Review - - Coming in Hot

Coming in Hot

by Josie Juniper

Publisher: Forever

Release Date: June 17, 2025

Reviewed by PJ

 

After a decade in journalism, Natalia Evans has reached the pinnacle of her career—lead reporter for Auto Racing Journal. Every season promises to be a thrilling adventure in the glamorous world of elite racing, surrounded by top-tier athletes and influential industry legends. The only complication in Natalia’s plans? One of those legends happens to be the enigmatic Emerald Team Principal, Klaus Franke—the handsome “stranger” with whom Natalia once shared an unforgettable night… that had to be forgotten. 

Klaus is icy, controlled, and utterly off limits. But the cracks in his reserve expose a heat Natalia can’t resist as fate drags them together again and again. Both guarding their hearts, the pair are soon embroiled in a high-stakes sporting scandal that threatens to shatter more than just their reputations and relationships. 

Natalia needs the scoop of the century. Klaus needs more time. But they soon discover that maybe they need each other more than anything else. 

PJ's Thoughts:

This book may not be everyone's jam but it sure was mine. First, I'm an F1 racing fan so anything set against the backdrop of that international race circuit is going to automatically have appeal for me. Second, Klaus and Natalia intrigued me as secondary characters in Juniper's Double Apex so I was already primed to discover the behind-the-scenes details of their story. Third, it's an age-gap romance (though only 10 years so is it really?) and since my own 25-year marriage was also age-gap... Enough said. ;-)

The book is told from Klaus' and Natalia's points of view in alternating chapters so right from the start we're privy to what's going on in their minds. I love the insight into their feelings, especially when things get messy. And, boy howdy, do they get messy. Juniper really puts these two through the wringer and she does it over an extended period of time with a lot of push and pull, and separations, during the process. 

The racing aspect of the series is still an important factor in this book though not as front and center as in book one. The relationship and character development definitely take center stage in this one. 

Some readers may get a bit impatient with both Klaus and Natalia but I didn't. Yes, they have incredible chemistry. And, yes, their physical relationship is steamy with a capital S. And yes, the feelings between them continue to deepen so why don't they just admit they love one another and have their happy ending? Well, sometimes things are a bit more complex. These two are each carrying some pretty heavy emotional baggage that needs to be sorted before they can even begin to consider a lasting relationship. They each make mistakes that derail their relationship progress but they also learn essential lessons that are necessary. They are multi-layered characters with realistic flaws, especially considering their past experiences. I appreciate that the author gives them the time and space to grow individually before allowing them to grow as a couple. And yes, they do finally get their hard-won happy ending, one I wholeheartedly celebrated. 

Review & Giveaway - - Ride With Me

Ride With Me

by Simone Soltani

Lights Out - Book 2

Publisher: Berkley

Release Date: May 20, 2025

Reviewed by Santa

Stella Baldwin thought her life couldn’t get worse. Being left at the altar was bad enough, and the drunken rant she posted to her social media followers in the aftermath was the cherry on top. But having to show up at her cousin’s bachelorette party in Las Vegas barely two weeks later feels like a cruel joke.

Thomas Maxwell-Brown is just looking for a good time. With his family’s expectations pressing down, his career as a Formula 1 driver threatened by fresh talent, and a new reputation making him the most hated man on the grid, he needs a break to clear his head. And what better way to decompress than with a stag party in Vegas?

Stella isn’t the woman Thomas expects to meet that night. And Thomas isn’t the man Stella expects to wake up next to in the morning—with a ring on her finger. Staying married might be the perfect solution to all their problems, even if it is a little wild. Sometimes, what happens in Vegas doesn’t need to stay there. . . .

Santa Says:

If you’re looking for a madcap feel good rom com then look no further than this five star gem! Ride With Me by Simone Soltani follows Thomas and Stella, two strangers who meet across a crowded (and loud) party bus. It’s a mixed bachelor/bachelorette party. Stella’s cousin is marrying his brother’s best friend. They make the best of a situation neither of them particularly want to be in. Both are trying to get away from a very hurtful time in their lives and an escape from everything is just what’s in order.

Just a few short weeks ago Stella’s fiance leaves her stranded at the altar with all her family and friends in attendance. She spirals fast as a video of her drunken rant against all men and her fiance goes viral. Not a good look for a woman who is a successful entrepreneur of an expanding baking empire. She agrees to get out her own way and join her cousins for a fun, carefree weekend.

The saying that be careful what you say because every mic is live really hit home for Thomas. His careless remarks about a fellow driver were posted on the internet. He becomes a persona non grata overnight. He decides to accept his friend’s invitation to come to his party in Las Vegas. It just may be the perfect opportunity to lay low for a few days.

It turns out neither want to really be there. As the night progresses, they decide to be each other’s plus one to keep hangers on at bay. Thomas finds this beautiful Black woman very attractive. Stella finds him to be very easy on the eyes, too. Somehow they find themselves MARRIED when they wake up the next day. Now what? An annulment sems in order and lawyers are engaged but somehow it gets out that they are married and so begins a farce to appease his family and her family. 

