Bailey's steamy, friends-to-lovers romance is the sequel to It Happened One Summer but can be read as a stand-alone. Hannah has returned to Westport and is living in Fox's guest bedroom while the film company she works for shoots in the small fishing village. The entire population of Westport believes Fox is a player--a reputation he's cultivated and earned with out-of-town hookup trips. But he hasn't had to "go to Seattle" since meeting Hannah a few months ago. Hannah knows Fox is a good guy. He's never made a move on her; in fact, she's been exchanging texts with him for months and considers him one of her best friends. Hannah, for her part, is nursing a crush on the film's director. She wants him see her as more than a useful assistant but hasn't gathered enough courage to act on her feelings. As Fox and Hannah spend more time together in Westport, their physical attraction becomes undeniable. The source of their overwhelmingly hot chemistry could just be their forced proximity, but they'll have to risk their friendship to find out. VERDICT Bailey's plot is fast paced with plenty of humor laced throughout. Fox and Hannah are well-developed, likable characters with emotional depth that will resonate; they have a lot to overcome, but readers will be rooting for them. Recommended for general purchase.--Heather Miller Cover, Homewood P.L., AL

Bailey's second Bellinger Sisters novel (after It Happened One Summer) sizzles with romance and wit. Though Hannah Bellinger's stepfather is a well-known movie producer, she's determined to be successful on her own merit and begins her career in L.A. as a production assistant. When her director crush, Sergei, needs a location for his latest movie, she suggests using fishing town Westport, Wash., hoping to sneak in a visit to her sister, Piper, and Piper's fiancé, Brendan. It proves logistically impossible for Hannah to stay with Piper during filming, so she asks her friend Fox Thornton, a member of Brendan's fishing crew, if she can crash in his spare room instead. Hannah and Fox struck up a fast friendship when she visited Westport the previous summer and have texted every day in the six months since. Despite Fox's love-'em-and-leave-'em reputation, Hannah can't help but feel there's something real between them. But is she willing to risk their friendship and chance getting her heart broken or should she play it safe with Sergei? Bailey expertly captures both the intense chemistry and true friendship between Hannah and Fox as she takes them through humorous mishaps and miscommunication. This sparkling rom-com will have readers hooked. Agent: Laura Bradford, Bradford Literary. (Mar.)

Bailey continues the delightful story she began in the hilarious rom-com It Happened One Summer (2021), in which Californian Hannah met fisherman Fox when she and her wild sister arrived in his small Washington State port town to regroup. Hannah and Fox have been texting even since, sharing music and getting to know each other. When Hannah returns to Westport for work with a movie crew, she knows their relationship is about to change. Hannah wants to work on the soundtrack, and finally draws the attention of the director. But she soon realizes that she is now attracted to Fox instead. Fox has a reputation as a womanizer, but he has changed and his attraction to Hannah is serious. Still, he worries that he can't make a commitment, but if she has faith in him, maybe he'll be able to admit his feelings. The music and seaside setting add flavor and color to this delicious, slow-burn love story.

A playboy fisherman learns he can be more than just a pretty face. Fox Thornton is a king crab fisherman and the resident Casanova of the small coastal town of Westport, Washington. He's the life of the party and has convinced everyone--even himself--that he's not capable of anything more. Imagine his surprise when he strikes up a friendship with Hannah Bellinger. They bonded over a shared love of music when her sister fell in love with his best friend, and Hannah and Fox continue their friendship via text after she returned to Los Angeles, where she works as a production assistant. Hannah doesn't even think of Fox as a romantic possibility: He's unbelievably handsome and effortlessly self-confident, while she often feels like a supporting actress in her own life. When the film she's working on begins shooting on location in Westport, Hannah crashes at Fox's apartment. It seems harmless enough--she fancies herself in love with a co-worker, and she can't imagine Fox would ever see her as anything but a friend. Living in close quarters ratchets up the emotional intimacy and sexual tension, leaving Fox and Hannah to each question long-held assumptions about their own worthiness as romantic partners. Fox has never had anyone that values him for who he is rather than how he looks, and the major arc of the novel is his journey to accepting that he has value beyond being handsome and charming. It's an unflinching look at how toxic masculinity harms men, for Fox must unpack the weight of cultural norms and expectations he's been internalizing since childhood. The romance between Hannah and Fox unfolds slowly, with side plots that keep the reader entertained while the main characters do the hard work of figuring out how to be together. A slow-burn romance showcases characters trying to become the best versions of themselves. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.