First of all, thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book!

This of course had everything a good Tessa Bailey book has - comedy, spice, fun, and drama. However, I did not enjoy this one as much as I thought I would and definitely not as much as It Happened One Summer. I seriously love a sports romance and an age gap, but something about this one just kind of fell flat for me. I think the pet names were a little too much for me and the spice was a little too cringe. I really enjoy a romantic spice scene more than a dirty, raunchy spice scene and I realize that's a personal preference. But in any case, that type of writing just comes off a little cringe in my opinion.

I will say I did really enjoy how protective Burgess was over Tallulah. He was just a big teddy bear and you could tell how much he loves her. I will say, I thought that Tallulah's backstory would play in a lot more. I would have liked to know more about that and I feel like it kind of fell short. I also felt as if the ending was a little bit rushed, in my opinion. I think there were some details in the middle that could have been left out and more room for the backstory and the makeup at the ending.

All in all, it was still a good read! I'm rating this at 3 stars :)

Burgess is a single dad hockey player who is in need of a live in nanny for his daughter. Tallulah wants to continue her education, but she's broke. When circumstances lead them to each other - it's the perfect fit! Tallulah can nanny for Burgess and he doesn't have to worry about his daughter while he's playing professional hockey. But soon Burgess starts to develop feelings for Tallulah and he tries his hardest to fight them because a) he's much older than her and b) she's had some traumatic past experiences with men and she's a bit skittish. Will these two find a way to work when they're trying to help each other break out of their molds?

I love a good hockey romance and was expecting to love The Au Pair Affair. But I feel like this book was insta-love and I had a hard time connecting with the characters as a couple. Not gonna lie, so many parts of The Au Pair Affair had me laughing out loud - especially the ones with Burgess and his daughter! They were so cute.

I absolutely cannot wait for the next book in this series.

Tessa Bailey is too good! I was so excited for this book since I read Fangirl Down. I wanted to see Tallulah and Burgess fall in love after their insanely electric first meeting. I thought this was so fun and in true Tessa Bailey fashion scorching hot. Loved the grumpy sunshine vibe- and I loved the single dad trope and Lissa. Really great! Can’t wait to read the next Bailey release!

I'm always here for a Tessa Bailey book. They're a good time, they're spicy, and they're sweet. Plus, I really enjoyed the first book in the Big Shots series, Fangirl Down. So I was pretty excited for this sequel, which was heavily teased in book 1. Unfortunately, it just didn't totally hit for me.

Tallulah is a marine biologist pursuing her master's degree. She needs a place to live. Her bestie's boyfriend's bestie knows a guy, who happens to be the grumpy captain of Boston's professional hockey team. Who just so happens to need an au pair for his tween daughter. It's a perfect solution, except for the insane attraction between Tallulah and Burgess.

I'll say up front that this was a totally fine read, definitely fun and funny at points and with that trademark Tessa Bailey steam. But my issues with it sort of outweighed my enjoyment. The pacing was a little weird - I wanted more of a slow burn between the leads and the ending dragged - and I never felt like the book knew what to do with the immense trauma of Tallulah's backstory. Also, as a person who actually lives in Boston, certain details just didn't hit right, which is a niche complaint, but here we are. I really wanted to sink into this story, but I just never quite managed it.

Other people's milage may vary, but for me, this one just didn't sparkle.

3.25/5

I loved this so much! The chemistry was off the charts.
The spice was spicing
I have never blushed so
much in a book in my life! That man did a HAWK TUAH
I'm deceased. This is Amee's ghost speaking.
Thank you @netgalley, @tessabaileyisanauthor, and @read_bloom for this gem!

The Au Pair Affair was a pleasant read. We met Burgess and Tallulah in the first book in the series. Now these two are in the spotlight. Tallulah is hired as Burgess' nanny for his daughter. Together these two discover there is more to so many things. I enjoyed seeing how Burgess and Tallulah journey through it all. Mr. Grumpy Burgess learns what is important in life. I also liked seeing his relationship with his daughter Lissa. He wants to be the best dad and he does his hardest to show how much he cares and loves her. It was endearing. I really liked Tallulah. She goes through a transformation that is so hearty and it was nice to see. Burgess and Tallulah were cute together. Though I just wanted a little bit more-some extras. The side characters of Sig, Chloe, and the two hockey rookies were great. I am glad we're getting Sig and Chloe's story next. There is so much to unpack there. Overall this was nice story.

I wasn’t sure Tessa Bailey could top the first book in this series but this book equally has my heart! I absolutely loved this one! Older and a hockey player Burgess needs a nanny for his tween daughter. Tallulah is a younger woman with a complicated past with men. Burgess eventually earns her trust and they begin a very fun relationship!
Oh this book is so much fun, but I love the depth. Tessa Bailey does an amazing job of writing humor and serious topics with so much heart! The writing was top notch! The story line had amazing conflict to keep me glued to this book from start to finish! I am a Tessa Bailey super fan and eagerly await the next book she writes! One of my favorite 2024 summer reads! Huge thanks to Avon and Netgalley for allowing me to read and review this wonderful book!

