A super cute read from Tessa Bailey!! I will say I didn’t like this one as much as Fangirl down, however I thought it was a great time and a perfect summer beach read. I am so excited for the next book in this series!!!

Tallulah & Burgess <3

When I heard that Tessa Bailey was writing a Hockey romance I was so excited! Then I found out it was going to be an age gap trope and I was a little concerned because that usually isn't my favorite. HOWEVER if Tessa can make golf sexy, I trust her to make me enjoy the age gap trope. Which was exactly what she did. I absolutely loved the character growth in this book. Burgess & Tallulah had me rooting for them from the beginning! Their chemistry, connection, the angst, the love, just all together it was so wonderful.

I also really loved seeing Wells & Josephine again, it made my heart so happy<3

I've said it before and i'll say it again, If Tessa Bailey writes it, I'm gonna read it. And I know i'm gonna love it.

A big thanks to netgalley and Avon Books/Harper publishing for giving me this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Sports romance with a growly grumpy MMC? Sign me up, especially when it's a book written by Tessa Bailey.
The Au Pair Affair is the second book in the Big Shots series of standalones. Having not read the previous book, I can attest that this book stands on its own. Burgess is in need of a nanny for his tween, Lissa and Tallulah is a grad student that needs a job and place to stay. But Tallulah does not warm up to new people and new situations easily. She's trying to live her life free of restrictions, but she has experienced some major trauma in her past that is holding her back.

Oh how I love a single dad romance and especially when they fall first and hard. Burgess, aka Sir Savage is a beast on the ice, but off the ice, he's kind of grumpy yet protective, just not quite sure how to navigate having a tween daughter. When Tallulah steps in to Burgess's life and can read Lissa easily while fitting into their household seamlessly, Sir Savage knows he must have her, in his home and hopefully more. Tallulah, on the other hand is kind of scared of Sir Savage's reputation on the ice. But as Burgess opens up and shows another side of himself to Tallulah, these two form a sort of working relationship that is filled with major sexual tension.

"If it makes you feel better, I got a semi that time you called me Mean Daddy."

Tessa Bailey knows how to write growly, grumpy men, but I especially loved Sir Savage. On the ice and at home. I liked the way that Tallulah opened him up and had him forming a relationship with his daughter that he didn't have before. A big macho alpha man learning to grow and understand women is pretty dang attractive. He was the epitome of a "man's man", but also so protective in the best way.

Then there's Tallulah. I liked seeing her start to open up to Burgess, but I felt that one part of her past that had her holding back with men in her life was glossed over too much. We got just a bit of why she was the way she was, but I felt it could've been addressed more than just one simple dialogue of what happened and then that was it. It affected her and how she dealt with life for years and should've been talked about more. I suppose this was a romcom and didn't need to be at the forefront of the story, so having Burgess there and reacting and being protective toward Tallulah was almost enough, I just wanted a little more.

These two and their chemistry was so fun and hot. Burgess was older and knew what he wanted and left that door open (figuratively and literally) for Tallulah when she was ready to come to him. Tallulah on the other hand was trying to make up for lost time. Burgess allowed her room to find herself, but he also wanted to crowd her and go all caveman on her. Their third act breakup was necessary, and I liked that for them and their growth with each other and the whole family unit.

Overall, this was a fun story with great characters (loved a certain side character and his soon-to-be step sister), and an enjoyable story of a single dad knowing what he wants and going after it.

"I would give up everything I own to go back to that day and tell you I love you, too...I'd smile while handing over my soul to the devil for that chance."

This was really fun and full of different tropes. I really enjoyed reading this. I think it's in my top three favorites of Tessa Bailey.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC.

The Au Pair Affair was super fun and Tessa Bailey was at her best here. I recommend it for fans of sports romances.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for this earc.

