I know Burgess Abraham.

Or, I should say, I know a real life human who comes pretty close to the hero of “The Au Pair Affair.” I’ve spent a decade with my own hockey player who is full of big emotions and feelings only the people he loves ever see.

So for that reason, when we first encountered Burgess in “Fangirl Down” as the seemingly stolid BFF of the MMC, I gave him a little eyebrow lift. Just enough to say, “I see you quiet riot.”

Tallulah didn’t need the same side-eye. We knew from the jump that her outside was a closer match to her inside…or perhaps not.

One of these days I’ll learn not to assume what Tessa Bailey is going to do. Much like I should not assume that she can’t get me to like a golf romance because she pulled that off too.

I expected “The Au Pair Affair” to be a forced proximity, live-in nanny, hockey rom com.

Basically: Mary Poppins meets Slap Shot.

Sure, “The Au Pair Affair” could be described by those tropes. Sort of. But from the first chapter we realize that the Tallulah we saw in “Fangirl Down” is far more complex, and far less bold and confident, than the woman in “The Au Pair Affair.” She is in a very difficult position emotionally and lacks a solid tether to friends or family in a new city. Her only connection is to a man she knows not at all except through the way the media portrays him and a brief encounter.

We also realize that Burgess was operating under the same allusions we were as readers in that previous story. So when he realizes that Tallulah is far more vulnerable than she let on, he is able to allow his own vulnerable spaces to show as well. But this is not a comfortable process for a man who doesn’t understand what the women in his life want from him, or how he can make them happy without losing his shell of protection.

Their love story is full of the fun scenes and set pieces that Bailey’s readers expect. Tallulah and Burgess try, and fail, to keep their hands off each other until it’s nuclear reactor meltdown level in that apartment.

The road is never conflict free - but even in the heart-wrenching moments when both Tallulah and Burgess stumble backward, their path feels right.

Fans of Tessa Bailey’s other sports romance novels like “Fix Her Up” and “Fangirl Down” and hockey romance in general will find much to love in the heartwarming and ultimately uplifting, “The Au Pair Affair.”
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Thank you to NetGalley and Avon/Harper Collins Voyager for the Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review. This title will be released on July 16th, 2024.

This was my first Tessa Bailey book, and it did not disappoint. Burgess is a single dad, professional hockey player, and he hires Tallulah to help nanny his daughter. Burgess is a very understanding, calm, HOT and protective MMC. He is doing his best to parent his teenage daughter Lissa, and he convinces Tallulah help them both out. Tallulah is a strong, cool, HOT and independent FMC. I loved the dynamic between the two main characters. They are understanding and patient with each other, and obviously have lots of chemistry. This book made me more emotional than I expected to be. I really enjoyed it! I will definitely be exploring the world of Tessa Bailey more!

I didn't really like the third person narration, and I did not read Fangirl Down, so I do feel like I missed a good chunk of background information.

Thank you NetGalley and Avon Publishing for the arc!

Omgggg. I loved the first book in this series, Fangirl Down, and was in such a book hangover. I had to IMMEDIATELY pick this ARC up so I could continue the feel good vibes.

This book provided exactly what I needed. The chemistry, the spice, the age gap, single dad hockey player. *swoon*
I love the PTSD representation, also. And how protective Burgess becomes over Tallulah is chefs kiss. 🤌🏼

This series that the first experience I’ve had reading Tessa Bailey and I already feel like a super fan.

RUN, don’t walk, to get your hands on this when it releases in July! And thank later 😉

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for the advanced digital copy in exchange he for my honest review!!

This was cute! I’m a big Tessa Bailey fan when I’m in the mood for a good romantic comedy, so this one checked those boxes! I will say, I LOVED Fangirl Down, so when comparing the two in the series, this wasn’t my favorite. I didn’t feel as connected to Tallulah and Burgess and I wished for a few more Lissa scenes. Overall, it was a fun read and I can’t wait to continue the series.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 4.5/5
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ 4/5

High off of my love for Fangirl Down, I couldn’t wait to immediately pick up The Au Pair Affair! I mean, a hockey player who is a single dad hires an au pair who happens to be the best friend of his buddy’s fiancée who he met one time and had immediate sparks?! SIGN ME UP!! 😮‍💨

This one started a little slower than its predecessor, so it took me a little bit longer to get into it, BUT BOY, did it pick up! Right from the get-go, we had tension between Burgess and Tallulah. Watching these two navigate their obvious feelings was entertaining as hell. I also loved the immediate connection between our FMC and Burgess’s daughter, Lyssa. For a guy who has no clue how to handle a tween girl, Tallulah was a godsend!

