As a fan of F1 romances, I really enjoyed this book. I’m not gonna lie, in the first half I was somewhat annoyed at the way the characters were acting, but as the story progressed I started to like the characters more and more as their relationship progressed. It has the rivals to lovers trope with undeniable chemistry between the two main characters. I’ll also add that I really liked having the dual pov’s as it made it easier to understand the characters.

I wanted to love this and, while the story had some potential, it was let down in a lot of ways.

Between the 0 to 100 romance, the Americanisms coming from British characters, the plot holes that are never picked up and the countless moments where I was left thinking ‘yikes’ it just didn’t live up to what I expected.

The characters behave like teenagers for most of the book, despite us constantly being reminded how ‘old’ Kian is. They are immature and childish and, despite Kian repeatedly telling us he wants a lover, not just someone to have sex with, a lot of their interactions and ‘connections’ are purely lustful. Personally, a man telling me he had a hard on at a loved one’s funeral would put me off, thru perhaps that’s just me….

The title, cover and storyline definitely caught my attention. This was my first sports romance book and it didn't disappoint. I love the F1 sport and reading a romance mixed in with the sport was refreshing to read. I liked the range of characters which offered different storylines while still following the perspectives from both of the main characters of this book and their background stories that shape them. I'm glad I read this book and I'll definitely check out other books from this author.

A fun read for those in their F1 romance era and still all moony eyed over red white and royal blue 🤩. A forced proximity, age gap, enemies to lovers work place romance. When Harper joins Kian's F1 team as a replacement driver for someone out with an injury, the two immediately clash. With strict instructions from management to get it together and at least act like they like each other, they keep finding themselves thrown together and sparks start to fly. The found family aspect and a handful of the F1 side characters were quite clunky and didn't enhance the story as much as I would expect from a sports romance and the ending felt super rushed and a little unresolved, but overall this was a fun and quick read.


Thank you Netgalley and HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter for the ARC in exchange for my review!

This book was wonderful. The pacing was well done and didn’t feel boring at any point. It kept us entertained and intrigued.
Kian and Harper were wonderful and I love the growth they made throughout the book. They compliment each other so well. I cried so hard during a particular chapter or two. But it was so well worth it.

Wishing you all a happy Monaco weekend with an F1 romance! This was described as Red, White and Royal Blue meets Formula 1 and it’s spot on! It was super hot and entertaining, even if you aren’t an F1 fan. While I loved the dynamic between Kian & Harper, I really enjoyed the side characters and I’m hoping for sequel for Johannes. It was a quick read that grabbed my attention quickly, but I didn’t love that it didn’t wrap up part of the plot with Kian’s dad. If you’re looking for a spicy read with not too heavy of a plot - this is perfect!

4.25⭐️ Thank you to HarperCollins UK for the ARC!!

This book was so sweet🫶🏻 I loved seeing the journey these two characters went through and I loved the see them through out their relationship! Some miscommunication was frustrating but it wasn’t to bad and the characters usually were able to talk things out! I thought this book had to perfect amount of spice while also have a pretty interesting plot !

I'll show you where to position your pole.

LOL I'm sorry, low hanging fruit, I know. But it had to be said.

Ever since the Las Vegas Grand Prix last year, I have been foaming at the mouth at the very idea of an F1 romance book and not only did the MM book gods answer my prayers by putting this book in my sights, Rebecca Caffery absolutely delivered.

I love when a sensible, ambitious, fastidious MC (Kian) is paired off with a character that is, essentially, chaos incarnate (Harper) and their entire groove veers completely off track (hehe, racing jokes). Better yet when that chaos goblin is a closeted superfan but a very out, cheeky stud.

Kian's subsequent dismissal of Harper's adorable attempts at friendship leads to a delicious rivalry and NOTHING breeds sexual tension quite like competitiveness. I will say, though, that I wish that fight for dominance translated to the bedroom just a little bit more. More on that later.

The balance between their relationship development versus the developments in the actual sport was spot on for me. I'd say it was like 50/50 and normally, I'd want more on the relationship side, but I actually really appreciated the focus on the racing; it's the core of who our MCs are and it made me that much more invested in their individual development as well.

I am an absolutely sucker for all the tropes and mini tropes Caffery chose to include: forced proximity, hurt/comfort (I salivate for all things nightmares/injury/illness), mental health, found family, only one bed motorhome. A LOT happens in this book - so much so that I think some key plot elements were either forgotten or glossed over...

∘₊✧─── possible spoilers ahead ───✧₊∘

Okay, time for some critiques cause I do have a few.

