Big Shots, Book 2
From the publisher:
#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.
“Come for the buzzy hockey romance trope, stay for the unique spins and swoon-worthy leading man that Bailey has become famous for crafting.” — USA Today
“Bailey writes banter and rom-com scenarios with aplomb, but for those who like their romance on the spicier side, she’s also the Michelangelo of dirty talk. She wields filth like Da Vinci does a paintbrush, and there’s a lot to be said for an author who can fill such exchanges with all the requisite heat, enthusiastic consent, and yes, even humor, of such a scenario without veering into corny territory.” — Entertainment Weekly
https://amzn.to/3Awn5VR
Bailey is one of my favorite writers, and I loved her latest! I was already halfway there with the hockey player storyline, and the single dad, grumpy-sunshine, forced proximity, age difference, and all the other romantic subgenres just brought this together in one terrific read for me.
Falling for the nanny is a time-honored romance tradition – not sure how often it happens in real life (forget Hollywood, I mean real people life!) but it was definitely believable here – maybe because Burgess falls first? And fortunately, he is already divorced (I hate any nanny marriage breakups.) He has to work to sweep Tallulah off her feet, and he does. But then comes the tween-age daughter. She adores Tallulah until she realizes that her dad is involved with the nanny. Like most kids, she wants her parents to get back together and Tallulah refuses to be the reason they don’t.
There is a lot of turmoil and angst before they reach their happy ending, and a lot of very steamy sex, making this an emotional yet fun read. I enjoyed getting to know these characters, and I was invested enough to root for their happily ever after. I’m looking forward to the next book in this series!
Note: Like most romance series, you do not need to read these in order. Each book is about a different couple, and while the couple from book one is mentioned, it wouldn’t matter if you hadn’t read it. That said, I think the first book, Fangirl Down, a golf romance, may have been even better than this one, so why not read both!
8/2024 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch
THE AU PAIR AFFAIR by Tessa Bailey. Avon (July 16, 2024). ISBN: 978-0063308428. 384p.
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