Window Shopping Unknown Binding

Newly released from corrections, Stella is making a new life for herself. When she’s caught standing outside the Christmas window display of Vivant, one of Manhattan’s department stores, she can’t help but gawk. Her reaction captures the attention of Vivant’s general manager and co-owner, who happens to be strolling by. She doesn’t know him, so she has no qualms in telling him its a tragedy in tinsel. He appreciates her candid feedback and offers her a job as the department store’s new window designer. Sure, his motives are slightly selfish. He can’t help but crave her nearness, yearn to know her better, and ultimately, claim her for himself. But he’s also now her boss, which adds all sorts of complications Stella isn’t interested in. Can they work around the red tape and fulfill both their desires?I loved this one! It’s my favorite Christmas book of the season thus far. I loved that both Stella and Aiden have character flaws they must work through. I loved the New York setting. I loved the Christmas department store backdrop. Plus, there were tons of tropes like forced proximity, forbidden love, angsty attraction, bad boy hiding behind a good boy facade, and more. Oh, and since this is a Tessa Bailey book, you can be sure there’s a couple of smutty sex scenes. HELLO and THANK YOU!Let’s talk about the characters, because that’s what this book did best. Stella was incarcerated for a crime she owns up to. Part of the problem was her best friend, and her inability to set boundaries. This gets her into all sorts of trouble. In fact, her life completely spiraled out of control. But when she’s released, she understands these shortcomings and is determined to be better. Aiden gives her a second chance. Not because he’s attracted to her—well, he is, but that’s beside the point. She has a genuine gift in design. She went to school for design, and has always dreamed of becoming a department store window designer. When she WOWs him with her design proposals, he says yes because she’s the right fit. Her background certainly complicates things. After all, she’s an ex-felon. This only adds to the layers of her character arc.Aiden isn’t perfect either. He didn’t grow up around his rich, insufferable family. Instead, he was raised in Tennessee, with his down-to-earth Aunt Edna, who taught him to be a good person, and always see the sunny side of life. Sometimes his optimistic personality clashes with Stella’s. Aside from touting annoying Aunt Edna stories, he wears funky bow-ties that make him easy to joke about. However, deep down, he’s been secretly trying to appease his uptight family. That’s his flaw. Stella helps him realize that he can’t bend over backwards to please people who don’t want to be pleased.I loved the second chance theme to this book.Stella made mistakes, but she is hungry for a second chance at life. She must learn to confront her inner demons and her past. She must learn to set boundaries. Both Stella and Aiden must grow and they do it with the help of each other.This is a shorter read, more of a novella, really. I had so much fun learning about both Aiden and Stella’s past. I loved seeing them work through their flaws and overcome them. Plus, I loved that there was smut even though this wasn’t a heavily spicy book. I’ve read several of Tessa’s books and enjoyed every single one, so I was thrilled that she had a Christmas one. 𝐌𝐘 𝐑𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆: 𝟒/𝟓⭐️

“𝘕𝘰𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘐 𝘧𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘻𝘦 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘰𝘥𝘺, 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘪𝘤𝘬 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘯𝘱𝘶𝘵. 𝘋𝘰𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘮𝘦.”⁣⁣ Window Shopping is a reverse grumpy sunshine and the mc falls first. There is so much pure goodness in this book. I am not a grinch, but it had my heart growing three sizes. You have a FMC looking for a fresh start in life and a MC who wants nothing more than to give her that. ⁣ I loved Aiden so much from the very start. He was so cute, sweet and dorky. BUUUUT he also has another side to him and boy oh boy did I love that side. * ʷᶦⁿᵏ* Stella was a bit pessimistic, didn’t have much confidence and such a spitfire. Sometimes, characters with those traits can be overly annoying and frustrating, but that wasn’t the case for Stella. I love her and her character development. They balanced each other out so perfectly. ⁣ I will say, I was SHOCKED with some of the spice. My jaw dropped to the ground and I had to put the book down for a minute to collect myself because I did not expect it to be as raunchy as it was. Tessa Bailey is pretty good about that. ⁣ This book is a perfect holiday read. It’s filled with loads of Christmas cheer, second chances, finding yourself and spice that will have you fanning yourself. Need to fit in one more book for your goodreads goal, to get you in the Christmas spirit and get your lady bits fired up that is also a quick read? This is the book for you! I will absolutely be reading this every holiday season! ⁣

Tessa Bailey has given us a Christmas story as sweet as hot chocolate and as hot as a roaring fire. Our heroine, Stella, is flawed, recently released from prison for a crime she did commit. She has to prove to herself that she is worthy of the second chance she is given, and use it to rebuild her life on new terms. A chance meeting with Aiden, store manager of a department store, provides her with her dream job. Not as a favor, but because she really does have the qualifications to accomplish it. Their budding relationship has a dark cloud overhanging in the release of Stella’s accomplice in the crime that sent her to prison. Stella has to have faith in herself that she won’t backslide into old habits or feel guilty for second chances. There was a lot of heartfelt emotion in this book. Add in a a buttoned up nice guy Aiden who likes it rough and dirty behind closed doors, and you have the perfect steamy Christmas story.

