Book boyfriend of the century award goes to Burgess!

Tallulah has agreed to be an Au Pair for Burgess Abraham, professional hockey enforcer. Initially she wants to back out but after some back and forth, sweet Burgess convinces her to give it a shot.

I know you’ve seen in my updates how much I love Burgess. He’s the grump to everyone but her, most cinnamon roll of all cinnamon rolls. I loved how safe he made Tallulah feel every step of the way in their relationship. He was willing to put himself completely out there and be vulnerable in a way we don’t see many MMCs do. I absolutely adored this book. This book was amazing and I really think y’all will love it! Check your trigger warnings though, because some serious stuff happens off page in the past.

If Tessa Bailey writes it, I'm going to read it. I had a lot of fun with this one, and I liked it way more than Fangirl Down. It has all the signatures of a Tessa Bailey book, and there was romance, spice, and romance. That said, the characters felt pretty one dimensional, and it absolutely fits into the "he's such a large man and she's such a small girl" kind of vibe. You do get what you sign up for, and I like this universe she's creating with Wells and Josephine, Burgess and Tallulah, and hopefully Chloe and Sig is next.

New Book Boyfriend Alert!!!

Only Tessa Bailey could make me utterly fall in love with a hockey romance. Gosh she writes the best MMCs.

Burgess, a hockey veteran, enforcer on the ice and single father off, needs an au pair and the moment he meets Tallulah he finds himself offering her the job. She has an instant connection with Lissa his tween daughter and he feels an instant connection with her that is forbidden has her soon to be boss.

Tallulah is back in grad school after spending her work placement with the penguins of Antarctica. The last thing she expects is to feel a thaw in herself towards her grumpy (yet HOT) boss. After a traumatic past, she is always wary around ALL men, that is until she finally moves in with Burgess.

I still don't have words to clearly articulate how much I loved this novel and Tessa's writing. I loved how Burgess fell first (and HARD) and how he recognised that Tallulah's hesitation went beyond the fact that they were technically employer and employee. And when he found out why she was hesitant around men, he did everything within his power to make her feel protected and safe. Like he took that protector role to the extreme and I loved it so so much!

Tallulah has a past traumatic experience that has her trying to push the boundaries of her comfort zone. Not knowing how to fully trust her own instincts, is something that I can relate to on a lot of levels. And the fact that she could recognise that she felt safe around Burgess after she moves in, made me hopeful that it is possible to be able to get through past trauma and feel a sense of safety and a feeling of being protected again. And I loved how she made everything better for Burgess with her insights into the people around him and how much she helped him become a better version of himself as a father and a captain. And how he provided her with a level of comfort for her to feel as though she could spread her wings and start to get out and enjoy life again.

Things I just have to gush (ALL CAPS) about!!!
THE SWEATER (as her pillow/that he got the trainer give her b/c she was cold!)
THE WELLS/SIG INTERVENTION (I couldn't love Wells more now if I tried!)
THE ARTICLE (honestly, that photo in the article made me TEAR up!)
THE OIL MASSAGE
...AND SO SO MUCH MORE!

Again, I loved this book. Adored it. Wish I could more clearly articulate how much exactly without spewing ALL CAPPED phrases that you need to read the book in order to understand. So please read the book! And I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

This book made my husband want to write a thank you note to Tessa. I don’t blame him, some of these lines were just so amazing!

Here are some of my favorites:

“I would give up everything I own to go back to that day and tell you I love you too. I’d smile while handing over my soul to the devil for that chance.” 🫠🫠🫠

“Well, I can’t wait to see how this ruins everything.” - best one liner from a minor character.

We met Burgess and Tallulah in the first book Fan Girl Down and it was evident from the moment Burgess laid eyes on her that he was smitten. Down Bad, if you will. Now it’s almost a year later and Burgess has hired Tallulah to be his Au Pair for his 12 year old since he’s so busy being a professional hockey star.

I can’t spout my love for all of Tessa’s books. They are so entertaining and sweet and spicy and I can never get enough.

I loved this book… really made me feel emotional. normally i would hate the third act breakup but it was written beautifully. i love the couple and the plot… overall it was a great read.

I liked, but didn’t love, this one. I think in part because I read it so closely to Fangirl Down which I just ADORED.

I found myself not connecting to Burgess or Tallulah and honestly, I was caring more about Sig and Chloe (who I’m excited to read next - they stole the book here, for me). The first 1/3 felt like it dragged and the last 1/3 had a little too much going on for me. But the middle third - 🤌🏽. I wish we had more of that magic in the bookending thirds of the book. As usually the Tessa spice was amazing and I loved how Burgess loved Tallulah.

