First Impression
Star Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟- 4 stars (see my rating system)
Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Genre: Romance, Sports Romance
Synopsis
In "Au Pair Affair," Tallulah Aydin, a spirited marine biologist striving to fund her master's degree, finds herself entangled in a whirlwind of romance and chaos when she agrees to become the au pair for Burgess Abraham, the handsome captain of the Boston hockey team. Despite their different stages in life – Tallulah immersed in the world of academia, Burgess navigating the complexities of fatherhood post-divorce – their shared journey under the same roof ignites an unexpected spark between them. As they navigate the highs and lows of their burgeoning relationship, from heartwarming moments with Burgess's daughter to confrontations with their own insecurities, "Au Pair Affair" is a tale of love, laughter, and (obviously) spice.
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Book Review
Overall
I read this entire book in two sittings which usually automatically earns a book a 4-5 star rating if I can’t seem to put it down. A few thoughts:
- This was the hockey romance I didn’t know I needed - As someone who usually passes on sports romances (seriously, I could only get through one of the Maple Hills books), I was pleasantly surprised by this one. It is the perfect blend of romance without drowning you in hockey jargon. Tallulah and Burgess’ love story takes center stage which lead me to like this book more than I initially thought I did.
- Easy breezy palette cleanser - This is not exactly the book you’re grabbing if you’re looking to dissent the intricacies of a hockey romance for your AP English Class. The characters were very lovable (bonus points from me for Tallulah being Turkish), the plot, albeit predictable still kept me engaged to figure out how Tallulah and Burgess’ story would end. The back half of the book maybe got a bit more steamy than normal - I mean can’t Tallulah and Burgess just have a normal conversation without it turning into a steamy encounter?
- You probably want to read Fangirl Down first - While this book can totally be enjoyed as a standalone (as I did), reading Fangirl Down first might give you some extra insight. Burgess fell a little too quickly (seriously in first 10% of the book) but I think this has to do with some back story which I missed out on in Fangirl down. The “third act breakup” which is very typical in any romance book is spoiled if you read this first, but I’ll still be checking out Fangirl Down to read (seriously, on hold at the library now).
- Burgess looks like Luke from Gilmore Girls merged with Sam Hartman - Extra points for the cover art
I picked this book up because there was so much hype surrounding Fangirl Down that I thought I needed to read a Tessa Bailey book myself-. I’ll now be going to the library to pick up the rest of the series!
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Book Details
- Series: Big Shots
- Big Shots #1 - Fangirl Down
- Big Shots #2 - The Au Pair Affair
- Genre: Romance, Sports Romance
- Publishing Date/ Release Date: July 16, 2024- thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy
- Publisher: Avon and Harper Voyager
- Format: Kindle ARC
- Length: 384 pages
- Setting: Boston
- Tropes: Fake Dating
- He Falls First, Age Gap, Single Dad, Touch Her And Die, Forced Proximity, Grumpy X Sunshine, Who Did This To You
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