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.

I really loved this. Both of them giving each other this new beginning of opening themselves up to life when they had been closed off for different reasons is just chefs kiss. Also as someone who is half Turkish loved some of the details like köfte and saksuka.

Not a fan. The plot line is fine, typical of a romcom. But the way the characters talk to each other is honestly disturbing. The sex scenes are not realistic and the urgency and phrases they use with each other are just gross. I don’t have any issues with open door romances, but I had to skip ahead because they are so patriarchal and gross. Which was surprising because the author clearly made it priority to show the male lead being respectful in other ways. This one wasn’t for me.

Oh em Gee!! Is it possible that I loved this even more than Fangirl Down?! Yaaaas!

I loved how Josephine and Wells tied into Burgess and Tallulah’s story and made a few appearances. Burgess is a mean looking hockey star who’s really a softie with a bawdy oddy oddy. 🔥 Tallulah is a grad student who takes Burgess up on his offer to be a nanny to his eleven year old daughter. While I normally don’t care for the single dad trope, this one had me in a CHOKEhold 😉.

The banter was spot on and the TENSION babbby was giving! His protectiveness and her not needing, but wanting someone to be there for her and show her there are still good men in the world made this a fantastic story line. Was it predictable? Duh. I’m the first to admit that I don’t read these kind of books for shock value. However, the story still warmed my heart and kept me utterly entertained. It was funny and hot and honestly, what more could you want?! It also made me bawl like a baby so points for that.

Overall, I absolutely loved it! I will say it was a tad too long in my opinion, too drawn out. However, it was adorable and exactly what you’re looking for when you read a Tessa Bailey novel!

How does Tessa Bailey just keep getting better and better?! Every time I sit down with one of her novels, I can barely put them down. The Au Pair Affair, I have to say, is one of my favorites of hers. I absolutely adored Tallulah and Burgess and their journey. And Lissa? *sigh* How can anyone not love her to pieces? I have to say that the nanny trope isn't always my favorite, but Ms. Bailey can put a fresh spin on ANY trope and make me love it. Highly, highly recommend. Five stars!

Thank you to @avonbooks and @tessabaileyisanauthor as well as @netgalley for e-arc. All thoughts are my own.


Tallulah is 26 and working on her degree in marine biology. She’s barely making by, so when she’s offered a job as a live-in nanny for Burgess, the burly hockey play, she jumps at the opportunity, and not just for the swanky neighborhood, but Lissa, his sweet but introverted tween.

It isn’t long before Tallulah realizes that it isn’t just Lissa who needs some help fitting in, and she sets off to get Burgess to date again. However, Burgess isn’t really onboard because he only has eyes for her.

Ah Tessa Bailey, you have done it again! She knocked this one out of the park just like she did with Fangirl Down. I think that this was a great continuation of the series. Things picked right up with Tallulah and Burgess from Fangirl Down. This book is so much fun. It’s filled with so much angst and tension and lots of fun banter. There are also several laugh out loud moments. I loved how Burgess dealt with the rookies under Tallulah’s guidance, goes to show how listening skills can come in handy! Later in the books, there is plenty of spice to go around, and I like how Tessa Bailey writes her spice. The relationship between Tallulah and Burgess felt natural and easy, though there was some tension as Burgess’s daughter and ex-wife were involved. I also really enjoyed how this one ended.

I loved what I hope are little morsels for what will be the third book! I cannot wait for that one!

I rushed out and bought the special edition of this book to match my Fangirl Down. Yay! It won’t be here for a few months, but I’ll share to my stories or my TikTok when it comes.

I loved how fun this book was. Younger smart Au Pair meets hot older hokey grumpy father. This book had so much sexual tension between Tallulah & Burgess. I love how they both have and need what the other one wants and needs and they don’t know it till later in the book. I love how this book was linked with her last book & brings a few of those characters into this book, and I have a feeling I know who the next book could be about.

