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Happenstance

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From #1 New York Times bestselling author of It Happened One Summer comes a romantic comedy about an accidental relationship between three smitten men...and one commitment phobic woman.

Elise Brandeis has never won a Pulitzer—and she never will. At least not while she’s delivering sandwiches at the Gotham Times, instead of working there as an actual reporter. Her only shot at seeing her byline in print is to prove to the no nonsense managing editor that she has a nose for news. And she’s got just the story to grab her elusive attention.

Right after she delivers this turkey on ciabatta.

Chasing down leads brings Elise to Roosevelt Island, but just when the trail of clues begins to take shape, she gets stuck. Literally. On a cable car with three strangers who couldn’t be more different. An uptight rugby coach, a construction worker and a former adult film star she pretends not to recognize a little too well.

At first, Elise wants nothing more than to be rescued ASAP.

An hour later, everything has changed. By pure happenstance, four separate journeys have collided in an intense, meaningful way. Suddenly, disentangling their lives feels more impossible than winning that Pulitzer. Good thing Elise is too busy proving herself at work to consider three boyfriends. Nobody has time for that—even if they make giving in feel oh so right. But three heads are better than one and these loners will teach themselves to work together to win Elise over forever…

And more importantly, keep their dirty socks off her floor.

269 pages, Paperback

First published November 7, 2022

861 people are currently reading
21424 people want to read

About the author

Tessa Bailey

110 books67k followers
New York Times Bestselling author Tessa Bailey can solve all problems except for her own, so she focuses those efforts on stubborn, fictional blue collar men and loyal, lovable heroines. She lives on Long Island avoiding the sun and social interactions, then wonders why no one has called. Dubbed the “Michelangelo of dirty talk,” by Entertainment Weekly, Tessa writes with spice, spirit, swoon and a guaranteed happily ever after. Catch her on TikTok at @authortessabailey or check out tessabailey.com for a complete list of books.

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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,556 reviews
Profile Image for SK .
558 reviews11.5k followers
November 16, 2022
Imagine being one of the best chefs in the world and having the most quality products and flavours in your kitchen but you end up cooking the most basic bland oatmeal known to the entire world population.
Profile Image for Lacey (laceybooklovers).
2,144 reviews12k followers
December 7, 2022
This was... okay? There sadly wasn't much to Happenstance besides instalove and 3 guys who are obsessed with the heroine. Which sounds great in theory, but the characters and story were too shallow for me. And I can't believe I found myself skimming the sex scenes... because they were boring. Who am I????

*****

TESSA BAILEY WRITING REVERSE HAREM GOD BLESS
Profile Image for chan ☆.
1,334 reviews60.4k followers
December 7, 2022
her kitty cat ain't all that, boys

i'm not gonna dunk on this one too hard since it was written essentially for tiktok and was indie published (which i'm coming to find for tessa bailey means a little less care taken with the romantic storytelling). but i do feel like if you're given free rein to write raunchy shit you should make it a little interesting. not to call double penetration commonplace, but i did find myself skimming the multitude of sex scenes here.

i think for me, if i want freaky deaky i'm gonna read some 60 page OTT smut on KU. if i want romance with dirty talk, i'll pick up a traditionally published tessa bailey.... or some longer books on KU lol. point being, i think you can find better quality elsewhere for cheaper.
Profile Image for Lana ❇✾DG Romance❇✾.
2,313 reviews13.7k followers
October 21, 2022
5 STARS
“Just a brief rundown. You’ve come here to ask for a foursome.” I look each of them in the eye. “In broad daylight. Stone cold sober.” They trade glances and nod.

This cover is the Trojan horse of smut. You look at it and think, oh look, a cute little rom com. Or you would, if Tessa Bailey didn't write it. But she did. And the woman is the queen of dirty talk for a reason. But this book? Oh this one may be her hottest yet. And having read her entire backlist, that's saying something.
“You’re staring, love,” taunts the British man.

