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

Fan of Tessa Bailey?? Then you will adore this one! Full of all of the expected tension, angst, steam, he falls first and harder MMC, feisty and witty FMC, and all the witty banter.

I’m low key obsessed with Burgess, veteran hockey player who we met in Fangirl Down. He is the definition of “gone for her” since the first moment he first interacted with Tallulah and spontaneously offered her the position of au pair to his 12 year old daughter, Lissa.

Tallulah is dealing with some trauma from her past, while also helping Burgess discover how to engage and connect with his daughter, and find the fun in his life again. I think these two were the perfect complement to each other and the chemistry was 🔥🔥🔥!

I’m not a fan of a third act breakup, especially one that lasts longer than like 5 minutes, but I understand why it needed to happen for both of these characters to grow and heal.

Overall, a fun, spicy, heartwarming read like always from Tessa!! Will forever read any book she writes.

🏒 age gap
🏒 he falls first and harder
🏒 single dad x nanny
🏒 they live together
🏒 grumpy x sunshine
🏒 hockey romance
🏒 protector vibes

Thanks to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the eArc!

Both characters were so toxic for eachother. Using sex as a weapon. I'm not really sure where the "love" was between them, lust definitely, but love? Nope. Tallulah needs crazy amounts of counseling for her ptsd. Burgess needs counseling to accept that being 36 years old is indeed not remotely old and the reasons behind his divorce. During all the "massages", when did Tallulah have time to do homework? Sig and Chole were gag worthy.

Adored this book!

•hockey romance
• forced proximity
• nanny/single dad
•he falls first and HARD
• age gap (11 years)
• women in STEM
• groveling
• 3/5 🌶️

I think this book is my new FAV of Tessa Bailey’s!!

The banter, the tension, the forced proximity, the mouth on Sir Savage 🥵🥵🥵

This def felt like one of Tessa’s spicier books in my opinion and it was 🫦 good.

Burgess growth as a teammate, father, and friend warmed my heart and the way he wanted to be a better man made me swoon. The way he respected Tallulah’s boundaries but also set his own for what he wanted is something I love to see in a MMC.

Tallulah’s character had to grow on be a bit but after the reveal of what happened in her past, her hesitancy and walls she had around herself made so much more sense.

I loved that we got to see more of Wells and Josephine and I NEED TO KNOW ABOUT SIG AND CHLOE!!!

Thank you, thank you, thank you to NetGalley and to Avon and Harper Voyager for the ARC of The Au Pair Affair by Tessa Bailey.

I've read everything she has written, and like clockwork since 2016 I have been awaiting her 4 seasonal releases in each series. She never gets old and she's always got a new and exciting creative take on the romance genre, with plenty of her signature spice. Did anyone else see her recent spitballing about two story ideas she had over the Dublin / NYC portal? Shut up and take my money, Tessa (but also please never actually shut up or stop writing).

This book kicks off with Tallulah, Fangirl Down's Josephine's best friend), arriving in Boston to start her au pair position with Well's best friend Burgess. Burgess is a divorced dad of 37 with an 11 year old daughter trying to balance his NHL career and a tween. Tallulah is in Boston to complete her Marine Biology Master's degree and the au pair role will give her a free place to live + a salary, so it's a win win for everyone until those pesky feelings get in the way.

Tallulah and Burgess have great chemistry and both carry a lot of baggage. I think this is one of the few Bailey novels where predicting what happens next was a bit more elusive because there are so many potential pitfalls in both their lives. Perhaps that just leans back on how more nuanced Bailey's characters have become since It Happened One Summer. Regardless, you want to root for both of them, but the issues they face aren't exactly ones easily solved (Tallulah has some WILD trauma, Burgess has a tween daughter at the worst point of growing up). It helped that the ending + the epilogue tried to expand on all the work they need to do, but there were times where I was mad at Burgess and then equally mad at Tallulah; at moments they both seemed to be acting much too immature for their ages and experiences. I still really enjoyed the novel and Bailey will very rarely, if ever, get less than 5 stars from me.

I cannot wait to see what really is going on with Sig and Chloe (hopefully next!).

In peak Tessa Bailey fashion, the Au Pair Affair was steamy, full of tension and pining, and had the ultimate “gone for her” MMC. I’ll read anything she writes, forever.

Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was my first Tessa Bailey book and I will definitely be back for more. I was surprised that our FMC Tallulah (our sunshine if you will) was overcoming some serious trauma throughout the book.
I felt Burgess was very caring and understanding of her needs which was swoonworthy.
I loved how Tallulah helped him discover a more adventurous side to himself.
Burgess helped Tallulah feel safe and empowered her to get back out there to make all her adventures happen.
I hate third act break ups BUT they definitely needed to work on and learn to share being strong for each other which I feel they accomplished.

