I went into this book with high expectation since I LOVED Fangirl Down. And let me tell you- it did not disappoint. The characters were witty and funny right from the start. These types of romances are a whirlwind and happen quick and the book goes by way too fast! Tallulah and Burgess CLEARLY have an instant connection, but both have serious denial. I mean- how could it ever work? He's older than her with a kid and ex-wife and she's scared to even show interest in a man because of a past experience. But the connection and clear chemistry is put to the ultimate test when Tallulah moves in to Burgess' home has his au pair. Quickly Burgess realizes it's not just chemistry, but something more. This book had me hooked from the start and I was absolutely cackling at their banter. There's a lot I'd like to highlight regarding tropes: hockey romance, there is an age gap, he falls first, and it is definitely grumpy/sunshine. If you liked any of Tessa Bailey's books you are sure to like this one. I also forgot the Tessa Bailey specialty- spice. I'd say it's similar to other books that I've read by Tessa, so if you're familiar, you won't be caught unaware. Happy reading! #NetGalley #NetGalleyARC #ARC #TheAuPairAffair #TessaBailey

I loved Fangirl Down! This is a follow up with Burgess and Tallaluh’s story. Burgess is Boston’s star hockey player and has been for years. Tallaluh is returning from multiple research trips and started her master’s program. She signs up to be Burgess’ aupair for his 12 year old daughter (all characters readers meet in Fangirl Down). There is quite an age gap, a grumpy/ sunshine dynamic, and some past trauma to work through.

They help each other, learn from each other, and fall in love. There’s bumps and obstacles to their story that comes to a head when Burgess is injured in a game.

There’s a fun return of Wes and Josephine. The final scenes take place at their destination wedding. Having read the epilogue to Fangirl Down it was fun getting a peek into their big day. However I really didn’t understand Burgess’ motivation and end game plan that wraps up the story.

Tessa Bailey is one of my most favorite authors!! I really enjoyed The Au Pair Affair, even though age-gap romances are not my thing - sports romances definitely are. Burgess was a great MMC, super swoon-worthy. Tallulah was relatable enough with her past traumas. But the biggest thing for me was the crumbs we got about Chloe and Sig. I need that book in my hands RIGHT NOW.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this arc ebook in exchange for an honest review.

🌶️🌶️🌶️
💙 This book was so good and I'm so grateful to have gotten a chance to read it early through Netgalley!
💙 The relationship between Burgess & Tallulah was so good! Their dynamic just worked so well and I loved it so much! I'm always a sucker for a single dad plot line, and having Tallulah help him with his daughter was so sweet to see. Even though Burgess is 11 years older than her, Tallulah keeps him young and inspires him. They bring out the best in each other.
💙 The spice? 🔥 Burgess was so down bad for Tallulah and I always love that about Tessa Bailey men 😍
💙 This book also had me laughing out loud so much! The way she writes the characters and how they interact is just so perfect and work so well!
💙 There were even parts of this book that had me tearing up and shedding some tears! Tessa knows how to get to my emotions through these characters that feel so real.
💙 I loved getting to see Josephine and Wells again, I can never get enough of their relationship 😍
💙 I'm so looking forward to the couple in the next book. I can already tell I'm going to love it and I can't wait!
💙 Thank you to Avon books and Harper Collins for this advanced readers copy in exchange for my honest review!

I was so excited to be approved to read this Tessa Bailey story, as I have really enjoyed some of her books in the past (Bellinger Sisters series). This book was only mediocre though.

I just didn’t find the characters to be very believable. Tallulah has some major trauma in her past that she is trying to overcome, which makes her nervous to even be around men, but she is also supposed to be a super spontaneous and social person. She has a plan to do all these risky things to get her out of her comfort zone, but it just doesn’t seem to me like a logical plan for someone trying to heal after her past.

A lot of things in the story are skimmed over and never fully developed. I wish there had been more scenes of Tallulah bonding with Lissa and she and Burgess spending time with Lissa. Burgess and Tallulah’s relationship was a little too instalove for me…it felt rushed. There was some good tension and spicy scenes, but I felt like something was missing. The resolution at the end was pretty unbelievable too.

