Fix Her Up: A Novel

Tessa Bailey

Jun 2019 · Hot and Hammered Book 1 · Sold by HarperCollins

About this ebook

The first in a spicy, hilarious HGTV-inspired romantic comedy trilogy from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of It Happened One Summer and Hook, Line, and Sinker!

Georgette Castle’s family runs the best home renovation business in town, but she picked balloons instead of blueprints and they haven’t taken her seriously since. Frankly, she’s over it. Georgie loves planning children’s birthday parties and making people laugh, just not at her own expense. She’s determined to fix herself up into a Woman of the World... whatever that means.

Phase one: new framework for her business (a website from this decade, perhaps?)

Phase two: a gut-reno on her wardrobe (fyi, leggings are pants.)

Phase three: updates to her exterior (do people still wax?)

Phase four: put herself on the market (and stop crushing on Travis Ford!)

Living her best life means facing the truth: Georgie hasn’t been on a date since, well, ever. Nobody’s asking the town clown out for a night of hot sex, that’s for sure. Maybe if people think she’s having a steamy love affair, they’ll acknowledge she’s not just the “little sister” who paints faces for a living. And who better to help demolish that image than the resident sports star and tabloid favorite?

Travis Ford was major league baseball’s hottest rookie when an injury ended his career. Now he’s flipping houses to keep busy and trying to forget his glory days. But he can’t even cross the street without someone recapping his greatest hits. Or making a joke about his… bat. And then there's Georgie, his best friend’s sister, who is not a kid anymore. When she proposes a wild scheme—that they pretend to date, to shock her family and help him land a new job—he agrees. What’s the harm? It’s not like it’s real. But the girl Travis used to tease is now a funny, full-of-life woman and there’s nothing fake about how much he wants her...

“Her voice feels as fresh and contemporary as a Netflix rom-com.” —Entertainment Weekly

“Fix Her Up ticks all my romance boxes. Not only is it hilarious, it’s sweet, endearing, heartwarming and downright sexy. It’s a recipe for the perfect love story.” – Helena Hunting, New York Times bestselling author of Meet Cute

Ratings and reviews

i recommend this book for every damn person out there. every damn person. **what it has got** 1) superb writing style 2) toe-curling eroticism (hot & heavy) 3) thoughtful deep romance (maybe that slow burn kind) 4) family troubles....people make mistakes and they might just change. 5) learn how to overcome self-doubt and low self esteem (don't, oh please don't judge the book by its cover or the title even.) it goes way way way deep. the message is carefully crafted and hence, pops up super clear. what is success? what is failure? what does it take to build a career and how does it define our outlook towards life?

This is an amazing story. The back history that you get slowly fed through out this story is heart wrenching. The characters are amazingly real and intense. The spice is beyond hot. I was on an emotional rollercoaster right along with the characters. This is a beautifully written story. You have the forbidden brother’s best friend, long time love, second chances, learning to love yourself, growing as a person and realizing that what you need most you already have. It is simply amazing to read. I

Fix Her Up is deeper than you would expect; dealing with the way in which your identity and self-belief can be shaped by the people around you and not in a positive fashion. Both Georgie and Travis struggle with the way in which people perceive them, especially their families. Resulting in a self-fulfilling prophecy type situation whereby Travis and Georgie live down to the expectations and restrictions placed on them. The character growth is the foundation of Fix Her Up with the smexy being a secondary factor. I really liked how Georgie took control of her life and went for the things she wanted. A little help from her friends and the creation of a women’s support group – The Just Us League – ensure Georgie is on the right path to finding her true path. I also liked how Tessa portrayed the quest for affection and daddy issues prompting some questionable decisions – this was made all the more poignant for the gender switch, as truthfully (and disgracefully) I had never considered it in respect to the opposite sex. I adored the peripheral female characters in The Just Us League and cannot wait for their individual stories (Rosie and Dominic *fans self*). The events within Fix Her Up will have you melting into a puddle of goo – which is exactly what should happen when reading romance 😍

About the author

#1 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.