Fix Her Up

Is it possible for a book to make you blush? Yes, yes it is and this book had me blushing A LOT (and I think my eyes almost popped out of my head at one point). This book is intense and HOT as fire. It is like Bailey challenged the fake relationship concept to a fun game of Twister. Along with a lot of humor and some page scorching moments, this book also dives into how one's past and the perspectives of others can destroy you or propel you forward. I truly enjoy the nuggets of wisdom these authors tend to slip it.

Fix Her Up was such a delightful, swoony, and completely addictive rom-com—I couldn’t stop smiling the entire time I was reading it! Tessa Bailey kicked off the Hot & Hammered series with the perfect blend of steamy romance, laugh-out-loud humor, and heartwarming family/friend dynamics. This book reminded me exactly why I adore contemporary romance when it’s done with this much charm and heart.

Georgie stole my heart from the very beginning. She’s quirky, fun, and determined to prove she’s more than the “cute little sister” everyone assumes she is. I loved how she was written with such depth—yes, she’s funny and lighthearted, but she’s also ambitious, hardworking, and deeply caring. Her vulnerability about being show more underestimated made me root for her so hard.

Then there’s Travis… oh, Travis. The ex–baseball star turned hometown grump with a reputation he can’t shake. He’s broody, sexy, and has just the right touch of brokenness that makes you want to hug him and then immediately fan yourself because—wow. The way Tessa Bailey writes her heroes is pure magic. Travis had me swooning one moment with his protective streak and blushing the next with the absolutely scorching chemistry he had with Georgie.

Speaking of chemistry—the romance was perfection. The fake-dating setup between Georgie and Travis was so much fun, especially because it gave them so many opportunities to blur the lines between pretend and real. The banter was witty and sharp, the slow-burn tension was delicious, and when things finally heated up? Let’s just say Tessa Bailey more than delivered on the steam. But what really made their relationship shine for me was the emotional connection underneath all that heat—the way they built each other up, challenged one another, and truly saw past the facades.

The supporting cast was another highlight. Georgie’s family dynamics, the “Just Us League” of women supporting one another, and the small-town backdrop added so much warmth and personality to the story. It never felt like the romance existed in a vacuum—the world around them felt alive and messy in the best way.

I also loved how the book balanced humor with heart. There were plenty of laugh-out-loud moments (Georgie’s antics had me giggling so many times), but there was also a real emotional core to the story about self-worth, identity, and choosing the life you want. That balance made the romance feel more grounded and deeply satisfying.

By the end, I was completely in love with Georgie and Travis. Their happily-ever-after felt both swoony and hard-earned, and it left me with that perfect romance-reader glow. Fix Her Up is everything I want in a contemporary romance: fun, flirty, heartfelt, and unforgettable.

Five stars without hesitation—Tessa Bailey delivered a book that’s as hilarious as it is steamy, and it set up the Hot & Hammered series beautifully. I’m already excited to keep reading about the rest of these characters. show less

I swear “Fix Her Up” has been on my TBR pile since the get-go and I had to snatch this right up when I saw the paperback on sale #noregrets and it pretty much lived up to the hype. I’m not going to lie, I was a bit besides myself when the raunchy scenes came up and the explicit dirty talk (oh boy!) that came out of our baseball stud’s mouth. Like woo wee, it was damn hot. And if you haven’t already known, this rom-com falls under typical small town romance, older brother best friend trope and unlike many others releases that I had read that fell under this category, the lead heroine Georgette wasn’t the typical heroine you often find in books like this. She was the clown in the relationship. Literally.

The fallen baseball show more hero and the party clown falling in love was a unique twist and I was pleasantly surprised by how compatible they were even though there were some instances I wanted to ring Georgette’s neck due to her somewhat subtle immaturity (if that makes sense). Nevertheless I have enjoyed this novel because it was filled with oh-so-hot romance, memorable secondary characters (brother’s wife anyone?!), and a decent storyline that left me wanting more. This would be perfect for readers looking for a lighthearted rom-com with side of dirty talk.

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Charming, funny, and romantic, with hot sexy times. What more could you ask for?

