I’ve been thoroughly enjoying the dynamic between Tallulah and Burgess in Tessa Bailey’s “The Au Pair Affair.” Their banter is charming and adds a delightful layer to their interactions. While Tallulah’s backstory, particularly her trauma, feels a bit predictable, it remains captivating and adds depth to her character.

One aspect I found a bit rushed was the pace at which their relationship develops. It seemed to move a bit too quickly for my taste. Additionally, the “bro banter” among the characters felt somewhat forced at times, which slightly detracted from the overall flow.

Despite these minor issues, the story remained heartwarming and became increasingly engaging as it progressed. Fans of Tessa Bailey will likely appreciate this book’s sweet and endearing nature. I’m especially curious to see if Sig gets a book of his own in the future. Overall, this is definitely worth a read!

After absolutely loving Fangirl Down earlier this year, I was looking very forward to The Au Pair Affair, which follows Tallulah, a marine biologist who has accepted a job as an au pair for Burgess Abraham, aka Sir Savage, a professional NFL player and single dad living in Boston – and who are the respective best friends of Wells and Josephine, the main characters in Fangirl Down,

And while The Au Pair Affair offers up a lot of classic tropes (hockey romance! age gap! nanny x single dad!) as well as writing full of Tessa Bailey's charm, spice, and humor (I genuinely laughed out loud several times), I found Tallulah's traumatic background and relationship with her sister a bit underbaked. Further, Burgess's actions in the third act of this book felt almost as if his personality changed entirely, and I found myself wishing for him to do *a lot* more groveling.

That said, there are great moments in this book (a swoony date, very spicy spice, a get-a-grip scene for men) and if you adore Tessa Bailey's books or generally look for hockey romances, definitely still pick this one up – especially as it seems to set up a third book in this sports series (about step-siblings!).

I knew Tessa Bailey was one of my favorite authors, and from the introduction of the two main characters in the first book, I knew this was going to be a five-star read for me. Tessa Bailey is one of my favorite authors, so when I saw that she had written a single dad hockey player romance, I knew I had to read it. Tessa Bailey did not disappoint! The sizzling tension between the characters had me hooked from the first page. Tessa Bailey did an excellent job at keeping me engaged with the story. There was never a part in the book that I found myself getting uninterested. I loved the story and plot of this book and felt that everything flowed smoothly from the first page up until the very last page. I am so grateful to have been provided with an ARC of this book.

Houston, I think I have a book boyfriend type.

Big grizzly bear of a man who, with a deep, growly voice, bosses me around while melting into a puddle every time he sees me.

World, is this too much to ask for?

Not if you are Tessa Bailey.

Meet Burgess. Deep in a career as a top rated hockey player with a body that’s fighting off career ending injuries, at 37 years old, he knows he hasn’t got too many seasons left as captain of the Bearcats. On top of that, there’s Lissa, his tween-age daughter who clearly speaks a different language, a pair of annoying rookies, and his new au pair rounding out the too loud life Burgess leads.

At least, he’s hoping Tallulah will be his new au pair.

A grad student studying marine biology, 26 year old Tallulah is driven and smart but can’t afford Boston without the salary Burgess is offering.

Except she’s got a difficult past, a traumatizing experience that’s keeping her from trusting the 250 pound slab of granite who wants to hire her.

But as Tallulah and Lissa connect, as Tallulah urges Burgess to get back on the dating scene, lines get blurred, then crossed, then everything crumbles.

Both literal and figurative injuries to all parties threaten them from finding a happily ever after. Can they mend what’s broken? You better believe they can! It’s a Tessa Bailey novel!

The dreaded miscommunication rears its ugly head but so does the spicy spice, so tomato, tamahto.

I’ve read these out of order; the culminating event is Wells’ and Josephine’s wedding but it didn’t seem to matter.

If you’re a fan of TB, you’ll love it!

Thanks to @netgalley and @avon for the eARC. This one comes out July 16, 2024.

I received this as an ARC from Netgalley.

One thing about me, if it's about a grumpy hockey player I'm going to read it. And Burgess was the grumpiest, but he also had a heart of gold. This was a really cute story and the perfect length. I didn't feel like it dragged at all. A solid 4 star romance!

This second book in the "Big shots" series was a great Hockey Romance, mixed with Single Dad, Forced Proximity, and my favorite grumpy/Sunshine.

I loved this sweet, spicy sports romance, Tessa Bailey does a fantastic job creating realistic characters with with tons of growth, and its always a pleasure to read her books.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

I love a good sports rom-com and Tessa Bailey did not disappoint with this one. Burgess and Tallulah had me from the beginning.

I loved Burgess so much he reminded me of a big teddy bear 🧸 Through the book he has a few problems he needs to overcome but Tallulah helps him so much. He for sure falling first and maybe a little over protective but he made me swoon.

I liked Tallulah I thought she was fierce and a little cheesy, she has a couple issues in the book and as much as Burgess helps her like she helps him I think she really helped herself in the end.

I loved this take on a single dad because Lissa is a preteen and not a "child". I feel like Lissa character was a good representation of a 12 yr old girl.