Throughout their attraction continues to build and they struggle with keeping each other at arm's length and to be just friends. At one point, they decide to make it official. His family decides to throw them a big wedding. Stella hesitates because though she has feelings for Thomas she is afraid it will all come crashing down around her again. When, in fact, everyone around them can see they are meant for each other.

The author kept me on tinder hooks until the very end and made me earn this HEA! I suspect her other books are equally as well written. It seems I now have a backlist to happily invest in.

Readers, how do you feel about the accidentally married trope? (I love it!)

Have you read Simone Soltani?

Are you a F1 fan?

One randomly chosen person posting a comment before 11:00 PM, May 23 will receive a print copy of Ride With Me.

*U.S. only

*Must be 18

Review & Giveaway - Pole Position

Pole Position

by Rebecca J. Caffery

Publisher: One More Chapter/Harper Collins Publishers

Release Date: March 11, 2025

Reviewed by PJ

Kian Walker has always been the golden boy of motorsport. The four-time Championship winner has racing in his DNA – his father was a legend on the track, just don’t let him catch you comparing the two. As reckless and unreliable at home as he was behind the wheel, there’s nothing Kian wants less than to be just like his dad.

Enter Harper James. This year’s rookie called up to compete with the big boys – and Kian’s new teammate. Cocky, hot-headed and with a reputation for breaking as many hearts as he does new track records, Harper’s the opposite of Kian in every way. But when the season starts, there’s no getting away from him.

This might be one of the most dangerous sports in the world, so why then does Kian’s heart feel safer flying around the track at 220mph than when he's anywhere near his teammate?

PJ's Thoughts:

What a ride! Pole Position by Rebecca J. Caffery pulled me in and refused to let go. Even when I was rolling my eyes at some of the highly-fictionalized racing scenes/shenanigans/management decisions (if you don't follow F1 racing, you probably won't even notice) or wanting to throw Harper off the nearest cliff (seriously, dude, what were you thinking???), I still found myself riveted to the action and immersed in the emotions of this story.

Caffery has crafted an action and emotion-packed story about two adrenaline-fueled elite athletes who, on the surface, could not be more different. From their ages to their attitudes to their career approaches, to their life views, they appear to be complete opposites. And yet, once they begin to sort through the hidden layers beneath the public personae, it's apparent they each provide a missing puzzle piece for the other. Together, they begin to discover a relationship they never dreamed possible...that is, if one of them who hasn't quite managed to work through some significant emotional baggage doesn't totally trash it first. 

Pole Position is a fast-paced, spicy, deeply emotional, and surprisingly endearing story set within the highly competitive world of F1 auto racing. Even when I wanted to throttle them (mostly, one of them), my heart still ached for this unlikely couple and I couldn't bring myself to set them aside until they had managed to navigate their way to their hard-won happy ending. 

 

Do you watch F1 racing? 

Do you enjoy opposites-attract or rivals-to-lovers romance?

What books are keeping you glued to the pages these days?

One randomly chosen person posting a comment before 11:00 PM, March 15 will receive a print copy of Pole Position. 

*U.S. only

*Must be 18

 

Review - - Double Apex

Double Apex

by Josie Juniper

Frontrunners - Book 1

Publisher: Forever

Release Date: October 8, 2024

Reviewed by PJ

Phaedra Morgan is one of the best race engineers in Formula 1. She’s a math prodigy with dazzling skill, cutting wit, and no patience for matters of the heart. Of course, her job would be a lot easier if she didn’t keep butting heads with their team’s cocky and infuriatingly hot new driver. 

Cosmin Ardelean is intense and committed, but as famous for his off-track romantic exploits as his on-track wizardry. Yet his devil-may-care façade conceals a haunted past. When the pair strikes up a secret—and thrillingly forbidden—“arrangement” to improve their communication and bond of trust, the heat of their attraction turns to something more . . . 

But no secret stays hidden for long in the racing world, and soon things are spinning out of control. With everything on the line, will they be able to strip away all their defenses and go full throttle for a chance at love?

PJ's Thoughts:

I'm an avid Formula 1 race fan so you can imagine how excited I was to discover Josie Juniper was writing a series set in that wealthy, high-stakes, fast-paced world. Matching a new, hot shot, Romanian, playboy driver with his blunt, math-prodigy, socially-awkward, American team owner's daughter, race engineer? I couldn't wait to get my hands on this one.  

With this first book in her Frontrunners series, Juniper brings an intriguing, behind the scenes look at the world of F1 racing. I enjoyed the fact that the book takes place during the course of one season, with chapters set at different locations on the international circuit. It was also entertaining to watch team politics, adversarial relationships between drivers, the intense competitive nature of the sport, and Phaedra's role as a woman engineer in a predominantly male environment play out on the page. 

