I LOVE TESSA BAILEY!!

I have loved *almost* everything I have read from Tessa so when I got approved for this, I may have possibly squealed a little bit.
I read Fangirl Down and when I saw she was writing a hockey romance with her best friend and broody hockey player? Immediately count me in.

The way that this book explored love and trauma was really intriguing to me. The subtle grumpyxsunshine was also top tier. Of course, the pining will always hit.

If you have enjoyed other Tessa Bailey books, I think you will enjoy this one, too. If you are starting out with her, I also think these two (you should really read Fangirl Down first) could be a great intro to her books!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

Really liked this book. Enjoyed the age gap between the main characters, the chemistry and the story line. Much much recommended! Its a fun and spicy time!

I LOVED Fangirl Down and I also love a nanny romance so I was a little surprised I didn't like this one more. I still really enjoyed parts of it but I don't think I'll reread it.

Tessa Bailey does spice and sexual tension so well and this book was no exception. I loved watching Tallulah and Burges fight their attraction. Some of the spice wasn't to my taste but I don't think it was badly written. What didn't fully work for me was the amount of miscommunication and so much angst and back and forth. Tallulah had a traumatic past so I understood her hesitancy but I just wanted them to be happy for a minute and stop messing things up. I think this is partly a personal preference but it is also a bit of a departure from the other Tessa Bailey books I have read (at least 5).

I think if you don't mind angst and like an age gap you'll enjoy this one. It is an au pair romance but I wanted to see more bonding between Tallulah and Burges' daughter as that's one of my favorite parts of a nanny romance. I will say I'm really excited for the sequel to this one! It was set up in this book and I'm really interested to see what people think of the tropes.

I loved the banter and tension in this book. Burgess and Tallulah were easy to root for and I enjoyed how fast-paced their story was.

4/5 stars ⭐️ for a dreamboat MMC, FMC staying true to herself and her goals, general hilarity and witty banter, and squirm inducing steamy slow burn romance.

My real takeaway is that I loved all things Burgess. He was so eager to improve himself and his relationship with his daughter while also encouraging Tallulah to live out her dreams. Hot as sin/athlete/single daddy that won’t hold me back? Sign me UP.

3.5 ☆
I love Tessa Bailey's books and this new one didn't disappoint!
I loved the relationship between the two characters and each chapter was so fun and quirky!
Burgess was such a great male character, I loved him!

Thanks to Netaglley, Avon and Harper Voyager for providing me with this e-ARC! The Au Pair Affair is out everywhere on July 16, 2024

I'm convinced that my girl Tessa can do no wrong!!!!! She has killed it with another book and I ate this one up so much!!!! THE CUTEST couple I've read to date was Tallulah and Burgess! I loved them so much and my heart ached so much for Tallulah trying so much to get pass trauma!! This book captivates you and of course the TENSION Tessa knows how to just make you feel all of it and I was here for it all!!

-He falls first
-Single dad
-Nanny with the boss
-Age GAP
-Grumpy/Sunshine

Tessa Bailey books are a hit or miss for me, but when they miss, boy do they miss hard…

What I liked:
- Lissa: give me a cute, precocious child in a book and I’m going to love them. Lissa was truly my favorite part of this book.
- The hockey parts were fun

What didn’t work for me:
- The steam was so cringey. There were parts where I just skimmed the steam because it was so bad to read.
- While the steam is a slower burn, there was still a lot of insta-love.
- I felt absolutely zero chemistry between Tallulah and Burgess
- The way resolution came about after the third act conflict seemed was not for me.

I am a sucker for a single dad romance! While I have not read many Tessa Bailey books I enjoyed Burgess and Tallulahs story and am looking forward to the rest of this series.

I haven't read the first book in this series, it's on hold at my library, but I don't think it's exactly necessary. I am a little on the fence with this book. The chemistry between a 26 year old, and a 37 year old, was believable, but also not. I believe their physical attraction to each other. But, I don't believe much else about their romance.

Contemporary romance is always a hard-sell for me. Had Tallulah been just a few years older, closer to 30, I don't think parts of this would've bothered me as much. He got a little too protective for me, it was almost paternalistic. I also would've liked to see more of Tallulah's knowledge on Marine Biology featured. It's mentioned, and talked about how much she knows. But she doesn't get a chance to show her intelligence. I would've liked to see her nerd out more about marine life or something. There's also the plotline of her classmate she's partnered with that gets tossed aside, it almost didn't need to be there. It's never brought up again. Her other classmate and friends she made also disappear.

I also think they didn't do a good job expressing the reason his marriage failed. He was busy with hockey, I think? It would've been early in his career, so I'm just confused on that part. I'd also like to know why he gets his daughter most of the week, when he likely has mid-week out-of-state games.

We also don't get to meet any of Tallulah's family, which I would've liked. We don't even hear any of them speak. It felt like a missed opportunity. We meet everybody who's part of Burgess's life before they met, but nobody from her life. She could've used her +1 to invite her sister to the wedding.

This romance read is perfect for fan who enjoy the tropes - grumpy/sunshine, forced proximity and those featuring age-gap. I generally don't enjoy insta love kind of plots but this was fun and super steamy for sure. Burgess is an NHL captain know as Savage and Tallulah is his tween daughter's au-pair and this new job brings them together in the same house and their chemistry is absolutely bonkers. In spite of the great chemistry, it kind of felt in the similar pattern as the author's book and was too predictable. Tallulah's past can be triggering for some as she relays her traumatic experience with an ex and it can seem irrelevant but I believe it shows her personal growth along with their relationship.

