Rating: 3.5-4 star

Thoughts: Tessa Bailey fans will definitely eat this book up, especially if you read Fangirl Down. This has a lot of Tessa's signature steamy scenes. If you enjoy really steamy romance, you will probably like Tessa's books!

This also has a deeper back story for the female main character, Tallulah. While I did really enjoy the main characters, I found myself enjoying the first book in this series a little more, but I'm probably in the minority here! I was here for all of the Wells & Josephine cameos in this book!!

I’d just like to start out by saying the things I liked about this book. Tessa Bailey really nails the romantic aspect of her books and this one was no exception. I loved the relationship between Burgess and Tallulah, and I felt like their relationship seemed realistic at most points, and when it didn’t, I was willing to suspend my disbelief at some points because the rest was so strong. I also liked how Bailey acknowledged the age gap but didn’t make it super problematic (mc is in late 20s). Now with the stuff I didn’t like. This book is full of cringe moments and unrealistic descriptions (such as felt it in his Adam’s Apple) which would take me out of the book instantly and I would have to take a second before diving back in. There were so many cringey lines and this was definitely my least favorite part of this book. I also thought that the third act breakup was such a cop out- Burgess says many times throughout the book that he is mature and knows what he wants- that at his age he’s already made his mistakes… then makes a really stupid mistake that causes them to breakup. I also thought that Tallulah’s kidnapping reveal should’ve been saved for a little later in the book and it also felt a little weird the way it was referenced. Burgess’ protectiveness gets a little much at times and feels unnecessary in most instances. The hockey in this book feels like an afterthought, as well as Lissa, the daughter (which tbh I didn’t mind). Overall, I did really enjoy this book. Bailey has a way of pulling you into her universe of characters and making you eat up every word (even the cringey ones). I think this book is worth picking up!
Thanks to netgalley for the arc!

The Au Pair Affair is my first Tessa Bailey book but I am now on the hunt for more. I really enjoyed this spicy romance novel and finished it in less than 24 hours over two days. This would be a great beach/pool read this summer. You've got the 30 something NHL player and the twenty something nanny who fall fast and hard. It isn't deep...just a great spicy romance with some sports thrown in. Throw this in your beach bag for this summer!

The Au Pair Affair is the second installment of Tessa Baily's Big Shot Series. After reading Fan Girl, I was excited to read this book, but sadly, it wasn't my favorite. The story features characters introduced in Fan Girl, Burgess and Tallulah. The Au Pair Affair can definitely be read as a standalone, but there are some spoilers for Fan Girl, so be warned.

Burgess is a hockey player and single father who needs a live-in nanny. Tallulah is a broke graduate student who needs housing and happens to have a great rapport with Lissa, Burgess's daughter. Burgess is older (11 years), grumpy, and instantly smitten with Tallulah. There's trauma in Tallulah's past, and she experiences PTSD, making her skeptical about romance and commitment. Each MC is concerned with the baggage they bring to the relationship. I appreciated how the MCs discussed their issues and navigated their boundaries, but something felt off in the relationship, and the reconilation seemed to drag on a bit.

The book was a fun read with great banter between the MCs. I would recommend it to fans of Tessa Bailey and the genre, and I will check out the next book in the series.

I have a new book Boyfriend and his name is Sir Savage. This single father hockey player is a gentle giant with a heart of gold who falls for the broken girl who is putting herself back together.

The good: chemistry that leaps off the page without being too much. Real life problems that don’t feel like excuses as obstacles to their romance. A whip-smart heroine with grit and determination who charms from the very moment you meet her. Found family, blended families, friends you want to know in real life. Purely charming.

The bad: nothing. Seriously.

Tessa Bailey really knows how to write a story that often keeps me up reading at night - they're SO good. The Au Pair Affair is no different. This is an Age Gap romance that doesn't feel icky (there are some that do, but that's just my opinion!) with two characters (Tallulah and Burgess) who have their own hangups on relationships in different ways.

I appreciate getting the back story, though at one point this does take a *dark* turn. I was not prepared, but Tessa handled it well and explained what happened in a way that was compassionate. I would add more, but I don't want to give any spoilers.

Overall, I am reminded why I go back to Tessa Bailey's books, and will read more in this series. This is the second in the series, so I'd recommend reading the first book (Fangirl Down), as there are quite a few references to this book in The Au Pair Affair. However, if you don't mind getting details about that one, it could be easily a standalone.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for an opportunity to review this book.

I had read book 1 and was excited to read book 2. This one was just as good! A single father finds romance with his new nanny. This book was pretty smutty but a good read.

