4.5 stars

It’s the classic Tessa Bailey cheesy romance you know and love. These characters were hot for each other and try as they might they couldn’t stay away from each other.
I wished there had been a little bit more development between them before they got together, especially with Tallulah’s past trauma. I felt like they could have eased into it a little more but I did appreciate how caring Burgess was with her and how his protective instincts kicked in.
Both of their relationships with Lisa’s were so sweet but especially Burgess. He was such a good dad but he was struggling with how to connect with his daughter. Seeing their bond grow was really nice.
I also loved that we got to see Wells and Josephine so much in this book. I loved their book so it was a fun cameo.
Overall I thought this was a really cute romcom and definitely recommend it if you’re looking for something fun, sweet, and yes, a little bit cheesy

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for the ARC!!

It’s 1 am. I got the arc yesterday…binged the hell out of this book. You think I was gonna sleep not knowing how this ended HA! Also THANK YOU THANK YOU to whoever approved my request from Netgalley. Made my year. I scrolled over my highlights…should have just highlighted the whole book…would have saved time lol. I knew from Fangirl Down that Sir Savage was gonna ruin me and I was right. I’m ruined. Also the Wells and his Belle content…gave me so much life. Then THEN….the next couple. The NEXT COUPLE….feral for them.

Sorry not sorry for all of the all caps moments. It’s 1 am and idk how I’m gonna sleep after finishing this book.

I loved this book with everything in me and I cannot wait for more from Tessa. I always say with every Tessa book that THIS one is my favorite and its always true...until the next one 😂

5 stars out of 5.

Another excellent rom com by Tessa Bailey! I think I liked this story better than Fangirl Down and I could not put this book down. Tallulah and Burgess had such a great connection and I loved both of their characters. Tessa does a great job of drawing the readers into the story and getting them invested in the characters. This book was no exception. Fans of sports romance, he falls first, singles dads, etc, this is for you. We get a few cameos from Wells and Josephine too so I would recommend reading the first book in the series but this could definitely be read as a standalone. At the end of the book it seems to hint we might get another book in the series featuring Sig and Chloe. I sure hope so, I'll be here for that!

In The Au Pair Affair, Tallulah is moving to Boston to get her masters degree after studying in Antartica. She met Burgess through her friend Josephine and agreed to move in with him and be his Au Pair for his tween daughter, Lissa. Burgess is an aging hockey star trying to stay in the game and trying to raise his daughter right. Tallulah and Burgess both seem to be attracted to each other but try not to get involved since she works for him but their chemistry is undeniable.

Overall, I think this is one of my favorite Tessa Bailey books and I would high recommend it to anyone looking for a spicy rom com.

Thank you Netgalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I have read a fair share of hockey romance books and this one was great! I will say there is almost no hockey in this book but Burgess is a hockey player so we get to reap the benefits of him having a hockey body and all the descriptions that come with it. He falls first and has a very naughty mouth and says delightfully naughty things to Tallulah that will make you blush and sweat and gulp. There were a few cringey lines but I love that about Tessa's writing honestly. I loved that Burgess let Tallulah take her time with him and let her be with him at her own pace despite the torture it may cause him. I will say that this book has it's fair share of spicy scenes, which I love but if that isn't your thing, this book will not be for you.

This is the second book in the Big Shots series, but I already know this is going to be my top series thus far from Tessa (although I do love the Bellinger sisters). We get a teaser as to who the third book will be about and I can already say that I can't wait to read it. Also the cover of this book is perfect and you can't tell me that isn't a Sam Hartman look alike :).

All that to say that I love this book and if you like a spicy, rom com with a bit of hockey on the side, this book will do perfectly.

Thank you NetGalley, Avon and Harper Voyager | Avon and Tessa Bailey for access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

~Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the arc~

3.75 This was a cringe-fest with a side of cheese. A little too instalovey for my taste and just a lot of cheesy lines I couldn’t take seriously at all. The smut pulled its weight here and even then some of the scenes just felt like they didn’t mesh well with how the characters acted other times. Not my favorite Tessa Bailey read but not terrible.

Overall this book was a good read however I dont like 3rd person stories and I 9/10 dislike age gaps stories. This was an okay read but not the best.

This is such a fun rom com! This book has fantastic tension and will have laughing and swooning. If you like he's fall first, single dad or forced proximity, this book is for you :)

Tessa Bailey does it again! I’ve been so excited to read Tallulah and Burgess’ story since finishing Fangirl Down and it did not disappoint. This story has the perfect combination of deep and light hearted, spicy and sweet moments. If you like sports related romance, single dads, he falls first, or all of the above this is for you! While I could always do without the third act break up, the love between these two really made up for it for me.

