The Au Pair Affair is a new romance by Tessa Bailey about a hockey player dad and a younger graduate student he hires as an au pair.

I had high hopes for this book, but ultimately didn’t like it at all. The characters felt untrue to themselves and their situations, and the drama seemed a bit forced. Beyond that, Burgess’s daughter, who acts as the plot instigator (the one who brings the love interests together), isn’t actually in the book much at all.

Overall, I didn’t like the Au Pair Affair at all.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for providing this book, with my honest review below.

The Au Pair Affair continues in the same world as the characters from Fangirl Down, and while I didn’t love this book quite as much as that one, Tessa Bailey continues show why she reigns supreme over the modern romance genre.

Burgess and Talullah are both battling some demons when they come together in a nanny / boss relationship of convenience. But they quickly strike up a chemistry that can’t be denied, and look to be heading towards a happy ending until some conflicts get in the way.

Luckily as with all books by Tessa Bailey this one was full of laughs and love and threw in some conflict and suspense to keep my engrossed in the characters (past, future, and current) and the heartwarming plot. My quibble is that I’ve come to expect a lot of steamy scenes in her books and she took it down a notch here! A milder romance in terms of spiciness compared to her other books, it’s still guaranteed to keep her fans (and fans of this genre) engaged. Recommended for any romance lover!

Not my favorite Tessa Bailey book. The love affair just didnt feel realistic to me. Hot as always though lol.

Another funny, sexy title from Tessa Bailey! A lot of fun but also had some deep moments with great character development. I can't wait to see what happens with the supporting characters of Sig and Chloe.

Fun, because it’s Tessa Bailey, but there’s also a lot in it that I didn’t enjoy. I really did not like Tallulah and thought the last 20-25% of the book was insufferable on her end. Her POV chapters were my least favorite. There were a couple scenes between the leads that honestly made me cringe. I think her “It Happened One Summer” series will remain my favorite.

a great addition to the Tessa Bailey collection! I've never been a fan of sports romance, but I do enjoy Tessa Bailey's sports romance. I always love getting an advance copy of her books!

Really liked this second in a series of friends and the athletes they love. Story of Burgess and Tallulah. Super quick read. Can't wait for Chloe and Sig's story. Thanks for the advanced copy NetGalley. #NetGalley #TheAuPairAffair

I love reading Bailey's books. They always put a smile on my face. Burgess, hockey player and gorgeous man, is sweet and stoic. I loved his character. Tallulah is kind of ridiculous. She did have a terrible thing happen to her which she uses as an excuse to keep herself from getting too close, to anyone. What it also does is make her an asshole. She doesn't talk to her family and she pushes away a great man because she's scared. I get it but you don't squander magic when it lands at your feet. She can't make up her mind and plays with Burgess's heart in the process. He wants love and she wants a fling. Still, the characters compliment each other in unique ways and the spice is extra spicy. Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC

This grumpy met suspicious sunshine played out exactly how I assumed it would, and I loved it! Great dialogue, sexy romance, and fun abound in Tessa Bailey's newest book.

I'm a huge Tessa Bailey fan, and even loved the first book in this series about a GOLFER of all things. This book is not up to her usual spicy standards, and I kinda missed that. The love story itself was sweet, and I greatly appreciated how she handled the FMCs trauma history. In general, though, this one didn't gel for me.

Miss Tessa Bailey DELIVERED with this one!

I LOVE the single dad x nanny trope, so when I heard from Tessa Bailey herself in person that she was writing one, I knew it'd be amazing. and it was. We have a Sam Hartman lookalike hockey player, Sir Savage, aka Mean Daddy, who is the man of your overprotective dreams. Tallulah was scarred from an experience, leaving her afraid to do new things on her own.

Together? The pair was AMAZING.

There were so many things I loved about this book. The angst was perfect. The pacing was phenomenal. The third-act breakup, while painful, was perfectly done and reasonable. Everything made sense. Tessa absolutely knew what she was doing. This book isn't just the single dad refraining from being with his nanny, or the nanny afraid of losing her job. She knew exactly how he felt---the tension was palpable, even if it was an insta-attraction situation. He didn't want casual, no strings attached. They didn't even worry about what their relationship would bring to his daughter, who believed her parents were getting back together. The daughter, thankfully, isn't even really the reason for the third-act breakup. I LOVE that! I love the single dad, but HATE when it's the kid that comes between them. But that didn't happen here.

