DNF at 44%.

It kills me that this book just didn't do it for me. So much potential. But it got 3 strikes. Well, there's more, but 3 and you're out.

Strike 1: Harper is an arrogant POS with no sign of being on a path to being anything better than that. Yes, it's meant to be opposites attract, with him as a foil to uptight Kian, but nah, At 44 %, I'm over this guy. This dude doesn't deserve Kian.

Strike 2: Anna, the publicist, is *repeatedly* thrown under the bus for the sake of drama. As someone who has worked in PR, these two are never going to go into an interview blind. Gotcha's do happen, but Harper isn't getting in front of anyone without media training BEFORE sitting down with a journo. He'd have a clear idea of the goals of the interview and his role in it. So, nah. Team Anna. Because you know who's gonna get her butt handed to her and possibly lose her job? It's not the driver, it's the publicist. "Why did you let him do that? Why did you let the interview go on so long?"

Strike 3: Harper's backstory isn't believable. He bounced around the foster system and wasn't adopted by a family. But supposedly one of them ponied up the resources for him to get into karting and make his way up through the formulae? Nah. And btw, why keep using vague descriptors like "top-tier", just call it Formula 1, Formula 2. If you're using Constructors Championship, what's the issue?

I don't rate DNFs, so ignore the star rating.

Loved this book! I'm a huge F1 fan, and this book just ticked everything that I enjoy reading. If this becomes a series, I 100% volunteer as tribute to read each one.

Pole Position had just the right balance of sports and romance. The Motorsport side was fantastic, the romance sweet and fluffy. I did find the spice a little lacking, but that’s just personal preference. I loved the tension between them at the beginning, their rivalry turning to lust, the sweet caretaking when Harper was sick. There were just some unsatisfying holes in the plot here and there that kept me from giving this a five.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

When I read Olympic Enemies by RJC I knew instantly I couldn't wait for her next book. And when it was announced it was an MM, enemies to lovers, F1 romance - SCREAMMMMING. There really is nothing better and Kian and Harper made me feel all the feels.

Kian is a legacy, much to his chagrin. His dad used to race but Kian has made a name for himself, without having to contact his sperm donor. When his teammate breaks his leg and Harper James, rookie, gets signed to the team, Kian isn't sure if he'll get his fifth championship. Harper is literally sunshine personified, but he has his own demons. And honestly, the way that these two both felt loneliness? GUH. They both hurt my heart for very different reasons.

And the way they come together and fall in love? And guys, Kian is such a SOFTIE. I cannot. This is definitely one of the best reads this year and I can't wait to see what RJC comes out with next!

Kian Walker is at the top of his game in F1. He is a 4 time world champion, the son of a legend, and on track to get himself another title. Just before the new season starts he gets a call his teammate has broken his leg and he is replacement is not who Kian expects.

Harper james is a champion of the lower tier, and also a huge party boy. He is getting a chance to race with the best, but his work hard, play hard attitude cause tension with his new teammate. It takes them a bit into the season to warm up to each other, and maybe even develop an attraction neither of them can ignore.

I am always down to read an F1 romance, and this is my first queer one. I did like that this book balanced the light hearted with some more serious topics. It definitely could have done a better job of building their chemistry more naturally. I had a good time and would read more from this author.

happy pride month !!! 🌈

prefacing this by saying i know very little about formula 1. that’s not new, i read quite a bit of sport romance books while knowing very little about the sport itself. and yet still with my very minimal knowledge, i enjoyed this so much. harper james may be one of my favourite characters of the year so far. the main relationship has it’s moments of chaos (it is rivals to lovers so, of course it does and i say that with love) but it has real moments of sweetness too. they are an extremely easy couple to root for, both within their relationship and as individuals on their own journeys. the epilogue itself was really lovely — i would happily read many more books about kian and harper.

