We met Willa and her big sister Ginger in Protecting What's His. The girls had a hard life growing up and all they had were each other. Then Ginger fell for a cop, Derek, and their lives improved. Willa tried to change her personality and do what was expected of her in order to fit in. She had her first serious relationship with Evan which was sweet and meaningful, but she could not let go of her past and the pressure to be everything he thought she could be. She is now lost, broken, and damaged.  So she puts on her battle armor and heads off to Dublin, Ireland since she won a photo journalism contest.

I lost myself. I forgot how to be comfortable in my own skin. I forgot what it means to be comfortably broken. I thought I was unfixable before. Now, I'm plane-crash wreckage. 

Shane Claymore, the owner of the inn she is staying at while in Dublin,  is easily agitated, bossy, rude and antagonistic. And he brings out the old sarcastic, angry Willa. They are volatile, fiery, hostile, and exhibit an underlying sexual tension  that is almost painful. They challenge, push boundaries, and taunt each other. 

The fact that there is a built in time period makes it seem safe from getting too attached. Even though their minds fight against it, their bodies and hearts cannot be denied. The both have issues. Their pasts were not pleasant. They are both figuring out where they are going with their lives. Their budding attraction adds a big complication to their lives, but one they cannot ignore. They just have to hope they come out of unharmed and can walk away unscathed. 

"It's inevitable, Willa. We are inevitable. When you stop fooling yourself, come and find me."

She thinks she is unfixable. He thinks there is nothing to fix. But their lives are on a collision course and they do not have time to handle the fall out. Can two people whose lives are completely different come together for real or are they destined to just be a holiday fling?

Shane is an enigma at times. Sure he is broody, bossy, and controlling, but he is also charismatic, sexy, and sweet. He looks out for his family, but is plagued by guilt, secrets, and past pain. And his plans for his future just add to his feelings of guilt. He was not looking for love or attachments. He lives for the adrenaline rush. But he cannot seem to stop pushing Willa past her comfort zone. But will he be willing to change his future plans for a girl he just met?

"Damnit, Willa. I didn't see you coming."

Willa has shown a lot of change from when we first met her. She is trying to get back to a place where she is comfortable in her own skin. She is feisty, sassy, guarded, but could be fun too. And she has a good heart. She just does not show it to many or let her vulnerability show. And Willa had lost sight of her adventurous, fiery personality for years, but is finally beginning to live again on her own terms. But will her fears insecurities, and self doubt ruin her chance at happiness?

"How do you manage to see the best in everyone, Willa, but only the worst in yourself?"

They had intense chemistry and passion that built gradually despite their resistance, and finally could not be denied. And when they do finally let go, it is all consuming. But as their time grows short will they take down their guard and let themselves feel or just go back to their lives as they were before?

This was a bit different than Tessa's  Line of Duty series. It is more of a new adult book. Even though Shane is definitely a strong alpha, he is not quite as dirty talking, domineering, and intense as some of her other heroes. But he is Irish, funny, sarcastic, and did have a bit of a naughty mouth and challenged Willa. He has a presence that just pulls you in. You cannot help but like him especially when you see under his layers. We see him go from angry and overbearing to vulnerable and unsure. 

The side characters are quirky and fun. His mom, Kitty and sister, Faith are such unique, sweet personalities. The brothers she met in Dublin, Brian and Patrick were off the wall and adorable.  And we get to see more with Ginger and Derek and how they have progressed. Their relationship with Willa is so special, and  their rapport is funny and honest. But they went through so much together that they are tightly bonded. Their sisterly moments are so endearing.

"Love comes in many forms. It's not always sweet. Or comfortable. Sometimes it's selfish and consuming. Volatile...It makes choices for you. It demands you obey it, not taking no for an answer. And it's usually right. It knows you better than you know yourself....Above all, love is stubborn as hell."

This was a humorous, sassy, sexy, sweet read with characters that drive you crazy one minute and have you happy the next. It was interesting, engaging, and flowed well. It was told in Willa's point of view, but we did get a little peek into Shane's head as well. And the Irish setting just added to the story and interest and was almost a character in itself. Tessa Bailey just has a way of drawing you into her stories and making you truly care about her characters. They make you frustrated, laugh, smile, swoon, and fan yourself.  This one was no exception.

Thanks to Tessa Bailey and Entangled Publishing for providing us with a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review. Quotes are from advanced copy and subject to change in final draft.

As a reader of Tessa’s Line of Duty series, I was happy to see Willa getting her own story in a spin-off capacity.

After winning a photography contest, Willa travels to Ireland as part of the prize package. The timing of the trip couldn’t be more perfect, as she is still trying to get over the hurt of her breakup with her boyfriend, Evan, and to find herself as an individual again. When she meets the owner of the inn she will staying at for the next month, she begins to feel things she has never felt before. But the owner, Shane, is more than Willa expects and as she gets to know him more, she finds herself drawn to him.

Even though we’ve met Willa before, and think we know her, there is so much more to learn in her own words. She was full of surprises throughout this book. She feels like she lost herself during the two years she dated Evan, and searching for the girl she was is proving more difficult than she imagined. I enjoyed watching her rediscover things she liked, and new things that the old Willa would have never tried. 

The addition of Shane was perfect. I loved him from nearly the moment we met him, and I couldn’t wait to see what else was in store for these two. He was the perfect person to challenge Willa during her time in Ireland. 

I loved that this book took place almost entirely in Ireland. The drastic geographic change separated adult Willa from the teenage Willa we have met before. It also forced Willa to face things on her own without running to Ginger and Derek at every turn. The other great part of the location was that even though much of the story takes place in and around Claymore Inn, it is not located in traditional touristy parts of Dublin, and shows a variety of locations in the city. 

We don’t see a whole lot of Ginger and Derek in this book, but there are in the perifory enough that we remember Willa has a great support system in them. The new characters added in Ireland were a great mix of funny and touching. I loved Faith Claymore’s bubbly personality and penchant for letting loose when she could get away from her brother’s watchful eye. Kitty Claymore added a touch of sentiment with her head-in-the-clouds bordering on dementia. Brian and Patrick, locals that Willa meets on day while taking photographs, add great humor to the scenes they take part in. 

This was the perfect little break. Each time I put the book down, it was with a smile on my face, and that same smile picked up when I sat back down to read. It read as more of a new adult book than Tessa’s other books I’ve read, but it was a fun change and it worked for these characters.