After being injured and dumped from major league baseball, Travis wants to lie in his rut forever. But his best friend’s little sister Georgie just won’t let him. See, Georgie may be a clown (she does birthday parties), but she is tired of not being taken seriously. And she has had a serious crush on Travis since she was a kid, so she’s not going to let him flounder if she has anything to say about it. Just as Travis starts to get his shit together, he gets an amazing offer from his agent– but his bad boy persona has got to go if he wants to get the job. And Georgie realizes she needs to make some moves and stop clowning around (see what I did show more there?). So they decide to fake date! Like you do! And the deeper they get into their faux relationship, the more Travis can’t seem to keep his eyes (and hands) off of her.

I was really charmed by this story. It’s not perfect, but Georgie’s resilience and sense of humor go a long way. Georgie is fun, funny, independent, speaks her mind, and doesn’t take any of Travis’ shit. Watching them interact, I actually chuckled out loud during some of their more combative moments. She’s trying to get both her family and the town to stop seeing her as the little sister and recognize her as a competent adult and businesswoman. She does some growing, some changing, and in the process, sees Travis for who he really is, not just her childhood crush, and falls in love with him.

It’s also fun to watch Travis fall head over heels for Georgie without being quite aware that he is doing it. See, Travis is a bit of a stick in the mud. Damaged, broody, sarcastic, and destined to be alone (he thinks). When Georgie comes dancing into his life with her optimism and hilarious one-liners, he gets knocked on his ass, emotionally. The good thing about the book is that Travis doesn’t backtrack. Once he starts moving forward, he sticks to the path– he doesn’t succumb to his man pain and ruin everything. He does, eventually, ruin things, but it’s ok. It’s a romance novel, there’s a happy ending.

Don’t let that cutesy cover fool you– the sexy times are really hot and sexy. Woo, boy! Someone on Twitter said Tessa Bailey is the queen of filthy bedroom talk and they were damn right. 4 stars. show less

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy of this story. I freaking loved it. First, let me say that I kind of love the newish trend in romance novels of an illustrated cover. It is so charming and fun to look at. Second, I love a good brother's best friend romance.

Georgie is our female protagonist and she's pretty much been in love with Travis, her brother's BFF forever and then some. Travis moves back home after retiring from baseball due to an injury. To help Travis improve his image and hopefully get a fancy announcer's gig, Georgie and Travis agree to fake date. Of course fake dating leads to an actual relationship (relax, it's a romance, this shouldn't be a surprise). What I loved about these two was how they show more helped each other be better. Georgie is the baby of her family and no one ever stands up for her until Travis. He helps her get some confidence and learn how to stand up to her family. Georgie helps Travis realize that relationships aren't all bad and it's okay to let people in.

I really liked the two of them together. I also loved how Georgie inspired a lot of people in the town, including her own sister, to be better versions of themselves. I am 100% ready for the next book in the series. I spoke briefly with Tessa Bailey at a signing this weekend and she said it's her first married couple (book 2) and she is excited about it. Me too Tessa Bailey, me too. show less

4.7 stars

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

They could be friends, him and Georgie. That’s what was wrong. He didn’t want one—especially her. She was too young, too positive, and too related to his best friend.

Starting off the Hot and Hammered series, Fix Her Up is a perfect sweet and hot summer read. Georgie has been in love with her brother's bestfriend Travis ever since she can remember but has never been able to get him to see her any other way, she can't even get her family to see her as an adult. When Travis comes back to his hometown, Georgie can't stand seeing him depressed over having to retire from baseball because of an show more injury and decides to try some tough love.
Travis' father always said he'd never amount to anything and even though he's won the World Series, Travis is back right where he started. After living the flashy life as a star baseball player, Travis is struggling with who he is now. His bestfriend Stephen's little sister is pushing him to put the bottle down and clean his apartment and all the while Travis can't stop thinking about how sexy she has become.
Georgie and Travis are sick of being stuck in a box and so they make a plan to fake date to get people to see them a different way, but there will absolutely be no real feelings, nope, nope, nope.

But the more she got to know Reality Travis, the more Fantasy Travis started to fade, leaving this real, breathing, complicated man in his place. He appealed to her even more. So much more.

