4.5 stars

I knew from meeting these two characters, Burgess and Tallulah, in the first book in this Big Shots series (Fangirl Down), that their story was going to be good.
I five starred that book and this book was almost as good for me!

This is a single dad, age gap, nanny, hockey, opposites attract romance. Burgess is a veteran hockey player at 37 years old who needs help caring for his twelve year old daughter. He is aloof, surly with a protective streak a mile high. He has been thinking a lot of Tallulah since he first met her.

Tallulah is 26 years old and finishing up her Masters degree in Marine Biology. She needs some kind of income to live in Boston and cautiously accepts the au pair affair job.

I really loved the development of the relationship between them. The author’s books are known to be quite spicy, but it didn’t really pick up until the halfway point.

I enjoyed seeing Wells and Josephine again and meeting Sig and Chloe. I’m looking forward to their story next.

3.75 stars. I really liked this forbidden-ish, single dad, grumpy/sunshine storyline. Great chemistry and banter. I did struggle with how it’s written but after I got use to it I enjoyed it more.

🐧Age Gap
🏒Hockey Romance
🐧Single Dad
🏒Nanny/Boss
🐧Grumpy/Sunshine
🏒Instant Attraction

First of all, thank you so much to the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this book before its release date. I loved this one so much. It works through the flaws of both main characters to make them both stronger in the end to be a happy couple. The progression of this relationship happened quicker than I expected, but it also felt natural.

It also set it up perfectly for the next book in the series so I cannot wait to read that.

This was a great read, filled with Tessa Bailey's signature spice and banter (a lot of spice). I enjoyed this sports romance (they're growing on me more) and would recommend it to the big daddy, hockey loving girlies.

The Au Pair Affair is a steamy romcom that is cute, quirky and very predictable. Burgess, a pro hockey player hires Tallulah to be an au pair for his daughter. Steamy sexual bantering occurs which ultimately ends up in a steamy romance.
Thank you NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for my ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was incredibly entertaining and smoking hot! The Au Pair Affair was filled with everything I've come to know and love from Tessa Bailey. It was sweet and funny as well as emotional. I laughed, I cheered, I got teary-eyed, and I held my breath as Burgess and Tallulah got to their HEA. Fantastic read!

After meeting Burgess and Tallulah in the last book, Fangirl Down, and what had been set up, I was super excited to dive in and I was not disappointed. I loved learning about Tallulah and what happened in her past to form who she is. I felt so much for her and how she was trying to challenge herself and put herself out there. Burgess was everything! I loved how he was crushing on her right from the start and how protective he was. He had a heart of gold. I loved the development and challenges of their relationship, from the conflict of her being his au pair to the age difference plus the personal issues they were dealing with. There were all these can't-go-there moments that I could feel vibrating between them. Burgess had the best flirt ever and it just kept amping up. When the spice takes hold, watch out! Burgess is dirty and sexy. It was the build to those moments that made it so combustible.

There was a wonderful cast of characters involved. I loved seeing Wells and Josephine and the humor they brought. I liked the dynamic with Burgess’s daughter and how the au pair job created conflict. I adored what's been set up for his teammate Sig and his soon-to-be stepsister Chloe. I’m looking forward to more in the series!

There was a good amount of drama involved and it could be a little intense. There was a moment or two where I wanted to throw my Kindle and yell at them both. That, however, is what I loved. Being a part of the story and making me feel it all. I loved the build, the openness and vulnerability, the playfulness and fun.

This was so freaking good! It was filled with all these exceptional moments that filled me up and had me cheering. There was great development giving me just what I needed when I needed it. I loved the remarkable characters, the entertaining and heartfelt scenes, and the scorching hot ones too. This is not to be missed!

This was my first from Tessa Bailey, and now I’m on a mission to read her backlog. I wasn’t sure if I was going to be into the dad/nanny age gap romance, but man was I wrong! I was giggling, and feeling all kinds of hot and bothered. The romance was sweet, the tension was palpable, the characters and growth was perfection. I loved it!

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinions.

Ok I’m not even a fan of hockey romances but I thought “well it’s Tessa Bailey so of course I’m gonna read it”…now I’m a fan of hockey romance! This was so sweet and I couldn’t put it down.

Tallulah is a marine biologist who agrees to be an au pair for a star hockey player while she finishes college. Burgess is a veteran hockey player who knows his time in the rink is probably coming close to an end.

This book was so cute and funny while still having some serious issues addressed throughout!

This was 4/5 for me and I would highly recommend!