Tallulah does deal with some past trauma throughout the story, which Burgess handles with such carefulness, allowing her to be the one to initiate anything. His protectiveness over her is positively panty-melting! 🥵❤️‍🔥 Tessa continues to live up to her reputation as the queen of dirty talk!

One trope that had me iffy was the age gap. The last two hockey romances that I read didn’t live up to the hype and understandably, I was hesitant. But Tessa did this age gap right! There was an acknowledgment of their age difference and then we carried on! BLESS! 🙏😍 Age gap hockey romances have been redeemed!

Overall, this book had my heart! I really loved seeing Josephine and Wells again and I also loved seeing our two MCs challenge and excite each other. Fair warning, though, there is a third-act breakup which is where I knocked off a star. Why you gotta break my heart too! In all honesty, though, I am getting progressively more and more frustrated with this turning point plot device and I’d love to make a formal plea to authors to pretty please come up with something different! I know it is possible!

I can’t wait to keep reading this series! I overheard a little birdy say there was still more to come! 😱🤩

The Au Pair Affair will be published on July 16th!

Thank you to Tessa Bailey, Avon Books, and NetGalley for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I'm a hockey fan so I definitely appreciated and enjoyed this particular Tessa Bailey title. I thought it was a fun new take on the old single-dad-au pair troupe. Waaay hotter than I thought it was going to be, but I'm not complaining ;) Recommended for all my romance/rom-com fans out there!

I love Tessa Bailey, but this novel jumped in too quickly for me. I have a very hard time with the insta-love trope. Unfortunately, that was too much for me to get over and I ended up DNFing at 30%.

Tallulah and Sir Savage were amazing. The tension, the build up, the frustration was written so good. I do appreciate an uneasy age gap, but the desire for each other relieved any worry behind the 10+ years. I also really enjoyed how Tallulah and Lissa connected and it wasn’t overly “being friends” or trying to play step mom. The au pair title didn’t last long, but I do feel like she played the part very well. These were two of my favorite Tessa’s books.

In this steamy and entertaining sports romance novel, Tallulah, a graduate student, flees from her traumatic past. She takes a job as an au pair for a young girl named Lissie, living in an upscale apartment in Boston. Little does she know, she'll be sharing the space with a scorchingly handsome and single father, who is none other than the captain of Boston's hockey team, infamously known as Sir Savage. It doesn't take long for this rough-around-the-edges hockey star to fall for the charming young au pair.

As Tallulah and Sir Savage navigate their burgeoning relationship, they confront their own demons and hidden fears. Together, they embark on a journey of self-discovery and healing.

A delightful and easy-to-read novel that will leave you craving more.

Hot topics: PTSD

The writing was okay, but there was just too many things that were going on and I've read better hockey romances... It became so much harder to read and it wasn't for me

I thought it was so different from Fangirl Down...

Thank you to Avon Books, Tessa Bailey, and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Fangirl Down was one of my top reads last month. In fact, I think it has officially taken my spot for my favorite Tessa Bailey book ever. As soon as I finished it, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on The Au-Pair Affair. It had some of my favorite tropes in it: single dad, age gap, hockey player, grumpyxsunshine. Unfortunately, this book did not work for me at all. First, the actually “nanny” part of the book was almost non-existent. Tallulah was literally seen being Lissa’s nanny in basically 4 scenes in the entire book, which feels really weird when even the title of the book is based around her being the nanny. Also I found it so weird that she kept being described as wearing short skirts and stockings and low cut tops in front of Lissa the few times she was “nannying” or helping her out with homework. That was just weird and unprofessional to me and I was not a fan. Tessa really thrives in the goofy, funny, and silly. Here, she tried to add the emotional and raw element with Tallulah’s past and it just didn’t work for me. If there are going to be heavy topics that are clearly still impacting a character, they need to be properly explored and explained, nuanced in their development, and curated throughout the story. Instead, we got a jumbled mess of trying to maintain the balance between serious moments and silly moments and it just didn’t mesh well to me. Tallulah and Burgess’ relationship was basically sex the entire book. We barely got to see them as anything else. Also, when the big “conflict” happened of Lissa finding out about Tallulah and Burgess, we didn’t even get to see his interaction with his daughter/how he dealt with the aftermath. A big part of a single dad story is how they interact with their child, and that was overall missing here, but especially in this crucial moment when all hell breaks lose and we don’t see any of how he deals with his daughters emotions. Finally, the third act break up happens and I hated it. Burgess gets hurt, pushes Tallulah away by saying something awful and mean while he is in pain and devastated. But then Tallulah is going to compare that to the man who literally kidnapped her, locked her in a closet, and was going to kill her? I just couldn’t. Also, there is no way that a man who just had back surgery would be able to cliff dive and zip line across the jungle barely two months after his surgery. I also thought it was so weird we kept hinting at Sig and Chloe’s relationship and building them up to be the next couple, only to then mention a different standalone at the end of the book and nothing about Sig/Chloe getting book. Why did we spend so much time on them and secrecy? No matter how much rehab he had. Overall, there were still moments of the classic Tessa Bailey humor I love. However, this book was overwhelmingly not a hit for me.

