The main characters of The Au Pair Affair, Burgess and Tallulah, are introduced in Fangirl Down, the previous book in this new sports romance series by Tessa Bailey. I was intrigued by them from their cameo in the previous book, and their story did not let me down.

I love interconnected romance novels. Josephine and Wells from Fangirl Down not only appear in The Au Pair Affair, but their wedding is a significant part of the plot. It’s rare that readers get a glimpse into what happens beyond “happily ever after,” and it was so fun to continue to read about their story. I loved getting to read about their wedding, and I also loved reading about them helping their friends through their budding relationship.

Tallulah and Burgess have an interesting relationship dynamic. I was wary because there is clearly a power imbalance between them. Tallulah not only works for Burgess, but she is significantly younger than him. However, I appreciated that Burgess clearly respects Tallulah and is willing to learn from her. He takes her advice on interacting with his daughter, and it ends up improving their relationship significantly. The power dynamic does leave me slightly uncomfortable still, but they do seem to care about each other deeply.

I do enjoy a romance novel there two broken people fall in love and help each other through their trauma, and The Au Pair Affair is certainly one of them. Talullah is struggling with healing from being kidnapped by a man and trapped in a closet for days. Burgess is dealing with getting older and having a back injury that is impacting his hockey career. Of course, this issues are not the same at all, but they are able to help each other work through them and come out the other side better and stronger.

As someone who lived in Boston for years, it was fun to read a book set in a city I love very much. It made me chuckle that the Boston hockey team in this novel is called the “Bearcats” instead of the Bruins. Some books make the setting feel like another character, but this is not one of them. I would have loved more content about Boston itself.

This book is one of the steamiest romance novels I’ve ever read. Bailey tends to write solidly R-rated romance novels, but this one is certainly on the even raunchier side. Be warned if you find yourself reading this book on the subway or near curious children.

Bailey is the unequivocal queen of the romance novel, and I always enjoy reading her work. I look forward to reading her next book, Window Shopping.

The Au Pair Affair featured the usual Tessa Bailey formula: protagonists with interesting name choices, over the top characters, a hero who was rough around the edges but soft for the heroine. It was a fun time, but too similar to her previous works, in my opinion.

I’m not a big fan of hockey, actually I know nothing about hockey but this book was really fun to read. I truly enjoyed the grumpy love story between Burgess and Tallulah, the characters are so funny and entertaining. This is a really cute story.

3.5 rounding up.

Tessa Bailey, the queen of a good smutty read + historically good and swoony storylines. I am loving that she hopped on the sport's bandwagon. An au pair to a hot, divorced, and successful hockey player MEAN daddy?? OK Tessa, I approve this message.

I adore how we have an FMC who is from Istanbul. I really wish we saw and experienced more authentic cultural references. She tended to get overshadowed by the MMC and his hockey drama.

I empathized with the MMC, especially when he attempted to learn how to french braid his daughter's hair. It like, doesn't make sense, and I didn't learn how to do this until my late 20's, through much anxiety filled trial and error, so it obviously isn't pretty-sue me.

Loved the change of scenery to somewhere sweaty and tropical. I need another vacation. Speaking of sweaty, the spice was spicin'!!

The side story of the MMC's co-player and his stepsister was SO odd. I am wondering if we are going to see TB highlight this very interesting dynamic... please no Credence.

Easy, swift, fun, typical Tessa Bailey read. Obviously recommend, duh! Thank you NetGalley, HarperCollins Publishers, and Tessa Bailey for this ARC!!

As always, Tessa Bailey delivers.
She churns out book after book, and as many contemporary romances do, they all sort of follow the same formula. But throw in a new combo of tropes and some issues the couple has to overcome and you’re good. But some authors can throw together a bunch of tropes and leave you feel like it was just cheesy and contrived. Bailey absolutely crushes it at writing believable main characters with relatable issues and, as is her forte, extremely hot smut scenes.
I found Tallulah’s ptsd extremely relatable, though I thought she came to trust Burgess a little too soon. Given her history, his possessive nature seemed like it would scare her rather than endear her. Further, I thought he compromised on his own convictions a little too quickly. I enjoyed the various adventures the book took us on, but I don’t think he repented enough for what he did in the third act breakup to make her feel safe enough to get back together with him. So I’m conflicted as to whether to give this 3.5 stars or 4, which means I’ll round up to 4 with the caveat that some parts felt weak compared to her other books, including the first one in this series.

