Hook, Line, and Sinker by Tessa Bailey
Many of us have felt like the sidekick at some point in life, whether it’s at our jobs or in our friendship or family dynamics. If you’ve ever been typecast or felt like a supporting actor in a bigger story, then you will relate to the main characters in Tessa Bailey’s latest, Hook, Line, and Sinker (Avon). Fox and Hannah feel like they’ve been relegated to secondary roles — not just in their careers but in their social lives as well.
Is it maybe because this novel is the second in the Bellinger Sister series? Who knows.
What we do know is that these two are full of angst and doubt, not to mention a searing attraction to each other. Hannah has a movie producer for a stepfather, but she’s chosen to hide her identity and be a production assistant while working toward her dream career as a film music producer. And though Fox has the skill to be a ship captain, a failed startup venture and a reputation of a frivolous playboy (like his father) cause him to dismiss any hope of piloting a fishing boat. They individually doubt their abilities, but there’s no doubt that they’re attracted to each other. And not just as friends.
LONG-DISTANCE FRIENDS TO LOVERS
The story opens with a months-long text exchange between the two, showing them becoming long-distance friends — Fox in small-town Westport, Washington, and Hannah in LA — after meeting and hanging out in Westport over a summer. Readers know immediately that Hannah and Fox were meant to be together. And when Sergi, director of the movie for which Hannah’s been assisting, starts looking for a new location, we know that movie has to move to Westport, and Hannah has to stay with Fox. And so the stage for love is set.
But wait, how did Hannah end up in Westport over that first summer? That’s in the first book of the series. Which brings me to your next question: Should you read the first book before this one? Even though Hannah and Fox’s story is satisfying and complete as a standalone, readers who haven’t read It Happened One Summer may feel at certain moments like they’ve stepped into a world where everyone knows everyone else and has a history that you’re not fully aware of. And while each of these moments is explained in a way that doesn’t hamper the story, readers may find that reading book one first will give them a more immersive experience. It’s like finding an Easter Egg (or spotting Stan Lee) in a Marvel movie.
A “TAMER” TESSA BAILEY?
When I mentioned in a group that I was reading Hook Line, and Sinker, the discussion quickly turned to the heat level of Tessa Bailey’s novels. When the recent resurgence in popularity of romantic comedies began, many new rom-coms adopted the colorful, illustrated covers of chick-lit and cozy mysteries. Readers picked up some of those rom-coms with whimsical cute covers and were surprised by the steamy love scenes within. Bailey’s Fix Her Up was one of those “surprise steamy” rom-coms that garnered strong opinions and a lot of book blogger commentary.
For readers who shied away from Bailey’s novels because of the spicy scenes, the Bellinger Sister series may be a great entry point into Bailey’s writing. While the love scenes are still open-door (where you see what goes on between the couple as if you were in their bedroom), there are fewer of them. Hook, Line, and Sinker is a slow-burn romance, where most of the book is a match of wills. Fox has been warned to stay away from Hannah by well-meaning best friend Brendan, and Hannah has been keeping herself from commitment-adverse Fox. The tension between the two is palpable and builds throughout the story, so when the two finally get together, readers are cheering for them instead of being concerned with how steamy their love scenes are.
For readers who have been fans since Bailey’s debut, the love scenes do not disappoint, and the signature antics and comedic scenes that have you laughing and turning pages abound in the novel.
While Hook, Line, and Sinker may be less controversial than Fix Her Up, it’s just as entertaining and will have you rooting for supporting characters even after the last page.
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