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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With Lover Her or Lose Her, Tessa Bailey combines swoony sexiness and angst with skill and ease in this delightful second chance romance.
Rosie and Dominic found each other at a young age. They were high school sweethearts who fell in love and never looked back. They also didn’t look up to see what was right in front of them and after ten years of marriage their relationship is at a stalemate. Rosie wants more than a grunt here and there from her admittedly sexy yet stoic ex-soldier, while Dominic just wants to provide for the love of his life.
After being encouraged by her friends to pursue her dream of opening her own restaurant, Rosie also demands more from her husband and forces him into going to extreme marriage counseling where their hippy therapist helps them break down the barriers they’ve erected through the years. As they complete their assignments Rosie and Dom reconnect but there’s still one secret that might break them.
Bailey knows how to pen a delicious tale of two characters that have explosive chemistry. If you think that a story about a married couple is boring, think again. The revelation of long held vulnerabilities reveals raw wounds and the reason behind Dom and Rosie’s failing marriage. Bailey writes a poignant blend of aching weakness and undeniable sexiness and charm.
At times, Dominic feels a bit stubborn, broody and way too obsessed with his wife while Rosie is a bit obtuse about where the blame of their crumbling marriage falls, that is until their counselor points out she’s equally responsible. But after some eye-opening revelations they both fight for each other, letting go of fear and opening their hearts for a brighter and happier future together.
Bailey alternates between sizzling sexy scenes, sweet and charming ones, and others that will pull at your heartstrings giving readers a tremendously delightful romance.
Love Her or Lose Her is book #2 of the Hot & Hammered> series by author Tessa Bailey. It is a standalone contemporary romance, told from both points of view with a happy ending. Sub-Genre: second chance.
I loved every steamy second of Love Her or Loser Her, book 2 in Tessa Baileys Hot and Hammered series. It is a real and raw portrayal of what happens when a marriage is lacking communication. There can be all the love and lust in the world but it isn’t enough to keep the marriage going. It takes both individuals willing to open up and let the other one in. If only they can keep their hands off each other in the mean time!
We are first introduced to Dominick and Rosie in book 1, Fix Her UP. Dom and Rosie are middle school sweethearts who slowly drifted apart in their marriage. Dom is ex-military and believes his only role is to provide for Rosie and never show anyone his weak side. While Rosie has been a complacent wife who has put her dream of owning a restaurant on the back burner to keep her marriage on stable grounds. They have taken each other for granted and have lost their connection and chemistry everywhere but in the bedroom. She decides she has had enough and walks away one day denying herself of the primal urge to be with him. The only way to save their marriage is to undergo a marriage boot camp and finally turn to an expert about how they can develop harmony in and out of the bedroom.
The hippy therapist was a fun lighthearted addition to the story. Though his priority was helping Dom and Rosie understand one another again he also wanted to make sure they learned to laugh and have fun together. The love languages was a great incorporation on the ways Dom and Rosie could express their appreciation for one another. There is so much history and love between the two that it is clear from the start this is a relationship worth fighting for. These two deserve a second chance and get extremely hot and sexy on the way to their happy ever after.
All the characters from book 1 make an appearance and Georgie and Travis are still obsessed with each other. I can’t wait for Wes and Bethany’s story. I have come to love her one liners and witty banter and hope that one is just as steamy. Who doesn’t love a cowboy!!
If Rosie wasn’t so explicitly into it, I would have quit this book because of Dominic’s alpha male shtick. Also, if that therapist has a license, he should lose it. I was really excited to pick this book up, and it did have a lot going for it with the diversity and friendships, but it felt like this book was tackling problems the wrong way?
Rosie and Dominic Vega are married and were childhood sweethearts. They have a steamy sex life but don’t talk outside of random every day events. When Rosie suggests they see a therapist to her surprise Dominic is all for it. Never mind that the therapist turns out to be a pot smoking hippie dude. The two do start working on their marriage with Dom admitting he has PTSD issues and controlling issues. Rosie has to learn to deal with her issues as well. A good read.
I received a copy of this book via Netgalley and am leaving a review.
Loved that these two were already married for some time–original! Shows how to keep it going even after the “I do’s.” Steamy & fun read.
Title: Love Her or Lose Her (Hot & Hammered 2)
Author: Tessa Bailey
Genre: Contemporary Romance
My Rating: 4 ++
………………
There were so many mixed reviews for this one, but I didn’t let it deter me from reading it for myself. Neither should you. I thought it was a decent read. You might as well.
