I wasn't thrilled with the au pair trope. I felt that both main characters were taking too long deciding on what they wanted. They were also playing games with each other, and the middle was uncomfortable. I really did appreciate that the author wrote a human story with the female main character. It was easier to relate to the characters knowing that they have genuine fears and struggles. The ending was satisfying.

I wanted to like this sooo much, and maybe it’s just not my trope, but I did not like the MMC in this one. His dirty talk is narcissistic and controlling, especially after learning Talulah’s past. I was actively wishing she’d leave him.

THE AU PAIR AFFAIR - TESSA BAILEY

4⭐

Book 2 in the Big Shots series we have Burgess who falls for his daughters Au Pair Tallulah a marine biologist student.

True to Tessa Bailey style there is an intense sizzling chemistry between the lead pair , a fast paced plot and well developed characters.
We do get references of Josephine and Wells from Fangirl down and even some info and background from her third book ins eries Dream Girl Drama ( Sig and Chloe's story).
The sports aspect in this book is a bit less but still was highly entertaining read.
Can't wait for book 3.

I was so excited about this book, but this was a huge disappointment. I had high expectation since I love Tessa’s other books.

There was so many enjoyable tropes and the spice was medium, but overall this lacked so much.

I found myself flipping quickly to try to get it over with.

Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this ebook. As promised, my honest review is below.

Tessa Bailey fans rejoice because she has done it again! Steamy romance, grumpy "daddy" figure, age gap, sports, etc. You get it all! If you enjoy any of Tessa Bailey's previous books, you will love this one. She ties the first book in the "series" in perfectly - enough to make you smile, but not so much that it makes it a requirement to read the other one first.

Overall, 4 stars! Would have been 5, but it started off a little slower than most of her books.

<i>Thank you to NetGalley and Avon/Harper Voyager for a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.</i>

Another sweet and spicy installment of the newest sports romance series by Tessa Bailey! On paper (lol), this book was very much up my alley: a slightly forbidden/ill-advised romance between an adventurous grad student and a brooding, hulking, overprotective athlete, all set against a Boston backdrop (and featuring my alma mater, heyyy!). But despite all that, I had a harder time getting into this than some of Tessa Bailey’s other books. What I most enjoy about TB’s writing overall is being able to lean into the over-the-top whimsy that borders on the absurd, because that’s what makes them such great escape reads, but it was like this book couldn’t really decide what it wanted to be. It wasn’t funny in the way Fangirl Down (the first book in the series) was, but it didn’t treat the darker subject matter with enough nuance to categorize it as a romantic drama either. Tallulah and Burgess were a little too perfect and a little bit dull, and the dialogue veered more cringey than romantic. So it was a bit of a letdown, but I still enjoyed it for what it was. And I’ll definitely be checking out the next installment, featuring Sig and Chloe’s story!

Tessa's books are hit or miss for me, and, unfortunately, this was a miss.

Introduced in Fan Girl Down (which I loved), Tallulah & Burgess are reintroduced here. Burgess, the aging goalie of Boston's hockey team, is having trouble keeping track of his tween daughter and needs help. He recruits Talullah, a marine biologist student, to help. At first she's very hesitant to even meet him. We find out she'd been abused in the past. Talullah's hesitance with having a relationship with big, bulking Burgess is understandable. That said, I didn't think there was enough about how she really worked through it--with or without Burgess. I love how Tessa includes real issues in her romances (diabetes in Fan GIrl Down) but here it wasn't explored beyond surface level.

The connection between T and B didn't ring true to me. Plus, we only get a few scenes of Tallulah interacting with Burgess's daughter & when there is a big issue, it's resolved off-the-page. I loved the super steam (a Tessa trademark I love), but this seemed to put the steam over emotional connection between the 2 main characters. I need to believe that my romance couples will go the distance, and these two didn't give me that vibe.

I'm still on the Bailey bus, because when she's good, she's really good. This one, unfortunately, didn't hit for me.

Such a cute TB book. I enjoyed it but it wasn't my favorite one by far. I still recommend it though. Can't go wrong with a steamy hockey romance. The main characters were likeable and the plot was ok, but it lacked in chemistry a little for me. Overall, I liked it and am glad I read it!