Book came in good condition! Read for my review:December 28, 2022Where do I even start!?I truly love the story that Tessa told with this book. Stella just got out of jail and is working here way back into the world and trying to learn who she is and who she can be in life. She’s lost, angry, and confused. Then she runs into Aiden. A tall southern bow tie wearing man who loves the world. He immediately starts to break down her walls and it’s so sweet! I love Stella growing into who she wants to be and Aiden having complete faith in her the whole time.There’s some conflicts with the couple along the way but the main point of the book is for Stella to learn who she is while facing her past. I thought the book was so well done in that aspect!I have to say this book is incredibly cheesy, corny, whatever you want to call it. Sometimes you just have to look past and enjoy the ride. The book had me laughing, crying, and just smiling.

This grumpy-sunshine romance where the heroine is the grump and the hero is the ray of beaming sunshine was incredibly adorable, delightful, and so full of positive and festive holiday vibes! I think this is also the first romance/book I've read that directly references the pandemic, and while it was admittedly a little jarring to see things being so 'normal' when it's still so not normal (and the pandemic so far from over) IRL, it was also nice and hopeful!Stella is an ex-convict who has had an incredibly toxic and damaging relationship with her childhood best friend, and she's still coming to terms with this 'new life' now that she's out of prison. She's kinda prickly and stand-offish but underneath that grumpy exterior, she has a good heart, and she's determined to make a better life for herself while figuring out who she is now that she's "free", in more ways than one. I really admired her strength and the way she held her head up high when people judged her too quickly and treated her like shit because of her past, and it was heartwarming to see her pursue her passion and also succeed hard. I was a little worried that she wouldn't stand up for herself when it came to her toxic friendship but I happily cheered her on when she did it! She was such a great heroine and so easy to root for. And when she meets Aiden standing in front of the Vivant window displays, she has no idea that her life is about to change, and most definitely for the better!Oh, Aiden! This guy was such a giant ball of sunshine and corny positivity and although I don't know how I'd react to meeting a guy like that IRL, it was hard to not feel happy whenever he appeared on the page. I absolutely adored him for it! 😍 My heart also went out to him hearing about how his family treated him and when we learn the reasons why he's always so happy-go-lucky, and why he started wearing bow ties. He's definitely quirky, which is a trait I don't read often in romance heroes, and I loved it on him! I loved his signature bow ties, his love for Christmas and all things happy, his aunt Edna stories, and his big heart.It's rare to come across a reverse grumpy-sunshine romance but I absolutely adored Stella and Aiden's dynamic! It might've been a little insta-love, which is up there on my least favourite tropes list, but despite the intensity of their feelings escalating very quickly, their connection never felt forced or fake. I loved how he wanted to beat down for her but respected her to go at her own pace and handle her own business. Aiden was so gone for Stella and I loved that he and his big golden retriever heart were the ones to fall hard and fast first! Not to mention that he was definitely still your typical Tessa Bailey in the bedroom and the combination of "street nice" and "bedroom filthy" was woo, smoking fire! 🥵Overall, this was a wonderful and festive holiday romance that's full of heart and hopeful new beginnings. I loved Stella and Aiden and despite the insta-love moments of their romance, I was sold on their connection and sizzling chemistry and they more than deserved their HEA!

"But the most remarkable thing about him is those smile lines. They bracket his mouth, they fan out from the corners of his eyes. They are deep and worn-in like a pair of jeans that have been washed seven hundred times. This man smiles constantly. I hate him..."*Stella finds herself free for the first time in four years after serving time for her mistakes. As she eyes up a Christmas dressed storefront window, and thinks about how she could do a better job, she meets Aiden. And when he asks her opinions she doesn't hold back. It just turns out that Aiden is the manager and not only does he like what he hears but he also can't keep his thoughts off Stella. As she begins to build her life back up again, she finds that. His particular brand of sunshine is hard to resist.*"Don’t let the bow tie fool you, Stella. I’m not always nice..."*This was a fun festive read and I'm still constantly amazed by Tessa's ability to make me like the nice guy! It's uncanny and I'm not used to it, I mean I should be by now but it still catches me off guard. I'll admit that it wasn't my favourite book of hers, that award goes to It Happened One Summer and Captain Taggart, but I did still enjoy it. It's a grumpy/sunshine gender twist where Stella has the tough to break exterior and Aiden instantly jumps in with all cards on the table. But Aiden shouldn't be written off as the sweet sensitive guy because behind closed doors he has a lot more to offer. And as with any Tessa Bailey book, expect some top quality spice and dirty talk.*"Not only did I fantasise about her body, I had the nerve to pick out dinnerware without her input. Double shame on me..."

Window Shopping is the latest, festive, read from Tessa Bailey. The story follows main characters Stella and Aiden.This story is a little bit different in regards the second chance aspect where Stella is given a second chance even though she has a dubious past and a criminal record. Aiden gives Stella a chance to dress a window at his families department store on 5th Avenue.Aiden is definitely a sunshine, sweet hero to Stella’s more hesitant character. The chemistry and attraction between them is so obvious from the start and although Aiden was perhaps a little too sweet for me he was able to show Stella his more dominant side.This is a shortish, cozy Christmassy read and was giving me all of those vicarious New York thrills.There’s a nod to the pandemic in this book. I’ve wondered how authors are going to deal with this going forward - ignore it and let us live in our fictional pandemic free world or embrace the new normal and write it into their story. Having worked in the health service throughout the pandemic I’m super happy with the former however, there are hints at social distancing and mask wearing but more of a tip of the hat instead of labouring the point, squarely setting the story in a relatable world.

I absolutely adored this book, it was just the tonic I needed! Such an enjoyable story and such a wonderful couple.

This book was absolutely brilliant. I loved both characters and related a lot to Aiden :’) Will definitely reread next Christmas.