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Big Shots #2
The Au Pair Affair
A sports rom-com about a burly, surly, single dad who falls head-over-hockey-stick for his quirky live-in nanny...
Tallulah is smart, vivacious, and studying to be a marine biologist. She’s also twenty-six and broke. So when Burgess, a battle-scarred hockey veteran and newly single dad, offers her a job as his live-in nanny, she jumps at the opportunity to get paid while living in a super fancy neighborhood and being around Lissa, his cool but introverted tween.
Her tween charge isn’t the only one who could use some help fitting in, though. According to…well, everyone except Burgess, he needs to get back on the dating scene, and adventurous Tallulah is just the girl to show him how. But as boundaries are slowly crossed and Burgess finds himself pulled between his daughter, who wants her parents back together, and his insane chemistry with Tallulah, a huge rift is formed, and Tallulah does the “right” thing—breaks her own heart and walks away.
Though Burgess knows it’s for the best—he’s too jaded, with too much baggage—a chance meeting, and a new push from his daughter, forces him to put everything on the line and fight to prove he learned his lessons well and is worthy of a happily ever after with Tallulah.
Tallulah is smart, vivacious, and studying to be a marine biologist. She’s also twenty-six and broke. So when Burgess, a battle-scarred hockey veteran and newly single dad, offers her a job as his live-in nanny, she jumps at the opportunity to get paid while living in a super fancy neighborhood and being around Lissa, his cool but introverted tween.
Her tween charge isn’t the only one who could use some help fitting in, though. According to…well, everyone except Burgess, he needs to get back on the dating scene, and adventurous Tallulah is just the girl to show him how. But as boundaries are slowly crossed and Burgess finds himself pulled between his daughter, who wants her parents back together, and his insane chemistry with Tallulah, a huge rift is formed, and Tallulah does the “right” thing—breaks her own heart and walks away.
Though Burgess knows it’s for the best—he’s too jaded, with too much baggage—a chance meeting, and a new push from his daughter, forces him to put everything on the line and fight to prove he learned his lessons well and is worthy of a happily ever after with Tallulah.
384 pages, Paperback
First published July 16, 2024
About the author
Tessa Bailey
96 books57.4k followersNew York Times Bestselling author Tessa Bailey can solve all problems except for her own, so she focuses those efforts on stubborn, fictional blue collar men and loyal, lovable heroines. She lives on Long Island avoiding the sun and social interactions, then wonders why no one has called. Dubbed the “Michelangelo of dirty talk,” by Entertainment Weekly, Tessa writes with spice, spirit, swoon and a guaranteed happily ever after. Catch her on TikTok at @authortessabailey or check out tessabailey.com for a complete list of books.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,076 reviews
July 18, 2024
SO EXCITED TO READ THIS 🤩 Mutt Burgess here I come 🤭
~~~
Why is the guy looking like Mutt from Schitts creek 😭
(Tallulah and Burgess literally had me hooked from just one encounter!!)
~~~
Why is the guy looking like Mutt from Schitts creek 😭
(Tallulah and Burgess literally had me hooked from just one encounter!!)
June 7, 2024
I need a big boy.
Give me a big boy.
Give me a big boy.
July 16, 2024
4 ⭐️ Burgess is THE definition of 'he falls first'
"You could be wasting your time on me."
"Time with you could never be a waste. Only a privilege."
WHAT TO EXPECT:
✨ hockey romance
✨ nanny x boss
✨ roommates
✨ grumpy x sunshine
✨ opposites attract
✨ he falls first and hard
✨ forced proximity
✨ age gap (11 years)
✨ single dad
✨ 3/5 🌶️ spice
✨ third act breakup
✨ GROVELING
✨ TW: chronic pain, injury, abduction (past) and ptsd, family drama (his daughter wants her dad and mom to be together)
My Thoughts:
Some of the best sexual tension written by Tessa Bailey! Every interaction between Tallulah and Burgess was *chefs kiss*!
This story had me feral for the first 75% and then the third act breakup happened and sort of brought down the vibe. I didn’t mind the actual breakup, but it took them so long to reconcile timeline wise but then once they were together in the same place and forced to deal with this, they kept going back and forth. Idk if I found this part to be believable or even enjoyable.
Sig and Chloe are def gonna be the MCs for the next book and I’m def curious about it. It’ll be a step siblings romance so I like the forbidden aspect. But Chloe seems like such a ditz so idk how I’ll like her as the FMC.
Thank you Netgalley for providing an eARC and Harper Collins / Avon for providing an early finished copy in exchange for an honest review! As always, all opinions are my own.
Favorite Quotes:
*Slight spoilers ahead* - read at your own risk
That was life, wasn't it? Making connections, bonding with people and places, then moving forward without them. Missing them. Carrying those influences around, sort of like layers of clothing.
_______
"If you're implying I don't know how to make a woman wet, I'd be happy to disprove your theory, gorgeous. I only need one hand to drive this car."
_______
"You want to bring me around Boston on your adventures, good. Let's go. You let me know if you want me bed to be one of them."
_______
She was not simply working for a single father. She was working for a snack. A DILF. A big boy.
_______
"Just want to mention that I'm happy to give, not just receive. In fact, I fucking love giving Tallulah."
_______
Making Tallulah laugh was like taking a shower in sunshine. It just rained down in the form of warmth at the top of his head, coating him down to his toes.
_______
Being allowed into this person's head would forever be his life's biggest honor. It was a beautiful, complicated place and he couldn't wait to explore.
_______
"You're not leaving my bedroom unsatisfied, Tallulah. If you think I'd let that happen, you haven't been paying attention."
"I can satisfy myself. I just wanted this to be about you."
"Satisfying you is for both of us."
_______
He belonged. She'd made him belong. Now he just needed to convince her she belonged with him.
_______
"Being your girlfriend means you're no longer my bodyguard. When we go on adventures together, it's simply a date."
"I'm still going to guard you," he blustered.
"I know."
_______
"One day in hell feels a lot worse after spending weeks in heaven, Tallulah."
"I'm heaven?"
"My heaven, yeah."
_______
Love and Tallulah were interconnected. There couldn't be one without the other. Love was her. She was love.
_______
"You smile at me, Tallulah, and I know I'll feel it for centuries."
_______
"You could be wasting your time on me."
"Time with you could never be a waste. Only a privilege."
WHAT TO EXPECT:
✨ hockey romance
✨ nanny x boss
✨ roommates
✨ grumpy x sunshine
✨ opposites attract
✨ he falls first and hard
✨ forced proximity
✨ age gap (11 years)
✨ single dad
✨ 3/5 🌶️ spice
✨ third act breakup
✨ GROVELING
✨ TW: chronic pain, injury, abduction (past) and ptsd, family drama (his daughter wants her dad and mom to be together)
My Thoughts:
Some of the best sexual tension written by Tessa Bailey! Every interaction between Tallulah and Burgess was *chefs kiss*!
This story had me feral for the first 75% and then the third act breakup happened and sort of brought down the vibe. I didn’t mind the actual breakup, but it took them so long to reconcile timeline wise but then once they were together in the same place and forced to deal with this, they kept going back and forth. Idk if I found this part to be believable or even enjoyable.
Sig and Chloe are def gonna be the MCs for the next book and I’m def curious about it. It’ll be a step siblings romance so I like the forbidden aspect. But Chloe seems like such a ditz so idk how I’ll like her as the FMC.
Thank you Netgalley for providing an eARC and Harper Collins / Avon for providing an early finished copy in exchange for an honest review! As always, all opinions are my own.
Favorite Quotes:
*Slight spoilers ahead* - read at your own risk
That was life, wasn't it? Making connections, bonding with people and places, then moving forward without them. Missing them. Carrying those influences around, sort of like layers of clothing.
_______
"If you're implying I don't know how to make a woman wet, I'd be happy to disprove your theory, gorgeous. I only need one hand to drive this car."
_______
"You want to bring me around Boston on your adventures, good. Let's go. You let me know if you want me bed to be one of them."
_______
She was not simply working for a single father. She was working for a snack. A DILF. A big boy.
_______
"Just want to mention that I'm happy to give, not just receive. In fact, I fucking love giving Tallulah."
_______
Making Tallulah laugh was like taking a shower in sunshine. It just rained down in the form of warmth at the top of his head, coating him down to his toes.
_______
Being allowed into this person's head would forever be his life's biggest honor. It was a beautiful, complicated place and he couldn't wait to explore.
_______
"You're not leaving my bedroom unsatisfied, Tallulah. If you think I'd let that happen, you haven't been paying attention."
"I can satisfy myself. I just wanted this to be about you."
"Satisfying you is for both of us."
_______
He belonged. She'd made him belong. Now he just needed to convince her she belonged with him.
_______
"Being your girlfriend means you're no longer my bodyguard. When we go on adventures together, it's simply a date."
"I'm still going to guard you," he blustered.
"I know."
_______
"One day in hell feels a lot worse after spending weeks in heaven, Tallulah."
"I'm heaven?"
"My heaven, yeah."
_______
Love and Tallulah were interconnected. There couldn't be one without the other. Love was her. She was love.
_______
"You smile at me, Tallulah, and I know I'll feel it for centuries."
_______
June 2, 2024
This second book in the "Big Shot" series has already made me a big hockey fan! I loved Will and Josephine's love story, but I can honestly say I enjoyed Tallulah and Burgess' romance even more. It includes themes of forced proximity, a single dad, an age difference, and opposites attract!
Tallulah is a quirky marine biologist and a survivor of past trauma that left her insecure. She's a free-spirited, kind-hearted heroine who always puts others' needs first. She's easy to like, with Turkish heritage (her last name is "Aydin," which is a city in Turkey), but her first name is Native American, meaning “running water”—a perfect fit for her character and her tendency not to stay in one place for long.
Burgess is kind-hearted and gentlemanly, although he can show some violent tendencies on the field as an occupational hazard, which makes Tallulah question whether to work at his house after his outburst during a game goes viral.
He amicably parted ways with the mother of his 12-year-old daughter Lissa (thankfully, the book doesn't involve an evil ex-wife or a love triangle). Due to his busy travel schedule as a hockey player, he needs to hire an au pair to help take care of his daughter. That's when his best friend Will's future wife, Josephine, recommends Tallulah, who needs a change of scenery. As soon as they meet, Burgess realizes he's in trouble. After a dinner together, he falls deeply for her. But isn't it unethical to pursue someone who works for him, even if the feelings are mutual? When Tallulah decides to do the honorable thing and help little Lissa, who wants to see her parents back together, by quitting her job, things get more complicated!
I don't want to spoil more, but this book contains some very satisfying and well-deserved groveling scenes that I actually enjoyed! (I believe in some books, the men easily get away when they make big mistakes, but this book is different, giving readers pure happiness with a fair conclusion.)
Overall, this is one of the highly anticipated, sweetest, high-chemistry sports romances with likable characters that I highly recommend for a thoroughly enjoyable read!
Many thanks to Avon and Harper Voyager for sharing this adorable romance's digital reviewer copy with me in exchange for my honest thoughts.
