*Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review*

The Au Pair Affair is the perfect summer read! Tessa Bailey reminds audiences of why she remains the Queen of insta-love romances and of course, hot single dads. ;)

Burgess is a divorced, stubborn hockey captain who can’t comprehend that his daughter’s Au Pair could possibly want him. She’s a college student and he’s a seasoned hockey player whose days in the game are numbered. With self-doubt running wild throughout his mind, Burgess must find a way to believe he is worthy of her, or risk losing her for good.

Tallulah is working as an Au Pair for NFL legend, Burgess Abraham’s tween daughter. Earning a master’s degree while playing house with an attractive hockey player goes about as you’d expect… The only problem? Tallulah isn’t interested in more than a fling, while Burgess wants all of her. Will she follow the love that has found her? Or will she walk away?

One of my favorite aspects of this book is the respect and independence Burgess gives Tallulah. It may not seem like much, but the mmc not pushing the fmc’s boundaries is a welcome change from many popular romances releasing as of late.

The relationship between the two is not without some turbulence, but they consistently follow each other’s lead, letting the other in by offering themselves wholeheartedly. As the relationship between Burgess and Tallulah blossoms, they remain dedicated to one another, loving as if there were a lifeline connecting the two, and guiding the other like a moth to candlelight.

Honestly, I loved this book. There were a few plot lines I wished had been expanded upon, but that is only because of my greed and the fact that I didn’t want it to end!

Spoilers Ahead: I would have liked to see Burgess’s role as Captain expanded upon. His title is mentioned less than five times and scenes of his leadership are minimal. Truth be told, The Au Pair Affair leaned more towards romance than sports romance. The plot relies heavily on the “dilfismn” of Burgess (which is honestly top tier) but if you are a hardcore hockey fan, you may not find extensive references to the sport.

Recommended Listening: “Unworthy” by Vancouver Sleep Clinic

3.5⭐

I'm not real sure how to phrase this review. I enjoyed the book. The storyline was good, but I feel like the only way Tallulah connected with Burgess emotionally was while they were being physically intimate... Even after she realized she was in love with him. And Burgess used sex as a manipulation tactic. Like, their relationship was cute and sweet, but they didn't know how to talk about their feelings unless they were naked and sweaty.

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy the spice, but the spice made the story fall flat for me on this one.

I waffled between 3 and 4 stars, so 3.5 stars it is.

I enjoyed the story but it felt too heavy to be a rom-com. I didn’t connect with the characters like I have in Bailey's other novels. Sure, there are funny parts, but the characters are dealing with a lot of heavy thoughts and feelings.

Burgess is totally gone for Tallulah right from the very beginning and she’s obviously attracted to him but has some obstacles she has to overcome. Their age gap and life gap (he's towards the end of his professional hockey career and she's graduating with her master's degree) feels inconsequential but I guess Burgess needs to have some obstacles too. Lissa (Burgess' 11 year old daughter ) felt more like a plot device than a person.

If you like Tessa Bailey's previous books, you'll probably like this one too.

I received an eARC of this book for free via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

LOVED THIS BOOK!!!! It had everything I wanted in a sports romance and more! Tessa Bailey really outdid herself with this one!

This book follows Tallulah, a broke marine biologist with a kind heart who puts others first, and Burgess, a hockey star who is tough on the ice, but a gentle hearted dad off the ice. When the two of them meet, there is instant chemistry. Burgess needs a live in nanny for his tween daughter, and Tallulah needs a job and a place to live. Even though there’s an age difference, the two of them can’t help but have intense feelings for each other.

Ahhhhhhhhh!!! I just love a Tessa Bailey book. I’m so excited she’s in her sports romance era too! She is an auto buy author for me and I cannot wait to read what’s next from her! Definitely read this gem of a book!


📘: The Au Pair Affair by Tessa Bailey
🗓️: July 16, 2024

Thank you to NetGalley, Tessa Bailey, and Avon and Harper Voyager for this ARC!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

*Reviewed on NetGalley, Amazon, and Goodreads.

I was absolutely OBSESSED with Josephine and Wells in Fangirl Down and loved meeting Tallulah and Burgess there, so The Au Pair Affair was a highly anticipated read for me! It definitely didn’t disappoint.

