I loved this book even more than the first in the series. Tessa has a way of mixing romance, smut, and real hard story lines all together be coming up with the perfect tangled mess that’s really a perfect book that you won’t be able to put down.

“𝙄 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙜𝙚𝙩 𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙖𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙙, 𝙏𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙪𝙡𝙖𝙝,” 𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙖𝙞𝙙 𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙤𝙥 𝙤𝙛 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙢𝙤𝙪𝙩𝙝. “𝙉𝙖𝙝, 𝙄’𝙢 𝙖𝙡𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙮 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙣 𝙖 𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙩𝙡𝙚 𝙤𝙗𝙨𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙚𝙙 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙮𝙤𝙪, 𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙣’𝙩 𝙄? 𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙩 𝙗𝙖𝙗𝙗𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙢𝙮 𝙣𝙖𝙢𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙡𝙚 𝙄 𝙨𝙥𝙤𝙤𝙣-𝙛𝙚𝙚𝙙 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙤𝙧𝙜𝙖𝙨𝙢𝙨, 𝙄 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙜𝙚𝙩 𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙖𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙙. 𝙃𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙞𝙡𝙮. 𝙅𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙄’𝙡𝙡 𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙞𝙡𝙮 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙘𝙠 𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙖𝙣𝙮𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙚𝙡𝙨𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨. 𝘽𝙚. 𝙎𝙪𝙧𝙚.”

When we first met Tallulah and Burgess in Fangirl Down, I was immediately clamoring for their book. Hot hockey player offering this marine biology grad student a position as his live-in nanny, and he obviously can’t keep his eyes off her? Yes, please.

Tallulah has some real deep trauma that she is working through, and I loved how sensitive this big burly hockey player was when with that, while still being the overly protective man that he is.

I really loved the addition of Lissa, Burgess’ daughter. She felt like a real tween, with real tween reactions to situations, and frankly, she was probably the one that had me crying the hardest at the end! 😭

Overall, I’m really enjoying Tessa’s foray into sports romance, and I’m so looking forward to the next book hinted at in this one! 👀

Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager and @netgalley for providing me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What this book is giving:
✅ Sports Romance (Hockey)
✅ Dual POV
✅ Age Gap (He’s 37, She’s 26)
✅ Single Dad
✅ He falls first and hard
✅ Tween Daughter
✅ “Mean Daddy”

Rating:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️½ / 5
🌶️🌶️🌶️ / 5

This was better than the “unfortunately yours and secretly yours series”

This was still a little cringey in the terms of being a slightly forced relationship. I felt that there wasn’t enough foundation to their chemistry. The ending is better but the middle very cringe for me

*ARC Review*

4.5 stars

Gosh I love Tessa Bailey. Her works always have the best, most engaging stories while giving the reader all of the feels.

This most recent rom com follows Tallulah and Burgess, the best friends of the main characters from Fangirl Down. Tallulah has moved to Boston (where Burgess is the king of the ice rink and lovingly known as Sir Savage) to get her masters in marine biology. She agrees to be Burgess's au pair for his 12 year old daugther Lissa. Chaos ensues.

I love Burgess and am fascinated how such a big tough guy can be such a cinammon role. He has a high protective drive and uses it frequently with Tallulah.

The story uncovers past traumas, relationship issues, and sports related situations. I was engrossed the whole time and finished the book feeling satisfied.

Definitely recommend.

Fun follow-up to Fangirl Down; I really loved the story between Tallulah and Burgess, it was really well done.

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC.

Tessa is not new to me. I have been reading her books for some time. Her characters change and evolve - a little self-discovery goes a long way.

Burgess & Tallulah are no exception to this. Facing the future requires boldness and bravery sometimes. Hitting that time in life whether in your 20's or 30's sets the characters up to be stronger together. Maybe not love at first sight, but definitely appreciation at first sight.

I am looking forward to Sig's story.

I was so excited to read this hockey romance after reading Fangirl Down! This had a little less of the "Com" in "RomCom" that I am used to from Tessa Bailey, but it doesn't mean I didn't love it! Both Tallulah and Burgess have some pretty serious things to work through, but their banter and chemistry throughout was phenomenal. As Tallulah helps Burgess connect with his daughter (and teaching him how to have fun again) he is helping her trust herself and trust him. It was super refreshing to read a hockey romance from the perspective of an older hockey player who is nervous his time on the ice is coming to end, rather than another about a college kid in his prime (I have a bad back and can so relate to the massage scene hahahah.)And boy was this SPICY... The Queen of Dirty Talk really brought it with this one. And is Tessa setting us up for step-brother romance next?!? I need to know more and we better get another book or two in this series!