He’s right. I’ve been staring at him in the glass reflection. Because there is something familiar about him. Something I can’t quite put my finger on. Did he bartend at that hotel where I trained as a concierge three years ago before getting bored and throwing myself into the natural deodorant space? No, that’s not it. Where do I know him from?

“Porn,” he says from his elegant lean against the interior wall of the tram. “You know me from pornography, darling,” he drawls, his mouth spreading into a grin. “The good shit.”

Happenstance was the most fun I've had reading in book, like ever. It had everything you could possibly want; laugh till you cry humor, amazing characters, romance hot enough to singe your fingers when you turn each page, and a story fun and gripping enough to keep you glued to the pages from beginning to finish.
“My God,” Tobias says on an exhale, his hair in disarray. “I’ve seen it all, but I’ve never seen anything like you.”

We have Elise, a commitment phobic heroine who becomes the sheer obsession of not one, not two, but three men. And each of them was EVERYTHING.
We have Tobias, the British porn star who hides his pain be behind smarmy sexual jokes. Gabe, the sweet cinnamon roll construction worker who is obsessed with Elise from first sight and with debilitating confidence issues from his previous marriage. And Banks, the quiet and intense rugby star turned locally famous rugby coach with mommy issues.
“Gabe makes me wish for lazy Sunday mornings in bed with coffee and the smell of cinnamon in the kitchen. Sweet. Tobias is Saturday night. Strobe lights and moaning and…that tipsy feeling, like if you have one more drink, you’ll be sorry.” “And me?” “You are…” I swallow. Being open and honest to someone about how I feel on the inside is harder than I remember. I’ve been out of practice so long. “You’re real life. The place where I’m in my pattern and feel safe. You’re not a detour, you’re a path forward.”

I went through a ringer of emotion reading this star of a book; I laughed, I swooned, I squirmed uncomfortably, I simply devoured it.

The pacing, the humor, the romance, the character development, all of it was utter perfection. It was one of those reads where you can just shut your brain off and enjoy something that just absorbs you completely. And no one delivers that better than Tessa Bailey.

If you're looking for sizzling hot romance with three men and one woman who they are utterly obsessed with but still packs humor and even a splash of suspense, you need this book in your life.
These men are desperate to praise me. And I let them, because my heart demands it.


ARC courtesy of author in exchange for an honest review

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Profile Image for samantha ఌ.
341 reviews449 followers
November 10, 2022
I don't read reverse harems but if Tessa Bailey is writing one, I might just do... and I'm so glad I did, because this book was THE SHIT. I'm such a fool to think that I could handle 3 men written by Tessa Bailey all in one book. Everyone has a special place in my heart, but Banks and Gabe take the top spot. It was steamy, funny, emotional and a little bit thrilling. Tessa Bailey truly delivered with this reverse harem, and it got me considering reading more rh in the future.
Profile Image for a 🔮.
474 reviews74 followers
November 9, 2022
*sigh*

Whatever you think this is, lower your expectations… I mean it, keep lowering them.

How does one go from being one of my most anticipated releases to being one of the biggest disappointments of the year? Honestly I don’t know but this takes the cake. Y’all don’t understand how heartbreaking it is to say that, I (usually) love Tessa’s work and I love Why Choose Romances, immediately I suspected that this would be right up my alley and I would LOVE this. This was quite possibly one of the worst why choose romances I’ve ever read (and I’ve read A LOT of why choose romances).

Before I get into it, while I still have your attention, I want to tell you the ONLY parts I enjoyed about this book. They’re called Banks, Tobias, and Gabe. If it wasn’t for these three characters I would have DNF-ed this book, period. But, no matter how much I enjoyed these characters, I do not think the love interests alone can save this book or make it worth recommending.

The smut was okay, and the dirty talk was hot at parts, but no where near her other books.
The other words were a choice, that I was willing to look past: “sex” in reference to her own bits or the guys, or ‘buns’ ‘bottom’ ‘buttock’ as her ass. But here is where I draw the line, Elise referring to her pussy, several times, as an “it”, (ex. “Fill it up for me. Now.” Y’all can probably deduce she’s not talking about a car needing gas, but herself.)