The romance is an enemies-to-lovers trope with plenty of friction between Cosmin and Phaedra that morphs into a singe-your-fingers, sizzling physical relationship before deepening into more. What I didn't expect was the incredible depth of emotion as well as the hidden layers within both main characters. I had some difficulties with both during the first part of the book - they were flat-out unlikable in spots - but that slowly begins to change with significant growth arcs over the course of the book. There's so much more to these two than is visible on the surface, with dysfunctional family dynamics, emotional baggage, and other issues contributing.

Juniper tackles some difficult topics through her characters including child abuse (in the past), sexual assault (not on the page), parental death, and grief. If those are triggers, this may not be the book for you.

While Cosmin - and Phaedra - both said and did things that I took issue with, those flaws made the evolution of their characters that much more satisfying for me. In the end, I was able to get on board with their relationship and cheer them on individually and as a couple. I'm looking forward to what Juniper has on tap for the next book in the series. There are some intriguing - also flawed - side characters I'm eager to learn more about. 

Review - - Cross the Line

Cross the Line

by Simone Soltani

Publisher: Berkley

Release Date: July 28, 2024

Reviewed by Nancy

 

Her brother’s best friend sends her heart racing in this sparkling Formula 1 romance.

 
Formula 1 driver Dev Anderson’s career is on the line. After a social media disaster leaves him with an angry team and sponsors threatening to jump ship, he needs someone to help save his image. At a party in Monaco, he bumps into the woman who can fix it all. There’s just one problem: she’s his best friend’s little sister. And, okay, maybe there’s another problem—he kissed her last year and hasn’t been able to stop thinking about it since.
 
Recent college grad Willow Williams needs a job. She may have a talent for seeing the bright side of any bad situation, but it’s hard to stay positive when she’s struggling to get hired. So when Dev offers her a temporary solution, she can’t help but say yes. Even if it means ignoring the crush she’s had on him since childhood.
 
Willow and Dev are determined to keep things strictly professional, regardless of old feelings and the blazing chemistry between them. But in the glittering and high-stakes world of Formula 1, some lines are meant to be crossed…

 

Nancy’s Thoughts: 

This delightful friends-to-lovers romance skillfully blends the hero’s and heroine’s families, their mutual friends, and the world of Formula 1 racing. Even though I knew nothing about this sport when I started reading, the story includes just enough of what I needed to know to let me keep reading without stumbling over things I didn’t understand. I enjoyed this new-to-me setting and the way events in Dev’s career push him and Willow closer. 

From the moment she starts her job as his social media manager, their mutual attraction flares. Resisting it becomes increasingly difficult. But the presence on his team of two of his longtime friends provides a constant reminder of the risks of crossing the line. 

These friends, along with Dev, are very close to Willow’s brother, Oakley, who has made it plain that he doesn’t want them to become involved. He’s mainly concerned about protecting her, but Willow and Dev worry about what their involvement could do to him. Her last boyfriend, who was part Oakley’s friend group, treated her horribly, and the resulting breakup fractured Oakley’s group’s friendship. Neither she nor Dev wants to risk a similar problem or to make Oakley feel pulled between them if a relationship doesn’t work out. 

Others in their lives, like Dev’s family and Willow’s friends, are urging them to go for it, but neither wants to cause pain or strife among those they love. Soltani handles the conflict skillfully and believably. Everyone involved is credibly acting out of concern for others. 

The same cannot be said of Dev’s racing team, whose members try to support him but are often stymied by the owner. His son, Nathaniel, is the team’s second driver, and the owner doesn’t want Dev to show up Nathaniel. Dev’s frustration over being held back and his determination to do his best anyway earn Willow’s sympathy and support and lead to increasing emotional intimacy between them. In turn, this deepens their attraction, which plays out for most of the book in beautifully done sexual and emotional tension. 

Once Dev and Willow decide to cross that invisible line and become physically intimate, their concerns about Oakley and the reactions of their friends remain. They try to keep the relationship secret, but that proves harder than they expect. When Oakley does learn the truth, his reaction has a great twist on it. 

The one problem I had with the book occurs near the end. Everyone is preparing for Dev’s sister’s wedding. Because his family are Indian, they’re having an Indian wedding, which Soltani refers to as a Desi wedding. I don’t know what that is, and it stopped me. The stoppers became more numerous as the wedding approached. Apparently, such a wedding involves several nights of celebrations, each of which has a particular name and observes particular customs and requires particular clothing. The book explains none of them, except to say one outfit has a skirt and a top, and the meanings are not apparent from context—unlike the term jaanu, which Dev uses to address Willow and which context shows is an endearment. 

Readers shouldn’t have to look up one term, let alone several terms, to understand what’s happening in the story. A brief explanation would have sufficed. Without it, I kept stumbling over these unfamiliar terms. 

The characters are likeable, and the hero and heroine are also charming. The romance is sexy and hot without undermining the characters’ friendship, and the story moves at a good pace. The only reason I’m not giving this book a five is the problem I just mentioned. Despite that, I highly recommend it. 

4.5 stars. 

~Nancy