The Au Pair Affair by Tessa Bailey

Burgess Abraham is a recently divorced single father and veteran hockey defenseman. His divorce has shaken his confidence in himself, he can't seem to relate to his preteen daughter, and he's become jaded with the sport he loves. When Tallulah, a beautiful yet broke friend of a friend, needs a place to stay while attending college, he offers her a position as a live in nanny for the upcoming hockey season.

This nanny position seems too good to be true and it makes her nervous. After a traumatic incident in her past, she's not as trusting as she used to be and living with a strange man is already pushing her limits. When she sees a disturbing clip of the famous defenseman on the ice on the day she arrives, she's ready to back out. But off the ice, this intimidating man is all heart and she starts to trust him. Until a weak moment forces him to push her away, believing he'll never be good enough for her. Will he ever win back her trust?

I love this author and I was so excited to get an early copy of this book. She has a way of writing such wonderfully flawed realistic characters so that you feel their emotions like your own. Burgess is a cocky and confident hockey player but inside he has so many doubts and insecurities. Tallulah is happy and adventurous but she's recovering mentally from a trauma that changed her world. Together, they bring out the best in each other. And of course, the spice and tension this author writes is some of the best!

The Sawmill Book Club by Carolyn Brown

Overall I found this an enjoyable and charming story, but it did get a little repetitive. Libby has a traumatic past and negative memories of her grandmother and her antique store, but regardless of that she travels across country at the advice of an elderly neighbor to interview for a job at a little antique store in the small town of Sawmill Texas. She becomes friends with the owner, Benny, and his meddling surrogate grandmothers whose biggest goal is getting Benny married. But Benny isn't ready for a wife and Libby is only here temporarily. 

This is a lighthearted and quick read and I loved the small town feel of the story. My favorite character was actually Elvis the dog 😆 but I enjoyed Benny and Libby as well.

Goodreads review