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Tallulah is a quirky marine biologist and a survivor of past trauma that left her insecure. She's a free-spirited, kind-hearted heroine who always puts others' needs first. She's easy to like, with Turkish heritage (her last name is "Aydin," which is a city in Turkey), but her first name is Native American, meaning “running water”—a perfect fit for her character and her tendency not to stay in one place for long.
Burgess is kind-hearted and gentlemanly, although he can show some violent tendencies on the field as an occupational hazard, which makes Tallulah question whether to work at his house after his outburst during a game goes viral.
He amicably parted ways with the mother of his 12-year-old daughter Lissa (thankfully, the book doesn't involve an evil ex-wife or a love triangle). Due to his busy travel schedule as a hockey player, he needs to hire an au pair to help take care of his daughter. That's when his best friend Will's future wife, Josephine, recommends Tallulah, who needs a change of scenery. As soon as they meet, Burgess realizes he's in trouble. After a dinner together, he falls deeply for her. But isn't it unethical to pursue someone who works for him, even if the feelings are mutual? When Tallulah decides to do the honorable thing and help little Lissa, who wants to see her parents back together, by quitting her job, things get more complicated!
I don't want to spoil more, but this book contains some very satisfying and well-deserved groveling scenes that I actually enjoyed! (I believe in some books, the men easily get away when they make big mistakes, but this book is different, giving readers pure happiness with a fair conclusion.)
Overall, this is one of the highly anticipated, sweetest, high-chemistry sports romances with likable characters that I highly recommend for a thoroughly enjoyable read!
Many thanks to Avon and Harper Voyager for sharing this adorable romance's digital reviewer copy with me in exchange for my honest thoughts.
Follow me on medium.com to read my articles about books, movies, streaming series, astrology:
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July 17, 2024I didn't love the first book so hopefully the single dad x nanny trope pulls through for me!
✨ Thank you Netgalley and HarperCollins Publishers Australia for the arc!
✨ Thank you Netgalley and HarperCollins Publishers Australia for the arc!
July 18, 2024
The single father romance that is going to make this summer even hotter with what Burgess and his dirty mouth bring to this story...
When Tessa Bailey first introduced Burgess and Tallulah in Fangirl Down, my instant obsession of a single father/nanny romance kicked in and got me beyond hyped. And then when this puppy landed on my kindle one beautiful and even better Friday morning, I knew that I was going to have an incredible weekend. And my gosh did I devour this story in two days!
Burgess is a Boston hockey player, who is also a single father trying his very hardest to balance the life of a father and a famous hockey star. His career is coming to a near end, him being 37 years old has finally caught up to him physically. And the connection that he tries to have but does not know how with his 12 year old daughter, comes to a situation of dragging him emotionally as well. So when the opportunity arrises for Burgess to hire Tallulah as a live in nanny, he does it in a heartbeat. His instant attraction towards Tallulah is palpable through every page. When the time comes for her to officially move in with Burgess, her hesitation is one that I can truly understand. Tallulah at an instant seems to understand Burgess' daughter and her pre-teen ways. And adding that to his enamor attraction towards Tallulah, Burgess grows even more effatuated with her. But their personalities could not be any more different, especially with Tallulah's past as well as trying to find ways to change it, and Burgess' current present of being stuck in one place. Even so, these two characters make every page worth reading because of how obsessive they turn you as a reader. And that is the power of Tessa's writing.
And let's not forget about the most important part; the dirty talk. The scorching dirty talk that comes from this growly, surly of a man. Oh he knows what he is doing and much more. Combining that with how soft of a teddy bear he also is, and Tallulah's attention and ways of submitting to him is what makes these two one of the favorite couples of the year;
This story brings to the table so much more than our daddy Burgess. It brings the best qualities if Tallulah and the battles that she has to fight on her own. But also the protective energy and ways that Burgess wants to give and show to her, even after knowing her past. This story will be a favorite for many! And just as one when I finished reading Fangirl Down, after finishing this one, Tessa already has me giggling and anticipating her next novel. The step-sibling trope is coming our way!
ARC kindly provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review...
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When Tessa Bailey first introduced Burgess and Tallulah in Fangirl Down, my instant obsession of a single father/nanny romance kicked in and got me beyond hyped. And then when this puppy landed on my kindle one beautiful and even better Friday morning, I knew that I was going to have an incredible weekend. And my gosh did I devour this story in two days!
Burgess is a Boston hockey player, who is also a single father trying his very hardest to balance the life of a father and a famous hockey star. His career is coming to a near end, him being 37 years old has finally caught up to him physically. And the connection that he tries to have but does not know how with his 12 year old daughter, comes to a situation of dragging him emotionally as well. So when the opportunity arrises for Burgess to hire Tallulah as a live in nanny, he does it in a heartbeat. His instant attraction towards Tallulah is palpable through every page. When the time comes for her to officially move in with Burgess, her hesitation is one that I can truly understand. Tallulah at an instant seems to understand Burgess' daughter and her pre-teen ways. And adding that to his enamor attraction towards Tallulah, Burgess grows even more effatuated with her. But their personalities could not be any more different, especially with Tallulah's past as well as trying to find ways to change it, and Burgess' current present of being stuck in one place. Even so, these two characters make every page worth reading because of how obsessive they turn you as a reader. And that is the power of Tessa's writing.
And let's not forget about the most important part; the dirty talk. The scorching dirty talk that comes from this growly, surly of a man. Oh he knows what he is doing and much more. Combining that with how soft of a teddy bear he also is, and Tallulah's attention and ways of submitting to him is what makes these two one of the favorite couples of the year;
"Only had it once, but I remember this pussy like the back of my goddam hand. It's wet and tight and it's mine..."
This story brings to the table so much more than our daddy Burgess. It brings the best qualities if Tallulah and the battles that she has to fight on her own. But also the protective energy and ways that Burgess wants to give and show to her, even after knowing her past. This story will be a favorite for many! And just as one when I finished reading Fangirl Down, after finishing this one, Tessa already has me giggling and anticipating her next novel. The step-sibling trope is coming our way!
ARC kindly provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review...
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July 17, 2024i need cute and fluffy 😌
July 17, 2024
The best way to describe this book is “Holy shit biscuits” (if you know, you know)! If you like all things Tessa Bailey, you’re in luck – it’s got a little bit of everything! This is brimmed with age gap romance, insta love but slow burn, he falls first, opposites attract, grumpy meets sunshine, boss/employee and forced proximity with a touch of sports. There are also deeper aspects like finding oneself and inner healing. Perfect for the summer – but could be considered even more ideal in wintertime because of Tallulah and Burgess’ love of the cold!
PLOT SUMMARY
26-year-old Tallulah Aydin is a marine biologist, striving to get her Master’s degree in Boston. She made a deal a year ago with divorced single father Burgess Abraham, 37-year-old captain of the Boston Bearcats ice hockey team – also known as “Sir Savage” for his brutality on the rink. This deal? To be an au pair (babysitter) for his 12-year-old daughter, Lissa.
With initial reluctance, due to his rough and cold reputation as well as her own trust issues from previous relationships, Burgess shows Tallulah that he only wants to keep her safe. After a little while they form an unmistakable attachment. After all, unbeknownst to Tallulah, he has been in love with her since they first met.
Various obstacles are preventing them from being together:
• Their age gap of 11 years is the most notable
• Tallulah is spontaneous, Burgess is more guarded and wants everything to be just so
• Burgess has a child and would expect Tallulah to settle down; she wants to spread her wings and party. Girlfriend, sure, but not wife and stepmother all at once.
• Lissa has hopes that, despite Burgess’ ex-wife Ashleigh having a fiancé, her parents will reconcile. This leaves Tallulah in the most awkward predicament.
When an injury threatens to end his ice hockey career, and their affair comes out, things come to a head (and get heavily messy). But will they put aside their differences to be the best man and maid of honour at their best friend’s Wells and Josephine’s wedding in Costa Rica?
OVERALL OPINIONS
I may have said previously that Fangirl Down is Tessa's best story yet. I retract my statement: this one is it. It has got everything, which I listed above. This has so much humour and heart that this had such an impact on me. I would argue it is even better than Fangirl Down, though I loved of course that we got to see dear Wells and Josephine again – and that they are getting married. He should be named Wells the wingman after this ordeal.
Tessa took all her works from before (really, all the elements that made them good), combined them and made something stupendous here! The single parent element is something she has not covered often so again this is a fresh approach. Slowburns for Tessa is exceptionally rare to see and I really adore when she does it! This was nicely done, made the wait worth it. And goodness, the steam was so good ahh! Her books are either hit or miss depending, but this was definitely a hit for me.
There was so, so much depth to Burgess and Tallulah which was so great to see! I loved both their similarities and differences. It was cute that they both like and feel comfortable in the cold (Tallulah spent her time in the quiet Arctic studying wildlife, and Burgess does his ice hockey). The amount of green flags Burgess has, I think his team should have been this colour instead of blue! He instils so much confidence into Tallulah, and is so protective of her, never wants to take advantage of her, that it is so heartwarming to see. One of my favourite moments showing this was when he uses his own experiences to relate to Tallulah struggling to reject a guy:
<< Positives >>
🠚 The re-iteration of an all too realistic issue for most women: being scared of what men might do to us if we reject them. This is such a big deal, and I am glad Tessa decided to use this for plot and covered it exceptionally well.
🠚 The way both Burgess and Tallulah comes to the other’s defence.
🠚 Raising awareness of emotional abuse. Again, Tessa did this very well. As someone who has had this, I really felt the issues in my soul. In a world full of Bretts please be a Burgess!
🠚 Showing an amicably divorced couple. This was a healthy thing to see. I like that Ashleigh does not become a stereotypical jealous ex-wife who wants him back (which was how I feared this would go). Again, different and refreshing to see. She even tries to diffuse the situation when Lissa is mad at Tallulah and apologises for being initially jealous and giving the wrong idea.
🠚 Portrayal of a healthy stepmother and daughter relationship. Lissa understandably sees Tallulah as someone who has come between her parents getting back together but also sees the error in her ways. I love that she also gets a good character arc through Tallulah, going from being bullied in school to Tallulah helping her style her hair and land the main role of Juliet at school.
🠚 Healthy funny friendships, which as always Tessa is so good at portraying. Wells and Burgess were as wholesome as ever. And it is so lovely that everyone on the ice hockey team help Burgess to get better!
<< Negatives >>
🠚 Like Fangirl Down, there is not much of the actual sport occurring, but I would argue there is enough.
🠚 We did not get a chapter of the wedding to Wells and Josephine itself, I was so excited for this. I wonder if she will cover it in a book about Sig and Chloe. It certainly looks like that’s what Tessa is gearing up for.
🠚 Not a negative for me in this particular book especially because he *is* one, but if you hate someone calling their boyfriend “Daddy” you might want to skip this.
🠚 Never call a dick a “rigid pike” again, Tessa! I am begging. Please tell me I am not the only one who thought this??
