Thank you to NetGalley and Tessa Bailey for an ebook in exchange for an honest review!

Rating: 4/5 Stars

Another amazing read by Tessa Bailey! I love all her romance books - they all make me swoon!

[Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for the eARC in exchange for an honest review]

Tessa Bailey's writing style is always easy to read but I just don't think this book was for me.

While there was definitely chemistry/great banter between Tallulah and Burgess, I found it a little hard to believe that Tallulah would so quickly trust Burgess after the trauma she experienced.

I also had a hard time believing she would forgive him so quickly after the 3rd act break up (possibly one of the meanest break ups I've read). The third act break up honestly has me unable to root for Burgess.

Lately, it feels like there's a trend of MMCs who are grumpy/tough but secretly cinnamon rolls and very protective of the women they love... but the 'protectiveness' borders on controlling. Burgess seems to be part of this trend. The level of jealousy and claiming her as 'his' is just not sexy. Like an alpha type who is secretly sweet except he's just weirdly possessive and jealous (of a woman he's only known for a short amount of time).

Not sure Burgess is even that great of a dad. He doesn't really talk with Lissa until Tallulah tells him how. I would cut him a break because parenting a preteen isn't a picnic but he spends more time trying to get Tallulah in bed than talking with his daughter. He drops the ball when it comes to telling Lissa that he likes Tallulah so the latter gets the brunt of Lissa's rage.

It’s a quick read but overall I was left disappointed by it.

I like Tessa Bailey's books. You can always count on her for a fast-paced, love-at-first-sight romance with smut. She surprised me with this one with the conflict. Usually her books have a bit more fluffiness/unrealistic quality, but the issue of Burgess having an ex-wife and their daughter being reluctant to see another woman in his life felt very mature. I like that the book did not gloss over this very real issue within step-family relations like so many other romance books try to do. And that Tallulah is an educated woman with her own career and who has her wits about her; she doesn't just jump at the chance to live with a strange man. I also like that, even though hockey romance is a huge trend right now, Bailey doesn't fall into the same traps and tropes as other books. The fact that the man is a hockey player does not take over the whole story.

My main criticism is that there are a lot of strange word choices and analogies. This author has always had some unique metaphors but her recent books have been reading more awkwardly than her older ones.

I really enjoyed this, but I always love a Tessa Bailey book! The characters were so fun, and i loved them together!

Thank you for the eARC!

I get the name is an alliteration but, au pairs are usually foreign and I guess nanny isn’t as eye catching. I do like Tessa Bailey’s writing and had read fan girl down, and enjoyed it a lot. So I was really excited to read Burgess’s story that was hinted in the end. I was not prepared for the smut level in that book, and was completely unprepared for this one. Tessa Bailey has really become the queen of the contemporary romance, she has the ability to create a unique story with an actual plot. Most contemporary reads are the same recycled blah, but Tessa Bailey always brings it. I do not read age gap romances, normally I don’t even try to read them, and if I get the inkling that they are I almost never continue. I had a lot of skepticism but gave it a chance, the story was intriguing and the writing was great. And you know what, I was hooked. Also love the Sig Chloe relationship and have my fingers crossed there will be a story there. Overall, I highly recommend reading! I received an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

No one does hilarious one liners quite like Tessa. I am obsessed with this single dad, hockey player x nanny romcom! I loved the real life emotions after trauma, the hesitation that came with her being his nanny and them falling for each other…. Absolute perfection!!

💙 single dad x nanny
💙 over coming trauma
💙 ago gap
💙 vacation

Cute single dad and nanny romance. Any fans of Tessa Bailey and hockey rom coms will definitely enjoy this book.

