Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this ebook. As promised, my honest review is below.

Tessa Bailey fans rejoice because she has done it again! Steamy romance, grumpy "daddy" figure, age gap, sports, etc. You get it all! If you enjoy any of Tessa Bailey's previous books, you will love this one. She ties the first book in the "series" in perfectly - enough to make you smile, but not so much that it makes it a requirement to read the other one first.

Overall, 4 stars! Would have been 5, but it started off a little slower than most of her books.

<i>Thank you to NetGalley and Avon/Harper Voyager for a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.</i>

Another sweet and spicy installment of the newest sports romance series by Tessa Bailey! On paper (lol), this book was very much up my alley: a slightly forbidden/ill-advised romance between an adventurous grad student and a brooding, hulking, overprotective athlete, all set against a Boston backdrop (and featuring my alma mater, heyyy!). But despite all that, I had a harder time getting into this than some of Tessa Bailey’s other books. What I most enjoy about TB’s writing overall is being able to lean into the over-the-top whimsy that borders on the absurd, because that’s what makes them such great escape reads, but it was like this book couldn’t really decide what it wanted to be. It wasn’t funny in the way Fangirl Down (the first book in the series) was, but it didn’t treat the darker subject matter with enough nuance to categorize it as a romantic drama either. Tallulah and Burgess were a little too perfect and a little bit dull, and the dialogue veered more cringey than romantic. So it was a bit of a letdown, but I still enjoyed it for what it was. And I’ll definitely be checking out the next installment, featuring Sig and Chloe’s story!

Tessa's books are hit or miss for me, and, unfortunately, this was a miss.

Introduced in Fan Girl Down (which I loved), Tallulah & Burgess are reintroduced here. Burgess, the aging goalie of Boston's hockey team, is having trouble keeping track of his tween daughter and needs help. He recruits Talullah, a marine biologist student, to help. At first she's very hesitant to even meet him. We find out she'd been abused in the past. Talullah's hesitance with having a relationship with big, bulking Burgess is understandable. That said, I didn't think there was enough about how she really worked through it--with or without Burgess. I love how Tessa includes real issues in her romances (diabetes in Fan GIrl Down) but here it wasn't explored beyond surface level.

The connection between T and B didn't ring true to me. Plus, we only get a few scenes of Tallulah interacting with Burgess's daughter & when there is a big issue, it's resolved off-the-page. I loved the super steam (a Tessa trademark I love), but this seemed to put the steam over emotional connection between the 2 main characters. I need to believe that my romance couples will go the distance, and these two didn't give me that vibe.

I'm still on the Bailey bus, because when she's good, she's really good. This one, unfortunately, didn't hit for me.

Such a cute TB book. I enjoyed it but it wasn't my favorite one by far. I still recommend it though. Can't go wrong with a steamy hockey romance. The main characters were likeable and the plot was ok, but it lacked in chemistry a little for me. Overall, I liked it and am glad I read it!

I have some mixed feelings about this one. So much so that I dropped my rating from an 8/10 to a 7/10 after thinking about it.

First things first, there is no such thing as a bad Tessa Bailey novel, just some that are better than others. I still enjoyed this book. It had steamy tension and an overly protective man, a Tessa Baily trademark.

I just wish there were more chemistry and time between the two characters. It was just a little too fast. I also think the ending was a bit rush, especially when he was so mean to her.

And the kidnapping backstory? Came out of nowhere and I wish they talked about it/dealt with it more

Tessa Bailey can do no wrong. I devour all of her books quickly and sometimes in a day.
This book was a bit slower burn than I'm used to with her books, but it made sense with the storyline. I liked The Au Pair Affair better than the first one in the series, which surprised me because I don't usually enjoy a grumpy-to-sunshine pairing. It isn't my favorite trope. But I liked this book; I thought it had some sweet and enduring notes. Even though I'm not a sports fan, Tessa made me enjoy a sports love story.
I recommend all of Tessa Bailey's books; she is one of my favorite authors.

Single (grumpy) dad and hockey star Burgess hires broke aspiring marine biologist Tallulah to be the live-in nanny for his tweenager. While vivacious Tallulah is a slightly older, non-traditional college student, there is a still an age gap and the ick factor of an employer not being able to have the self-control or morals to resist the person he pays to take care of his daughter. The lovers are in very different spots in their lives, and Tallulah is still recovering from past trauma; good thing they had incredibly, off-the-charts chemistry to make it all work!

The novel was a roller-coaster of drama and emotion, mostly based on the characters being stuck in their ways, and having baggage to work through, and while they do change and grow to be a better partner for each other, there was a lot of miscommunication, cringe, and stereotypical behavior.