CHARACTERS
-ˋˏ ꒰ Tallulah꒱ ˎˊ-
↳ I see a lot of myself in Tallulah. I love that she touches every aspect of Burgess’ life and changes it for the better. Reminds me of Piper from It Happened One Summer, but a much much better and more relatable version of her.
🠚 Her journey and her growth as a character in terms of confidence was so lovely to see! I like that she finally throws the postcards away and does things for herself and her happiness. She is super strong at the hospital, I would have cried instantly.
-ˋˏ ꒰ Burgess꒱ ˎˊ-
↳ Best Bailey Boy! Loved him from the start. When I read “A man who recognized his own faults. A man who wanted to be better.” I have never waved a green flag so fast in my life! Also, the “Name the dead man who hurt you” made me melt! Also I like that his eyes are blue, probably ice blue which is very fitting considering he likes ice.
🠚 Massive kudos to Tessa making this man (mostly) think with his heart and not his dick. Very rare phenomenon, but please keep this up.
🠚 He is the Big Boy that SZA was singing about hehe (that has got to be his song, right there)! I love that he has loved her since day one, and how big and protective he is. There are so many things he does that are so cute I need to list them properly:
• secretly offering to cover Tallulah’s rent and buying her pepper spray so she can stay somewhere safe
• making the effort to try and learn French braids for his daughter
• the way he listens to Tallulah when she talks about her difficult time and why she distrusts men. “He was exhibiting patience and understand, addressing her worries without her having to ask – and he wasn’t doing it in a patronizing way. That…counted for something.”
• “Give me a chance to show that you’re safe with me” – pleaseeee marry him!
• got them into an Aquarium for free
• even when they separated, he made sure she was okay via news from Chloe.
🠚 It can be seen why some people would dislike him after what he said in the hospital, and I get it. However, I have been in a situation like that, and in order to get you to be quiet men particularly like to say something that will get to you so you will stop or leave them alone. It sucks but it was so accurate I was like yes, this is exactly what would happen. And I would have done the exact same as Tallulah in that situation and left.
FAV QUOTES
• she hadn’t purposely searched for shirtless interviews, thank you very much. They’d come up as a *suggested* Google search. She couldn’t simply ignore that kind of search engine divine providence. It would be irresponsible.
• This was the person he remembered from lunch. Direct and clever. A little self-deprecating. Wildly unique.
• One hurdle at a time, though – and tonight was a big one. Six-foot-three to be exact.
• “That’s just a human being a human. Sometimes we break a little.”
• “What do you mean by that, buddy?” Burgess asked, his tone dripping with malice. Only, the way he said “buddy” sounded more like “future corpse”.
• Burgess liked playing protector. Yet he still wanted to help Tallulah stand on her own two feet again. That said a lot about his character.
• She ran, jumped and was enfolded in the warmest, safest hug of all time.
• she was brighter than any star in the sky. More brilliant than the nighttime lights illuminating the field. She put the Citgo sign to shame. She fucking glowed.
• He usually defended other people, but…she’d come to his defense? That meant a lot.
• It no longer felt like an injury signaling the end of his career, it was a minor worry – and he had a major one that needed his attention. Tallulah was endgame.
• “It’s raining.”…“Is it?” His eyes ran a lap around her face “The sun is shining in here.”
• “you’re all mine.” “Ah gorgeous. I’ve been yours since California.”
• “The day we met, you could have asked me to bring you the moon on a platter and I’d have done it…Ask me for galaxies now.”
• Love and Tallulah were interconnected. There couldn’t be one without the other. Love was her. She was love.
• He looked at his daughter that meant so much more to him than hickey.
• She’d had her heart shattered for her efforts, but look. Look. She was still walking, talking and breathing.
• “I might have thrown away my chance, but I’m not going to throw away the lesson you tried to teach me. If it’s the only piece of you I’m allowed, I’m keeping it.”
• “Maybe I will cry again. Maybe we’ll shout and get angry or push each other’s buttons. But our love is going to be bigger than the bad moments.”
• “I’m going to take you on adventures…but hear me when I tell you, there will never be an adventure that lives up to you.” He looked her in the eye. “I want to stay on it forever.”
══════════ ⋆★⋆ ══════════
I received an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review and I’d like to thank Tessa Bailey, Avon, and NetGalley for the opportunity. This has not affected my opinion in any way.
Happiness didn’t just appear out of thin air, a man had to search for it, cultivate it, and guard it with their life. Someone like Tallulah wouldn’t come along again. Ever. He’d found someone who slowed down time and made him feel immortal. Someone who believed in him. Someone *he* believed in, too…suddenly there was determination in his chest to take her places, show her things… Be alive with her. Love her.[ Contains some spoilers ]
PLOT SUMMARY
26-year-old Tallulah Aydin is a marine biologist, striving to get her Master’s degree in Boston. She made a deal a year ago with divorced single father Burgess Abraham, 37-year-old captain of the Boston Bearcats ice hockey team – also known as “Sir Savage” for his brutality on the rink. This deal? To be an au pair (babysitter) for his 12-year-old daughter, Lissa.
With initial reluctance, due to his rough and cold reputation as well as her own trust issues from previous relationships, Burgess shows Tallulah that he only wants to keep her safe. After a little while they form an unmistakable attachment. After all, unbeknownst to Tallulah, he has been in love with her since they first met.
Various obstacles are preventing them from being together:
• Their age gap of 11 years is the most notable
• Tallulah is spontaneous, Burgess is more guarded and wants everything to be just so
• Burgess has a child and would expect Tallulah to settle down; she wants to spread her wings and party. Girlfriend, sure, but not wife and stepmother all at once.
• Lissa has hopes that, despite Burgess’ ex-wife Ashleigh having a fiancé, her parents will reconcile. This leaves Tallulah in the most awkward predicament.
When an injury threatens to end his ice hockey career, and their affair comes out, things come to a head (and get heavily messy). But will they put aside their differences to be the best man and maid of honour at their best friend’s Wells and Josephine’s wedding in Costa Rica?
“You could be wasting your time on me.”
“Time with you could never be a waste. Only a privilege.”
OVERALL OPINIONS
I may have said previously that Fangirl Down is Tessa's best story yet. I retract my statement: this one is it. It has got everything, which I listed above. This has so much humour and heart that this had such an impact on me. I would argue it is even better than Fangirl Down, though I loved of course that we got to see dear Wells and Josephine again – and that they are getting married. He should be named Wells the wingman after this ordeal.
Tessa took all her works from before (really, all the elements that made them good), combined them and made something stupendous here! The single parent element is something she has not covered often so again this is a fresh approach. Slowburns for Tessa is exceptionally rare to see and I really adore when she does it! This was nicely done, made the wait worth it. And goodness, the steam was so good ahh! Her books are either hit or miss depending, but this was definitely a hit for me.
There was so, so much depth to Burgess and Tallulah which was so great to see! I loved both their similarities and differences. It was cute that they both like and feel comfortable in the cold (Tallulah spent her time in the quiet Arctic studying wildlife, and Burgess does his ice hockey). The amount of green flags Burgess has, I think his team should have been this colour instead of blue! He instils so much confidence into Tallulah, and is so protective of her, never wants to take advantage of her, that it is so heartwarming to see. One of my favourite moments showing this was when he uses his own experiences to relate to Tallulah struggling to reject a guy:
“How do you feel about telling this clown that he’s making you uncomfortable and he needs to back the fuck off?”At the same time, I especially liked that they both become quite flawed characters and that both hurt each other: Burgess really ruins their relationship by pushing her away in the coldest arguably cruellest way possible, and Tallulah later on feels that she can have sex with him to get him out of her system. Tessa usually has a fallout where both parties feel guilty/bad about what happened and here is no exception – but this was the book where I felt like both of them really did some messed up stuff, whereas in other books it felt more one-sided than others. What an emotional roller coaster.
She hissed a breath. “Oh, I don’t know. I’d rather just get through it.”
“Is getting through it working?” When she only blinked at him, he searched for a different tactic. “When someone encroaches on my territory on the ice, I let them know it’s not okay. And I guess it’s…I never thought about it, because it’s just my job, but I guess it’s empowering. To demand somebody backs off. You have that right, too.”
<< Positives >>
🠚 The re-iteration of an all too realistic issue for most women: being scared of what men might do to us if we reject them. This is such a big deal, and I am glad Tessa decided to use this for plot and covered it exceptionally well.
She shouldn’t have to lie or make an excuse not to be interested. She was allowed to simply not be interested and didn’t owe him an explanation about it. Her fear stemmed from how he would react is she turned him down.🠚 Big shoutout to Chloe for being a girls-girl at the club and checking Tallulah was okay talking to that guy, we love that and we love Chloe!
🠚 The way both Burgess and Tallulah comes to the other’s defence.
🠚 Raising awareness of emotional abuse. Again, Tessa did this very well. As someone who has had this, I really felt the issues in my soul. In a world full of Bretts please be a Burgess!
🠚 Showing an amicably divorced couple. This was a healthy thing to see. I like that Ashleigh does not become a stereotypical jealous ex-wife who wants him back (which was how I feared this would go). Again, different and refreshing to see. She even tries to diffuse the situation when Lissa is mad at Tallulah and apologises for being initially jealous and giving the wrong idea.
🠚 Portrayal of a healthy stepmother and daughter relationship. Lissa understandably sees Tallulah as someone who has come between her parents getting back together but also sees the error in her ways. I love that she also gets a good character arc through Tallulah, going from being bullied in school to Tallulah helping her style her hair and land the main role of Juliet at school.
🠚 Healthy funny friendships, which as always Tessa is so good at portraying. Wells and Burgess were as wholesome as ever. And it is so lovely that everyone on the ice hockey team help Burgess to get better!
<< Negatives >>
🠚 Like Fangirl Down, there is not much of the actual sport occurring, but I would argue there is enough.
🠚 We did not get a chapter of the wedding to Wells and Josephine itself, I was so excited for this. I wonder if she will cover it in a book about Sig and Chloe. It certainly looks like that’s what Tessa is gearing up for.
🠚 Not a negative for me in this particular book especially because he *is* one, but if you hate someone calling their boyfriend “Daddy” you might want to skip this.
🠚 Never call a dick a “rigid pike” again, Tessa! I am begging. Please tell me I am not the only one who thought this??
CHARACTERS
-ˋˏ ꒰ Tallulah꒱ ˎˊ-
↳ I see a lot of myself in Tallulah. I love that she touches every aspect of Burgess’ life and changes it for the better. Reminds me of Piper from It Happened One Summer, but a much much better and more relatable version of her.
🠚 Her journey and her growth as a character in terms of confidence was so lovely to see! I like that she finally throws the postcards away and does things for herself and her happiness. She is super strong at the hospital, I would have cried instantly.
-ˋˏ ꒰ Burgess꒱ ˎˊ-
↳ Best Bailey Boy! Loved him from the start. When I read “A man who recognized his own faults. A man who wanted to be better.” I have never waved a green flag so fast in my life! Also, the “Name the dead man who hurt you” made me melt! Also I like that his eyes are blue, probably ice blue which is very fitting considering he likes ice.