I have some mixed feelings about this one. So much so that I dropped my rating from an 8/10 to a 7/10 after thinking about it.

First things first, there is no such thing as a bad Tessa Bailey novel, just some that are better than others. I still enjoyed this book. It had steamy tension and an overly protective man, a Tessa Baily trademark.

I just wish there were more chemistry and time between the two characters. It was just a little too fast. I also think the ending was a bit rush, especially when he was so mean to her.

And the kidnapping backstory? Came out of nowhere and I wish they talked about it/dealt with it more

Tessa Bailey can do no wrong. I devour all of her books quickly and sometimes in a day.
This book was a bit slower burn than I'm used to with her books, but it made sense with the storyline. I liked The Au Pair Affair better than the first one in the series, which surprised me because I don't usually enjoy a grumpy-to-sunshine pairing. It isn't my favorite trope. But I liked this book; I thought it had some sweet and enduring notes. Even though I'm not a sports fan, Tessa made me enjoy a sports love story.
I recommend all of Tessa Bailey's books; she is one of my favorite authors.

Single (grumpy) dad and hockey star Burgess hires broke aspiring marine biologist Tallulah to be the live-in nanny for his tweenager. While vivacious Tallulah is a slightly older, non-traditional college student, there is a still an age gap and the ick factor of an employer not being able to have the self-control or morals to resist the person he pays to take care of his daughter. The lovers are in very different spots in their lives, and Tallulah is still recovering from past trauma; good thing they had incredibly, off-the-charts chemistry to make it all work!

The novel was a roller-coaster of drama and emotion, mostly based on the characters being stuck in their ways, and having baggage to work through, and while they do change and grow to be a better partner for each other, there was a lot of miscommunication, cringe, and stereotypical behavior.

Bailey excels at hot men who like to talk in bed, and The Au Pair Affair is no exception; It Happened One Summer and Hook Line & Sinker were better reads for me.

I received a free advance reader’s review copy of #TheAuPairAffair via #NetGalley courtesy of #Harper.

I am a Tessa Bailey superfan.I loved the first book on this series,but I couldn't connect with the female protagonist at all.

However,I think it's a solid book. I enjoyed how the city was another character and we got to know a bit more friends on this world.

I can't tell which of Tessa Bailey's books I like most, which makes that choice so much, especially since this girl loves hockey romance. Absolutely loved the single dad grumpy/sunshine. Could not get enough of Burgess and Tallulah. The way this book had me giggling, kicking my feet, and smiling I could have read 100 more chapters of them!

I pick up every Tessa Bailey book that’s released. However, this one was a let down..
The spice was just so cringy, and that’s not the norm for TB.

This book was made for me i love a hockey, single dad and Tessa Bailey romance books and to get all in one YES PLEASE! ABSOLUTELY enjoyed this book if you enjoy Tessa's other books you'll enjoy this one.

I LOVED Fangirl Down but this one was just OK for me. It was s a slow start to get into, I didn't connect to the characters as much, and the trope just wasn't my thing.

Tessa Bailey never disappoints in this book is no exception! Loved it so much. Thank you to the publisher for my review copy all opinions are my own.

Another TB banger, I loved this. Tessa said “you want a big boy?!?! I got you” I want Tessa to write more single dads because I had a blast with this. I think this series is super entertaining and sexy as hell of course and I’m so ready to see what’s next!!!

I enjoyed Fangirl Down more than this one but this was still such an easy read! It started off a little slow in the beginning but then started to pick up. I’m a sucker for a hockey romance too. I feel like there aren’t enough books about age gap dating so I enjoyed that aspect of the book and it was written beautifully. Plus you can’t go wrong with the spicy scenes in this book either! Overall it was an enjoyable read, I was just expecting to like it a little more after reading Fangirl Down.

Thank you NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for this ARC.

this is the first time i’ve ever noticed the tessa bailey cringe moments but tbh didn’t change my enjoyment of this AT ALL.

(though my possible hot take is that i don’t actually enjoy when the groveling goes on too long?)

agggghgh anyway this was so much fucking fun i looooved it