Okay so here is the thing… I am obsessed with single dad/ nanny romances. This is my favorite troupe of all time. So when I found out the next book in Tessa Bailey’s Big Shots series was exactly that, I may have done a happy dance around the house.
The Au Pair Affair has it all. The angst. The chemistry. The HEAT. Holy hell the mouth on Burgess… did the room just go up a million degrees? 🥵 because Dammmmmmn!!!
Tessa’s writing is always top notch and she has no limit it seems to how dirty she will take things while keeping the book being a fantastically written Rom-Com. I will be highly recommending this book to pretty much everyone I know!
Thank you NetGalley, Tessa Bailey and Avon and Harper Voyager publishers for allowing me to Arc read this brilliantly fun, steamy romance novel!

I have been excited about this book since the characters showed up in Fangirl Down. Thier chemistry was amazing from the start and a Tessa Bailey hockey romance could never be bad. Tallulah/Burgess/Lissa's chemistry was great, and while the story beats were pretty predictable it was still a fun ride. Tessa Bailey is and continues to be a must read for me.

Thanks to NetGalley for the arc!
I always enjoy Tessa Bailey’s books and was exited to read this on after recently reading the first in the serious (Fangirl down). This is a good mix of a solid storyline and the spicy scenes are sooo good! Very well written, fast paced and I finished this in one sitting. Loved it!

Oh my gosh. I cannot get over my OBSESSION with this book, an absolute masterpiece. The banter between them is absolutely phenomenal; funny, sweet, SEXY. I’m getting butterflies over it. I haven’t read a more relatable fmc before. I adore tallulah she’s witty funny flirty willing to push herself, an icon. I didn’t read the prior book in the series and don’t find it necessary to understand this one. Tessa Bailey really said let’s give it all with this one. Thank you NetGalley, Tessa Bailey for allowing me to Arc read.
PS i will be purchasing a physical copy for my trophy shelf.

What do you get when you put a pro hockey player dad with the body of a Greek God and a woman with past trauma in the same room? A new Hozier album.
Tallulah and Burgess both radiated "touch her/him and die" vibes.

Tallulah: Her growth was so inspiring. Her simping over Burgess was so relatable.

Burgess: -1 point for his name. +10 points for his inner monologue. This man was whipped from page 1 and I loved to see it. +3 bonus points for being a lil freaky in the sheets.

Another great read from Tessa Bailey. Completely believable characters. Felt like I knew them and could relate to them. Not heavy on the hockey if that makes a difference for you.

The reason for the 4 stars is we don't get to see their meet cute because that happens in Tessa's previous book, which I had not read before reading this title. I felt like I was coming in to their story 20 minutes too late. That left me wanting more.

I had high hopes for this book but it didn't quite meet my expectations. Coming off the heels of Fangirl down which I adored, may have influenced my perception. The plot felt lacking in depth, especially in exploring the dynamics between Lissa and Tallulah. I craved more insight into Burgess' past marriage beyond surface-level blame. Surprisingly, I found myself drawn to the side characters, Sig and Chloe, more than the main duo. Burgess and Tallulah failed to captivate me, and the repeated size references to Burgess became distracting, ultimately affecting my perception of the characters. By the end of the book I was picturing Andre the giant which isn’t sexy at all.

ARC Review-

I always love a Tessa Bailey book. She is the queen of romcoms, in my very humble opinion. So, to get the email that I had been approved for this ARC had me jumping with excitement. I have been eagerly looking forward to Burgess and Tallulah’s story ever since we read of their meeting in Fangirl Down and their book was everything I hoped it would be. Witty, spicy, funny, it was a really entertaining read. I look forward to the next standalone in the series!

This is a great addition to Tessa Bailey’s sports romance series.

Tallulah is confident, courageous, and good at communicating her needs even when she doubts herself. Burgess is protective and possessive while still being conscious of Tallulah’s independence. You get both an age gap and a boss/employee trope which can lead to some tricky power imbalances, but in this case Tallulah’s emotional intelligence and her superior understanding of how to connect with a 12 year old girl helps even that out. It’s not insta-love but there is an instant attraction between the two of them. I appreciated that we see Tallulah think about Burgess’s protective actions critically and, with the context of her feelings, decide whether or not they cross her boundaries. It’s something that mirrors my own thoughts when I’m reading and wonder if an overprotective character’s actions cross the line from heartwarming to controlling.

