The book was great. It was a cozy read. Those who are reading, i have only one thing to say, you made the best choice. It is a fantasy rom com. It is about a 'smut and drivel' author and a rude fae poet. Fighting for a publishing contract and ended up in a bet of desire and talent. The author has done a good job by writing dual POVs.
☘️Rivals to lovers
☘️Forced proximity
☘️Fae x human
☘️Academic rivals
☘️He fell fist
I will publish my review in my Instagram and goodread rn.

I‘m absolutely in love with this book, especially our stubborn FMC Edwina! The book is written very well and the pacing was perfect. I was giggling through the book and the banter between our main characters was to die for! I’m also a fan of all the different magical creatures we see.
A must read for romantasy fans!

4 stars! Big thank you to the author and netgalley for providing this arc! (incoming nerdy review)

Any book that begins with a dedication to fans of Anne Shirley has me hook line and sinker!!

If you're looking for a charming romantasy palate cleanser, Tessonja Odette’s newest book is a fantastic choice. I was hooked from the beginning, giggling throughout at the banter between the leads.

The plot is full of creativity and unique scenes that kept me engaged, and I enjoyed the playful, easy-going vibe of the book. It follows two rival authors, each striving for a coveted contract, whose professional rivalry starts to develop into something more intimate. A drunken deal leads to banter, romantic tension, and maybe a little more...??

I loved Edwina, any female character that is described as "stubborn as a weed" is permanently in my good books, obsessed with her.

My only gripe was with the bet between the characters, I found it a little hard to buy into for the most part but I can appreciate the way it pushed the narrative along.

Overall a really cute and lighthearted read <3

This book is the perfect mix of everything I love about historical romance, romcoms, and fae all rolled into one. Our MCs are rivals authors (him an arrogant fae poet, her a romance author of smut and drivel) on a book tour together trying to win a massive book deal. After a night of drinking, they decide the winner will be determined by who can seduce the most people on the tour, when the only ones they want to seduce are each other.

This book is funny, spicy, and sweet. The side characters are great. I stayed up until 2am reading it one night, that’s how invested I was. We also get a setup for the next interconnected novel to come, which I can’t wait for.

This is my first Tessonja Odette book, but it will absolutely not be my last. A number of characters who show up in this book have their own standalone stories, which I will now be picking up.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was gifted with this ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) by the publisher, and I fell more and more in love as I read. A Rivalry of Hearts by Tessonja Odette is a standalone part of the Fae Flings and Corset Strings universe. This book is an adult (it gets delightfully spicy) romantasy book that plays by its own rules.

This book hooked me when I read the blurb, “Two rival writers. One prestigious publishing contract. A bargain of hearts and seduction.” This book features our heroine, Edwina Danforth, and her rival, William Haywood, on a book tour - what was supposed to be her book tour - and competing for a hefty 3-book deal with a generous advance to the author who sells the most books.

He’s a Fae, she’s a human who writes romance novels that have quite the grip on the infamous Faelands, where humans and Fae live together in a blending of sensibilities and magic. The pair, while under the influence, make a magically binding bargain that the one who has the most trysts will win the publishing contract instead.

But, more than just the contract is on the line!

I absolutely loved this book! It is easily one of the best books I've read this year so far! From the opening line (I’ve always believed that a woman in possession of a vast imagination would want for nothing in life.) to the HEA (Happily Ever After) ending, I was entranced. I devoured this book and fully plan on obtaining the other books in this universe - The Fair Isle trilogy and Entangled with the Fae series - also by Tessonja Odette.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Victory Editing NetGalley Co-Op for providing me with an Advanced Reader Copy of this book for no charge in exchange for my honest review!

Review posted to gmpotter.com (www.gmpotter.com/reading-club/a-rivalry-of-hearts) on 5/13/24.
Video review posted to YouTube (https://youtu.be/WwHmxdp0tjY) going live on 5/16/24 at noon central time.

Absolutely adored this book. Definitely Jane Austen meets Bridgerton vibes. Edwina is a determined young woman with a dream of publishing her novels in the Fae Realms so she can be independent and live her creative life. William the gorgeous fae poet is her rival for the publishing contract. They make a bet and chaos and steamy moments ensue. This is just sweet, hot and fun. Love Tessonja books they have a lot of whimsy and great characters including the side characters which always leave more room for more stories.