We start the story with Dominic and Rosie who are a couple that have been married for years; which I loved. Dom and Rosie are trying desperately to fix their marriage. In a nutshell, Rosie’s had enough of Dominic’s crap and declares she’s leaving him…for good. That was the wake-up call Dominic needed to get his head out his rear and fight for his wife. Can Dom find Rosie in time to make amends, and save his marriage? Or is it too late for the handsome couple? Find out yourself with this entertaining read. It was entertaining just wished it had a little…more…oomph, I guess. Beside that the sex scenes were UH-MAZ-ING! And the overall plot, and development of the characters was great, and worth seeing for yourself.
*I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*
I am absolutely in love with the series and this second book continues the fun from the first book bringing along all the humor and plenty of steam that had me devouring the pages long after my bed time. High school sweethearts Rosie and Dominic have more than enough passion in their marriage, but over time, they grew apart in other ways. Fed up with the status quo, Rosie leaves, forcing Dominic to fight for their love. Combine a bunch of supportive friends, an unconventional hippie marriage counselor, and a romantic history that goes back to middle school and Rosie and Dom just might have a chance to save their marriage if they fight for it and find a way back to how they were when they first fell in love. I loved all the emotion in this story and I can’t wait to read the next book in the series.
4-4.5 stars!
Okay, so I am REALLY into married couple books ATM. Like, wow, loving them (hint hint, authors, write more of these, lol!) I haven’t read the first book in this interconnected standalone series but I didn’t feel like I needed to as the book stands alone. Dominic and Rosie have lost the ability to communicate. The passion is still there and it seems to be the only thing keeping them together in Rosie’s eyes. When Rosie moves out and proposes marriage counseling as a way to solve their problems things really become eye opening.
Told through 3rd person POV Dominic’s side of the story just twisted my heart. Here’s this really simple guy who adores his wife and just wants to do everything in his power to make her happy, except he’s retreated so far into himself in trying to do so he’s become mute. He’s lost sight of her and who they were as a couple trying to prove to himself that’s he’s worthy of her and her love. Rosie feels so alone and isolated because of Dominic’s silence that she’s unaware of just how much he does think of her. It isn’t until some puzzle pieces start to come together that she starts to see the whole picture and realize this is an “us” problem, not just a “him” problem. I LOVED the counseling sessions and Armie the counselor brought just the right amount of humor to this situation. I could have done with less Bethany and Georgie (Rosie’s BFF’s) as they were a little over the top and why I can’t give this one 5 stars.
All in all a great second chance romance of the already married variety!
4.5 Stars
I was excited to read Love Her or Lose Her after reading the first book in this series. I really enjoyed this book and the characters.
Rosie and Dominic have been together since high school and now their marriage and relationship has changed. They have to find a way to get back to who they were together. They decide on marriage counseling in hopes they can save their marriage. The whole time I was pulling for them make things work.
I loved Dominic and Rosie, they had amazing chemistry. They both had to learn how to grow with each other and learn what the other needs. I really enjoyed this book and will be doing a reread of it very soon. If you’re looking for a book that will make you laugh and feel you need this book.
Rosie and Dom were high school sweethearts. They got married young and soon after, Dom left for the military. After his last return home, things were never the same.
This rom-com was hot! One thing Rosie and Dom have always had is their physical connection. Those two can seriously go at it, but not where it matters most. They don’t even kiss unless it’s on Tuesday’s, their scheduled sexy time. Rosie has felt like her marriage is going nowhere. When she decides enough is enough, Dom opens his eyes and realizes he’s about to lose the love of his life.
Love Her or Lose Her starts with this couple’s separation. I admired Rosie for making the decision to separate and start to live her life by following her dreams. I loved that she didn’t crawl back to Dom when he went to look for her. I loved she looked for hippiest of counselors to help them out.
I kept looking forward to those counseling sessions because it’s when we see Rosie and Dom at their most vulnerable. It’s when they open up and truly share what has made their marriage fail. Everything about those sessions were heart-warming to me.
I have to say, while my favorite is still Fix Her Up, I truly loved Rosie and Dom’s marriage–it’s full of hope and warm feelings. Something I thought wouldn’t do it for me was Dom’s alpha male side. But I really think Tessa Bailey made it work really well. Sure, his alpha side would come out at some interesting moments, but at the same time, it was great to see him letting Rosie be her own person and letting her blossom and grow. The love these two had for each other was astounding and beautiful.
Tessa has done it again! I was rooting hard for these two. And now I CANNOT WAIT for Bethany and Wes’ story! It’s an enemies-to-lovers romance!
I liked Tessa Bailey’s “Love Her or Lose Her” better than the previous book in this series (“Fix Her Up”), but unfortunately I didn’t love it the way I wanted to. On one hand, the story had quite a few funny moments and had me laughing out loud several times; I particularly enjoyed the Minions-themed game of Chubby Bunny that main characters Rosie and Dominic played in their therapist’s office. I also really liked Rosie, who was an interesting secondary character in “Fix Her Up” but really shined in this book. She proved to be warm, intelligent, fun, and very passionate about cooking and her dream of opening a restaurant. I loved the way Rosie pursued the things she needed to be happy and fulfilled, refusing to settle for anything less than she deserved.
