Love this series! These two had my cackling with some of their banter! I love how hard Burgess fell for Tallulah! I do wish some of the issues that Tallulah solved at the end had been on paper, I think that would have been nice to read about as it was a big deal to her. Very much enjoyed this book and the “nanny” trope! I do think some of the dialogue in scenes…you know the ones, wasn’t my favorite, but it also wasn’t the worst I’ve ever read by Tessa. I think this series is going to be a great one for Tessa!!

Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for this ARC to review.

This book follows the side characters from the first book in this series Fan Girl Down, the grumpy hockey player best friend & the young nanny. This trope can already be a difficult one to do without giving the ick, and unfortunately this one couldn’t make it work.

The two characters had good chemistry but all in the relationship dynamics ended up making me super uncomfy and led to me just not enjoying this book at all.

Tessa Bailey does it again with a fun, quirky romance! Burgess is a surly hockey player who falls hard for his daughter's au pair, Tallulah. The dynamic between Burgess and Tallulah is very sweet and respectful. I couldn't help, but root for them! My only big complaint is that I believe this book should have content warnings/ trigger warnings for the main character's backstory. While I don't have any particular complaints with how the topics were handled, I was not a fan of how it came with no warning to the reader. I am a personal believer that if the character has trauma from a specific event, then it is very possible that the reader might as well. Authors /publishers should be transparent about what a reader is signing up for, so the reader can make fully informed decisions.

In conclusion, loved the book, just wished for a content warning page:)

Thank you to HarperCollins and NetGalley for this edition of The Au Pair Affair by Tessa Bailey!
I have said it many time before: I am an avid Tessa Bailey fan. That being said, her latest foray into sports romance was not very enjoyable for me. Although the novel was written with her trademark humor and lightheartedness, I found the main leads to be too different and their conflict too hurtful to make up for. It’s hard to rate a book highly when, at your core, you believe the two characters should not be together.
2.5 stars

Oh my gosh. I loved this book it was so cute. I love Tessa Bailey’s books. I love sports romance books. Thank you so much for the early read!

Oh my goodness, this book was so adorable! I loved every minute of this cute, swoon-worthy, laugh-out-loud romance!

This was a great companion book to come after Fangirl Down. I am a big fan of the live-in nanny trope and The Au Pair Affair executed it very well.

Burgess is probably one of my favorite MMCs Tessa has written. Both characters were so emotionally complex but it was very fun to see Burgess take such care of how he handled himself when it came to Tallulah and his daughter. I also did love Tallulah’s emotional conflict and thought it was handled really well.

This story was great and it made me *so* anxious to get my hands on the next one in the series (if you know, you know).

A super cute follow-up to Fangirl Down! I actually preferred this to the first in this series.

Burgess is a lovable male lead and you can't help but root for Tallulah (despite her unfortunate name -- Tessa, why do we have to have leads with names like these???)

I love Tessa Bailey's writing, but these characters were not my favorite. I felt they were too annoying in their issues and kept repeating them. Trauma and experience for sure is something that can hold people back, but the repetitive explanation got to me and shutting down feeling even after justifying their feelings about one another repeated. Made me laugh in certain areas and the banter was awesome.

I’m gonna be honest, I hated fangirl down. It is not often that I read the second book is a series like this if I feel that way about a book. But, I am so glad that I did! This was so fun! I am excited to see what she has next in store!

I could have used a bit more character development in this book, but overall I've enjoyed the heck out of these two sports romances. I hope we get Chloe and Dog's story next!

This book was so amazing!! I loved it so much I didn’t want to end. The smut level was 10/10 amazing!! This was the best age gap and nanny book ever! I also loved how broody and large Burgess was as a hockey player. Tessa is amazing and had great character depth for Burgess and Tullulah. I am so excited for the next book in the series! Thank you so much for the ARC!

The dispair that is Tallulah has faced in her life would be enough to close off any woman. But, Tallulah doesn't let that stop her. Taking on an Au pair job for the handsome, brute of a man hockey player was out of her comfort zone. Burgess the single dad, hockey player wants nothing more than to protect Tallulah and make sure she feels safe. The electricity and tension between the two cannot be ignored by either one of them. Watching the two come into their full potential despite everything working against them keeps you reading all the way to the end.

