I want to thank the author and netgalley for this ARC. This book caught my attention and was quite captivating.  The chemistry between the characters was great. I had a great time reading this story

4⭐️ “A Rivalry of Hearts” by Tessonja Odette - available June 12th, 2024

If you need your next cozy romantasy with a Happy Ever After then look no further. “A Rivalry of Hearts” has the perfect balance of cozy fantasy world, artist rivalry, and spice all mixed together for a heartwarming read.

❤️‍🔥 Enemies-to-lovers
🎭 Creative minds
✍🏻 Quirky heroine
🌶️ Spice
🧳 Traveling
🫱🏻‍🫲🏼 Sex Bet
👩‍❤️‍💋‍👨 Dual POV
💒 HEA

This was such an easy book to fall into. The world is fantastical but easy to follow, the characters have depth and realistic quirks and struggles, and the descriptions are wonderful.

I was a little unsure of Will to start — I may or may not have made a note that said “If we are supposed to find him charming it is not working.” However, it was I just didn’t even know it. He becomes so beautifully obsessed with Edwina I loved every second of it. ❤️‍🔥

There were also great Regency undertones to this which I adored. As a big Jane Austen, Julia Quinn, and Evie Dunmore fan this felt like it captured that energy with a fantasy twist.

❗️Disclaimer: I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review.❗️

Posted - Goodreads 5/24/24 and Instagram 5/25/24

"A Rivalry of Hearts" takes readers on a whimsical journey, blending Regency romance with a touch of fantasy that's as unexpected as it is enchanting. While not my usual genre pick, I was pleasantly immersed in the author's imaginative world-building and clever nods to literary classics.

From the moment Edwina sets off on her much-anticipated book tour, accompanied by the oh-so-charming (read: insufferable) William, the stage is set for a rollercoaster of emotions. Their banter and the wager they strike up add a delightful spark to the narrative, keeping readers on their toes. I do love good banter.

However, as the story progresses, it loses some of its initial momentum. The resolution feels a bit too neatly tied up, and Edwina's character development falls short of expectations, leaving me wishing for a bit more depth.

Despite these minor gripes, "A Rivalry of Hearts" is a fun and whimsical read that offers a refreshing twist on traditional romance. It's perfect for those seeking a lighthearted escape with just the right fantasy flair.

First of all I want to thank NetGalley, Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op and of course Tessonja Odette for allowing me to read the ARC of "A Rivalry of Hearts" in exchange for an honest review.

I will not lie, I applied for this ARC first and foremost because of how beautiful this cover is and I am not ashamed to admit it.

The happier I am to tell everybody who wants to hear it that this book was an absolute stunner content wise as well!

I LOVED the world building, I loved the rivaliry between the main characters, I loved the side characters, I loved everything about it. I loved the funny banters, I loved the heartache, I just l o v e d.

Think ... Jane Austen ... but with spice and faes.

Enemies to lovers.
He falls first.
Jealousy.
Slow burn.

It has just all the tropes I love, and I am absolutely certain you will too if you love faes, love and quirky heroins.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️

𝑰’𝒎 𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒆𝒊𝒓𝒅𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒘𝒐𝒎𝒂𝒏 𝑰’𝒗𝒆 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒎𝒆𝒕, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒂𝒄𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘𝒍𝒆𝒅𝒈𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒔 𝒎𝒖𝒄𝒉 𝒐𝒑𝒆𝒏𝒔 𝒂 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒔𝒎 𝒊𝒏 𝒎𝒚 𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒔𝒕, 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒑𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒇𝒖𝒍 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒑𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒂𝒕 𝒐𝒏𝒄𝒆.

Are you kidddding meeee!!! This is probably going to be one of my fav reads of the year. 🤭

Edwina Danforth is a romance writer who needs this publishing contract from the fae lands but so does the annoyingly handsome and aggravating fae poet William Haywood who she of course finds herself stuck on tour with for a month. With a fae bet of seduction now mixed in, both Edwina and William realize it’s harder to follow through seducing anyone to get ahead when they find themselves drawn to each other instead- to their rival also desperate to win. Expect witty banter, delicious tension, adorable nicknames, and a delightful tour around Faerwyvae.

