Adorkable Musings

This book has been on my reading list for a while.  I have been excited to read ever since I read Fan Girl Down, by the same author.  This book did not disappoint.  I read it in one day.  Today’s book review is The Au Pair Affair by Tessa Bailey.   This book is the sequel to Fan Girl Down, with brief appearances by Wells and Josephine. It takes place mainly in the Boston area.  Some of the places had me googling where it was or what exactly it was in the city.  The story kept me reading, trying to see what happened next.

The story starts with Tallulah Aydin sitting in a smoothie shop, trying to work up the courage to turn down the au pair job for hockey star Burgess Abraham, a single dad to a twelve-year-old girl. However, she has some reservations due to some previous traumas when she sees how he broke someone’s nose during a hockey match. After trying to build her trust and finding out why she has reservations, Burgess tries everything to not only keep Tallulah safe but to keep her in his life. Once Tallulah sees how much he needs with his preteen daughter, Lissa, she agrees to move into his apartment as the au pair.

At this point, build it so you can see them working towards each other. So far, I think Burgess ‘s reaction to her is adorable, because I really thought he would be more of a grump. Just not really talking to anybody, not making connections; instead, he is very much a girl dad and very much a team player. He does have connections, but at the same time, he’s reached a point in his life where he is doubting himself. There is a moment when it feels like the controversial stereotype of the dad sleeping with the babysitter, but there comes a point in the book when you realize that they are meant for each other.

The central conflict of the book comes after Burgess gets injured during a match.  Feeling like he doesn’t have hockey anymore, he pushes Tallulah away. The separation has him coming to terms with the fact that he has an injury that he had been putting off for so long, and that it caused him to allow all of his insecurities to come out.  It comes to a head when they’re in Costa Rica for a wedding, where they both have to come to terms with the hurt, they feel in the possibility that they may not end up together.

 I love seeing Burgess and Tallulah together. While there is an age difference, it is not between a teenager and a man in his forties.  Tallulah is mid-twenties, while Burgess is mid-thirties.  It does come briefly that he is her boss, but it doesn’t really have much impact.  They’re very much the couple who know that they’re meant to be together. There is a little back-and-forth with them, mostly Tallulah, about whether they should be in a relationship. That, and when Burgess almost ruins everything after he spends most of the book trying to get her to agree to being in a relationship with him. When he pushed her away, I wanted to hit him.  He spent that much time trying to get her5 only to push her away when he was at his lowest.

 All right, so I finished this book way faster than I meant to.  It was an easy read and a lot of fun.  This is a very smutty book, but it’s not overkill.  There is no smut on every page. Some key things in this book are that Tallulah and Burgess have a strong connection to one another, to the point that the fears and insecurities they have in general can be bypassed.  When they were finally able to get past the hurt, they gave each other, they were able to be together.  This was a good read, and I very much enjoyed it.

Until next time, be safe!