This book was trope-a-licious!

You can expect:
▪️Boss x employee (single dad x nanny)
▪️Forced proximity
▪️Age gap
▪️Sports romance
▪️Grumpy x sunshine
▪️He falls first (and harder)
▪️Third act breakup
▪️On page 🌶️
▪️Dual POV

Some of my thoughts:
📍Firstly, I received an ARC of this book through NetGalley. All comments here are my own, are my honest thoughts and I am leaving this review voluntarily for free. HUGE thanks to HarperCollins Australia for allowing me access to this title. I was absolutely stoked!!

📍Tessa Bailey is a consistent romance author, always delivering things I love. A broody alpha male, character depth, emotional intimacy, excellent sexual tension and spice all in dual POV with a light hearted touch of humour! This book was no exception.

📍Special mention to the on page hockey moments and the 12yo daughter. Both very enjoyable and realistically written.

📍The only part I didn’t enjoy was the third act breakup. I don’t always mind this plot device, it oftentimes serves its purpose, but in this particular case, it grated. Following the breakup up, when they saw each other again, their feelings flip/flopped so much it was annoyingly messy. I would have preferred the FMC to have been firmer in her resolve, the MMC to do more grovelling and a singular moment of reconciliation as opposed to the chaotic too and fro.

📍All in all though this was a very entertaining, binge-able book! I’m

"Hotness isn't a natonality."
"It is in my book," Mailer said, letting his tongue hang out.
"Your book is just a notepad with a bunch of dick drawings," Burgess commented.


The au pair affair is everything you expect in a rom-com in the best way possible.

Burgess is the epitome of grumpy masculinity aided by a soft spot for his pre-teen daughter who keeps him in a state of confusion and frustration.

Tallulah is well-rounded female main character who has a depth we don’t often see in typical rom-coms. The trauma she has experienced and how she deals with it are very grounded in reality and are not overcome because of her love interest but rather in spite of him.

The banter in this book is amazing. I loved every second of it. The duality of Burgess’s experience as a captain and leader of his team and the vulnerability he expresses with the women in his life is fantastic.

I think I experienced as much emotional damage as Tallulah when Burgess had his lash out moment. I loved that Tallulah made him work for forgiveness despite knowing the reasons why Burgess lashed out because it shows that actions have consequences which are often forgiven too easily in romance novels.

I am thoroughly invested in the continuation of this universe. I absolutely adore Chloe already and cannot wait for her to get her guy.

This is the second Tess Bailey book I’ve read, I wanted to give it a chance and try another because I really didn’t like the first one.

Unfortunately, I felt the same with this one. I find that there’s a lot of stuff in her books that make me feel a bit ick. It’s usually in the way characters talk during spicy scenes, it makes me cringe!

I really wanted to love this because Tessa so popular… but I don’t think Tessa is for me.

In saying that, the plot is solid and interesting! I like the characters themselves, they’re very well developed and intriguing.

Thank you so much NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book!

The ingredients for a good time:
* 1 Tessa Bailey
* 1 Tallulah (possibly inspired in part by Tessa's love of Turkish Dramas?)
* 1 Burgess (single Dad hockey player)
* a few 🌶️🌶️🌶️
Method:
Mix together facing your fears, admitting your weaknesses and finding the one you can't live without.

I really enjoyed the second instalment of the Big Shots series. There were parts of Tallulah's backstory I found relatable, making the growth in her character so rewarding. Burgess was just the kind of MMC that Tessa writes so well. I call it, the 'enlightened caveman.' He can't help but be all broody and protective, but he's trying his very, very best to be a feminist too.

Perhaps, for me the third act wasn't quite what I was expecting plot wise. Overall though, it's up there with my favourites of hers.

Thank you to HarperCollins Australia and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

In Tessa Bailey's latest sports rom-com, readers are introduced to Tallulah, a spirited young woman studying to be a marine biologist. When she's offered a job as a live-in nanny by Burgess, a gruff hockey veteran and newly single dad, she sees it as an opportunity to make ends meet while enjoying the perks of living in a fancy neighbourhood and bonding with Burgess's tween daughter, Lissa. Despite Burgess's initial reluctance, Tallulah takes it upon herself to help him re-enter the dating scene, leading to a blossoming romance between them. However, when complications arise and boundaries are tested, Tallulah makes the difficult decision to walk away, believing it's for the best. Yet, fate intervenes, prompting Burgess to confront his past and fight for a future with Tallulah.

God is a woman and her name is Tessa Bailey.

I LOVED The Au Pair Affair so much! I had been eagerly anticipating it since reading Fangirl Down and being introduced to these two and their chemistry but also from so many of the teasers Tessa had posted online.

Burgess and Tallulah have such an intense connection and it was written beautifully. Their journey was well paced and the tension was 🔥!

The character development for both Tallulah and Burgess was so captivating to watch unfold.