Tessa Bailey has been a hit or miss author for me. This one was a miss. However, positives first. I think Tallulah is a really interesting character. She is trying to get through past trauma and has had amazing experiences working around animals and is studying to earn her masters degree in marine biology. Super impressive. She’s an inspiration to Lissa, who she is a au pair for, and offers really good parenting advice. I wanted more on how amazing Tallulah was and showcasing her intelligence and other experiences. From the book description, I thought that would be the case. However, this quickly fell into being just about how obsessed with her Burgess was and how he was so good at protecting and taking care of her. This didn’t match the description of the book and I was really bothered by the lack of content warnings and the sexism shown throughout the book. Here’s my rant: This book has some disturbing stalking/kidnapping material and since I read an ARC, perhaps it wasn’t added in yet, but it needs to be added. In romance novels there is a fine line between pushing the boundaries of what is protective and romantic and what is just sexist. This book crosses into the sexist line too many times, again with no content warning. As somewhat who has been on the receiving end of sexual harassment during graduate studies in the sciences (like the FMC!!!), I would have appreciated knowing it would be so prevalent in this novel. The book basically excuses “locker room talk” as a normal part of sports and makes a joke of players wearing “orgasm donor” sweatshirts. The MMC constantly has sexual thoughts about his au pair and they aren’t romantic, they come off as perverse since she is his employee. Again, even though he acknowledges it’s wrong because of the power dynamic, it doesn’t stop the thoughts or later action. I’m disappointed about the lack of depth or real storyline especially when it’s replaced with content that basically glorifies sexualizing women. If there were appropriate labels and someone knew what they were getting into - to each their own. I’m not against people making the choice to read this and enjoy it for themselves if that’s what they like. However, this book is seeming advertised as a somewhat smutty romance when it’s actually being an unsafe romance. This book has a cute and colorful cover and would be so easy for a teen girl to pick up. If a teen girl read this, she could assume it’s okay to date someone 11 years older because he’s being “protective” (possessive) and has incredibly lusty thoughts for her. That isn’t okay behavior. Romance should be speaking positively about women and whatever their sexual choices are and this book is just too far opposite. Due to crossing these lines way too many times, I may just be done with Tessa Bailey. 2⭐️, 4🌶

Thank you to the publisher for the ARC. I have read two of Tessa Bailey's books before reading The Au Pair Affair. I really enjoyed the Ballinger sisters duology and was looking forward to reading this book.

The Au Pair Affair was really hard for me to read and I stopped about halfway through. I did not really care about the characters and felt that there could have been more to them other than being hot and desired by the opposite sex. The premise gave me the ick since he only hired her because he was attracted to her. She is also attracted to him, but having your job and housing dependent on someone attracted to you is kind of gross.

The young professional dating group is where I could not read any more. It came off as unrealistic. How all the women still wanted to date Burgess after the event is a mystery. I get it, everyone thinks the two main characters are hot.

I look forward to reading other Tessa Bailey books in the future.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️

✔️Grumpy Sunshine
✔️ Single Dad
✔️ Age Gap
✔️ Hockey Romance 🏒

Thank you so much @NetGalley, @TessaBailey, and @Avon for giving me a chance to read The Au Pair Affair early! 💙

I freaking love Tessa Bailey. She has mastered the romance genre and makes me want to do boring things like watch sports and men on boats. 🤣🤣 Seriously though…she has a way of making me care about stuff I would never dream of being interested in. I’ve read quite a few of her books so far and they all have a bit of heart, humor, and spice and The Au Pair Affair is no exception. 💙🏒

Tallulah and Burgess had so many good couple moments…I truly loved their undeniable chemistry and friendship throughout the novel. Burgess was that perfect combo of touch her and die, Sir Savage grumpy energy, and golden retriever “please her” type vibes I love in a MMC. While Talluah is definitely the sunshine character with a troubled past. I feel like a jerk about it, but I got a little annoyed with Talluah’s character…she continuously denied her feelings and her actions didn’t really correlate to her backstory. 💔 Setting that aside though Talluah’s relationship with Lissa was adorable and I loved every second of their interactions and the way she helps their family. The tie ins to “Fangirl Down” were amazing and honestly fan service you gave us exactly what we wanted without the story just being a sequel for them. And last but not least I am obsessed with Sig and Chloe … so much so that I’m REALLY hoping we see more of them soon! 🤞🙏🏻

“You were hot in a mean daddy kind of way.”

This was so much fun! Burgess and Tallulah were such an interesting couple and I loved both of the stories (Tallulah’s past leading to her current day mistrust and Burgess rooting his identity only in hockey). They complimented each other so well and the spicy scenes were spot on. Tessa Bailey truly is an artist with words.

Y'all, this book was Tessa Bailey at her best. Her humor and romance are just a league above any of her contemporaries. Just a wonderful novel. I can not wait to see what her next release will be. Her books feel like home. Cozy spicy humorous lusty fun.