Tallulah is a broke grad student, so she jumps at the chance to be the live-in nanny for hockey player Burgess’ tween daughter. She moves in and finds herself helping Lisa with homework and tween friendship, but also helping Burgess learn to communicate with his daughter.

The chemistry between the pair is immediately apparent, and the genuine connection that forms as they spend time together felt so authentic. Burgess is a grump on the outside and a golden retriever on the inside, and when you add in some Mean Daddy vibes he is straight 🔥. The gruff way that he is constantly there for Tallulah and supporting her had me absolutely melting.

I loved it all - the premise, the characters, the father daughter relationship, the multiple open door scenes, the side characters. Look for several Wells and Josephine appearances 😍

Read if you like:
💞 Hockey romance
💞 He falls first
💞 Grumpy x sunshine
💞 Who hurt you
💞 Single dad
💞 Spice spice spice

Thank you NetGalley and Avon Books for the ARC! All opinions are my own.

I was looking forward to this story ever since Talullah and Burgess were introduced in Fangirl Down. They’re both so confident and opinionated that of course sparks are going to fly when they’re together. This book has all the typical Tessa Bailey steam and dirty talk, but that’s not what I loved about it.

Tallullah has been through a trauma and her journey to regain her former confidence and joy for life is beautiful to see. Burgess helps her by being a supportive presence, but he’s not the reason, not the fixer. She needed the reminder that she’s in control of her own life and her own adventures, and she got it. I really loved that aspect of the story, and watching Burgess change to realize hockey might not be the most important thing in his life.

The side characters are great. Chloe is hilarious and chaotic, and Burgess’s daughter is a full realized tween, not some prop piece set up for the adults growth or amusement. As a hockey fan I could have used a little more hockey, but I’m willing to concede that wasn’t the most important part of this book.

Thank you so much to Tessa Bailey, Netgalley, and the publisher (Avon) for the ARC of the Au Pair Affair! This book had a little bit of a slow start for me but by about 15%, I was hooked into Tallulah and Burgess’s story.
 
The Au Pair Affair follows Tallulah (Josephine’s best friend from book 1 in the series, Fangirl Down) and Burgess (Wells’ best friend from book 1). After their first meeting, Burgess hires Tallulah to be his teenage daughter’s au pair. When we start the Au Pair Affair, Tallulah is hesitant to live and work for this man, known as Sir Savage on the ice. Tallulah has had bad experiences with violent men, which is why she’s so hesitant to start the job., However, Burgess is determined to put her at ease and make her feel safe, even if she doesn’t take the job (spoiler alert- she does). The growth between the two as Tallulah learns to trust Burgess is really cute to watch and Tessa Bailey really nails the longing between the two and the spice as she usually does. All in all, I enjoyed this book and had a fun time reading it!

5 stars

FiVE Stars ! This book was so amazing I could not put it down and Burgess is Now and will forever be one of my ultimate book boyfriends. This is the second book in Tessa Bailey's Big Shot series. It's got sports, forced proximity, hot tension, and so much fun.
I liked the plot and the relationship development and one of the biggest reasons was because of Burgess' character. He was attentive, self aware, was open to communication and understood boundaries. He accepted his own shortcomings in areas and accepted help and advice, not to mention dark and sexy. All that Paired with the smart, understanding and amazing Tallulah was magic. I loved their relationship, the development was great and did not feel rushed. This was just a fun and enjoyable read with some drama sprinkled in and I would give it a two on the spicy scale. Definitely a new favorite of the year and I am really enjoying this series.
I received an advanced ebook, via Netgalley. This review is my own honest opinion.