Tessa Bailey knocks it out yet again. I love hockey romances, but add in the nanny/au pair trope and I turn into heart eyes. The personal trauma and hurdles that Tallulah deals with within the story is beautifully written. The detail about Burgesses 12 y/o daughter idealistically thinking her parents still want each other despite her mother being engaged adds a bit of realism that was perfect for the plot. I also loved that while Burgess and his ex weren't close, they showed healthy co-parenting and the ex-wife wasn't mean or tried to interfere, just curious in a natural way. The age-gap was perfect and his fear of having an injury-forced retirement was a great angle to write on for this story. I highly reccommend!

The Au Pair Affair is another huge hit by Tessa Bailey! I loved the whole dynamic between Tallulah and Burgess. I loved how even though they were so very different they were able to share their vulnerable sides with each other. Awesome read!!! I especially recommend this if you are a fan of hockey romance!

I think this was the spicest Tessa Bailey book I read. I liked the banter between the two main characters but did not enjoy the calling out of flaws and feel like that itself could be a trigger warning for this book. It was a pretty standard age gap romance with a sports aspect to it. Nothing too new or exciting, but enjoyable.

I'm a fan of Tessa Bailey's writing and The Au Pair Affair does not disappoint! This is brimmed with age gap romance, insta love but slow burn, he falls first, opposites attract, grumpy meets sunshine, boss/employee and forced proximity with a touch of sports. There are also deeper aspects like finding oneself and inner healing. Perfect for the summer – but could be considered even more ideal in wintertime because of Tallulah and Burgess’ love of the cold! Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this!

The Au Pair Affair by Tessa Bailey is a hockey romance featuring Tallulah, a grad student who gets a job as an au pair for Sir Savage (aka Burgess Abraham), the captain of the Boston Bearcats who’s known for being a fighter on the ice. Tallulah has some trauma she’s working on recovering from and is worried about taking this job, however she finds herself drawn to Burgess and feeling safe with him despite his reputation.

Overall this was a fun read however was lacking in the plot a bit. Also the Antarctica plot line was a bit unrealistic with how it was used to support the overall storyline. Fans of Tessa Bailey will likely enjoy this book, as it's similar to her other ones.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and author for granting me an advance reader copy of the eBook. The Au Pair Affair is expected to be published on July 16, 2024.

This book was painfully bad. Just not it for me. This is my second time reading Tessa Bailey. Idk something about her writing makes the books so hard to read. They’re always about pick me girls and guys who are creepy from the start. I am not a professional writer so I don’t know what it takes to write a book, but it seems like when authors like this produce 4 books a year the quality is awful. Who’s their publisher? Who’s their editor?? How do these books get past the table? Anyway, no hate to Tessa Bailey fans but her books are just not it for me. I would skip this one if I were you. It took me weeks to get through.

The Au Pair Affair
By Tessa Bailey

-Single dad
-hockey Player
-Live in Nanny
-Age Gap
-Who did this to you
-Forded Proximity

Pages: 384
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/.5
🌶️🌶️🌶️

I was extremely curious to read about Tallulah & Burgess in Fangirl Down, & it didnt disappoint. I was hooked from the very beginning the tension between this two🥵

Burgess protectiveness was amazing & the groveling chef kiss!!

Overall, such a quick & easy read!!

Fav quotes;

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

“Just want to mention that I’m happy to give, not just received. In fact, I fucking love giving Tallulah.”

Ps; can’t wait to read Chloe 😉

Listen, I could tell you that I’m not 10000% in love with Burgess, but I’d be lying. That man owns me; the stone exterior and fragile interior - wrecked.

Tallulah was a wonderful FMC & her story obliterated my heart. I could do nothing but cry & rejoice with her.

Honestly, I don’t think I’ll be the same after this book. I also LOVED Wells & Josephine’s appearance; a cute touch!

I pray there’s another installment in this series.