I think the thing that I desperately wanted (and expected) the most and didn't get was a higher spice level. Both overall and with particular scenes. For one, there's only one actual (read: anal) sex scene (which is fine cause that's totally preferential) but if you're only going to have the one, it should be REALLY good. The scene felt kind of quick? Idk, it just felt like there was a lot of lead up and sexual tension and when they FINALLY fuck, you want it to REALLY pack a punch. The particularities come in with the dynamic between them. There's a scene earlier on in the book where Harper implies that he sees something in Kian relating to what he's into sexually - the implication being that Kian is a boring gentleman in the streets but a dominant freak in the sheets. Enough of a freak that Kian is all paranoid and thinks something like "there's no way Harper knows, right?" THAT SCENE is a promise to the readers that there is fun stuff to come and sadly, we get NONE OF THAT. There's plenty of lower-tier sex scenes that are still very, very hot but even those don't fall in line with Kian's supposed hidden sexual deviance.

Another huge plot hole for me was the whole thing with Kian's dad. NOT ONCE does Kian have an interaction with his dad - there's zero closure there. I get that Harper's part to play in telling Tyler not to come to the funeral was important, but when did Harper even realize that the dad was a piece of shit? His character goes from idolizing Tyler to suddenly telling him to fuck off at the airport and there should have been some type of conversation where Kian talks to Harper about why his dad is shit and is a trigger for him during interviews. Even if it's implied that it happens off-page, with how much Harper brings Tyler up to Kian alone, that was a conversation that needed to happen on page. And if there was never going to be any type of closure with Tyler's character, he shouldn't have made an appearance on page at all.

This isn't really a criticism per say, but I've seen a lot of people compare this book to Red, White, & Royal Blue - I think this is actually WAY more similar to Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall. Kian is Oliver and Harper is Luc almost to a tee. I guess the criticism part comes in because it is slightly derivative (especially with their personality traits and Harper's negative portrayal in the media), but I think Caffery really went out of her way to make it her own so that critique doesn't hold much weight.

Lastly, the ending. The last 2-3ish chapters (including the epilogue) are primarily written in summaries. I feel like this is more common with authors who aren't quite sure how to end the book? So it comes off as very quick and choppy and just a tad bit cringey? I still love all the things that happened and I LOOOOVE how much Kian and Harper love each other, but those last few chapters just needed a bit of polishing.

But FOR THE RECORD, all of these critiques come from a place of deep love because I still VERY MUCH enjoyed reading this and I would honestly come back to it again to reread some of my favorite scenes. I will also be getting myself a physical copy, cause I need it in my grubby little hands.

✧While I received a free e-arc from NetGalley, all thoughts are my own.✧

This is the book I didn’t know I needed. The way my heart fluttered, my feet kicked, it was all so perfect. I am so grateful that I got to read this book and I cannot wait for others to get the chance to read it, too!

There seem to be several racing romances set to hit new release shelves this year. Pole Position is a queer F1 romance, and the blurb and cover caught my eye while putting together the New Release post. I don’t know much about this part of the sports world, but I decided to dive in anyway.

This is one of those books that while I read straight through in one sitting, I had some issues. Like totally disliking the two main characters for the first half of the book.

Let me back up.

Pole Position is an enemies to lovers, forced proximity, workplace romance set in the fast-paced Formula One racing world. The two main characters are Kian Walker, an experienced driver who has already won several world titles and is thinking of retirement at the ripe old age of 33, and Harper James, the younger, rookie driver who is finally getting his chance to compete at the highest level when Kian’s normal teammate breaks his leg.

These two are like oil and water, they do not like each other when they are first partnered. Lots and lots of sniping and rudeness and Kian being an uptight, judgmental dick and Harper acting like a child. This goes on for what felt like forever. I just could not figure out why they were so awful to each other. There was no real interaction between the two before they are thrown together, just Kian’s preconceived notions of Harper’s personality and public bad boy persona, and Harper getting more and more petty and rude as he is shut out. I kept thinking that Harper’s behavior was sure to get him sent right back down to a lower level and he would lose his shot at the big time and that Kian, as an experienced driver, should know better than to be so insulting to a team member.

So that’s like the first half of the book, then suddenly they are getting hot and heavy and sleeping together every night. There was some build up, some angst about wanting each other, but the turnaround felt kind of rushed. To me at least. The second half is full of drama of them trying to define what their relationship looks like. Harper has trust issues stemming from his childhood in foster care and comes close to blowing up the entire relationship. Eventually they figure it out. There is an HEA, and they do come out as a couple despite being teammates.

I did enjoy reading about the racing aspects of the book, and despite not watching the sport, I think the author explained it in a way I could understand. I’m curious to find out if this author has plans for more books set in this world. I might be interested in reading about Harper’s BFF and why he’s suddenly distant after that one-night stand.

3.5 Stars!
This was a very cute read! I adored the relationship between Kian and Harper. The first half was a bit slow for my liking but the last half was great! This is perfect for any F1 fans!

