Firstly, I want to give many thanks to Avon and Harper Voyager, Tessa Bailey, and NetGalley for sharing this arc with me in exchange for my honest thoughts.

This second book in the "Big Shot" series by Tessa Bailey following the romance between Tallulah the quirky marine biologist nanny and Burgess the professional hockey player single dad of a 12-year-old. It includes themes of forced proximity, age gap (11 years), opposites attract, roommates, and grumpy sunshine.

He definitely falls first and messes it up (third act break up) but manages a great grovel to get their girl back and have a HEA.

While I liked this book, I found myself struggling with the characters. Tessa always delivers some great banter so that’s what really kept me going in the story. Which is why I am giving it 3.5 ✨rounded up to 4.

WOW, Burgess' mouth... and I mean that in more ways than one! 😉 That's it. That's the review.

Just kidding!

But seriously, this book had ALL the tropes that make my heart sing. Hockey romance? ✅ Age gap? ✅ He falls first? ✅ Protective/grumpy MMC? ✅ A strong/supportive friend? ✅

Even though single dad romances aren't usually my go-to, I had to give this one a try because I’ve been loving Tessa Bailey's books—they're funny, quick, and super spicy. And guess what? This one totally delivered!

Potential Spoilers Ahead! Normally, the third-act breakup can feel a bit unnecessary, but here it made total sense and was so well executed. The character growth for both leads was just chef's kiss! 👏✨

If you're looking for a swoon-worthy, trope-filled romance that’s a breeze to read, this one’s for you! ❤️📖

While I really liked parts of this story, especially the initial aspects, the ending felt a but rushed and ultimately too unrealistic. Both main character's development arcs seemed a touch superficial-- in particular, Tallulah's seemed like it could have gone a lot deeper or been more of a challenge. But nonetheless this was an entertaining and lighthearted read!

Was so very excited to read the arc for this second book in the Big Shots series, and it did not disappoint! I'm such a sucker for a sports romance, particularly a hockey romance! I loved Fangirl Down so much, but I think this one just might be my favorite in the series. I love that Wells and Josephine made cameo appearances in the story to tie things together. I particularly loved that this one had all the best rom-com spicy hilarious mayhem that we love Tessa for, while also adding a bit more substance to the story. It took some twists in Tallulah's backstory that I was not expecting, and I was here for the surprises. Definitely a 5-star read for me, and highly recommend! Thanks so much to Tessa Bailey, the publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this e-arc!

I saw that the famous author Tessa Bailey was coming out with a new book this summer and I jumped at the opportunity to read her for the first time. I have been seeing her books in all the bookshops and have been very curious.

You do not need to have read the first novel before picking this one up as they are companion novels.

To be honest, I don't think this author is for me. I was not aware of the level of spice her books have and clearly this much does not do anything for me. I like books that have more of a backstory before getting into it. The attraction was 90% physical and it felt insta lovey, with little depth. Also, I cannot get over all the red flags this man is giving and the way she overcomes a HUGE trauma with such an aggressive and inpatient man.

Overall this may have been my mistake as I like to go into books without knowing a lot about it in the first place.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

Honestly, I didn’t find myself as invested in this book as the 1st in this series. The first book had such great banter and character development, but I feel like this follow up just fell a bit flat for me. It was a fine read, but I didn’t find myself as drawn to the characters or interested in their relationship all that much.

In the Au Pair affair, our FMC Tallulah is finding her footing again in life. She’s nervous around new people and new environments but for some reason not Burgess. She’s met him once before but he’s still a stranger in her eyes.
Similar to other Au pair/nanny romances you know emotions are bound to happen quickly because of forced proximity. This book was no different as our male MC comes on strong with his feelings toward Tallulah however I liked the commitment aspect added in so that this wouldn’t just be a one and done situation between them. Then, (speaking of spicy situations) if thats what you’re looking for, this book has quite a bit. There was one moment I had to pause and wonder how did we go from trust to straight chili peppers so quickly. Overall, I think this sports romance relationship was a nice read. I would’ve wished for a little more trust and relationship building but I still enjoyed it.

Overall Rating: ⭒ ⭒.5

Thank you to NetGalley and Tessa Bailey for an ebook in exchange for an honest review!
I don’t necessarily read Tessa Bailey books for the mind blowing literary prowess, or even the intriguing plot, yet somehow this one still managed to underwhelm me. As far as Bailey books (that I’ve read) go, she’s not a favorite, and I will not be reading the first installment of this series.

