This is by far my favorite Tessa Bailey book. Grumpy sunshine.. Older single dad. Hockey. Spice. What’s not to love?

I wish I could have given a better rating, but this book fell short for me on so many levels, it took me so long to get through it and I almost DNF’ed it. I really enjoyed fangirl down, but this was just not my cup of tea.

Things I like: Burgess respects Tallulahs boundaries to a T (but later he contradicts them). Tessa’s writing of spicy scenes is just *chefs kiss* but I do not feel like they fit the characters.

Things I do not like: Tallulah and Burgess are very touchy feely with each other from the get go and it kind of gives me the creeps, especially when Burgess only talks about her in a sexual manner. He also only seemed to objectify her body and I did not like that. He was a pretty toxic male character and I genuinely just did not like him.

The Au Pair Affair was an amazing sequel to the success I found in Fangirl Down.
This book follows Josephine's best friend, Talullah, a marine biology masters student who moves to Boston for school and becomes an au pair for NHL captain, Burgess and his tween daughter.
With an amazing "he falls first" and slightly forbidden romance trope, this hockey romance was right up my alley. I found that the hockey terminology was better than expected, and the smut was soooo good, although it didn't pick up until halfway through, making it feel a bit slow-burney; however, once the romance begins it. is. on.
The underlying topics in this book due to Talullah's background and trauma is way more intense than expected, so if you have triggers for anything encompassing violence against women please proceed with caution. Because of this, the novel does have some serious conversations, but I felt that they were handled well and made the MMC all the more swoon worthy by the grace to which he handled her fears. The third-act conflict in the book is actually split in two and came up around the last quarter of the novel, so was lengthier and thus more frustrating than most, but wrapped up beautifully.
Overall, I love Tessa Bailey and this series is definitely something I will continue to read. I am excited for the next installment which perhaps will have some more taboo forbidden romance tropes.
4/5 stars.

I absolutely loved this story! Burgess and Tallulah had so much chemistry and growth throughout the book. I had to stop myself reading a few times to catch a breather. I can’t wait to read about Sig and Chloe!

As a big fan of Tessa Bailey, I was excited for The Au Pair Affair, but it wasn’t my favorite. The story of Tallulah, a marine biology student turned nanny, and Burgess, a single hockey veteran, felt too familiar and reminded me too much of Bailey’s other works. While the chemistry between the characters and the interactions with Burgess’s daughter were enjoyable, the overall plot was predictable. It’s a decent read with some charming moments, but it lacked the freshness I was hoping for. I would rate it 3 stars.

Miss Tessa Bailey has done it again readers and with a new trope to add to her roster. When I started this series with the first book “Fangirl Down” I was a little hesitant and had the question many people had “Could Tessa Bailey do a sports romance?”. I believe we got the answer to that question in the first book of this series and the answer is yes, yes she can. When I started this series I knew we would get Tallulah’s story at some point, I didn’t expect it to be book two though. Tessa came out swinging with this second book, she hit us with multiple good tropes all in one book that didn’t fight for dominance over one another. She was able to give us the nanny/boss trope, single dad, professional athlete, age gap, and a grovel scene that rivals all others. What I appreciated the most about Tessa’s writing in the book was the way she handled some of the darker things that were reflected in the main character’s past. I loved how she was able to work with something that is dark and twisty and still have the character come out as the better person at the end of it all. Now I need to have a holler for my boy Burgess… man does that man know how to grovel when he needs to. What impressed me the most with Burgess's character was that he knew he was struggling as a dad on his own and wanted to be better for his child. I think a lot of the time when it comes to the single dad trope you have this character that is portrayed as the best dad ever, but that isn’t how it always is. Sometimes you struggle as a parent and are lost and need direction and Tallulah was that direction Burgess needed when this story starts. We were able to see a dad struggling to connect with his daughter and doing everything in his power to fix that. We need more single dad stories that focus on the hard part of not knowing how to connect with their children and I think Tessa showed that perfectly. Now the spice on this book got me… I was not expecting it. Now that is normal for a Tessa Bailey for me, I always expect a 2 on chili pepper level but I always get a 3 from here. This man had the dirtiest mouth that I have read in a while, and I read a lot. Overall, this book was extremely enjoyable, if you love Tessa Bailey’s writing then you will love this book like all the rest. But as far as rating it I’m giving it a 4 out of 5 because we kind of do still have that third act breakup that is oh so common to us readers. But this book is a worthy read as Tessa Bailey has done it again and will continue to do it. Can’t wait to see what she’s giving us next. Thank you NetGalley and Tessa Bailey for allowing me to review this book for free it is always great to work with them.

I keep hearing about these hockey romances, so I figured I needed to read one. The book was what I expected. It had a moderate level of spice. The author really wanted to drive home the fact that Burgess was a big man and Tallulah was a small woman. It was mentioned so many times, to the point where I was like “okay, we get it.” But I guess people don’t read these for the plots as much as the spice, right?

