Tessa Bailey does it again. A very hot follow-up to Fangirl. Appealing female and male main characters, witty banter, smoldering, cameos from previous book, and a perfect set-up for the next book.

Book 2 in the Big Shots series brings a single dad, his nanny, close proximity, and age difference.

Tallulah is in school studying to be a marine biologist. She needs a job and needs it now. Burgess is a hockey player and a single dad in need of a nanny. He offers the job, she accepts, has second thoughts and finally ends up there.

I loved both characters and you could see the sparks immediately. Burgess wanted to be a grump but had a cinnamon roll heart!

Thanks to Avon Pub and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

3.75 ⭐️

MCs: Tallulah + Burgess
3rd Person Dual POV

• single dad x nanny
• hockey
• rom com
• grumpy x sunshine

Tessa never fails to make me laugh in her books, and it’s one thing I really enjoy about picking up a book of hers. The tropes in this book were right up my alley, and although I didn’t read Fan Girl Down, I didn’t feel like I missed too much in this one. This had all the classic Tessa markers and I thought it was good, it’s just not a fav of mine! There was just something missing. Also 3rd person is just SO hard for me to get into 🙃

*This book is NOT included in Kindle Unlimited.

xo,
booklover

Perfectly lovely rom-com in line with Bailey’s other books. Solid spice. Cute characters. Good fluff read

The Au Pair Affair, the second book after Fangirl Down, is a romantic comedy about a young woman who is hired by a famous professional hockey player in Boston to be is Au Pair for his young daughter. Let me start this review by saying that I did enjoy Fangirl Down and was looking forward to reading this e-arc. For me, however, this second novel fell short for me in both romance and prose. The writing wasn't great and there was more smut in my opinion than plot. Even when there was plot, the characters (to me) felt very bogged down in their own self-pity. The FMC definitely had some major legit trauma to deal with, but the way the MMC was constatnly overcompensating and do I dare say...whining...about it drove me crazy. If you are a fan of sports romance books with a little more romance romance than plot, this book is perfect! It just wasn't for me, at least not right now. If you love Tessa Bailey, I highly recommend Fangirl Down!

One thing that keeps me coming back to Bailey’s books are the intense emotions between the main guy and girl.
When I first read Sir Savage I felt tingles and shivered with delight.
Burgess is a big bear who roars but is brought to his knees by fiery Tallulah.
Of course their ride is rough and bumpy but that’s,what makes it delicious plus the steamy scenes, oh my!!
Treat yourself to a Bailey hero and heroine story right now if you’ve never indulged before.

A few months ago, I read Fangirl Down because Tessa Bailey books never disappoint. I don’t read many sports romances, let alone one centered around golf, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. Josie and West’s story ended up being my top read for the month of March. So, when I saw the novel’s sequel, The Au Pair Affair on @netgalley , I requested it right away.

The Au Pair Affair stars Tallulah, a grad student new to the city of Boston trying to find a place to live. Burgess, also known as “Sir Savage” is a star hockey player looking for a live-in nanny for his tween daughter. Although Tallulah and Burgess are featured in Fangirl Down, their story can be read on its own.

This book had perfect amounts of fun, spicy, sporty romance mixed with depth and emotion. Tallulah’s story of her past relationship may be triggering for some readers, but her heartfelt character experience made the novel extremely special. The bond between Burgess, his daughter Lissa, and Tallulah is also a perfect addition to the love story.

The Au Pair Affair is out NOW!! Go get your copies! Thank you so much @netgalley @tessabaileyisanauthor @avonbooks 🏒⛸️🥅

Not able to complete due to life circumstances. I have been dealing with health issues that have led to me needing a feeding tube.

I've not had the best luck with Tessa Bailey's most recent releases. There's a disconnect with the characters and the plot for me. The characters are so larger than life, vibrant, in such mundane settings. They don't feel like they belong and it's making it harder to enjoy them.

Thank you so much to the author and @avonbooks for the chance to read an early copy!! ⁠
⁠
What to expect in The Au Pair Affair:⁠
🏒 hockey romance⁠
⏳️age gap⁠
🧔🏻‍♂️ single dad ⁠
🤭 he falls first⁠
🏠️ forced proximity⁠
🏙️employee x employer⁠
🧲 opposites attract ⁠
⁠
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⁠⭐️⁠
Genre: contemporary romance⁠
Spice: 🌶️🌶️

The Au Pair Affair follows a couple that you briefly meet in Fangirl Down, Tallulah and Burgess. Tallulah is studying to become a marine biologist, while Burgess is a professional hockey player. Burgess happens to need an au pair for his 12-year-old daughter, Lissa…and he happens to be very attracted to the woman he hired (which happens to be Tallulah).