The Au Pair Affair tells the story of Tallulah, a graduate student in marine biology, who nannies for Sir Savage–otherwise known as Burgess–while trying her best to relearn how to live life without fear. The initial attraction, and borderline love-at-first sight in this really did not do it for me. Bailey typically writes couples that have an initial spark, but this one seemed forced and did the development of the characters a disservice.

Speaking of development, I guess not every book needs to be a slow burn, but this one set itself up to at least burn a little and fell dramatically short of that. This story promised big character flaws and development, and the pacing did not give time for these characters to come to their own. Instead, problems were solved with too much ease, and characters were developed in forced one liners so that we could get to the romance of the book. When things are rushed in this way, it really ruins the romance for me. Also, I can only read about a couple’s sex life so many times before my eyes start to glaze over.

What I’m trying to say is that The Au Pair Affair was missing something that made this romance more, or even made the pairing believable. I felt like I was being force fed their development and love story, instead of being led to feeling it. With that said, it wasn’t a boring read, and at times I really enjoyed myself. It was fun, but underwhelming. I was left always wanting more–and not in a good way.

Overall Rating: ⭒ ⭒.5

Review:

First of all, loved this hockey romance. Now Tallulah is so much fun, I knew I liked her since she show up in the first book. Definitely enjoyed her point of view and how she overcome her insecurities. Now Burgess, oh he grow up so much on this book, loved that, and how he did everything to make Tallulah feel safe, he mess up sometimes and there at the end I wasn’t sure who I wanted to strangle more her or him 🫣, but they definitely figured their shit out thanks god. Anyway definitely spicy I think I spend 60% of this book waiting to get to more, their foreplay uff 🥵. Is definitely on a more slow motion towards the spicy scenes but I love that. It reminded me to Hook, Line and Sinker in that manner. Now I cant wait to get my hands on a physical copy.

Read this if you like:
•hockey romance
•stern brunch daddy
•single dad / nanny
•age gap (11 years)
•grumpy / sunshine

I binged this so hard. I am a sucker for the single dad trope and I love me a hockey romance. This book was chefs kiss. The part about overcoming your fears brought so much depth to the story. I was literally swooning for half the this book. I can’t wait to see what’s next in the series!

Thank you Avon for the earc!

I LOVED this book!!!! So much more than Fan Girl Down (even though that one was good!) in this series. Tallulah and Burgess were made for each other from the start. The spice, the wittiness, this book was EVERYTHING!!

I can’t wait for a book on Chloe and Sig 😍

3 stars for writing, but couldn't find it in me to finish... just couldn't connect to characters.
I will recommend to others, because the author is well loved in our store.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tessa Bailey for an ebook in exchange for an honest review!

Rating: 4/5 Stars

Another amazing read by Tessa Bailey! I love all her romance books - they all make me swoon!

[Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for the eARC in exchange for an honest review]

Tessa Bailey's writing style is always easy to read but I just don't think this book was for me.

While there was definitely chemistry/great banter between Tallulah and Burgess, I found it a little hard to believe that Tallulah would so quickly trust Burgess after the trauma she experienced.

I also had a hard time believing she would forgive him so quickly after the 3rd act break up (possibly one of the meanest break ups I've read). The third act break up honestly has me unable to root for Burgess.

Lately, it feels like there's a trend of MMCs who are grumpy/tough but secretly cinnamon rolls and very protective of the women they love... but the 'protectiveness' borders on controlling. Burgess seems to be part of this trend. The level of jealousy and claiming her as 'his' is just not sexy. Like an alpha type who is secretly sweet except he's just weirdly possessive and jealous (of a woman he's only known for a short amount of time).

Not sure Burgess is even that great of a dad. He doesn't really talk with Lissa until Tallulah tells him how. I would cut him a break because parenting a preteen isn't a picnic but he spends more time trying to get Tallulah in bed than talking with his daughter. He drops the ball when it comes to telling Lissa that he likes Tallulah so the latter gets the brunt of Lissa's rage.

It’s a quick read but overall I was left disappointed by it.