On the other hand, there were a number of times I found myself growing frustrated with Dominic, a dirty-talking alpha with poor outside-the-bedroom communications skills who seemed to keep making the same mistakes over and over again. He clearly learned a lot of his behavior from his father’s example, but his attitude about the need to constantly protect and provide for his wife seemed kind of archaic to me, and in a lot of cases just made him seem overprotective and possessive. IMO, Dominic took things too far when he and his friends followed Rosie and her friends into Manhattan for girls’ night out. Rosie and the other women were grown adults, completely capable of taking care of themselves, and there should have been enough trust in their relationships for them to be able to spend one night apart. The fact that these men couldn’t even let the women have one night on their own didn’t come across as romantic to me; instead, it just seemed controlling.
I’ve only read a couple of Tessa Bailey’s books so far, but I’m beginning to think the dirty-talking alpha hero is a recurring theme in her stories. I’m really not a fan of overly dominant heroes, and I didn’t enjoy the way Dominic behaved here. If the rest of Bailey’s heroes are anything like him (or Travis from “Fix Her Up”), I guess I will be skipping her books from now on.
*ARC provided by the publisher via Edelweiss. All opinions expressed are my own.
I love all her books.cant wait for the next one
Love Restored!
This is an emotional and passionate story about the work we all need to put into relationships. It is funny, warm, reflective, and filled with hope. Rosie and Dom have only ever loved one another, but lack of communication has left their marriage in limbo. Their journey to repair themselves and their love is real and truthful and restorative. I enjoyed their renewed adoration for one another. Their bravery and vulnerability will warm your heart. Their sexual chemistry will knock you off your feet. Tessa Bailey always brings the heat!
I’ve been eager to get my hands on a romance with an already married couple. After reading the synopsis of Love Her or Lose Her, I was absolutely dying to get this one right away.
It started off really great and Tessa gave us a great foundation to Rosie and Dominic. All the emotions were there and I was ready to go on the journey with them as they try to work through what happened with their marriage.
Individually, I really liked the characters. I think we got more depth from Dominic than we did with Rosie. I felt like by the end, we truly understood how Dominic dealt with things, we saw the inner workings of his mind.
But when it came to the connection between them, I couldn’t really see it beyond a physical thing. And that really knocked down the read for me.
And I got a bit of whiplash from going through some really emotionally stuff and then boom, we’re into a steamy scene(which I’m not complaining about at all because they were HOT). But it definitely threw off my reading flow.
I didn’t love it as much as I hoped, but there were several moments that I absolutely loved when it came to Rosie and Dominic.
**AN ARC WAS PROVIDED BY THE PUBLISHER IN EXCHANGE FOR A REVIEW**
I was super excited for Dominic and Rosie’s book after reading them in Fix Her Up. I really loved the fact that they were already married, but for me the story as a whole fell short. I liked it, but didn’t LOVE it like how I did with Fix Her Up. It was missing that spark for me that kept me from being glued to the pages. To me this didn’t even feel like a “Rom-Com” for the category it is shelved in. Needless to say I’m glad for the HEA.
I received this book at my request and have voluntarily left this unbiased review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Tessa Bailey’s Love Her or Lose Her is a novel that will make you laugh, cry, and swoon… most likely all at once.
Rosie and Dominic Vega have been together since middle school. While their chemistry has never been in question, their ability to communicate has slowly degraded over time. When Rosie hits her breaking point, Dominic is willing to do anything to prove his love… even go to a weed-smoking hippy therapist and talk about his feelings. As Rosie and Dominic both begin to understand each other better and own up to their own failings, their relationship steadily begins to improve. But one last secret may be their undoing.
One of the things I love best about Bailey and her writing is her ability to create dynamic, interesting, and realistic characters. (Plus, she writes the hell out of a sex scene. Oh. My. Goodness.) In Love Her or Lose Her you can’t help but feel fully invested in Rosie and Dominic’s relationship. You celebrate every victory, you lament every shortcoming. You feel the palpable, white hot chemistry between the two. You feel the gamut of emotions that both protagonists experience throughout the narrative arc. It’s enthralling.
Bailey also deftly continues Georgie and Travis’ story from Fix Her Up and sets up Bethany and Wes’s story (title to-be-announced), which will complete the Hot & Hammered series. Her ability to create a compelling cast of characters beyond the heroine and the hero is another testament to her superb writing and world-building skills. Every time a I read a Tessa Bailey novel, I have a new favorite when I finish. It’s not a bad problem to have.
Take it from me, this is a must-read, and will undoubtedly make all of the best-of lists for 2020.