This is firmly 4.5 stars for me. Great book, although I didn't enjoy it as much as Fangirl Down. Burgess was very swoon-worthy and I thought he was a great hero. I liked Tallulah, however, she got exhausting by the time we reached the end of the book. I don't know if it was reading her through Burgess' POV but she gave a lot of manic pixie dream girl vibes and her indecision over her relationship with Burgess got frustrating. I think the explanation of what happened to her and the resolution of her villain being gone was good. I think her growth was good, but again, she seemed too ready to drop Burgess so fast when he was clearly going through something difficult that was bringing out the worst part in him. That just frustrated me. If it hadn't been for that exhausting amount of indecision towards the end, this would've been a 5 star book. Overall, I enjoyed this and am really hoping we get a Chloe and Sig book next!

The premise I'm on board for, but the insta-love sunk the ship for me! There was no build-up for the relationship, he was obsessed with her from the start. While I have previously enjoyed other books from this author, I couldn't get into this one!

Tessa Bailey will forever be a must-read for me, no doubt about it. I cannot stress this enough: ALWAYS read her books. If you're into age gaps, a classic DILF, or the current trend of hockey-themed romance novels, you'll love this one for sure. Personally, I adored every aspect of it. I'm eagerly awaiting the next book featuring two special characters, and I swear, if they don't get their own book, I'll riot. Yes, riot! I received an advanced reader's copy via NetGalley, and I extend my gratitude to them. All thoughts and opinions expressed are solely my own.

I love Tessa Bailey and while I enjoyed this book it wasn’t one of my favorites. It felt like we were joining the story right in the middle, but also like it took way too long for the real story to start. You could see all the conflicts coming but I did enjoy it overall

It has been awhile since a book has made me tear up but this one got me. The patience and care Burgess took with Tallulah as she learned to trust him was so well written it felt like I was there experiencing it first hand. The conflict never felt forced and was rooted in real life circumstances that weren't superficial. The cameos from Josephine and Wells were a delight and the foreshadowing of the next couple has me longing for whatever will be coming next. So grateful to have been able to read this as an ARC and can't wait to get my copy when it releases.

In the follow-up to the absolutely stellar Fangirl Down, hockey player Burgess regrets hiring marine biology grad student Tallulah as the au pair for his daughter. Not because she's not fantastic with his offspring, but because he's way too attracted to the woman--who is almost ten years his junior. But when the feelings seem mutual, it's hard not to resist in the face of proximity, despite a tween who hopes her long-divorced parents would reunite.

I love a good sports romance, but it was tough to follow up the totally unique golf romance with a a saturated sports pick. Throw in a nanny romance, and there wasn't really anything new or fresh about this one. But, BUT, it's still Bailey and she still knows how to write a romance--particularly a steamy one--so it's still a marvelous read. Burgess and Tallulah are a fun pair and I'll never say no to hockey.

Thanks to Avon for my eARC! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

5 stars - 8/10

Au Pair Affair
Genre - sports romance
Rating - 3.75⭐

Full review to come on Bookstagram, closer to publication.

In the novel, we follow Tallulah, grad student (and Josephine’s best friend) and professional hockey player and single dad Burgess (and Wells’s best friend). Burgess hires Tallulah as a live in nanny despite his attraction to her and the tension starts to build.

This wasn’t quite as magical for me as Fangirl Down, the first of the series, but I still really enjoyed this follow-up. A few things didn’t quite stick for me - I didn’t quite understand Tallulah’s lack of relationship with her family. This book also had one of my least favorite troupes of “I’m making this decision because I know what’s best for you.” In the final quarter of the book though, I appreciate the work the couple did to become stronger, rather than just the typical fight, breakup, and quick makeup. Still, while dealing with some heavier topics, including working through major trauma, the story still absolutely had fun moments. Overall, this book hooked me right from the beginning, was sweet, and had plenty of spice that we come to expect from Tessa Bailey.

This was a PERFECT book 2 to the already perfect book 1!!!!!! (can be read as a standalone but you'll miss their first encounter from the first book)

I am LOVING this sports romance series by Tessa Bailey. This age-gap romance was steamy, charming and full of Tessa's signature heat + swoon. Thank you Avon and Netgalley for my copy!