Tools of Engagement

Bethany Castle is a successful home stager in Port Jefferson, New York, who joins her siblings' home renovation show to prove her capabilities. When her brother's business partner drops out of a renovation project, she takes on the challenge of flipping a house, paired with construction worker Wes Daniels. Wes brings his five-year-old niece to live with him while caring for her temporarily, adding complexity to his work-life balance. The house flip becomes a race against time as Bethany and Wes navigate their professional rivalry and growing attraction while trying to meet their deadline. Their contrasting approaches to work - Bethany's perfectionism versus Wes's pragmatism - create friction on the job site and in their relationship. The presence of reality TV cameras adds pressure as they attempt to maintain their professional images. The story explores themes of family obligation, self-discovery, and the challenge of balancing personal ambition with vulnerability in relationships. Through home renovation metaphors, it examines how people can rebuild both spaces and themselves.

Readers appreciate the witty banter between leads Bethany and Wes, with many highlighting their chemistry and sexual tension. The home renovation plot provides a fresh backdrop for the romance. Several reviewers note the strong character development, particularly Bethany's growth from perfectionist to someone more self-accepting. Common criticisms include repetitive internal monologues and some find the age gap between characters problematic. A portion of readers felt the conflict resolution happened too quickly in the final chapters. From specific reviews: "The home improvement angle sets this apart from standard romcoms" - Goodreads reviewer "Too much time spent in their heads rather than actual interaction" - Amazon review "Perfect balance of steam and emotional depth" - BookBub user Ratings: Goodreads: 4.0/5 (32,000+ ratings) Amazon: 4.4/5 (2,800+ reviews) BookBub: 4.3/5 (900+ ratings)

Fix Her Up by Tessa Bailey A romance between a house flipper and an ex-baseball player features workplace dynamics and home renovation elements.

The Simple Wild by K.A. Tucker A city girl learns to renovate an Alaskan lodge while falling for a rugged bush pilot.

The Happy Ever After Playlist by Abby Jimenez A woman rebuilding her life meets a musician through a lost dog and navigates career choices with new love.

Love Her or Lose Her by Tessa Bailey A married couple works with a relationship coach while renovating their lives together.

Meet Cute Club by Jack Harbon A bookstore owner and his renovation-savvy rival turn competitors into collaborators through a romance book club.

🔨 Tools of Engagement is the third book in Tessa Bailey's Hot & Hammered series, following Fix Her Up and Love Her or Lose Her. 🏠 The story centers around a house-flipping competition, reflecting the surge in popularity of home renovation shows and real estate investment programming on networks like HGTV. 📚 Author Tessa Bailey is known as the "Queen of Steam" in contemporary romance circles, having written over 50 romance novels across multiple series. 👶 The book features an age-gap romance where the female protagonist is older than the male lead - a less common dynamic in romance novels. 🔥 The novel was named one of the "Sexiest Books of All Time" by Cosmopolitan magazine and earned a spot on Amazon's Best Romance Books of 2020 list.