- 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.

4.5 stars Tessa is amazing and she does it again with this book I loved these two in fan girl down and I loved them even more here, Burgess and Tallulah are so good in this book the spice is amazing and the storytelling and the character growth is also well done so damn good can't wait for the third

The Au Affair

Star: 4.5/5
Spice: 3/5

Tropes:
-Hockey Romance
-Grumpy x Sunshine
-Single Dad
-Age Gap
-He Falls First

This book is by far my favourite Tessa Bailey book. I am genuinely surprised at how much I loved this book. I could not put this book down. I enjoyed every moment of it. It was such a great,light and cutesy read. I definitely recommend this book. The story line wasn’t complicated and it flowed so well which made it such a quick and easy read. Burgess was a little overbearing and possessive, however it suited his character and played well into the story. I loved that there was a deeper reasoning and realistic concept behind his behaviour and traits. Especially when it came to Tallulah. Her character story and background really added to the story and made sense. I loved reading her development throughout the book. It made it more realistic and more relatable. I was left wanting more. I want more of Tallulah and Burgess. I would have loved a more in-detail version. I will definitely be rereading this in the future and can’t wait to have my hands on the physical copy!!

Thank you NetGalley and Harper Collin’s for the E-ARC!

Actually review - 2.5 stars

Tessa Bailey is very hit and miss for me and this book was sadly a miss. I absolutely loved Fangirl Down and was over the moon excited when I got approved for an ARC of this book on Netgalley only to be let down.

I'm going with a quick with my review because I just don't have it in me for the full number of words to express my disappointment. Basically the whole book fell flat - there was no chemistry between Burgess and Tallulah, the attempt at emotional things was meh and some of the steamy scenes seemed to occur at the strangest of times.

I also really didn't like Burgess as a character. He is completely obsessed with Tallulah and not in a good way which is icky given Tallulah's past trauma.

Thank you to Netgalley and HarperCollins for providing me with an ARC.

Whenever I read a Tessa Bailey book I always think we would be friends. I love her humour, I love her worlds she so expertly creates and I love the banter, it's perfect and addicitve. The Au Pair affair is yet another example of why I think me and Tessa Bailey would be friends.
Loved it!

I’m a huge Tessa Bailey fan and i’m a nanny romance fan in books it’s one of my favourite tropes!! This was such a fun read and one of my most anticipated reads of 2024!! thank you so much for the arc opportunity of this book, absolutely loved it!

I really enjoyed this Tessa Bailey story. I've enjoyed quite a few of her books in the past and this one did not disappoint.

It tells the story of an au pair and the hockey player single dad she's working for. I loved how strong and sensible our FMC is, she's been through a lot of horrible things and is so strong despite everything. We see her mental health and coping mechanisms worked on throughout her arc in this novel.

Our MMC is strong, but needs work being more sensitive and he softens and grows throughout the story. They bring out the best in one another and it's great to see that for them as a couple.

Although I'm not sure I would have forgiven Sir Savage if I was Tallulah after the comments in the hospital. There was one unbelievable bit (after the cliff jumping) where they have a spicy moment on the beach, but surely the instructors would be looking for them after a few minutes if they disappeared?

Overall I really enjoyed this book and would recommend to other Tessa Bailey fans.

I'm also really intrigued by Sig and Chloe's story... So keeping my eye out for that one!

Firstly, a big thank you to Netgalley for allowing me the opportunity to review the Au Pair Affair. I wanted to give Tessa Bailey's books a shot and I have to say I was not impressed.

While I understand why people love Tessa Bailey's books, I did not love this and it has nothing to do with the sports aspect. The characters were way too horny for their own good.

Burgess was more focused on shagging Tallulah against a wall or in the car and then actually being a dad to his daughter. He also appears to have too much appreciation for his penis and his fling's boobs. Oh, and his back injury.

Tallulah actually had personal growth. She got over her fear of strangers, thanks to Burgess, but she loved his penis too much and seemed mesmerised with it.

The Au Pair Affair is a single dad/nanny romcom and the second book in the Big Shots series from Tessa Bailey.

Tallulah accepted a job as Au Pair for Burgess Abraham’s daughter, Lissa, but just before arriving at her new home she see’s a video of Burgess in a hockey game that gives her cold feet. Tallulah is a victim of past trauma and doesn’t trust men easy and of course she expects Burgess “Sir Savage” to have a bite to match his bark. After Tallulah see’s how desperate Burgess is for help with his daughter, she reluctantly agrees to take on the job with some assurances that she will be safe. As Tallulah’s trust for Burgess grows, so too does her affection. Burgess can’t help but return those feelings, even though he thinks he is too old for her and she won’t want to be with a “has been” hockey player.

You can expect forced proximity and age gap in addition to the single dad/nanny trope. I felt like The Au Pair Affair had a different vibe about it compared to Fangirl Down. I found Fangirl Down super quirky, but The Au Pair Affair seemed a little more serious but still fitting of the rom-com title. Of course, that is probably due to the contract between the characters and their personalities. I loved the easiness of the interactions between Tallulah and Burgess. Despite Tallulah’s concerns you could see her comfort around Burgess and the importance of her trust.

There is a nice balance between the romance and sport in The Au Pair Affair and we are treated to a nice crossover with Wells & Josephine. The crossover and interactions felt like a nice addition to the story of Wells & Josephine, without overshadowing the story of Tallulah and Burgess. Similar can be said for Chloe & Sig, who are definitely being setup as a focus in a future book (I really can’t wait to see how that plays out).

Thank you to Harper Collins Australia & NetGalley for gifting me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed the book and the characters. The spice was 5⭐️. I’m a HUGE fan of Tessa Bailey and the work she writes! Thanks Netgalley for chance to review this

The Au Pair Affair is the first book I have read by Tessa Bailey... and it definitely wont be the last, I was hooked on this book from the very beginning!

Tallulah is a marine biologist student who becomes a live in au pair for a veteran SINGLE dad hockey player (Burgess). Tallulah gets along amazingly with Lissa (Burgess' daughter), and also decides that Burgess needs help getting back on the dating scene. As you can imagine Burgess falls hard for Tallulah but Tallulah is nursing some old demons so doesn't make it easy on Burgess.

The chemistry between these two is felt from the very beginning. I really enjoyed Tessa's writing style and the spice!!! Oh the spice was amazing. It was a nice and light addicting read that I couldn't put down. I may or may not have rushed to the book store to get my hands on as many Tessa books that I could!

I loved this book! I enjoyed Burgess and Tallulah’s story so much… the angst was angsting, romance was romancing, and the spice was spicing. All the things you expect in a Tessa Bailey book!! I will be purchasing a physical copy of this book!

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.