Sooo cute! When I first saw the map and started reading I was a little concerned that this was going to be similar to ACOTAR but I was pleasantly proven wrong! This book was so sweet and I loved watching the relationship between Edwina and Will blossom! They were so sweet and it was nice to get chapters here and there for William. He had such a heartbreaking backstory and I would love to know what happens after they’ve been living together for a while. This is the first time I’ve read a book from Tessonja and I’m so excited to read more!

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for the eARC!

2.5⭐️ Cute, cheesy and fun (but also intermixed with a healthy dose of adult content). The dialogue was well executed and I did enjoy the character dynamics, although I must say I found the bet at the center of the plot hard to take completely seriously!

The prose was slightly simplistic for my liking, however. Pacing also felt jilted, mostly due to the long passages of exposition in the middle of chapters, which broke the flow - however, I am aware that this is a particular gripe of mine (I’m personally not a fan of “explain, not show” in novels) so I’d imagine this won’t be an issue for most readers.

Overall, this was fun and it’s clear that it will be popular and loved by most; but sadly it did miss a beat for me.

Such a fun read! The chemistry between our FMC And MMC was incredible - it had me giggling and kicking my feet.

I can't wait to read more books in this series!

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC!
What an adorable read! Two authors that are forced to tour together and try to get a contract for their writing. The catch? There’s only one contract and two of them. The characters were so well written and hard not to fall in love with. Edwina and William had such a fun enemies to lovers story. Definitely looking forward to the next book!

Such a cute read it literally had me blushing and kicking my feet!! 🥰 It's perfect slow-burn enemies/rivals to lovers that feels perfect for the spring! Edwina and Will are so tender with each other and have tons of witty back and forths that make the book super fun to read.

This was my first book by Tessonja Odette set in the Faerwyvae world, a magical Jane Austin coded Island inhabited by Fae and humans alike, and I already know it won't be my last! I was in love with Faerwyvae from the first chapter and I only fell deeper as I got to discover the different courts alongside Edwina. I can't wait for the next book in the series featuring Monty and Daphne's love story!

Thank you to NetGalley, Victory Editing, the publisher, and Tessonja Odette for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review! 💖

I have always been drawn in by a beautiful book and Tessonja's are always that. She has been on my TBR forever and I just didn't make the jump to read so when an ARC came up on Netgalley I thought it was the perfect time to try!

I understand that this is part of a world that another series is based in and maybe I needed to read that first because this book screams contemporary romance to me and it's one genre I generally stay away from.

It didn't feel like a fae world until Daphne pops in or certain descriptions are brought up so for the most part it just felt like another set of "normal" couple of characters for me.

Aside from that bit, I really did enjoy this!
The banter and chemistry between Edwina and William was super enjoyable even when Edwina was being a pain.

They are from different worlds and it's reflected in their actions. I'm glad William has the patience and understanding that the way she was raised and where she from shaped her into the person she is. He sees that she is more open-minded than other humans, so I like to think it helped.

Edwina wants what she earned, and so this book tour is super important to her, and she is willing to do everything possible to come out on top.

And if course, William has his own reasons as well.

Who's to say one is more important than the other? That's for them to decide.

This book is simply one of the cutest things I've read in a while! When a human author goes on a press tour for her romance novel in Faerwyvae, she is delighted... until she meets the other author on the tour.

Edwina and Will are the perfect couple who open up to one another and care deeply about each other. They might try to deny their feelings for one another and brush off their mutual attraction, but they're fooling no one.

This was such a happy read that I flew through! Was I screaming at them to stop being idiots about the bet they placed? Yes. But, I forgave them in the end!

Thank you, NetGalley for letting me read this story!

Review posted to Goodreads 5/11/2024
Review posted to @ evelynlainebooks TBD

A human enters the fae world for a book tour and meets her book tour partner, a fae man who writes pretentious poetry; she can’t stand him.

People are going to LOVE this book!!! It is a perfect slow burn of enemies to lovers and the characters are so good! Edwina and Will are such dynamic and fleshed-out characters that it is so fun to be in their minds with the duel POV. There was never a time that I was upset when the POV switched because I was usually dying to know what the other one was thinking.

