh? Here you go, you stupid idiot.” And I would like to formally thank her for the privilege. I was surprised to discover that Hook, Line and Sinker was quite a slow-burn. After the spice-fest of Piper’s book and the fact that Tessa Bailey is pretty much the reigning Queen of Hawt Books, I thought Hannah and Fox would continue along the same vein. However, the physical aspects of their relationship don’t really start until the final third of the book and it was the absolute right choice for the story. This isn’t the first romance novel I’ve read about a “reformed playboy” or some such bullshit, but it is the first that handled that subject so seriously and with such care. Hannah is a leading lady, and a big part of the book is about her learning to take charge of her life, but this is really Fox’s book. We don’t often see romance novels that explore how toxic masculinity affects a man when the people around them tie their lives so intrinsically to sex. My favourite thing about Tessa Bailey is that the issues her heroes and heroines go wwwthrough may lead to very melodramatic rom-com moments, but they’re rooted firmly in real experiences and emotions. All of the obnoxious, inappropriate, and downright degrading things that Fox had been told from the time he was a child are things that I have heard said to boys (and to girls, in different ways). I’d normally say that miscommunication and insecurities being the main things keeping the love interests apart isn’t generally my favourite, but that’s not true when applied to this book or to Tessa Bailey’s writing in general. It was realistic for Fox to push Hannah away and Tessa Bailey devoted serious time to the absolute garbage that he had to wade through both internally and externally in order to be in a place to be there for Hannah. Bailey’s stories always have so much humour, heart, and passion, and Hook, Line and Sinker is no different. Piper and Brendan are still the loves of my life, but Fox and Hannah definitely gave them a run for their money.
0 Comments
|
Find Me!
|