The pacing, oh boy, this whole book takes place in maybe no more than 2 weeks? How can a woman who is a self proclaimed “commitment-phobe” fall in love with three men in that short amount of time? Don’t get me started on the men, they ‘were completely changed’ since meeting her. “She was put in our paths to make all of us better. And we were put in hers, so we can worship her for it.” The conflict also happened WAYYYYY too close to the end, besides the fact that I could have told you what the conflict was less than 10% into the book, it made for a rushed resolution.

All of this being said, no, I don’t recommend this book and if you do not want to be extremely disappointed with a highly anticipated release like I was, I would skip this one.

I can and do go into heavier detail below. There might be some minor spoilers if you continue on.
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Most of my issues with this book revolve around the FMC and the plot. Let’s get into the FMC. We have a twenty something woman named Elise. A bit of background is that her father is in the Marines, so that means they moved around a lot as a child. This is the basis of a lot of Elise’s own admitted issues. She blames this as to why she avoids commitment in all forms, friendships, romantic relationships, her professional career, etc. She changes jobs every few months like clockwork and has been since she can remember, so when she tries to interview for the Marines “to finally make her parents proud of her” they reject her on the basis of her having no commitment. This exasperates her already flighty personality and moves across the country from San Diego to New York City. Here she finds her latest interest, she is aspiring to be a journalist/reporter, so she gets a job in the Gotham Times, New York City’s most respected newspaper.

Elise is working in the kitchen delivering sandwiches to the reporters in the office and pitches some ideas to Karina, the managing editor, to have Karina give Elise a chance to write something. Elise has never gone to journalism school, and all the writers at Gotham Times have gone though journalism school and have a master’s degree and years of experience. She’s said and I quote “I’m not cut out for long hauls. I’d make it though one year of journalism school, tops. Forget about a master’s. I don’t have that kind of dedication inside me.” She got he job delivering sandwiches to the writers in hopes of skipping all the steps and just getting to where she wants to go.

She goes as far as to somehow discover a corruption ploy between the deputy mayor and the construction union boss to out the current mayor during an election year where the deputy mayor is a candidate. We don’t get much of the WHY? on the corruption is happening we just know it is. Elise is playing a shitty Nancy Drew and following the deputy mayor and finds herself stuck on a tram back to NYC with three men. Tobias, the British former adult film star, Banks, the former star rugby player turned coach for a New York Rugby team, and last of all Gabe, the himbo of the group and building construction foreman.

The three men are INSTANTLY lusting over her (insert eye roll here) and there’s an immediate connection to each of them. But like Elise is wont to do, she runs from anything that could even smell like a bit of effort/commitment. I relate to her on literally one line only “I can barely tolerate one man, let alone three.” Gabe makes it possible for the group to see her again after her very hasty exit of said tram. The guys show up at her office and Karina gives her an opportunity to write an article in the lifestyle column on what it would be like for a woman to be in a polyamorous relationship. She declines because shes not in a polyamorous relationship and she goes to tell the guys off. They are able to convince her to go on a date. The date is fun and ends with some sexy times and she realizes she has big feelings for all three of them and then they all fall asleep in the hotel room. In the morning she leaves before any of the guys are up, dick move in my opinion because she would definitely not like it if they did that to her but we move. They show up at her apartment as soon as they wake up and want her to talk about how it went and come to terms with none of them feel like this was a one and done thing. So they get her in a room to talk about her feelings, harmless right? Nope, she chooses to agree to date them for a limited time trial basis, and then right after, punches one of them in the stomach, pulls one’s beard til they’re on the ground, and then kicks the last one in the leg, all because “they made her talk about her feelings”.

BUT WAIT THERES MORE.

