I love the breadcrumbs that were sprinkled throughout "Fangirl Down". I wanted to read about Tallulah x Burgess's relationship the moment I finished the first book of the series. I've read a couple of Tessa Bailey's previous books. And I understood going into this series there will be spice (or at least I expected there to be). And that is good imo! However, I would've preferred just a bit more background story. E.g more interaction between Tallulah x Lissa. Or just any additional interaction with any other characters. And I preferred the banter in the previous book in comparison.

Tallulah and Burgess's relationship was adorable. However, I am so thankful that Tallulah didn't just take Burgess back during their third-act breakup. Although its not something I like in my romance novels. The grovel somewhat made up for it. Although maybe it's a personal preference I would've made Burgess groveled / suffer just a little bit more. What Burgess said was incredibly hurtful considering Tallulah's circumstances. And in a way I'm glad Tallulah finally went out of her comfort zone. The unfortunate push and pull despite wanting to move on. The mild angst between the characters. Overall ,The Au Pair Affair was a fun and quick read for me :)

A man who is so in love that he is willing to take you to the aquarium every night. What a dream. And Sir Taken? I giggled 3.5/5 

Thank you NetGalley, the Publisher & Tessa Bailey for giving me an opportunity to review this book :)

I loved this books so much! So light and fun while also balancing some emotional and quite serious topics. The 2 main characters chemistry was off the charts and I was on the edge of my seat the entire time to see when they would get together. Those spicy scenes were A+ and totally hot!

Sweet, swoony and spicy, The Au Pair Affair was everything I had hoped for, and more! I absolutely adored the relationship between Burgess and Tallulah. Their chemistry and their banter was perfection, but I think what I loved most about them was the respect and affection that they had for each other. As always, Tessa Bailey’s writing was impeccable and this book should not be missed!

Thank you to NetGalley, HarperCollins Publishers Australia and the author Tessa Bailey for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I’m a sucker for a Tessa Bailey book, they always hit me in the right place and of course The Au Pair Affair was no exception. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, I rate it a 4.75/5 ⭐️ (rounded up to a 5⭐️). This book is filled with characters that you can’t help but love despite the tension. I absolutely ate this up! 🥵😮‍💨🤤

The Au Pair Affair was such a quick paced book but it was so much fun and Tessa always nails it with the spice! I absolutely love Burgess and Tallulah, the tension, the banter, the dirty talk, it was all 10/10, chefs kiss. I really enjoyed the touch her and die vibes, I love a protective man 😮‍💨 I also loved the ‘mean daddy’ vibes that Burgess was giving off. I’m not usually someone who picks a single dad trope but this did NOT disappoint.

I loved Fangirl Down and could not wait to hear more about Burgess and Tallulah, their story exceeded my expectations (you also get a touch of Wells and Josephine). I was rooting for Burgess and Tallulah from the start, their character development was great and there was amazing character depth. If you also loved Fangirl Down, you will eat this up too.

The side characters were also chefs kiss for me, I loved hearing about Lissa, Sig & Chloe 😉🤫 and even the rookies! 😂 Can’t wait to see what Tessa comes out with next.

I would highly recommend this book if you love a book filled with great tropes, e.g. grumpy x sunshine, touch her and die, forced proximity, age gap, boss/employee, single dad, roommates, opposites attract and obviously hockey romance (plus more) 🤤🥵😮‍💨.

I absolutely adored Fangirl Down, and this second instalment of the Big Shots series by Tessa Bailey was a fantastic follow up. Hockey player single dad Burgess hires live in nanny Tallulah, 11 years his junior. Sparks fly. This book had me laughing out loud, swooning over Burgess, and rooting for Tallulah the entire time.

This was a fun, easy read and you can always trust Tessa to nail the spice! Burgess had me WEAK. The tension, 10 out of 10. The dirt talk, 10 out of 10. I live for her male leads, and this one was perfect. The grumpy x sunshine trope is one of my favourites, and Burgess did not disappoint. I was SWOONING.

By now, I should be prepared for the third act breakup, but her books always catch me off guard and I love it! I went into this book expecting the rom com vibe, but I was surprised to find some more serious themes revolving around Tallulah’s past trauma, as well. I think these were explored well, and appreciated how it was handled throughout.