Predictable Tessa Bailey. Big burly grump of a hero, tough on the outside but jello on the inside. . THis one didn’t hit me like Fan Girl down. Very sexy and steamy couple.

As any Tessa Bailey and Hockey Romance, this one was a quick and easy read. Tessa Bailey kept me engaged and wanting to read more throughout the whole books.

Would recommend to anyone looking for a quick read,

The Au Pair Affair
includes a clever and fun marine biology student who is dealing with a traumatic event from her past with a grumpy and confused pro hockey player who doesn't understand life as an athlete approaching retirement and a divorced dad. It has laughs, spice, heart, and witty banter. I believe the first half of this book was almost perfection. The conversations were fun, Tallulah made an excellent au pair while balancing a graduate degree. Burgess used his size and power as a way to support Tallulah who in turn helped him to see how things beyond his Sir Savage persona were valuable as well. The final third of the book pushed Tallulah and Burgess to fight for their HEA and we were so glad to see it fully realized in the epilogue!

Mein Leseerlebnis

Vor dem Lesen der sports romance hatte auf eine ähnlich unterhaltsame und lockere Geschichte wie im ersten Teil in der Buchreihe gehofft (siehe: Fangirl down). Diese Erwartung erfüllte sich leider nur bedingt.

Ja, der Schreibstil ist locker und einnehmend, auch gefiel mir die Energie in der Geschichte. Die Dialoge hörten sich für meine Ohren aber nicht in jeder Szene überzeugend an.

In der hockey romance werden teils ernste Themen behandelt. Diese fügten sich meiner Meinung nach nicht immer nahtlos in den Liebesroman rein. Damit habe ich beim Lesen etwas gehadert.

Vor allem die Vorgeschichte der Heldin wirkte auf mich etwas zu konstruiert. Zudem empfand ich das Verhalten des Helden bei aufkommenden Problemen in seiner Karriere als Eishockey-Spieler überzogen, fast schon kindisch und auch zu ihm unpassend.

Darüber hinaus konnte ich leider die Gefühle zwischen den Hauptcharakteren nicht spüren und mir beide zusätzlich nicht als richtige Personen vorstellen. Und auch die Sexszenen wirkten auf mich teils wie ein Fremdkörper.

Insgesamt hat das Buch auf mich beim Lesen nicht wie eine runde Sache gewirkt. Da mich emotional nur wenig berühren konnte, habe ich den Liebesroman nicht zu Ende gelesen.

Keine Bewertung, da abgebrochen.

Für wen?

Wer Liebesromane mag, die flott geschrieben sind und in denen so einiges los ist, für den könnte “The Au Pair Affair” einen Versuch wert sein.

Achtet beim Lesen der Leseprobe vor allem darauf, wie die beiden Hauptcharaktere auf euch wirken und ob ihr die Emotionen zwischen ihnen spüren könnt.

I've been really into light and spicy romances lately, and this book definitely delivered. Tessa Bailey did a great job with the cute and lighthearted romance between Tallulah and Burgess. Their connection was instant and their dynamic as an Au Pair and a single dad added an interesting twist to the story, however the instant connection bothered me a bit since i orefer my romances with a bit more build up! And while I did wish there was more emotional depth, overall it was still an enjoyable read. I actually liked it more than the first book in the series and I'm eagerly looking forward to a third one!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher fir the arc!

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁:
✨ Roommates
✨ Nanny x Boss
✨ Age Gap
✨ Spice

If Tessa writes it, I’m reading it.

The story had me not wanting to put my book down until the dreaded third act break-up. I’m never a fan of those but they’re always a staple in a romance novel so one day I’ll eventually get over them.

The Au Pair Affair is filled with what Tessa does best - tension, angst and spice. Tallulah’s ambitiousness paired with Burgess’s protectiveness was the perfect mixture. Their story was a perfect, steam filled slow burn.

I only wish there was more of Tallulah being an Au Pair in ‘The Au Pair Affair’ but Lissa is 12 and didn’t really need Tallulah there?