Tessa Bailey does is again! Fans and new readers alike will love "The Au Pair Affair". She is simply the queen of romance!

Thank you to Avon/Harper Voyager & NetGalley for this ARC!

I have to preface this review with: I LIKED the book; in fact, I loved certain parts of it! But for me it mostly missed the mark. A little disappointing coming off Fangirl Down (the prior book in this series), which I loved!

I liked the relationship between Burgess & Lissa (his daughter), and between Lissa & Talullah. I wish there was more time focused on it; like the actual time "The Au Pair Affair" focused on... "au pair-ing" had to be like 10% MAX. Which sucks, it was delightful!

The heat was a little rushed to me; I would've LOOOVED a slower burn, but that's okay.

I was just annoyed the last 20% of the book. Unnecessary 3rd act break up stemming seemingly out of nowhere: CHECK. MCs simply not speaking for almost 6 weeks (as you read this, picture me screaming into my hands): CHECK. ZEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERO grovel from the MMC: CHECK! I was screaming at the book, "Talullah, girl, STAND UP" - UGH.

And Tessa Bailey ends her books VERY abruptly 90% of the time; this is one of those times.

Again, all of this is to say that I still enjoyed the book! Just LOATHED many parts of it.

I PRAY we get a Chloe & Sig book next!!

*SPOILERS*
Thank you HarperCollins for sending me an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review! The second I saw the tropes were nanny x single dad AND. A sports romance I was SOLD on this book.

This is such a quick, feel-good romance book and, as with all Tessa Bailey’s books, the writing and plot are solid so you know exactly what you’re getting every time. I genuinely ate up this book like all of the tropes were just too good!! Tallulah was such a sweetheart with so much love to give, and I truly feel like she was an accurate portrayal of a modern woman in her mid-twenties. I loved her character arc, her background, her mentality, etc. She was such a wonderful FMC to the point where I was lowkey happy with the third act breakup because it felt like watching one of my friends heal!!! She is so so personal to me <33

I really liked Burgess because I was imagining Sam Hartman the entire time and that man is like sex on legs. A single dad who plays professional hockey and is built like a fridge is every woman’s dream and he absolutely reinforced that. I will say that his little tantrum in the last third of the book was a bit off putting for me and I was kinda glad that Tallulah wanted to end it on a clean break. I guess it was nothing that some therapy can’t fix but I personally would not have let that slide LOL.

This book also gave me the NEED for Sig and Chloe to get their own book because the whole taboo thing they got going on was too good and if there is anyone I trust to do them justice, it’s Tessa Bailey!!!!

I really did enjoy this book, not only just the plot but the way the story kept on flowing. Also, I liked how the characters related to Tesse Bailey's Fangirl down book! I would absolutely recommend it!

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

The second book in the series this one can be enjoyed entirely as a standalone

I would recommend if you're looking for (SPOILERS)

-m/f contemporary romance
-single parent
-sports romance
-age gap
-roommance
-denial
-he falls first and hard

I had been so hyped for this book since we saw just the absolute attraction between Tallulah and Burgess. But gosh I was not expecting the layers to this book. While Tallulah and Burgess looked like opposite, they both had their guard up from the world for a lot of reasons. How these two just became each other's safe space as they naviagate and open up their worlds. I was just a melty puddle as these two navigated falling for each other.

Burgess was just sawoon. Bearded, and just trying for his daughter, not wanting to lose the career he loved, and just recognizing a kindred spirit in Tallulah. Wanting more from life because of her. I really apprecaited that neither felt like they needed to change for the other, they just wanted to experience life together. I was cackling as these two tried to pretend that they were just massages, and it meant nothing but we all knew they were just gone on each other.

And if book 3 is what I think it is I need it immediately.

Tessa Bailey is my girl. She's my ride or die. She has written some of my all-time favorite books, and I love her for it. Unfortunately, this book just was not one of them.

Disclaimer: I still loved the novel. I'm a sucker for a single dad doing the best he can for his tween daughter. And when the dad is a professional hockey player? Whew. That's a winning combo.

I feel like this book let me down a little mostly because I loved "Fangirl Down" SO MUCH. I wanted to love this one just as much, but I don't know if it ever stood a chance!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Who wouldn't want some gigantic beast of a man being all sweet and protective and thoughtful of your feelings and wanting you so badly and experiencing such personal growth as a result? That was the best part of the book for me. Though with that said, the single dad trope was meh and the age gap just did not do it for me. At all. The "Mean Daddy" stuff and some of the naughty scenes felt very yuck to me. I'm down with smut, but this was not my cup of smut tea.

