--- title: "Review: Tools of Engagement, by Tessa Bailey" description: Suzanne reviews Tessa Bailey's third Hot & Hammered contemporary romance, Tools of Engagement. image: https://www.loveinpanels.com/hubfs/tools-of-engagement.jpg --- [![LoveinPanelswhite.png](https://www.loveinpanels.com/hs-fs/hubfs/LoveinPanelswhite.png?width=640&height=225&name=LoveinPanelswhite.png "LoveinPanelswhite.png")](http://loveinpanels.com/) Search ![Tools of Engagement Cover](https://www.loveinpanels.com/hs-fs/hubfs/tools-of-engagement.jpg?height=500&name=tools-of-engagement.jpg) **Title**: [Tools of Engagement](https://www.loveinpanels.com/books?id=33339187634) **Author**: - [Tessa Bailey](https://www.loveinpanels.com/booksearch?author=Tessa+Bailey) **Heat**: Re **Genre(s)**: [Romance](https://www.loveinpanels.com/booksearch?genres=Romance) [Contemporary](https://www.loveinpanels.com/booksearch?genres=Contemporary) **Tropes**: [Enemies to Lovers](https://www.loveinpanels.com/booksearch?tropes=Enemies+to+Lovers) [Office Romance](https://www.loveinpanels.com/booksearch?tropes=Office+Romance) [Forced Proximity](https://www.loveinpanels.com/booksearch?tropes=Forced+Proximity) [Opposites Attract](https://www.loveinpanels.com/booksearch?tropes=Opposites+Attract) **Tags**: [f-m](https://www.loveinpanels.com/booksearch?tags=f-m) [straight](https://www.loveinpanels.com/booksearch?tags=straight) [white](https://www.loveinpanels.com/booksearch?tags=white) [cowboy](https://www.loveinpanels.com/booksearch?tags=cowboy) [construction](https://www.loveinpanels.com/booksearch?tags=construction) [real estate](https://www.loveinpanels.com/booksearch?tags=real%20estate) [anxiety](https://www.loveinpanels.com/booksearch?tags=anxiety) [foster care](https://www.loveinpanels.com/booksearch?tags=foster%20care) **Where to Buy or Read**: If you'd like to purchase a copy of this book, please consider using one of the following links to support the site: **[Amazon](https://amzn.to/30yQlXF)  ◊  [Bookshop](https://bookshop.org/shop/loveinpanels) ◊  [Kobo](https://click.linksynergy.com/deeplink?id=2J8ZNsFdbgk&mid=37217&murl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.kobo.com%2Fus%2Fen%2Febook%2Ftools-of-engagement-1)** **Synopsis from the Creator**: **In Tessa Bailey’s latest rom-com, two enemies team up to flip a house... and the sparks between them might burn the place down or ignite a passion that neither can ignore! ** Hair, makeup, clothing, decor... everything in Bethany Castle's world is organized, planned, and styled to perfection. Which is why the homes she designs for her family's real estate business are the most coveted in town. The only thing *not *perfect? Her track record with men. She's on a dating hiatus and after helping her friends achieve *their** *dreams, Bethany finally has time to focus on her own: flip a house, from framework to furnishings, all by herself. Except her older brother runs the company and refuses to take her seriously.** ** When a television producer gets wind of the Castle sibling rivalry, they’re invited on Flip Off, a competition to see who can do the best renovation. Bethany wants bragging rights, but she needs a crew and the only member of her brother's construction team willing to jump ship is Wes Daniels, the new guy in town. His Texas drawl and handsome face got under Bethany's skin on day one, but the last thing she needs is some cocky young cowboy in her way. As the race to renovate heats up, Wes and Bethany are forced into close quarters, trading barbs and biting banter as they remodel the ugliest house on the block. It's a labor of love, hate, and everything in between, and soon sparks are flying. But Bethany's perfectly structured life is one kiss away from going up in smoke and she knows falling for a guy like Wes would be a *flipping** *disaster. # [Review: Tools of Engagement, by Tessa Bailey](https://www.loveinpanels.com/prose/tools-of-engagement) [fa icon="calendar"] Aug 27, 2020 9:45:00 AM / by [Suzanne](https://www.loveinpanels.com/prose/author/suzanne) - [Tweet](https://twitter.com/share) *Tools of Engagement* is the third and (as far as I know) final book in Tessa Bailey's Hot & Hammered series, following [*Fix Her Up*](https://www.loveinpanels.com/prose/fix-her-up) and *Love Her or Lose Her*. I enjoyed[* Fix Her Up*](https://www.loveinpanels.com/prose/fix-her-up) but skipped the second because I don't think Bailey has the tools to write outside her lane with two POC protagonists. That said, I've been struggling to finish books lately *gestures at the world* and managed to pick this up at just the right time. It's not a perfect book, but it's highly readable and it was a comfort to go back to this little world with a flawed but loving family and a bit of Fixer Upper feels. As usual, the banter and chemistry between Bailey's main characters