Once she decides to date them and starts coming to terms with her feelings for them she chooses to start writing the article that Karina gave her the opportunity to write. Tell me how a woman who is willingly choosing to date all three of these men starts this article like this: “What do an egomaniacal porn star, an emotionally bullied construction foreman, and a rugby coach with crippling mommy issues have in common? They all slept in the same bed as me last night. By a simple twist of fate — and a Roosevelt Island tram malfunction — there I was, trapped with a trio of walking red flags.” She writes this and sends it off to Karina. It was exactly in this moment that I fought to DNF this book, and in hindsight I really should have because it only got worse from there.

Oh but wait there’s more, Elise single handedly solves Banks’ “crippling mommy issues”, and Gabe is able to stop being “emotionally bullied” and find a backbone somewhere in her magical pussy, and Tobias is able to take the ‘I hide my pain and insecurity behind my charm and humor’ mask and ‘become a real man’.

The biggest issue I had makes this book get exponentially worse in my opinion, when, SHOCKER the article she wrote about her and the guy is getting published, and the reaction of the guys finding this article is taken. Tobias finds the article and is understandably and reasonably upset, but he’s the only one. Banks is ready to defend her like the best criminal lawyer in the world and tells Tobias he’s “overreacting”! Absolutely not, his feelings are completely fucking valid. I hated that the guys handled the conflict resolution amongst themselves. Banks inherently gaslit the shit out of Tobias’ feelings.

Honestly, I could keep going and I would, but writing this review is exhausting and I would like to hit ‘delete content’ in my brain for having read this book, but alas I cannot. So I am going to pretend I did not read this and move the fuck on.
Profile Image for Christy.
4,542 reviews35.9k followers
November 27, 2022
3.5 stars

A bit of ridiculous, but a lot of fun! I especially loved Gabe!
Profile Image for Romantically Inclined Reviews.
728 reviews2,874 followers
November 5, 2022
I can't even begin to explain how delighted I am this exists. Tessa combines romcom and Why Choose in a way rarely seen. It was funny, ridiculous, sexy as fck, and didn't take itself too seriously. Positive sex worker representation, a kleptomaniac hero, dad bod, ripped bods, big dicks and average ones, an adorable two pump chump, mutual eating...out.

Tessa gives us everything.

My only complaint is I could have read 400 more pages and got to know them more and more and more. If any book has ever called for a dozen bonus epilogues. It's this one.
Profile Image for Madison.
454 reviews5,964 followers
November 7, 2022
*4.25*
This is a book about three men simping HARDCORE over a commitment-phobe woman and it was delicious.

Bailey is back as the queen of dirty talk in this fresh take on a Why Choose romcom.

what happens when a p*rnstar, a rugby coach, and a construction worker walk into a bar? They decide to enter into a quad relationship with a woman they got trapped on a tram with.

I would like an eggplant bouquet any day please 🍆 IYKYK

***

I will say this is very unique and unlike any other Why Choose romance I’ve read before. You are thrown into their relationship right off the bat, which isn’t something I’m used to in WC romances—especially when none of the guys know each other either or have been in poly relationships. As a result, i felt a little off kilter with how the book started. BUUUT - After the 30% mark i fell quickly in love with this book and all the characters.

I will say that Tobias ended up being my fave of the three guys—he was a character i grew to love as his walls came down and I just really vibed with him. He was the king of dirty talk and had the BEST one-liners. BUTTTT let me tell you, Gabe is a Saint Bernard dog in human form, and he must be protected at all costs. Banks was your rock and I loved how he got a little dom towards the end there, def delicious.

If you are looking for a new Why Choose romance that is rife with humour and men who are literally worshipping the woman they are crushing on…pick this up.

I also unlocked a new love for the Brat K!nk — which is the icing on the cake. So, thank you, Tessa.

(no sword crossing btw.)

* i read an Arc*
Profile Image for Grace Quan.
254 reviews341 followers
September 22, 2025
This was truly the silliest goofiest book I’ve ever read. This was so unserious. Elise was the blandest main character I’ve ever seen and yet she pull not one BUT THREE DUDES! Y’all, the math ain’t mathing here.

