UNFORTUNATELY YOURS – Tessa Bailey
Avon
ISBN: 978-0-06-323903-6
June 6, 2023
Romantic Comedy

St. Helena, California – Present Day

Natalie Vos returned home from New York City after losing her job and her fiancé. Now she is living under the same roof as her brother and his girlfriend, which isn’t the most ideal situation. As one of the Vos family members, she is heralded for her expert knowledge of wine and asked to judge wines. One of the newest wineries in the area is owned by August Cates, a big burly guy who seems more at home in a gym than in a winery. As it turns out, his winemaking skills are questionable as his results are nearly undrinkable. Natalie and August have had several confrontations about his wine, and it’s clear that they hate one another. But soon, they may have to make peace in order to…marry each other. 

Natalie wants to make a comeback in New York City by launching a financial firm but needs the money to do so. Her massive trust fund is sitting there untouched, but her father has made it inaccessible to Natalie except for one condition: she must be married before she can access it. August needs funds to improve his winery in hopes that it will help him in his winemaking. He is only in the business to honor a late military buddy of his. A bank loan can’t come through unless he has financial backing behind him. To his surprise, the woman who hates his guts and makes his life miserable offers him a lifeline. They marry for a month, and she gets her trust fund, and she will help him get a $200,000 bank loan. The marriage will be in name only, but soon their hate for each other turns into insatiable lust. 

UNFORTUNATELY YOURS is a classic enemies-to-lovers tale. Natalie and August have literally argued every time they’ve been around each other. But once they get the chance to get to know each other, lust soon pulses between them. Natalie is from the super-rich Vos family while August is a blue-collar worker. He’s rough and tough with his hands, while she has sharp words for people she doesn’t care for. They appear to be opposites and that is exactly the case in this funny tale. While sex wasn’t on the table for their marriage, they can’t keep their hands off one another on their wedding night. Her family watches in amazement as Natalie falls for the ex-military man. As for August, he can only think about how crazy Natalie drives him.

Things aren’t easy for Natalie and August at first in UNFORTUNATELY YOURS. Their first instinct is to wonder if they are crazy about their plan. Both figure they can keep their hands off each other but their sizzling hot attraction has their bodies wanting other things. Living under the same roof has them seeing each other in a different light. Natalie isn’t the brainless twerp who lost a financial company millions of dollars. She is smart and savvy. August isn’t a dummy when it comes to winemaking as he just needs some guidance because the will is there. But they are keeping secrets from each other. I won’t go into what they are because it will spoil the plot twist. Will the decisions they make be the right ones? 

Of course, there will be some bumpy roads before Natalie and August find their happiness. Readers are in for a treat as they go along for the ride in UNFORTUNATELY YOURS.

Patti Fischer