Unfortunately Yours, the second entry in beloved romance novelist Tessa Bailey's rom-com duet set in Napa Valley, is a steamy, laugh-out-loud, enemies-to-lovers delight. Natalie Vos has spent the last few months getting drunk and watching her brother single-handedly save their family's vineyard while landing the girl of his dreams. Now, ready to move on from the shattering disappointment of losing her job and fiancé in New York, Natalie is ready to prove herself by starting her own business--if only she could get her hands on her trust fund. But her estranged father's terms dictate that she can't access the money until marriage. (Un)fortunately, Natalie knows that August Cates, an ex-Navy SEAL trying to honor the memory of his late best friend, needs her Napa Valley clout to get his new vineyard some respect. Too bad Natalie and August can't seem to stop fighting--and wanting each other--every time they try to talk about this potential (strictly business) arrangement.
Unfortunately Yours is a perfect mix of characters Bailey (Hook, Line, and Sinker; It Happened One Summer; Fix Her Up) likes to write--hardworking, blue-collar hunks and fiercely determined, funny heroines--and swoony tropes that she hasn't wielded as often, like enemies-to-lovers and fake-it-till-you-make-it relationships. Natalie and August's chemistry is clear at the start, from their quirky, hilarious banter. And though their (very heated) romance is certainly the novel's focus, the rest of the story's cast of characters from dreamy Napa Valley (including an endearingly cantankerous cat, and the stars of Bailey's prequel, Secretly Yours) adds to the novel's warmhearted sensibility and charm. --Alice Martin, freelance writer and editor