Tessa Baileys books are always hit and miss for me. Loved It happened one Summer and Hook, Line and Sinker, really didn’t like Secretly Yours. This one falls somewhere in the middle for me. As usual there is Tessa’s trademark spice, but whereas I enjoyed that in the first two books I mentioned, I feel like she tries to get more and more ‘out there’ with every book she publishes, and sometimes it can come across a bit cringy. I have no problem with Insta love, which a lot of Tessa’s books feature. I believe it can happen and it’s always sweet when it does. She writes layered characters and fun banter, thanks Netgalley and the Publisher.

Maybe I’m starting to understand the sports romance trope… as someone who ultimately dislikes and avoids sport. But The Au Pair Affair was super fun, even if you’re not an athlete.

Tessa Bailey’s latest novel, (a standalone story connected to characters in her previous ‘Hot Shots’ novel Fangirl Down), follows ice hockey captain Burgess, and marine biologist Talullah. Far fetched in terms of realistic careers? Sure. But of course they are - it’s a romance novel. The best rom coms are far fetched if you ask me. Talullah is to be Burgess’s daughter Lissa’s au pair while she completes her study. Then, predictably, they *spoiler alert* fall in love. Actually, this isn’t a spoiler, it is very, very obvious.

Like Fangirl Down, The Au Pair Affair treads slightly deeper into darker topics - something we haven’t seen from her before. I like the extra dimension this gives to both the characters and the usually-light rom com novel, and the potential to explore reactions and responses to these topics. I wasn’t quite expecting the darkness of this experience in the novel, and this could be triggering for some readers. While I think this was important to talk about, I didn’t feel like the trauma was effectively addressed or managed once it had been revealed - rather it defaulted to Burgess being a very protective partner.

I also liked the element of Lissa’s story in the book, especially her reckoning between two homes, the trials and tribulations of being a tween, and coming to grips with her reality. I wanted even more of Lissa’s story and her response to Talullah’s relationship with her Dad.

One thing that felt very obvious in The Au Pair Affair was Bailey’s setting up of the next novel - Chloe and Sig were mentioned so often that surely that has got to be the next novel! I’m not complaining about a new book to read, but I felt it could have been more subtly entwined.

All in all, this book was super fun and I really enjoyed reading it. I’m looking forward to Bailey’s next novel - surely it’s got to be about Chloe and Sig?!

Tallulah and Burgess had me hooked from the moment they met in Fangirl Down. Throw in a nanny/boss, age gap, grumpy/sunshine and Tessa Bailey has created an awesome read AGAIN!

I love a good hockey romance and this was perfect! Burgess is going to be everyone’s new book boyfriend, the way he was so smitten was too cute. He also nailed the touch her and die vibes. 👌🏻

Tallulah has a pretty intense back story and it’s nice to see her character development throughout the story.

The spice was spicing. 🌶️

I do wish there wasn’t a third act breakup. They communicated so well and then they didn’t. The epilogue made up for it though. 💕

I recieved an advance cope of this for an honest review. Thank you soo much to Tessa Bailey, NetGalley and the publishers for this opportunity.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Au Pair Affair is the second book in the Big Shots universe by Tessa Bailey. This book follows Tallulah, a broke marine biology grad student, and Burgess, a hockey player single dad who hires her to be his live-in nanny. They aren't total strangers as they were introduced by their mutual friends (the MCs of the first book, Fangirl Down), but Tallulah has an intense distrust of men after a traumatic past experience. Burgess is very protective of her from the beginning but has his own reserves after his divorce and his fear of retirement.

While I definitely enjoyed this book, I have very high expectations of Tessa Bailey books after It Happened One Summer (which is one of my all-time favourite romances) and unfortunately, this one did not live up to them. The MC is definitely reminiscent of Brendan from IHOS, being big, burly, and grumpy. I liked both the characters, and they had some really cute scenes, and I thought the spice was written well. I loved Burgess' daughter and would have loved to have read some more scenes with her in them. Tallulah's trauma was discussed early on as she was apprehensive about living in Burgess' house, but I felt that the story didn't stay true to it much after that. Burgess was overly protective, and some of his actions verged on being too forceful, which I think would have definitely triggered Tallulah, despite her growing trust in him. I also thought the romance moved too quickly considering all this, and I think there could have been so much more tension and angst if it was slow burn, especially considering the forced proximity of their living situation. I'm also a little bit over the trope of "the giant man" - one particular line made me laugh with how ridiculous it was: "And his hands. They were so big. Capable of holding a hockey stick and chopping peppers..." 😅

Overall, it was still an enjoyable romance book, and I would definitely recommend it if you are a Tessa Bailey fan.

For me to power through a book in two days is a glowing review in itself. Tessa has done it again, sucked me into a sports romance!
Tallulah and Burgess’ connection was there from the start in Fangirl Down and not only became deeper by more complex as their lives enmeshed.
And the sex! 🔥🥵

This book has a little more spice than I am used to from the amazing Tessa Bailey and I'm not mad about it.

I do love a good ice hockey read and this one had it all. The drama, main characters with flaws that were nit too annoying and a great cast of other awesome characters.