Thank you NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review!

I’m completely in love with Tessa’s sports era!! I was completely smitten with fangirl down and the cameos in this one made me so happy!! The man down so astronomically bad for his girl trope is my favorite ever and this was chefs kiss

The Au Pair Affair
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Tessa Bailey did it AGAIN!!! It’s the way that I’ve been in a reading drought lately, but this book really pulled me right out of it. I have to admit the first few chapters were a little slow going and I think because I didn’t read it the first book, there were some details that I was missing so I wasn’t fully invested until I got a quarter into the book. After that, I finished it in less than 24 hours mind you I am working two jobs and I’m taking summer classes at the university I’m in so that’s saying a lot.

I’m so obsessed with Burgess and Tallulah. Most importantly I am obsessed with the way that Burgess is obsessed with Tallulah😍. Get me a man who is so protective of me and worships the ground I walk on like Burgess. Don’t get me started on how good the spice was! I have to be honest as well, I did find myself crying throughout a good portion of the end, but it’s like crying over a romcom, cathartic and bound to happen. I know many people don’t love the third act break up, but when it’s done right, it’s done right- and Ms Tessa Bailey has truly mastered the art of male groveling.

But all in all, I truly do love a family trope. I love how protective Burgess is over his girls and how comfortable and safe he strives to make Tallulah feel. I love how much she learns from her and vice versa, throughout entirety of the book. Overall, a phenomenal reading experience and I can’t wait for everyone to read this book.

Tessa Bailey is my favorite author. All of her books have been at least 4⭐️ for me and this one is no exception. Age gap, nanny, forced proximity, he falls first, there were some amazing tropes here. Tallulah had some serious trauma to work through and the way Burgess didn’t help her through but helped her to help herself through it was absolutely amazing, top tier book boyfriend behavior. And the mouth on that man!! He has GAME and I don’t just mean on the ice.
It lost half a star because after the third act breakup, things got really corny. I found myself rolling my eyes several times during those last few chapters. And romcoms are my favorite genre so that takes a lot. And it just made the ending less enjoyable for me. But overall, it was still a great book. I’m rounding up because I can’t give half stars here and I still really adore Tessa. Side note, I’m really looking forward to the next book in the series because Chloe is a trip!

This series is definitely Tessa Bailey at her finest. I loved Fangirl Down and was so excited to read this nanny/single dad romance.

Tallulah and Burgess had insanely hot chemistry from the start and I loved the development of both characters that we get to see. Some of the themes in this book are heavy, including a female MC who had trauma in her past related to men. I thought these themes were handled thoughtfully by Tessa. I knocked a star off my rating because (1) in the sex scenes featuring penetration, there is no discussion of birth control and (2) I thought there were some times in the steamy scenes where Tallulah was blatantly ignoring some of the physical boundaries Burgess set. Both of these took me out of the story at the time I should’ve been the most invested. Overall I’d love to see more from Tessa in this universe (perhaps an Sig/Chloe story??)

Content flags: discussion of past physical abuse and kidnapping

I voluntarily read an early copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

WHEW. Just like "Fangirl Down," this book is steamy!

We met Tallulah and Burgess in Fangirl Down and this is their book! Tallulah is going to grad school in Boston and agrees to be the au pair for Burgess' 12 year old daughter in exchange for a place to stay. Their chemistry is off the charts from the get go, but the obvious power dynamics and 11 year age gap keep them apart - for a bit. This is a classic "he falls first and hard" book and I loved how much Burgess was into Tallulah for reasons other than her body. Oddly for me their saucy scenes were slightly cringe, so I didn't like this book as much as Fangirl Down. However, you can't go wrong with Tessa Bailey!

Whew,

WHEW.

FUCKING WHEW.

This love story is one for the books. (See what I did there?) Every second, every word, every letter had me in a goddamn chokehold and never let me go. The sexual tension had me dyingggg. I loved seeing our babies from Fangirl Down, as they own a piece of my heart as well. Tessa's books just keep getting better and better, and I am loving life because of her amazing romances. THANK YOU!

This nanny/boss, age gap, he falls first, sports romance has my heart forever and always. The next one needs to be in my hands soon!!! (pretty please)

The Au Pair Affair is the definition of he falls first. I was pleasantly surprised with this book, it being the second in the Big Shots Series, and I didn’t enjoy Fangirl Down as much as I wanted to. Tallulah and Burgess have a lot of depth to their relationship and while I wished they’d just communicate, instead of interpret facial expressions incorrectly, I really enjoyed the majority of their story. 75% through I absolutely loved this book. The last 15% and 3rd act breakup really put a downer on the book for me. While the breakup itself made sense, the aftermath didn’t necessarily, and I ended up annoyed that two grown adults couldn’t just communicate. They then went zero to 100 at the end. I thought Sig and Chloe were hilarious and I’m hopeful they are the next story in the series. Though I’m not sure about Chloe as a FMC. Overall the depth to the relationship and Burgess’ sarcastic smart mouth really made the book enjoyable.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC!

"Time with you could never be a waste. Only a privilege."

