Love Her or Lose Her: A Novel

Tessa Bailey

Jan 2020 · Hot and Hammered Book 2 · Sold by HarperCollins

About this ebook

The #1 New York Times bestselling author of It Happened One Summer and Hook, Line, and Sinker returns with a unique, sexy rom-com about a young married couple whose rocky relationship needs a serious renovation... 

Rosie and Dominic Vega are the perfect couple: high school sweethearts, best friends, madly in love. Well, they used to be anyway. Now Rosie’s lucky to get a caveman grunt from the ex-soldier every time she walks in the door. Dom is faithful and a great provider, but the man she fell in love with ten years ago is nowhere to be found. When her girlfriends encourage Rosie to demand more out of life and pursue her dream of opening a restaurant, she decides to demand more out of love, too. Three words: marriage boot camp. 

Never in a million years did Rosie believe her stoic, too-manly-to-emote husband would actually agree to relationship rehab with a weed-smoking hippie. Dom talking about feelings? Sitting on pillows? Communing with nature? Learning love languages? Nope. But to her surprise, he’s all in, and it forces her to admit her own role in their cracked foundation. As they complete one ridiculous—yet surprisingly helpful—assignment after another, their remodeled relationship gets stronger than ever. Except just as they’re getting back on track, Rosie discovers Dom has a secret... and it could demolish everything.

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

*Named one of the Best Romances of 2020 by Insider and Oprah Magazine + Marie Claire's Best New Books of 2020*

Ratings and reviews

4.5 Language of Love Stars! I absolutely loved this second chance at love romance! This second book in Bailey's Hot & Hammered series is so poignant, fun and sexy! This is Rosie and Dominic's story. They are a married couple who have been each other's firsts. Their relationship has become rocky and in serious need of a renovation. Their chemistry has never cooled but their communication is non existent. Rosie is ready to move on, but Dominic will do whatever it takes to prove to her that they are soul mates. As they go to extremes to find their way back to each other, they both discover the language of love isn't always what you think it is. I loved this exploration into the relationship of a married couple. They love each other so much, but had lost their ability to really see and appreciate each other. Their journey back to each other was so poignant, and heartfelt. I loved how their friends and co-workers were so supportive and essential in their story making it fun, quirky and authentic. I am loving this Hot & Hammered series! You definitely don't want to miss Rosie and Dominic's funny, heartfelt, and sweet & steamy romance!

This being the first Tessa Bailey book I ever picked up, I was definitely not disappointed. This story follows a couple going through difficulties in their marriage who seek therapy to try and improve their relationship. The MMC having been a veteran struggling with feeling inadequate being back home and the FMC struggling with lack of love displayed to her, this book explores the intricacies of marriage and the success of putting in the effort and time into your relationships.

I enjoy a good book about a couple that’s married and having problems, but I have rarely found one that really does it for me. This one was exactly what I look for when I have a hankering for the trope. Dominic and Rosie were each other’s first for everything, but when Dominic returned from serving in Afghanistan everything that once made them shine was missing. When Rosie can no longer take living together in isolation, she walks away leaving a devastated Dominic behind. Rosie was easy to identify with as she had lost so much of herself through the years. I loved watching her not only regain the old her, but gain additional confidence to become someone even stronger. When the time came for her to do what needed to be done, she did so without hesitation, something I love seeing the hero do but don’t see too often with the heroine. There’s no doubt that Dominic has shot to first place on my favorite hero list! He was freaking amazing. He was determined to do what it took to win Rosie back. The deep need he had to provide for her, his caveman tendencies that he had to fight against, and his constant need just to have her, had me swooning each time we were in his point of view. Add in his dirty talk and it’s going to be almost impossible for another hero to beat him. While this definitely has some angst, it was leveled out with the perfect amount of humor to keep it from being a heavy read. The steam level is beyond sizzling and I’m sure my Kindle was in danger of melting. This couple are the very definition of hot and heavy. With the addition of fun and quirky secondary characters, this book has just become my favorite of the new year.

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.