I hope we get to hear Chloe and Sig’s story next - I’m hooked!

Thank you NetGalley, Avon and Tessa Bailey for the ARC!

I've been waiting for this since Tallulah was introduced in Fangirl Down. She is the full package: intelligent and beautiful, and was such an easy FMC to root for. Burgess is the overprotective, grumpy hockey player who falls fast and hard for her.

Tropes: Single dad+nanny, 11-year age-gap romance; grumpy/sunshine; groveling!

Tallulah and Burgess's relationship was teetering on the line between professional and flirting for most of the book. Tallulah's views on relationship has been influenced by a scary stalker experience from her past, and Burgess is suffering blows to his self-confidence as his hockey career seems to be coming to a close, which makes him confront his fading youth (at the ripe "old" age of 37) and his life outside of hockey. This makes him unwilling (at first) to get involved with Tallulah, who is 11 years younger than him; but of course, he's the only man who Tallulah feels safe around. The way Burgess is absolutely obsessed with Tallulah (in a non-stalkerish way) was very endearing. His love for her clearly runs deep, especially when I got to the groveling scenes (!!), which were very well done. Tessa Bailey also sure does know how to write spicy scenes.

Also can I just say that I love the friendships between Burgess, Wells, and Sig. They are there for each other in their times of need and understand each other on another level while maintaining their senses of humor.

This book features a lot of cameos from Wells and a little from Josephine. We see their story continue a little in this book. And I can't wait to read Sig and Chloe's book next!

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book! While the tropes weren’t some of my typical favorites, Tessa Bailey made them work well.

I was given an advance copy in exchange for my review. This is my honest opinion I am giving voluntarily. I could not put this down! Praise to Tessa Bailey yet again! I have been a long time fan of her writing style and this book is no different. The tension and the question on even if they will be together right up to the very last page had its claws hooked in deep. The smut was perfect amount and the whole book had a natural flow, and the dialogue was absolutely hilarious especially between the mmc and his friends. This is a must read!

This was a cute story but it didn’t quite live up to the first book in the series. A little too insta love for me. Too much emphasis on their physical relationship. Not a lot of development considering what the FMC went through.

₊ ⊹”you smile at me, tallulah, and i know i’ll feel it for centuries.”₊ ⊹

*:･ﾟmy thoughts | 4.5 stars rounded up!! this book was perfection!!! easily my second favorite tessa bailey novel, or even 1.5 favorite, because tallulah and burgess are soo close to my love for brendan and piper.

tallulah is literally living my dream life; working as a nanny for a hot, single, older hockey player living in the best part of boston while studying for her masters? literally where the fuck do i sign up for something like that? that’s what my actual dreams are made of. especially when that man is burgess abraham because geez… once you get past the name, he’s like obnoxiously perfect.

this story was so inviting and entertaining. tallulah had previously suffered from some pretty heavy trauma, and she’s been working on getting her life back in her own hands, becoming herself again. burgess is trying to prove he’s still worthy of being a great hockey player while juggling being a single dad to a tween as well. they both really needed each other, and helped each other grow in new ways while persevering older roots as well. their romance was so genuine, so strong. the bonds they formed had my heart all twisted up inside because of how sickeningly sweet it was!

my biggest irk, as usual, is the third act conflict and consequential breakup. while i did recognize the point this one was trying to make, it was also just really hurtful lmao. definitely provided a lot of angst and strong tension for the couple, but i love good communication scenes rather than just leaving after a fight. even though i wish it hadn’t happened, i do wish we had seen more of them apart during the conflict, rather than the five week time jump. i could’ve read like 100 more pages of this couple and been perfectly happy and wanting more, so i definitely wish it had been included!!

i honestly didn’t have too high of hopes for this new seires by tessa bailey, as the previous one had been pretty disappointing. but man, i am absolutely loving this so far. this book was phenomenal, and i thoroughly enjoyed every page of it. i’ve never rooted for two characters so much!!

i’m absolutely praying that we get another book, specifically about sig and chloe 👀 i was eating up their characters and that would be one hell of a book for sure! fingers crossed!!

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!!

That’s it.

Okay but seriously, Bailey is a genius and amazing at writing the romances that just always make my heart feel completely full. I always have a great time reading Bailey’s books and the fact she has moved into sports romance and hockey romance specifically makes me ecstatic!!

This book is EVERYTHING to me. I’ve been looking forward to The Au Pair Affair since we got the smallest glimpse of Burgess and Tallulah in Fangirl Down.