Thanks to the author and NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

Thank you to the publisher for the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review!
This novel by Tessa presents a departure from her usual style, notably in contrast to her previous work "Fangirl Down." It introduces serious elements from Tallulah's past that are absent from the synopsis, reminding readers that beneath its charming cover lies substantial narrative depth. The evolving dynamics between the characters, particularly the engaging interaction between Tallulah and Burgess as they build a solid foundation amidst undeniable chemistry, are a highlight. While the presence of delightful characters like Lissa adds to the enjoyment, the return of Wells and Josephine stands out as a particularly enjoyable aspect.

While the plot generally holds together well, there are moments where the story feels disjointed, and the tension towards the end becomes frustrating due to a breakdown in communication. Despite these flaws, the novel maintains its fun factor, although it might not be as light-hearted as Tessa's typical fare.

What I liked about the book:
1. I love an age gap, single father x nanny romance, especially when the FMC is not in her teen years. Tallulah was 26 years old to Burgess’s 37, and there were several things about this that just felt like a mature relationship, no doubt due to her age.

2. This book is a great example of why I love older MMCs as well. Burgess just acted like you would expect a grown ass man to act. There were several interactions where I was swooning over him for just doing...the bare minimum, and that says a lot! He also recognized his flaws and faults and worked to be better, even before their breakup. Like Tallulah, I also find that super appealing.

Here are a few of my favorite points that prove this:

She couldn’t help but remember that yesterday, when she’d explained her reservations to Burgess in the smoothie shop, he’d acknowledged them without making her feel silly or like she was overreacting. He hadn’t tried to badger her into changing her mind. He’d just quickly gone and done something to help without getting any credit.

- Why is this bare minimum so hot though? But seriously, his wanting to be her protector and supporter, but also stepping back enough to let her stand on her own two feet was just prime book boyfriend material.

She really wanted to see that garden. Enough to go somewhere alone with a man, which she hadn’t felt safe doing in quite some time.

Did she feel safe now?

“There are usually other residents up there,” Burgess said quietly while drying his hands on a kitchen towel. “Not a lot, but my neighbor’s dog gets the zoomies around this time of night and he brings her up there to run in circles…He should be there.”

- This man bringing up the fact that she wouldn’t be alone with him because he understands her thought process but he isn’t calling attention to it and definitely isn’t patronizing her for it, is just so good!

Although, she didn’t freeze up when Burgess got close, did she? No, just the opposite. She heated like a tea kettle. He had a way of approaching her at just the right pace, giving her room to stop…which only made her want more of her spaced invaded by him.

- And it’s always the big ass guys!

3. I liked how even when they were broken up, they both totally had each other’s backs and best interests in mind. When they were in Costa Rica ziplining and they had to finally flip a coin to see who went first because they both wanted to make sure the other was safe and kept bickering about it, it tore me up a little bit. Even though they were not together, their care for one another was so prevalent in everything they did. I like seeing both MCs protective of each other, rather than just the gruff MMC protective of the FMC. It’s refreshing to see the FMC be just as protective 😊

4. I also liked that Tallulah definitely made Burgess work to get her back! After breaking her trust (in probably the only way that we could have been fine with as readers, mind you), the man definitely needed to work to redeem himself and get her back, so I’m glad we got to see that.

5. It’s a Tessa Bailey book. The spice and swoon were great! There are too many lines to pick from so you’ll just have to trust me and read it!

6. I CANNOT WAIT FOR SIG AND CHLOE’S BOOK!!! February 2025 cannot come soon enough!

Sig is definitely the kick in the ass that Burgess needed several times in the book, but he also has a super soft spot for his soon-to-be stepsister, so I can’t wait to see more of that.

Chloe – Chloe is going to drive me nuts in the best way, I can already tell. She can’t tell a lie to save her life and it appears that she doesn’t know how to survive without help from Sig, who appears to be all for helping her. HOWEVER, she is a girls' girl through and through. My favorite exchange between her and Tallulah was:

*Chloe’s gaze bounces between Tallulah and Finn, lighting up with interest, and she leans in close to speak near Tallulah’s ear.*

Chloe: “Should I make myself scarce?”

Tallulah: “No.”

Chloe: “Gotcha. Should he?”

Tallulah: “Uh. Yeah, I think so.”

Chloe: “Double gotcha. Sorry, babe, I’m stealing her for drunk girl talk.”

[…]

Tallulah: “Thanks. He wasn’t being excessively creepy or anything. I’m just…”

Chloe: “You don’t have to explain. It’s just a no.”