Burgess, a single dad who is a hockey player, is in need of a live-in nanny when he meets Tallulah who happens to be friends with Josephine who is engaged to his best friend, Wells. Tallulah is in school to be a marine biologist but is looking for extra work and living in a super nice neighborhood and taking care of Burgess’ tween daughter, Lissa, is right up her alley. Burgess and Tallulah are both very attracted to each other and this living together arrangement is only adding fuel to their fire. Lissa loves Tallulah but is dead set on her parents getting back together even though her mother is engaged. It puts Tallulah in a weird position and she ends up walking away even though it hurts her heart. Burgess struggles when she leaves, but eventually his daughter pushes him to go after what he really wants.

This may be my favorite Tessa Bailey book to date. I looooove a hockey romance and Burgess and Tallulah were perfect for each other. The forced proximity was great and the age gap added an interesting storyline as well. The bond she helped him build with his daughter was great and how Lissa looked up to Tallulah and came around to the idea of her being with her dad was well done. This story has plenty of spice and I thought their romance was perfect.

“I’m starting to think this au pair affair is going to be fun to watch.”

And it was!

As I mentioned in my Fangirl Down review, Tessa Bailey writes “man obsessed” like no other. After loving Fangirl Down, and meeting Tallulah and Burgess, I was so excited for their story.

Boston Bearcats team captain, Burgess Abraham, also known as Sir Savage, has been quietly FERAL for Tallulah since day one. He feels a connection to her and wants to take care of her immediately in any way he can. This includes providing her with a sweatshirt during his hockey game when he realizes to his horror that she is cold.

Aspiring Marine Biologist Tallulah Aydin recognizes the defenseman’s DILF status, but she is not looking for love. Tallulah has experienced some major trauma (stalking and domestic violence), which has significantly altered the trajectory of her life and faith in others. She needs to focus on healing and graduating. She does NOT want to settle down with this handsome “Mean Daddy” even if the sex is great, he’s protective and makes her feel strong. So what?

The overall energy in this one had a more serious undertone then some of Tessa’s other books, which was balanced well with more humor and interactions from Burgess teammates. I loved every interaction; the conversations provided lightness and introductions to future MMC’s. I am going to need Sig’s story tomorrow and I hope one of the rookies gets paired with an older FMC. Please please please

It was refreshing to see the father/ daughter/ new GF dynamic where there are more complicated feelings. As a stepparent, I think it is more common than some of the other single parent books I’ve read suggest.

While I did enjoy most aspects of this book, I was not a fan of the spice. Burgess could take some lessons from Fox and Wells in dirty talk- “I’ll keep my hips bucking for the next thirty-six hours.” He also called her “girl” during intimate scenes and that just wasn’t for me. And despite all the steamy scenes, there was no mention of contraception.

What to expect:
• DILF/ Nanny
• Sports romance
• Grumpy/ sunshine
• Age gap (He’s 37, she’s 26)
• Right person, wrong time
• Epic level horniness
• Man obsessed
• Boston setting
• Interactions with Sig (need his story asap) and Wells and other team mates
• An intervention that reminded me of my beloved Bergman interventions

Thank you so much to Avon Books for an early digital copy; all thoughts are my own.

after loving Fangirl Down I was disappointed with this one. I think Tessa is an author that is hit or miss for me and unfortunately this felt more like a miss. I didn’t believe how willing Burgess was to help Tallulah for seemingly no reason. I thought some moments were soft and meaningful but overall I wanted a bit more from this

I accidentally read this before Fangirl Down… oops! But this was cute? Steamy? Made me feel a little uncomfy?

Like Fangirl Down, this book follows two characters who have an employee and employer relationship, which, again, makes me feel weird. And it gets weirder because the employee, the FMC, is actually the MMC’s live-in nanny. So already, boundaries are blurred.

But looking past that and the potential for coercion, Tallulah and Burgess were hot! You had so many tropes with this one: single dad, age gap, nanny, sports romance, and forced proximity. All of which made with lots of angst and tension!!

The spice was consistent and came fast (it began real close to the beginning), which I appreciated. I’d give it like 4/5 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

(Thank you, Avon and Harper Voyager and NetGalley, for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.)