I was giggling, kicking, squealing and blushing throughout the whole book! Seriously still swooning from all the things William says/does😍 each time I thought it wouldn’t get better, it did.

Tessonja also tactfully brought in darker/harder themes in such a purposeful way that helped to develop the characters so perfectly and with intention. It was all well paced and exciting from start to finish!

This is such a cozy, fantastical read with diverse and lovable characters, beautiful imagery of the fae lands, and seriously all the charm! I had so much fun reading this book, I didn’t want it to end 🥲

Tropes & themes to expect:

🌸 Cozy Fantasy rom-com
🌸 He falls first
🌸 Rivals to lovers
🌸 Close proximity
🌸 Dual pov
🌸 Found family
🌸 Slow burn

This is the first book in the Fae Flings and Corset Strings standalone series, and I cannot wait to get my hands on the rest of books. Looking forward to reading more from Tessonja!

FYI- Although this is a cozy fantasy romance, please make sure to read trigger warnings !!

Thank you Netgalley for the eARC & the opportunity to read and review!

A delightful novel of “smut and drivel” that left me completely charmed! A Rivalry of Hearts is a gaslamp romcom with some of my favorite tropes, including rivals to lovers, he falls first, and a bookish backdrop as both main characters are authors who meet on a book tour only to discover they are in competition for a lucrative publishing contract. The plot centers around their rivalry, which is soon complicated first by an ill-advised bet on which author can engage in more amorous exploits over the course of the tour, and finally by the pair’s irrefutable chemistry. I absolutely enjoyed every minute of this enchanting romp, from the funny banter, the romantic longing, the sprinkling of spice, and the development of flawed but likable characters. I will be looking forward to the next installment and delving into Odette’s other works as well!

I loved this book with all my heart! The banter! The romance! The pining! This book is beautifully written and had me squealing with happiness the whole time!

Adored this story so much!! Such a cute little story, loved all the characters! Weenie and Willy had the best banter, Daffy is the most adorable pine marten, Zane and Monty are so delightfully cheeky!

It was also so great to travel around Faerwyvae and see all the different courts and the different reactions to Weenie and Will’s fans in each place.

Interesting twist to the plot which I won’t go into here, but love that there are other books written in the same world! And can’t wait for book 2! This one set up that upcoming relationship so well!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing this arc.

Wow! This is my favorite romance I’ve read so far this year! I loved everything about this book from the writing, the plot and the characters, down to the spicy scenes. I loved the dynamic between William and Edwina (Weenie) from the tension at first to being cute with each other without the being cheesy. I can’t wait to read more cozy romantansies from this author!

I requested this one from NetGalley kind of on a whim. On one hand, it sounded like the kind of book that would be right up my alley: historical fantasy with a hefty dose of humor and romance! But on the other hand, I’ve been burned by the “cozy” subgenre of fantasy/romance many times in the past, so I’m always fairly apprehensive, especially when reading a new-to-me author. But this book is proof that it’s good to still go out on a limb with these things! Not only did I enjoy this book, but now I have an author with a back catalog that I can’t wait to check out!

There was so much to like about this book that I’m not quite sure where to start! I guess what it often comes down to with books like this, for me, is tone. How well does the author manage to capture the voice of her characters and do these inner voices translate into the cozy nature of the story itself. And on both counts, the answer is definitely yes! The banter was excellent, often leaving me chuckling aloud. And each main character perfectly balanced their growing interest in the the other character alongside a more meaningful personal arc. While the narrative was sweet and funny throughout much of it, this added level of heart helped balance out the book into a well-rounded finished product.

I also really liked the way the romance itself played out. This was very much a rivals-to-lovers scenario, but the author wisely didn’t draw out the rivals aspect of it beyond the point of reason (something that I often see in other romances like this, the same with enemies-to-lovers). Importantly, while their “rivalry” starts out in the typical “bad first impression” manner, as the story progresses, each character is given real stakes behind why they must compete with the other. I also enjoyed the “he falls first” aspect of this romance, especially given William’s unique backstory with regards to forming attachments and affection.