Their personal growth was realistic and heartfelt. Burgess, aka Sir Savage and Mean Daddy, found that there was more to life than just hockey. With his age and the threat of injury increasing, he was just this bundle of anxiety and nerves about everything because to him, hockey was his whole life. It wasn't until Tallulah came into the picture and showed him that hockey was at the bottom of the list. It never even came close to her, his daughter, his hunger for new things. Tallulah gave that to him. And for her, he gave her the sense of security. He gave her safety and attention and compassion.

And the mouth on that man? Jesus.... Y'all are not ready for it!

This definitely is one of my favorite tessa bailey books and I'm so happy that I was able to read it before release!

Thud was such a wonderful read, and I am definitely eager to read more from this author. This was so swoon worthy and undoubtedly it will curl your toes and speed up your heart beat. I found myself resisting the urge when I was late or too tired to put it down, I just had to keep reading more. A full 5 stars read for me!

The au pair affair. Can a tough hockey player be gentle enough for a preteen daughter and a damaged nanny

Tessa Bailey's hockey romance era is even better than her golf romance era. In the second Big Shots book, we follow Burgess and Tullulah as Tullulah begins to Au Pair for Burgess' daughter. Burgess falls hard and fast, a complete surprise given his "Sir Savage" nickname, and Tullulah, while hesitant, is right there with him. The character development in both these characters is amazing, and I loved reading their story, Burgess learning how to interact with the people around him and take risks, and Tallulah working to overcome the trauma of her past. While there was a little bit of a predictable plot line towards the end, it worked out in a fantastic way for the rest of the story. I cannot wait for the continuation of this series.

I absolutely LOVED fangirl down and I was so stoked to get this arc as well. I was immediately interested in Tallulah and Burgess since the first book. I am a huge fan of Tessa Bailey now. I was crying, and then crying from laughter- so filled with love and I couldn’t stop smiling while reading.

Spice rating: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

What do you get when you put a pro hockey player dad with the body of a Greek God and a woman with past trauma in the same room? A new Hozier album.
Tallulah and Burgess both radiated "touch her/him and die" vibes.

Tallulah: Her growth was so inspiring. Her simping over Burgess was so relatable.

Burgess: -1 point for his name. +10 points for his inner monologue. This man was whipped from page 1 and I loved to see it. +3 bonus points for being a lil freaky in the sheets.

The step between ass worship (Fangirl Down) and step-siblings (maybe book #3 in this series??) is softdom.

This book was a little bit silly and a lot heart-felt. I thought the characters had incredible chemistry and I found myself rooting for them even when they made frustrating decisions. All hallmarks of a great romcom.

Immediately after finishing Fangirl down I had to start Burgess and Tallulah's story!! We get teasers of them in the first book but oh I really fell hard for this single divorced dad/pro hockey player, age gap nanny romance!!

Tallulah needs a place to stay while she works on her Masters and Burgess needs help with his twelve year old daughter, what starts off as a mutually beneficial arrangement quickly sees him falling hard and working to help Tallulah deal with PTSD from a kidnapping episode.

Funny, sexy and sooooo emotionally charged. This might be my new fav Tessa book and possibly a new all time fav hockey romance!! Fangirl down fans will enjoy cameos from Josephine and Wells as the gang goes to Costa Rico for their destination wedding too!

Next up: Chloe and Sig's story. I cannot wait to see what goes down with those two! Many thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins/Avon for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!!

Steam level: open door

Another fun Tessa Bailey read! I haven’t read Fangirl Down but I enjoyed Tallulah and Burgess so much I want to go read the 1st book now. This had a solid mix of heart, humor, and chemistry. I think even readers not into the Single Dad/Nanny trope will find this fun.

Wow, another win from Tessa Bailey. As usual I always her second book in the series even more than the first - particularly when you get glimpses of the first couple further down the road. I loved the way they handled her trauma and even though it included the late in play breakup this still did things for me!