I think it’s pretty standard for a Tessa Bailey novel. It’s steamy, funny, filled with charming side characters, and you get great character growth from both Tallulah and Burgess. There are phrases or lines of dialogue that toe the line of almost too cheesy or a little unhinged but, for me, that’s part of why I’m a fan. It’s fresh, fun, unexpected, and sometimes realistically awkward.

Although I enjoyed it overall, it felt a little incomplete to me. I expected more from the nanny plot. I was hoping to see the growth of Tallulah’s relationship with Lissa and how she fits into the family. You get glimpses of that but they’re sparse. It felt like Lissa as a character was only brought in when she was needed to move the plot forward or to deepen the relationship between Burgess and Tallulah, and when that wasn’t happening she was just out of the picture. This gives space for the couple’s relationship to progress quickly but it makes it seem like Lissa isn’t not a priority to her dad and that made me like him less. I would have loved to see Tallulah and Lissa interact without Burgess. A large part of her moving in with him was to help nanny, and we see very very little of that.

I think fans of Fangirl Down will enjoy this one. It feels rewarding to watch them learn to trust each other and trust themselves, you get a look into how Wells and Josephine are progressing, and (like every other character who asked about it) I’m dying to find out what the deal is with Chloe and Sig.

ARC REVIEW (thanks NETGALLEY!)


I was so excited to finally be approved for a Tessa Bailey arc! That excitement was short lived 🙈 It was mentioned in this book and FanGirl Down how Burgess is having trouble connecting with his daughter, my naive self thought Tallulah the au pair would swoop in and help them be a family?? Sweet bonding moments between young girl and nanny or father and daughter? None of that happened, after Tallulah gets hired Liisa (the daughter) basically disappears. There’s mentions in the beginning that Liisa might be getting bullied at school, it’s never brought up again. Countless mentions that Burgess hates some band Liisa likes nothing ever comes of that. Burgess spent more time trying to get Tallulah in bed than he spent with his daughter. There was so much going on in book but also nothing at all? Nanny x Single Father, age gap, hockey, out of nowhere Burgess is stressed about retirement?? There’s a really mean 3rd act break up and then a rekindling that was bizarre. I really enjoyed Fan Girl Down but this was a mish mosh. Couple for next book seems really weird.

You will need to have read Fangirl Down as a prereq for Au Pair Affair. The premise for this book was set up there and Josephine and Wells are in this book (a great continuation of their story). Burgess is intense in everything he does. And that goes for his lust, love, and everything he feels for Tallulah. It was a lot and very quickly. He became a stage 5 clinger at first sight. Her on the other hand was slower to come around. Definitely lust at first sight, but given some past trauma, was rightly hesitant. I wish the author leaned more into her dealing with the trauma at a deeper level. Everything in this book felt very surface level even with the intensity of Burgess. It was an entertaining book and I’m digging Bailey’s foray into sports. The spicy scenes were pretty intense per usual for a Tessa Bailey book. If you are not a fan of open door, she’s not your author. It’s part of what she does best.

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

4.5 stars

It’s the classic Tessa Bailey cheesy romance you know and love. These characters were hot for each other and try as they might they couldn’t stay away from each other.
I wished there had been a little bit more development between them before they got together, especially with Tallulah’s past trauma. I felt like they could have eased into it a little more but I did appreciate how caring Burgess was with her and how his protective instincts kicked in.
Both of their relationships with Lisa’s were so sweet but especially Burgess. He was such a good dad but he was struggling with how to connect with his daughter. Seeing their bond grow was really nice.
I also loved that we got to see Wells and Josephine so much in this book. I loved their book so it was a fun cameo.
Overall I thought this was a really cute romcom and definitely recommend it if you’re looking for something fun, sweet, and yes, a little bit cheesy

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for the ARC!!

It’s 1 am. I got the arc yesterday…binged the hell out of this book. You think I was gonna sleep not knowing how this ended HA! Also THANK YOU THANK YOU to whoever approved my request from Netgalley. Made my year. I scrolled over my highlights…should have just highlighted the whole book…would have saved time lol. I knew from Fangirl Down that Sir Savage was gonna ruin me and I was right. I’m ruined. Also the Wells and his Belle content…gave me so much life. Then THEN….the next couple. The NEXT COUPLE….feral for them.

Sorry not sorry for all of the all caps moments. It’s 1 am and idk how I’m gonna sleep after finishing this book.

I loved this book with everything in me and I cannot wait for more from Tessa. I always say with every Tessa book that THIS one is my favorite and its always true...until the next one 😂

5 stars out of 5.