If you love a good trope-filled rom com with humour and spice, you will love this series! I will devour anything Tessa Bailey writes, and if you loved Fangirl Down, you will adore this one, too.

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

The Au Pair Affair by Tessa Bailey

emotional funny lighthearted reflective relaxing medium-paced
Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0 Stars

I don’t often reach for romances that include single parent or age gap tropes but this was a pleasant surprise! Classic Tessa Bailey writing that had me giggling all the way through.

Love all the characters, the grovelling and the chemistry between Tallulah and Burgess.

It’s a must read for any lover of hockey romances!

Thank you to Tessa Bailey, HarperCollins Publishers Australia and Netgalley for the ARC.

I’m not one to reach for sports romances but let me just say this book may have turned me! It had laugh out loud banter, the best slow burn and he absolutely falls first…hard! Tessa Bailey is a fabulous story teller who gives readers everything they are looking for...characters with depth, slow burn to spice all topped off with a sprinkle of laugh out loud banter.

There are so many tropes in this book, it shouldn’t work, but somehow it does and does it well. I’m talking hockey romance, opposites attract, boss/employee, grumpy and sunshine, roommates, forced proximity, age gap, single dad, instant attraction years prior and groveling.

The only tiny negative from me was towards the end, the pace just fell away a little when Tallulah walks away, but overall it was a fun and spicy read that I very much enjoyed and would recommend.

I loved this book so much! Tessa Bailey is one of my go-to authors and this was another hit for me. The main characters Tallulah and Burgess were likable and relatable. They had great chemistry and I was rooting for them from the start. I also enjoyed their backstories and their character development throughout the book. Burgess is without a doubt my favorite MMC from Tessa Bailey. I loved that he falls first and has basically zero red flags. The spice was also perfection!

Somehow I completely missed the first book in this series, but it really didn't matter and I will definitely be buying it! I'm also looking forward to reading the next book in the series. I'm definitely intrigued with what will happen in Chloe and Sig's story.

If you are a fan of any of the following tropes, you NEED to red this book : sports romance, hockey romance, age gap, single dad, forced proximity grumpy/sunshine, room mates.

Huge thank you Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC!

I knew this would be awesome and it did not disappoint. Tessa does it again! Surely there are only so many times I can give Tessa's book 5 star reviews? Well, here is another! This is a perfect blend of sport, angst, family and romance. The spice was amazing. So hot!! So well worth it. It's just something about the way Tessa writes her characters and their character growth that has me loving her books and coming back for more. The spoiler at the back is (eyes) and I hope it is Sig and Chloe!!

Big thanks to NetGalley, Harper Collins Australia and Tessa Bailey for this early release copy in exchange for my honest review.

✨ hockey romance ✨ nanny x boss ✨ grumpy x sunshine ✨ opposites attract ✨ he falls first and HARD ✨ forced proximity ✨ age gap ✨ single dad

Need I say more? Tessa Bailey is an auto-read for me! Tallulah and Burgess *chefs kiss* The SPICE was SPICING🌶️ If you a fan of books where he falls first, and hard and fast this is the book for you!

Thank you Tessa Bailey & Netgalley for the advanced readers copy!

This book was full of instant attraction between the 2 main characters and lots of internal struggle. It was slightly a Insta love story and there was plenty of spice. Considering this I was hesitant reading because of the Au Pair /Boss trope. However it was very clear in the books that there was mutual attraction before they had a working relationship.

Being written this way it made me enjoy the book even more. There felt like there was less of a power imbalance between the couple and it didn’t leave me feeling icky.

However the main male characters over protectiveness was annoying at times. Overall it was a light easy read that didn’t consume much brain power

Thank you NetGalley for letting me read an arc.

- Hockey romance
- Single dad x nanny
- Forced proximity
- Stern brunch daddy energy
- He falls first (and HARD)
- Grumpy (him) x sunshine (her)
- Age gap (he's 11 years older)
- Dual POV

What to expect:
- Tessa's signature blend of humour, spice, and fun antics.
- A grumpy/sunshine dynamic that rivals the one in It Happened One Summer.
- An MC who doesn't hold back... and likes a little dirty talk.
- A cute, meddling kid!