👕👕👕—> 👗 this don’t make no sense. 🙈

Despite this, I actually had so much fricking fun.
Profile Image for Rebecca (life's chaotic catching up).
395 reviews1,508 followers
November 10, 2022
Like a fever dream on acid but freaking fun! It was funny and sweet and so dirty😂
Elise is awesome, she’s independent and sassy and I really liked her. All three men bring something different to the table and I loved them all. It just worked.
It definitely is like reading someone’s really thought out fantasy but it’s not supposed to be serious, just cash in your ticket for the crazy train and enjoy the ride.
Profile Image for Rae (semi-hiatus).
520 reviews163 followers
December 6, 2022
I’m just so confused. This was pretty…meh.

Let me first introduce the love interests:
🍆 Tobias is an arrogant dick. Coincidentally, his whole personality is his dick.
💦 Gabe is a sweet, kinda dumb, gigantic teddy bear. He’s also a premature ejaculator. TB thought this was important enough to be reminded of. Constantly.
🏦 Banks is a stoic, no nonsense, grump who ends up being boring as all get out. Which is a shame because he had so much potential to be fire.

There you have it. The three men. 😮‍💨

So. The entire book was wildly unbelievable, this includes the storyline outside the relationship too. There’s a reason almost all RH books have the men know each other prior to the woman being introduced, otherwise you have to create chemistry or camaraderie between everyone from the ground up.

Three strangers are struck dumb and fall in love with Elise within a few hours and then a week? Huh? There’s no plausibility here at all. I don’t even understand what it was about Elise that made them go “She’s the one!” We were constantly being told they had chemistry with her and they knew she was special but I wasn’t feeling any of it. Instalust/love in contemporary romances rarely work imo, but especially not in RH with 4 total strangers.

I can tell this is TB’s first attempt at RH bc wowza. The sex scenes were just plain awkward. I. Was. Uncomfy lol. It was like she had to have each of the men involved when one of them was going to town on Elise. She even had them all say things in unison? Multiple times! 😭 They were giving each other directions and I’m like “get me out of here!” but the secondhand embarrassment paralyzed me. 🙈 Here’s some of the dirty talk- y’all I can’t lol:
“Just look at the way she lifts her hips for those pounds”
“I’ll tend to the pussy”
“Can you stay hard long enough for me to groom this pretty asshole?”
“does she need to wiggle around on my face”

I haven’t needed to skim/skip smut scenes in who knows how long but I had to in this book 🪦

Elise is pretty self-absorbed. She doesn’t really think about anything but herself and that was the crux of all the issues. I couldn’t ever immerse myself into this book because of her. She does some really shitty things that kinda blow my mind because really? Girl…Come on. And the book basically had the theme that love is a cure for past hurts and trauma. One moment from Elise with each of the guys and their entire world has changed. 😔

Most of all, this happens over the course of a week and they live HEA. 😫
Profile Image for Monique.
460 reviews
November 13, 2022
3.5 stars

I think this is the first contemporary RH I've read and if I'm really honest, RH at the best of times takes a lot of convincing on my part that it's even remotely believable. I mean in the current economic climate being with 3 guys DOES make sense but from a "do 3 hot dudes really like to share one woman?" I'm not so sure really and I'm not entirely sure this book convinced me of that.

I think part of the problem with this set up was Elise. I never really understood what these three men saw in her that made them instantly almost all fall in love with her. From the get go she's incredibly prickly to the point of being an absolute bitch to them. Her backstory on why she's like this made me roll my eyes pretty hard and straight up...she's a loser. Her list of failed jobs are embarrassing yet we have a rich porn star, successful rugby coach and a construction worker who are all gorgeous and lovely yet she was the one running away??? Girl, you're fucking crazy, like I said, in this economy you're gonna say no to 3 employed hotties?

The sex was definitely up to the standards I have come to enjoy from Tessa Bailey so I enjoyed those scenes immensely but I wish there had been more of them together getting to know each other and understanding why the hell these dudes were so into this chick who besides having a magical vagina didn't seem to offer much else of herself. I would have preferred that than the side story of her trying to become a reporter and you know...failing at that.