Okay. I’m tell you things I didn’t enjoy but you might. This is kind of the theme of the book. “It’s not you, it’s me”
- Age gap. Characters have 11 years between them which is not too bad. Until the “mean daddy” thing
- Yeah. So the Daddy thing is it’s own point for many of you but just ick
- Sex scenes. There are, in my opinion, way too many of them. I’m a plot girl so not a huge fan when the story is mood forward by smut
If this was a cute single dad and nanny story, I would have enjoyed it a lot more. But it wasn’t and I didn’t.
Some of you might though.

Single dad, grumpy sunshine served up Tessa Bailey style. Overall the story was entertaining and the tension between main characters was pretty good. Ultimately the spicy scenes propelled the book more so than plot. Some of the spicy dialogue might not be everyone's cuppa tea.

The Au Pair Affair is the second book in the Big Shots series by Tessa Bailey and while you probably don't have to read the first book in order to read this one, you should. The mc's from that book come up in this one (they are best friends) and plus, it's a good book.

If you did read the first book, you'll recall that Tallulah agreed to be an au pair for Burgess (a professional hockey player) and this book picks up on the day she is supposed to move in and start her new job. Unfortunately, she is having second thoughts. She just happened to catch a clip of Burgess taking out someone from the other team and other than the fact that he's single and attractive, Tallulah knows nothing about him. So when she calls him from the smoothie shop from across the street (just as he happens to be walking in) she has an opportunity to let him know her decision in person.

Burgess has no understanding of how to connect with his daughter, Lissa and when he offered the au pair position to Tallulah he knew this would be a good way to have someone in his house who could connect with her. Only now she doesn't want the job and he feels responsible for her because she clearly can't afford to live in what he would consider a safe area of Boston. When his plan to help Tallulah out goes awry and she ends up taking the job anyway, things start to get very interesting. As Burgess struggles to stay on top of his game, as the oldest player on the team, he also struggles with trying to keep it professional with Tallulah.

I loved these two together. Burgess was so protective of Tallulah - even when he didn't need to be (e.g. the apartment thing) and he was nothing but respectful of her wishes. And Tallulah challenged Burgess - she pushed him out of his comfort zone and forced him to consider things from a different perspective. Of course, one of the challenges here is Lissa. She is sure that her parents are going to get back together and when they are "caught", Tallulah takes a step back to give Burgess space to handle it. But he's not ready to let her go.

Now, that's not the last of their challenges though because as I mentioned, Burgess is getting up there in hockey years and he's feeling it. When something happens (I won't say what) Burgess takes his anger and frustration out on Tallulah and does the unthinkable by throwing her past in her face. And when I say unthinkable, it's unforgivable in Tallulah's mind.

As Burgess works to figure out how to fix himself and them and Tallulah works to move ahead with her life, they both know they will be together for their friend's wedding and the question is, will be an opportunity to fix what's broken or an opportunity to have a final goodbye. I'm not going to tell you - you'll have to read the book to find out.

I love this series and I hope the next book is about a certain couple that made an appearance throughout this book. That said, if you're looking for a new contemporary romance with some spice, consider picking this one up. As you may know, I'm not a huge contemporary reader but these books have won me over and I'll continue to grab them the minute I can.

This was even a little over the top for this author and I was upset about it! I loved these characters but some of this was just not romantic. The daddy stuff was bad. I loved these stories and I love steam but that was a little icky.

I wanted to like this book as I have enjoyed most of her other books. This one wasn’t great, some dialogue during the spicy scenes was so cringe and the backstory of the female main character was a departure from Bailey’s usual style and didn’t seem to fit the overall story.

Just when I think I’ve nailed down which Tessa Bailey book is my favorite (the answer is all of them), she releases a new one that completely blows me away. “The Au Pair Affair” is no exception!

“The Au Pair Affair” follows Burgess Abraham, a battle-scarred hockey veteran, and Tallulah Aydin, an aspiring marine biologist, after she agrees to be his live-in nanny. But as boundaries are slowly crossed, Burgess finds himself himselfpulled between his tween daughter, who wants her parents back together, and his insane chemistry with Tallulah.

