I received this ebook from Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion and review. I liked how this book can be read as a standalone or as part of a series. I’ll definitely go back and read the first one now! As far as these two go, i enjoyed their love story, but I have to say who decided to name them Tallulah & Burgess? i had a hard time taking them seriously because of that. Otherwise I liked their characters.

I loved this book! It was such a good way to continue the relationship that we caught wind of in Fangirl Down! Tallulah agrees to be a live-in nanny for Burgess and his 12 year old daughter, despite her trust issues, and his rough reputation. There is so much emotion, humor, and steam in this book, I couldn't put it down!

I was obsessed with Fangirl Down and this is a fun continuation of that series! Love to see TB venturing into sports romances!

**Ok, here's the thing about this one. I really wanted to like it more than I did because I was such a fan of Fangirl Down, but I'm realizing I never like my digital reads as much as I like my physical ones. I may update my rating after I grab a physical copy of this and do a re-read!

I really enjoyed the second book in the Big Shots series. I'm a huge fan of Tessa Bailey and her writing style. She always does a great job of including banter, emotions and spice and this book didn't fall short in those categories. The characters were very likeable and I love that the minor characters from the series make small appearances. This book is worth your time.

4.5 stars rounded up to 5 stars. I feel like at a different time of me reading this it might have been a solid 5 stars. That being said, I really enjoyed this book. I probably liked it even more than the first one of the series. The first part of this book hooked me right away. I loved how sweet and considerate Burgess was towards Tallulah especially when she was uncomfortable. The tension in this book was burning! It had the typical great Tessa Bailey spice but I liked the slower burn and build up that these two had. The reason why I did not fully give it a 5 stars is because I did lose some interest towards the end. I never wanted to stop reading there were just some parts I could skim and was okay with it. Overall, this was a great book and one I can see myself reading again. Burgess's daughter was a fun addition to the book, I like how there was not OW drama with his ex wife and I really liked Sig and Chloe. Hopefully we get their book next!

Thanks Tessa Bailey, NetGalley, and Avon and Harper Voyager for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review!

What a fun second book in the Big Shots series!
We get to get to know Burgess aka Sir Savage, burly hockey defenseman and Tallulah, the au pair to his preteen daughter. We also get to see LOTS of Wells and Josephine from Fangirl Down seeing as how Josephine is Tallulah’s best friend and how Burgess and Tallulah met in the first place. 11 years her senior, and against his better judgement, he falls first, and he’s down bad for her. It takes quite a while for him to break down her walls, she’s dealing with some pretty significant trauma, but their chemistry is undeniable and he’s patient while she comes around. My only complaint is that there was a lot of wishy washiness on T’s part. Lots of, “This will NEVER happen!!” And then a page and a half later, they were hooking up in the kitchen. “Don’t talk to me, I need space.” Banging on the couch. “It’ll never work.” Doing it up against the side of the building. I’m a big proponent of USING YOUR WORDS! But then you’ve gotta back up your words with action (or inaction, as the case may be.) I get that their chemistry was red hot, couldn’t be denied, etc. but then stop trying to keep him at arm’s length, it’s not like he’s a bad guy. Anyway, I still enjoyed it a lot, and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys Tessa’s writing!

Tessa Bailey 🥰 this is a second book in a standalone series! If you’ve read Tessa Bailey before and you love her books, this book stays true to her typical formula. I really liked this, I think it will make for a great beach read

This was my first Tessa Bailey and I loved it! This book was adorable and so much fun! Tallulah becomes the au pair to the Sir Savage of hockey and she cannot keep her eyes and mind off of him. Burgess is a single father to a preteen daughter, who thought hiring Tallulah would help him navigate through, but what he didn’t expect was how she would affect him. The spice level was 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ and the real emotions portrayed were incredible. One of the best reads this year!