I thought this story was an absolute delight, a perfect summer read. Georgie was a combination of sweet, goofy, determined, and vulnerable. She works as a party clown, which doesn't help getting people to see her as an adult, and wishes her family would see her more than the “baby” of the family. I thought the author did a good job moving Georgie from childhood infatuation to getting to know Travis on a deeper level to make her love for him seem more solid. Georgie finds Travis sexy and grew up starry eyed over him but as she deals with his grumpiness, depression, and abandonment issues, the reader can see a stronger foundation start to grow.

Travis was the perfect amount of grumpy and soft towards Georgie, he's never blatantly mean towards her and I delighted in seeing him starting to crack against his will. He's about five years older than Georgie, so he was off playing baseball when she grew up and when they meet up again, he firmly tries to put her in the no touch little sister friend zone. He fails at this and it is not only because he finds her attractive but because she reaches him and connects with him in a way no in his life ever has.

Travis and Georgie's chemistry, rather it be friendship or sexual, popped off the pages and I loved every second they made me smile or sent a tingle down my spine. There was a little bit of abruptness to their first sexual encounter and from there, it's on with these two. You'll get a kissing in the rain moment that morphs into a Georgie on her knees in a dugout, along with some other heat inducing scenes. For a sexy summer read, I thought there was a good balance between sex scenes and relationship building; the author doesn't completely abandon the emotional aspect.

Seeming at odds with himself, he eventually wrapped an arm around the small of Georgie’s back, tugging her into the warmth of his chest. “A few minutes won’t hurt,” he muttered, seemingly to himself.
She nuzzled into his chest hair to hide her smile.

The fake relationship plot doesn't happen until a little later in the book and you kind of have to just go along with it for the sake of the story. There was also a mini-subplot mainly involving Georgie, her sister, sister-in-law, and a friend where they form a “Just Us League”, a group of women supporting each other to accomplish their dreams, that came off a bit series baiting. It was a way to introduce and get to know some secondary characters that will probably get their own stories later on. It wasn't intrusive and actually added some nice women bonding time while flushing Georgie's character out more but it was also obvious as series baiting.

I thought Travis' relationship with Stephen could have been shown more and the issues he had with his parents definitely was missing some depth but even though Travis and Georgie's relationship moves a wee bit quickly, they still felt true. There were times were it came close overly focusing on Travis being so much more experienced than virgin Georgie but stopped shy of being harped on. These two were there for each other and the way Georgie sunshines her way into Travis' grumpiness, “forcing” him to commit some seriously sweet actions was at turns adorable and sexy.

This girl could make a man crawl and had no idea.

The ending wrapped up far too quickly, in regards to a last minute mess up by Travis and having no epilogue. However, thinking of Travis and Georgie embarking on their new adventure together, left a smile on my face. I'm also dying for Rosie and Dominic's story, a highschool sweetheart couple that has lost their connection, there is a scene between the two that will have everyone turning into a thirst factory for their book. As a summer read Fix Her Up excels, sweet, vulnerable, hot, and oh so sexy.

She’d set out on a sneaky mission to make Travis believe in himself, but he’d slowly been doing the same for her. They’d been doing it for each other, hadn’t they? show less

Ohhh friends, this is a good one. This is my first time reading anything by Tessa Bailey but it will most certainly not be my last. This adorable, STEAMY novel is exactly what I needed and I couldn't put it down.

Georgie Castle is the youngest child, and is always stuck in that role. No one takes her seriously, no matter how much of a life she carves into it. She is confident and loud and hysterically funny. And did I mention that she's a clown? Like, an actual birthday party clown. Now, if you'd have told me a month ago that I would be in love with a book where the heroine is a clown, I would have thought you were on something.

Travis Ford is back in Port Jefferson after an injury put an end to his career in the Major Leagues. He's show more angry and drunk, wallowing in self-pity. Then, Georgie walks in to cheer him up and bring him back to life.

This book has everything. Fake dating, a bad boy, witty dialogue, and STEAM. Oh boy, the steam. It is so, so good. I devoured this book, and the only regret that I have is that it's over now. show less