pulled the book together for me and kept me flipping pages as they work together to flip a house. There were several plot choices that didn't make much sense to me, however. The whole book takes place over the course of a couple of weeks and we've got a man making some choices for him and his niece (he's her temporary guardian) that don't make a ton of sense given his background as a child in the foster care system. Bethany is written as though she's struggling with anxiety and whew boy was her stuff relatable. A lot of her life is spent keeping up appearances for everyone else, worrying so much about things being perfect that she's making herself sick. She has a patch of skin on her neck that she rubs when she's having a particularly bad day and at one point Wes helps her through a panic attack. This seemed like really great rep to me (my spots are on my right shin and the back of my neck lolsob) but then she just works her way out of it without help from anyone. No mention of considering therapy at all or what she'd do when she and Wes had been together a while and the infatuation period wore off. I wanted her to seek out some help and maybe Wes, too. Love doesn't actually fix everything. The choice to go on a house-flipping competition show was a pretty sudden plot development, seemingly on a whim and not especially in character for Bethany given her perfectionist tendencies. I get that it was a competition with her brother and siblings goad each other but this was her first flip so it felt weird.  Still, I liked *Tools of Engagement* and if you enjoy Bailey's books you'll like this one. It's lower heat than some of her other books, but it's still got plenty of steam. It's not erotic romance but the chemistry between the characters is palpable and I wanted their HEA. I didn't even mind that there's a child in the story. She's pretty great. *** If you'd like to purchase a copy of this book, please consider using one of the following links to support the site: **[Amazon](https://amzn.to/30yQlXF)  ◊  [Barnes & Noble](https://www.anrdoezrs.net/links/8814288/type/dlg/https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/tools-of-engagement-bailey-tessa/1135984366?ean=9780062872937)  ◊  [Bookshop](https://bookshop.org/shop/loveinpanels)  ◊  [Apple Books](https://books.apple.com/us/book/tools-of-engagement/id1490889336?mt=11&app=itunes&at=1010lHNt)  ◊  [Kobo](https://click.linksynergy.com/deeplink?id=2J8ZNsFdbgk&mid=37217&murl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.kobo.com%2Fus%2Fen%2Febook%2Ftools-of-engagement-1)** ******* *Suzanne received a digital copy of this book from the publisher for review.* **Content Warnings: **references to drug use, parental abandonment, past: foster care, anxiety, panic attacks Topics: [review](https://www.loveinpanels.com/prose/topic/review) ![right.png](https://www.loveinpanels.com/hs-fs/hubfs/right.png?width=640&name=right.png "right.png") ### Subscribe to Email Updates ### Support Love in Panels [![Buy an eBook From Kobo Today](https://ad.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/show?id=2J8ZNsFdbgk&bids=551651.109&subid=0&type=4&gridnum=0)](https://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=2J8ZNsFdbgk&offerid=551651.109&subid=0&type=4) [- Recent - Popular - Categories ### Lists by Topic - [review (401)](https://www.loveinpanels.com/prose/tag/review) - [new releases (83)](https://www.loveinpanels.com/prose/tag/new-releases) - [best bets (52)](https://www.loveinpanels.com/prose/tag/best-bets) - [interview (34)](https://www.loveinpanels.com/prose/tag/interview) - [guest post (27)](https://www.loveinpanels.com/prose/tag/guest-post) - [cover reveal (17)](https://www.loveinpanels.com/prose/tag/cover-reveal) - [excerpt (14)](https://www.loveinpanels.com/prose/tag/excerpt) - [bingo (6)](https://www.loveinpanels.com/prose/tag/bingo) - [announcement (5)](https://www.loveinpanels.com/prose/tag/announcement) ](http://www.jdoqocy.com/click-8814288-11820649) ### Posts by Topic - [review (401)](https://www.loveinpanels.com/prose/tag/review) - [new releases (83)](https://www.loveinpanels.com/prose/tag/new-releases) - [best bets (52)](https://www.loveinpanels.com/prose/tag/best-bets) - [interview (34)](https://www.loveinpanels.com/prose/tag/interview) - [guest post (27)](https://www.loveinpanels.com/prose/tag/guest-post) - [cover reveal (17)](https://www.loveinpanels.com/prose/tag/cover-reveal) - [excerpt (14)](https://www.loveinpanels.com/prose/tag/excerpt) - [bingo (6)](https://www.loveinpanels.com/prose/tag/bingo) - [announcement (5)](https://www.loveinpanels.com/prose/tag/announcement) [see all](https://www.loveinpanels.com/prose/tools-of-engagement#) ### Recent Posts #### About Us Love in Panels is two blogs, each with their own searchable database. 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