Short Take Reviews: Fix Her Up & Twisted

FIX HER UP
Tessa Bailey
Publication date: June 11, 2019
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Format: Audiobook, 9 hrs 59 min
Source: Overdrive
3.5 STARS
GOODREADS 

After an injury ends Travis Ford’s major league baseball career, he returns home to start over. He just wants to hammer out his frustrations at his new construction gig and forget all about his glory days. But he can’t even walk through town without someone recapping his greatest hits. Or making a joke about his… bat. And then there’s Georgie, his buddy’s little sister, who is definitely not a kid anymore.

Georgette Castle has crushed on her older brother’s best friend for years. The grumpy, bear of a man working for her family’s house flipping business is a far cry from the charming sports star she used to know. But a moody scowl doesn’t scare her and Georgie’s determined to show Travis he’s more than a pretty face and a batting average, even if it means putting her feelings aside to be “just friends.”

Travis wants to brood in peace. But the girl he used to tease is now a funny, full-of-life woman who makes him feel whole again. And he wants her. So damn bad. Except Georgie’s off limits and he knows he can’t give her what she deserves. But she’s becoming the air he breathes and Travis can’t stay away, no matter how hard he tries.


M Y   T H O U G H T S

I can’t say that I was dying to read Fix Her Up, but I had been meaning to try something by Tessa Bailey and I’d seen several friends rave about it, so I decided to give it a go. This kinda/sorta friends-to-more romance was fun and cute and mostly enjoyable. What really made it work for me was main character Georgie. Loved her! She was an amazing heroine and the girl you really want to be friends with. She’s sweet and genuine, plucky and smart, and quirky without being annoying. She worked hard and was willing to put herself out there to succeed – both personally and professionally. She was continually overlooked and underestimated by her family and I loved watching as she began to stand up for herself and push for the respect she deserved.

Where Fix Her Up fell short for me was Travis – the, ahem, hero. Try as I might, I never warmed to him. I’ve gotta say, it doesn’t take much to make me fall head over heels for a good hero. I’ve got a big, squishy, romantic heart and it’s so easy to make me go all swoony for the love interest. So when I don’t, I feel like the author really dropped the ball. I can’t even pinpoint what it was about Travis that turned me off (maybe he was too alpha?) but I was not a fan. I liked the times he stood up for Georgie and supported her. I liked the ending. But most of the time I was decidedly underwhelmed. Oh, and the way he talked to Georgie during the sexytimes often left me cringing. (Side note: I just have to mention how much I loathed Georgie’s brother. He was a total ass and the ever so slight way he redeemed himself at the end did not change my mind. Few characters have ever enraged me like he did.)

I’m not sure Fix Her Up is really representative of Bailey’s usual style (I feel like he books are usually straight contemporary romance rather than rom-com) so I’m still interested in trying something else by her. I just hope that Travis isn’t representative of her usual hero. 


TWISTED
Emma Chase
Publication date: March 25, 2014
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Series: Tangled #2
Format: Audiobook, 7 hrs 2 min
Source: Overdrive
4 STARS
There are two kinds of people in this world: the ones who look first, and the ones who leap. I’ve always been more of a looker. A planner. Cautious. Then I met Drew Evans. He was so persistent. So sure of himself. He made it easy to leap with him.

Did you think Drew and I were going to ride off into the sunset and live happily ever after? So did I. But life is about choices, and Drew already made his. In fact, he tried to decide for the both of us—but you know that’s not my style. So I came back to Greenville, to spend some time alone . . . sort of.

Because old habits die hard, and sometimes you have to go back to where you began before you can move ahead again.



M Y   T H O U G H T S

I read Tangled several months ago and while it wasn’t my favorite by Emma Chase, it was still a good time and I loved Drew and Kate together. So I was looking forward to diving into Twisted for some Drew + Kate goodness. Only, Drew + Kate weren’t doing so great. And before I knew it things were falling apart, Drew reacted horribly, and Kate was leaving. Say what?!

If you know me at all, you know that my #1 bookish pet peeve of all time forever-and-ever-amen is the miscommunication trope. And had I known that was used here I might have skipped this one entirely. But I have to give serious kudos to Emma because she performed some kind of bookish magic and made it work for me. *fist bumps Emma Chase* I mean, seriously, not once while reading (well, listening) did I roll my eyes or bemoan the tired, old miscommunication trope. Nope, I was 100% invested and feeling all the angst and emotion. And I think it’s because the conflict didn’t hinge on the fact that the main characters weren’t talking. Drew and Kate did talk… it’s just that they were talking about two different things and didn’t realize it.

I loved getting Kate’s POV (Tangled was told solely from Drew’s POV). She was a strong woman while still being able to recognize her weaknesses. The supporting cast was even better here and several played important roles as Kate licked her wounds and tried to decide how to move forward. This was a great look at a relationship in flux and characters growing and learning to be true partners. The epilogue, which shifted to Drew’s POV, was priceless and made me excited to read all the bonus content available on Emma’s website.