Tessa Bailey books are always fun and sexy. This one lived up to that. I was irritated by the FMC at times, but that didn't take away from my enjoyment of the story overall. Fun beach read if you like a sexy hockey romance.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for advanced copy, and I give my review freely

why did i put this off for so longgggg
I was so nervous to start this book becasue it was book 2 in a series and I could not seem to get book 1.. and I am sooo glad I just dove in! This is a complete standalone and it delicious.
I will say it started off like a car stalling and I was crazy nervous about that.
I super didnt care for the female MC. but then... it made sense and came together.
I think I joined the whole of booktok and now I need all the hockey players.

My first ever hockey romance! It didn’t disappoint. The banter was cute and it had me grinning while I read. I did feel like the explanation for the Tallulah’s mistrust was a little expository and then pretty quickly forgotten, but it’s a romance so I get that the love story is the central plot. I think the hockey game sweatshirt moment was my favorite! Really cute if you want a steamy beach read or love a hockey romance.

This is the second book in the “Big Shots” series. Though it is a stand-alone novel, reading the first book will give the readers the full picture. We see the first book’s main characters in this and it adds an extra layer of depth to the whole cast.

I am not usually a fan of insta love/lust or single parent romances and this was both of those things: and I ATE IT UP.

Tallulah is a 20-something year old grad student who gets hired by nearly 40 year old hockey star Burgess to be his daughter’s au pair.

Tallulah is bright and kind, but had a majorly bad experience with a man a few years back and is finally actively working on trying to LIVE instead of just survive. Burgess, aka Sir Savage, is BIG and scowly and brash— but only on the ice. He is easily the most considerate and loving man, but has been too focused on his career to maintain and strengthen his personal relationships.

Each come with their own baggage and the other is the most unlikely person to help them carry and overcome it. Which is why watching their relationship grow is so satisfying.

This was a character driven book through and through and I think that is why it was hard to really pinpoint a “plot” aside from the forbidden romance and the challenges that creates. Although somewhat predictable and bit disjointed in some areas, this book tackles serious themes such as trauma, insecurity, parenting, self love, and personal growth among other things.

Still, it was very Tessa Bailey in the sense that it was still a fun rom-com with very likable characters and a few spicy scenes.

My favorite part about this book was how open and vulnerable Tallulah and Burgess were to each other and in their inner dialogue. I lived for Burgess’s insecurity and pining and watching Tallulah’s walls come down!

Also another thing I didn’t mind was the third-act breakup. I think it was necessary for Tallulah to take that step on her own before they reconciled. Though I was a bit disappointed that the adventures she was supposed to go on were not a bigger part of the story.

If you’re already a fan of Tessa Bailey, this did not disappoint; though it is a bit darker than some of her other books recently so be sure to read any trigger warnings. If you’re not a fan of TB, this is a great series to get you on the bandwagon!

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the digital arc in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

4 𝓼𝓽𝓪𝓻𝓼 ⭐️

A big thanks to NetGalley and Tessa Bailey for giving me an arc! I always enjoy reading her books and she didn’t disappoint.

I highly recommend this book for a cute, quick romance. I loved following both of our main character. Seeing what was going on through both of their heads was great. I think I loved being in Burgess’s POV the most because of him silently cheering her on while verbalizing it as well made my heart do leaps. I also loved being Tallulah’s POV especially when she was accomplishing her mental struggles. I didn’t get the 5 star feeling but I still loved this book so so much. This book will be released July 16th, 2024!

This is by far my favorite Tessa Bailey book. Grumpy sunshine.. Older single dad. Hockey. Spice. What’s not to love?

I wish I could have given a better rating, but this book fell short for me on so many levels, it took me so long to get through it and I almost DNF’ed it. I really enjoyed fangirl down, but this was just not my cup of tea.

Things I like: Burgess respects Tallulahs boundaries to a T (but later he contradicts them). Tessa’s writing of spicy scenes is just *chefs kiss* but I do not feel like they fit the characters.

Things I do not like: Tallulah and Burgess are very touchy feely with each other from the get go and it kind of gives me the creeps, especially when Burgess only talks about her in a sexual manner. He also only seemed to objectify her body and I did not like that. He was a pretty toxic male character and I genuinely just did not like him.

The Au Pair Affair was an amazing sequel to the success I found in Fangirl Down.
This book follows Josephine's best friend, Talullah, a marine biology masters student who moves to Boston for school and becomes an au pair for NHL captain, Burgess and his tween daughter.
With an amazing "he falls first" and slightly forbidden romance trope, this hockey romance was right up my alley. I found that the hockey terminology was better than expected, and the smut was soooo good, although it didn't pick up until halfway through, making it feel a bit slow-burney; however, once the romance begins it. is. on.
The underlying topics in this book due to Talullah's background and trauma is way more intense than expected, so if you have triggers for anything encompassing violence against women please proceed with caution. Because of this, the novel does have some serious conversations, but I felt that they were handled well and made the MMC all the more swoon worthy by the grace to which he handled her fears. The third-act conflict in the book is actually split in two and came up around the last quarter of the novel, so was lengthier and thus more frustrating than most, but wrapped up beautifully.
Overall, I love Tessa Bailey and this series is definitely something I will continue to read. I am excited for the next installment which perhaps will have some more taboo forbidden romance tropes.
4/5 stars.

I absolutely loved this story! Burgess and Tallulah had so much chemistry and growth throughout the book. I had to stop myself reading a few times to catch a breather. I can’t wait to read about Sig and Chloe!

As a big fan of Tessa Bailey, I was excited for The Au Pair Affair, but it wasn’t my favorite. The story of Tallulah, a marine biology student turned nanny, and Burgess, a single hockey veteran, felt too familiar and reminded me too much of Bailey’s other works. While the chemistry between the characters and the interactions with Burgess’s daughter were enjoyable, the overall plot was predictable. It’s a decent read with some charming moments, but it lacked the freshness I was hoping for. I would rate it 3 stars.