I’ve read a lot of Tessa Bailey. A lot. And liked a lot of what I’ve read, several of my go to rereads are hers. Enter Fangirl Down - it made this golf know-nothing devour a story that it firmly at the top of my favorites list. So when an Au Pair Affair e-ARC was generously sent my way, I was a tiny bit afraid of a Sophomore Slump after having loved the first book in this series so much. WELL. Burgess and Tullulah are everything I want in a romance - witty, smart, down bad for one another and not afraid to show it. I loved getting to see this new sporty side of TB and cannot wait for the rest of this series!

3.5 This book was very well written and kept me in their story the whole way through. I loved the characters and their journey of growth, both individually and together. It was very spicy, more than I was expecting, and the MMC was extremely bold in the things he said to her! I did feel the book synopsis gave away too much of the storyline as wish I hadn't read that beforehand. Overall, if you like super spicy books I would say this is a winner!

I loved this book so much!
It was such a great single dad/ Nanny book!
And if you love sports romances this is basically the jackpot!

Steamy and oh so good! Great follow up to the first in the series. Loved the "nanny" aspect and the forbidden love troupe. Definitely recommend to fans of this author!

Synopsis:
In "Au Pair Affair," Tallulah Aydin, a spirited marine biologist striving to fund her master's degree, finds herself entangled in a whirlwind of romance and chaos when she agrees to become the au pair for Burgess Abraham, the handsome captain of the Boston hockey team. Despite their different stages in life – Tallulah immersed in the world of academia, Burgess navigating the complexities of fatherhood post-divorce – their shared journey under the same roof ignites an unexpected spark between them. As they navigate the highs and lows of their burgeoning relationship, from heartwarming moments with Burgess's daughter to confrontations with their own insecurities, "Au Pair Affair" is a tale of love, laughter, and (obviously) spice.

Thoughts:
I read this entire book in two sittings which usually automatically earns a book a 4-5 star rating if I can’t seem to put it down.
- This was the hockey romance I didn’t know I needed - As someone who usually passes on sports romances (seriously, I could only get through one of the Maple Hills books), I was pleasantly surprised by this one. It is the perfect blend of romance without drowning you in hockey jargon. Tallulah and Burgess’ love story takes center stage which lead me to like this book more than I initially thought I did. 

- Easy breezy palette cleanser - This is not exactly the book you’re grabbing if you’re looking to dissent the intricacies of a hockey romance for your AP English Class. The characters were very lovable (bonus points from me for Tallulah being Turkish), the plot, albeit predictable still kept me engaged to figure out how Tallulah and Burgess’ story would end. The back half of the book maybe got a bit more steamy than normal - I mean can’t Tallulah and Burgess just have a normal conversation without it turning into a steamy encounter?

- You probably want to read Fangirl Down first - While this book can totally be enjoyed as a standalone (as I did), reading Fangirl Down first might give you some extra insight. Burgess fell a little too quickly (seriously in first 10% of the book) but I think this has to do with some back story which I missed out on in Fangirl down. The “third act breakup” which is very typical in any romance book is spoiled if you read this first, but I’ll still be checking out Fangirl Down to read (seriously, on hold at the library now). 

- Burgess looks like Luke from Gilmore Girls merged with Sam Hartman - Extra points for the cover art

I just could not get through this book. I really wanted to love this series but I also had trouble with Fangirl Down. I’m not sure if it’s the writing style or the sports romance aspect.
The chemistry was there just the plot was lacking for me. It dragged on for far too long and took forever to get through reading this.
Maybe the next series will be my winner.

Thank you Avon/ Harper Voyage and Netgalley for the e- arc! This was one of my most anticipated reads this year.

I would describe this as a standalone rom- com between 37 year old Burgess a NHL hockey player, single dad and 26y marine biology grad student Tallulah who becomes a live in nanny for B’s 12 year old daughter, Lissa in exchange for free rent and board.

As a fan of Fangirl Down,an interconnected standalone rom com by Tessa, I’ve been anxiously waiting to read more about Burgess and Tallulah since they met in California. There’s more than what meets the eye for both characters. B is trying to connect with his daughter as she turns into a teenager, battles the pressure of being a veteran, and insta crush on his au pair. T is wading through past trauma and her feelings for her boss. Tessa does a good job trying to build the change for both characters but I feel like it’s a bit on the surface. I would love to learn a little more about B than his slightly immediate obsession with T. I just didn’t fall in love with his character.

Did I read this in one sitting? Why yes I did! It was cute and steamy. I loved the friendship T built with Chloe. I just wanted a bit more to the story in terms of building the characters! I wanted more groveling in the third act breakup!

You will like this if you like:
— single dad x nanny
— insta crush
— dirty talk from the MMC
— age gap romance
— short third act breakup

Cannot wait for the third book in this series of sport romances from Tessa Bailey!