Kindly received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

OBSESSSSSSED with this series! I adored book 2 - no sophomore slump here! The chemistry and tension was SO FAB but I also loved their communication & relationship overall. Steamy but sweet, I am going to be recommending this series to everyone!

I have broken up with Tessa Bailey and gotten back together more than once. It's a very hit or miss relationship, so no one is more surprised than me at how much I enjoyed both 𝐅𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐢𝐫𝐥 𝐃𝐨𝐰𝐧 and 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐮 𝐏𝐚𝐢𝐫 𝐀𝐟𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐫 (Pub 07.16).

In classic TB style, they are spicy. As soon as I finished Fangirl Down I joked with friends that I wasn't sure I could handle so much spice back-to-back. Just kidding. I fanned myself briskly, grabbed an ice cold beverage and jumped right into The Au Pair Affair.

𝘍𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘪𝘳𝘭 𝘋𝘰𝘸𝘯 (Out today) I read this concurrently in print and audio Bailey is BACK with a scorching sports romance (golf) Dual POV workplace mutual attraction. Did I mention it'll melt your pants off spicy? Tin Cup vibes w/Type 1 Diabetes rep. 5 (vocabulary/word choice isn't my favorite)

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘈𝘶 𝘗𝘢𝘪𝘳 𝘈𝘧𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘳 (pub 07.16) Single Dad Hockey Player “Mean Daddy” vibes.Age gap He falls first. She is slow to trust due to her history. Steamy AF Sweetness & swoon

Thank you to @librofm for the ALC and @avon for the early copies.

Tessa Baily sure knows how to make you swoon, tug on your heart strings and write some flaming chemistry. This is the second book in her sports romance series (the first made me want to take up golf, it was that good) and it's a nice, although a touch overly dramatic, follow up. Both characters have stuff to overcome from their past as well as learn to trust each other and themselves. The character arks are satisfying, the chemistry is FIRE and there's sweetness and swoon to spare. I can't wait for the next installment in this series and I hope it's about Sig and his maybe future step sister - both of which recur in this book.

2.75

What a disappointment! I enjoyed “Fangirl Down”. Sure, it was typical smutty Tessa Bailey, but the story of the diehard fan of a former golf great becoming his caddy plus her own family story made a great and unique rom com. When we met Tallulah and Burgess near the end of that book, I was excited to read their story. Tallulah was a definite brain girl but still captured Burgess’s attention and she got along very well with his daughter.

Flash forward to their book, number two in the series. The au pair situation was almost nonexistent. All of a sudden, she’s this stunning Turkish beauty that every man drools over. She survived a major trauma, but it only really seems to affect her relationships for a nanosecond. His domineering is completely overlooked because he thought of her early on by finding her another place to live and then offering to put a lock on her bedroom for which only she had the key. Immediately when he comes home from hockey practice, she’s in the super short leather skirt with thigh highs ready to go out with friends. Of course, good for her, but that didn’t seem to fit the Tallulah I met in the first book. The great thing about her was that her enthusiasm and intelligence seemed to be her most alluring factor, but this Tallulah was just an exotic, statuesque stunner who happens to be smart.

Burgess seemed only seemed to worry about her and how his behavior affected her and not how things affected his daughter. On that note, how did he get primary custody if he’s a professional athlete who is on the road quite a bit? I don’t know. The whole arc of the story seemed to move quickly without their really being a conflict until the very end when it all came to a head, but they just seemed to go back-and-forth and back-and-forth. This was another that was nearing as bad as “Runaway Girl” with an older man having a controlling personality over a younger woman in a vulnerable situation.

It definitely isn’t all bad, but just not what I wanted. It’s pretty apparent that Sig and Chloe are the next story and I’m hoping that they remain the same characters portrayed in this book.

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for providing an unbiased review.

I love the books that Tessa Bailey writes. There is never a dull moment in them. This one was really good. It was erotic, romantic, and funny. I loved the ending, it was better than I expected it to. I'm grateful that netgalley and the publishers let me read this in exchange for an honest review.

I may be slightly biased towards this author, but I have yet to read a bad book that she has written. This book was heartwarming, funny, and steamy all at once. The plot was well developed, and everything wrapped up nicely at the end.