While the tension and steamy bits were all there and fun, the overall storytelling, tone, and atmosphere that Bailey cultivated in Fangirl Down is woefully missing in this standalone follow up. All of the characters were amusing and unique, but it feels like they weren't brought to their full potential.

Tessa Bailey plus Hockey romance? Yes please. Burgess & Tallulah were a joy to read about. Hope there's more!!

I love Tessa Bailey books. She creates such fun and loveable characters you can't help but root for. This was no exception. We follow two of the characters we met in the first book in this series and I loved it. Characters from the previous book also make an appearance and while this was very different from some of the other books Bailey has written because of the added aspect of older children it was fun to see her take on something I had not seen her do before. I will be reading this one again.

I didn’t enjoy this one as much as I enjoyed Fangirl Down but damn this was a good time. I’m not saying its a particularly good book… but I am saying its a good time and you know what? That’s all I need from TB. I love a man feral and this delivered

I thought this book was a super fun, quick read. However, everything moved really fast and seemed HIGHLY unlikely.

Tessa Bailey sklays again! She killed it with this one. I have loved all her other book and this was no excpetion! Overall I'd definitely read this book again and I would recommend this book for fans of other romance books.I have received this ARC for an honest review, all thoughts/ opinions above are my own.

Thank you Netgalley for the E-Arc exchange for an honest review.

I tried reading this one but I barely got to the 10% mark and realized this is not for me. The characters and the plot just didn't hold my interest at all. It started promising but for some reason I wasn't connecting with the characters or the plot.

3.5 stars

"When she’s on, Tessa Bailey is unbeatable. The Au Pair Affair starts out so fun and flirty, and Bailey had me enthralled until almost the three-quarters mark… but then it goes rapidly downhill with the Crisis Moment ... Sad to say, The Au Pair Affair falls into the penalty box, although I’m sure Bailey’s creative mind will put out a new story that’ll blow my socks off any day now."

*Read the full review at All About Romance: https://allaboutromance.com/book-review/the-au-pair-affair-by-tessa-bailey/

This book was really interesting. It had all of the steam and funny situations that I’ve come to love about Tessa Bailey’s books, but it was also one of her most serious. Both Tallulah and Burgess (but especially Tallulah) had a lot that they needed to work through before they could be in a relationship. I really liked watching the relationship grow, but I also liked how the third act conflict forced them to grow by themselves before they could try again to be in a partnership.

Somehow I managed to love Talulah and Burgess’ story so much more than Wells and Josephine… and I LOVED Wells and Josephine! There was the perfect amount of drama, tensions, and whew the SPICE! It was all top tier.

I gave this book a 4.5/5 stars solely because I wasn’t a huge fan of some of the characters names (this one’s for you Burgess and Sig) and it kinda pulled me out of the story a bit.

The Au Pair Affair was a short and sweet romance with a smidge of sports and heavily centered around family. I appreciated Tallulah’s background and thought the way her trauma was framed was well executed. Burgress is your typical brooding love interest who’s actually a big softie and I loved his willingness to emotionally grow. I thought that Tallulah’s biggest hang up regarding her relationship with Burgress being that he didn’t seem as adventurous as her was a little shallow - especially since he already expressed his willingness to join her and happily do so. This wasn’t as good as Fangirl Down, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy this read. Fangirl Down holds a special place in my heart, so I didn’t expect The Au Pair Affair to come out at the top. This story just felt a tad flat to me. It was missing something that would’ve taken it to the next level, I just can’t put my finger on what.

Thank you to Avon Books, NetGalley, and the author for sending me an early copy!

I loved Fangirl Down and couldn’t wait to read this book!! It was cute and fun. Binged it in a day. I loved that Burgess fell first and was patient but flirty and so protective of Tallulah. Which she needed because of her past. I also loved how Burgess helps her with overcoming how her past has changed her life and she helps him learn to talk to his teenage daughter and how to be social (even date) after a bad marriage. However it gets knocked down a whole star for two reasons. One because Tallulah was freaking annoying. She denied her feelings soo many times and then twice she chose to ignore him (calls, texts, in person) rather than have a conversation. I hate that miscommunication trope so nope! And two because she writes Burgess saying really mean things during his time of suffering and hurting Tallulah and he even while frustrated had never done that and I don’t believe his character even then would have intentionally used her past to hurt her as much as he was hurting. He’d already had plenty of chances.

I still will impatiently await the next book in the series!

I literally believe that every single books Tessa has written, has been written specifically for me!! Every single one hits! And of course, since this is the newest one, its not my new favorite! The characters, the heat, the plot, it had me crying, giggling, and fanning my face! Tallulah and Mr Savage forever!!! <3