There’s a lot of tension between the two main characters, as they are both clearly attracted to each other, but Tallulah has some past trauma/anxieties to overcome, which she promptly dumps on Burgess in, like, chapter five! Burgess was also a bit TOO desperate in the beginning…

The story was predictable but a decent contemporary sports romance. I felt like the middle of the story was pretty strong, but the beginning and ending were weak. Comparing this to Fangirl Down, I thought that story was much better/enjoyable.

Read this if you enjoy:
-age gap (11-year difference)
-hockey romance
-he falls first & hard
-single dad x nanny
- forced proximity
-boss x employee

A few triggers:
-trauma/PTSD
-kidnapping/adult napping
-stalking
-sports injury

Thank you to NetGalley, Avon and Harper Voyager, and Tessa Bailey for the opportunity to read an Advanced Reader’s Copy (ARC) in exchange for my honest opinion/review.

This was a fun Tessa Bailey! Tallulah is a 26 year old marine biologist who has been hired to work as an au pair for hockey player Burgess and his tween daughter Lissa. Tallulah and Burgess have a near instant attraction but things are complicated by Tallulah's past trauma and Lissa's desire to have her parents get back together.

Things I liked: great chemistry, sweet dynamic between Burgess and Lissa, great spice (I mean, it's Tessa Bailey).
Things I didn't like: I felt like the trauma backstory could have been handled with a little more nuance and sensitivity.

I would definitely recommend this to any romance reader!

Thanks to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I don't know how Tessa Bailey makes me swoon over sports romance when I couldn't care less about sports, but she has done it again. This book set in the world of Fangirl down is hot enough to melt an entire hockey rink full of ice. Taboo romance of nanny/boss mixed with single dad with touch-her-and-die vibes literally pouring out of him. I could not get enough of this couple, but also wish they could have communicated a bit better to prevent the inevitable third-act breakup.

💋 The Au Pair Affair by Tessa Bailey 💋

💭 Thoughts:
First of all, let me say, I am a huge Tessa Bailey fan, and I will read ANYTHING she writes! I think this is my 12th book that I’ve read from her. I love her quirky characters, fun banter, and spicy spice! This one fell in the middle for me because I felt the spice took over a bit, which isn’t a bad thing at all! Just be prepared for pure lust despite the age gap 🥵 I would have liked to see more of them falling in love since I’m a bit of a romantic at heart. Burgess’s protectiveness was SO HOT though! And Tallulah’s bonding with his daughter 🥹 so sweet! I recommend it with ⚠️ caution ⚠️ to be near a cold shower 🤪

My fave Tessa books of all time are It Happened One Summer, Hook Line and Sinker, and Fix Her Up!

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books for my eARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was such a good time. It was exactly what I needed when I picked it up. It was fun and funny and spicy! All my favorite things! I loved meeting Tallulah in the first book and wanted her story. I love a good hockey romance. Burgess was protective and gentle. Them together was fireworks. I loved this book so much! Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

Such a good read that I enjoyed! I'm so glad that I got the chance to read it early and will definitely be recommending it to multiple people who enjoy these types of novels. I enjoyed the characters and especially enjoyed the writing by this author. I'm excited to see what the author comes out with next as I'll definitely be reading it! Thank you to the publisher for my early copy of this book!

too cliched of a grumpy/sunshine romance where MMC falls first
very steamy but MMC development could have been better
did enjoy the FMC past and development as a unique story.

Tessa Bailey's books are always an auto-read for me. This one did not disappoint and was full of hockey, spice and complicated personal journeys. I couldn't put it down and really enjoyed this read!

I was so torn between devouring this and savoring it because I didn’t want it to end! Burgess is a seasoned hockey player and single dad looking for an au pair to help with his daughter. Tallulah agrees to the live in position despite her unimaginable experience with trusting men in the past.

The sparks are flyinggggg hot and fast between these two and attempts to keep things professional quickly dissolve. I couldn’t get enough of their interactions, both steamy and sweet. Burgess was the best sort of protective, grumpy guy and seeing Tallulah learn to trust again and get back to her spirited self was so satisfying.

I didn’t know if this could live up to how much I adored Fangirl Down, but boy it sure did!! These are both sports romance perfection!!

This slight age gap nanny book keeps emotions high and the pages turning. Definitely a fun hockey romance book!