From their very first interaction in “Fangirl Down”, I knew Tallulah and Burgess belonged together. Their chemistry radiates off the page with Burgess’ surliness perfectly complimenting Tallulah’s quirkiness. With the two of them living under one roof, they begin to open up, confide in, and lean on each other. I love how Burgess was respectful of Tallulah’s boundaries when he learned that her trauma left her feeling uncomfortable around men. He did everything in his power to help her feel safe and did not begin to pursue her until she gave him the ok. Burgess is very protective of her (*swoons*) and I really enjoyed watching Tallulah’s character go from being fearful of letting go to a courageous adventurer with him at her side to give her endless support.

At the same time Tallulah is there to uplift Burgess when he feels insecure about where he is at in his hockey career. She catches on to the pain he masks to avoid being benched or forced into retirement and she reassures him that he does not need to shoulder his fears alone. Tallulah is nothing if not persistent and convinces Burgess (in a way that made my heart pound more than is probably healthy) to seek out medical attention and show him that he is valued by his teammates.

Bailey does such a great job making their connection feel palpable and creating a conflict that had the two of them fighting for the love that blossomed between them without losing sight of Lissa’s needs. This is a story about healing, finding your happily ever after, and discovering your self-worth. It has consumed my every waking thought since I picked it up and I know I will be obsessing over it for a long time!

Really fun and simple! Talullah and Burgess were fun to read about, giving the signature TessaBailey character traits that make it easy to fall in love and root for the characters to work. At times some of the details including Burgess’s daughter and his job of being a hockey player seemed to be pushed to the side, becoming details as opposed to pieces of a story, but I enjoyed seeing the two of them come together once more.

This romance was so cute! (And spicy--I mean, it's Tessa Bailey) She's the absolute master of a spicy rom-com. A lot of authors can't really pull it off. They either go too heavy on the spice or too happy as a rom-com to have any character or story arcs. But Bailey is so good at this. She does an excellent job of blending the two.

Here are some things I liked about this book:

1. I love Tallulah being a grad student in marine biology. That was a really fun take on the "au pair" trope.

2. Competency kink is big for me. I like grown adults with adult problems. I like watching them navigate through realistic situations.

3. Obviously, the spice and dirty talk. Tessa is the Queen.


Now, I liked Burgess, don't get me wrong, but didn't really feel a connection to him. He felt kinda generic (but still sexy and sweet) I think I may like Wells from the first book better. Hockey player romances, in my opinion, have to be pretty unique to be good, and while I liked this one, it didn't blow my socks off. If you like Tessa's rom-coms, you won't be disappointed. I'm just starting to wish for a little more from her.

So freaking good!!! I loved Fangirl and was so curious about the friend mentioned in it but to meet her is to love her and now I just want to read both books again as comfort reads to make my soul happy. So much love for anything Tessa Bailey writes and this is definitely another home run oh wait that’s baseball … hat trick is hockey but it’s only book 2?!? I’m mixing my sports metaphors but really this book is outstanding.

Let me start this by saying, I love a big overprotective MMC and I love that the FMC was portrayed as strong but yet not afraid to show her weaknesses. I love that he put in the work to make her feel safe around him. What I didn’t particularly like about the story was the spice. I don’t mind spice, but there almost seemed to be more spice than plot which I didn’t care for. I found myself trying to push through this one at times just for the sake of getting through it,

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

I love when we have a pining male main character, and this book did not disappoint!

This book can be read and a stand alone, but I think you’ll have more fun if you start with Fan Girl Down!

This book definitely grabbed me right from the start, I had a smile on my face. The writing was great and the characters just clicked for me.

As usually Tessa Bailey brings the spice, and a dirty talking hero. This is an age gap romance, with the FMC in her mid 20s and the MMC in his mid 30s. Forced proximity is a give, with and single dad nanny trope that was done super well.

I’m definitely looking forward to the next book in this series!