There were seriously so many snippets of fire between Sig and Chloe from Sig launching some rando’s pen across the room who wanted Chloe’s number to quietly reading a book about investments when she mentioned wanting to open her own business. I kinda have a feeling they are going to be my favorite couple to date in this series!

What I wasn’t a fan of:
1. I felt like we didn’t get a whole lot of page time of Burgess’s daughter. With this being a single father x nanny romance, I was expecting not just more drama with his daughter, but more quality time between the three of them, father and daughter, and daughter and nanny.

2. While I understand the need and the underlying reasoning for the breakup, it just seemed really out of character how Burgess reacted. The things he said were in direct contrast to the character I’d liked for 80% of the story at that point.

3. I thought there would be more adventures between Tallulah and Burgess. They made this deal about him joining her on adventures to expand her life, while she got him out into the dating market, and that kinda just didn’t occur? There were more adventures between them once he was trying to win her back in my opinion.

Thank you to NetGalley, Avon and Harper Voyager, and Tessa Bailey for the opportunity to read this book. The thoughts and opinions expressed above are honest and my own.

Tessa Bailey, I love you. Bailey is amazing at writing steamy rom coms, that weave in "baggage" without said baggage taking over the plot. The Au Pair Affair is a streamy story of a gruff hockey player-yes please and his much to young to be staring at her like that Nanny. For anyone is loves grumpy sunshine, hokcey romance, age gap, single dad and she makes me want to change.

5 ⭐ 3.5 🌶

Holy heck these two were so dang adorable. And Burgess' dirty mouth could cause a five alarm fire during a torrential downpour *fans self* While I did want to get violent with him at one point, I loved his grovel and was so happy these two (three if we're counting Lissa) got their happily ever after.

Wells and Josephine made quite a few appearances and made my heart so happy. Fangirl Down was one of my favorite books of the year and watching them interfere in Burgess and Tallulah's lives was the best.

Sig and Chloe HAVE to be up next or I may perish. Step siblings is one of my absolute favorite tropes and the tension and hilarious moments we get from them in this book were so dang good.

This was everything we expect from Tessa Bailey, and the reason we love her stories so much!

After getting to see Tallulah as the Antartica-based best friend in Fangirl Down, it was so fun to follow along as she finds her love story with a professional athlete of her own.

This book has so many fun tropes wrapped up in one book: single dad, hockey, the nanny, age gap, possessive MMC, but Bailey does a great job of weaving them all together, and it doesn’t feel overwhelming. Possessive and protective MMCs can sometimes be a miss for me, but it’s done in a very respectful way that isn’t belittling of the FMC.

All the characters are lovable, and despite a couple of blunders, you can’t help but to root for the two love interests to find their way to a HEA.

I REALLY hope we get a book #3 in this series, featuring a certain (future) stepsibling pairing.

Talk about sexual tension, right out of the gate! "The Au Pair Affair," Tessa Bailey's second book in the Big Shots series, is a scorching read. Burgess Abraham, also known as Sir Savage, is the captain of a professional hockey team. He has been secretly infatuated with Tallulah, his best friend's fiancée's best friend, whom he met several months ago and has now hired as his 12-year-old daughter's au pair. The attraction is mutual, and sparks fly as soon as they see each other again.

Tallulah has experienced a traumatic event in her past that has prevented her from fully living her life and allowing love in. Burgess makes it his mission to be her protector, slowly breaking down her walls. However, he faces a potential life-changing injury and lashes out at the one he loves most. Will they find their way back to each other?

Enjoyable romance, great sexual tension and very graphic sex scenes. Tessa Bailey knows how to write them!

I love a growly hero and I was so excited for their story when I read Fangirl Down.
Tallulah needs a place to stay and a job, but she is leery about new people. She has some trauma she is trying to work through and needs to feel safe. She isn't sure about Burgess, but he is definitely sure about her. He falls fast and first. She thinks she needs to spread her wings and find herself, but he knows she is best with him. He is constantly chasing her, and she is afraid to commit. After her trauma, I can understand completely. I feel like her trauma was great but it was minimized in the book a little. She had a lot of reservations but we didn't read in depth about her hurt and PTSD. It was glossed over to be a little lighter.
Burgess was a big softie and Tullulah was great with his daughter. She was just what was needed to help the communication there, even if his daughter wanted so badly for her parents to reconcile. There were parts of this book I loved and parts that had me scratching my head like... what? But overall it was a great read and I liked the longer third act break up so that each of them could work out some of their own issues and not just jump right back into things.
Thanks to Avon, Tessa Bailey and Netgalley for an early copy.