If I could only use one word for this book, perhaps I’d use “incomplete.” There is a strong focus on the attraction and chemistry between Burgess and Tallulah, jumping directly to a very high level of spice, and everything else falls by the wayside. I think this 100% should have been written without a child involved - because that child is basically ignored for the majority of the time. Working as his assistant or some other forced proximity would have worked just fine. There is so little backstory on either of the main characters, and their personalities don’t really shine through in present actions. The third act break up is terrible, awful, toxic and unforgivable. And beyond that, it was so out of character. He could have pushed her away without being vile. There are small complaints, like very repetitive and sometimes very off putting language (Tallulah smelling of oranges and basil at least 5 times), or “her thighs like a big box store on the opening on Black Friday.” Overall this was not for me. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to provide my honest review.

This one really hits you in the feels! Oh my goodness. Burgess is a grumpy hockey player, and he's known as Sir Savage for a reason. Tullulah is finishing up grad school for marine biology, and stumbles into an au pair position for none other than Burgess himself, helping out with his twelve year old daughter.

Bringing their own unique baggage into things, they can't manage to stay away from one another. Confusing feelings, hesitance to accept those feelings, and lack of timely communication lead to hurt feelings and broken hearts. Can they find their way to a happy life, with or without each other?

The Au Pair Affair by Tessa Bailey

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶🌶️🌶️

Single dad/nanny
Forced proximity
Hockey
Grumpy/ sunshine
Age gap

The Au Pair Affair is the second book in the Big Shots Series.

I thoroughly enjoy when the MMC is a grump and is overprotective. With Burgess and Tallulah’s story we get multiple issues to overcome, both with trauma, divorce/ separation issues and teen drama.

Burgess and Tallulah had instant chemistry and it was so incredibly distracting how they could go from incredibly sweet, and caring to such spice and dirty talk.

I loved the growth these characters had both together and apart! Tallulah was able to gain confidence and independence and Burgess opened up and became so adventurous!

Absolutely loved the interactions with Wells and Josephine and cannot wait to see where the next story goes!

I received an ARC copy of this book and am leaving an honest review.

Thank you to @NetGalley for letting me read the advanced ebook in exchange for my honest review.

This book was alright, the spicy scenes were nice, but the love connection just wasn't believable. I didn't enjoy the FMC she was just to wishy washy which got irritating. I love Tessa Baileys books but I didn't love this one. Age gap romances are not my personal favorite either.

I enjoyed reading The Au Pair Affair by Tessa Bailey. You will fall in love with all the characters. I received an ARC of this book courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and given freely. Happy Reading!

This is my first read by Tessa Bailey and I absolutely loved this one! I am also a sucker for single dad and I think she did this trope well!

Burgess is a Hockey star in Boston but at 37 he is toward the end of his career. He is looking for a nanny for his 12 year old daughter and hires his best friends fiancés best friend. (Did you follow that?! lol) Tallulah is everything Burgess is not. She loves adventure and trying new things and is sunshine to his grumpy. She is also amazing with his daughter. Tallulah can connect with her on a level that Burgess so desperately wants. Due to a past situation Tallulah has major trust issues. Burgess proves to her that she can trust him and she teaches him how to communicate with people off the ice, most importantly his daughter.

I adored this book! Burgess is grumpy and closed off to any sort of relationship and a beast on the ice. But the moment he meets Tallulah his world is flipped upside down! He gets tunnel vision and only sees Tallulah but she does not make it easy on him. She is scared and doesn't feel safe but slowly Burgess breaks down all those walls! He provides the protection and reassurance she needs and slowly falls for this huge teddy bear of a man! And the hospital part broke me! I went through so many emotions with this book. I loved the playfulness between Burgess and Tallulah. I loved the growth we see from Burgess as a father. This was my first Tessa Bailey book but it will not be my last!

This was an entertaining, well-written book. It was fun, fast-paced, steamy and I couldn't put it down. I enjoyed this book and will look for more books by this author.

💭 MY THOUGHTS: Sports romances by Tessa are an absolutely must! Both Fangirl Down (golf) and The Au Pair Affair (hockey) are 5-stars for me. Burgess had the ultimate Zaddy vibes that had me swooning. And Tallulah is adorable. The perfect sunshine to Burgess’ grump.

I loved how Tessa highlighted the sexiness of hockey. Burgess’s nickname in Boston is Sir Savage and while he can be that on the ice, he’s so much more too. Tallulah can’t get enough even when she doesn’t want to.

I also really enjoyed that Wells and Josephine had cameos in the book!

Read for:
🏒 Hockey Romance
⛅️ Grump Sunshine
🧢 Single Dad
🔢 Age Gap
🏠 Forced Proximity
🌶️ Spicy
💫 He Falls First
📍 Boston

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 5
Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️ / 5