Book Review: Wreck the Halls by Tessa Bailey
Wreck the Halls by Tessa Bailey
Publisher: Avon
Publication Date: October 3, 2023
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
Publisher’s Description:
Melody Gallard may be the daughter of music royalty, but her world is far from glamorous. She spends her days restoring old books and avoiding the limelight (one awkward tabloid photo was enough, thanks). But when a producer offers her a lot of money to reunite her mother’s band on live tv, Mel begins to wonder if it’s time to rattle the cage, shake up her quiet life… and see him again. The only other person who could wrangle the rock and roll divas.
Beat Dawkins, the lead singer’s son, is Melody’s opposite—the camera loves him, he could charm the pants off anyone, and his mom is not a potential cult leader. Still, they might have been best friends if not for the legendary feud that broke up the band. When they met as teenagers, Mel felt an instant spark, but it’s nothing compared to the wild, intense attraction that builds as they embark on a madcap mission to convince their mothers to perform one last show.
While dealing with rock star shenanigans, a 24-hour film crew, brawling Santas, and mobs of adoring fans, Mel starts to step out of her comfort zone. With Beat by her side, cheering her on, she’s never felt so understood. But Christmas Eve is fast approaching, and a decades-old scandal is poised to wreck everything—the Steel Birds reunion, their relationships with their mothers, and their newfound love.
Melody Gallard’s mother was in the band the Steel Birds with Beat Dawkins’ mother, but they broke up years ago due to an unspecified feud. Beat and Melody are offered a lot of money from a reality TV producer to convince their mothers to reunite for a Christmas Eve performance.
When Beat and Melody met at sixteen years old, there was chemistry, but they haven’t seen each other since then because of their mothers’ fight. When they meet again, the spark is still there. However, Beat harbors a few secrets that might keep them from being able to get together.
This book was way steamier than I expected based off the cute cartoon cover. I’m probably the only one who didn’t know that Tessa Bailey writes super spicy books. I’m totally down for that, it just caught me off guard. Beat and Melody’s chemistry leapt off the page. Beat was super protective of Melody which got a little annoying because she was a strong, capable woman from the get-go. At least she seemed that way to me. I know that Tessa Bailey is supposed to be the “Michelangelo of dirty talk” but Beat’s dirty talk was just a little too…something. Cheesy, maybe? I don’t like a lot of talking in my spicy scenes. More action, less talking!
I enjoyed Melody. She was charming and funny. I liked how she handled Beat and his overprotectiveness. They made a great couple. Overall, I thought this was a fun, holiday read, and I definitely want to check out more of Tessa’s books. From the list in the back of the book, it appears that there are several more to choose from.