🠚 Massive kudos to Tessa making this man (mostly) think with his heart and not his dick. Very rare phenomenon, but please keep this up.
🠚 He is the Big Boy that SZA was singing about hehe (that has got to be his song, right there)! I love that he has loved her since day one, and how big and protective he is. There are so many things he does that are so cute I need to list them properly:
• secretly offering to cover Tallulah’s rent and buying her pepper spray so she can stay somewhere safe
• making the effort to try and learn French braids for his daughter
• the way he listens to Tallulah when she talks about her difficult time and why she distrusts men. “He was exhibiting patience and understand, addressing her worries without her having to ask – and he wasn’t doing it in a patronizing way. That…counted for something.”
• “Give me a chance to show that you’re safe with me” – pleaseeee marry him!
• got them into an Aquarium for free
• even when they separated, he made sure she was okay via news from Chloe.
🠚 It can be seen why some people would dislike him after what he said in the hospital, and I get it. However, I have been in a situation like that, and in order to get you to be quiet men particularly like to say something that will get to you so you will stop or leave them alone. It sucks but it was so accurate I was like yes, this is exactly what would happen. And I would have done the exact same as Tallulah in that situation and left.
FAV QUOTES
• she hadn’t purposely searched for shirtless interviews, thank you very much. They’d come up as a *suggested* Google search. She couldn’t simply ignore that kind of search engine divine providence. It would be irresponsible.
• This was the person he remembered from lunch. Direct and clever. A little self-deprecating. Wildly unique.
• One hurdle at a time, though – and tonight was a big one. Six-foot-three to be exact.
• “That’s just a human being a human. Sometimes we break a little.”
• “What do you mean by that, buddy?” Burgess asked, his tone dripping with malice. Only, the way he said “buddy” sounded more like “future corpse”.
• Burgess liked playing protector. Yet he still wanted to help Tallulah stand on her own two feet again. That said a lot about his character.
• She ran, jumped and was enfolded in the warmest, safest hug of all time.
• she was brighter than any star in the sky. More brilliant than the nighttime lights illuminating the field. She put the Citgo sign to shame. She fucking glowed.
• He usually defended other people, but…she’d come to his defense? That meant a lot.
• It no longer felt like an injury signaling the end of his career, it was a minor worry – and he had a major one that needed his attention. Tallulah was endgame.
• “It’s raining.”…“Is it?” His eyes ran a lap around her face “The sun is shining in here.”
• “you’re all mine.” “Ah gorgeous. I’ve been yours since California.”
• “The day we met, you could have asked me to bring you the moon on a platter and I’d have done it…Ask me for galaxies now.”
• Love and Tallulah were interconnected. There couldn’t be one without the other. Love was her. She was love.
• He looked at his daughter that meant so much more to him than hickey.
• She’d had her heart shattered for her efforts, but look. Look. She was still walking, talking and breathing.
• “I might have thrown away my chance, but I’m not going to throw away the lesson you tried to teach me. If it’s the only piece of you I’m allowed, I’m keeping it.”
• “Maybe I will cry again. Maybe we’ll shout and get angry or push each other’s buttons. But our love is going to be bigger than the bad moments.”
• “I’m going to take you on adventures…but hear me when I tell you, there will never be an adventure that lives up to you.” He looked her in the eye. “I want to stay on it forever.”
══════════ ⋆★⋆ ══════════
I received an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review and I’d like to thank Tessa Bailey, Avon, and NetGalley for the opportunity. This has not affected my opinion in any way.
May 6, 2024
UPDATE 5/6/24 : I’ve finally read it and holy hell man this book was the best. I’m a whore for Tessa honestly. If she writes it, I’ll read it. The first book in this series, Fangirl Down, was probably my favorite book of hers to date. But this one…was also just so freaking good, it might be a tie 🫢
This is a nanny/boss, age gap romance with a sprinkle of grumpy/sunshine because my man Burgess is a grump only for everyone else but is a teddy bear for Tallulah. Tallulah is a hot, smart, marine biology grad student, who takes a job as Burgess’s live-in au pair. She’s got some trauma and is understandably restrained around a large man who happens to be 11 years her senior and is unsettlingly good at breaking noses on the ice, but they work together to navigate each other’s boundaries. My favorite thing about both Fangirl Down and the Au Pair Affair is the amount of respect that the MCs have for each other (I know respect should be a bare minimum but it rarely is in this world). There are constant check-ins, accommodations, and efforts to communicate, for both parties and you can tell there is a sense of comfort that doesn’t feel manufactured.
The smut was so perfectly smutty, the romance was a punch in the heart, and the characters had so much personality, I couldn’t stop laughing.
**********************************************
who tf has already rated this book 1 star??? the first book in this series was amazing and I'm so excited for book 2
This is a nanny/boss, age gap romance with a sprinkle of grumpy/sunshine because my man Burgess is a grump only for everyone else but is a teddy bear for Tallulah. Tallulah is a hot, smart, marine biology grad student, who takes a job as Burgess’s live-in au pair. She’s got some trauma and is understandably restrained around a large man who happens to be 11 years her senior and is unsettlingly good at breaking noses on the ice, but they work together to navigate each other’s boundaries. My favorite thing about both Fangirl Down and the Au Pair Affair is the amount of respect that the MCs have for each other (I know respect should be a bare minimum but it rarely is in this world). There are constant check-ins, accommodations, and efforts to communicate, for both parties and you can tell there is a sense of comfort that doesn’t feel manufactured.
The smut was so perfectly smutty, the romance was a punch in the heart, and the characters had so much personality, I couldn’t stop laughing.
**********************************************
who tf has already rated this book 1 star??? the first book in this series was amazing and I'm so excited for book 2
Want to read
November 30, 2023AINT NO WAY THIS MAN AINT SAM HARTMAN?? Tessa knows what she’s doing
May 14, 2024
Another man pathetically in love? WE WON
MAIN CHARACTER NAMES AND AGES
Tallulah Aydin (26) | Burgess “Sir Savage” Abraham (37)
FEATURES
∘ nanny / single father
∘ professional athlete (hockey)
∘ love at first sight (him only)
∘ age gap (11 years)
REVIEW
Burgess saw Tallulah and was gone for her immediately. It was cute to watch him fluster and blush as he tried so desperately to read Tallulah and her feelings toward him.
The au pair aspect wasn’t as major as I was expecting. Lissa was twelve, so she was relatively independent and wasn’t present much. She was just present enough to be a fully-realized character but also away enough to let the main couple develop.
I loved the build-up and tension of this book, especially in the spice department. Burgess wouldn’t fully be with Tallulah until she was ready to commit to being his full-time girlfriend, but man did they both find creative ways to get their rocks off.
I was really vibing with the story until the third act hit, and I lost all momentum. It was so unnecessarily angsty and frustratingly drawn out. While I could understand the characters’ actions and feelings, it definitely felt like the romance novel version of watching a horror movie and shouting at the screen because of the dumb decisions they were making. I still enjoyed my time, but it was a bummer stall for sure.
The majority of the book was a great experience for me. Maybe if I read it at another time in my life (you know, when I’m not experiencing the worst reading month I’ve had since I started reading), I wouldn’t have been so bothered by the last ~30%. I will say, I’m looking forward to Sig and Chloe’s story and am manifesting that it’s next.
OW/OM DRAMA minor OM — Tallulah has men hit on her (she doesn’t reciprocate) and Burgess gets jealous |
OW — Burgess’s ex-wife is coparenting and Lissa (their daughter) is convinced they’re going to get back together (he is literally only interested in Tallulah)
CHEATING none
THIRD ACT BREAKUP yes — reconciliation about a month and a half later
ENDING HEA — 17 months later epilogue
POV dual / third person
SPICE LEVEL 4 / 5
RATING 3.5 / 5
Thank you to publisher and NetGalley for a copy of this book. I am voluntarily leaving a review.
MAIN CHARACTER NAMES AND AGES
Tallulah Aydin (26) | Burgess “Sir Savage” Abraham (37)
FEATURES
∘ nanny / single father
∘ professional athlete (hockey)
∘ love at first sight (him only)
∘ age gap (11 years)
REVIEW
Burgess saw Tallulah and was gone for her immediately. It was cute to watch him fluster and blush as he tried so desperately to read Tallulah and her feelings toward him.
The au pair aspect wasn’t as major as I was expecting. Lissa was twelve, so she was relatively independent and wasn’t present much. She was just present enough to be a fully-realized character but also away enough to let the main couple develop.
I loved the build-up and tension of this book, especially in the spice department. Burgess wouldn’t fully be with Tallulah until she was ready to commit to being his full-time girlfriend, but man did they both find creative ways to get their rocks off.
I was really vibing with the story until the third act hit, and I lost all momentum. It was so unnecessarily angsty and frustratingly drawn out. While I could understand the characters’ actions and feelings, it definitely felt like the romance novel version of watching a horror movie and shouting at the screen because of the dumb decisions they were making. I still enjoyed my time, but it was a bummer stall for sure.
The majority of the book was a great experience for me. Maybe if I read it at another time in my life (you know, when I’m not experiencing the worst reading month I’ve had since I started reading), I wouldn’t have been so bothered by the last ~30%. I will say, I’m looking forward to Sig and Chloe’s story and am manifesting that it’s next.
OW/OM DRAMA minor OM — Tallulah has men hit on her (she doesn’t reciprocate) and Burgess gets jealous |
OW — Burgess’s ex-wife is coparenting and Lissa (their daughter) is convinced they’re going to get back together (he is literally only interested in Tallulah)
CHEATING none
THIRD ACT BREAKUP yes — reconciliation about a month and a half later
ENDING HEA — 17 months later epilogue
POV dual / third person
SPICE LEVEL 4 / 5
RATING 3.5 / 5
Thank you to publisher and NetGalley for a copy of this book. I am voluntarily leaving a review.
July 17, 2024
⤿dates read: july 9th - july 14th 🩵
{age} 14+ {rating} 3✰ {pages} 367
no spoilers btw
Thank you William Morrow for sending me the advanced readers edition, so I can give them an honest review back! 🩵
⤿ 🩵 this is my fourth tessa bailey book, ive read the the vine mess series and the big shots honestly for tessa bailey has one good book in the series and the other one is just meh. in this series I really enjoy fangirl down, more than I liked the au pair affair. maybe it's just the fact that the characters chemistry in the first book is just a little better than tallulah and burgess. but when tessa bailey's couple is good, the book just hits different, the dirty talk to the perfect and overprotective boyfriends.
⤿ 🩵 honestly there is a lot to say about this book both good and bad. It definitely was not my favorite book but it's also not my least favorite book there were some parts that I really admired but there were also some parts where the dirty talk was just so bad in my opinion. I did like all the characters and their personalities they were very well written.
⤿ 🩵 character-breakdown
⤿ 🩵 tallulah aydin ~ 26
she's originally from Istanbul and she immigrated here but her entire family is still there. tallulah in my opinion is such a strong woman she has been through so much that it's just shocking. she's still so independent and so brave. always is there for the people she loves, she'll drop what ever she's doing just to go to them.