I absolutely loved this book. Even though I started it with some doubts, it quickly turned into a page-turning book and I couldn’t stop reading.
The thing that I want to highlight about this book, the one that I liked the most, is the way of writing of the author. I really enjoyed how she doesn’t introduce many unnecessary details. Besides, it is extremely easy to read, being an outstanding book for when you don’t have time or you just don’t want to read more dense stuff .
However, there are two things that made me refuse giving this reading 5/5 stars:
- The age gap. I really hate that the main characters are not of the same ages so at the middle of the book I decided to ignore their real age.
- The spicy scenes. I found them really cringe and definitely didn’t like them.
Nonetheless, I gave it 4/5 and I really enjoyed it. Thank you so much for the opportunity to read it!

F1 + mm + haters to lovers + bit of an age gap

I really enjoyed this book. I am a huge F1 fan so I did have to push by a few inaccuracies of the sport and the drivers but overall it was one of what I felt like was the best researched sports book. I loved the dynamic between Kian and Harper. Kian had that quiet determination vibe going on and Harper had the chaotic gay energy which especially once they started their little situationship, I feel like they really meshed well as a couple with Harper being able to help Kian through his overthinking while Kian was able to help Harper focus more on the sport. I loved how Harper really took his therapy seriously and we could see his growth through the story from being so anti-relationship to being the shout it to anyone in love guy.

The few issues I took with this book were mainly that it felt like certain things were magically solved with no context to how. Main example is Harper going from idolizing Kian's father but we don't really see any conversation between the two or reasoning for why later in the book Harper suddenly turns on him for being a bad father.

All in all though I really did love this book. I will definitely be purchasing myself a physical copy and I can see myself rereading this as a quick and easy comfort book.

🏎️ Pole Position - Rebecca J Caffery 🏎️

Pole Position is an MM opposites attract romance following Harper James and Kian Walker, two F1 drivers. After an accident leaves Kians long time teammate unable to compete, rookie driver Harper steps up to fill the role and the aftermath is chaotic.

The banter between the MCs really made this book for me and the relationship felt genuine and unforced. If you’re looking for something light or a palette cleanser this book is it! Coming into pride month it’ll work really well for any challenge prompts too ❤️

Pole Position will be available to buy from 30th May 2024

Thank you so much to @netgalley for my copy in exchange for an honest review.

See, this book had its charm but it's one of those cases where I didn't stand them before they got together but then I actually really liked them when they got together but then the third act conflict ruined it for me because I really don't do severely damaged characters with self sabotaging tendencies.

Well, safe to say that one really ought to manage one's expectations because mine were sky high when it came to this book, mainly due to the fact that the cover is bomb and I had never read an F1 romance before, and well... It was fine, I guess.
Thank you to the publisher for sending me an early ARC of Pole Position in exchange for an honest review!

The pros:
. The cover, duh.
. You know what? The characters themselves were pretty interesting and I'm not going to lie about it.
We got Kian on one side, the 35 year old F1 veteran whom the world is trying to force to retire and he's fucking sick of it, especially dealing with an ill mother and the career of an F1 driver that has him away from his family 9 months out of the year.
On the other side, Harper James, the guy with the party boy reputation that he never seems to be able to shed quite easily (not that he really tries at the start of this book).
They were complex and multidimensional which is honestly something we can't guarantee anymore in romance books.
. I appreciated how the author never really went into the technicalities of F1 as I do not care nor would I have actually read those parts.
. I really felt for Kian throughout this book, as he was struggling what with his mom, the way he's being pressured to retire and then the nasty ass attitude of party boy Harper in the first half of the book, when all he wanted to do was do his yoga and just race his lil car.
. Look, once they actually got together (some of that is in the cons section), I finally started to enjoy this book.
There's something about sexual tension and just breaking it to get along that works for me and that was the case here. They just clicked once they stopped bitching to one another and it was pretty fun and enjoyable and downright filthy.
. I enjoyed the sexy bits of the story.
. While I certainly did not appreciate the third act conflict and how stupid it was, I definitely liked how they got back together as it was pretty cute and slightly emotional.

The cons:
. The whole first half of this book is a con for me. These two absolutely did not click and it felt like they were going out of their way to be just absolute cunts to one another when it really did feel like they could've just been a touch more chill and professional and I didn't like that.
Specifically on Harper's side, as he spent the majority of the first half of the book being the aggressor, and it made me dislike him a bit.
. While I liked what happened after they fucked, the book felt a bit disjointed because they went from hating one another and being such assholes to just... Happy couple? It doesn't really work like that y'all.
. It really fucking hurt when Harper turned Kian down when he asked him to go on a date and it just felt like such an ugly thing to do to a guy you know you like and he likes you back. Harper just was not it at this point.
. I don't care that Harper had his mental health problems, that shit does not excuse you from intentionally going out and posting slutty photos with a random guy just to push Kian away. Like, I don't care but that shit is inexcusable.

