like I said with fangirl down we LOVE an obsessed man!!! I don’t know what it is about this dynamic that I will just eat up every single time!!!

I so so appreciate that neither the au pair affair nor fangirl down were built on miscommunication. I love that tallulah and burgess communicated so honestly with each other and they really just had to work through their own demons to find their way to each other.

thank you so much to NetGalley and Avon for this digital ARC!

I really enjoyed Fan Girl Down so I had high hopes for this one. I’m happy to say that it met my expectations! I enjoyed Burgess and Tallulah’s chemistry and their growth through the story. There were a few minor editing issues but they did not detract from the overall story, I’m looking forward to the next installment in the series about Chloe and Sig!

This was my first ever sports rom com and it didn’t disappoint! I can see why people love these books and per usual the queen Tessa Bailey knocked it out of the park. I loved the characters, the romance, the spice, the banter. It was such a fun time

When Tallulah agrees to be the au pair for hockey legend Burgess, she doesn't know exactly what she's getting into.

This was a good new one from queen Tessa Bailey. Here's what I liked:

Burgess. This man was smitten immediately and I liked seeing how he would handle his feelings and trying to get Tallulah to see him as more than just her boss. He's so sweet but also rough in all the right places. Loved him.

The Spice. Bailey is the romcom spice queen and that shines in this one! There were many well placed spicy scenes that were top tier.

Old friends. I adored Fangirl Down and Loved seeing Wells and Josephine again. I also liked meeting Sig and Chloe who I know will be the next book in the series!

All in all, this was a good sports romcom!

Thank you to the author and publisher for the gifted copy!

By far my favorite Tessa Bailey book I’ve read. The plot is cliched but Bailey writes characters that are so relatable and intriguing that you don’t care. A perfect summer beach read.

Tessa Bailey does it again with a fun-filled romp through the blossoming romance of a hockey player and his nanny. Great summer read.

Thank you to NetGalley, Avon/Harper Voyager, and Ms. Bailey for the opportunity to read an ARC of this title. An honest review was requested but not required.

OK, it's official, I'm adding myself to Tessa Bailey's autobuy queue. Seriously. I would buy toilet paper if she wrote on it. While this one didn't have the startlingly, devastatingly sexy shock factor of a HOT GOLF ROMANCE (I mean, for real, I am still completely astonished months later by how Ms. Bailey managed to make khakis SEXY) it was nonetheless amazing. At this point I give up, Ms. Bailey writes my kryptonite, just take my money already.

Burgess, single dad, aging hockey star, has the hots for Tallulah, biology grad student, friend of Josephine from Fangirl Down, and daughter's new au pair. But Burgess isn't looking for a fling, and Tallulah isn't in search of an instafamily and a commitment. These obstacles are pretty solid, and that's before Burgess' struggles with imminent retirement and health issues, Tallulah's resistance to their age gap and her traumatic history with men, and Burgess's twelve year old daughter who desperately wants her parents to get back together. The angst was well done and the slow burn was very rewarding. Frankly despite knowing full well how these things end I sort of thought their third act breakup would stick - on paper these two just had a LOT of obstacles and some pretty serious issues to overcome. It was so realistically miserable that I felt my joy in the romance slip a little bit. Because it was SO heavy and emotionally draining I don't think this is a book I would re-read.

All the same overall I loved the book and would certainly recommend it. 4 stars.

Tallulah needs a job and a house so she decides to au pair for Burgess who is a famous hockey player.
He has liked her ever since they met at their friends wedding.
3rd act breakup
Hockey

𝑩𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝑹𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘
𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑨𝒖 𝑷𝒂𝒊𝒓 𝑨𝒇𝒇𝒂𝒊𝒓
𝑩𝒚: 𝑻𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒂 𝑩𝒂𝒊𝒍𝒆𝒚
𝑷𝒖𝒃𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒉 𝑫𝒂𝒕𝒆: 𝑱𝒖𝒍𝒚 𝟏𝟔, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/ 𝟓

@tessabaileyisanauthor HAS DONE IT AGAIN! I don’t think I will ever be disappointed with a book written by her.

The Au Pair Affair is the second book in the Big Shots series. And while I loved Wells and Josephine, Burgess and Tallulah were…EVERYTHING. Tallulah is Josephine’s best friend and she is back from her expedition and ready to start grad school. She is given the opportunity to be the au pair for well known hockey player, Burgess Abraham, aka Sir Savage. Tallulah is bit worried to live in his home based off a past experience with a man that was in her life, but as time goes by we see her get comfortable with her new boss and the two of them need each other to grow.