↬ 26 years old
↬ studying at boston uni
↬ au pair to twelve year old girl
↬ trama from past
↬ best friends with josephine
↬ studying to become a marine biologist
↬ loves exploring and trying new things
⤿ 🩵 burgess abraham ~ 37
buddy is literally the definition of an overprotective and he falls first and HARDER boyfriend. Hey but he also has got caring loving personality especially when he's around his daughter. but on the ice playing hockey he's like a totally different person he's all feisty and everything breaking people's noses.
↬ 37 years old
↬ professional hockey player
↬ RICH
↬ has a 12 year old daughter
↬ divorced
↬ grumpy
↬ overprotective
⤿ 🩵 summary
this book like I've mentioned is not the best but there are some parts that I really enjoyed like the character development and the certain quotes that I picked out I felt we're really cute and made the story a lot better.
⤿ 🩵 pre-review
eehhh! I just finished a Tessa Bailey book like last week, and now i'm being sent this??? wait I need to read fan girl down first lol!! so excited to get a copy of this arc in a few weeks!!
{age} 14+ {rating} 3✰ {pages} 367
no spoilers btw
Thank you William Morrow for sending me the advanced readers edition, so I can give them an honest review back! 🩵
˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆"That was life, wasn't it? Making connections, bonding with people and places, then moving forward without them. Missing them. Carrying those influences around, sort of like layers of clothing. Her birthplace was one layer, her family another, her best friend Josephine. Antartica. now Boston sometimes it hurts to collect another layer, to make new friends and have new experiences when she's still ached for the layers closest to her skin."
⤿ 🩵 this is my fourth tessa bailey book, ive read the the vine mess series and the big shots honestly for tessa bailey has one good book in the series and the other one is just meh. in this series I really enjoy fangirl down, more than I liked the au pair affair. maybe it's just the fact that the characters chemistry in the first book is just a little better than tallulah and burgess. but when tessa bailey's couple is good, the book just hits different, the dirty talk to the perfect and overprotective boyfriends.
˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆ "she's from the republic of hotness just below france"
⤿ 🩵 honestly there is a lot to say about this book both good and bad. It definitely was not my favorite book but it's also not my least favorite book there were some parts that I really admired but there were also some parts where the dirty talk was just so bad in my opinion. I did like all the characters and their personalities they were very well written.
˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆"they stood on the rooftop of a building that overlooked Fenway the famous city go sign buzzing 50 yards over their heads and she was better than any star in the sky more brilliant than any star in the sky more brilliant than the night time lights Illuminating the field she put the city go sign to shame she f****** glowed"
⤿ 🩵 character-breakdown
⤿ 🩵 tallulah aydin ~ 26
she's originally from Istanbul and she immigrated here but her entire family is still there. tallulah in my opinion is such a strong woman she has been through so much that it's just shocking. she's still so independent and so brave. always is there for the people she loves, she'll drop what ever she's doing just to go to them.
↬ 26 years old
↬ studying at boston uni
↬ au pair to twelve year old girl
↬ trama from past
↬ best friends with josephine
↬ studying to become a marine biologist
↬ loves exploring and trying new things
˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆"love and tallulah were interconnected. there couldn't be one without the other. love was her. she was love"
⤿ 🩵 burgess abraham ~ 37
buddy is literally the definition of an overprotective and he falls first and HARDER boyfriend. Hey but he also has got caring loving personality especially when he's around his daughter. but on the ice playing hockey he's like a totally different person he's all feisty and everything breaking people's noses.
↬ 37 years old
↬ professional hockey player
↬ RICH
↬ has a 12 year old daughter
↬ divorced
↬ grumpy
↬ overprotective
˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆if someone insulted you I would do a lot worse than break their f****** glasses"
⤿ 🩵 summary
this book like I've mentioned is not the best but there are some parts that I really enjoyed like the character development and the certain quotes that I picked out I felt we're really cute and made the story a lot better.
˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆ "the day we met you could have asked me to bring you the moon on a platter and i'd have done it. ask me for galaxies now. you get anything you want gorgeous"
⤿ 🩵 pre-review
eehhh! I just finished a Tessa Bailey book like last week, and now i'm being sent this??? wait I need to read fan girl down first lol!! so excited to get a copy of this arc in a few weeks!!
May 17, 2024
⋆.˚🦋༘⋆ tallulahburgess my beloved, they gave hot single dad/hockey player x nanny romance and it deliverrrrred
once again i come to you with a tessa bailey review <3 i decided to start this right away as soon as i finished fangirl down because i was on A HIGH likeeee i needed what the synopsis was telling us about, so i read it. and oh my goddddd this series is hands down one where the heroes are allll so down bad for the heroine. wells and burgess????? no one for them but josephine and tallulah ♡ as soon as they meet them, they don't think about anyone else and their thoughts and actions all revolve around the girls. I LOVE THIS SM!!
the au pair affair is def more angsty than fangirl down. im not going to lie but when i was reading fangirl down i did crave a lil bit more angst in the story but overall i adored it either way and gave it 5 stars. but all that angst that didn't go to josephinewells.... oh tessa decided to sprinkle it in the au pair affair 100000%. that last third of the novel? HEARTBREAK i was suffering thank you very much lol not going to say anything more but yeah prepare tissues ๋࣭ ⭑⚝
i'm excited to see what's next because there is a pairing in this book that makes me INTRIGUED IM INTRIGUED i want to know more and i love the heroine already so hopefully we do see a book for them <3
tropes/themes/things that you can find inside this book:
♡ hot single dad
♡ he's grumpy and stoic
♡ plays hockey too
♡ she becomes his daughter's nanny
♡ down bad for her since first meeting hero
♡ brings him to a singles' mixer and he spends all that time talking about her to the other women
♡ angst, groveling, pain
once again i come to you with a tessa bailey review <3 i decided to start this right away as soon as i finished fangirl down because i was on A HIGH likeeee i needed what the synopsis was telling us about, so i read it. and oh my goddddd this series is hands down one where the heroes are allll so down bad for the heroine. wells and burgess????? no one for them but josephine and tallulah ♡ as soon as they meet them, they don't think about anyone else and their thoughts and actions all revolve around the girls. I LOVE THIS SM!!
the au pair affair is def more angsty than fangirl down. im not going to lie but when i was reading fangirl down i did crave a lil bit more angst in the story but overall i adored it either way and gave it 5 stars. but all that angst that didn't go to josephinewells.... oh tessa decided to sprinkle it in the au pair affair 100000%. that last third of the novel? HEARTBREAK i was suffering thank you very much lol not going to say anything more but yeah prepare tissues ๋࣭ ⭑⚝
i'm excited to see what's next because there is a pairing in this book that makes me INTRIGUED IM INTRIGUED i want to know more and i love the heroine already so hopefully we do see a book for them <3
tropes/themes/things that you can find inside this book:
♡ hot single dad
♡ he's grumpy and stoic
♡ plays hockey too
♡ she becomes his daughter's nanny
♡ down bad for her since first meeting hero
♡ brings him to a singles' mixer and he spends all that time talking about her to the other women
♡ angst, groveling, pain
Want to read
April 3, 2024~WRONG TITLE~
I haven't read this book, but I was immediately interested because of the title (former au pair here!). However, it seems like she wasn't an au pair at all, just a live-in nanny.
Anyway, I think I'll still read it, but wanted to make the author and everyone aware that the title is misleading.
The au pair is an exchange program, so the fundamental part of it is you (the au pair) being someone from a different country. Another part of it is, at least in the countries where it's legal, you're not a college student (you're not on a student visa, though you can study some). You'll most likely be studying to learn the language and your focus will probably be on traveling and exploring. Lastly, you usually use your host family's car since you don't own anything in this new country, and they help you adapt to your new reality. There are many other things, but that's the gist of the difference between an au pair and a live-in nanny.
I think they only used au pair in the title because it rhymes.
I haven't read this book, but I was immediately interested because of the title (former au pair here!). However, it seems like she wasn't an au pair at all, just a live-in nanny.
Anyway, I think I'll still read it, but wanted to make the author and everyone aware that the title is misleading.
The au pair is an exchange program, so the fundamental part of it is you (the au pair) being someone from a different country. Another part of it is, at least in the countries where it's legal, you're not a college student (you're not on a student visa, though you can study some). You'll most likely be studying to learn the language and your focus will probably be on traveling and exploring. Lastly, you usually use your host family's car since you don't own anything in this new country, and they help you adapt to your new reality. There are many other things, but that's the gist of the difference between an au pair and a live-in nanny.
I think they only used au pair in the title because it rhymes.
Currently reading
July 15, 2024one more day, my babiesss! ✨ my special edition already shipped!!
July 18, 2024
4.25⭐️ 📖 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐮 𝐏𝐚𝐢𝐫 𝐀𝐟𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐫 𝐛𝐲 𝐓𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐚 𝐁𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐲
“𝘉𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴���𝘯'𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦'𝘴 𝘣𝘪𝘨𝘨𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘰𝘳. 𝘐𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘶𝘭, 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥𝘯'𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘪𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘵. 𝘈𝘴 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘢𝘴 𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘴 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘴 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘥.“
This was my first 𝐓𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐚 𝐁𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐲 and I had so much fun reading it! One of my favorite tropes is single dad x nanny. This book mixed that genre with a big, protective NFL player and I LOVED IT. ✨
Tallulah is a woman trying to overcome her past trauma and fears. Her first encounter with the single dad she is going to Au Pair for doesn’t go to plan. Her fears of men can’t overcome how large and brutal Burgess is on the ice.
Burgess is a man who falls hard for the woman he met through mutual friends. She’s off limits to him in so many ways, including the fact that’s she’s 11 years younger than him. He is struggling with an injury and not knowing when his hockey career will come to an end. Tallulah fits into his and his daughter’s lives so well and he can’t seem to get her out of his mind.
The chemistry between Tallulah and Burgess was off the charts. I would consider this a slow burn, but there is a ton of delicious tension and build up. When the spice hits, it HITS. 🔥
"𝘑𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐'𝘮 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦, 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘪𝘷𝘦. 𝘐𝘯 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘵, 𝘐 𝘧****** 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘛𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘩."
This is a book with a TON of groveling at the end. Prepare your hearts!
I can’t wait for a future book about Sig & Chloe! I am beyond curious about what is going on with them. I freaking love how attentive he is with her.
If you love single dad x nanny romances mixed with a growly NFL player and a woman with a traumatic past, go add 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐮 𝐏𝐚𝐢𝐫 𝐀𝐟𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐫 𝐛𝐲 𝐓𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐚 𝐁𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐲, to your TBR today!
𝘛𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘴:
💫 𝘚𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘦 𝘋𝘢𝘥 𝘹 𝘕𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘺
🏒 𝘏𝘰𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘺 𝘗𝘭𝘢𝘺𝘦𝘳 𝘹 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘉𝘪𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘪𝘴𝘵
🍷 𝘈𝘨𝘦 𝘎𝘢𝘱 (11𝘺𝘳𝘴)
💗 𝘏𝘦 𝘍𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘴 𝘍𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵
👊🏼 “𝘞𝘩𝘰 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶?”