I’ve been thoroughly enjoying the dynamic between Tallulah and Burgess in Tessa Bailey’s “The Au Pair Affair.” Their banter is charming and adds a delightful layer to their interactions. While Tallulah’s backstory, particularly her trauma, feels a bit predictable, it remains captivating and adds depth to her character.

One aspect I found a bit rushed was the pace at which their relationship develops. It seemed to move a bit too quickly for my taste. Additionally, the “bro banter” among the characters felt somewhat forced at times, which slightly detracted from the overall flow.

Despite these minor issues, the story remained heartwarming and became increasingly engaging as it progressed. Fans of Tessa Bailey will likely appreciate this book’s sweet and endearing nature. I’m especially curious to see if Sig gets a book of his own in the future. Overall, this is definitely worth a read!

After absolutely loving Fangirl Down earlier this year, I was looking very forward to The Au Pair Affair, which follows Tallulah, a marine biologist who has accepted a job as an au pair for Burgess Abraham, aka Sir Savage, a professional NFL player and single dad living in Boston – and who are the respective best friends of Wells and Josephine, the main characters in Fangirl Down,

And while The Au Pair Affair offers up a lot of classic tropes (hockey romance! age gap! nanny x single dad!) as well as writing full of Tessa Bailey's charm, spice, and humor (I genuinely laughed out loud several times), I found Tallulah's traumatic background and relationship with her sister a bit underbaked. Further, Burgess's actions in the third act of this book felt almost as if his personality changed entirely, and I found myself wishing for him to do *a lot* more groveling.

That said, there are great moments in this book (a swoony date, very spicy spice, a get-a-grip scene for men) and if you adore Tessa Bailey's books or generally look for hockey romances, definitely still pick this one up – especially as it seems to set up a third book in this sports series (about step-siblings!).

I knew Tessa Bailey was one of my favorite authors, and from the introduction of the two main characters in the first book, I knew this was going to be a five-star read for me. Tessa Bailey is one of my favorite authors, so when I saw that she had written a single dad hockey player romance, I knew I had to read it. Tessa Bailey did not disappoint! The sizzling tension between the characters had me hooked from the first page. Tessa Bailey did an excellent job at keeping me engaged with the story. There was never a part in the book that I found myself getting uninterested. I loved the story and plot of this book and felt that everything flowed smoothly from the first page up until the very last page. I am so grateful to have been provided with an ARC of this book.

Houston, I think I have a book boyfriend type.

Big grizzly bear of a man who, with a deep, growly voice, bosses me around while melting into a puddle every time he sees me.

World, is this too much to ask for?

Not if you are Tessa Bailey.

Meet Burgess. Deep in a career as a top rated hockey player with a body that’s fighting off career ending injuries, at 37 years old, he knows he hasn’t got too many seasons left as captain of the Bearcats. On top of that, there’s Lissa, his tween-age daughter who clearly speaks a different language, a pair of annoying rookies, and his new au pair rounding out the too loud life Burgess leads.

At least, he’s hoping Tallulah will be his new au pair.

A grad student studying marine biology, 26 year old Tallulah is driven and smart but can’t afford Boston without the salary Burgess is offering.

Except she’s got a difficult past, a traumatizing experience that’s keeping her from trusting the 250 pound slab of granite who wants to hire her.

But as Tallulah and Lissa connect, as Tallulah urges Burgess to get back on the dating scene, lines get blurred, then crossed, then everything crumbles.

Both literal and figurative injuries to all parties threaten them from finding a happily ever after. Can they mend what’s broken? You better believe they can! It’s a Tessa Bailey novel!

The dreaded miscommunication rears its ugly head but so does the spicy spice, so tomato, tamahto.

I’ve read these out of order; the culminating event is Wells’ and Josephine’s wedding but it didn’t seem to matter.

If you’re a fan of TB, you’ll love it!

Thanks to @netgalley and @avon for the eARC. This one comes out July 16, 2024.

I received this as an ARC from Netgalley.

One thing about me, if it's about a grumpy hockey player I'm going to read it. And Burgess was the grumpiest, but he also had a heart of gold. This was a really cute story and the perfect length. I didn't feel like it dragged at all. A solid 4 star romance!

This second book in the "Big shots" series was a great Hockey Romance, mixed with Single Dad, Forced Proximity, and my favorite grumpy/Sunshine.

I loved this sweet, spicy sports romance, Tessa Bailey does a fantastic job creating realistic characters with with tons of growth, and its always a pleasure to read her books.

I’m completely in love with Tessa’s sports era!! I was completely smitten with fangirl down and the cameos in this one made me so happy!! The man down so astronomically bad for his girl trope is my favorite ever and this was chefs kiss