A hot read that will keep you turning the page.

Tallulah, a smart and vivacious 26-year-old graduate student studying to be a marine biologist, is struggling financially, and dealing with past trauma. She takes a job as a live-in nanny for Burgess, a battle-scarred hockey veteran and single dad, after being introduced through mutual friends. As Tallulah moves into Burgess's home, they help each other confront and overcome their respective challenges.

Following the high I felt reading Fangirl Down, I was really excited to get my hands on this ARC. Tallulah and Burgess had a rushed introduction in Fangirl Down, but I hoped their story would improve in this book. Unfortunately, it didn't quite meet my expectations.

Tallulah was given a difficult backstory, making her wary of men and hesitant to live life fully. For such a heavy topic, the handling felt unrealistic, especially the idea that Tallulah would agree to live with a man she barely knew given her history. Burgess also came across as too strong and possessive given the circumstances.

The heavy focus on the single dad and age gap tropes was also problematic for me. Despite the title, there wasn't much emphasis on Tallulah’s role as an au pair. The daughter featured more in the first half than the second, ultimately feeling tokenistic. And the 11-year age gap, coupled with a 12-year-old daughter, made the overuse of ‘daddy’ in non-familial situations feel uncomfortable.

The spicy scenes were just too much and came across as really cringy and just a bit icky. I had a similar issue with Fangirl Down, where the dirty talk felt awkward, but it was even more pronounced in this instalment.

However, I enjoyed the cameos by Josephine and Wells, as it was lovely to check in with them again, even briefly. I also loved some of the new secondary characters, though I'm not sold on the couple for book three.

Overall, this was a book I read quickly and moderately enjoyed, but I couldn't bring myself to love it. It's not a favourite of mine, but perhaps hardcore Tessa Bailey fans will feel differently.

Thank you NetGalley and Harper Collins Australia for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Tallulah, a graduate student, becomes an au pair for Burgess, a hockey player, after being introduced through mutual friends. Struggling with past trauma, Tallulah has been avoiding certain aspects of her life. Meanwhile, Burgess, whose life revolves around hockey since his divorce, has lost touch with having fun. As Tallulah moves into Burgess’s home, they help each other confront and overcome their respective challenges.

Tessa Bailey’s formula of giant grumpy man falls for tiny sunshine woman was at play again here. Burgess was very similar to Brendan from It Happened One Summer! Spice was back to Tessa Bailey standard (the last book of hers I read was Hook, Line and Sinker and the spice was very poorly written). This was a light, enjoyable, predictable romance. I did have a few issues with it, however. In the book, Tallulah shares with Burgess some trauma that she experienced in the past that has made her fearful of men. I didn’t like how Burgess acted towards her a lot of the time whilst knowing this. This is a big difference between protectiveness and possessiveness and Burgess constantly stepped over the line. This was a single dad/nanny romance, but we got very little of the characters interacting with Burgess’s daughter Lissa; in fact, he was constantly dismissing her and ignoring her in favour of Tallulah, which I also wasn’t a fan of. I liked Talulah’s character growth although Burgess’s kind of annoyed me.

Thank you to the author for providing an opportunity to read this book ahead of release. Unfortunately, no kindle copy was provided and the epub released has text too small to be readable on the phone. At this point, I'll need to wait for it to come out after all. No doubt I'll enjoy it, but since I wasn't able to read it at this time, I'll offer a middle range star review.

Tessa Bailey wrote a HOCKEY romance yall! 😍

This was everything I wanted Fangirl Down to be , and more.
The amount of chemistry between Burgess and Tallulah was insane and their family dynamic was absolutely gorgeous! I wish we had seen some more of the Burgess , Tallulah and Lissa after the wedding but the epiloge was still fabulous 👌

5/5 stars! Thank you netgalley and Harper Collins Australia x

Burgess (very skeptical on that name 🤨) was already so protective, sweet, and went out of his way to make sure Tallulah was safe within the two chapters 😩 I knew it was over for Wells because Burgess was genuine competition for being the best book bf 🥰

Burgess needed help, and having Tallulah move in was exactly what this family needed. She was incredibly strong, whitty, and a great role model for Lissa (I just wish we saw more moments of them together)

Their chemistry, banter, conversations and connection was so genuine. I loved them together. His jealousy had me giggling, oh boy Burgess fell first and he fell HARD ❤️

Idk what kind of stuff Tessa Bailey is putting her books this year but her men are on another level of hotness and possessiveness 😩

But then Tessa had to break my heart with a third act breakup 😭 I saw it coming and it still HURT.

Overall, still recommend this book and the final verdict is that Wells remains no.1 in the end. Sorry Burgess. Also the little appearances of Wells + Josephine had me squealing they were so freakin cute.