**I did receive this book as an ARC through NetGalley**
After reading Fangirl Down, I was hype when I saw that Burgess and Tallulah were going to be getting their own story- and Tessa did not disappoint!! The Au Pair Affair was sooo steamy with lots of tension and dirty talk- I couldn't get enough. I enjoyed the hockey player and grad student dynamic and was rooting for Burgess and Tallulah the whole book. This is a slower burn with LOTS of tension Burgess's dirty talk is also next level. My only 2 criticisms are one- I wanted more spicy moments between these two since the scenes we did get were HOTTTT. and 2- I am personally not a huge fan of romance books that end right as the couple has sorted their shit out. I want to get more than just an epilogue showing the happy couple. This book does end quick and I wish there were a few more chapters following the reconciliation. Other than that, I recommend this book to people who enjoy an age gap, sports, or forbidden romances.

Spice rating: 3.5/5
Overall rating: 8/10

The way I squealed, yes, SQUEALED in delight when NetGalley approved me for this ARC!!!

The Au Pair Affair is book #2 in Tessa Bailey’s Big Shots series, and focuses on Tallulah Aydin and Burgess Abraham. We briefly meet our main characters in Fangirl Down, as friends of Josephine and Wells, respectively

After the tease in Fangirl Down, I was excited and ready for this pairing, and they did not disappoint! Our story centers on Tallulah, a young woman who has spent the last few years hiding from trauma in her past. She has taken internships after internship in remote places, in the safety of a lab setting- all to avoid romantic connections, and men in general. Why then, did she put herself in the position of volunteering herself to be an Au Pair for a behemoth hockey player single dad? When she realizes her new job would mean being alone with a man she hardly knows, she panics and resigns before starting.

Of course, the story doesn’t end there as we see MMC Burgess slowly win Tallulah over with his even temper, excellent listening, and gentle reassurances. And as he wins her over, we also get to see his less than gentle sexy side…prepare yourselves for mean daddy 🥵

You might love this if you like:

- hockey/sports romance
- third act breakup
- witty banter
- tension, tension, TENSIOOOOON (Tessa Bailey is queen of this, in my humble opinion 😌)
-

Spice: 2.5-3 🌶️
Open door, plenty of graphic scenes but nothing too wild.


Just for fun// If you have read both Fangirl Down and The Au Pair Affair, I must ask: do you prefer Wells? Or Burgess?

Coming off of the high that I felt with Fangirl Down, I was so excited to get my hands on this arc!

Sadly this wasn't my favorite. While I usually love Tessa's dirty talking MMCs and quirky writing style, I wasn't super connected with this one. I did love Tallulah and Burgess as a whole; however, I felt that their relationship wasn't entirely believable. Especially with Tallulah's past and her experience with men; it didn't make sense that she felt comfortable in that form of forced proximity that quickly.

Some of the dialogue between the two and their inner monologues took me out of the story and I felt that the plot was lacking at times. I was wanting more of the nanny aspects throughout the story and we didn't get to see Tallulah working that much.

I did love getting to see Wells and Josephine make a re-entry into this world! The moments with them truly made my heart so happy. I also loved getting to meet the new characters like Sig, Chloe, and the two rookies. I am excited to see where she takes this series!

Overall, I wished that I liked this more, but I still can't wait to read the rest of the series when it comes out!

Thank you Tessa Bailey, Avon, and Netgalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

An absolute delight! Funny, charming, spicy and full of characters you can‘t help but fall in love with. Tessa Bailey does it again and is at the top of her writing game. This one isn‘t out until July but I couldn‘t resist jumping in. Highly recommend!

Another fun, cute and heartwarming Tessa Bailey book! The Au Pair Affair had me laughing out loud at the antics that the main characters got up to. I will say that I wish we got to see some more of the side characters and I thought the main character had a very rough background story that was kind of glossed over. I do love that Tessa Bailey's writing can have me laughing at one moment then crying the next. I can't wait to read whatever Tessa Bailey writes next!
Thank you Netgalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the ARC!

I started reading Tessa Bailey in late 2023, and greatly enjoyed her books. When I finished Fangirl Down and had the opportunity to read and Review the Au Pair Affair, I was very excited. I enjoyed her previous books, but I devoured these. The Au Pair Affair was incredible. I loved every second of this book, and couldn't put it down. I can't wait for more Tessa Bailey books, the story was rich, feeling, passionate, and so much fun! I never expected so much from a single dad/nanny and sports romance, but it just kept giving and didn't stop. Tessa did an incredible job blending the two together to include a stimulating sports romance learn how to lead his team and learn there's more to life than hockey, while simultaneously navigating life with a teenager. Burgess and Tallulah are a wonderful story of healing, adventure, and growth. I cried, I laughed, and can't wait to add a copy to my library.

This book was well written and spicy in a way that Tessa Bailey is known for. While somewhat predictable I wasn't mad, because it gave me everything I was looking for and more. Definitely worth the read, and really hope that Chole's story is next because I need more!