That's about it.
I don't know, I had high hopes for this book but we just did not click, which is fine, so I shall be moving on and I can't say that I actually recommend it, but if you read it then I hope you like it more than I did!

Kian wanted to get as far away from his father's reputation as person and f1 race driver during his career. With a few world championships and a great friendship with his teammate
In crashes into his life, Harper a rookie replacing his teammate this season. Harper is everything he doesn't want to be and idolised his Kian's father (and Kian too).

This book has such a great story and had me almost crying in parts then laughing then blushing. Did I say who needs one bed when it's one moterhome. Touch of I'll look after you when sick and paddock tension

*Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.*

A M/M Formula 1 romance for all those people that got super into Formula 1 after that doco show on Netflix. It was generally pretty good, and I did enjoy my time reading.
I think overall that it wasn't quite for me. I don't care about Formula 1, and while I do enjoy a sports romance, and a M/M romance, Formula 1 takes up a lot of space in this book. It was never something that I felt like I couldn't follow along with, it just didn't add anything to my enjoyment.
My main reason I haven't rated it higher is that I didn't really like one of the main characters. I found Harper to be incredibly annoying. Maybe I'm just getting old, or it's my introvert personality. But when Kian was feeling exhausted and annoyed by Harper early on, I felt that. And he never really stopped annoying me.
The age gap of 25 and 33 didn't necessarily bother me, but the maturity divide did. I'm still not sure I believe that they had any more of a connection than physical attraction.
Writing wise I think it could have done with another light edit. There were a few times where I stumbled over the phrasing or description of something due to the sentence structure not being clear.

Pole Position had just the right balance of sports and romance. The Motorsport side was fun, the romance side 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.
The push and pull from Harper was a little too much towards the end, but I still really enjoyed their love story and am glad they got their HEA.
This was a very sweet read, and I can’t wait to see more from this author and if this becomes a series.

4.5!

Pole Position has filled my F1-loving heart! I had such a blast with reading this and I could definitely tell that Caffery is a big fan of the sport.

Pole Position features Kian and Harper as they become teammates right before the start of a new Formula One season. Kian is the son of a racer legend but his father mysteriously left the sport abruptly a long time ago and Kian has never talked to or about him in Kian's own years of racing. Harper is the new rookie in town and gets called up from the Formula 2 (lower level) teams last minute when Kian's original teammate suffers an injury before the season begins. Kian is not happy about this change and Harper's attitude and off-track behavior mean they immediately don't get along.

I had such a fun time both with Kian and Harper as well as with the wide range of side characters. I loved seeing some traits and characteristics of people that *might* have come from some real Formula 1 adjacent people. Kian and Harper's fictional team felt real and seemed to be pretty fleshed out. For people who are aware of the sport, we see the various types of people that would hang out in the Paddock, Team Principals, Race Engineers, PR Managers, etc.

Kian was probably my favorite of the two main men mostly because I was super endeared to his personal life and his mental habits. Kian's mother has Alzheimer's and his twin sister is taking care of their mom while he is away. He faces guilt and worries over not being a part of the care process and his anxiety around his career was one of my favorite parts.

Harper was definitely a young twenty-year-old. He hadn't really needed to grow up before getting brought up to the F1 team and his growth is pretty visible. Harper has issues of his own in regards to relationships and that comes into play when Kian and Harper start fooling around. I think I was just mostly frustrated at a lot of Harper's actions and that made him a little less likable.


There were some plot points that were briefly mentioned throughout and then never really expanded that I wish were. There's a small thing for each of the main characters that seemed like it would play a MUCH bigger role than it did and I think the overall plot was lacking because of that. I expected more external conflict and instead, I feel like we see more internal and interpersonal conflicts.

🏎️🖤 Pole Position ARC Review 🖤🏎️

Thank you so much to Rebecca J Caffery and Harper Collins for the opportunity to read and review this book!

Pole Position is a standalone contemporary sports MM romance. Kian is a star race car driver and looking forward to the upcoming season. When his teammate is sidelined with an injury, arrogant playboy Harper James is recruited to be his new teammate. In a sport where the risk is high and trust is necessary, can these two opposites learn to get along?

This book was such a fun read! I really enjoyed Kian and Harper so much. They were both well developed characters and I loved their stories together. This book was a great combination of romance, competition and beautiful feels and I really enjoyed it

Overall this was a fun four star read. I loved the characters, the story and the competitive sports world building. This book had some heavy elements, so please check triggers if you’re sensitive. This book did have some delicious spice throughout, so overall three flames for spice

If you’re a fan of sports romance with opposites attract, rivals to lovers, and delightful competition, then absolutely pick this one up!