I don't know what Tessa Bailey puts in her books to make me love them so much, but keep them coming. Burgess and Tallulah are everything I want in a Hockey, Age-Gap, Single Dad romance. I was so happy to get this ARC and it did not disappoint. Also, I can't wait to find out if Sig and Chloe get a book, because I think I need that ASAP.

I love me some Tessa Bailey and boy was I excited for this one. I loved Wells and Josephine, but I wanted a hockey romance. Sorry, not even Tessa can turn me into a golf fan and won't turn into a hockey fan either, but don't mind reading about them.
This book is HOT. Very steamy and very sexy. I loved our hero and his perspective, it really made me fall in love with the gruff older dad. And Tallulah, our heroine, is incredibly strong and wise.
I do hope to see another book in this series.

nobody does a silly, spicy rom com like tessa bailey. I was so excited to see that our girl came through with a hockey romance! 💙

this was fun & sexy but also had a nice balance by touching on a few serious topics which was a pleasant surprise. this featured couple were a really nice pair and I appreciate that these characters helped each other get over their own insecurities/fears to be their best individual selves. and of course, they have that undeniable physical chemistry that you can expect from a tessa novel. I haven't read the first book in this interconnected series, but I've been meaning to get around to it. the au pair affair definitely solidified my decision to circle back and read the previous book.

thank you, publisher & net galley, for allowing me to read an arc of the au pair affair by tessa bailey in exchange for my honest review.

As someone who read Fangirl Down and really enjoyed it, I anticipated to enjoy this one just as much. Although I didn't end up enjoying it as much, there were still some parts of it that I really liked. I've never read a single dad romance, and I thought Bailey executed that romance trope pretty well! I found the relationship between Lissa and Tallulah very endearing and a a valuable addition to the relationship dynamics throughout the book. I also found the cameos from Fangirl Down to be an entertaining inclusion considering how much I love those characters. It was the nonromantic relationships throughout the story that I found had the most merit. Burgess's growth with the rookies on his team as well as his friendship with Wells and Sig were some of my favorite parts of the story. Tallulah also growing close with Chloe was really fun to see, as the female friendships are just as important as the romance.
The hardest part for me was the last half. It was almost completely filled with smut. I do appreciate that this tends to be Bailey's style, and is also par for the course for a romance novel, but I found this distracting from the story and took away from the arcs of both Burgess and Tallulah. It was just too overbearing and I felt like each of those scenes were shoved down my throat. I ended up skipping a few of them due to their repetition and occasional ridiculousness. It's like they couldn't go one single conversation, or even make eye contact, without it leading to a scene.
My other (small) barrier for this book was the relationship between Sig and Chloe ? Two people who are going to be step siblings but appear romantically involved. I felt like that storyline was pretty random and not necessarily my cup of tea.
Overall, this story was more or less what I expected. A romance novel with an overbearing but endearing male love interest and a female main character overcoming some kind of trauma, complete with a third act breakup. Despite the end dragging and being a lot of the same, this was an easy read that begs to be read in the summer.
2.5/5

Thank you so much to Tessa Bailey and Avon and Harper Voyager (Harper Collins). After I had read Fangirl Down, I was sooo excited for The Au Pair Affair! Tallulah and Burgess was everything I hoped for and more. I loved the Grumpy x Sunshine trope. I loved how their characters grew in this story and getting to Sir Savage’s kiddo, Lissa, more! You also get a bit more of Well’s and Josephine‘s story about their wedding. I’m not the biggest fan of 3rd act break ups, but I get why it was done. You needed it to see more growth from the characters to get them to where they end up. It is also a bit spicy but done in a good way. I definitely recommend this to anyone who loves a good hockey romance and a grumpy x sunshine trope. I really hope we get a Sig and Chloe book next!!

ARC Review:

WOW! The Au Pair Affair by Tessa Baily is the second book in the Big Shots series. This was a super fun read. I could not put this book down! I am a sucker for a Grumpy x Sunshine trope and this did not disappoint!

I absolutely loved Tallulah! Seeing her overcome her past and gain her confidence back was great. Her relationship with Lissa was so sweet. Loved how she was super supportive and even helped Burgess connect with his daughter.

Speaking of Burgess, Damn that man was everything! He knew what he wanted from day one and went for it! He was super supportive, protective and patient with Tallulah. I fell in love with him from his first POV. I loved everything about Burgess and Tallulah's relationship. This book was amazing!

P.S. I hope there will be a book 3 about Sig and Chloe because they were adorable! Also as a Syracuse University Alumni, I loved that Burgess was also an Alum!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5

HAPPY READING