Overall I did mostly enjoy this and I think this is honestly more of a me problem in that RHs are very hit or miss for me and tend to work more when they are set far far far away from regular life in mafia or fantasy situations than in real life New York.

If you're a RH slut and love Tessa Bailey then I think you'll absolutely love this book so don't let me deter you.
Profile Image for tane'a.
662 reviews168 followers
November 19, 2022
tessa was so unserious for this😭😭

the whole time i was so confused about the timeline, just to find out this all was happening in the span of a week, goodbye💀
Profile Image for Milinas Library.
346 reviews908 followers
November 7, 2022
Tessa Bailey constantly supplying exactly what we need. She never fails to entertain, and this one had her sense of humor but also her ability to just craft A1 smut. It was a little bit more absurd than her usual stuff, but what can you expect when 4 people meet on a broken down tram and immediately want to bang?

I’ll tell you what to expect, entertainment. Hotness. Men who worship their girl no matter what. A total slay
Profile Image for Kelly.
680 reviews526 followers
October 20, 2022
I am kinda speechless…..Tessa took it to the next level with this baby WOW 🔥🔥🔥🔥 SO FUN & HOT YOU’LL BE READING WITH ONE HAND 🥵

I’m a Banks girl 4 life but all of the men were fantastic & you really can feel the chemistry with this group grow chapter by chapter. I’M OBSESSED TESSA IS A GOD.

You’re not going into this looking for some grand, moving love story. You are going in for a spicy and entertaining time (& the TB dirty talk DUH) this has to be one of her hottest books yet!!!! I loved it so much.

*thank you Tessa for an ARC copy to review
Profile Image for Stephanie.
18 reviews
November 14, 2024
This was boring. There were THREE MEN and this was still boring.
Profile Image for Namera [The Literary Invertebrate].
1,432 reviews3,762 followers
November 13, 2022
When I saw that Tessa Bailey (a well-established, generally decent contemporary romance author) had decided to try her hand at reverse harem, I RAN to download this book. Unfortunately, she makes a couple of the standard errors that newbie RH writers make.

Here we have Elise, a part-Hispanic sandwich girl at the eminent New York Gotham Times newspaper office. Notwithstanding her culinary role, she has aspirations of becoming an actual journalist herself, so one night she hops over to Roosevelt Island to try and break open a corruption scandal with union bosses. On her way back, she's trapped in a broken-down cable car with three strangers: Tobias the snarky British pornstar, Gabe the sweet construction worker, and gentlemanly black rugby coach Banks.

(I have actually been to Roosevelt Island on the cable cars, so I enjoyed this bit, though sadly I didn't visit the abandoned smallpox hospital!)

At this point, unfortunately, the plot totally collapses. Bailey's ENTIRE novel hinges on these three men - who are very different, who have never met before - suddenly falling into extreme lust with Elise, to the point where they all start getting frisky with her in the cable car. Then they all decide to date her, together.

When I say rookie RH errors (and I have read a LOT of RH) I mean stuff like this: heroes who have no reason at all to share a heroine suddenly deciding to partner up. Nor is it apparent at all why they'd suppress their natural jealousy for Elise, who comes across as somewhat flat. She also accedes to their request rather too quickly; I realise this is Manhattan in 2022, but surely someone who's only ever been in monogamous relationships would be a bit more conflicted before jumping into polyamory. Same with the heroes.

It's good to see a more mainstream author writing RH, but there are still some kinks to iron out.

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Profile Image for Leticia (jerseygirlsbookshelf).
578 reviews289 followers
January 16, 2023
"The meeting between the four of us is starting to feel less like happenstance and more like fate."
I was super excited about this book—so much so that I preordered it as soon as I heard about it. I mean, Tessa Bailey + RH? Bearing in mind Tessa's signature dirty-talking, hot AF heroes, it should have been everything. To me, it was just disappointing.

I'm going to keep this shorter than usual and spoiler-free so as not to ruin it for anyone who wants to read it. Keep in mind this is my personal opinion.