Bailey excels at hot men who like to talk in bed, and The Au Pair Affair is no exception; It Happened One Summer and Hook Line & Sinker were better reads for me.

I received a free advance reader’s review copy of #TheAuPairAffair via #NetGalley courtesy of #Harper.

I am a Tessa Bailey superfan.I loved the first book on this series,but I couldn't connect with the female protagonist at all.

However,I think it's a solid book. I enjoyed how the city was another character and we got to know a bit more friends on this world.

I can't tell which of Tessa Bailey's books I like most, which makes that choice so much, especially since this girl loves hockey romance. Absolutely loved the single dad grumpy/sunshine. Could not get enough of Burgess and Tallulah. The way this book had me giggling, kicking my feet, and smiling I could have read 100 more chapters of them!

I pick up every Tessa Bailey book that’s released. However, this one was a let down..
The spice was just so cringy, and that’s not the norm for TB.

This book was made for me i love a hockey, single dad and Tessa Bailey romance books and to get all in one YES PLEASE! ABSOLUTELY enjoyed this book if you enjoy Tessa's other books you'll enjoy this one.

I LOVED Fangirl Down but this one was just OK for me. It was s a slow start to get into, I didn't connect to the characters as much, and the trope just wasn't my thing.

Tessa Bailey never disappoints in this book is no exception! Loved it so much. Thank you to the publisher for my review copy all opinions are my own.

Another TB banger, I loved this. Tessa said “you want a big boy?!?! I got you” I want Tessa to write more single dads because I had a blast with this. I think this series is super entertaining and sexy as hell of course and I’m so ready to see what’s next!!!

I enjoyed Fangirl Down more than this one but this was still such an easy read! It started off a little slow in the beginning but then started to pick up. I’m a sucker for a hockey romance too. I feel like there aren’t enough books about age gap dating so I enjoyed that aspect of the book and it was written beautifully. Plus you can’t go wrong with the spicy scenes in this book either! Overall it was an enjoyable read, I was just expecting to like it a little more after reading Fangirl Down.

Thank you NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for this ARC.

this is the first time i’ve ever noticed the tessa bailey cringe moments but tbh didn’t change my enjoyment of this AT ALL.

(though my possible hot take is that i don’t actually enjoy when the groveling goes on too long?)

agggghgh anyway this was so much fucking fun i looooved it

I can't decide if I enjoyed this book more than the first because of the story or because I find hockey players to be much hotter than golfers. Burgess is a single, kurmugen, hockey dad who hires Tallulah a grad student, who he fell in love with at first sight, to be the au pair for his daughter. Tallulah has some personal issues to overcome while Burgess has to work on his urge to just fix all of her problems. Will they overcome their issues or will this cause a strain with their best friends Wells and Josephine (from previous book)? If you are looking for a weekend read with some spice, this is your book.

I simply cannot do it. I feel awful rating this so low. I'm sure that for Tessa Bailey fans, it's great. Unfortunately the first person POV comes off as cringe, and the adults act like children.

The Au Pair Affair by Tessa Bailey is a charming addition to her romance book era, though I must say, I might still prefer her golf story a little more. In this sports-themed rom-com, we follow Tallulah, a vivacious and broke marine biology student who jumps at the chance to become a live-in nanny for Burgess, a gruff hockey veteran and newly single dad. Tallulah’s quirky personality and determination to fit in with Burgess’s introverted tween daughter, Lissa, add a delightful layer to the story.

Burgess, on the other hand, is a complex character juggling his role as a father and his unexpected attraction to Tallulah. The chemistry between them is sizzling, creating an engaging tension as they navigate their growing feelings amidst family dynamics and personal struggles. While the story takes some familiar turns, it’s the heartfelt moments and Burgess’s journey to prove he’s worthy of a happily ever after that make this book enjoyable. Thanks to Avon for the book—I’m definitely here for Tessa Bailey’s romance books!

thank you avon and harper voyage for the advanced readers copy!
the au pair affair is tessa bailey’s most recent book and the first sports romance of hers that i’ve personally read. the story centers around tallulah, a college student, who to make extra money becomes the live-in nanny for hockey superstar, burgess’, daughter lissa.

a couple years ago, i was reading tessa bailey non-stop so i was excited to jump at the chance to read this one. overall, i enjoyed tallulah as a main character and enjoyed her back story. she seemed complex and i liked that she was in her late twenties unlike a lot of the college romances i read where the fmc younger and less relatable.

what i didn’t enjoy quite as much was the relationship between burgess and tallulah, while it was cute in places, i had a hard time seeing past how they were at such different places in their lives, but i’m not the biggest fan of age gap romances so take this with a pinch of salt.

i would give this a 3/5 stars, which is a usual rating for me with tessa bailey! her books are always a spicy, fun time!