I loved this second book in the Big Shots series by Tessa Bailey. Tessa writes the best alpha characters and banter. The Au Pair Affair was a fun feel good comfort read full of humor and romance. I loved how Burgess and Talluluh supported each other in their own personal growth. The Big Shots series was a surprise to me in the best way as someone who doesn’t typically gravitate to sports romance. Thank you to Avon, Harper Voyager, and NetGalley for the ARC.

I know I say for every single book that Tessa writes, but this is her best one yet! They just keep getting better! And a grumpy/sunshine, au pair, single dad, age gap, HOCKEY ROMANCE??! Literally all my favorite tropes in one book and it was perfection. Burgess and Tallulah were just so adorable and had such great chemistry. I also love that the third act break up was realistic. It wasn’t due to some stupid miscommunication but an actual issue, and watching Burgess fight to get her back was the amazing. I loved every second of this and couldn’t put it down!

And now I DYING to found what is going on with Sig and Chloe 😂 I have a feeling their story is going to be very interesting

I was excited for this book after reading the first in the series, but I have to say this one was even better and completely exceeded my expectations. The story was hilarious, both the characters were so likable, and it just was such an addicting, sexy read. Tessa Bailey keeps getting better and better.

Well, Tessa, you did it again. ANOTHER AMAZING HOCKEY STORY! Tallulah and Burgess meet thru Wells and Josephine (book 1)... Burgess needs a nanny for his 12 year old daughter, so he hires Tallulah, but is there more to that story??

I’m so glad I was able to read this right after Fangirl down. Burgess is the description of grumpy sunshine. I liked Talullah as well, but she was a little too whiny at the end. She recovered herself but overall Burgess was the shining star of this book. I enjoyed Sig in this one as well and I am curious as to his story with Chloe.

Tessa Bailey can’t write a book I won’t want to read! I love a good sports romance, especially one that features hockey, so The Au Pair Affair was right up my alley. I loved getting to see some familiar characters, plus a little set up for a future story. If you enjoy spicy romance, this is a good one to add to your TBR. 4/5 stars

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I know you’re sick of me shouting from the rooftops how much I LOVE TESSA BAILEY, but I’m not stopping anytime soon baby!

Right out of her internship in Antarctica, Tallulah is hired to be the nanny for Burgess. If you read Fangirl Down, then you already know that Burgess is *the shit* aka superstar hockey player in Boston. If you haven't read that, no worries because The Au Pair Affair can easily be read as a stand alone.

I don’t typically love the nanny trope. Often, it makes it look like the guy can’t keep it in his pants, and the girl doesn’t take her job seriously. Bailey does such a great job at taking this cringy (for me) trope and making it sweet and perfect 👏
Burgess is an emotionally attuned man, who knows what he wants but has patience until he gets there. Tallulah is a gorgeous, brainiac who has the most traumatic past. That doesn’t stop her from being the queen she is and a fantastic role model to Burgess’s tween daughter.

I loved every moment of this book! From the romance to the spice, and especially the singles' mixer scene. Bravo Tessa! 👏
Also, I hope this series isn’t complete, and we get another sequel to follow Sig and Chloe’s story 🤞🤞

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I loved this book!! It was fabulous and well done. The characters were on point and I thought the plot was well developed. I would recommend this book to others. 10/10 , My first 5 star of 2024

Okay, I ended up really enjoying this one and I was pleasantly surprised! At first, it took me a little bit to connect to the characters but then once I did I was smitten! I LOVED LOVED how protective and alpha Burgess is. Major hot daddy hockey player! The single dad trope is always so underrated and he was just so great. I loved how he fell so hard for her first.