"But the lines between me and these men have blurred so much, I have no idea which new territory we’ve entered."
Elise is a sandwich girl who wants to be a journalist. She may have accidentally stepped onto a major scoop and is in Roosevelt Island to see if it leads anywhere. When she's coming back to the city, there's a problem with the tram, and it comes to a standstill, leaving her alone with three (very hot) guys.

"That’s a shame. He drags his full bottom lip through his teeth. "I’d love to give it to you." I’ve seen what he wants to give me. Many times. It’s very photogenic.
The guys... Tobias is a former porn star, Banks is a rugby coach, and Gabe is a construction worker. For whatever reason, they're instantly drawn to her, as she is to them. The whole thing was insta-lust times a million, and we're never given a clear reason why these guys want her so much. It's just–there. Because there would be no book otherwise.

"We all want her and it’s not a mystery as to why. I’m not the sharpest crayon in the box, but I’ve never been struck dumb by the sight of someone. Never gotten hard so fast in my life."
It started falling short for me very early. I hated the heroine. She sounds like a teenager, never going through with anything because she never fully sets her mind on anything. Gabe, the construction worker, was the absolute worst in terms of personality because he had none.
Tobias and Banks absolutely saved this book for me, even if they needed a little more backstory. There was too much emphasis on Gabe, and that annoyed me as well.

"Elise, I’ll eat your pussy like it’s the last slice of chocolate fucking cake,"
For some reason, these guys really want her, so they go after her, trying to convince her to give them a shot. It was so out of this world because she does nothing to justify being so special to warrant the guys' attention in the first place, especially when one of them had already been with hundreds of women before.
Still... yes, she obviously finally gives in.

"The card that came with Banks’s roses says, I’ll take everything you’ve got, even the thorns."
This should have been marketed as a rom-com first and foremost, and a mostly cheesy one at that. Yes, there are three guys and one woman, but what makes an RH for me is not that technicality—it's the hotness factor. I didn't feel it. The sex scenes felt mechanical and rushed, and definitely lacked the sexiness I love from Tessa Bailey, which is why I've always loved her heroes before.

In the meantime, there's this sort-of-suspense police story that adds absolutely nothing to the book and felt simply out of context and added there for something extra.
Yep. As I said, it's not an RH book for me.

"There is no script with you, Elise. There is no beginning, middle or end."
Of course, it has the HEA, and it's an OK one. You see it coming from a mile away because it brings the guys and their respective stories full circle. But it wasn't enough for me to love, or even truly like, this book. I'll be more careful about preordering Tessa's books in the future.
Profile Image for Millie Rae.
208 reviews36 followers
November 29, 2022
Now listen, I’m not saying this book is an astonishing work of literature but Tessa Bailey did what Tessa Bailey does best… STEAAMMMM. Pure, unfiltered, undiluted and a little bit unrealistic STEAAMMM. And we love her for it.
Profile Image for aleerless.
498 reviews374 followers
November 7, 2022
you know what's worse than a love triangle? a f*cking love square
Profile Image for Sharon.
546 reviews21 followers
November 14, 2022
DNF 46%.

I've read four or five books by Tessa Bailey, and I always cringe through the beginning but then it usually pulls together. She usually writes very hot sex which makes up a bit for other areas that might be lacking.

This book was BAD. The beginning was super-cringeworthy, with a woman stuck on a tram that loses power. There are three very hot men on the tram who are all strangers, and they instantly all fall in love with her, and she with them. Her internal protests of "but this is crazy, I'm not like this!" fall very flat, because the situation is indeed, bat-shit crazy and doesn't land as a premise for a book. A porn video yes, but not a book with a plot. She ends up sandwiched between all of them and it seems as if group sex is imminent but the power comes back on and as they arrive back at the station she takes off before they learn anything about her, like her name.

But of course one of them steals her ID badge from work (which she finds adorable, wtf) and they proceed to show up all together at her place of work and then all start getting it on in the break room. WTF.

