Window Shopping by Tessa Bailey Published by Avon on 2022-12-20
Length: 252 pages
Reviewing eBook from Kindle Unlimited
Rating:
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A sizzling, feel-good, opposites-attract holiday romance from Tessa Bailey, #1 New York Times bestselling author of It Happened One Summer—now in a beautiful new package!
Two weeks before Christmas and all through Manhattan, shop windows are decorated in red and green satin. Stella is standing alone outside a famous department store, when a charming man asks her opinion on the décor.
It’s a tragedy in tinsel, she says, unable to lie. Then he asks for a better idea, with a twinkle in his eye. She didn’t know he owned the place, when he put her on the spot, and now she’s working for that man, trying to ignore that he’s hot.
But as a down-on-her-luck girl with a difficult past, Stella knows how to make a good opportunity last. So she gives it her all, working without stopping. Trying to resist temptation, because she’s just window shopping.
I was really excited for this one because Tessa Bailey is recommended to me on a regular basis. However, this one just didn’t do it for me. Window Shopping by Tessa Bailey is a holiday novella about a window dresser and the store owner. When Stella stops outside Vivant to scoff at the holiday decor, she catches the attention of Aiden the store’s general manager and majority owner. Liking her ideas, he offers her the position of window designer on a temporary basis through the holiday season. Stella is hesitant but excited about this new opportunity to work in her dream job.
I liked both characters, that was not an issue. Stella is freshly out of prison after following her friend into a life of crime. While there she took community college classes in design and to have this opportunity fall into her lap seems like a dream. She’s cautious, constantly trying to prove to herself and those around her that her past is staying in the past. Aiden is positivity personified. He’s always smiling and encouraging those around him. And Stella….well she has him wrapped around her fingers even if she doesn’t realize it.
What I had a problem with is the spice. It went from zero to 100 in two seconds flat 😅 Now I know I tend to be prudish, even so, it was a little much. For me, if there is going to be spice, especially spice of this level, I expect there to be some romance involved. However, it was more insta-lust than love even thought the L-word was thrown around quite a bit.
Overall, Window Shopping was an okay read for me. I liked the characters and loved their storyline, but the spice was too much. Let’s be honest….I could describe part of this story as a Hallmark romance and the other part as porn. I enjoyed the first, not so much the second. I would like to give the author another shot though since she is so frequently recommended. Any recs?
About Tessa Bailey
New York Times Bestselling author Tessa Bailey can solve all problems except for her own, so she focuses those efforts on stubborn, fictional blue collar men and loyal, lovable heroines. She lives on Long Island avoiding the sun and social interactions, then wonders why no one has called. Dubbed the “Michelangelo of dirty talk,” by Entertainment Weekly, Tessa writes with spice, spirit, swoon and a guaranteed happily ever after. Catch her on TikTok at @authortessabailey or check out tessabailey.com for a complete list of books.
yes I saw several reviews mentioning the level of spice and how quickly it happened. That is an issue with novellas as they often don’t have the time to lay the groundwork and character development for relationships. Also some of us are used to various fantasy genres where the romance can take the whole series! I’ve enjoyed some of her romance books like the home improvement series. The first one there is Fix Her Up. But I’m not as much a straight romance reader as I used to be. I mean I like more plot than just the romance. I like it with mystery or fantasy or scifi or other aspects to the book than the romance. Although I enjoy romance combined with all those other genres.
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I wholeheartedly agree! Definitely needed more time to build up to the spice in this one. I also don’t read as much romance anymore. I like it integrated with other genres, mostly fantasy.
Okay, so this is an author that I had tried to read one title and couldn’t get into it, and then tried to listen to another and couldn’t get into it. I just listened to her latest holiday short novella and actually was able to get into it, but even with my not minding spiciness right away, it seemed the characters in that one jumped pretty quickly. But this last one I tried made me think to give her one more try. I might pass on this one though! Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
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If you don’t mind the spicy, you may enjoy it. I just felt like there wasn’t enough build up before the romance/spice jumped into the story. And I read the new short story and hated it 🫣 But if you liked it, you may like this one. I’m going to chalk it up to her writing isn’t for me. 🤷♀️