Tallulah had to grow on me a bit because you find out why she's so nervous about men. But I really did enjoy their relationship. It definitely gets hot and steamy at times. But I know Tessa can write pretty steamy so I was prepared for that and it wasn't too much which I liked. They had a good build up and it wasn't an instant thing which I was so happy about. The conflict was a little frustrating but I saw it coming and I did love that he had to work for her. Overall, I ended up really loving it and I'm glad I gave it a shot. And now I'm DYING for Sig and Chloe's book because I think he'll be another super protective alpha. I need to go back and read the first book too!!!

Tessa Bailey’s writing is really accessible, which I love. I’ve found her books are either hit or miss for me, and this one was a miss. I didn’t feel invested at the 25% mark and decided not to continue. It feels like nothing is happening, and I wasn’t particularly interested in following along. The golf one was such a romp, and hockey is my favorite sport, so I thought this would for sure be a slam dunk.

Likely an easy three stars from the target audience and four to five for the right readers.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for the ARC.

Fangirl Down is in my top five books of all time and so I had high hopes for this one. While it wasn’t my favorite, I appreciated the complex nature of the characters and what drove them to the decisions they did. I WILL be recommending it in my store :)

I am a Tessa Bailey girl but unfortunately this one fell flat for me.
Tallulah moves in with Burgess, intending to be his live in nanny. Burgess is a professional hockey player, and Tallulah is a grad student new to the area. Their story gives us some much loved tropes: forced proximity, forbidden romance, even an age gap.
I really wanted to love this book, but between some odd and implausible situations, a nickname I hated during spicy scenes, and a conflict that made me feel they should stay separated after the third act break up, I had to force myself to finish.
I loved book one in this series and I’m hoping to love the future books! This one was just not for me.

Tessa Bailey's romantic comedy The AU Pair centers on the relationship between hockey captain Burgess Abraham and nanny Tallulah Aydin.

This is the second book in the Big Shots series, but I already am obsessed with this series. Even though I liked Fangirl Down, the level of heat in this book caught me off guard which I’m not mad for. 

I always thought it was amazing that Burgess was a man obsessed since the beginning. I mean he was down bad for Tallulah, and it was heartwarming to watch him become enamored with her.

The groveling in this was also not over the top, but it all seemed so sincere, and I appreciated that he would stop at nothing to win Tallulah back.

Whilst I've been liking the couples so far in the Big Shots series, I'm eager to see what Tessa has planned for the upcoming books.

*Thank you to NetGalley, Avon, and to the author, Tessa bailey, for providng me with this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.*

Guys! This is book #2 of the Big Shots series and the tropes are everything!!!

We got…
-age gap
-bossxnanny
-guy falls first
-protective alpha
- she helps him “date”

Nanny romances are my favvvvvv 🙏🏻 and after meeting these two in Fangirl Down I was giddy to start this book.

As usual the spice was top tier. I was heeeere for it! 🥵

Check this one out this summer when it hits the shelves.

Tessa Bailey hits it out of the park with her sports romances. And dare I say that this book is Tessa’s most heartfelt? The heroine deals with real life trauma, and the hero ‘s focus is on making her feel safe before he even entertains wooing her. And while there is a third act breakup, it’s done in such a devastating way that I genuinely felt the heartbreak and confusion of our heroine. Sig and Chloe better be getting their story next!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

BOY oh boy, this book did NOT disappoint. I had been waiting on Burgess and Tallulah ever since I saw a glimpse of them in Fangirl Down and I was SO GIDDY when I received this ARC!

Let me start off by saying as a romance reader turned hardcore hockey fan myself, I eat up ANY hockey romance. This book was no exception. I’m also a huge fan of Tessa Bailey and I’ve enjoyed every book I’ve read of hers so I had high expectations for this one.

Burgess fits the bill of every man I tend to gravitate toward in hockey romances. Grumpy? Check. Tall and massive? Double check. Broody grump who is only a teddy bear for his girl and is obsessed with her? ALL. THE. CHECKS.

I also loved Tallulah. She overcame a lot in this book and it really allowed you to take a peek into her mind and what she was warring with for the whole story. She’s incredibly brave and raw and real.

