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A review by katemc7
The Au Pair Affair by Tessa Bailey
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I was an instant fan of book 1 and was desperate for book 2 and loved it ALMOST as much. Either way it was a 5 star for me. This book follows the best friend's of the MCs in book 1- Tallulah and Burgess. Tallulah is coming off of a work assignment and has agreed to be Burgess' nanny for his preteen. The challenge is that she is regretting this decision because of her attraction to Burgess. We have two wonderful characters here- We have Tallulah who though she comes off as confident is not as much. She does exude sunshines and rainbows though and gets along SOO well with Burgess's daughter. Then we have Burgess who is known as being one of the meanest and roughest players in the NHL. He doesn't have time for anything but work and his daughter. There are rumors about his retirement which is making him feel like he has more to prove. Watching the romance between these two unfold was magical. I legit found myself giggling and laughing at how much Tallulah was resisting Burgess once he made his mind up about what was going to go down between them. I loved how Tallulah offered to help Burgess get back out into the dating world while also realizing that she wanted to be the one to date him. The chemistry and dirty talk between these too was obscene in the absolute best way! Tallulah pushed Burgess to be better and that hockey doesn't have to be life- he can be known as something else. And Burgess helped showed Tallulah how awesome she was.
Tallulah is wondering what she was thinking as she is sitting the store across the street of her new job. She agreed to be the nanny a while ago when she was truly desperate and even though she is still desperate she is concerned. Her attraction to Burgess is a problem. But then he comes in and gives her boundaries- she doesn't have to live with him. He just needs her. And the way he clearly needs her helps with her decision. Now she is living with his teammates situationship and really liking the freedom she has with this job. She likes helping around Burgess' house. She can just ignore this tension between them right?? But it is growing at an exponential rate so when the idea is suggested for her to help Burgess get back out into the dating field she not so smartly agrees. Apparently she is a glutton for punishment. It becomes clear that they can't fight this thing anymore. And so they don't- but they aren't going to tell his daughter until they figure things out. But life has a way of throwing you off when you have a plan and somehow Tallulah is on the wrong side of this. She leaves with her heart broken to avoid Burgess having to make the hard decision. But what she doesn't know is that even the time apart Burgess has been working on his plan on how to win her back. Will he be too late? Or will he show her how good they can be together?
Burgess is "fine" on the outside but inside anxiety is high. There is just so much pressure. Pressure to play great. Pressure to be a good model for the rookies. Pressure to not retire. And do all of this while being a semi single parent. So he has hired a nanny. Of course she is a smokeshow but he has not plans or time for anything related to the opposite sex. But he finds himself inexplicably drawn to Tallulah. She is just so cheery and happy. And he feels the energy in his daughter and in his apartment shifting to the better. She gives him advice he didn't realize he needed. She is helping with his daughter's confidence. The problem he can't stop thinking about what she would be like in bed. He has to fight this- she is his nanny for goodness sake. But then she volunteers to help him get back into the dating world and he realizes that she is trying to push him away because she feels it too. And when they can't fight it anymore it is otherworldly. She is unlike anything he has experienced. He feels like he could take on the world. They just have to keep things on the DL from his daughter until they figure it out. He is choosing to not think about the future. But then the choice is taken away from them. And his heart breaks as she helps him not have to make the impossible choice. The problem is now he is miserable. He gives her space. He works on himself. He works with his daughter. He is ready to show her everything and play his hand. Because she is his end game- he just has to get her on board.
The banter in this one was chefs kiss yall. I was laughing out loud to the point where my husband was like what are you doing haha. I loved everything about this. I felt so many things. My heart broke when theirs did. I again laughed with Tallulah was playing hard to get with her revenge dress. I just can't recommend this one or Fan Girl Down enough! I am SO pumped for the next installment in this series. I just know it is going to angsty as all get out and I am going to have a love hate relationship with that until things get worked out!
Tallulah is wondering what she was thinking as she is sitting the store across the street of her new job. She agreed to be the nanny a while ago when she was truly desperate and even though she is still desperate she is concerned. Her attraction to Burgess is a problem. But then he comes in and gives her boundaries- she doesn't have to live with him. He just needs her. And the way he clearly needs her helps with her decision. Now she is living with his teammates situationship and really liking the freedom she has with this job. She likes helping around Burgess' house. She can just ignore this tension between them right?? But it is growing at an exponential rate so when the idea is suggested for her to help Burgess get back out into the dating field she not so smartly agrees. Apparently she is a glutton for punishment. It becomes clear that they can't fight this thing anymore. And so they don't- but they aren't going to tell his daughter until they figure things out. But life has a way of throwing you off when you have a plan and somehow Tallulah is on the wrong side of this. She leaves with her heart broken to avoid Burgess having to make the hard decision. But what she doesn't know is that even the time apart Burgess has been working on his plan on how to win her back. Will he be too late? Or will he show her how good they can be together?
Burgess is "fine" on the outside but inside anxiety is high. There is just so much pressure. Pressure to play great. Pressure to be a good model for the rookies. Pressure to not retire. And do all of this while being a semi single parent. So he has hired a nanny. Of course she is a smokeshow but he has not plans or time for anything related to the opposite sex. But he finds himself inexplicably drawn to Tallulah. She is just so cheery and happy. And he feels the energy in his daughter and in his apartment shifting to the better. She gives him advice he didn't realize he needed. She is helping with his daughter's confidence. The problem he can't stop thinking about what she would be like in bed. He has to fight this- she is his nanny for goodness sake. But then she volunteers to help him get back into the dating world and he realizes that she is trying to push him away because she feels it too. And when they can't fight it anymore it is otherworldly. She is unlike anything he has experienced. He feels like he could take on the world. They just have to keep things on the DL from his daughter until they figure it out. He is choosing to not think about the future. But then the choice is taken away from them. And his heart breaks as she helps him not have to make the impossible choice. The problem is now he is miserable. He gives her space. He works on himself. He works with his daughter. He is ready to show her everything and play his hand. Because she is his end game- he just has to get her on board.
The banter in this one was chefs kiss yall. I was laughing out loud to the point where my husband was like what are you doing haha. I loved everything about this. I felt so many things. My heart broke when theirs did. I again laughed with Tallulah was playing hard to get with her revenge dress. I just can't recommend this one or Fan Girl Down enough! I am SO pumped for the next installment in this series. I just know it is going to angsty as all get out and I am going to have a love hate relationship with that until things get worked out!