Window Shopping – Tessa Bailey

Genre: Romance, Holiday
Publisher: Self-Published
Pages: 258
Release Date: October 19, 2021

A sizzling, standalone, feel-good holiday romance from Tessa Bailey, New York Times bestselling author of It Happened One Summer. 

Two weeks before Christmas and all through Manhattan, shop windows are decorated in red and green satin.
I’m standing alone in front of the famous Vivant department store, when a charming man named Aiden asks my opinion of the décor.

It’s a tragedy in tinsel, I say, unable to lie.
He asks for a better idea with a twinkle in his eye.
Did I know he owned the place? No. He put me on the spot.
Now I’m working for that man, trying to ignore that he’s hot.
But as a down on her luck girl with a difficult past, I know an opportunity when I see one—and I have to make it last.

I’ll put my heart and soul into dressing his holiday windows.
I’ll work without stopping. And when we lose the battle with temptation, I’ll try and remember I’m just window shopping.

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Tessa Bailey is quickly becoming an auto-buy author. Though Window Shopping is only the second book I’ve read by her, it was enough to convince me her novels are exactly what I’m looking for in a romance novel: spice, a swoon worthy love interest, a capable protagonist, and the perfect amount of cheese.

Window Shopping is the perfect holiday romance read. It features capable main characters with depth despite its short page count, angst and spice that are chef’s kiss, and a holiday setting that isn’t overbearing.

What I enjoyed most about Window Shopping was the instant chemistry between Stella and Aiden. From the first page until the last, Stella and Aiden’s connection is fire hot and what propels the novel forward. Their relationship could be described as fast, however Bailey’s ability to write angst is top notch and dispels any notions of instalove.

As mentioned previously, Window Shopping’s page count is on the lower side clocking in at only 258 pages (with 10 of the pages being a preview for Hook, Line, and Sinker) so Bailey has a lot of ground to cover, which she covers almost perfectly. The only criticism I have of the novel is that the seriousness of Stella’s past deserved a bit more room to breathe.

Overall, Window Shopping is the perfect holiday read if you’re looking for a romance with angst and spice as only Tessa Bailey can write it. You won’t need to sit by the fire with this one to keep warm.

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Have you read Window Shopping? What did you think?