Love love love these characters and how they grew and overcame their issues together. Love that he fell first!! So darn cute and SPICY!! Tessa did not miss on this one!

Thank you NetGalley and Harper Voyager for the opportunity to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

After the VERY high bar that Fangirl Down set, I was skeptical that the followup could hold my attention in the same way – but I devoured this at a ridiculously fast pace. The two books are very different in tone, though they’re tied together by a common theme. Both heroes are endlessly smitten for their girls, worlds turned upside down by a game-changer of a woman. Zero complaints there, especially when the banter and intensity comes with some seriously smokin’ hot scenes. This one starts out light and swoony before bringing on the angst, and I was unprepared for the gut punch of emotion. The boy obsessed/he falls first vibes make way for a hearty dose of tension, delivering the kind of read that I couldn’t tear my eyes away from. The hero stole my heart, the love story put me through my paces, and I am very, very excited to see where the series goes from here. I loved it!

The story follows Burgess (37), a pro hockey player who is nearing the end of his career. Aches and pains are starting to make him feel older than his years, and the constant disconnect from his 12-year-old daughter makes him feel even more out of his element. So when the new nanny moves in – also known as the woman Burgess has been daydreaming about for months – it’s a shock to the system. Tallulah (26) forms an immediate bond with Burgess’ daughter, and their easy connection drives him a little insane… especially since the feelings Burgess has for his much younger nanny are anything but platonic. But the two couldn’t be more different, and Tallulah is just starting to find her adventurous side again, while Burgess is still stuck in one place.

You could definitely read this as a standalone if you wanted, but Fangirl Down is excellent and it includes Burgess and Tallulah’s first meeting. It’s there that we see that Burgess is smitten from the start, totally gone for his girl before he even knows what happened. This book also spoils some of the plot points of Fangirl Down, just a heads up! I thought the series was going to end here, but I am SO excited about the relationship that’s teased in this one. Can’t wait. But I also had a great time reading Burgess and Tallulah’s love story, which went in a direction I didn’t anticipate. You’ve got the classic delight of a grumpy single dad/age gap romance with a side of hockey, but there’s a whole lot more to it than that. I loved the deeper undertones, which brought some unexpected angst and heartache. Tallulah’s backstory is a heavy one, and that adds an interesting layer of tension to their interactions. I liked her a lot, though Burgess steals the show. He is this lovable mountain of a man, so soft and gentle for his girl… at least until she brings out his wilder side. They had such great opposites attract vibes, and the slow burn to SIZZLE romance brought the heat. I was a little disappointed by the conflict, but it actually made a whole lot of sense and it certainly cranked up the intensity. Our boy gives good grovel, and that takes this light, fluffy story somewhere entirely different. In the end, I had a fantastic time reading this one, and here’s hoping the third book comes sooner rather than later.

I was so excited to read The Au Pair Affair by Tessa Bailey. I really liked Fangirl Down.

Grumpy single dad, hockey player? Yes, please. Smart and sexy marine biologist? Love it.

Somewhere along the way, though, I started wishing there was more romance between these two. There’s no denying the physical chemistry. It’s there, dirty talk and all. (But I have to say that I cringed every time he called her “girl.”) I was just hungry for a little more, I think. I will say, though, that I really appreciated the vulnerable moments. I wish that translated to a deeper emotional connection alongside the physical.

Overall, I still enjoyed this book, and I’m very much looking forward to the next one!

First five-star read of the year! I LOVED this book. I absolutely adored Burgess and how head over heels he was for Tallulah. I enjoyed that the two of them had an instant connection and chemistry but weren’t instantly in love. He was down bad, for sure. I thought Tallulah was a really great character who came into her own (on her own), which I appreciated—she had him as support, but he wasn’t the full reason. All the side characters were amazing, and I just really enjoyed my experience reading this book!


I cannot wait for Sig and Chloe’s book—I need it NOW.