I found this book to be a quick read, and I did enjoy it, but it wasn’t a favorite. Just don’t go into it with really high expectations. I am intrigued by the set up for the next book in the series, but I can also see it being too cringy with the characters soon to be step-siblings. I guess I will judge that when it comes out!

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for the chance to read and review this ARC.

The feelings we’re feeling, the spice was spicing, and we love a grumpy he falls first! This book had me giggling, laughing, and also tearing up little bit at times. I enjoyed this book overall as I can’t pass up a good hockey romance. I enjoyed Burgess and Tallulah during this book. I felt Tallulahs’ history was a little strong, but it did ultimately work out in the story. There is a third-act breakup, but that is to be expected in a majority of romance books.

Thank you to Netgally for providing this ARC.

Okay that was an easy 5 stars! Best ARC ever. I can’t say everything I want to without spoiling anything but goshhh I loved this book! Idk why but I kept picturing Burgess as Miles Wood with all his teeth 😂 which is nothing like the character is described but I think hockey playoffs and watching the avalanche has my brain messed up. I kept trying to picture Sidney Crosby instead, but it wasn’t sticking.

I had to whip out my mini fan during the pancake/kitchen scene. Tessa knows how to write tension and this book was turned up to 100.

I loved the plot line of Tallulah trying to recover from her past. When something traumatic happens, recovery comes in all shapes and sizes. Burgess growing into a better father and human was nice to read too.

The orgasm donor twins were freaking hystericalllll. I loved the rookie camaraderie. The two of them walking into the room and Burgess saying oh Jesus Christ had me cackling.

My favorite quote of the book was “put those words on his grave, because they were going to bury him.” That had so many layers ❤️

My only beef with this book is to the publishers: for the love of GOD let Tessa write about Sig and Chloe! I’m feening for that story like a dog waiting for scrap of bacon.

Steamy, sexy, fun, but also… eh. I liked it and didn’t like it. The roughness, the language.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

It fell flat for me. The level of spice is great, but I just wasn’t feeling the wordplay when they were intimate- didn’t seem natural. Tallulah was very wishy-washy…. She seems so smart and self-aware, but couldn’t digest her own feelings. Tessa’s earlier books had more meat to it.

Hot! Great banter, excellent leadup to the “main event”, super hot self-pleasure scene. Detailed descriptions of the characters’ physical appearance. Loved Burgess and his growly alpha personality but that he’s respectful and protective. Tallulah had some past trauma that affected her perception of men and relationships and I appreciated that she didn’t ignore bad behaviors or forgive quickly.

Fans of Fangirl Down will recognize Tallulah and Burgess from Book 1 (although not a prerequisite to read before Au Pair Affair), and will enjoy some cameos by Josephine & Wells. Per haps a little longer than necessary, I overall enjoyed this book, and would recommend to fans of Tessa Bailey and similar authors.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon & Harper Voyager for this free advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

I can’t believe this is the same author that gave us it happened one summer. That book was soo good and since then I feel like her books have been going down.

This one felt so long but then I also feel like nothing even happened. It had all the potential with the tropes ( age-gap, nanny, living together) but it fell very short.

My main problem has to be our MMC. Instead of coming off as a big manly man he just came off and over bearing and controlling and not in the good way.

Thank you to Net Galley for a digital ARC copy of this book in exchange for a review.

I read every Tessa Bailey basically as soon as they come out so I was super excited to read the Tallulah and Burgess' story! Tallulah is trying to play it safe in life after experiencing an incident regarding a previous stalker. She wants to make it on her own and doesn't want to take handouts from her best friend's fiance's best friend. However, she needs to make money in a new town while attending grad school so she takes Burgess up on his offer to be a live in nanny for his daughter Lissa. Burgess fell immediately in love with Tallulah when he met her months ago, but he doesn't say anything. Their attraction grows and pretty soon it's too hard for Tallulah to ignore. She doesn't want to be tied down, but she can't help how she feels. When Burgess gets injured and pushes her away, it reminds her too much of how much someone can hurt her and she tries to put him behind her. She realizes quickly that love doesn't work that way and finds herself giving into his apologies when they fly to Costa Rica for her best friend's wedding.

I liked this story and thought it was pretty good overall. Sometimes the MMC can be a little too good to be true which gives me the ick sometimes, but I still enjoyed the read!