🔥 𝘚𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘉𝘶𝘳𝘯
🥵 𝘚𝘱𝘪𝘤𝘺 (3🌶️)
🫶🏼 𝘋𝘶𝘢𝘭 𝘗𝘖𝘝
“𝘉𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴���𝘯'𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦'𝘴 𝘣𝘪𝘨𝘨𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘰𝘳. 𝘐𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘶𝘭, 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥𝘯'𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘪𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘵. 𝘈𝘴 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘢𝘴 𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘴 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘴 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘥.“
This was my first 𝐓𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐚 𝐁𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐲 and I had so much fun reading it! One of my favorite tropes is single dad x nanny. This book mixed that genre with a big, protective NFL player and I LOVED IT. ✨
Tallulah is a woman trying to overcome her past trauma and fears. Her first encounter with the single dad she is going to Au Pair for doesn’t go to plan. Her fears of men can’t overcome how large and brutal Burgess is on the ice.
Burgess is a man who falls hard for the woman he met through mutual friends. She’s off limits to him in so many ways, including the fact that’s she’s 11 years younger than him. He is struggling with an injury and not knowing when his hockey career will come to an end. Tallulah fits into his and his daughter’s lives so well and he can’t seem to get her out of his mind.
The chemistry between Tallulah and Burgess was off the charts. I would consider this a slow burn, but there is a ton of delicious tension and build up. When the spice hits, it HITS. 🔥
"𝘑𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐'𝘮 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦, 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘪𝘷𝘦. 𝘐𝘯 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘵, 𝘐 𝘧****** 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘛𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘩."
This is a book with a TON of groveling at the end. Prepare your hearts!
I can’t wait for a future book about Sig & Chloe! I am beyond curious about what is going on with them. I freaking love how attentive he is with her.
If you love single dad x nanny romances mixed with a growly NFL player and a woman with a traumatic past, go add 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐮 𝐏𝐚𝐢𝐫 𝐀𝐟𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐫 𝐛𝐲 𝐓𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐚 𝐁𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐲, to your TBR today!
𝘛𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘴:
💫 𝘚𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘦 𝘋𝘢𝘥 𝘹 𝘕𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘺
🏒 𝘏𝘰𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘺 𝘗𝘭𝘢𝘺𝘦𝘳 𝘹 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘉𝘪𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘪𝘴𝘵
🍷 𝘈𝘨𝘦 𝘎𝘢𝘱 (11𝘺𝘳𝘴)
💗 𝘏𝘦 𝘍𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘴 𝘍𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵
👊🏼 “𝘞𝘩𝘰 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶?”
🔥 𝘚𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘉𝘶𝘳𝘯
🥵 𝘚𝘱𝘪𝘤𝘺 (3🌶️)
🫶🏼 𝘋𝘶𝘢𝘭 𝘗𝘖𝘝
March 7, 2024
Listen, I am a Tessa Bailey apologist through and through. Her books are always a little weird; the characters are emotionally stunted and the spicy scenes are just a little too much but I still love them. This one however, was just a little bit too much for me. Maybe I find it hard to believe that someone who was locked in a closet for two days would begin to trust men so quickly after a brief skinny dipping outing.
July 8, 2024
listen up fellas….are you readyyyy?? TESSA. FREAKING. BAILEY. IS. BACK. BABY!!! 🔥🙌🏼💖. you guys, i was so impressed by this book its not a joke. i will be honest, the last few releases by tessa lacked what made me fall in love with her earlier books (IHOS, Fix Her Up, MKV🙌🏼). BUT THIS ONE?!?! y’all buckle up cause im gonna get into it.
this was a single dad x nanny, age gap, sports romance done SO FREAKING RIGHT! i was just absolutely enthralled from beginning to end and the SPICE OMFG 😩🔥. there’s literally a scene in a car by a lake and THATS ALL ILL SAY cause i literally had to do a wrap around it was so hot.
overall, 4.5 ⭐️ 2.5🌶️ i can’t BELIEVE how much i ended up loving this. i need a biiiiiig boyyyyyyyy 🤪. also tessa, if you see this, blink twice if we’re getting chloe and sig’s book 🤠. enjoy my thoughts while reading:
- tropes: single dad, sports, nanny (au pair), age gap
- tessa’s books are always so funny i love it
- oh damn someone abused her in the past 😔
- that’s so cooked what happened to her :|
- i’m loving this im getting giddy 🥰
- “if you’re implying i don’t know how to make a woman wet, i’d be happy to disprove your theory. I ONLY NEED ONE HAND TO DRIVE THIS CAR” IM ON MY FUCKING KNEEEEES 😩🔥🔥
- BAHAHAHH this is hilarious. it feels like OG tessa bailey im loving it.
- tessa always slaps with the spice jeeeeeesus
- “THATS MY GIRL” 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
- “i’m going to marry this girl someday” MY BELOVED
- holy shit the SKINNY DIPPING CAR SCENE?!?! THIS IS SO FUCKING HOT 😩🔥
- what. the. actual. fuck. that SCENE IS A NEW ROMAN EMPIRE MY JAW IS ON THE FLOOR
- chloe is the funniest bitch ever i need her to get her own book 😂
- “i’m heaven?” “my heaven, yeah” 💙
- hehehe what a cute lil proposal at the end 🥰
this was a single dad x nanny, age gap, sports romance done SO FREAKING RIGHT! i was just absolutely enthralled from beginning to end and the SPICE OMFG 😩🔥. there’s literally a scene in a car by a lake and THATS ALL ILL SAY cause i literally had to do a wrap around it was so hot.
overall, 4.5 ⭐️ 2.5🌶️ i can’t BELIEVE how much i ended up loving this. i need a biiiiiig boyyyyyyyy 🤪. also tessa, if you see this, blink twice if we’re getting chloe and sig’s book 🤠. enjoy my thoughts while reading:
- tropes: single dad, sports, nanny (au pair), age gap
- tessa’s books are always so funny i love it
- oh damn someone abused her in the past 😔
- that’s so cooked what happened to her :|
- i’m loving this im getting giddy 🥰
- “if you’re implying i don’t know how to make a woman wet, i’d be happy to disprove your theory. I ONLY NEED ONE HAND TO DRIVE THIS CAR” IM ON MY FUCKING KNEEEEES 😩🔥🔥
- BAHAHAHH this is hilarious. it feels like OG tessa bailey im loving it.
- tessa always slaps with the spice jeeeeeesus
- “THATS MY GIRL” 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
- “i’m going to marry this girl someday” MY BELOVED
- holy shit the SKINNY DIPPING CAR SCENE?!?! THIS IS SO FUCKING HOT 😩🔥
- what. the. actual. fuck. that SCENE IS A NEW ROMAN EMPIRE MY JAW IS ON THE FLOOR
- chloe is the funniest bitch ever i need her to get her own book 😂
- “i’m heaven?” “my heaven, yeah” 💙
- hehehe what a cute lil proposal at the end 🥰
July 13, 2024
A gripping, sexy, sporty, romance that reignited my love of hockey and romance books! This book has several tropes: single dad, age difference, close proximity, nanny/employer, etc. This is the second book in the Big Shots series but worked very well as a stand-alone book for me.
Tallulah is studying to be a Marine Biologist. She's low on funds and in need of a job. When Burgess, a single dad and Hockey player offers her a live in job as a nanny to his daughter, Tallulah happily accepts. Both characters are likeable and dynamic. Both are strong but also have issues and vulnerabilities. I enjoyed their complex and distinct personalities.
It's all about the journey with romance books and this was a highly enjoyable one. I loved the banters, the angst, the attraction, and the writing.
This is the first book that I have read by Tessa Bailey, but it will not be my last! I can't believe that it took me so long to read one of her books. I have several on my tbr list and will be making a point to get to them soon!
Gripping, sexy, entertaining, and fun!
Thank you to Avon and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
Read more of my reviews at www.openbookposts.com 📖
Tallulah is studying to be a Marine Biologist. She's low on funds and in need of a job. When Burgess, a single dad and Hockey player offers her a live in job as a nanny to his daughter, Tallulah happily accepts. Both characters are likeable and dynamic. Both are strong but also have issues and vulnerabilities. I enjoyed their complex and distinct personalities.
It's all about the journey with romance books and this was a highly enjoyable one. I loved the banters, the angst, the attraction, and the writing.
This is the first book that I have read by Tessa Bailey, but it will not be my last! I can't believe that it took me so long to read one of her books. I have several on my tbr list and will be making a point to get to them soon!
Gripping, sexy, entertaining, and fun!
Thank you to Avon and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
Read more of my reviews at www.openbookposts.com 📖
May 9, 2024
OMG this book! I loved it so much, from beginning to end, it was magic, I could not put it down and then stop gushing about it to my peers and begging them to read it as soon as it's published. The beginning dynamics that kicked off the story was interesting, Tallulah's back story and her ambitions plus Burgess protectiveness and his internal baggage just create such a magically perfect story. And the story is one hella of steamy slow burn let me warn you, it has the reader simmering to the point of physically blushing and turning on your seat. My goodness! I haven't read such a hot spicy book full of great sexy scenes that don't come off as a book full of smut, because the story is so well written that it just works so well into the plot, which is a good one. And it was so funny too, I mean laugh out loud funny. And the way Burgess is so smitten with her is so cute. Ugh this is my chef's kiss of romance books, my roman empire.
I highly recommend it.
I just reviewed The Au Pair Affair by Tessa Bailey. #NetGalley
-He falls first
-Age gap
-Grumpy/Sunshine
-Boston
-Hockey
-Marine Biologist
-PTSD
-Who did this to you
-Single Dad
-Live in Nanny
-Costa Rica
-Groveling
I highly recommend it.
I just reviewed The Au Pair Affair by Tessa Bailey. #NetGalley
-He falls first
-Age gap
-Grumpy/Sunshine
-Boston
-Hockey
-Marine Biologist
-PTSD
-Who did this to you
-Single Dad
-Live in Nanny
-Costa Rica
-Groveling
June 2, 2024
This felt a bit different from other Tessa books, but especially in coming from Fangirl Down.
There are some serious topics in Tallulah's background that aren't even hinted at in the synopsis (cutesy illustrated cover hiding serious business strikes again) and her decisions and actions from that history play out in the entire book.
On the upside, Burgess is GONE for her and it's delightful reading him try to figure things out. I really enjoyed how these two talked and worked on their foundation before giving into the instant chemistry they had. Of course, daughter Lissa is fun and the set up for the next book is great, but seeing Wells and Josephine again was the best.
Plot wise, it's mostly good. There were some sections that felt disjointed and JFC, the push and pull at the end was annoying. They did so well with the communication until they didn't. I wish they would have stopped assuming facial expressions were actual words.
Overall, this was fun, but (for me) not as lighthearted as I've come to expect from Tessa.
FYI: stalking, drugging, kidnapping, and being restrained all talked about from the FMC's history
**Huge thanks to the publisher for providing the arc free of charge**
There are some serious topics in Tallulah's background that aren't even hinted at in the synopsis (cutesy illustrated cover hiding serious business strikes again) and her decisions and actions from that history play out in the entire book.