Tropes:
-hockey romance
-nanny x boss
-grumpy x sunshine
-forced proximity
-he falls first and hard
-age gap
-single dad
-third act breakup

TW: chronic pain, injury, abduction (past) and PTSD, family drama (his daughter wants her dad and mom to be together)

The Au Pair Affair is book two in the Big Shots series. This is Burgess and Tallulah's story. Burgess is a hockey player for Boston and is a single dad trying his best to raise his daughter. He struggles to connect to his 12-year-old daughter and there is an opportunity to hire Tallulah to become a live-in nanny for his daughter. Tallulah is a marine biology grad trying to get her master's degree. Burgess and she make a deal that she'll become his au pair.

While I do enjoy Tessa's work, something was missing for me. The buildup and tension in the story were well written but I could have done without the third act breakup. Overall, the story was good.

I thought this was a good classic Tessa Bailey book but I felt like there was almost so much pining that the two characters didn't get to know each other enough. The romance was overall good, I just wish there was more. I could've also used more Lissa. I would overall give this slightly less than 4 stars, but i'm rounding up since I sped through it!

As per usual - a Tessa Bailey Slam! I loved this one and loved that we also got to see the characters from the first one in this series. I love when they connect :)

There are a lot of really good hockey romances out there, but I’ve yet to read one that addressed the issue of a player’s behavior ON the ice vs. the player’s behavior OFF the ice. If it *was* mentioned, it wasn’t made into a big deal at all. I like that this book starts with the female main character trying to reconcile the on-ice brute with the off-ice man. And truly, it is very easy to understand how a person with any sort of violence in their past, could be mistrustful of someone whose JOB is full of violence.

I loved the bit about Tallulah cooking dinner “only this one time.” She was also SO amazing at helping to bridge the communication gap between the MMC and his daughter. For how good she is at these relational issues, it was surprising that Tallulah couldn’t help herself through her past trauma, or recognize that she needed professional help to do it.

I really like the writing style! It’s very conversational, and true to an inward stream of consciousness. It’s very fun AND funny!!

The third act drama occurs earlier in the story than I’m used to, and takes longer to resolve. I hate it! 🤣 But, of course, it does resolve happily…it’s romance, after all!

This is a REALLY GREAT BOOK!! And I I can’t wait to read Sig and Chloe’s story!!

🏒 Hockey player
📚 Live in Au Pair
🏒 Trauma


Check triggers for trauma


Quotes

“she also couldn’t help but notice the way his God of Thunder thighs were almost too robust for his jeans.” 😂😂

“You’ll whisper about my cock like you’re in church.”



Tallulah Aydin is now au pair for professional hockey player Burgess Abraham’s 12 year old daughter. Of course she agreed to it months before and is now wanting to bail. She’s late to meeting him and when the thought of calling him to quit guess who walks right into the coffee shop she’s in.

Burgess. 🤣

Being cheeky she calls him to watch his reaction and it’s cute and playful. But she had just watched a video of him punching another playing the night before and she is too nervous to live with him now. We don’t have the back story yet but I’m sure this book will be sad.

Burgess has a teammate who rents out a flat to his step sister so Tallulah is going to have a new roommate but not realizing Burgess is paying most of her rent. Of course she ends up finding out and is upset. But honestly just let him pay it girl.

She ends up confronting him And boy is she upset. But before she can lay into him his daughter requests her hair be braided for volleyball. He feels bad but just wants her to be safe. She decides on a hotel but is going to join them for dinner.

She ends up telling her story to Burgess and I knew it was going to be sad but i had no idea it was going to be that deep. Wow 😭

She starts classes and of course ends up being partnered with a guy. Which once you find out what happened to her years prior you’ll feel everything she is feeling in this book. Anxiousness and sadness. Some of the classmates go out that night and tallulah is already uncomfortable but agrees. She brings Chloe with but by the end of the night her lab partner Finn is making her very uncomfortable so she’s says her boyfriend is coming to pick her up.

Of course they end up kissing & it’s hot but they don’t want to ruin things as everything is just starting and she is still nervous around men.

She wants to do things again and be adventurous but is too afraid so Burgess says he’ll help her and make sure she’s safe during her “bat shit crazy” ideas.

Here’s what they attend/do that’s adventurous
- a singles mixer
- Skinny dipping
- She continued to do many on her own like kayaking, hot air balloon, and more
- They end up ziplining & cliff jumping together at Wells & Josephine’s wedding

The spice in this book is amazing. I thoroughly enjoyed all of it. The scene after she went skinny dipping was hot.

We of course have to have the 3rd quarter blow up & get back together. This one was rough. I teared up a little bit. But they eventually find their way back to one another.

I always enjoy Tessa’s books and I’m thankful to receive them on NG! It makes my day getting to read her books! I can’t wait for the next one.

These two absolutely clueless fools. Gotta love 'em.

Tessa Bailey manages to make tropes that normally make me cringe into something enjoyable (see: the nanny). This had everything her books always have: the humor, the angst, etc. etc.

We also got to see Wells and Josephine from book one, which is always fun, and we got an introduction to the couple in the next book.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC!