"Tessa Bailey's writing stands out in all the right sexy ways." -- Buzzfeed
The fan-favorite, HGTV-inspired rom-com trilogy from #1 New York Times bestselling author Tessa Bailey, now in a single volume!
This bundle includes the following Hot & Hammered novels:
FIX HER UP: A bad-boy professional baseball's player agrees to fake a relationship with his best friend's younger sister in order to rehab both their reputations, but their feelings get all too real...
LOVE HER OR LOSE HER: A young married couple signs up for relationship boot camp in order to rehab their rocky romance and finds a second chance at love.
TOOLS OF ENGAGEMENT: Two enemies team up to flip a house and the sparks between them are so hot, they'll either set the place on fire or ignite a passion that neither expected.
With a wonderful, hilarious cast of characters, small-town charm, and tons of spice, this series is not to be missed!
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.
Fix Her Up and Tools of Engagement were my favorite if the three, although I related to issues in all three. The interesting thing about Bailey’s books, and a major thing I enjoy about them, is that the women are the most dynamic part of the story with the male characters being more flat and less developed. It’s the opposite of most stories so it’s refreshing to see. I wish that Bailey would write more in the series because I really enjoyed the concept of the Just Us League for women and the stories that could come out of that.
I love this series, I will always love this series.
The order of these three books reminds me of how I was taught to structure the supporting paragraphs of an argumentative essay in high school:
The first paragraph should be you 2nd strongest (in this case, Fix Her Up). It should be great enough to draw readers in and encourage them to continue reading through the rest of your essay.
The second paragraph is where you'd put your weakest points (sorry, Love Her or Lose Her) - readers have already been drawn in, they'll use the momentum from your successful first paragraph (Fix Her Up) to pull through and continue on to your final point.
The third paragraph (Tools of Engagement) is where you go out with a bang and really wow them.
This series is successful as stand-alones, but each book does such a great job supporting each of the others and incorporating the main characters from the other books.
The only thing I'm perplexed about is Stephen and Kristin - seriously, wtf?
5 star collective read but 5 stars also specifically for the final book, Tools of Engagement.
4.0 Three books, three couples, all tied together by friendship (and a few family links), and Charlotte North’s narration pulling them into one set.
Book 1: Fix Her Up
A cute rom-com vibe with the classic fake dating trope. There were funny bits, soft feelings, and plenty of spice. The couple themselves were sweet, though overall it didn’t stand out compared to what I’ve been listening to lately. Still, it was a light and enjoyable start.
Book 2: Love Her or Lose Her
This one shifts to Rosie and Dominic, a married couple on the rocks. Rosie leaves him, and they head into therapy to see if they can save their marriage. It kept the spice and the “cute book” feel, while showing a different dynamic. I liked how the series keeps the couples interconnected, friends, and sometimes family, which adds warmth to the set.
Book 3: Tools of Engagement
My favourite of the three. The wit and banter were spot on, and Wes quickly became a standout for me. Bethany brought humour too, making their dynamic fun to follow. It leaned into an enemies-to-lovers setup, or at least a “didn’t like each other at first” vibe, and it worked really well. The chemistry and sharp exchanges made this one shine above the others.
Overall: The Hot and Hammered trilogy is light, spicy, and full of heart. Each book brings a different couple to the spotlight, but the interconnected friendships and family ties keep the series cohesive. While the first two were cute and enjoyable, the third delivered the strongest mix of humour, banter, and romance, making it the highlight of the set for me.
I listened to these as a set on hoopla, and it took me months to get through them all. I kept re-checking them out, though. I do like all of the 6 main characters, although I'd say these are more like a 3 1/2 for me. They are much more spicy than I prefer. The 3rd one did make me cry at the end, though, so that's what made me round up to 4. They are definitely better read as a trilogy, since the storylines all get tied up neatly at the end of the 3rd one.
Loved the whole series! I waited too long to check out this series. Tessa Bailey did a wonderful job weaving these three stories. Every character has their strengths and flaws and their own demon to get through, but with one another's support, they are stronger together. Definitely recommended!
Cute thoughtless books. All have the same formula- guy and girl have issue, fix issue, and then another turn of events to ultimately fixing issue, etc. Good audio books for the car ride commute
I got this set on audible and I had a hard time enjoying the story as the narrators are not my cup of tea. Each of the stories was sweet but the narration just killed it for me.
Each book was definitely a good one. I enjoyed every single one of them in their own way. Each couple was unique and different but somehow they worked well together.
These books were great! They kept you coming back for more! The family feud and the twist at the end of the last book were great! I loved all 3 but the last one was my favorite!
Once again - AUDIBLE is not on GR - ugh! Love when Audible listeners get a bundle (here 3) of books in 1 credit - these 3 worked well and I'm giving an extra star for such. 3 stories, 3 couples working through relationships with trials and tribulations but lovely endings.