On the upside, Burgess is GONE for her and it's delightful reading him try to figure things out. I really enjoyed how these two talked and worked on their foundation before giving into the instant chemistry they had. Of course, daughter Lissa is fun and the set up for the next book is great, but seeing Wells and Josephine again was the best.
Plot wise, it's mostly good. There were some sections that felt disjointed and JFC, the push and pull at the end was annoying. They did so well with the communication until they didn't. I wish they would have stopped assuming facial expressions were actual words.
Overall, this was fun, but (for me) not as lighthearted as I've come to expect from Tessa.
FYI: stalking, drugging, kidnapping, and being restrained all talked about from the FMC's history
**Huge thanks to the publisher for providing the arc free of charge**
February 17, 2024
Tessa Bailey's romantic comedy The AU Pair centers on the relationship between hockey captain Burgess Abraham and nanny Tallulah Aydin.
This is the second book in the Big Shots series, but I already am obsessed with this series. Even though I liked Fangirl Down, the level of heat in this book caught me off guard which I’m not mad for.
I always thought it was amazing that Burgess was a man obsessed since the beginning. I mean he was down bad for Tallulah, and it was heartwarming to watch him become enamored with her.
The groveling in this was also not over the top, but it all seemed so sincere, and I appreciated that he would stop at nothing to win Tallulah back.
Whilst I've been liking the couples so far in the Big Shots series, I'm eager to see what Tessa has planned for the upcoming books.
*Thank you to NetGalley, Avon, and to the author, Tessa bailey, for providng me with this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.*
This is the second book in the Big Shots series, but I already am obsessed with this series. Even though I liked Fangirl Down, the level of heat in this book caught me off guard which I’m not mad for.
I always thought it was amazing that Burgess was a man obsessed since the beginning. I mean he was down bad for Tallulah, and it was heartwarming to watch him become enamored with her.
The groveling in this was also not over the top, but it all seemed so sincere, and I appreciated that he would stop at nothing to win Tallulah back.
Whilst I've been liking the couples so far in the Big Shots series, I'm eager to see what Tessa has planned for the upcoming books.
*Thank you to NetGalley, Avon, and to the author, Tessa bailey, for providng me with this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.*
April 2, 2024
If I could rate this zero stars, I would. This Labrador of a man turns out to be one of the most toxic male characters I have ever come across in my life. Knows her past trauma (which, holy heck.. trigger warning) and still says the toxic awful things he says and she’s written as finding it “hot” until he pushes too far and yet they still end up back together. On top of his horrible things he says to her, he’s unbelievably jealous and not in a hot way. It’s like someone tried to make him some awful alpha character but instead made him creepy possessive and jealous. She was absolutely insufferable through out most of the book. They were so humpy for each other that it actually got boring about half way through. I genuinely found myself rolling my eyes more than anything through this book. I can’t believe how angry the whole book made me. I really, really, really, hated this book. So much.
February 13, 2024
After the VERY high bar that Fangirl Down set, I was skeptical that the followup could hold my attention in the same way - but I devoured this at a ridiculously fast pace. The two books are very different in tone, though they're tied together by a common theme. Both heroes are endlessly smitten for their girls, worlds turned upside down by a game-changer of a woman. Zero complaints there, especially when the banter and intensity comes with some seriously smokin' hot scenes. This one starts out light and swoony before bringing on the angst, and I was unprepared for the gut punch of emotion. The boy obsessed/he falls first vibes make way for a hearty dose of tension, delivering the kind of read that I couldn't tear my eyes away from. The hero stole my heart, the love story put me through my paces, and I am very, very excited to see where the series goes from here. I loved it!
The story follows Burgess (37), a pro hockey player who is nearing the end of his career. Aches and pains are starting to make him feel older than his years, and the constant disconnect from his 12-year-old daughter makes him feel even more out of his element. So when the new nanny moves in - also known as the woman Burgess has been daydreaming about for months - it's a shock to the system. Tallulah (26) forms an immediate bond with Burgess' daughter, and their easy connection drives him a little insane... especially since the feelings Burgess has for his much younger nanny are anything but platonic. But the two couldn't be more different, and Tallulah is just starting to find her adventurous side again, while Burgess is still stuck in one place.
You could definitely read this as a standalone if you wanted, but Fangirl Down is excellent and it includes Burgess and Tallulah's first meeting. It's there that we see that Burgess is smitten from the start, totally gone for his girl before he even knows what happened. This book also spoils some of the plot points of Fangirl Down, just a heads up! I thought the series was going to end here, but I am SO excited about the relationship that's teased in this one. Can't wait. But I also had a great time reading Burgess and Tallulah's love story, which went in a direction I didn't anticipate. You've got the classic delight of a grumpy single dad/age gap romance with a side of hockey, but there's a whole lot more to it than that. I loved the deeper undertones, which brought some unexpected angst and heartache. Tallulah's backstory is a heavy one, and that adds an interesting layer of tension to their interactions. I liked her a lot, though Burgess steals the show. He is this lovable mountain of a man, so soft and gentle for his girl... at least until she brings out his wilder side. They had such great opposites attract vibes, and the slow burn to SIZZLE romance brought the heat. I was a little disappointed by the conflict, but it actually made a whole lot of sense and it certainly cranked up the intensity. Our boy gives good grovel, and that takes this light, fluffy story somewhere entirely different. In the end, I had a fantastic time reading this one, and here's hoping the third book comes sooner rather than later.
The story follows Burgess (37), a pro hockey player who is nearing the end of his career. Aches and pains are starting to make him feel older than his years, and the constant disconnect from his 12-year-old daughter makes him feel even more out of his element. So when the new nanny moves in - also known as the woman Burgess has been daydreaming about for months - it's a shock to the system. Tallulah (26) forms an immediate bond with Burgess' daughter, and their easy connection drives him a little insane... especially since the feelings Burgess has for his much younger nanny are anything but platonic. But the two couldn't be more different, and Tallulah is just starting to find her adventurous side again, while Burgess is still stuck in one place.
You could definitely read this as a standalone if you wanted, but Fangirl Down is excellent and it includes Burgess and Tallulah's first meeting. It's there that we see that Burgess is smitten from the start, totally gone for his girl before he even knows what happened. This book also spoils some of the plot points of Fangirl Down, just a heads up! I thought the series was going to end here, but I am SO excited about the relationship that's teased in this one. Can't wait. But I also had a great time reading Burgess and Tallulah's love story, which went in a direction I didn't anticipate. You've got the classic delight of a grumpy single dad/age gap romance with a side of hockey, but there's a whole lot more to it than that. I loved the deeper undertones, which brought some unexpected angst and heartache. Tallulah's backstory is a heavy one, and that adds an interesting layer of tension to their interactions. I liked her a lot, though Burgess steals the show. He is this lovable mountain of a man, so soft and gentle for his girl... at least until she brings out his wilder side. They had such great opposites attract vibes, and the slow burn to SIZZLE romance brought the heat. I was a little disappointed by the conflict, but it actually made a whole lot of sense and it certainly cranked up the intensity. Our boy gives good grovel, and that takes this light, fluffy story somewhere entirely different. In the end, I had a fantastic time reading this one, and here's hoping the third book comes sooner rather than later.
April 7, 2024
I give you…✨one star (...after publication)✨
Living up to its predecessor, Fangirl Down was a tall order, but one I believed Tallulah and Burgess could live up to. As I’ve come to understand, we are all wrong at some point in our life and it appears as though after years of waiting, now is my time to shine.
Tessa Bailey has always catered to the crowd that was looking for a good time. The caliber of writing was up to par with those who were craving a fun and dare I say, steamy read. That being said, the tone of this particular novel did not ring true to that statement. On the contrary, we, as readers, were introduced to a more serious plot through our female protagonist, Tallulah, that weighed with the remnants of a traumatic past. While I believe authors should be encouraged to explore outside the confines they’ve been built within, as with almost anything in life, there is a sensitivity to it that should be considered. Tallulah’s young adulthood, riddled with nightmares most of us only fear over, was permeated with grief over a life that could’ve been lived, but that she is now forced to merely exist in. Up until Tallulah’s interest in Burgess became romantic, her experiences were presented mindfully. Then, lust became the solution to years of pent up suffering. For some, intimacy becomes a coping mechanism, but in this instance, it was insinuated, whether consciously or not, that it was the last step in the bridge between her debilitating past and adventurous future. In no way do I want to invalidate Tallulah’s journey to recovery. All I’m saying is that perhaps we shouldn’t address more intense topics if we aren’t going to give them the nuance they deserve.
Burgess. I couldn’t put it more blatantly. Burgess was the bane of my existence. Truly, I’ve pondered through a million different ways of putting it, but it comes down all the same to his overbearing masculine nature. As a man, it came to no surprise to me that he was the common denominator in all my complaints. There is a difference between protectiveness and possessiveness, and Burgess completely overstepped into the latter with his ‘who did this to you’ persona. There’s a time and place and he missed them both. Needless to say, given the actions of Tallulah’s ex, it left a sour taste in my mouth and I’m surprised it didn’t do the same to her.
As for the writing, it was very millennial core, and with all due respect, while I’ve come to expect that in Bailey’s novels, it was just too much. The second Burgess was crowned Sir Savage, I was out. I never claimed to be God’s strongest soldier, yet alas.
Despite being written in the third-person, we are still getting a dual POV and while I’m always an advocate for this kind of storytelling, the timeline seems to drift so drastically in the sense that the author was grazing over some of the most important scenes, allowing us to only see their aftermath, that it took away the magic.
Given that Josephine and Wells, our previous couple, were such an influence in Burgess and Tallulah’s arrangement, I expected to see them more. If not throughout the story, than at least at the end when the group is in Costa Rica for the Whitaker-Doyle wedding. Such a missed opportunity with the epilogue in that regard…
Talking tropes, as a single-dad + nanny connoisseur, I was gravely disappointed. I’ve made my peace with tropes being falsely acquainted with books purely to appeal to a wider audience, particularly in the romance space. Yet I was still taken aback when our nanny wasn’t nannying, nor was our single dad fathering. Poor Lissa basically raised herself at this point. What’s the fun in that?!
Third act breakups, you say? Basically a given when committing to a Tessa Bailey book. But this one was very overdramatized and yet, the MMC still didn’t do enough groveling. Surprise surprise.
All in all, my advice to anyone going into this is to expect everything except the synopsis.
Given the glimpses we got into Sig and Chloe’s relationship, the protagonists of our upcoming Big Shots novel, I’m still unsure whether I’ll partake. It’s giving forbidden romance with their pending step-sibling status and that’s a little too taboo for me. But shoutout to everyone that’s brave enough to endure that!
Thank you to Avon and Tessa Bailey for providing me with an ARC. As always, all thoughts are my own and are in no way influenced by early access to this title.
Living up to its predecessor, Fangirl Down was a tall order, but one I believed Tallulah and Burgess could live up to. As I’ve come to understand, we are all wrong at some point in our life and it appears as though after years of waiting, now is my time to shine.
