Named one of the Best Romances of 2020 by Insider and Oprah Magazine’s + Marie Claire’s Best New Books of 2020
New York Times bestselling author Tessa Bailey returns with a unique, sexy romantic comedy 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, … 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
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If your relationship is a little rocky, read this book.
If you believe in second chances, read this book.
If you love Tessa Bailey books, THIS book is for you.
Two books in and I’m in love with this series. It’s witty, funny, and unbelievably heart touching.
Dominic and Rosie Vega have been married for ten years. Their relationship has an explosive sexual energy, but they have stop talking. Two beings circling around each other silently. Dreams and deeds fighting to be seen and recognized.
I loved this story. Dominic and Rosie were so deeply detailed, you can literally feel their emotions as if they were your own. Their love, their struggle and their friends was the needed recipe to make this story so amazing.
Tessa Bailey writes some incredible stories, this is no exception and I highly recommend this series, this book.
Love Her or Lose Her:
Tessa Bailey
“I couldn’t stop loving you even if they cut the heart out of my chest.”
Childhood sweethearts Dominic and Rosie Vega have hit the hardest part of their lives–their relationship is on the rocks. And despite the undeniable attraction and love these two feel for one another, it’s not enough. So… now what?
I picked this up so fast after the first book because Rosie was so sweet and cute that I needed to know why the hell Dominic wasn’t giving her the love she needed but oh my goodness, was I thrown by what I encountered.
Rosie Vega is an aspiring restauranteur and talented chef with dreams of showing her love for her culture through her delicious creations. Currently stuck in an unfulfilling job with a dying marriage, she turns to couples therapy as a last resort because she really does love her husband and wants to make this work. To her, Dominic is distant and doesn’t care but as she attends these sessions, she slowly realizes that maybe the fault line wasn’t just created by him. Maybe it was her too.
Dominic is so hot, possessive, and set-in-his-ways but my god, is he precious. His one goal in life is to make Rosie happy. Keep Rosie content. Be worthy of Rosie. Rosie. Rosie. Rosie–y’all catching my drift here? This man may not like attention but how could a girl resist a man like him when he is the picture of innate goodness and he cares so much. The very definition of “I would set the world on fire but wouldn’t let a single flame touch you” is this man.
There’s no denying that these two were meant-to-be. Their love is explosive, carnal, and pure at the same time. They’re each others ride-or-dies. Wholesome and adorable. Through the pangs of pain in my chest from what they were going through, it wasn’t hard to see that the love these two had would surpass their difficulties and make sure that even when the world was seemingly against it, they would find their way back to one another.
These two are 100% my favorite couple in these series, which is saying something because Wes and Bethany gave them a real run for their money.
Wow! This book was so interesting because I got to witness the fall and rise of the love of Dominic and Rosie. Two people who didn’t realize that they were just existing in their marriage until it was too late. Being able to witness the counseling and them dating all over again was amazing. The steamy sexiness in their marriage kept me turning pages. A must read!
Out of the Hot and Hammered series, this one is my stand out favorite. Rosie didn’t leave a noticeable impression during her appearance in Fix Her Up, but I was intrigued after reading the excerpt.
This feels like one of Bailey’s most polished and realest book to date. The palpable tension in a broken marriage between two people who genuinely love each other was heartbreaking to read, which made their reconciliation even sweeter. I love the discussion about love languages and Rosie’s personal touch for Dominic in her new restaurant made me cry.
Docking a star because the humor felt too kitschy at times. I understand that this is technically a rom-com, but it felt out of place and ruined the flow a bit.
Heartfelt 5 stars. – Rosie and Dominic’s story revolves around their marriage therapy. Their problems are very realistic and their feelings for each other are heartfelt. Another good book from this author.
I borrowed from the local library and voluntarily chose to review it.
I really love all the other books in this series. This one just wasn’t my favorite. I kind of wanted to yell at them to talk to one another. Many other readers RAVE about this one, so there is that…. Other than the misunderstandings in the book- there wasn’t much humor- which I am figuring out is my jam…
It was great. I love it but sometime it was a little bit confusing.
Such an amazing story, the heat just pours off the pages, Tessa Bailey takes a failing marriage and makes you route for the couple in ways you never expected, and the boot camp? Get ready to giggle.
A true second chance romance! Love Her or Lose Her is guaranteed to captivate you from the start, make sure to clear your schedule until you finish the book. I can’t remember the last time I read a story with the main characters starting out together, but my heart sure enjoyed their journey back to themselves and each other. A wonderful addition to the Hot & Hammered series, this is a definite must read in my book!
Rating: 2.5
I wanted to give this more, but seeing as I skimmed super quickly through it all, I couldn’t. I didn’t bother to read the first book in the series, as I read a GoodReads review that turned me completely off of it. I think this book lands precisely in the middle of the ratings. It’s an average of 5 stars and 1 star, which is exactly what I felt this book was.
5 star aspects:
– love the focus on an already married couple! We need more of this!
– the steaminess! the smuttiness! Showing different sexual needs in a couple!
1 star aspects:
– “honey girl” is super awkward. If “baby girl” was bad enough in Fix Her Up, this was similarly awkward.
– another episode of men still acting like alphaholes despite insisting that they were raised by strong women and love strong women. It feels very wrong.
I’m very interested in book 3 though… Looking forward to it!
4.5 Fixing broken marriages is one of my favorite tropes and I enjoyed this one much better than the first book. It was such a rollercoaster ride of emotions, I didn’t want to stop listening. The heat between Dominic and Nicole just radiates off the page, it’s deliciously addicting and so steamy! Plus the underlying message is always one of hope and that’s beautiful.