The way I finished the last page and RAN here to give it FIVE stars ⭐️ whew. Book #2 in the Big Shots series is Tallulah and Burgess’s story. Hockey star Burgess hires marine biology Brad student Tallulah as a live-in nanny for his daughter and from the jump the chemistry is undeniable. He’s giving sexy mean daddy vibes + fierce protector vibes Tallulah is finding impossible to resist. She’s on a journey to rediscover her sense of adventure and he’s vowed to be by her side as her personal bodyguard- but he’s wanted more from the minute he met her in book #1. One of my favorite things about Tessa Bailey is her dual-pov writing and Burgess’s chapters MAKE this book. They’re sweet, they’re spicy…they’re EVERYTHING. Burgess and Tallulah are going to be a hard act to follow, but crossing my fingers for a Chloe and Sig book next to keep the streak alive! Big shots is my favorite Tessa Bailey series to date. Five stars and. FOUR 🌶️ because this book brought the heat!

I really love this story. The author provided a back story for each of the characters. I could clearly understand what motivated them. Definitely an opposites attract, age gap romance. Well done, didn't gloss over the differences like they didn't matter, instead made the differences meaningful for character growth on both main characters. The daughter was a very believable tween, with the appropriate level of maturity and reactions for a 12 year old girl. This was a next level romantic comedy. Extremely well thought out and written, complete with the swoons and spice to keep the pages turning.

Just like all the other Tessa Bailey books I was in love!! I love me a good hockey romance and her books (as always) hit the spot wether it’s a sports romance or whichever, I just know it’s gonna be a good read.

Tessa Bailey never disappoints. I appreciate that, more or less, you know what you're going to get with one of her books: spicy romance with all the feel-good feels. I love it when the MMC falls first and falls hard, and Burgess just absolutely obsesses over Tallulah and I LOVE it. Other tropes in this one include age-gap, single dad, au pair/nanny, hockey romance.

if tessa bailey writes it, i’m going to read it.

this was sooo good. i’ve been dreaming of a tessa bailey hockey romance for so long and it did not disappoint.

thank you so much to netgalley & avon and harper voyager for the arc!!!

Tessa Bailey has done it again. Grumpy/Sunshine, hockey, and slow burn the perfect mix for a great story.

Tallulah is working on her Masters Degree in marine biology. When she is offered a job as live in au pair for Burgess, Sir Savage, Abraham, pro hockey player she jumps at it. The only problem is that when she meets him, she is terrified of him and turns down the job.

Burgess makes it his mission to talk her back into the job and becomes her bodyguard of sorts. Burgess never hides his feelings for Tallulah, and he is very patient as she comes around. This story made for a great slow burn. However, they lit the pages up once the slow burn came to an end.

I absolutely loved this story. Burgess and Tallulah were such a great couple. They both made each other stronger and better. I also loved the side characters; I cannot wait to read about Sig and Chloe. They were perfect side characters, and you got just enough to make you want their story but not too much that took away from Burgess and Tallulah's story.

I love the single dad and daughter dynamic. Lissa was cute and added a perfect amount of drama to the book.

I wish there had been a little more hockey, but overall, this was a really great read.

Thank you Avon and Harper Voyager for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

The Au Pair Affair
Rating: 5/5⭐️
Recommended: Yes!
Tessa Bailey always delivers. This book was so fun and Burgess was the definition of “he falls first” and “he falls harder.” I highly recommend this book and it’s the perfect read for summer!

Read if you like…
- He Falls First
- He Falls Harder
- Single Dad
- Hockey Romance
- Nanny x Boss

I first heard about Tessa Bailey from a coworker, although this is the first book of hers that I have read. I tend to be hesitant to read books from a new author, because it tends to take me a while to get used to the writing style. I was a bit nervous about reading the second book in a series that I had not yet read the first of, but I should not have been worried at all (Note: Although this book is in a series, it can definitely be read as a “standalone”).

One thing that I really liked about this book is that both characters were written in such a way that you could have empathy for both, and it doesn’t make you prefer one character more than another. Another thing that I really liked was that I really enjoyed the side characters. Actually, based on the epilogue, I’m excited to see what’s next for two of the side characters in this book.

Overall, I definitely enjoyed this book. I am sure that I will now be a long time Tessa Bailey reader. I recommend this book.

**A received an advanced reader copy of the re-release for my honest review**

“But here she was, opening her thighs like a big box store on the morning of Black Friday…”

I’m dead. Hilarious. I had such a blast reading Fangirl Down so I was very excited to dive back into that world and read about Tallulah and Burgess and their Boston escapades.

This was a super fast read, funny, yet had those poignant moments that hit you in the feels. And I’m always a sucker when he falls first. Like say no more, I’m going devour that.

And an aside, I have to ask- are we going to get Sig’s story because what’s going on there!? 👀

Thank you NetGalley for this advanced reader copy!