I absolutely adored this book! Tessa Bailey is the queen of the growly alpha and Dom was top notch! I’m not generally a fan of angsty books, but I could not put this down!
Stop what you are doing right now! Read this post! Are you married or in a relationship? Do you feel like your partner is not the same person you fell in love with, or that your relationship has fizzled out? Well, you are in luck, look no further and grab a copy of LOVE HER OR LOSE HER right now. Don’t go looking for online reading or self help books, this book is all you need.
Tessa Bailey has written a wonderful book about a flat-lined relationship that is on the brink of disaster. Rosie and Dominic still love each other but its not the same. Other than the weekly sex, they barely talk. (Hey, at least they are having sex, right?) When Rosie can’t live this way anymore and packs up to leave, Dominic is not about to lose the only woman he ever loved and agrees to the craziest of couples therapy. (I didn’t think he would either). The story goes from there and believe me, you find out the both of them have a little bit of explaining to do. You’ve just got to pick it up to find out the rest.
Told in an alternating perspective style (here’s you learn why communication is key and how we totally misread each other as humans) with an added touch of spice (oh this spice, yeah, get a glass of milk because this one is hot) I guarantee you will devour this one as quickly as I did. I wish I could get my husband to read it. (I think I may have to tell him there are huge references to Star Wars in it so that he will pick it up. NO, there are NO references to Star Wars, but I know my husband and thats all that will work on him. I think I may need to put a Darth Vader mask sticker over Dom’s head on the cover to get this to happen).
Tessa Bailey blew it out of the water with this one, I highly recommend this read. The writing is smooth and flawless and you will be pulled right in, so don’t make any plans when you decide to start. And well, contrary to what I said above, even if you are not in a relationship or things are going well with you and your partner, pick it up anyway. The spice alone in it is worth the read. (And if you know me, you know thats usually not my thing, thats how good this is.)
Thank you to @avonbooks, @tessabaileyisanauthor and @TLCBookTours for my gifted copy of this book.
One of my catnip tropes is marriage in trouble. Love Her or Loose Her clawed its way into my heart all thanks to Dominic and Rosie. This couple was a joy to follow and to experience their growth along the way.
They’re high school sweethearts and they’ve been married for ten years. Their sexual chemistry is palpable and jumps of the pages but the current issues are the lack of emotional connection and intimacy between Dom and Rosie. They go on about their day as an old routine and have scheduled in sex one night a week. Rosie is the one to throw in the towel and admit defeat but Dominic is not a quitter. He loves his wife and will do anything including therapy.
I had such a wonderful time with this couple. I fell in love with them as they did too all over again. Them reminiscing about their youth and falling in love. Young love. There was no doubt about Dominic and Rosie’s love for one another. They’re soul mates. The road to saving their marriage was executed flawlessly with some terrific exercises. Both Dominic and Rosie was at fault and needed something from their spouses. To be seen and heard. Validated. Their journey back to one another was filled with pain, humor and most of all love. Dominic swooped his way into my heart. Omg how I fell hard for that man. Their friends were great too and I can’t wait to read book 3. This couple already made me laugh and their chemistry. Wowza. Love Her or Loose Her made me feel so damn good. What a fabulous book.
5 Honey Girl Stars
Love Her or Lose Her is Tessa Bailey’s second book in the Hot and Hammered Series. Yes LHorLH can be read as a standalone. I have yet to read Fix Her Up but have added to my list.
While I know FHU was more rom/com, LHorLH was more emotional. It hit home personally for me. For those of you who are married with men in the military or retired, this may be the book for you. I especially would recommend that their spouse read this book as well.
Rosie and Dominic have known each other since childhood. Soulmates since junior high. High School sweethearts until Dominic enlisted into the Marines and both got married right after high school. Their love for each other was always there, even their passion, but those times whenever Dominic came home from the military, Rosie notice some changes, except the way Dominic provided for her.
But the years after leaving the military, things became a routine in the Vega household, even the day they would have sex. Rosie missed the way her husband use to be. Her aspirations for her dream restaurant on hold. Working a terrible job at the mall. Everyday a routine until she couldn’t take it anymore and wanted out. Dominic, he can’t live without his Rosie. His life’s mission is always to protect and provide for Rosie. Yes, very old fashioned, but that is how he was raised, but it didn’t make his love for his woman any less. That man loved her, but the way he was going about it wasn’t what Rosie wanted nor needed. Until they see the strangest, hippiest, therapist known to man.
As I mentioned above, this book was more emotionally charged. Dom although was apprehension with the weird therapy sessions, he would do anything in his power to get his Rosie back. This book touched home personally and I will leave it at that. Sometimes communication with your significant others is key as you will see when reading. Hot damn the sexual tension was on fire and will not disappoint. Also, great job with the diversity! Tessa, you did your homework lady! I love when authors write diverse characters and get it right.