by Tessa Bailey
The first in a spicy and unforgettable rom-com duology from #1 New York Times bestseller and tik tok favorite Tessa Bailey, in which a Hollywood "It Girl" is cut off from her wealthy family and exiled to a small Pacific Northwest beach town... where she butts heads with a surly, sexy local who thinks she doesn't belong.
Piper Bellinger is fashionable, influential, and her reputation as a wild child means the paparazzi are constantly on her heels. When too much champagne and an out-of-control rooftop party lands Piper in the slammer, her stepfather decides enough is enough. So he cuts her off, and sends Piper and her sister to learn some responsibility running their late father's dive bar... in Washington.
Piper hasn't even been in Westport for five minutes when she meets big, bearded sea captain Brendan, who thinks she won't last a week outside of Beverly Hills. So what if Piper can't do math, and the idea of sleeping in a shabby apartment with bunk beds gives her hives. How bad could it really be? She's determined to show her stepfather—and the hot, grumpy local—that she's more than a pretty face.
Except it's a small town and everywhere she turns, she bumps into Brendan. The fun-loving socialite and the gruff fisherman are polar opposites, but there's an undeniable attraction simmering between them. Piper doesn't want any distractions, especially feelings for a man who sails off into the sunset for weeks at a time. Yet as she reconnects with her past and begins to feel at home in Westport, Piper starts to wonder if the cold, glamorous life she knew is what she truly wants. LA is calling her name, but Brendan—and this town full of memories—may have already caught her heart.
As seen on E!Online, PopSugar, CNN, EliteDaily, Vulture, Buzzfeed, Bustle, the Nerd Daily, PARADE, LA Magazine, Country Living, USA Today, and more!
The first in a spicy and unforgettable rom-com duology from #1 New York Times bestseller and tik tok favorite Tessa Bailey, in which a Hollywood "It Girl" is cut off from her wealthy family and exiled to a small Pacific Northwest beach town... where she butts heads with a surly, sexy local who thinks she doesn't belong.
Piper Bellinger is fashionable, influential, and her reputation as a wild child means the paparazzi are constantly on her heels. When too much champagne and an out-of-control rooftop party lands Piper in the slammer, her stepfather decides enough is enough. So he cuts her off, and sends Piper and her sister to learn some responsibility running their late father's dive bar... in Washington.
Piper hasn't even been in Westport for five minutes when she meets big, bearded sea captain Brendan, who thinks she won't last a week outside of Beverly Hills. So what if Piper can't do math, and the idea of sleeping in a shabby apartment with bunk beds gives her hives. How bad could it really be? She's determined to show her stepfather—and the hot, grumpy local—that she's more than a pretty face.
Except it's a small town and everywhere she turns, she bumps into Brendan. The fun-loving socialite and the gruff fisherman are polar opposites, but there's an undeniable attraction simmering between them. Piper doesn't want any distractions, especially feelings for a man who sails off into the sunset for weeks at a time. Yet as she reconnects with her past and begins to feel at home in Westport, Piper starts to wonder if the cold, glamorous life she knew is what she truly wants. LA is calling her name, but Brendan—and this town full of memories—may have already caught her heart.
As seen on E!Online, PopSugar, CNN, EliteDaily, Vulture, Buzzfeed, Bustle, the Nerd Daily, PARADE, LA Magazine, Country Living, USA Today, and more!
Reviews-
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Starred review from May 1, 2021
A Hollywood socialite is forced to spend the summer in a fishing village in Washington state. Everyone thinks 28-year-old Piper Bellinger is a vapid, airheaded socialite--including herself. To distract her social media followers from seeing that her boyfriend of three weeks has humiliatingly dumped her at a party, Piper breaks into the Mondrian Hotel's rooftop pool and holds a wild party. Her shenanigans put one of her stepfather's business deals in jeopardy, and to teach her a lesson, he ships her off to the small, coastal town in Washington where she was born. Piper's father died in a fishing accident when she was 4, and her heartbroken mother left Washington and never returned. Piper is joined in exile by her sister, and the two quickly immerse themselves in the life of the small, close-knit town. Brendan Taggart is a widower and captain of a fishing boat, and he thinks Piper--with her beauty, bravado, and big-city ways--doesn't belong. Their attraction is sudden and intense, and they quickly fall into a relationship, but he fears she'll never be satisfied with life out of the limelight. However, Piper surprises herself by forming close relationships with the new friends and family she finds in town. Piper realizes she's capable of more than anyone gave her credit for. Bailey delivers on her usual trifecta of sharp banter, instant chemistry, and high-heat sex scenes, but they are coupled with intense soul-searching for both Piper and Brendan. How can they be together when they seem so different? What does it mean to truly accept a partner for who they are? The third-act crisis feels completely organic to their personalities and beliefs even if the plotting seems a little rushed. Another winning romance from an author at the top of her game.COPYRIGHT(2021) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
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Starred review from May 15, 2021
Bailey strikes rom-com gold in this outstanding tale about a clueless social media star who cares more about selfies than what she does with her life and a hardworking fisherman who knows that what he wants and will do anything to win her heart. Piper Bellinger's reign as L.A.'s party queen is on the wane, especially after a public breakup that sends her into a tailspin and lands her in jail. After her younger sister, Hannah, bails her out, their furious movie producer stepfather sends them away for three months to the small port town where they were born. Westport, Washington, is filled with tough fishermen who don't have time for spoiled California girls, but Captain Brendan Taggart can't ignore Piper's radiant beauty and how effortlessly she lights up a room. A widower for seven years, Brendan is married to his daily routines, but their intense attraction has him jumping hurdles for this high-maintenance siren who is torn between wanting a man with a dangerous profession and going back to her safe yet meaningless life in L.A. Bailey is bound to earn new followers with love scenes hot enough to boil water and a hilariously naive Schitt's Creek-inspired protagonist who is clearly out of her depth.COPYRIGHT(2021) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
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May 1, 2021
Party girl socialite Piper Bellinger has spent a lifetime cultivating her image as a fashionable, desirable wild child. When she throws an after-hours party in a closed hotel pool, she's not only arrested but also exiled by her stepfather to the fishing village of Westport, WA. Forgotten by her stylish LA friends, Piper works to revitalize her late father's bar, connect with family roots, and prove that she's learned her lesson. She also grapples with an inconvenient attraction to a very serious fishing-boat captain, who makes it clear that he expects her to flee back to Beverly Hills before the week is out. Her growing bonds to the people of Westport leave her wondering: which version of Piper does she want to be? VERDICT This fish-out-of-water story features quirky characters in a charming working-class small town and a steamy, feel-good romance between opposites. Schitt's Creek fans who just wanted to see Alexis get her happy ending will flock to this title.--Meagan Day, High Plains Lib. Dist., CO
Copyright 2021 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