She's a newly hired au pair to a famous single dad hockey player, and despite living her life scared of opening her heart up he is determined to show her that he's the one for her. Tallulah has gone through a lot and when a well paying job opens up with a guy thats trusted and vetted by her friends in a gorgeous house with a sweet kid, Tallulah wants to say yes, technically she can't afford to say no... and when she finally meets the guy he doesn't make her want to flee. After a lifetime of doubting herself, meeting Burgess, the handsome slightly gruff hockey player and newly single father, Tallulah feels like she can trust him. When Burgess meets Tallulah he feels like he's met the one... if only he can prove to her that he is the one for her as well. Burgess is still dealing with a tween who he's learning to parent, the fall out of his divorce, his career on its last legs, and navigating a very very strong crush on someone who is definitely off limits. Burgess and Tallulah have insane chemistry... but their lives are so different, can they really make it work? This is the second book in the series but can be read as a standalone. I did enjoy this one and I liked Tallulah, she dealt with a very traumatic past experience but was working on her fears and working through her trauma. She held her ground and continued to try and work on herself and grow. I liked that Burgess supported Tallulah so much and worked hard to prove to her that he loves her. It's a fun easy contemporary romance read and I definitely can't wait for the next one!

Release Date: July 16,2024

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

*Thanks Netgalley and Avon and Harper Voyager | Avon for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

I’ve read a lot of Tessa Bailey books by now, and I have to say I’m really enjoying her stepping into the Sports Romance genre with both feet! I love a good Sports Romance, and so far, this series has been entertaining.

Burgess is the type of male character you can expect from Tessa; Alpha, protective, fully committed, and able to spike up the steam at a moment’s notice. She did a nice job of fleshing him out in this novel. I enjoyed seeing him willing to do anything to make Tallulah feel safe and cared for, while at the same time being willing to do whatever it took to have a better relationship with Lissa.

Tallulah had some past trauma that made her skittish with Burgess, and she was the main one that held their chemistry and connection at arms-length. I enjoyed Burgess’ slow wooing of her through their quiet moments when they really got to know each other. It helped her trust her instincts again and see past the Sir Savage persona he had on the ice.

This was an entertaining read and the characters had some nice self-discovery along the way. I will note that I am excitedly looking forward to reading about Chloe and Sig. Their dynamic was so fun to read about and left me with so many questions lol. It’s also fun to know that this series will cover different sports and not just stick to one team. Can’t wait for the next installment!

This was a delightful age gap, single dad romance. Burgess hired Tallulah to be his live-in nanny for his tween daughter, Lissa. Tallulah was excited to work for him until she saw him get into a fight during his hockey game. Tallulah has a traumatic past that makes her second guess taking the job. Burgess and Lissa convince her to stay but Tallulah is very cautious. Tallulah is great with Lissa, and she helps both Lissa and Burgess which helps their father daughter relationship. The more time Tallulah spends with Burgess, she realizes he is a caring man and more gentle than his hockey persona. The sparks fly between Burgess and Tallulah even though they try to draw boundaries between them, but they are unable to fight their attraction. But what happens when his daughter wants her mom and dad to reunite and she feels betrayed by her dad and Tallulah. Will Burgess have to make a choice between his beloved daughter and the woman who owns his heart? I loved Burgess and Tallulah together. These two headstrong people butt heads, challenge each other, and make each other stronger, and their chemistry was explosive! This is what Bailey does best, fun and quirky characters, intelligent humor, and lots of steamy sexual tension in a heartwarming stories that I really enjoy.

Love love everything about this book, the character development, plot, everything! Now I need the third book!!

We got a little introduction to Talullah and Burgess at the end of Fangirl Down and I was excited for their story. Talullah agrees to be Burgees' tween daughter's Au pair and they both have an instant attraction to each other. Talullah is looking to be more "brave" and social while Burgess has only been focused on being a dad. They sort of agree to help each other out and of course their attraction develops. I enjoyed seeing their relationship develop and their scenes were hot! The 3rd act breakup totally could've been avoided but both were so hard headed and didn't talk it out which frustrated me.

I enjoyed seeing Wells and Josephine having a big role in this story and leaning about Chloe and Sig and can't wait for their story.

Thank you @avonbooks @netgalley for a copy of this book.

It's time for Tallulah and Burgess to get their story! He was dumbstruck by her at their first meeting in Fangirl Down, so I couldn't wait to see how he handled having her live in his apartment. That was very funny, but he was always respectful of her space. Tallulah is great with Burgess's daughter, Lissa, and that part was entertaining. The banter is excellent and kept me turning pages. I am really looking forward to the next book in this series.