For her part, Edwina was an excellent leading character. I’d have to go back and check, but I believe we get more chapters from her perspective than Will’s, and this makes sense as she’s the avatar for the reader, also experiencing the land of Fae for the first time. I also enjoyed the overlay of Edwina’s life in the human world with all of the historical outfittings that come with that now travelling through the land of Fae that has very different fashions and cultures.

This was a blast of a read in pretty much way! This is definitely a spicy romance, so keep that in mind if you pick it up. That said, I think these scenes were done well, being both romantic and, notably, not off-putting with weird word choices and out-of-character actions. The plot is fairly straight forward, as you might expect. But the lovely characters, sweet romance, and bright sparkling world more than made up for it! Plus, we are introduced to the next couple in line to get a story, and I’m definitely going to check out that book the second it comes out!

Rating 8: Whimsical and romantic, this is a great book for any cozy fantasy fan looking for their next spicy read!

(Link will go live on June 29 on The Library Ladies)

All is fair in love and writing.

💗 Gaslamp Fae Fantasy
💗 Rivals to Lovers
💗 Cozy and Spicy Romance
💗 He Falls First
💗 Magical Bet of Seduction
💗 Forced Proximity
💗 Dual POVs
💗 Quirky FMC

This is a delightful and enchanting first book in the Fae Flings and Corset Strings series that is filled with witty banter, spicy romance, and fantastical characters. Edwina Danforth is a romance author who travels to the Isle of Faerwyvae for a month-long book tour. She soon finds herself entangled in a bet of seduction and sales with another author on the tour, William Haywood, as they both hope to win a coveted publishing contract. As their tour continues, they battle not only their sales and emotions, but also their hearts.

This is one of my new favorite rivals-to-lovers romances! Edwina and William have such a captivating chemistry filled with everything you want in a hate to love trope – comical quips, glowers, and undeniable attraction where everyone can see it but them. Their banter and antics had me laughing out loud and I never knew what to expect from Edwina in her pursuit of the next smutty idea. In addition to these two, we have a few quirky and lovable side characters that add to the story’s charm and intrigue me on what’s to come in the series!

Thank you to Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op, and Tessonja Odette for an advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

This book was so delightful. Beautiful banter and the tension!!! Edwina is a romance author going on tour if she can get there to start. Arriving very late, she is now sharing the book tour. William is a pretentious poet with his own agenda. Thus, a beautiful rivalry begins. Academic and, as the title reveals, of hearts. As the tour progresses, a bet is made. The bet may be the best and worst thing to happen. There’s spice, there are fantastic side characters.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

DNF 40%

This started off so promising. I enjoyed the writing, very easy and fun to read. I liked that they both were actual rivals, competing for something that is important for both of them.
Plus, she disliked him and had a very good reason to. So i tought the story could deliver some good angst.
However, this was left behind fairy quickly? But what really made me dnf this is that they started to have feelings for each other when I didn't feel like they knew each other that well yet. Unfortunately this has become a deal breaker for me, since I'm having a hard time with romance books lately.

I think this will work for a lot of people though and I still want to try other books by the autor!

This book delivered in terms of tension. If you want a slow burn, read this!! The scene where he locks eyes with Edwina while kissing another woman? Fantastic scene, loved that!!
I did have a hard time connecting with the main character. I felt that she was more of a surface level character, which made it hard to connect with her. I also couldn’t tell if sometimes she was acting unaware for comedic effect, or we were supposed to dislike her because of it. But I do appreciate the author showcasing Edwina’s flaws. So I’m a bit conflicted.
I really loved William’s character honestly. I felt he was more developed than Edwina, and I really felt for him, especially with his backstory more developed.
Overall, I did enjoy this story and will probably read the next one, but I thought it could’ve been shortened a tad. Appreciated being able to read it!

Thank you for the ARC! This will be published on goodreads on May 28th.

A Rivalry of Hearts is the first novel in the Fae Flings and Corset Strings series and I am hooked. The book was so sweet and the rivalry between Edwina and William was done so well.