Ever since reading Fangirl Down I have been eagerly waiting for the sequel that features her best friend, Telilulah. Thanks to Netgalley I had the opportunity to read this early and it lived up to all my expectations. As Bailey always does, she did an amazing job of telling the story of Tellilulah, who is stating a masters program and needs a place to stay. Burgeese is a professional hockey player who needs help with his daughter. This was such a good story of earning someone’s trust and coming back from trauma. I loved the book from start to finish and hope the next book will be about Cleo!!

Thank you to Netgalley and to the publishers for allowing me to read this advanced copy.

love love loved this book! such a cute hockey romance and a great single dad romance! loved the entire thing! 4.5 ⭐️

Oh how I loved this story!!! Burgess was different from other Sport Romance MCs. He fell so quickly and so hard and so, so deeply. He was a gentle giant off the ice. From the moment he met Tallulah, he knew she was different and he wanted to be in her space. Burgess had no clue how to interact with his daughter. He was awkward in the most innocent ways. He wanted to be a good dad, but needed someone to help him see his words and actions through another’s eyes. Tallulah was this person. There were so many obstacles for them to overcome starting at the very beginning of the book. Their road to happiness was not smooth, but it sure was sweet when they got there.

I received a free ARC and this is my honest, voluntary review.

Is this my new favorite Tessa Bailey read? Very possibly. I loved the depth of the characters and character development they experienced! It was such a great compliment to the quality spice!

I'm really into engaging light-hearted romances lately, especially when they have a bit of spice. Tessa Bailey nailed it with this one! I was completely absorbed and now I'm excited to dive into the series. This hockey romance with Tallulah and Burgess was a fun read. Their rapid connection, coupled with the reluctant Au Pair dynamic, made for an enjoyable story. Despite their emotional baggage, the way they worked through it felt genuine and devoid of any cringiness. Definitely a recommendation for those seeking a quick, enjoyable read! Thanks NetGalley for the ARC!

Ohhhh this book was so good! Absolutely devoured it! Can't wait for more from this author. Thanks to the author and Netgalley

Okay unfortunately, I did not realize this was book 2 in Tessa’s Big Shots series. I will be updating this review after I have had a chance to read book one, I’d like to make sure I give this book a fair shot. I already know I’ll love it, because it’s Tessa, and I’m so excited to dive in!

Will post to Instagram on 6/6/24
Thank you to @netgalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
This was a fun book with comedy, banter, family, love, and crazy wild chemistry. Tallulah the FMC is studying marine biology and Burgess is an older hockey player who is divorced with a tween daughter Lissa. When Tallulah agrees to be Lissa’s au pair, the adventure begins. Tallulah and Lissa get along well if Tallulah is nothing more than her au pair and stays away from her dad. Lissa has her fingers crossed that her parents get back together even though her mom is engaged. In the meantime, Tallulah and Burgess spend a lot of one-on-one time together where they realize their chemistry cannot be ignored.
There were laugh-out-loud moments, as well as sad and frustrating times between Lissa, Burgess, and Tallulah. Then there was hope. All in all, a great summer read. I would recommend this for a light and fun story. Highly recommended reading this outside with a cool adult beverage.

I was totally blown away by Fangirl Down so you better believe that I was going to grab The Au Pair Affair hoping it was going to be another sports romance romcom to adore this year.

Baily already wrote the BEST scene in Fangirl Down where Burgess and Tallulah meet for the first time and he extends the offer for her to move in and become his au pair and the tension between those two already was off-the-charts so yeah…no brainer I was clamoring to read this!

First off – I love these two characters. With SO MANY books under her belt already, I don’t know how Tessa Bailey keeps creating new characters with unique personalities and life experiences but I’m here for it.

Burgess was a great juxtaposition. A huge bruiser of a man known as Sir Savage on the ice because he was the enforcer of his NHL hockey team and yet with Tallulah he was so gentle, empathetic and caring. He immediately became her safe space when on paper and at first glance he should have been someone who terrified her.