Burgess is a veteran hockey star and single dad who offers Tallulah, a marine biology graduate student, a job as a live-in nanny for his pre-teen daughter. For the sake of their working relationship, both initially attempt to ignore the undeniable chemistry between them, but all doesn’t go to plan.

There’s just something so special about this book, it really felt like it has that extra dose of Tessa Bailey magic I first found when I read It Happened One Summer.

The Au Pair Affair has instantly become one of my favorite books. I read this within a day of getting it, I just couldn’t put it down. I know I’ll be rereading this one over and over again.

Chloe and Sig, I love you already and can’t wait for your book!

Thank you so much to Tessa Bailey, Avon Books, and NetGalley for the eARC. The Au Pair Affair comes out on 7/16/24.

I have not read the first book in the Big Shots series and I feel like I did not miss anything by reading this one first. I will go back to read it, because I want to know more about Wells and Josephine.

If you like big grumpy, protective, do anything for her, type of book boyfriend. Then Burgess Abraham, hockey captain and single dad, this book is for you.

I really enjoyed Tallulah character arc. Her baby steps in the beginning to having Burgess help her through some tough things and then her being brave enough to do it on her was inspiring.

Also cant wait for the next book- because I have questions and I need answers.

This book is an awesome second in the series but could be read as a standalone. Hockey and he falls first tropes and very poignant in some spots. I was really pulling for them. Also loved the scene where she drunk babbled at him.

Thanks to the publisher and Net Galley for providing an ARC.

Tessa Bailey is, historically, either hit or miss for me. And this one was a miss! My issues were all across the board. Firstly, we are basically dropped into a story with NO preamble; it's as if an introductory scene or two was chopped off the beginning of the book. We are dropped right into the story and it's a little disorienting.

Secondly, these two horndogs want to jump each other's bones from page one (which is fine) but their internal dialogue about how hot they find each other verges on the absurd. The FMC is thirsting over the MMC's TEETH like, my dude, get a grip.

Thirdly, it vacillates between steamy, smutty romance scenes, hockey nonsense, and then VERY dark hints at the FMC's past. It's jarring! I don't mind a romance with darker elements but there's no real nuance here, so this heavy backstory is just dropped in with no preamble.

Anyhow, if you like Tessa Bailey + smut, you'll likely enjoy this. It just wasn't for me personally! 2 stars. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Pick a trope and it works here. Hockey? Check. Nanny (au pair)? Check. He falls first? Check. Age gap? Check. Single dad(it counts)? Check. These two have been on fire since they met. She has trauma and he's protective and desperate for her. The 3rd act break up(not my favorite trope) was heartwrenching. This story was fun though, with 2 idiot rookies, Wells and Josephine cameos, a scene stealing tween and a friend and his almost-stepsister. Yea, we need Sig and Chloe's story ASAP. Nothing beats a hockey romance, but don't dare Tessa to make other sports sexy because we may end up with a pickleball romance🤣

Tessa Bailey has reached insta-buy status for me. I LOVE LOVE LOVED the first Big Shots book, and I was so excited to be offered this ARC. It did not disappoint at all. I read it in a handful of hours. I love hockey, I love giant hockey players, and I love her intelligent, capable women. And Tessa's bedroom scenes continue to slay (excuse me while I take a breath and readjust my sitting position).

Burgess was a bit hard to love at first, but what's a good romance without a character redemption? He started off a little too dense and bro-y, but he softened into a perfect cinnamon-roll of a man (sweet and squishy and spicy and warm on the inside!).

I was surprised by Tallulah's backstory, and it was a bit heavy compared to Tessa's other works. When introduced, I feared it would be more pain that I was looking for in this book- I expected a complete lighthearted romp and I wouldn't call it that. It was more in line with what one would expect from Abby Jimenez (another favorite of mine), whose books usually have a deeper/painful subject matter in play underneath the romance plot. However, it didn't dominate or overwhelm the story- rather it was just enough of a backstory to make the romance conflict realistic. That being said, the book could use a content warning for victims of stalking or abusive relationships. It got kind of emotionally deep into Tallulah's ruminations that might make some survivors uncomfortable to relive.

Mostly I love Tessa's ability to write characters with what I would consider perfect inner monologues. They alternate between confident and insecure and regretful and funny, just like real people. They decide one thing at the beginning of the sentence and change their mind by the end. They have occasionally horny inner monologues, both the men AND women, right where they should exist, because Tessa's not afraid to make her characters real. They are just so human and relatable, unlike any other author I've ever read.

But again, Tessa is a master at baiting the hook for the next book. She made me fall in lust with the MCs I suspect will grace the cover of Big Shots #3, Sig and Chloe. I CANNOT WAIT! Thank you Tessa Bailey and #Netgalley!