Picked up book one for book club, enjoyed it and was surprised by how much steamy bits there were, but realized I was more intrigued with another set of characters in the story. I was happy to learn they had a book of their own. 🙂 This one is great! The audiobook is fun and wonderfully narrated. And I just picked up book three to dive into next!
Absolutely adored this book! I was anxiously awaiting it after reading Fix Her Up and it did not disappoint! Rosie and Don were so real and their struggles were something that a lot of people go through! I haven’t been engrossed in a book like this in a long time! It was so wonderful and I love all the characters in this series! Would recommend to anyone!
I really enjoyed book 1 of this series – Fix Her Up. I had a tougher time with this one, hence why it took me longer to finish it. I just did not feel that same excitement to pick up where I left off when I had time – if something is really good I damn well MAKE TIME! I think mostly I just could not relate. I found Dominic’s nickname for Rosie (honey girl) super irritating. I didn’t mind the caveman “I’m a provider” attitude that Dominic had, if anything it started to annoy me that Rosie didn’t appreciate him more. I wish the author had gone into a little more detail as to how their marriage reached that state, maybe elaborated more on a Dominic’s time as a soldier?
Anyhoo, I really enjoyed the preview for book 3 and now I’m desperate to get my mitts on it! …And it is not released until Sept. 22…drats…
It’s really hard for me to take a book serious when the entire storyline is based on bad communication. Dom and Rosie, while together for ages, have the worst communication ever. They simply don’t talk. And while they have trouble sharing thoughts and words, they don’t seem to have a solid idea of what’s healthy in relationships.This book is steamy. Like 5 stars on steam alone. A bit too much. I think the lesson here is more talking, less steamy sex and maybe you won’t have the problems you did.
Rosie and Dominic have been married for a few years, but are struggling with their failing marriage. The only time the two of them seem to be on the same page is if they are getting intimate with one another. Rosie finally has enough and decides that she needs time apart from Dominic.
This couple had so much history shared between them. They met in middle school and have been together ever since. Sometimes it feels like when you’ve been with a person so long, you don’t know how to be “alone” anymore and I really felt for Rosie. She needs time and space alone to shine by herself and that was very hard for Dominic to give to her. I really appreciated the fact that this couple chose to go to marriage counseling. That’s something that’s not often discussed in romance books, and I liked that this couple had real struggles and had a professional help them through their troubles.
The part that this book lacked for me was the connection between Rosie and Dominic. I truly do love an alpha/grumpy male, but just could not connect with Dominic. I know that these two have known each other for years, and yet I felt a disconnect between them. Earlier last year I read Fix Her Up (book #1 in this series) and absolutely fell in love with Georgie and Travis. I wanted to love this book just as much, but sadly I could not appreciate the intimacy between Rosie and Dominic.
I did enjoy the girl gang between Bethany, Georgie and Rosie and the Just Us League! But at times I was more invested in their storyline than the one between Dominic and Rosie. The set up for the final book in the series is laid down in Love Her or Lose Her and I’m interested in what that storyline will be when it is released.
I received a complimentary advance title of this book from the publisher.
First time reading this author. I would read more of her work. I would have liked more story. At one point while reading, I was thinking no wonder their marriage is on the rocks, the only thing they had in common was sex. Rosie was blind to the small acts of love her husband provided her.
Wow! Been through thick and thin, and the thin finally snapped for Rosie. Loved the marriage counsellor – Armie – who is immensely colorful … and the tent!! Didn’t see that one coming. Warts and all is the only way to go, and owning your shinola while you’re at it. Thanks T.B.! Ready to read Bethany and Wes – oh my, get the fans ready so you can not combust while reading.
I was excited to read this one! I had asked for married couple romance recommendations in a Facebook group, and Love Her or Lose Her was one of those mentioned. I read the first book in the series to prepare and met Rosie and Dominic there.u2063
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I enjoyed seeing a couple make an effort to work on their marriage. The therapy scenes with their hippy therapist were funny but also had some tender moments. Discovering each other again through the process was beautiful to watch.u2063
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I loved that through it all, Rosie continued to pursue her dream of owning her own restaurant. I feel like she needed that as a way to come into her own and be the confident woman that was there all along. Dominic’s growth throughout the book was exponential. He goes from a silent provider to a man fighting every day to show (and in his case, tell) his wife how much he loves her.u2063
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I still loved Georgie’s character and her ability to make her siblings uncomfortable. Also loved the build to book 3 between Bethany and Wes!u2063
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My only issue was his name for her – honey girl. While I loved the “baby girl” thing from the first book, this one didn’t roll off the tongue in the same way. It felt a little awkward and forced.u2063
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Overall, I enjoyed this one but Fix Her Up is still my favorite of the 2. Looking forward to September to read about Bethany and Wes!u2063
This is the book I didn’t know I needed. Love Her or Lose Her is about a married couple, Dominic and Rosie. After years of marriage, Rosie comes to realize that their marriage is just getting by. She and Dominic have lost their connection and Rosie decides that enough is enough and moves out which turns out to be a huge wake up call for Dominic who didn’t consciously realize that there was a problem.
This book has all the gut wrenching, steamy, romantic and growth-inducing moments that you want from a good romance. But they are all just so much better with it being within the confines of an established marriage. I loved these characters and watching them learn and grow together. It really spoke to me and got me in the best of ways. I’m really looking forward to the third story in this series.