As of now, Fangirl Down is my favorite in the series but maybe if a certain couple gets their own book that might change? 👀

The Au Pair Affair was another good romance from Tessa Bailey. It has all the spiciness you expect in one of her novels. It has likable main characters and a fun plot! I'd definitely recommend this for fans of Tessa Bailey.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book.

This started out so great, I thought for sure it would be 5 stars. I loved the Boston setting, the hockey scenes, the Red Sox references ("I get a little emotional talking about Pedro Martinez" - gah!). A lot of it was laugh out loud funny, especially the phone conversations between Burgess and Wells, and the singles mixer in the park. Then it turned into....something else. My complaints: if "au pair" is in the title, maybe you could have your character, I don't know, take care of the child who is under her care? There weren't many scenes with Tallulah and Lissa - I felt that was a missed opportunity - and Lissa basically took care of herself for the entire book. And I didn't buy the insta-love on the part of Tallulah. After reading about her past trauma, I thought it was rather unbelievable how she acted around Burgess within days of him becoming her boss. Once the (no spoilers) big event happens with him, I pretty much lost interest in the story. Also, she's a college student with supposedly limited funds, and makes a big deal (rightly so!) about a hockey sweatshirt costing $75, yet during the third act breakup, she goes on all these adventures that have to cost several hundred dollars each. I'm nitpicking, but yeah, that kind of turned me off. I was hoping for more of Wells and Josephine, especially once we got to the wedding since they are all best friends. I can only hope they all make appearances if there's a third book. To end on a positive note, I did love the way it ended - the last two words were perfect.

I loved this book a bunch! The writing was so easy to get into and the romance was very well written and it was so addictive!

When Tallulah Aydin travels to a golf match to meet up with her best friend, Josephine and her boyfriend Wells she is introduced to Burgess "Sir Savage" Abraham and is instantly smitten. Tallulah is starting her masters program and needs money so when Burgess offers her the job to be the Au Pair for his 12 year old daughter, Lissa she jumps at the chance. Money and a place to live sounds like a dream, except Tallulah is nervous living with a man she does not know. This is because of some terror from her past.

Everything is going well. Tallulah just adores Lissa and Burgess loves how she is able to handle his tween daughter. The hard part is trying to fight their feelings for each other while living under the same roof. It's also not easy knowing Burgess is eleven years older than Tallulah and that Lissa is hoping her parents are getting back together....which they aren't!

Life is going perfectly until Lissa finds out about Tallulah and her dad and everything blows up. Then when something happens to Burgess he shuts Tallulah and everyone else out of his life. By the time he realizes what he did, it will take an act of God to win Tallulah back but he does it in grand fashion.

I loved this steamy nanny/boss love story. Tallulah was going through life avoiding certain things and until she was ready to deal with those things she was never going to find her happy ever after. Thankfully she does a lot of soul searching and they come together in a perfect way. Burgess knew they whole time she was the one for him and I loved how he made her realize that. This was such a fun and entertaining read that me laughing. Great job!

After reading Fangirl Down and meeting Burgess and Tallulah I knew that this next book “The Au Pair Affair” was not going to be a book I was going to miss. Tallulah is in Boston in grad school earning her Masters. Back from Antarctica where she studied Penguins we found out that she was going to be looking for a job and a place to stay in “Fangirl Down”. Burgess in need of some help and having an extra room volunteered his extra room and a job watching his twelve year old daughter when she is out of school.
This was everything I wanted it to be and more. Tallulah is hestiant in the beginning of the book to move in and for good reason. She has a past that wasn’t all that great due to an expierenced she faced. Burgess is a big softie off the ice and especially with Tallulah. I loved their dynamic and could not have been happier with how their characters played out. It really was everything I needed this book to be and wanted at this current time for what I wanted to read.
I really hope that Tessa Bailey is not done with this series and we do in fact get a Chloe/Sig book! We got to see them so much in this book that I am dying for a book about them and really hope that it is in the works!