Tessa Bailey has always catered to the crowd that was looking for a good time. The caliber of writing was up to par with those who were craving a fun and dare I say, steamy read. That being said, the tone of this particular novel did not ring true to that statement. On the contrary, we, as readers, were introduced to a more serious plot through our female protagonist, Tallulah, that weighed with the remnants of a traumatic past. While I believe authors should be encouraged to explore outside the confines they’ve been built within, as with almost anything in life, there is a sensitivity to it that should be considered. Tallulah’s young adulthood, riddled with nightmares most of us only fear over, was permeated with grief over a life that could’ve been lived, but that she is now forced to merely exist in. Up until Tallulah’s interest in Burgess became romantic, her experiences were presented mindfully. Then, lust became the solution to years of pent up suffering. For some, intimacy becomes a coping mechanism, but in this instance, it was insinuated, whether consciously or not, that it was the last step in the bridge between her debilitating past and adventurous future. In no way do I want to invalidate Tallulah’s journey to recovery. All I’m saying is that perhaps we shouldn’t address more intense topics if we aren’t going to give them the nuance they deserve.
Burgess. I couldn’t put it more blatantly. Burgess was the bane of my existence. Truly, I’ve pondered through a million different ways of putting it, but it comes down all the same to his overbearing masculine nature. As a man, it came to no surprise to me that he was the common denominator in all my complaints. There is a difference between protectiveness and possessiveness, and Burgess completely overstepped into the latter with his ‘who did this to you’ persona. There’s a time and place and he missed them both. Needless to say, given the actions of Tallulah’s ex, it left a sour taste in my mouth and I’m surprised it didn’t do the same to her.
As for the writing, it was very millennial core, and with all due respect, while I’ve come to expect that in Bailey’s novels, it was just too much. The second Burgess was crowned Sir Savage, I was out. I never claimed to be God’s strongest soldier, yet alas.
Despite being written in the third-person, we are still getting a dual POV and while I’m always an advocate for this kind of storytelling, the timeline seems to drift so drastically in the sense that the author was grazing over some of the most important scenes, allowing us to only see their aftermath, that it took away the magic.
Given that Josephine and Wells, our previous couple, were such an influence in Burgess and Tallulah’s arrangement, I expected to see them more. If not throughout the story, than at least at the end when the group is in Costa Rica for the Whitaker-Doyle wedding. Such a missed opportunity with the epilogue in that regard…
Talking tropes, as a single-dad + nanny connoisseur, I was gravely disappointed. I’ve made my peace with tropes being falsely acquainted with books purely to appeal to a wider audience, particularly in the romance space. Yet I was still taken aback when our nanny wasn’t nannying, nor was our single dad fathering. Poor Lissa basically raised herself at this point. What’s the fun in that?!
Third act breakups, you say? Basically a given when committing to a Tessa Bailey book. But this one was very overdramatized and yet, the MMC still didn’t do enough groveling. Surprise surprise.
All in all, my advice to anyone going into this is to expect everything except the synopsis.
Given the glimpses we got into Sig and Chloe’s relationship, the protagonists of our upcoming Big Shots novel, I’m still unsure whether I’ll partake. It’s giving forbidden romance with their pending step-sibling status and that’s a little too taboo for me. But shoutout to everyone that’s brave enough to endure that!
Thank you to Avon and Tessa Bailey for providing me with an ARC. As always, all thoughts are my own and are in no way influenced by early access to this title.
January 28, 2024
Not even Tessa could make me like the single dad trope :/
June 2, 2024
The Au Pair Affair is the second book in Tessa Bailey’s Big Shots series and I am having SO.MUCH.FUN with the sport romances from her!!
Tallulah and Burgess’s love story is one for the books-literally! It’s a swoon worthy, sweep you off your feet, want to read again and again kind of romance.
For anyone that loves the single dad trope, nanny and boss, age gap, grumpy/sunshine, hockey, he falls first, opposites attract, forced proximity and an overall well written, sucks you in kind of love story…this one’s for you!
I devoured this book and can’t wait to relive it all again on my instant reread. Word of advice though, start with Fangirl Down, which is equally just as great as this one!
Tessa has an amazing ability to paint a story that hooks you from the first page and I can’t wait to read her next installment! The Au Pair Affair releases July 16th and I can’t wait to own a physical copy of this one!
Thank you NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for this arc. All opinions are my own.
Tallulah and Burgess’s love story is one for the books-literally! It’s a swoon worthy, sweep you off your feet, want to read again and again kind of romance.
For anyone that loves the single dad trope, nanny and boss, age gap, grumpy/sunshine, hockey, he falls first, opposites attract, forced proximity and an overall well written, sucks you in kind of love story…this one’s for you!
I devoured this book and can’t wait to relive it all again on my instant reread. Word of advice though, start with Fangirl Down, which is equally just as great as this one!
Tessa has an amazing ability to paint a story that hooks you from the first page and I can’t wait to read her next installment! The Au Pair Affair releases July 16th and I can’t wait to own a physical copy of this one!
Thank you NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for this arc. All opinions are my own.
July 1, 2024
I’m sorry but this was bad 😭
I especially loved Hook, Line, and Sinker by Tessa Bailey so I was intrigued when she wrote sports romance. I read Fangirl Down a few months ago and enjoyed it! Sadly this one just wasn’t my favorite.
I think the spice has gotten a bit much and the characters did things that bothered me and I couldn’t get behind it.
Overall I’m disappointed in this book, but thankful for the early copy!
I especially loved Hook, Line, and Sinker by Tessa Bailey so I was intrigued when she wrote sports romance. I read Fangirl Down a few months ago and enjoyed it! Sadly this one just wasn’t my favorite.
I think the spice has gotten a bit much and the characters did things that bothered me and I couldn’t get behind it.
Overall I’m disappointed in this book, but thankful for the early copy!
July 16, 2024
5 Stars!
(ARC provided by Avon and Harper Voyager)
Tallulah Aydin spent a year in Antarctica researching and studying penguins. Now she's heading to Boston University where she will be working on her master's in marine biology. The only issue is money is tight, and she needs a place to stay. When she's offered a job that allows her to live in a fancy place in Beacon Hill, it's the perfect opportunity. All she has to do is be a live in nanny to a sweet tween. This job should be easy except now she's living with a hot single dad and his daughter. She barely knows him, but feels a connection that's natural. While in Boston she wants to find her sense of adventure again. She hopes to make new friends, and have new experiences. As her attraction to her boss intensifies, she begins to wonder if this beautiful man was also meant to be a part of her journey.
Burgess Abraham has lived in Boston for the last fifteen years where he's a professional hockey player for the Boston Bearcats. The NHL legend is the team captain also known as "Sir Savage" for his aggressiveness on the ice. He's a divorced single father whose love life lately has been nonexistent. The eligible bachelor is a bit grumpy, and extremely set in his ways. His top priority is his daughter Lissa. When he's suddenly in need of an au pair, nothing but the best will do. He hires a young, intelligent grad student named Tallulah. Everything is great until he develops a crush on his gorgeous nanny. With their eleven year age difference she was quickly labeled off limits. They were at different places in their lives, but he still secretly longed to be more than just her employer. He knew it would be inappropriate to pursue her romantically because of their arrangement, but their chemistry was unexpected and all consuming. Will they choose to complicate their situation, or keep things in the friend zone?
The Au Pair Affair by Tessa Bailey is the second book in the Big Shots series. I've wanted more of Burgess and Tallulah since we met them in Fangirl Down as Wells and Josephine's best friends. This was a single dad, nanny, boss/employee, slow burn, opposites attract, forced proximity, age gap, friends to lovers, sports romance about self discovery, second chances and beautiful connections. I really loved this sweet rom com with fantastic banter and all the swoon! I adore this series, and can't wait for Sig and Chloe's book! <333
***NOW AVAILABLE***
https://www.amazon.com/Au-Pair-Affair...
(ARC provided by Avon and Harper Voyager)
Tallulah Aydin spent a year in Antarctica researching and studying penguins. Now she's heading to Boston University where she will be working on her master's in marine biology. The only issue is money is tight, and she needs a place to stay. When she's offered a job that allows her to live in a fancy place in Beacon Hill, it's the perfect opportunity. All she has to do is be a live in nanny to a sweet tween. This job should be easy except now she's living with a hot single dad and his daughter. She barely knows him, but feels a connection that's natural. While in Boston she wants to find her sense of adventure again. She hopes to make new friends, and have new experiences. As her attraction to her boss intensifies, she begins to wonder if this beautiful man was also meant to be a part of her journey.
Burgess Abraham has lived in Boston for the last fifteen years where he's a professional hockey player for the Boston Bearcats. The NHL legend is the team captain also known as "Sir Savage" for his aggressiveness on the ice. He's a divorced single father whose love life lately has been nonexistent. The eligible bachelor is a bit grumpy, and extremely set in his ways. His top priority is his daughter Lissa. When he's suddenly in need of an au pair, nothing but the best will do. He hires a young, intelligent grad student named Tallulah. Everything is great until he develops a crush on his gorgeous nanny. With their eleven year age difference she was quickly labeled off limits. They were at different places in their lives, but he still secretly longed to be more than just her employer. He knew it would be inappropriate to pursue her romantically because of their arrangement, but their chemistry was unexpected and all consuming. Will they choose to complicate their situation, or keep things in the friend zone?
The Au Pair Affair by Tessa Bailey is the second book in the Big Shots series. I've wanted more of Burgess and Tallulah since we met them in Fangirl Down as Wells and Josephine's best friends. This was a single dad, nanny, boss/employee, slow burn, opposites attract, forced proximity, age gap, friends to lovers, sports romance about self discovery, second chances and beautiful connections. I really loved this sweet rom com with fantastic banter and all the swoon! I adore this series, and can't wait for Sig and Chloe's book! <333
***NOW AVAILABLE***
https://www.amazon.com/Au-Pair-Affair...
May 22, 2024
Tallulah is a graduate student looking for a place to live and Burgess needs help with his tween daughter. He offers a place for her to live in exchange for help with his daughter. What could possibly happen? *smirks*
This is a Tessa Bailey book so I was expecting it to be incredibly fun but it surpassed my expectations. This book had me giggling and kicking my feet. I kept on being like "Burgess the man that you are!!" The way I blushed at some of the scenes, you guys it was so good! I absolutely recommend it.
Tropes: Grumpy/sunshine, hockey romance, age gap, and forced proximity.
Thank you to NetGalley, Avon and Harper Voyager | Avon, and Tessa Bailey for giving me the opportunity to read an ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.
This is a Tessa Bailey book so I was expecting it to be incredibly fun but it surpassed my expectations. This book had me giggling and kicking my feet. I kept on being like "Burgess the man that you are!!" The way I blushed at some of the scenes, you guys it was so good! I absolutely recommend it.
Tropes: Grumpy/sunshine, hockey romance, age gap, and forced proximity.
Thank you to NetGalley, Avon and Harper Voyager | Avon, and Tessa Bailey for giving me the opportunity to read an ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.
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