I’m soooo excited for the next book forbidden romance with step siblings?? Sign me tf up

I'm going to be honest, I'm hit and a miss with Tessa Bailey. I loved the Bellinger sisters, but I couldn't stand the vineyard series, so I went into this hesitantly, and only because I love a hockey romance.,

I loved the characters independently, their backstories and their quirks and traits; a turkish lead, who was an academic, brought a freshness that you don't see in a lot of main characters. You don't need to sell me on the tall, dark hockey player - I'm already there. I liked the idea of them as a couple. I loved the daughter and the super accurate struggles of a thirteen year old girl. I loved them all. The thing that really put a damper on it for me (outside of the really dramatic and traumatic back story that I don't think was overly necessary) was the insta attraction. You can be attracted to someone, but this overtook the whole book. It wasn't insta love, but it was so intense that it detracted what could have been a good love story. I just find this cheapens it and makes it a little surface level,

Also, I get the alliteration, but I think we really need to asses the "au pair' part of this book, because at best, she could be described as a live in sometimes babysitter.

This has an interesting dynamic with Sir Savage - Burgess being an older experienced hockey star and a single dad. Tallulah is our main heroine and she has trust issues around men due to a horrific experience in her past. Their interactions are sweet. He is very protective and respectful but a bad ass on the rink. She is someone who is trying to break out of her bubble of safety and learning to live again and trust men. She is offered a position as his au pair to his daughter Lissa and it blossoms from there.
He does come on very strong as he falls for her first and can't help it but is a super respectful man and tries to go slow and let Tallulah take the lead. The third act shocked me. But this was a classic Tessa Bailey romance. The spice was spicing. The emotional side of the story hits hard. It was a wild ride the whole way through.

Tessa Bailey has done it again……..

I have a love/hate relationship with Tessa Bailey books, since reading it happened one summer and getting all the feels I was yet to find another of her titles to give me those feelings, Then along came Fangirl down and I fell head over heels for Wells and Josephine! So ofcourse I was intrigued to pick up The Au pair Affair to see if I would love it and it’s even better!

It has everything I love in tropes from single dad, age gap and he falls first but my ultimate favourite of touch her and die vibes were just the best in Burgess.

The relationship between Burgess and Tallulah was organic and I felt while reading I were watching from the sidelines squealing with satisfaction as the two made their way together. Tallulah had an interesting backstory and I enjoyed seeing her growth in the book.

Burgess is going to be everyone’s new book boyfriend! I just fell in love with him and couldn’t get enough.

This story flowed from the beginning to the end and I really hope we get more of these sport romances in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this arc.

This book was an absolute gem! I was completely enamored, especially the snip bits of the tender moments between Wells & Josephine and the scintillating romance crafted by Tessa Bailey. The chemistry between Tallulah and Burgess was pure magic – each interaction felt like a culinary masterpiece, deserving of a chef's kiss!

However, I must admit, the third act breakup did put a damper on the otherwise exhilarating narrative. While breakups are a common trope in romance, the prolonged timeline of reconciliation and the characters' incessant back-and-forth left me questioning the believability and enjoyment of this portion of the story.

Nevertheless, my excitement for the next installment, featuring Sig and Chloe, knows no bounds. The forbidden allure of their step-sibling romance promises an intriguing storyline. Yet, I can't help but harbor some reservations, particularly regarding Chloe's characterization as a 'ditz.' It remains to be seen how her role as the female lead will unfold.

In summary, this book offered moments of sheer delight intertwined with elements that left me somewhat conflicted. Despite its flaws, the captivating romance and the promise of future narratives kept me hooked until the very end.

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Don’t want to give too much away but I absolutely love this book. As a hockey romance lover I can definitely say this is one of my favourite books. I’m definitely going to be recommending it to everyone!

The only downside for me personally is that it was in third person they aren’t my favourite types but that’s just a personal preference.


Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book

This book is a delicious slow burn, forbidden, age gap, hockey romance. The burn is slow but scalding. I loved all the characters, and their character growth all around is fantastic.
There is heartache and hard lessons to learn. Past issues to overcome, and an angsty teen to win over. But the biggest obstacle is always ourselves.

This was a fun and entertaining romcom style book with extra spice sprinkled on top. I went into this book not knowing it was a sequel to another of the authors books, the characters from that book are background characters in this story and it still makes sense reading as a stand-alone.

Thank you Harper Collins & NetGalley for my e-ARC of The Au Pair Affair. Tallulah takes on an au pair gig to hockey superstar Sir Savage, and a tense slow-burn immediately follows!

I loved the banter between the two MCs.

Tropes
🩵 Sports Romance
🩵 Grumpy/Sunshine
🩵 He falls first
🩵 Age Gap
🩵 Single Dad
🩵 “Who did this to you?”

I wasn’t a huge fall of the third act breakup, and would have liked to see more background about Tallulah’s Turkish background.

Didn’t stop me from absolutely devouring this over a weekend. I can’t wait for the next book, and hope it’s Chloe & Sig!

When he falls first and he falls HARD! Burgess our grumpy NHL player has been smitten from first glance when he meets Tallulah the next thing you know she’s taken a job to be his Au Pair.

The temptation to stay away from the nanny was too much and had the tension building so well between these two characters. With navigating a tween girl and past traumatic experiences the two have a lot to work through but boy is it worth it.

The spice in the book is delicious 🌶️🌶️🌶️

Favourite quotes:
-“Mean Daddy”
-“I’m hungry and your body is the only thing that feeds me” 🥵