I really enjoyed this book. The banter between Burgess and Tallulah was fun and playful. I would consider this a slow burn romance and the tension was excellent. The humor and heartwarming moments had me turning pages so fast I didn’t want it to end. The spice was definitely spicy and I loved how he fell first and hard for Tallulah. Each character had such depth and history that any one could relate to. Every person has their layers. Until you can fully love yourself, you won’t be able to love another person completely.

Tropes:
🏒 Hockey Romance
🏒 Age Gap
🏒 Single Dad x Nanny (Au Pair)
🏒 He falls first

𝗙𝗔𝗩𝗢𝗥𝗜𝗧𝗘 𝗤𝗨𝗢𝗧𝗘𝗦:

“You want to bring me around Boston on your adventures, good. Let’s go.” … “You let me know if you want my bed to be one of them.”

“My God, I don’t deserve another chance, but wait until you see what I’m going to do with it.” His lips coasted over hers, drawing her into a slow, winding kiss. “I’m going to take you on adventures, because I live to see you happy. And because you taught me to enjoy them, too. But hear me when I tell you, there will never be an adventure that lives up to you.” He looked her in the eye. “I want to stay on it forever.”

𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒌 𝒚𝒐𝒖 @𝒏𝒆𝒕𝒈𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒚 & @𝒂𝒗𝒐𝒏𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒌𝒔 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒐𝒑𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒖𝒏𝒊𝒕𝒚 𝒕𝒐 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝑨𝑹𝑪 𝒊𝒏 𝒆𝒙𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆 𝒎𝒚 𝒉𝒐𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒓𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘.

I’ll preface this review by saying spicy sports romances are not my usual read, but this Tessa Bailey novel did not disappoint!

Overall, I thought this had a great mix of steam and sensitivity—you get to see both characters grow and evolve throughout this. I was worried that the age gap element was going to bother me, but Burgess very quickly won me over! I absolutely loved the Costa Rica adventures and Boston moments. I wanted more hockey because Chloe as a fan was such a joy to read.

I did not realize this was part of a series, so you can absolutely enjoy it as a standalone. I do want to go back and read book 1 to see where these two paths crossed!

I hope we get more from Sig and Chloe in the next book, I’ll definitely keep reading!

Thank you to NetGalley, Avon and Harper Voyager for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Format - E ARc (NetGalley)

Rating- ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Spice- 🌶 🌶 🌶

Series- Big Shot’s #2

Troupes- Work place romance, single dad- nanny, age gap, insta attraction, forced proximity

Representation-

CW-

Honestly I wasn’t sure how Tessa was going to surprise me again after Fan Girl Down and my sudden love of Golf as sport, but here we are.

Tallulah and Burgess the two weirdest names in romance couple history are also some of the most adorable. They’re banter and chemistry are off the charts and the Age gap while a bit of a hurtle was not a problem for me.

I hate a third act break up but the way Tessa does them I just can’t help but pine with them and cry! She rips your heart out in the best possible way.

We get angsty pinning, witty banter and Tessa’s patented brand of Spice with a dash of Wells and and his Bell and it all hit the spot nicely! 😘

Thank you Tessa Bailey and Avon for this advanced copy all opinions are my own!

Holy Moly! I could tell from book one that this book was going to be good. I could not wait to pick this one up and I was not wrong. This book is everything I wanted in a sports romance! Spicy yet Sweet. Burgess's infatuation with Tallulah is clear from the start. He is trying to deny it but it's palpable on the page. His passion for his daughter, Tallulah, and hockey was so precious. Tallulah had a bit of a hard start to her life and is trying to break out of her safety net. Burgess helps her do that and in turn, helps her regain control of her life again. I liked that we got dual perspectives. It helped piece the story together in a more exciting way. Just like in book 1, Tessa Bailey sets up book 3 so well. I am so hyped to see Sig Gauthier’s story!

Read if you like a Forced Proximity, Single Dad, Age Gap Romance. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC in return for an honest review. This book releases 7/16!

Thank you #Netgalley for the advanced copy!

The second book in the Big Shots series follows Tallulah, Josephine's best friend. Tallulah is back from her artic expedition and ready to start grad school in Boston. When she is given the opportunity to be an au pair for a well known hockey player who is also a part of her best friends life. Tallulah is worried about the dynamics of living in the home based off her previous experiences with males. We watch as Tallulah becomes comfortable with her boss, Burgess and how they each need each other to grow.