The novel is told in first person mostly by Edwina though we do get a few chapters narrated by William which I loved. Edwina is visiting the faelands to promote her latest romance novel that while was not a hit in the human world is incredibly popular in the world of fae. She is joined on her book tour by William, a poet whose good looks do most of the work for him in terms of attracting an audience. This is unfortunate as Edwina learns the publishing contract she thought was hers is actually up for grabs and the two must compete to determine the winner. To make the competition a little spicier Edwina proposes a bet: whoever sleeps with the most people (or fae) while on the book tour wins the contract. Her growing attraction to her rival and discovering he's a real person (tragic backstory and all) complicates matters. What will happen?

There's fantasy, there's spice, there's feelings, there's fun side characters who we will probably see in book two. I highly enjoyed and would definitely read more of Odette's work.

I would highly recommend to fans of fantasy, romance or any combo of the two.

I was provided a free copy of this book through NetGalley.

One of the first ARCs I have read that was impressively good. Loved the characters, however, I believe the male protagonist should’ve had more of a strong personality. A very interesting view and imagination for the rest of the characters. The writing is smooth and easy to follow, I have laughed and indeed it kept me going.
It is romantic and SEXyyy!! It does contain a 18+ scenes in case you want to recommend it to somebody younger.
A good read

Delightful cozy fantasy romance. This was my first time reading this author and it won’t be my last of her books! I really enjoyed the world of Faerwyvae, the coziest faerie universe I’ve had the pleasure of reading.

The story of Edwina and William is classic rivals to lovers but has a lower amount of angst that one normally experiences in these stories. I liked the supporting characters just as much as the leads (if not more for some!) and like the fact that we know they will soon be getting their own stories.

Definitely recommend for a light enjoyable read!

They say never bargain with the fae. They also say don’t get drunk on fae wine. Yet romance author Edwina Danforth has managed a blunder with both on her first visit to the infamous faelands. Now she's trapped in a magic-fueled bet she barely remembers with a man she’d be happier to forget. The terms? Whoever can bed the most lovers during their month-long dueling book tour wins a coveted publishing contract.

Cosy - YES
Spicy - YES
Enemies to Lovers - YES
Banter - YES

It ticks all of the boxes, it hits all of the right spots, this book was quippy and paced perfectly. I highly recommend this to anyone, heck EVERYONE!

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for honest feedback.

My new favorite genre is now “cozy romantasy smut”. Seriously, I’m not big into fae or fantasy and yet I loved this book. Edwina and Will are such a great enemies-to-lovers couple. Usually in that type of trope it feels like they absolutely loathe each other but this one was mainly just flirty banter so when they do finally get together it was more believable. Also, I loved that the author didn’t draw out the “3rd act” drama too much. It was refreshing to not have 4 chapters of them not speaking to each other and just resolving their issues like real adults.

The book sounds like it’s set in regency times there are a lot of things in it that are real modern so if you’re a stickler for historical accuracy this one might grind on you. I thought it added to the charm of the book but that’s just me.

5 stars…now just give me book 2 please!

📚 TROPES & THEMES 📚
✔️ nicknames
✔️ rivals to loverssss
✔️ he falls first
✔️ the best banter omg
✔️ fae bargains, the hit kind tho
✔️ standalone with hea
✔️ romantacy romcom
✔️ spicyyyy
✔️ pet names

I’m blasting the alarms, right now!! DEAR READER, READ THIS BOOK!! I couldn’t put it down. This story was all the best kind of vibes: cozy, whimsical, hilarious, tension filled… just delicious.

Edwina is our FMC and she set sails from her human home in Britton to Faerwyvae for a book signing tour with her publisher. Unfortunately she is late from reasons not her own, and shows up to find that they signed another author on there will be sharing the tour with William Haywood, a devastatingly handsome fae male and poet.

The forced proximity and immediate chemistry between these two characters had me giggling and kicking my feet the entire time. This is the kind of story that will live rent free in my head for many moons to come. 🤣

The main story arch was easy to understand and follow, and I really loved seeing the life of an author through the characters’ eyes. And learning what makes them tick. It’s so hard to pick a favorite scene, when really I just adored this entire book.

This one right here is a MUST read for all my romantacy friends out there. I loved this book so much!