So then I thought, ok, well maybe it's just going to be very hot and I'll accept it as erotica. But then the cringe keeps on coming, the insta-love gets even worse, and the sex scenes were laughable. Her doing it with three guys at once is not even a little sexy because they keep saying the STUPIDEST things and it just doesn't work.

Take, for example, this gem:

"She's even sexier covered in sweat." He rams into me, making me scream. "Those tits, especially. but God help me, it's the way that she looks at me. So trusting. That's what's making me come. I can't stop myself."

Eye roll + cringe + ick = how I feel about this sex scene.

The men's stories are all designed to elicit sympathy for them, I guess? and we're supposed to see them as very hot but emotionally wounded and it's clear that's supposed to add complexity to this silly story, but none of it works.

My advice - skip this one.
Profile Image for Isabella.
261 reviews2,505 followers
February 22, 2023
I dream of having one man love me let alone THREE at one time.

This book was funny, eventful, and so spicy- everything you are to expect from this author. I absolutely loved it and it was such a fun ride. Definitely recommend!
Profile Image for Anna.
893 reviews634 followers
November 7, 2022
4.5 stars

Oh my goddddddddd I loved this book!!!!!!

Go off Tessa Bailey for bringing the heat to this fun why choose novel!!!

This one was hot hot HOT, super fun, & it made me laugh so much. It’s the Tessa Bailey knack, which I absolutely love while reading her books!

What happens when an adult film star, a rugby coach & construction worker get stuck in a tram with a sandwhich girl… you may wanna read to find out 💦💦💦

Tram FAMMMMMMM for life 🫶

Listen, I loved Banks & Gabe, but Tobias was my absolutely fave!! He made me laugh & the dirty mouth on him was perfection. He’s my kinda guy right there heh.

I loved that she took this book & tried something new…and CRUSHED IT. Definitely her hottest book to date! READ IT YALL.

Thank you to @tessabaileyisanauthor for my ARC of this awesome book!

Spice: 🌶🌶🌶.5

Tropes:
why choose
Enemies to lovers
Insta love/attraction
Forced proximity
Profile Image for Jocie (so behind on reviews).
259 reviews8 followers
January 3, 2024
5⭐️
3.5🌶️
Well my first read of 2024 was a smash! 😉 I was looking through the stats for the rating of this book and I was shocked! I expected a lot more stars for sure. I really enjoyed this book. The characters alone were just so freaking amazing. So different in personalities, but they worked so well together! This book was fun, sweet, spicy, and endearing. Gabe the gentle giant who was also kind of diabolical. Banks the logical one who always knew what Elise needed. And how could I forget Tobias the seemingly egomaniac porn star, who can be beyond caring. I honestly just thought this book was a hoot and a half. This is probably one of my favorite Tessa Bailey books to date though I still have a lot more of her books to go through so I guess we will see.

Anyway, I just think this book deserves more praise. Maybe it’s not everyone’s cup of tea however, it most definitely was mine. I laughed, I smiled, I even teared up a little at the end. Plus the fact that the epilogue didn’t have her pregnant and they seemingly decided not to have children, I actually liked that. You don’t see that very often in romances. If they aren’t pregnant in the storyline it ends up being in the epilogue, but this one didn’t have that and I actually liked that.

Here’s some quotes for fun:
“Take up your space and don’t apologize for it,”

“Gabe, you’re secretly kind of diabolical.” “Thank you.” He nods for a moment. “What’s diabolical?”

‘She’s exploring me like she gives a shit, wants to learn me and celebrate me. Know who I am. Mere minutes ago, I was more lost that I’ve ever felt in my life, but she is saving me, redirecting me, giving me a new name. Hers.’ (And then there is some spicy stuff that I won’t put in, you’ll just have to read it for yourself😊)
Profile Image for Hannah.
259 reviews22 followers
December 26, 2022
Kinda bummed about this one because Tessa Bailey is one of my favorites and I love her so much but this book wasn’t really that great. But I’m never gonna give up on my woman 😤
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