3.5 stars that I'll round up! Fangirl Down is one of my favorite books that I've read so far this year so I had high hopes for The Au Pair Affair... and I would say that this book mostly met them. I loved that Tessa Bailey weaved in serious themes along with the romance. I could identify with Burgess's concern about aging and losing a step and thought that the way that it was written was so real! Tallulah was so sweet about it and gave such great advice. She was such a great hype girl for him! Tallulah had her own issues, and I thought the journey to gain confidence and find herself was really well done! If I had one grievance with this book it was the fact that there were two different scenes with littering (one during a grand gesture). And no one acknowledged how crappy doing that was or at least picked up the trash afterwards. I can't believe that in 2024 there would be a book with not one, but two scenes with littering. That soapbox aside, I really did enjoy the book and the romance. With all the foreshadowing into the couple for the next book, I'm super excited to read their story! Thank you NetGalley and publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC!

4.5 / 5 stars

This is hands down my favorite Tessa Bailey book. Sometimes the spice in her books is a little much for me, but this one was perfect. I absolutely loved both Burgess and Tallulah. Sign me up for all the hockey romances! And the fact that he falls first? Immediately yes.

I do wish there had been more hockey scenes and banter with his teammates, because the hospital room scene with Sig and the rookies had me laughing out loud. Now I’m just hoping that Sig & Chloe’s story is next in this series!

Read this if you like:
🏒 Hockey Romance
🥅 He Falls First
❄️ Age Gap
❤️ Single Dad
🔥 Spice

I LOVED THIS BOOK! I would give it 4.75/5 stars. I would have given it 5 if I read the other book first. Also I say this with my full chest if the next series is not about Chloe and her lover interest I will riot. You would be dumb to not read this book. or anything written by Tessa Bailey. I understand the hype and will be reading more of her work!!!!

Sexy, steamy, sizzling, sensational slow burn romance between Sir Savage (Burgess, Professional Hockey Player) and his Au Pair, Tallulah (Marine Biology graduate student). Just bring me a fan, because it is hot, hot, hot. I loved the family dynamics at play in this story between Burgess and his daughter. The hockey teammates were hilarious. This is Tessa Bailey at her finest and a worthy follow-up to the fantastic Fangirl Down. I’m crossing my fingers that there is a book in the future for Chloe & Sig! Thank you to NetGalley, Avon Books and Harper Voyager US for this ARC - the opinions are all my own.

Thank you for the ARC from NetGalley.

Let's be frank - this isn't my favorite Tessa Bailey (and I've read most of her catalogue at this point). I didn't really feel like the characters connected the way some of her other heroes do, the smutty scenes didn't do it for me the way some of her other books do, and I didn't love that he had a 12-year old she was working as an au pair for and there wasn't more consideration for how a relationship would impact the kid.

That being said, I just love Tessa Bailey's books. They read so well, you can just fly through them. It's fun to see characters from a previous book (hi Josephine and Wells!) but also know who is up next. And speaking of up next, I was *obsessed* with the next couple which is certainly going to be Sig & Chloe. Absolute wild pairing and I loved all their interactions. In a way I think this book suffered some by breadcrumbing them so much, but I can't really complain because I am DYING to read that book.

In summary, I thought the power dynamics of the previous book were much better, and the couple in the next unwritten book much more interesting, but still enjoyed reading this one.

Thank you to the publisher and author for the ARC!

2.5 ⭐️ I wanted to love this a lot. The ‘he falls first’ trope is such a good one and Burgess’s protective nature was exactly what I was wanting considering Tallulah’s trauma. However, I found that the characters lacked the depth I was hoping for and it felt rushed. The ending, for me, was really just so hurried that it I felt disappointed.

This was a wild ride. I loved the FMC & the MMC and loved their journey! Talullah has been through a lot and she deserves to live a life of adventure and I just she’s got that in the bag now. I’m now ready to attend a destination wedding. Can’t wait for the next in the series!

A enjoyable second book in the Big Shots series. What’s not to like about a hockey romance trope? I will say Bailey’s books are usually a 3/5 for me just bc the spice level can be a little much. However, I do enjoy the characters and their backstories.