Pole Position was even better than I expected! I know very little about Formula1, but the book gave good enough information about the sport that I wasn’t confused at all at the pacing and the events throughout. The romance between Kian and Harper is a wonderful slow burn/annoyances/teammates to lovers. The pacing of their relationship and the build up of sexual tension was written so well. Each characters’ personal lives were written in a way that gave them depth but didn’t take away from the focus of their journey through the story. There were a few spots near the end where things felt a bit confusing with information that the reader knew, but the characters hadn’t discussed together on page. But overall I really enjoyed this book and might even get into F1!
More racing romances please!

the inherent homoeroticism of driving fast cars

POLE POSITION follows two formula one drivers - one heading towards the end of their career, and one just starting out - as they go from butting heads to butting.. something else. kian & harper had fun chemistry and i enjoyed watching their relationship develop over the course of the book. i thought the book handled grief incredibly well, particularly in the latter half, and there were some really nice familial conversations between kian and his sister that made me quite emotional.

it was a little bit too insta-love for my tastes and i think harper was quite immature and actively annoyed me for quite a lot of the story, though those could both definitely just be a me thing.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an ARC of this book!

Pole Position is a MLM, Formula 1 romance! I finished this just in time for pride month, and I loved it! I have to be honest I don’t really watch F1 or know very much about it. 🫣 However, this book was still easy to read and very entertaining. Kian and Harper have my whole heart 🫶🏻

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys sports romance, forced proximity, rivals to lovers, or MLM romances! 10/10 read!

"It happens in a kind of feverish slow motion and I cannot look away. His eyes open and our gazes meet. It’s electric, instant fireworks."

Pole Position is an enemies to lovers romance between racing world champion, Kian, and rookie racer, Harper. When Kian's teammate is injured, Harper is excited to be called up to the big leagues. He's even more excited to be working with his idol, Kian. But when those feelings are not reciprocated, all that excitement soon turns to animosity leading to a tension that won't abate.

"I can’t describe his beauty in words or do his character justice in even a whole book. I’d need an epic series to capture his heart and explain how big it is."

Kian is not impressed with the new rookie on his team. His off track persona reminds him too much of his father and brings up a lot of old resentment. But once they both start to see beyond the surface, things become tense in a whole new way.

"The world of knowing what Harper James feels like underneath me is really messing with my concentration. It’s not a fun place to be. Zero out of ten, would not recommend."

This book is fun and steamy and though I'm not really an F1 fan, I found myself enjoying everything about it. But there was just a little too much miscommunication in there for my tastes. Both of them have a ton of issues to work through from trust issues to abandonment issues, so I get why it took so long for them to actually start to communicate. But I really just wanted to lock them in a room together until they stopped making assumptions and just talked to each other.

"I hold him for ten, twenty, who cares how many minutes. I’d stay here with him forever if it meant he’d be okay."

But once they crossed that barrier, I enjoyed their story so much more. They had some solid chemistry and there were some top tier hurt/comfort moments which I adored. Their on track rivalry really amplified their off track feelings and I love when a little competition stokes the fires like this. Their friendships and other relationships were also really beautiful, especially the one between Kian and his sister. The love and support between them is so clear and was one of my favorite parts. And I have my own theories about Harper's friend, Johannes, so I'm hoping he gets his own book to see if I'm right!

"With Harper by my side, I always feel on top of the world."

This rivals to lovers, racing romance is hot and emotional. These two have been through a lot in life so it makes their love that much more sweet and satisfying in the end.

-f1 romance
-m|m romance
-teammates
-rivals to lovers

This had the right balance of f1 and romance. I loved the Motorsport aspect of it. This is an easy read for those who don’t watch or know anything about f1. I personally am a big fan of f1 and will say that this book is done so well!

I love the tension that was there at the start of the story, their rivalry turning into lust. Also when Kian took care of sick Harper was so heartwarming. I loved how the romance develop even though must of the time my heart was breaking when Harper didn’t want anything more that just sex. Kian has the patience of a saint, this showed how much Kian actually wanted to be with Harper.

I was giggling so much throughout this book, my heart broke in the last few percentages but it did result in a happy ending which I’m so happy about.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange for a honest review.

Unfortunately, I really struggled with the writing of this novel and the characters as well. I got to around 20% but have decided to DNF. I wasn't resonating with the characters and I think the writing style just didn't do it for me.

I really enjoyed this book. Im an F1 fan which definitely helped and I appreciated the detail that was paid to making the sport side of the story realistic. These guys were super competitive but it only added to the tension that built up between them.

Kian Harper is the golden boy of the sport - four times championship winner and dedicated to the sport. His season is thrown into chaos when his teammate suffers a bad injury leaving him unable to race. Harper James is the amateur bad boy of the sport and is brought in as a rookie to be Kian's team mate in the big leagues.