I so wanted to love this one as much as I loved Fangirl Down but unfortunately, I didn't. It had all the makings for an amazing romance: single dad, grumpy vs sunshine, he falls first, "who did this", nanny/close proximity, but the reason I think it didn't hit the mark is because it kind of over did it in some respects. Burgess is your typical grumpy, hockey is my whole life, MMC and while I found his grumpy nature at times to be amusing, especially in contrast to Tallulah's sunny disposition, most of the time I didn't. His protectiveness over Tallulah verged a little too much into the possessiveness category which is a hard no for me. Also, there is an 11 year age gap between Tallulah and Burgess and while I love a good age gap romance, the differences in maturity levels was way too apparent which made for a weird dynamic, in my opinion.

What I did find interesting about this book is that compared to other Tessa Bailey books, this one had a dark, trauma aspect to it. Some may like the additional depth that that story line adds to this book but others may be more interested in one of Tessa Bailey's light hearted, with a little bit of drama, stories instead.

Now, if you are looking for a spice filled book, look no further! After about 25% of the book, you can't get more than a chapter or so without some pretty detailed and explicit spicy scenes.

I will always be a Tessa Bailey fan and will continue to read everything she publishes, this one just won't be at the top of my favorites list.

Will Tallulah and Burgess get their HEA?

Tallulah Aydin had signed a contract to be an au pair for hockey player Burgess Abraham while she was in graduate school for marine biology. But now she was having second thoughts about moving in with him and his daughter Lissa because of her attraction to Burgess.

Burgess Abraham thought he was too old for Tallulah but there was something about her especially her bond with Lissa. His hopes get a wrench in them when Tallulah ends their relationship because Lissa thinks her parents might get back together.

The Au Pair Affair is a very good sports romance with an age gap but Burgess needs to show Tallulah how much he loves her in the end.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from the author and NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you NetGalley, Avon and Harper Voyager for my ARC in exchange for my honest review. This story follows a single dad/hockey player, Burgess who hires Tallulah, a graduate student to be his au pair. Tallulah struggles from a traumatic past and slowly but surely learns to trust Burgess, despite his reputation for being a hot headed hockey player. I love the grumpy sunshine romance and the storyline was overall very fun! The spice was crazy in a good way, but definitely one of the more spicy Tessa Bailey books that I’ve read!

The Au Pair Affair, a novel by Tessa Bailey, available July 16, 2024!

We got sprouts of the blooming attraction of hockey defenseman Burgess “Sir Savage” Abraham and biology grad student Tallulah in Fangirl Down, and this follow-up did not disappoint. Burgess asks Tallulah to work for him as his daughter Lissa’s au pair to help give her a place to live and some income while attending Boston University. But Tallulah has her reservations based on a traumatic experience, not only physically but emotionally. She’s grappling with learning to trust on so many levels, and Burgess is intent on breaking them down, but with complete and utter cinnamon roll ooey-gooey goodness. He’s also unsure of his future in hockey and what his purpose is in life outside of being a father who is a bit out of touch. Tallulah is like magic for this relationship and helps him be a better person on and off the ice. Also, he says that she makes him feel “immortal,” and I about lost my damn mind.

These MCs were down bad for each other the whole book. The pining and banter was phenomenal, and the spice and dirty talk is what one would expect from the master herself, Tessa Bailey. Plus, you know they will *ahem* in public – I always can’t wait for that scene! I was pulled into this book from the beginning. The will-they-won’t-they had me rooting for them the whole book. I laughed out loud several times… “I only need one hand to drive this car,” and calling Burgess with his shirt off a “flesh fest,” not to mention the utter gut-wrenching third act. This is one not to miss! (P.S. bonus points for being set in Boston ❤️)

Also, we know TB has the Big Shots series planned for at least three more books, including Sig and Chloe. I cannot wait to learn more about this forbidden stepsibling hockey player meets harpist prodigy obsessed with skin care. Waiting until February is going to be torture!

Thank you so much to Avon and Harper Voyager and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read an advanced (e-)reader copy and a chance to rate and review this book!

4.5 ⭐️ 2 🌶