What I didn't love:
- The third-act breakup let me down. At least we got some good grovelling!
- For a romance book, I actually wanted more romance! I've found this with a couple of single dad/nanny romances I've read this year. But sometimes, I struggle with the connection. There's no denying Burgess was obsessed with Tallulah, but I didn't think his strong feelings were reciprocated.

Tessa Bailey is at the height of her powers - a big call but it's clear she's hit her stride when it comes to smashing out a damn good romance with just the right amounts of everything. Whether it's banter, awkward sexy situations, insane amounts of crazy tension, heapings of angst or just plain lovable characters, she delivers without breaking a sweat. Marine biologist Tallulah and gruff hockey captain Burgess lead us on a merry dance around Boston in this hot love story about a big old obsessed guy who just wants to get in his au pair's pants.

The Au Pair Affair takes a relationship dynamic that can be tricky and/or problematic - age gap + boss/nanny - and handles it deftly by simply not having the FMC do much actual nannying. The kid is older (12?) so that makes things a little less icky, plus the fact that the MCs were attracted to each other WELL BEFORE they entered into an employment contract. Throw in some close proximity as she's living in his spare room and you've got yourself a recipe for a rollicking good romance.

But what is this? Characters having past trauma? We expect it in romance however this one threw me for a six - Tallulah's past was a heck of a lot more dark and troubling than I expect in a TB outing and it stands in stark contrast to the lighter tone of the rest of the book. It was handled well and it informed a lot of her relationship with Burgess but I like that it was also the vehicle for her personal arc outside of her romantic entanglement. I would have loved her sister to be an actual part of the book for this reason, but instead with her family a long way away across the world Tallulah has to create her own little found family in Boston. Burgess has his own hangups that are not hard to guess for an aging rockstar sportsperson - his self-worth is wrapped up in his ability to play, be strong, etc and as a result is TERRIBLE at dealing with injury and the possibility he's not as good as he once was (cue the Toby Keith).

Circumstances quickly heat up and get out of hand in a spicy way, be warned this is very much a book where the size of the MMC is constantly mentioned. Not a problem if, like me, that's your thing. The third-act breakup was pretty brutal and in my opinion there was NOWHERE near enough apologies and grovelling, I'll be looking elsewhere for my fix of that. That said, this is a great romance book and while it probably didn't hit the heights of ecstatic love that I have for Fangirl Down, I'm safely giving it four stars (one deducted because that man should have been on his KNEES).

Lastly, one of the most fun and enjoyable things about this book are the side characters - Sig and Chloe (the stars of the next book in the series) get a lot of "screentime" and it's very amusing to see their dynamic from an outside perspective in this one. But... my heart belongs to the Rookies! The two ice hockey bros whom Burgess recognizes he probably should mentor a bit are a two-person comedy routine all on their own.

I'll read anything Tessa Bailey writes, but my message for the publisher is this - PLEASE ensure you're making Netgalley ARCs available in epub or mobi format, not just PDF as in this case. PDF is the poor cousin of book formats and incredibly painful to read as it forces us to use either Netgalley Shelf or Adobe Print Editions, and the font size is hellish.

This was actually my first Tessa Bailey book and being that I got to read it as an arc was also amazing!!

I definitely enjoyed the storyline and how well it flowed. Burgess and Tallulah had good chemistry and the banter was some of my favourite i have read, burgess was always so unintentionally funny and it really made me like him more

I wish there was more storyline on their relationship and even though the book was long i wanted more

Tropes:
✨Workplace romance (?)
✨ Single dad x Nanny
✨Grumpy x Sunshine
✨ sports romance

Spice rating: 🌶️🌶️
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4 Stars

Fun follow up to Fangirl Down which has been one of my top reads of 2024.

The Au Pair Affair is about Tallulah and Burgess, who we met in Fangirl Down, and the best friends of Wells and Josephine. Tallulah takes up the position of becoming an au pair for Burgess’ daughter, Lissa, in Boston when she moves for grad school.

Tallulah - fresh back after a sojourn researching in Antartica - needs is initially hesitant and nervous of Burgess at first. He’s a big, growly defenseman in the NHL even if he can’t do a French braid for shit and needs a solid hand in aceing the girl-dad game. Pretty soon sparks begin to fly (or the continue to fly more like) and Tallulah and Burgess find themselves having to let go of fear, lean into their trust for each other and take a chance if they’re going to make it work.

