Tessa Bailey scores with her latest sports romance!
This was such a cute sports romance! There are lots of great tropes in it, too: single dad, forced proximity, age gap, grumpy/sunshine, and opposites attract. Mix in some great banter and a fair amount of spice, and you get a fun summer read! Tallulah and Burgess first appeared in Fangirl Down, and I was excited to read their story. It did not disappoint!
This one is full of heart that spills off the page as Burgess falls first and falls hardest for Tallulah. These two are opposites who complement each other well. Tallulah has been through something truly awful and terrifying, and Burgess works hard to make her feel safe around him. Burgess has his own set of issues, too. He's an aging hockey star who knows his best playing days are probably behind him, and his daughter wants her parents back together. The way the two have navigated their lives comes to the fore, and they both have some growth that needs to occur before they can be together and seeing them do that was very satisfying. A few funny scenes keep things lighthearted, and I loved the build-up of romantic tension between these two. The pacing in the beginning was a tad slow for me, but it picked up quickly, and from there, I ended up binging the majority of this book!
I loved Wells and Josephine from Fangirl Down making a delightful cameo. And even though this is the second book in the series, it works as a stand-alone. We also meet Sig and Chloe in this one, and I cannot wait to read their book when it comes out next year!
Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager @AvonBooks for the free book!
The Au Pair Affair by Tessa Bailey
Big Shots Book 2
Pub Date: July 16, 2024
384 pages
My steep was Lilac Bouquet from Simpson Vail Tea a blend of black teas with erica flowers and lilac flavor, a fragrant and delicious floral blend!
PUBLISHER'S SYNOPSIS:
#1 New York Times bestselling author Tessa Bailey returns with an all-new 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.
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