Synopsis:
He wants her soul. Too bad she already sold it.
Family is everything to gambling den darling, Teresa Valentini. Blood comes first, especially before men. So when her brother lands himself in hot water, she’s willing to do whatever it takes to save him. And showing up topless in her unwitting savior’s motel room is turning out to be the furthest thing from a hardship…
Will Caruso is the bad boy of New York’s financial scene…and he just found out the very thing that drives his success is a damn lie. Now, he’s exchanged his high-stress life for the open road, no one but his Great Dane…and half a million Instagram followers to keep him company. When a mysterious beauty arrives, her secrecy prods his suspicions, even while she tempts his lust to the breaking point.
Teresa met Will under false pretenses, but the bond consuming them is real. They’re strong enough to overcome a little betrayal…aren’t they?
My Review:
If you know anything about me, you know I am a huge Tessa Bailey fan. I always get as excited as a kid on Christmas Eve when she has a new release. That being said, I’m sure you can imagine it would be hard for me to pick a favorite book of hers; or even a top five. Well, I can say with 100% certainty that after finishing Follow, if I had to pick a top five list, this would be in that top five. Oh, man, how I loved this book…
From the very first page, I was intrigued. Teresa is a bit of a mystery when we first met her and I was dying to put the pieces together and solve who she is. Those pieces start to fall into place when she has to save her brother from fate handing him the same cards her father was dealt. Those cards involved the mafia and one of their head honchos. It’s in trying to save her brother she crosses paths with Will. Will, the delicious mix of hard and soft, strong and sweet. She had her plan laid out in front of her and was determined to stick to it, and all was going well, until she started to get to know Will and when that happened she knew she was a goner. Suddenly her position went from slightly uncomfortable to downright impossible. Suddenly she would have to find another way to save her brother and hopefully manage to save what she’s found with Will. That is, if Will doesn’t find out why she was there in the first place…
Ugh, these two! I just LOVED them! Teresa is a bad ass with a big, loyal heart. She’s a gal I would so want to hang out with, and a gal I would love to share a shoe closet with. Will had my heart from the very beginning. I mean the man is taking his pup on a very special road trip, trying to gain a little levity in his stressful, high-powered life. He’s a guy you would never think would do it, and yet there he was, dog bowl and all, just letting the road carry him. It was such a beautiful juxtaposition. They’re both really at a crossroad in their lives and there was no better time for them to have met. Sure, the circumstances are kind of a mess, but it all works out in such a perfect way.
Oh, and I would be remiss if I didn’t give mention to the scorching heat and delicious dirty talk delivered in this book. I’m fanning myself even now, sitting at the computer, tying this review. Once again, Ms. Bailey delivers dirty talk with her signature blend of possessiveness and emotion. No one does it better!
So, here I am in a total book hangover, already missing Will and Teresa. Go out and grab this book, guys. You won’t be disappointed!
Five Loves
Book Links:
Excerpt:
The cheers are deafening. Will hoots and rises from his chair, moving into a spot behind mine. Paula takes his place across from me. Everyone crowds in on all sides. And suddenly my world has been narrowed down to an arm wrestling arena.
“All right, baby.” Will’s voice smokes into my ear. “Here’s how we get to five seconds. You’re going to top-roll.”
“We? And what is that?”
I sound like a hysterical cartoon character, but Will continues undaunted, his breath on my neck, his thumb massaging me between the shoulder blades. “If we make this a bicep game, she’s got you beat, so we’re going to make it about hands, fingers and wrists, to ease the disadvantage. You’re going to work your palm upwards, along hers, like you’re trying to wrap your hand around the top part of hers. Just hold firm and focus on coming over the top of her.”
Paula is mean mugging me across the table, gum being mutilated between her teeth. “I thought you ran a hedge fund,” I mutter to Will.
“I didn’t always,” he mutters, laying a kiss on my cheek. “Five seconds. You got this.”
“I was wondering why you aren’t already married. Mystery solved. You get a lap dance from your date. Then she gets her arm torn off.”
Another kiss and this time his lips linger on my temple. “You could look at it that way. Or you could look at it mine. Thank fuck I’m not married or I’d have missed the girl who gave me a lap dance, then took on the local gator-wrestling champ. All before lunchtime.” His fingers slide up into my hair and tug, firm and gentle all at once. “Thank fuck, right?”
Enter to one of FIVE eBook copies of FOLLOW!
About the author:
Tessa Bailey is originally from Carlsbad, California. The day after high school graduation, she packed her yearbook, ripped jeans and laptop, driving cross-country to New York City in under four days.
Her most valuable life experiences were learned thereafter while waitressing at K-Dees, a Manhattan pub owned by her uncle. Inside those four walls, she met her husband, best friend and discovered the magic of classic rock, managing to put herself through Kingsborough Community College and the English program at Pace University at the same time. Several stunted attempts to enter the work force as a journalist followed, but romance writing continued to demand her attention.
She now lives in Long Island, New York with her husband of ten years and six-year-old daughter. Although she is severely sleep-deprived, she is incredibly happy to be living her dream of writing about people falling in love.
I want to win!!!! These characters sound fascinating!
Awesome review Jillian!!! On my tbr list!! Shared on all my socials!