Between the Boston Aquarium, the jungles of Costa Rica and bedroom, Burgess and Tallulah were a fun couple. I didn’t quite love them as much as I did Wells and Josie, but I had fun. It was sexy, it was sweet, it was a little heartbreaking and it was satisfying in the end. Tessa Bailey is a polished, funny and romantic writer that has become an easy pick for me for a good time. If you loved any of Tessa’s works you’ll love this.

I’m also very excited to see Sig & Chloe’s dynamic play out because that is extremely intriguing to me.

Tallulah is studying to be a marine biologist and is broke. She readily accepts a job as a live-in nanny from Burgess, a hockey veteran and newly single dad. She enjoys looking after Lissa, his cool but introverted tween. However, Burgess is not so keen but finds himself stuck given his busy travelling schedule. He knows that Tallulah is going to be trouble as he enjoys her company more than he should. When Tallulah realises that she might be what stands between Burgess and his ex-wife, she decides to leave her job, knowing that her own heart will break.
A great romance with plenty of feeling from the start. The secondary characters also add to this story such as Chloe and Sig and hopefully will be delved into in other books in this series.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

3.5 stars ⋆𐙚₊˚⊹ ᡣ𐭩 well, that was SPICY 🫣🌶️🌶️🌶️, a bit weird 🤨 and had a healthy dose of wholesomeness toooo 🩷 dragged for the first and last 20% ngl, but that remaining 60% HIT

‎₊˚⊹ 𐦍༘⋆₊ ⊹ <b> so american by olivia rodrigo </b> is for tallulah & burgess <33

thank you tessa bailey & netgalley for this advanced readers copy 🙏

I adored this book!

Tallulah is living half a life, after suffering through a traumatic event, she shuts down. She becomes half of what she used to be, no more is she the thrill seeking, life loving, adventurous girl. Instead, she shies away from people and situations, hiding away on research expeditions. Until she agrees to take on an Au Pair position for a single dad and his 12 year old daughter, Lissa.

Burgess is a bear of a man. A pro-hockey player known for his gruff, snarly demeanor. He is a weapon on the ice and a bit of a playboy. At 37, he's getting close to the end of his hockey career and it scares him. Hockey is all he knows. He lives by a strict regime, he has rules, doesn't take risks anymore and shies away from fun.

Through mutual friends, Tallulah and Burgess meet. The attraction is there and he offers her the Au Pair position. She accepts but then the doubt starts creeping in. She doesn't know him, not really. She knows the brute he is on the ice and that scares her. Especially after what she has been through.

This book made me weak. The obvious attraction between this pair is palpable. The stubbornness of them both is frustrating. The emotions they both feel bleeds from the pages of this book, and I was right there, feeling all the feels with them!

They help each other find who they are and where they belong in life. It's raw and heartfelt. But it's not just their hearts on the line, they need to think of Lissa too.

Lust and desire they feel is real and when they give in to it...OMG it's HOT AS HELL!!

First of all I have to thank NetGalley and Harper Collins Australia for sending me the ARC of Tessa Baileys forthcoming book “The Au Pair Affair”!

When I tell you that I devoured this book! I ate it up! Completely, no crumbs left behind! Talulah and (FORGOT HIS NAME) were definitely a match made in heaven. The golden retriever MMC falling in love with the tortured sunshine FMC was glorious.

If you love books where he not only falls first, but falls so hard and fast he can’t get back up! Then this one is for you.

There were fun side characters, Chloe and Sig, I can’t wait to read their story. Chloe seems like the girl next door type who is hiding how smart she truly is, while Sig is the over bearing and protective older step-brother-to-be.

But enough about them, The Au Pair Affair delivered exactly what I wanted from it. While it didn’t bother me I do believe that a trigger warning at the beginning may have been in order for some readers, due to prior off the page trauma for one of the characters.

Would I recommend this book? 10000% YES
If you haven’t already, definitely go and pre order this book!

Overall all a great single dad romance! The hockey element was a bonus cause who doesn’t love a hockey romance?! It was an easy with low angst, spice was spicing. Would recommend to anyone who’s a Tessa fan.