Another excellent rom com by Tessa Bailey! I think I liked this story better than Fangirl Down and I could not put this book down. Tallulah and Burgess had such a great connection and I loved both of their characters. Tessa does a great job of drawing the readers into the story and getting them invested in the characters. This book was no exception. Fans of sports romance, he falls first, singles dads, etc, this is for you. We get a few cameos from Wells and Josephine too so I would recommend reading the first book in the series but this could definitely be read as a standalone. At the end of the book it seems to hint we might get another book in the series featuring Sig and Chloe. I sure hope so, I'll be here for that!

In The Au Pair Affair, Tallulah is moving to Boston to get her masters degree after studying in Antartica. She met Burgess through her friend Josephine and agreed to move in with him and be his Au Pair for his tween daughter, Lissa. Burgess is an aging hockey star trying to stay in the game and trying to raise his daughter right. Tallulah and Burgess both seem to be attracted to each other but try not to get involved since she works for him but their chemistry is undeniable.

Overall, I think this is one of my favorite Tessa Bailey books and I would high recommend it to anyone looking for a spicy rom com.

Thank you Netgalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I have read a fair share of hockey romance books and this one was great! I will say there is almost no hockey in this book but Burgess is a hockey player so we get to reap the benefits of him having a hockey body and all the descriptions that come with it. He falls first and has a very naughty mouth and says delightfully naughty things to Tallulah that will make you blush and sweat and gulp. There were a few cringey lines but I love that about Tessa's writing honestly. I loved that Burgess let Tallulah take her time with him and let her be with him at her own pace despite the torture it may cause him. I will say that this book has it's fair share of spicy scenes, which I love but if that isn't your thing, this book will not be for you.

This is the second book in the Big Shots series, but I already know this is going to be my top series thus far from Tessa (although I do love the Bellinger sisters). We get a teaser as to who the third book will be about and I can already say that I can't wait to read it. Also the cover of this book is perfect and you can't tell me that isn't a Sam Hartman look alike :).

All that to say that I love this book and if you like a spicy, rom com with a bit of hockey on the side, this book will do perfectly.

Thank you NetGalley, Avon and Harper Voyager | Avon and Tessa Bailey for access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

~Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the arc~

3.75 This was a cringe-fest with a side of cheese. A little too instalovey for my taste and just a lot of cheesy lines I couldn’t take seriously at all. The smut pulled its weight here and even then some of the scenes just felt like they didn’t mesh well with how the characters acted other times. Not my favorite Tessa Bailey read but not terrible.

Overall this book was a good read however I dont like 3rd person stories and I 9/10 dislike age gaps stories. This was an okay read but not the best.

This is such a fun rom com! This book has fantastic tension and will have laughing and swooning. If you like he's fall first, single dad or forced proximity, this book is for you :)

Tessa Bailey does it again! I’ve been so excited to read Tallulah and Burgess’ story since finishing Fangirl Down and it did not disappoint. This story has the perfect combination of deep and light hearted, spicy and sweet moments. If you like sports related romance, single dads, he falls first, or all of the above this is for you! While I could always do without the third act break up, the love between these two really made up for it for me.

I hope we get to hear Chloe and Sig’s story next - I’m hooked!

Thank you NetGalley, Avon and Tessa Bailey for the ARC!

I've been waiting for this since Tallulah was introduced in Fangirl Down. She is the full package: intelligent and beautiful, and was such an easy FMC to root for. Burgess is the overprotective, grumpy hockey player who falls fast and hard for her.

Tropes: Single dad+nanny, 11-year age-gap romance; grumpy/sunshine; groveling!

Tallulah and Burgess's relationship was teetering on the line between professional and flirting for most of the book. Tallulah's views on relationship has been influenced by a scary stalker experience from her past, and Burgess is suffering blows to his self-confidence as his hockey career seems to be coming to a close, which makes him confront his fading youth (at the ripe "old" age of 37) and his life outside of hockey. This makes him unwilling (at first) to get involved with Tallulah, who is 11 years younger than him; but of course, he's the only man who Tallulah feels safe around. The way Burgess is absolutely obsessed with Tallulah (in a non-stalkerish way) was very endearing. His love for her clearly runs deep, especially when I got to the groveling scenes (!!), which were very well done. Tessa Bailey also sure does know how to write spicy scenes.

Also can I just say that I love the friendships between Burgess, Wells, and Sig. They are there for each other in their times of need and understand each other on another level while maintaining their senses of humor.

This book features a lot of cameos from Wells and a little from Josephine. We see their story continue a little in this book. And I can't wait to read Sig and Chloe's book next!

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.