REVIEW: The Au Pair Affair by Tessa Bailey

The Au Pair Affair by Tessa Bailey: On the ice Burgees is the boss, even as he is nearing the end of his hockey career with his body taking a bit longer to bonce back than it used to, he is still a force to be reckoned with and on to be feared. His biggest hurdle is actually off the ice; trying to connect with his pre-teen daughter as the emotional divide between them increases. So when the opportunity arrises to hire grad student Tallulah to become his live in nanny, Burgees jumps at it. After all maybe a female perspective will help him understand his daughter a bit better, that and Burgees cant help but think that Tallulah is easily the most beautiful woman that he has ever meet. Trust doesn’t come easily for Tallulah, so living with a complete stranger who happens to be a beast on the ice is not exactly a relaxing, which begs the question why does she find herself feeling so safe around Sir Savage and why does she want to jump his bones? If they are to truly make their new living and working arrangement work then things need to remain completely professional, and what better way to ensure this than helping Burgees get back in the dating world… well this would be a brilliant idea if only the thought of Burgees with another woman didn’t make Tallulah want to throw up…

“He belonged. She’d made him belong. Now he just needed to convince her she belonged with him.”

Tessa has truly out done herself in this book, now I really enjoyed reading Fangirl Down, but The Au Pair Affair -I LOVED it, this book was perfection. I adoreed reading this age gap, nanny, sports romance. Truly this book checked all my book must have boxes and then some!

Both Tallulah and Burgees were just incredible, I will say that I just could not help but adore our hero, I mean who doesn’t love it when the hero falls first and then spends the entire book trying to woo his lady. Burgees was one incredible hero, I loved getting to see his character truly come alive once Tallulah entered his life. As much as this book was a love story it was also largely a journey of growth for both main characters, for Burgees it was to learn that hockey is not the start and end of him, he has so much more to offer and live for than just a sport. Truly Burgees was a great hero, he was kind and compassionate and took the time to help Tallulah feel comfortable. I loved getting to see his softer side come out while he was with her and Lissa. Now for our leading lady Tallulah, well she was pretty cool all in her own right. I loved that she was trying to take back her life and not live in a constant state of fear. Her character truly showed a lot of growth and development, though I think the third act break up is what really helped push her to take a much needed leap. I loved getting to see her thrive.

“Love and Tallulah were interconnected. There couldn’t be one without the other. Love was her. She was love.”

Goodness me did Bailey bring the steam in this book! The sexual tension between Burgees and Tallulah was off the charts hot! These two had chemistry by the bucket load and they just tiptoed around the clear connection that zinged between them. I loved the slight forbidden element to their relationship, this only made it all the more steamy. I will say that there was a good deal of angst laced into their love story that worked in building the suspense of if they would work. As much as I loved their physical chemistry, I loved the emotional connection that they created just as much. These two provided each other with the support and encouragement that they both needed. I loved seeing them being each others biggest cheerleader.

The supporting characters in this book were just amazing. We get to see Josephine and Wells again and let me just tell you these two are even cuter that they were in their own book! I also really liked Lissa, and getting to see her character grow and come into her own. I really liked her relationship with Tallulah but most of all I loved getting to see Burgees relationship with Lissa grow and for them to finally find a common ground. I also really enjoyed getting to see him allow his teammates to become his friends and not be this closed off island. I loved the intervention by Wells, Sig and the Orgasm Donors -you will get it when you read the book, no spoilers here. I will say I can not wait to get my hands on Sig and Chloe’s book, there is definitely something interesting cooking between these two and I’m sure it is going to be good!

I absolutely loved reading The Au Pair Affair, this book is simply a must read! The perfect combination of grump meets sunshine, hero falls first, age gap romance and sports romance. This book is Tessa Bailey at her best!

Book Info:

Publication: July 16, 2024 | Avon | Big Shots #2

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.