Bring on July when The Au Pair Affair is released and it can find its home on my shelf amongst the rest of Tessa’s works!

Read Time ⏱️ 4 hours

*****

"Time with you could never be a waste. Only a privilege."

"One day in hell feels a lot worse after spending weeks in heaven, Tallulah"

"I might not have you anymore. I might have thrown away my chance, but I'm not going to throw away the lesson you tried to teach me. If it's the only piece of you I'm allowed, I'm keeping it."

Tessa Bailey never ceases to make me laugh and swoon! She is constantly keeping things interesting without being repetitive or unoriginal.

The Au Pair Affair is by far one of my favourite books by Tessa so far! I absolutely adored both Tallulah and Burgess as characters and bought into their romance whole-heartedly.

I related to a lot of the messaging in this book as well which I wasn’t expecting, especially surrounding Tallulah’s fears and people pleasing tendencies. I think a lot of us can relate to feeling like we have to tell white lies to get out of things instead of just being honest. I deeply related to Tallulah being scared to reject a guy who was hitting on her.

On another note, the tension in this book was incredible! I noted that at 50% of the way, the tension was still building more and more. I was thinking about this book day and night and wanted to see what was going to happen next the whole way through the book.

This book made me feel all the feels! I went from laughing to tearing up, smiling to being frustrated at Burgess.

In short, this was the perfect book to get me out of a reading slump. Another amazing book by Tessa Bailey! Cannot wait to see what comes next. ❤️

Thank you to netgally, Tess Bailey and Harper Collins Publishers Australia for a copy this arc.

I didn’t love this one, it certainly wasn’t a bad book but after falling in love with the first book in the series Fangirl Down, I guess I was just expecting more. It doesn’t help that I don’t love the single dad/ nanny trope but I was hoping my love of hockey romances would balance it out for me. I do have a few nitpicks I don’t think these would be considered spoilers but look away now if you absolutely do not want to know anything about the plot….. you have been warned.

Tallulah is a marine biologist, which is very cool but other than a few passing references, her career and studies don’t matter too much to the plot which annoys me. If you are going to have women in STEM representation, make it matter. I also think that Burgess is a pretty rubbish dad. The single dad trope was used as a reason to have Tallulah move in with him but I think there could have been another way to write this into the plot. I love a single dad trope when their kids are everything, Lissa absolutely felt like an afterthought to both Burgess and Tallulah. I would love to know how this rates for those bookstas who love the single dad/nanny trope. Maybe this trope just isn’t for me or is one that just fell a little flat.

Another good Tessa Bailey book, cute hockey romance, but personally found the formatting hard to read.

Thanks Netgalley for this ARC!
Burgess is a single dad who ends up falling for his nanny Tallulah.
The Au Pair Affair consisted of a few different tropes, all of which I adore; forced proximity, age gap, single dad… 10/10.
This book sent me on a bit of an emotional rollercoaster- the almost insta love, the 🌶️ tension, the love and protectiveness, and then the emotional turmoil towards the end 😩
By the end, I definitely felt like I wanted my own Mean Daddy bc 😤🫣

The Au Pair Affair by Tessa Bailey is a delightful rom-com hockey romance that skillfully blends tropes like an age gap and the hero falling first. The story follows Burgess, the charismatic hockey star, and Tallulah, the endearing live-in nanny. As their worlds collide, sparks fly, leading to a charming tale filled with humour, heart, and steamy moments.

This story not only explores the dynamics of an unlikely romance but also delves into the rich backgrounds of the characters. Burgess and Tallulah are vividly portrayed, each with their own quirks and vulnerabilities, making them incredibly relatable. The chemistry between them is palpable, and I found myself rooting for their relationship from the start.

Overall, The Au Pair Affair is a captivating read that kept me hooked from beginning to end. Fans of rom-coms and hockey romances will undoubtedly enjoy this novel. Highly recommended for anyone looking for a sweet, heartwarming story with a side of sizzle.

Thank you to Netgalley and Tessa Bailey and Harper Collins for the ARC ❤️

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

☆ Single dad/nanny
☆ Forced proximity
☆ He falls first
☆ Hockey romance
☆ Opposites attract

I have been dying to read this book since I read Fangirl Down a few months ago.
I instantly fell in love with Burgess and Tallulah in that book and desperately wanted to read their story.

I read this book so fast. I didn’t want to stop. From page one I was in it and just needed to know what happened next.

Super fun story and relatable characters. I really hope we’ll be getting Sig’s story next!

I needed to know about this couple after reading the first book in this series.

It’s super cute and steamy and pure escape reading which is what I was after. I like that we get an older male love interest here too.

Devoured this book! Tessa sure has a way with words!

Awesome plot follows the FMC as she gets a job being a nanny and falls for the dad

It’s funny,spicy it’s an all round great romance book!

Only bad thing and this nothing to do with the book it’s self is that it’s only readable on the NetGalley app and the font is so tiny it made for sore eyes after awhile