These two do not hit it off and Kian really doesn't like Harper. This is a genuine hate to love storyline and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing it play out.

These two are complete opposites in terms of character and somehow the pairing of them just works so well. I liked Kian but Harper has my heart - he seems like a lost puppy for so much of the book and he just needed someone to love him.

The spice is 🌶️🌶️🌶️.

This is a great sports romance, I 100% recommend

If you love Formula One racing it's time to dive into a fantastic book that is packed with adventure. The plot is fast, fun, and wickedly delicious.

An age-gap, M/M romance that takes us into the world of racing both off and on that track.

What do you do when you are living in the shadows of your famous parents while figuring out your career? It helps Kian that his sister is able to take care of his mom, but will the guilt consume him?

Harper is a young rookie ready to race to the top but will he be able to keep his wild days from impacting his career? Is it possible the wild playboy is really looking for love but too afraid to admit it?

It's time for a wild summer of F1 as the rookie and seasoned pro must find a way to co-exist as teammates, share tight spaces, and avoid the tabloids in the heart of racing season. If they can work out their feelings, their careers, and figure out what they want it will be a win for both.

I loved the spicy heat with a dash of scorch, banter both off and on the track, the adventure, and really hope we see more from this world soon.

I DNF'd this one at 37%. Loads of people seem to be loving it so don't let this sway you but I didn't like either of the main characters. One was irritating and childish, and the other rude and judgemental. I didn't feel any chemistry between them, and their first intimate encounter seemed too sudden. It's also concerning that one minute James is horrendously drunk and so Kian doesn't act on any impulses because of a lack of consent yet a minute later James somehow miraculously sobers up enough (in the world according to Kian) that he's now able to consent. That really didn't sit well with me. So, as I say, this one wasn't the book for me which was really disappointing as I was excited to read it, but that's definitely not to say that it won't be great for others. The thing that stopped me reading was not liking the characters and that's purely personal preference.

I enjoyed the premise of this book but felt that it was very repetitive. The same argument over and over again...it gave me whiplash in the second half. Communication could have made this a whole lot more enjoyable.

Oh my god! I love sports romance, especially F1, but this has to be one of my favourite sports romances I have read to date. It is my first LGBTQ+ sports romance and it did not disappoint!

Something I love about this book, that a lot of formula 1 romances tend to lack, is that there was a perfect balance of formula one lore as well as the romance side.

Harper and Kian started out as enemies, with Harper filling in for Kian's teammate while he was out on an injury, and it is safe to say that Kian was not best pleased. With Harper being a big fan of Kian's dad lead to a lot of tension and it was understandable!

I loved the bond Kian had with his sister, and I love that he is such a family man. I also love Harpers relationship with Johannas is adorable. PROOF THAT YOU CAN GET ALONG WITH PEOPLE NOT ON YOUR OWN TEAM!

Overall, this book really hit the spot, and it was such a nice read. I will definitely be reading more from this author.

Like many of you, I’ve been eating up all the F1 romances we’re getting at the minute, but if you’re like me, you needed one that was just a bit gayer? Finally, my prayers have been answered and it was EVERYTHING.

I don’t even have much to say. This is SO good and it really made me feel everything!!! I don’t know who I just wanted to cuddle and protect more, Kian or Harper! But they are now both my precious angel babies and I will not hear a bad word said about them! Kian’s relentless panicking, Harper with that cheeky grin. Agh.

Every little detail and moment was too good and I just can’t stop thinking about them! Let’s have another book please Rebecca

The last couple of weeks in May were amazing reading weeks for me.

The beginning of the month started rocky, and I wasn't really enjoying any of the books I was reading. I was afraid the trend would continue because I was really excited for this book.

I'm happy to report that I am out of the slump I was in!

It was perfect timing, honestly.

I really enjoyed this book. Time flew by as I was reading it. It was fun and entertaining, and I didn't feel like I had to force myself to continue reading it.

I've already recommended this book to the members of the book club I'm in, but I'll continue to recommend this book.

Thank you NetGalley and publishers for providing me with an ARC for this book.

I love this! It mixed my two favorite things, romance and racing! It was a fun read! I don’t think it was the most amazing book to ever be written, so don’t go in thinking that (although it could be for you) but I had a very good time reading this.