I feel like overall this was a fun book! If you like a hot single dad x age gap, give this a read! Oh and of course has the hockey romance which is a crowd fave!!

Although the book touched on some hard topics it was more of a spicy romcom. I felt like I was just needing a bit more from the characters and their connection. Being said, I still had a great time reading it!

This would be a perfect book if you need to get out of a reading slump because I don't think you'll be able to put it down!

To be honest I think this book made me more excited for book 3🤭🤭

"I would give up everything I own to go back to that day and tell you I love you, too, Tallulah. I'd smile while handing over my soul to the devil for that chance."


ohh mmyyy goddd, there is a reason why tessa bailey is one of my favourite authors. this book was everything!!

single dad? check
hockey? check
nanny? check

i absolutely love tallulah and burgess together 🥹 i read this in one sitting and still want more of them.

the only reason it wasn’t a 5 star for me was because it seemed a bit rushed at the start, but aside from that, i’m obsessed.

Before I start yapping I’ll say that overall I enjoyed reading this book. It was easy and fun but just missed the mark for me personally.

There were some heavy topics in Tallulahs backstory which seemed to just be glossed over (boooo girly deserves better). The forced proximity didn’t hit in this one, it doesn’t make sense for Tallulah to trust burgess at this point considering what she’s been through. I didn’t find their relationship to be believeable at all.

I usually love the single dad trope but let’s be real burgess barely has anything to do with his daughter in the second half of the book. And the Au Pair Affair? Tallulah is the Au Pair for all of 5 minutes before everything goes to shit.

I enjoyed reading it and really enjoyed the banter but unfortunately this one just didn’t do it for me. I am intrigued to read about Sig and Chloe and will definitely be reading the next one in their series though.

Tessa Bailey's new rom-com The AU Pair Affair is about hockey captain Burgess and his new nanny Tallulah
This is the second book in the Big Shots series, but unlike most other readers, I haven't read Fan Girl down, the first book in this series. I found the story easy to pick up, and although it seems they are interconnected, it's not imperative to read the other book first.
The tropes of this book had be intrigued - hockey romance mixed with the single dad x nanny, forced proximity and age gap.
Sadly this book fell flat for me. While I usually love Tessa Bailey's  writing, I just couldnt get through a few of the plot holes with this one, I felt the relationship building through this story was a little far fetched and not entirely believable.
Tallulah carries significant trauma from her past, I dontchelieve there is any way she could be so comfortable with a forced proximity this quickly - it was like flicking a light switch! Please check the trigger warnings, there are some heavy topics!
Also - there wasn't a whole lot of Au Pairing - who was looking after that poor kid!
Unfortunately I really wanted to love this more, but I will still be picking up Fan Girl Down!

Thank you Tessa Bailey, Harper Collins Publishers Australia, and Netgalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I absolutely loved The Au Pair Affair! I couldn’t put it down I loved the story between Burgess and Tallulah. Burgess is a pro hockey player and newly divorced and needs help with his 12 year old daughter. Tallulah moves into his apartment as the nanny. Burgess has been thinking about Tallulah for months after meeting through mutual friends. Burgess falls hard and fast for Tallulah. Tallulah has had some trauma in her past and is hesitant. The banter between these characters is chef kiss.

I really enjoy the way Tessa makes her characters with so much banter and this strange sort of lofty sass. Burgess was that lovely grump of a protector while Tallulah was trying to rediscover her sunshine.

There was plenty of pining from Burgess, who was respectful of her boundaries while also being deliciously hot and essentially giving Tallulah no choice but to jump his bones. Hoping that we get an Sig and Chloe for instalment number three.

Thanks to #NetGallery and publisher for a copy of this book.

Genre: Romance FM
Format: Dogital
POV: Dual
Tropes: Single dad/Au pair, hockey player, forced proximity, he falls first and he falls hard, 11 year age gap, who did this to you?
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️ /5
Age suggestion: 18+

I love Tessa Bailey, and i enjoyed Fangirl Down but i sadly did not love The Au Pair Affair.
*side note* i felt their characters and story was extremely predictable just from reading about them in Fangirl Down. I was almost reluctant to read this as i felt like i knew exactly how the book was going to go, and i was right...

I hate to be that person... but are all romance books just all the same these days or is it just me?
The spice is good (sometimes a little over the top considering how 'cutesy' the story was) but i feel like it can't be the only thing to carry the story. There needs to be more to the story then just sexual tension and a odd dynamic of people who inevitably end up falling in love. I really enjoyed Tallulah and Burgess's characters but why does the MMC always have to a complete grump?...

I will always be a Tessa Bailey fan but i'm sad this one just didn't do it for me as much as i thought it would.

This felt very different especially after reading Fangirl down. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a biggg Tessa Bailey fan and I love a grumpy MMC x sunshine FMC hockey romance.

Tallulah’s backstory involves serious issues not hinted at in the synopsis, with the charming cover concealing the depth of her experiences. Her past decisions shape the entire book. On the plus side, Burgess is full head over heels, and it’s fun to see him try to figure things out. The communication and relationship building before giving in to their chemistry was intense and so well done. Lissa adds fun, and the setup for the next book is promising. Seeing Wells and Josephine again was a highlight.

Plot-wise, it’s mostly strong, but some parts felt disjointed, and the push-and-pull at the end was frustrating. Overall, it was an enjoyable read, but not as lighthearted as Tessa’s usual works.

As always, a massive thank you to NetGalley, Avon and Harper Voyage for giving me the opportunity to read this!!

I am absolutely a sucker for a grumpy yet over protective MMC and Burgess aka Sir Savage is no exception. I loved that he's this big brute on the ice but an absolute softie at heart. Tallulah was amazing as a FMC and shows her strength by persisting despite her previous history. Together their banter is great and their chemistry is off the charts. I am hoping that the next story coming will be Sig and Chloe because I absolutely need to know what happens there.

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