The world is so cool, I just wish it had been fleshed out a little bit more because there were definitely some things that didn’t seem clear to me. The language was very modern, which many people enjoy when reading a period piece because it is easier to understand, but for me, I usually prefer a mix of both. I found that the modern language was taking me out of the story sometimes. The clothing and references that they made were very accurate though which I appreciated.

I highly recommend this book if you are looking for a slow burn, spicy, fae, rivals to lovers period piece. Super witty and smart characters that you will fall in love with!

Infinite stars. An absolute masterpiece.
This cosy, slow burn, enemies to lovers is the perfect Romantasy for ANY Romantasy lover. A perfect mix of Pride & Prejudice, Bridgerton and ACOTAR, this will have you hooked from the first word.
The tension and the relationship between the two mcs was absolutely electric and had me giddy and kicking my feet the entire read 😍

The storyline was perfectly developed. I loved the idea of the battle between the two writers for the contract. And the additional bet was a perfect way to spice it up and add depth to an already impressive plot. I also absolutely adored Edwina. She was just the epitome of strong female lead. Paving a way for herself which went against societal norms?! Immaculate. And I definitely related to her in the disheveled, pushing-glasses-up-her-nose, wild hair appearance 🤣 PLUS she writes ‘smut and drivel’ which I happen to absolutely adore 🤣

Lastly may I introduce you to 2024 book boyfriend, William Haywood. The snarky, arrogant, tall dark & handsome Fae ‘poet’. His mouth knows no bounds and I am well and truly on my knees for this fictional man.

The spice was spicing in this one. It was definitely more of a slow burn but when it got to it, whew was it worth it! 🥵😮‍💨

It wrapped up nicely but I must say I’m DEVASTATED there won’t be more because I need more and I’m not sure how to cope without Weenie and Willy 😭😭

4.5✨✨✨

Oh my god, this was so cute! Okay, so we have:
⤷ Rivals to lovers
⤷ A LOT of banter and tension between the MC
⤷He falls first
⤷Spicy bargains

This had my attention from the start: a romcom set on a fae island where he is fae, and she is human. They start off hating each other, but he falls for her super quick, and she's totally clueless about it...
Edwina is just adorable, quirky, and she couldn't care less about what anyone thinks of her. And William? He's just so sweet and caring, they're such a perfect match!

Oh, and Monty and Daphne? They were the cutest! I really wanted to hear their side of the story, so I was stoked to find out this is part of a series! I just hope we won't have to wait forever to catch them in the next book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

This book was just pure fun from start to finish. It had me laughing, kicking my feet and giggling like a school girl, and smiling so. much. Just an absolute JOY to read.

This book features:
Fae Actor/Poet x Human Romance Author
Magically binding contract
Rivals to Lovers
He's secretly obsessed with her
Forced Proximity
Dual PoV (plus bonus epilogue)
Cute flirtatious note passing
Protective older brother MMC
Constantly daydreaming of her next Work in Progress FMC
"You are beautiful" speech by MMC when FMC is feeling anything but
Abysmally vague flirting gone wrong

Content Warning: drinking, recreational drug usage, magically binding bet made while inebriated by fairy wine, *thwarted* taking advantage of woman in inebriated state, *rgy at college off campus party, smut daydreaming, explicit s*x, strong language, bet related to s*xual acts, using other people physically (kissing publicly) to make other person jealous

Character-driven plot about two rival writers (one human, one fae) competing for a prestigious publishing contract. Interesting things happen along the book tour… a spellbinding bet is made, connections are made, and romance is had. This book reads more like a romance novel but littered with fantasy attributes like the description of the various parts of the faelands, and the seelie vs. unseelie forms. The world building was easy and fun and the pace was perfect for this type of book.

Edwina and William’s journey was magical, filled with teasing, seduction, and true connection. Some of Edwina’s choices at the beginning of the book bothered me but I enjoyed her character growth throughout the book. This dual POV, rivals-to-lovers romantasy is filled with eccentric secondary characters, witty banter, seduction that will make your head spin, and a HEA.

Lovely read. I gave it 5 stars... such an amazing book and the plot is fabulous... never read a book so well written like this one.

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. Daphne is my absolute favorite. Also, don’t go into the north wing. 🫣