HAVE YOU READ EITHER OF THESE BOOKS?
WHAT'S YOUR LEAST FAVORITE TROPE?

22 comments

  1. These both sound so good! Miscommunication is something that bothers me too. But is sounds like Drew and Kate work it eventually. I'm gonna have to check out the first book now. Great reviews.

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    1. Thanks Jenea! Miscommunication (or lack of communication) drives me insane. But Chase actually made it work in a way that made sense.

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  2. I had big problems with Travis too and it ruined the book for me. He really looked at her as a little sister early on and it felt squicky when he was all of a sudden sexualizing her while still thinking of her as a kid. Then he was waaaay too possessive at times (like all the men in this book grrr) and the sex was ewwww instead of hot.

    Sorry, I had feelings lol

    Her books can go either way for me though. I either LOVE them or hate them so I would definitely give her another shot.

    Karen @ For What It's Worth

    Karen @ For What It's Worth

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    1. Go ahead and vent... I get it. LOL And you're right - *all* the men in the book were pretty much possessive Neanderthals! Grrr. I still want to give her another try. Maybe something that is more in line with what she usually writes.

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  3. I haven't read this book by Tessa Bailey, but I've been listening to her podcast - Read Me Romance - and through it have listened to a couple of novellas by her. I can't say for sure, but it sounds like Travis was a little different than the heroes I've read so far. Maybe give the podcast a try, so you get a short, quick read of her instead of investing in another full length book?

    And Emma Chase is an author I've been meaning to read - I even own a couple of her books. Tangled sounds like one I would probably like.

    Great reviews :)

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    1. I love the Read Me Romance podcast! I've gotten behind lately but for a while there I wasn't missing a single episode. Those three ladies crack me up. :) As much as I enjoy the podcast, I haven't heard one of Tessa's books yet. I need to go back and find one. Good idea!

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  4. I've read stuff from both of these authors, but not these books haha but I loved your reviews. I'm thinking about checking out Fix Her Up on audiobook in a few weeks.

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    1. I'll be really interested to read your thoughts on Fix Her Up if you decide to listen to it!

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  5. I think I've read one Tessa Bailey book before but she's an author I've not really gone out of my way to read but, like you, I've seen folks saying a lot of good things about Fix Her Up so I want to give it a shot. I will be a little warier of it after your review, though. If i don't fall head over heels pretty quick I'll abandon it because you should really be invested in the romance and it sucks Travis didn't work for you as the hero.

    I hate miscommunication in romance too so it's good to hear Emma Chase made this work for you in Twisted. It's tough for an author to make a trope you hate actually work.

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    1. I'll be interested in what you think if you decide to give it a try, Becky. But yes, it's hard when you don't really care for the hero. Hard to be invested in the relationship when that happens.

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  6. Oh wow, Fix Her Up sounds super disappointing, and you are definitely not the first I've seen complain about Travis. I've read exactly one book by Tessa Bailey so far, Too Hot to Handle, and while I enjoyed it, it didn't leave a huge impression on me. (I think the hero was better than what Travis sounds like, though.) I'm still going to read this one - mostly because I've already bought a copy, haha - but yeah, I'm more and more wary of it. Great reviews, Tanya!

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    1. I do want to give Tessa Bailey another try because from what I've heard, Travis is not her usual kind of hero. (Thankfully!) I'm interested to see what you think of it when you get around to it, Veronika! :)

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  7. The miscommunication trope is also a huge pet peeve of mine - like, in real life, how often does something like that happen? - so I'm glad to hear Emma Chase was able to actually make it work!

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    1. Right? People actually *talk* in real life and sort things out. Why shouldn't characters do the same? Gah!

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  8. I've seen mixed reactions on Fix Her Up so I haven't been excited enough to request it. I didn't read Tangled, because I heard there was miscommunication and I hate it when an author messes with a happy couple, but maybe I should reconsider seeing how you ended up liking it anyhow.

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    1. I enjoyed Tangled when I read it earlier this year but I thought Twisted was even better. And I'm so impressed that Emma managed to make the miscommunication actually work... and have me so invested.

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  9. I am a big fan of Georgie. She was just such a wonderful person. It was in all the little things she did, where I found myself appreciating how lovely she was on the inside. I liked the Just Us League too, and I am looking forward to the next book.

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    1. Georgie was just wonderful. I loved her so much. She was so willing to be there for others and when she wasn't getting what she needed.

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  10. Travis was way too alpha for me too, I cringed at all of those sex scenes and I can't imagine how that translated to audio!

    (Amber Elise @ Du Livre)

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    1. Yep, Travis did not come across very well on audio. Lots on cringing. Ugh!

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  11. I've read both of these,but I don't really remember Twisted. It was my first Emma Chase book. I really liked Fix Her Up. I would also be curious about her books because I haven't read any others either -- at least that I can remember.

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    1. The Tangled series has been fun but I definitely prefer Chase's Royally series and Getting Some series.

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