He is top book boyfriend material because he never pushed Tallulah. He instantly became her protector and “bodyguard” for her adventures and only wanted the best for her. He was a total goner when it came to her from the very start.

His hang-up about their age gap really didn’t gain steam and I’m glad because it just didn’t seem to be an issue because both were just mature adults. I also liked that there wasn’t any drama with the ex which can happen in single parent and nanny romance books.

I loved the scenes with him and his teammates, especially the rookies. Hilarious. I loved how he took Tallulah’s suggestions for how to understand and communicate with his daughter and teammates because they were spot on.

And don’t get me started on this guy and his dirty talk. Holy moly….Tessa Bailey should honestly teach a course on writing dirty talk because she is AMAZING at it.

I mean it didn’t take much for me to fall for the man so I couldn’t blame Tallulah. How he could say exactly what he wanted in such a hot and filthy way was fire. And the date he planned….Genius. Thank you Tessa for this amazing hero.

Tallulah was a gem too. While you understand that she’s a grad student and loves marine biology, this story really just focused on her trying to overcome her fear from a past event that occurred in her life.

God my heart bled for this woman when she confessed the incident to Burgess and yet it makes you cheer her on in her bravery throughout the rest of the book.

This book also sets up another book in the series which is going to be a taboo romance between one of Burgess’ teammates and his soon-to-be stepsister. I love Sid not sure how I feel about Chloe who’s a bit ditzy but of course I’m going to read it!

As someone who lived in Boston for over twenty years it was really cool to have the city as the setting for this novel. I have been to the Aquarium and could totally picture their place in Beacon Hill!

I honestly will read anything by Tessa Bailey at this point and I’m so enjoying her sports romance series. I definitely recommend this one if you love hot hockey players, dirty talkers and strong heroines. Now to wait for the next one…

Tessa Bailey is a must read, one click author for me! Her books are always heartfelt and full of laughter!

Tallulah and Burgess were first introduced in Fangirl Down, book 1 in the Big Shots series. You do not need to read book 1 in order to enjoy this book!

These two opposites do not make sense! He is a storm cloud and she’s sunshine! Yet something about her calls to Burgess and he will stop at nothing to show her the many he truly is, the man that he can be for her. She softens his sharp edges and he gives her strength when she feels she is about to fall. Together they are whole, until Burgess has to face the toughest battle in his career!

This book had me hooked and in love! I loved to see how both helped the other out and to experience not only their love but their growth as individuals and as a couple had my heart in a vise. The last 10% of this book had me laughing, crying and laughing again. A very beautiful story!

First off, if you are averse of spicy romances, why are you here at a Tessa Bailey book and second, you really won't like this one. Just saying. But that being said, "The Au Pair Affair" brings together Bailey's usual compelling language, intriguing love story, indulgent tropes (this time it's age gap, sports romance, celebrity romance, and forced proximity) and toe-curling spice. "The Au Pair Affair" is told in dual points of view, and yes brings back the lovable couple of Wells and Josephine from Bailey's "Fangirl Down" for a sweet post-HEA check-in. This book, true to Bailey's style, is well-written and so intriguing that has me so curious to keep reading even though I've never really vibed with an age gap romance. But "The Au Pair Affair" is a Tessa Bailey romance, so where she leads, I will follow as a reader.

So, this is my first ever Tessa Bailey book…and to the person who gave this book just 3/5 spice…were we reading the same thing!?! This is probably the most explicit book I’ve ever read (and to think I used my work email to get the ARC). I thought the premise might be a bit Jane Eyre—slow build due to proximity—but nope! insta-hots. Both characters use book-character logic at several points and both characters are simply just Hot. I didn’t buy the whole relationship with Lissa, but it’s not like I wanted long sections dedicated to her, so I get it. This was fun in a totally indulgent, outlandish, don’t-think-about-it-too-hard way. But, I wouldn't say it was all that well-written or remotely realistic.