The Au Pair Affair by Tessa Bailey follows marine biologist Tallulah as she moves to Boston to pursue her master's degree. Broke and recovering from past trauma, she agrees to move in with hockey superstar Burgess to nanny for his preteen daughter. Tallulah and Burgess have chemistry from the get-go, and things get really steamy! Tallulah suffers from PTSD, and Burgess is very respectful and always makes sure that she is comfortable in their living situation. The relationship between Tallulah and Lissa (the daughter) is really sweet, and I felt like the three of them brought out the best in each other in the best way.

We met these characters in Fangirl Down, and in this book, we are introduced to characters who, I hope will get to read all about soon! I had the best time with this book, and will be adding a physical copy to my shelf to read again!

Be aware there is apart that may be triggering for some people: kidnapping (happens before the start of the book, but is talked about toward the beginning of the book).

Thank you NetGalley, Avon and Harper Voyager for the gifted advanced copy for review. The Au Pair Affair comes out July 16, 2024!

Tessa does it again. Like seriously, she needs to write more sports romance books. They are incredible. Burgess & Tallulah are everything. His demanding nature with her carefree mentality are the perfect combination.

The Au Pair Affair is the second book in the captivating Big Shots series written by Tessa Bailey. This romantic comedy, set in the realm of sports, follows the story of a strong yet lovable single father who finds himself irresistibly drawn to his quirky live-in nanny. Packed with a blend of raw sensuality, intense attraction, and witty banter, this novel guarantees to sweep you off your feet on a journey filled with love and laughter. I was immediately engrossed and couldn't tear myself away from this book! I am eagerly anticipating diving into more books in this series and by this author.

Miss Tessa Bailey delivered 🫡

Perfect if you like:
🩵Single Dad X Nanny
🩵Grumpy X Sunshine
🩵“Touch Her & Die”
🩵He Falls First
🩵Age Gap
🩵Forced Proximity
🩵3rd person POV
🩵3rd act breakup

Other authors (respectfully), take notes on this topic notch groveling! Burgess had it bad for our girl from the start and he wasn’t afraid to show it. When tension arises, Burgess has no shame trying to win his woman over again.

The spin on the title is cute, given Tallulah’s job position. However I didn’t feel there was too many scenes that involved Lyssa and Tallulah. Maybe since Lyssa is a preteen and doesn’t require as much, but I still would have enjoyed more between the two.

“Mean Daddy” (going to add that to my personal roster 👀)

The angst between the two main characters *chefs kisses* I ate it up! You know I wouldn’t be a true romance reader if I didn’t mention the spice! So good! Y’all aren’t read for Sir Savage 😏

Can Sig & Chloe get the next book, PLEASE?!??

Thank you Tessa Bailey, Avon and Harper Voyage and NetGalley for the opportunity to be an ARC reader!

thank you to Tessa Bailey, Avon and Harper Voyager, and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

okay so this is heartbreaking for me to write but i had such high expectations for this book and i was let down. while i LOVED fangirl down, the au pair affair didn’t do it for me quite the same.

what i enjoyed: im always a fan of age gap romance!!! i liked the banter, how open burgess is w his communication, and the self deprecating quick witted humor that tallulah has in the beginning (key word: beginning). i like that tallulah is from turkey—it gives her background/values/culture (but i would’ve liked to see that cultural impact even further than slight references). her trauma was def different & an interesting take on tessa bailey’s part...but needed some more nuance especially with such a heavy topic. i also loveeeedd the lil glimpses into wells and josephine’s life 🥹

what i didn’t like: this book was so. slow. i took so many breaks from this book that i should not have had to take. i lost interest. a lot. or maybe i wasn’t invested from the start. burgess and tallulah’s insta lust & insta love wasn’t for me. burgess came off ~too~ perfect…that is of course until the third act breakup (!!!). he was just a bit too unrealistic and had one too many cave man tendencies. 🙃 tallulah’s character fell off for me as well. im not sure why, but i couldn’t connect with her character. she was unlikeable to me towards the end. i honestly didn’t even feel like the conflict that led to the third act breakup was as big a deal as she made it…she knew what she was walking into & his headspace when she began that convo w burgess that led to the breakup. and burgess’ groveling was too. much. 😒 the spicy scenes didn’t do it for me, and even moreso felt cringey to me, especially burgess’ dirty talk. not to mention the build up did nothing to excite me for when the moment actually came. 😕 i wish there was more hockey in this book as well! the moments w the rookies were fun, but we didn’t get much time w the team. or much of tallulah actually nannying. or much of wells and josephine’s actual wedding!!!??? and where was lissa at the end of the book???? i was waiting for a scene of her & tallulah after everything went down & didn’t get it :/ i didn’t love how we jumped from chapter to chapter in third person pov but still got alternated perspectives, it didn’t flow the way it should have. the epilogue was such a miss for me as well. i didn’t care for it and i even rolled my eyes at burgess.

overall, this was an okay read. to be fair, fangirl down is a tough act to follow. that all being said, i’m looking forward to sig & chloe’s story!!!! i loved their moments in this book & can’t wait to read more from them.