This was a very irritating book. The set-up in the beginning is that Tallulah is hesitating to take a job as au pair to hockey star Burgess, because she’s nervous about living with a man she barely knows. She tells him about an extremely traumatic experience she had a few years ago at the hands of a man whom she had thought was a friend. Burgess is horrified and vows that he’d never hurt a woman. Eventually, she decides to take the job because she likes his daughter. Besides it’s a free apartment along with a salary while she’s in graduate school.

And then, this supposedly sensitive guy who doesn’t want to scare her, starts flirting with her and making dirty innuendos indicating he’d like to sleep with her. Way to show his consideration of her nervousness around men. Then eventually they start sleeping together. From that point on, the whole plot almost disappears while they have lots of sex or think about having sex. I’m not a prude, but I don’t want the sex in a romantic novel to outweigh everything else in the novel. The writer skips lightly over big scenes and their aftermaths in order to have more angst about how they’re yearning for each other. And thinking about sex. It just doesn’t add up to a worthwhile book.

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book that I received from Netgalley; however, the opinions are my own and I did not receive any compensation for my review.

This is not a hot take from me or probably a good amount of people but Tessa does the thing again with this book.

Though I think I may have liked Wells and Josephine's story a little more this one was still really good.

Tallulah was a fun main character though she had a rough past with one man she was still strong, sexy and smart. She just needed a little help to get it all back. I would have loved to have seen some more interactions with her and her family though.

Burgess was also great a big guy that was mean on the ice but a big softie underneath. I liked that he played for Syracuse that was a fun little back ground. Ilive near there so it made it feel a little.more real. He made me want a big sexy boyfriend like him.

The spice scenes were top tear as usually 🥵. I can't wait to see the last book in this little companion series.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the Advanced Reader Copy, in exchange for my honest review.

I am always entertained by a Tessa Bailey novel. They are light, charming, hopeful and a little spicy. The Au Pair Affair did not disappoint.

The story of an aging hockey player, Burgess, who is smitten by his new au pair, Tallulah. The story bounces between the two main characters telling their sides of the story. You are rooting for the couple from the very beginning, and of course there are some bumps along the way, but the ending does not let you down. The age difference, his 12 y.o. daughter who still wants her parents together, his male ego & some injuries, and a past trauma in Tallulah's life. Can they get to their HEA?

I had not read the first book in the Big Shots series (but will be soon) but did not feel that I had missed too much.

Thanks again Tessa Bailey for making me smile and giving me the perfect beach read with a little spice.
4.5 stars.

Unfortunately, I don’t think Tessa Bailey is for me anymore.

All of her books are repetitive, and this could’ve easily been one of her other novels with the names changed. I just don’t think she’s giving anything funky, fun, or fresh to the romance genre anymore.

Thank you for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I especially loved Hook, Line, and Sinker by Tessa Bailey so I was intrigued when she wrote sports romance. I read Fangirl Down a few months ago and enjoyed it! Sadly this one just wasn’t my favorite.

I think the spice has gotten a bit much and the characters did things that bothered me and I couldn’t get behind it.

Overall I’m disappointed in this book, but thankful for the early copy!

I was not expecting to love this as much as I did, but it was delightful!!! I am so glad I gave Tessa Bailey another chance. This one was equal parts steamy and sweet. I recommend to all my romance readers!

Burgess is a burly professional hockey player and single dad to 12 year old Lissa. Tallulah is studying to be a marine biologist and as a result.. a broke college student. When Burgess offers her a job as a live in nanny, Tallulah can’t say no to a beautiful SAFE neighborhood in Boston. But sexual tension begins to soar and there’s no denying the chemistry between the young Tallulah and slightly older single dad Burgess. But eventually Burgess finds himself pulled between his daughter Lissa and Tallulah. Burgess will stop at nothing to prove himself to Tallulah, but will it be enough or is he too late?

I don’t know if it’s because I haven’t read a romance in a while or if Tessa Bailey just doesn’t write a bad book but i ADORED this book. I felt each character had depth and history and pain people can relate to. Not to mention the fun playful banter between Burgess and Tallulah. For me, a book cannot be strictly sex scenes and make up/break up and this book is A LOT more than that. There’s character growth, comedic relief, some sports, family dynamics and so much more. I would definitely qualify this as a slow burn but with such good build up. Close proximity, single dad and age gap all involved for this one. I can always count on Tessa Bailey for a palette cleanse from my usual thriller! 5⭐️ from me, check this one out when it releases in less than a month! (July 16). (Side note; this is part of her Big Shots series [#2]) but i had zero problem reading this before i read the first) As always, thank you netgalley for the ARC!