After making their appearance in Fangirl Down, I had a feeling that Burgess's and Tallulah's story was going to be sexy, intriguing, and a book I could not put down... I am so glad I was right.

ᴛʜᴇ ᴀᴜ ᴘᴀɪʀ ᴀꜰꜰᴀɪʀ ᴛᴀᴋᴇꜱ ᴏɴ ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴇꜱᴛ ᴛʀᴏᴘᴇꜱ: ꜱɪɴɢʟᴇ ʜᴏᴛ "ᴍᴇᴀɴ ᴅᴀᴅᴅʏ" ʙᴜʀɢᴇꜱꜱ ɪꜱ ʙᴏꜱᴛᴏɴ'ꜱ ꜱᴛᴀʀ ᴅᴇꜰᴇɴꜱᴇᴍᴀɴ ᴡʜᴏ ɪꜱ ɪɴ ᴅᴇꜱᴘᴇʀᴀᴛᴇ ɴᴇᴇᴅ ᴏꜰ ᴀ ɴᴀɴɴʏ ꜰᴏʀ ʜɪꜱ 12-ʏᴇᴀʀ-ᴏʟᴅ ᴅᴀᴜɢʜᴛᴇʀ. ʟᴜᴄᴋɪʟʏ, ᴀꜰᴛᴇʀ ᴍᴇᴇᴛɪɴɢ ᴛᴀʟʟᴜʟᴀʜ ᴛʜʀᴏᴜɢʜ ᴛʜᴇɪʀ ᴍᴜᴛᴜᴀʟ ꜰʀɪᴇɴᴅꜱ (ᴡᴇʟʟꜱ ᴀɴᴅ ᴊᴏꜱᴇᴘʜɪɴᴇ ɪɴ ꜰᴀɴɢɪʀʟ ᴅᴏᴡɴ), ʜᴇ ꜰɪɴᴅꜱ ɴᴏᴛ ᴏɴʟʏ ᴀ ɴᴀɴɴʏ ʙᴜᴛ ᴀ ᴡᴏᴍᴀɴ ʜᴇ ᴄᴀɴ'ᴛ ꜱᴇᴇᴍ ᴛᴏ ɢᴇᴛ ᴏᴜᴛ ᴏꜰ ʜɪꜱ ʜᴇᴀᴅ. ɴᴏᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴇꜱᴛ ɪᴅᴇᴀ ᴛᴏ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴛʜɪꜱ ɢʀᴀᴅ ꜱᴛᴜᴅᴇɴᴛ ᴡʜᴏ ɪꜱ 11 ʏᴇᴀʀꜱ ʜɪꜱ ᴊᴜɴɪᴏʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴡʜᴏ ʜᴇ ɪꜱ ᴡɪʟᴅʟʏ ᴀᴛᴛʀᴀᴄᴛᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ, ɴᴏᴛ ᴏɴʟʏ ᴡᴏʀᴋ ꜰᴏʀ ʜɪᴍ ʙᴜᴛ ᴀʟꜱᴏ ʟɪᴠᴇ ᴡɪᴛʜ ʜɪᴍ ᴛᴏᴏ, ʀɪɢʜᴛ?

This story is everything I wanted and expected from the next book in this series: Burgess is a 37-year-old hockey star who is struggling with the reality of being close to retirement while also dealing with connecting with his daughter. He pretty much has isolated himself outside of hockey. But Tallulah challenges his reality and pushes him to take chances that he hasn't taken since before his daughter was born. I loved every moment of his arc.

And Tallulah was such a surprise - her backstory is filled with trauma but the way she confronts it, very slowly and allows Burgess to help her was that emotional tug I love in these types of romances.

But this is also very endearing, funny, and wonderfully spicy. Their chemistry is off the charts and the dirty talk is pure gold. Their opposites attract vibe was playful and so entertaining. And I absolutely loved the supporting characters - Sig and Chloe. I am very hopeful that we get to learn more about them in a future book.

The Au Pair Affair is highly anticipated with good reason and absolutely lives up to the hype.


Tropes & Elements:
🏒 Hockey Player + Grad Student
⇿ Age Gap (11 yrs)
❤️ Single Dad + Nanny
☀️ Grumpy x Sunshine
🩷 He falls first and hard
🏡 Forced Proximity
3️⃣ 3rd Person POV

My rating: 4.25 out of 5 ⭐️

I just can't get enough of this couple. Real life issues despite larger than life mmcharacter. Having such a down to earth set of problems and characters that are adults about working through them really helps this story interesting. The MFC is working her way through a major emergency trauma and the MMC is the perfect complement to her recovery. It was fun to read the banter and over all a very interesting read. Plenty of steam as one would expect from Tessa, but always well done. An amazingly enjoyable read, and I need more in this series!

Thanks to the publisher and NG for the ARC that I devoured and reviewed willing!