I was looking forward to Burgess & Tallulah’s book since seeing them in Fangirl Down, I was so happy to get approved for this! The Au Pair Affair is an age gap, hockey playing single dad / live in nanny romance and I was hooked with this story from the beginning! This was a slow burn but still a fast paced read! I loved how Burgess was portrayed as this grumpy huge man and yet he was so sweet and good with Tallulah, he was down bad for her and would do anything to make her feel comfortable and I loved that! Getting to see Wells and Josephine cameos was the best, too! I always enjoy Tessa’s writing and this was another great read by her!

“Forever is composed of nows.”
(Emily Dickinson)

Spicy and swoony with a touch of adorable!

Second book in the Big Shots series, this one about a 37 year old single dad hockey player, Burgess (known to hockey fans as Sir Savage) and his 26 year old au pair, Tallulah. They strike a deal to help each other live outside of their comfort zones and find they work better together.

This series (Big Shots) is hysterical! The books are about these Neanderthal sports heroes with big hearts who are extremely protective of the women in their lives. Burgess comes across as a bear (kinda a cross between a grizzly bear and a teddy bear). Also loving the secondary characters in this book of Sig (hockey teammate) and Chloe (Sephora and açaí loving harpist) who are about to be step siblings and give off non-sibling vibes. I hope to see them return in another book… maybe even have the hockey team rookies return for some more comic relief!

“I want to be important to you.”

“This moment is for you. Be in the moment.”

“This woman had come into his life and flooded it with light.”

Thank you NetGalley for the fabulous ARC!!!

Not as good as the first in the series but still fun and enjoyable.

The parent/nanny trope doesn't always work for me and there were some times here I was uncomfortable but overall it worked. Tallulah and Burgess are attracted to each other BEFORE she takes the job as his nanny so it didn't feel predatory like it can sometimes. And the daughter was a great character.

I loved all the hocky in this book. Burgess is aging out of the stport and his issues with his age and body felt realistic.

Highly recommend. Would love more in this series.

4.5 stars

The Au Pair Affair was such a fun read! Burgess is a 37-year old ice hockey captain of the Boston Bearcats and Tallulah is a 26-year old graduate student studying marine biology. Their story is an age-gap nanny/boss story. At their friend’s wedding (in Fangirl Down) they had an agreement where Tallulah would be the nanny for Burgess’ daughter, Lissa. We learn that Tallulah has a traumatic childhood that causes her to back out of their agreement but Burgess is able to change her mind which then starts their journey.

On the outside Burgess may seem rough around the edges, he’s even called Sir Savage by the masses. But since he’s met Tallulah and learned of her trauma, he is immediately smitten goes directly to protection mode. He is patient with her and tries not to move too fast. Don’t get me wrong we still get that dirty mouth that we all love so much from this author!

Overall, a great story! I am definitely looking forward to the next couple!

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book. All opinions are my own.

Tessa Bailey is back with another spicy romance, and a sports romance at that. For those of you who don't know, hockey romances are my favorite sports romances so I am very picky about which ones I like. But this one is a lovely single dad story about a hockey captain who is a little past his prime and his young new nanny who is in the middle of hers.

Burgess is smitten with Tallulah from the second he sees her, and Tallulah makes it clear she's not in it for something serious (re: she's got a bad history with a man who has left her scarred forever). Tallulah is terrified Burgess might be as bad as his reputation would make it seem, and Burgess is scared he's ruining Tallulah's life before it can even begin by trying to tie her down.

Burgess and Tallulah navigate what a relationship between them could be all while dealing with a temperamental teenager, a hockey career possibly on the brink of ending, and a destination wedding for their best friends where they both serve as maid of honor and best man.

This was better than Fangirl Down imo! Usually, I'm not a fan of nanny/single dad romance books so I was a bit hesitant to start this one but frankly there wasn't much nanny-stuff on page and Burgess' daughter Lissa was in her preteens.⁣
⁣
It was definitely a he-falls-first scenario with Burgess as he's head over heels for Tallulah right from the start while she was somewhat hesitant to trust others. There was so much tension between them and it was a bit more drawn out when compared to Tessa's other books. And there's lots of dirty talk as usual 😂 I found the third act breakup a bit annoying but I've come to expect it in these books, though sometimes the characters and their actions were a bit exaggerated! I'm quite excited for Sig & Chloe's story in the next book - I do love a stepbrother romance😆