Tessa Bailey, thank you for entering the world of sports romance. If anyone can write a hulking hero, with hidden sensitivity, it’s Tessa! The tension between our main characters is jumping off the pages from the get go, and we spend a solid portion of the story working through Tallulah and Burgess’ “should we or shouldn’t we” energy. Spoiler alert: They should! You won’t need to understand the game of hockey to enjoy this one, but Tessa does a fantastic job of what must go through a pro player’s mind, and how those feelings affect his choices. I’m hoping we get another hockey romance from Tessa soon! Many thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books for my gifted ARC!

Tallulah is second-guessing her decision to move in with Burgess, a hockey player known for being mean, in order to nanny his daughter. But he convinces her she has nothing to fear--and from the beginning, he's much more open and understanding than she expected. But aside from the fear that her past instilled in her, there's also the issue of Burgess's looks: he's incredibly hot. And clearly into her. And Tallulah knows it would be a bad idea to sleep with the man who is technically her boss...

The Au Pair Affair is really fun, with amazing spice, and it even made me actively like some of the jealousy/alpha male dynamics I usually don't love in a romance. I hadn't read the first book but I'm definitely going to now--and am really looking forward to the next book in the series.

I love a good single dad/nanny trope as much as the next girl, but this was definitely not my favorite. The chemistry and the spice were...not the best. They felt awkward and unnatural, which is not something that I expect from Tessa as an author.

Thank you NetGalley and Harper Collins Publishers for the opportunity to read this e-book in exchange for an honest review of the content.
Ugh, thank you Tessa Bailey! This romance was just what I needed! This book is such an easy read and follows two *very* lovable characters Burgess and Tallulah, and throughout the book they both show so much personal growth and overcoming of obstacles. There is nothing better than a grumpy x sunshine, hockey, forced proximity, romance, and this delivered! Super sad of the (spoiler?) third-act break-up, I was left wanting more of their relationship post-reconciliation! Maybe in the future!!
WARNING: this book is surprisingly !much! spicier than I anticipated! The innocent-looking cover doesn't give you much indication of the level. The spice was done well, it just surprised me a little!

I was a little let down. Don't get me wrong, I did enjoy the book, but it didn't have the same wow factor of some of her previous books.

This was a 3.3 stars for me...and I was really hoping it was going to be a 4 or 5. Sadly, it fell kind of short.

This started really slow. I had such a hard time making a connection with the MC's. And then when the connection happened I didn't even understand where it came from. Their story must stem from the first book, which I haven't read-so that's on me. Although Tessa's books are all considered stand alone's...something tells me Tallulah and Burgess are introduced in the first novel.

Tallulah is a 26 year old marine biologist student. She was interesting enough, but honestly she was a little boring and anti climatic for me. I didn't find her attractive and found her persona a little blah. Then when she lets Burgess in on her history and the whys behind her hesitation with all things-it hit like a ton of bricks. I certainly wasn't expecting the trauma and while I did like that tidbit it came out of nowhere and had nothing to do with anything. Felt kind of completely off track with the actual substance of the pages?!

Okay, now we have Burgess. I did find him attractive in my head. And I did enjoy his (very) strong personality and come on vibe but he was also kind of blah. He didn't have much depth. I just didn't find him developed for some odd reason. And it felt long and like there was PLENTY of time to develop him and feel that connection but it didn't happen. His whole dad side too just kind of was a let down. I love a good single dad vibe but this missed the mark!

When their romance/intimacy started to blossom it kind of just happened and again, I didn't feel the build up I wanted. Their communication and interactions didn't strike me as though love was in the air so I had a difficult time enjoying them as a couple. It also took way too long for something to happen. Then when it did, boy did it! The spice was spicing!! Burgess was a run of the mill (NHL star) dad on the streets but a complete freak in the streets.

Loved:
-The inner monologues. That hit for me in this.
-the friends
-Burgess' protective nature
-the ending

Didn't Love:
-the whole hospital scene
-some of the missed opportunities
-Burgess protective nature (I loved it and also wanted to shove him haha)

Overall: This was cute! Fun, easy read with enough going on to finish and be happy with the end result. Which I was! I loved the way it all came together and the ending made me smile. :) I will definitely read more Tessa books!

*Huge thanks to NetGalley, AVON Books + Harper Voyager US and of course Tessa Bailey for trusting me with this ARC in exchange for my honest review!!!

Not my favorite. The writing and some scenes were just not for me. I haven’t read the first one, but I have heard it was better. Might read that one and then see if I would consider reading more of the series.