I like Tessa Bailey's books. You can always count on her for a fast-paced, love-at-first-sight romance with smut. She surprised me with this one with the conflict. Usually her books have a bit more fluffiness/unrealistic quality, but the issue of Burgess having an ex-wife and their daughter being reluctant to see another woman in his life felt very mature. I like that the book did not gloss over this very real issue within step-family relations like so many other romance books try to do. And that Tallulah is an educated woman with her own career and who has her wits about her; she doesn't just jump at the chance to live with a strange man. I also like that, even though hockey romance is a huge trend right now, Bailey doesn't fall into the same traps and tropes as other books. The fact that the man is a hockey player does not take over the whole story.

My main criticism is that there are a lot of strange word choices and analogies. This author has always had some unique metaphors but her recent books have been reading more awkwardly than her older ones.

I really enjoyed this, but I always love a Tessa Bailey book! The characters were so fun, and i loved them together!

Thank you for the eARC!

I get the name is an alliteration but, au pairs are usually foreign and I guess nanny isn’t as eye catching. I do like Tessa Bailey’s writing and had read fan girl down, and enjoyed it a lot. So I was really excited to read Burgess’s story that was hinted in the end. I was not prepared for the smut level in that book, and was completely unprepared for this one. Tessa Bailey has really become the queen of the contemporary romance, she has the ability to create a unique story with an actual plot. Most contemporary reads are the same recycled blah, but Tessa Bailey always brings it. I do not read age gap romances, normally I don’t even try to read them, and if I get the inkling that they are I almost never continue. I had a lot of skepticism but gave it a chance, the story was intriguing and the writing was great. And you know what, I was hooked. Also love the Sig Chloe relationship and have my fingers crossed there will be a story there. Overall, I highly recommend reading! I received an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

No one does hilarious one liners quite like Tessa. I am obsessed with this single dad, hockey player x nanny romcom! I loved the real life emotions after trauma, the hesitation that came with her being his nanny and them falling for each other…. Absolute perfection!!

💙 single dad x nanny
💙 over coming trauma
💙 ago gap
💙 vacation

Cute single dad and nanny romance. Any fans of Tessa Bailey and hockey rom coms will definitely enjoy this book.

Tessa Bailey has been a hit or miss author for me. This one was a miss. However, positives first. I think Tallulah is a really interesting character. She is trying to get through past trauma and has had amazing experiences working around animals and is studying to earn her masters degree in marine biology. Super impressive. She’s an inspiration to Lissa, who she is a au pair for, and offers really good parenting advice. I wanted more on how amazing Tallulah was and showcasing her intelligence and other experiences. From the book description, I thought that would be the case. However, this quickly fell into being just about how obsessed with her Burgess was and how he was so good at protecting and taking care of her. This didn’t match the description of the book and I was really bothered by the lack of content warnings and the sexism shown throughout the book. Here’s my rant: This book has some disturbing stalking/kidnapping material and since I read an ARC, perhaps it wasn’t added in yet, but it needs to be added. In romance novels there is a fine line between pushing the boundaries of what is protective and romantic and what is just sexist. This book crosses into the sexist line too many times, again with no content warning. As somewhat who has been on the receiving end of sexual harassment during graduate studies in the sciences (like the FMC!!!), I would have appreciated knowing it would be so prevalent in this novel. The book basically excuses “locker room talk” as a normal part of sports and makes a joke of players wearing “orgasm donor” sweatshirts. The MMC constantly has sexual thoughts about his au pair and they aren’t romantic, they come off as perverse since she is his employee. Again, even though he acknowledges it’s wrong because of the power dynamic, it doesn’t stop the thoughts or later action. I’m disappointed about the lack of depth or real storyline especially when it’s replaced with content that basically glorifies sexualizing women. If there were appropriate labels and someone knew what they were getting into - to each their own. I’m not against people making the choice to read this and enjoy it for themselves if that’s what they like. However, this book is seeming advertised as a somewhat smutty romance when it’s actually being an unsafe romance. This book has a cute and colorful cover and would be so easy for a teen girl to pick up. If a teen girl read this, she could assume it’s okay to date someone 11 years older because he’s being “protective” (possessive) and has incredibly lusty thoughts for her. That isn’t okay behavior. Romance should be speaking positively about women and whatever their sexual choices are and this book is just too far opposite. Due to crossing these lines way too many times, I may just be done with Tessa Bailey. 2⭐️, 4🌶