Overall a rather enjoyable story. There were a couple of scenes that didn't quite sit right for me but they didn't take away from the story as a whole.

The Au Pair Affair is for sure one of my top reads of 2024! Tallulah is 26 and needs a job and a place to stay while studying to be a marine biologist, and an offer to nanny for brooding hockey star Burgess is too good too be true—suddenly Burgess’ home is filled with love and cooking and he’s sure he’s met his match in this au pair. This is spicy and romantic. It’s a nanny/boss, age gap, grump sunshine romance. Burgess is so angsty and protective, he’s so sexy. I was swooning hard over how much he fell for Tallulah. And Tallulah! She is so sweet with her own self journey to climb and I was rooting for her the whole way. There so much love in this book. It’s sexy, it’s romantic, it’s funny, I loved every second! I really just only have raving things to say about it.

After reading Fangirl Down, I was hoping for a story about Burgess and Tallulah - and we got it! It was an entertaining read, centered on a hockey player/single dad who falls for his nanny. Definitely has some spice, but in true Tessa Bailey fashion, you can go from laughing to crying in the blink of an eye. This was a quick read, with some tough topics, but perfect for summer time.

Thank you NetGalley and Avon publishing for sending an eARC of this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

"What happens in my room?"
"I...I...what?"
"This is where you come to be fed, Tallulah."

Ok, yes. Hi. I was not expecting a man named Burgess to have such a dirty mouth. But it is a Tessa Bailey book, so I shouldn't be surprised at this point.

Tallulah is scheduled to become an au pair for Burgess and his daughter. But some previous trauma has her second guessing her choice. Through some convincing meet ups with him and his daughter, she reluctantly agrees to take the position.

The only problem is that Burgess has been attracted to her since day one. So that makes this position for Tallulah a little scandalous.

To be honest, the murky waters of dating your au pair don't really make waves the way I anticipated them to. We had a man who was on his knees for her from the moment he met her and a woman who finally caved.

Don't get me wrong, they had a cute progression. But it did feel a little too insta-lovey on Burgess' end. And if you're curious about a third act breakup? There is one. But I loved that it allowed Tallulah to spread her wings and take back control of her life.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for the ARC.

And now I'll leave you with my favorite Tallulah quote:
"Fine. I'll go. I'll go. Just spit on me-"

While this probably isn't my favorite Tessa Bailey title, I did still enjoy it. I thought the leads had good chemistry, with Tallulah having a pretty intense trauma. I also enjoyed Burgess's relationship with his daughter. I think what I didn't love about the book was the power dynamic between the two leads. I don't mind an age gap, but a large age gap plus him being her boss seemed slightly problematic. Overall though, Bailey gives her usual fun banter and good spice, so I still think fans of Bailey will enjoy this title.

Thanks to Avon and NetGalley for this ARC.

The Au Pair Affair was not quite for me. I needed a bit more from the relationship dynamic besides she's attracted to the barbarian hockey god and wants a protector and he's attracted to the nanny and wants to be a protector. I thought the third act breakup was kind of ridiculous. 1. I don't believe a kid would have reacted in this way, pining for their parents to get back together after their mom is literally engaged 2. He was having a bad day and she ran off. And then they didn't talk for an entire 6 weeks? Hard for me to wrap my brain around.

BUT - the smut was good. The dirty talk was a bit out of no where, but hey I liked it. I also appreciated how the MMC reacted and adapted to FMC's trauma and experiences.

3 stars - fun, quick read, but left a bit to be desired.

I love Tessa Baiely and this second book in the Big Shot series was a DELIGHT. It was funny, romantic, spicy...and even though I'm not particularly a hockey fan, the story felt relatable. There were some big topics woven through the plot including parenting/dating after divorce and trauma, but I found myself laughing out loud, cheering for, and wanting more of Tallulah and Burgess (and his daughter Lissa). There were a few moments I wondered about how real it felt for Tallulah to trust again, but the romance of it all won out and I was sad to finish the book. Thank you Net Galley for the advanced copy!

The Au Pair Affair is feisty and fun! You'll be rooting for both of these main characters to find their way to one another from the start! Great read.