Thank you Avon and Harper Voyager for gifting me an E-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is only my second Tessa Bailey book, and it has reaffirmed that I will definitely be taking a dive into her back catalog. This is the second book in the "Big Shot" series, a series of interconnected standalone's and was a quick request for me because I'm a sucker for hockey romance. The characters from the first book Fangirl Down make an appearance within this book, but I do not feel like I missed out on any vital information from not having read that book yet, and can say you will be just fine reading The Au Pair Affair on its own.

Tallulah is a 26 year old grad student, just back from studying penguins (Already won me over with the penguins) in Antartica and in Boston to get her masters in Marine Biology. Having met Burgess and his daughter while visiting her friend in California, she is meant to be his new Au Pair. However, Tallulah is a survivor, after a huge trauma she absolutely doesn't trust anymore and after watching a few videos of Burgess "Sir Savage" playing hockey she's second guessing her choice to trust he isn't dangerous. Despite it all, Tallulah and Burgess have a connection, he is kind-hearted and determined to do whatever it takes to show her he can be trusted. With a big risk, Tallulah does move in, but there is an undeniable chemistry here, are either of them strong enough to resist it? Can Tallulah learn to trust again?

I am so happy that I was given the opportunity to read this book, it was so much more than I expected and has some really great tropes. Forced proximity, single dad, age-gap, black cat and golden retriever, he falls harder.. and the GROVELING, my lord the groveling is so worth it. The banter is great, the pacing is well done, I enjoyed the hints toward Tallulah's turkish heritage and Tessa's handling of the trauma represented in the characters past. Talulah's reactions to people, situations and how it affected her personality were very understanding and I enjoyed watching her growth not only with herself but into the relationship as well.

I can honestly say I'm very excited to see more from Tessa Bailey and am already desperate for the next book if it's the two characters I think it is.

I highly recommend this book to those interesting in hockey romances, single dad vibes and need a sweet, gone for his girl, man to crush on. Definitely add this to your tbrs!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read this arc.

Tessa Bailey does it again! I love this second book in the ‘big shot’ series. Sometimes I don’t always love the sequel as much as the first book but that was not the case with this book! I loved the age gap, the ‘he fell first’ ‘single dad’ storyline. The dynamic between the two main characters had the spice while also the comedy! Highly recommend!

3.5-4⭐️

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 💙🤍

TESSA DOES IT AGAIN. This book was so freaking enjoyable to read. I can’t get enough of the plots that the author is able to come up with that work so well. I thought it was very insta-love, so if you aren’t into that trope, this may not be the book for you… but maybe it is. Because the development. The smut. THE EVERYTHING. I appreciated the inclusion of a traumatic relationship and how that can affect relationships going forward. It felt relatable and realistic.

The Au Pair Affair is an age gap, he falls first, opposites attract, boss/employee, and force proximity with a place of sports. Tallulah is an intelligent, marine biology grad student, who made a deal with a single father, Burgess, who also happens to be captain of the Boston Bearcats to be a live-in nanny for his 12-year-old daughter, Lissa.

Tallulah and Burgess have so much depth to them, and their similarity and differences make their story so much more intriguing. While on the ice, Burgess always instilled confidence within Tallulah, and always sought to protect her. Both characters have their quirks, which causes their relationship to struggle.

I adored the way Tessa Bailey showed what was going on inside both characters' heads and allowed us a glimpse into their thoughts. While the plot of this book was incredible, it also provided some angst and spice.

Overall, The Au Pair Affair was a fun summery read with great characters and a fun plot!

This 2nd book in the Big Shots series, is the follow up to Fangirl Down, in which we met Tallulah and Burgess. Now, Tallulah has, with some trepidation due to past trauma, agreed to become an au pair for the most popular hockey player in Boston. She immediately has a soft spot for his 11 year old daughter, who is trying to navigate the murky waters of middle school girl friendships and Dad needs serious help learning how to communicate with her, and figure out how to french braid a tween's hair! The dad and daughter relationship grows, as does the attraction between Burgess and Tallulah until the Tessa Bailey fireworks explode over a very sexy date at the Boston aquarium. Just when the reader imagines the happily ever after, Lissa (his daughter) who wants her parents back together desperately- catches them kissing and a huge and huge rift is formed, and Tallulah does the “right” thing—and walks away. What's a grouchy, heartbroken hockey player to do next?!

The au pair affair, I take it that Burgess and Tallulah were characters from the previous book that was lightly detailed to us the audience. I am sorrry I have not had a chance to read Fangirl. But I will hopefully soon?

Anyways, Burgess loves to play professional ice hockey just as much loving his daughter. But he doesn’t really know how to handle a little girl. So asking for help wasn’t to easy, yet Tallulah answered his call for help. Anyways, this was a spectacular funny between themselves.

Another great Tessa Bailey book! I didn’t love the first book in the Big Shots series so I wasn’t sure what I would think of this one. I ended up enjoying this book a lot more than the first in the series and was happy I read it. This hockey romance delivers the classic Tessa Bailey spice and has great chemistry between the main characters. The MMC, Burgess is protective in a sometimes comical way. I especially loved the portions of the book that included Sig and Chloe, the focus of the next book in the big shots series. I liked that this book set up the next one and made me even more excited to read the next book! Thank you to Netgalley and HarperCollins for the ARC!