This book had so much potential, but at the end just fell a little flat for me. I felt like this book had room to have so much more depth, but was trying to force itself into the "cozy" category. On top of that, I just could not connect with the characters. I will be giving the next book a chance and hoping the author can find her footing in this new series.

Paused @ 47% I'm putting this down and waiting for the audiobook.
On paper, I should love this. Bridgerton vibes with RIVAL writers hello! He falls first! She's a romance writer!
Something about it just wasn't hitting how I expected, so I want to try again when the audio is available in September.

4 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Victoria Editing for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Edwina, a romance novelist, finds herself entangled in a magical bargain with a captivating yet infuriating fae rival, William. Their competition for a publishing contract takes a turn when Will proposes that they compete in a seduction competition. Rom-com meets fantasy in this fun little standalone that packs a lot of heat and charm. Sexy and whimsical, A Rivalry of Hearts is a lovely summer read!

I really really loved it!! It's the perfect fae x human, enemies to lovers, steamy romance!! The romance gets cut off multiple times because of the stubbornness of Edwina, which made me longing for the next time they both would give in to their feelings for each other! I don't know if I really needed Will's pov to clear certain things up, I don't really think it added to the story, but I did enjoy it nonetheless.

thank you to netgalley and victory editing netgalley co-op for this eARC!

i really enjoyed this book! it was definitely a little different than i was expecting in terms of writing style, but not necessarily in a bad way and it didn’t distract much from my reading experience. overall, i liked the characters and i liked the relationships! the plot was pretty solid, if a little predictable at times, but it definitely kept me reading. i will say that i didn’t anticipate the main “plot twist” of his sister having written the book. i think that’s partially because i just wasn’t thinking about it but i think it was still a solid plot point. the only thing i’d say about it is that the reveal was pretty close to the end of the book and the conflict and resolution felt a little bit rushed to me. the only other note i have is about the frequent referencing to “poet william,” “actor william,” and “will” felt a little excessive to me. it was, in my opinion, a case of telling not showing. i think it would have played much better had there been different cues in his internal dialogue that showed the transition from one mask to another, and by the end of the book i was a bit tired of it. it just read a little weird to me and i think there could have been a more subtle and less awkward way to accomplish the same thing. all in all though, i didn’t go into this expecting literary genius or anything and it definitely was an enjoyable read, which at the end of the day is all i really care about!

I absolutely loved this book. I knew pretty much nothing going into this and decided to read it on a whim. I was instantly hooked and almost finished it in one sitting. The characters are loveable and relatable but the world building was next level. I was so enthralled with the fae world and found myself transported there. I loved the yearning and longing and the will they won't they nature of the leads and was so excited every time they got closer to each other. I really loved this and can't wait for the next one.

Edwina and William are in the race for a book deal that could turn their lives upside down. On a drunken night they make a bet; whoever wins the bet gets the book deal. The bet opens a whole world of rivalry and tension, keeping you interested until the last chapter.

A rivalry of hearts is the perfect book with all of my favorite genres in one. A cozy fantasy romance I couldn't put down once I started reading. Edwina and William quickly became comfort characters to me. This book and the world building were just so cozy and lovely. I just love this book a lot.

Thank you Netgalley and Victoria Editing for the e-ARC.

I absolutely loved every single moment of this book. A Rivarly of Hearts is my first book by Tessonja Odette but it’s not going to be my last i can’t wait to go back and read her previous books.

It was so whimsical and magical, I loved the world building and every character had so much uniqueness and charm and the main thing I absolutely loved was the tension between Edwinna and William every moment was filled with sizzling chemistry and exceptional banter and some very well written spice. It is one of those books that makes you swoon and giggle and just kick your feet with happiness and also one of my favourite things in ‘He falls First’ I couldn’t put it down.

I highly recommend if you love a cosy fantasy with banter, sizzling chemistry and light hearted stories filled with humour. I’m really looking forward to the next book as it’s about Daphne and Monty who were such wonderful side characters in A Rivarly of Hearts.

Thanks to NetGalley and Entangled Teen for the advance copy of this ebook in exchange of an honest review.

Me gustó bastante esta historia, aunque al comienzo me costó conectar con los personajes y la trama. Pronto se vuelve ligera y cómica en algunas partes.

Los guiños a orgullo y prejuicio me gustaron bastante y esta mezcla entre un mundo que mezcla la época de la regencia con lo moderno, las hadas y los humanos, fue genial.

Sin embargo, la premisa de la historia, la dichosa apuesta que causa que todo comience a moverse... la verdad no me convenció tanto. La dejé pasar (aunque parecía forzosa) porque la protagonista estaba ebria con licor de las hadas, que se supone es mucho más fuerte que el de los humanos, pero cuando varias veces los protagonistas vuelven a sacar a colación el tema de la apuesta y ella no quiere por ningún motivo disolverla no me gustó nada.

El protagonista masculino, por otro lado, me pareció mucho más racional y realista en algunos aspectos. Torpe, pero con buenas intenciones.

Al terminar la lectura vi que saldrán más libros con personajes secundarios de esta historia como protagonistas de sus propios romances. La verdad creo que sí me gustaría continuar conociendo este mundo de hadas y humanos ligados a la industrias de la literatura.

Lo recomiendo.

Ahhh! Oh my gosh I absolutely devoured this book and enjoyed every moment of it! This was a fun fantasy with serious bridgerton vibes! I love that it was standalone

I've been meaning to pick up Tessonja Odette's books for a while so I was pretty excited when I got accepted for this ARC. I confess to also being a little bit nervous as I knew going into this that it would have a decent amount of spice levels and I usually prefer to read books with little to no spice. So keeping that in mind, I approached this book expecting something somewhat similar to <b>Emily Wilde</b> with a dash of spice - and the book delivered just what I expected it to in the best ways possible.

The characters, world, and plot were all around fun and entertaining with plenty of banter to go around. It certainly wasn't limited to the two leading characters Edwina and William, there were plenty of likeable supporting characters who made this a fun gas lamp fantasy romp. There were a few modern slangs peppered throughout which I don't usually like, however, given the nature of Edwina writing smut books and her fans and book clubs feeling much closer to home, it felt more like a comedic take on it which prevented the modern slang from feeling too out of place.

Once again, I went into this knowing there'd be more spice than I'd normally choose to read. For the first half of the book, I thought it was really well incorporated, in parts hilarious and just simply well done. I was not surprised that the content became more explicit in the second half and I still think it was well written, it suited the characters and fitted in well with the plot. It was more than I'm personally comfortable with, but that's nothing I can fault the book with.

At the end of the day, I think this was a very fun and well crafted story and definitely worth picking up for people who enjoy a gas lamp fantasy romp with lots of good banter, rivals to lovers and a good dose of spice. I personally won't continue the series but I will be looking at Tessonja Odette's older works as I definitely enjoyed the work as a whole.

This book really just wasn’t for me. I didn’t find the main characters interesting even though I really tried. I think couldn’t get past the fantasy aspect of the book.

OMG!!! This was such a great read! 4.25 stars!!! Thank you so much to netgalley and the author for providing me this arc <3.

What first sold me to ask for this arc was that reference to Anne of Green Gables (on point btw!) and the idea of a fantasy world (with faes) in a regency-esque era.

If you are looking for a fun, lovely romantasy book, look this one up! It got me hooked from the beginning and falling in love with the mmc, William, and don't get me started on their banter!! It was chef's kiss.

Edwina and William start as rivals, they are "enemy authors", competing for a publishing deal (does that ring an Anne Shirley bell? It sure does!). But as the story progresses, their feelings change… they will have to choose to prioritize each other or their own ambitions.

This was an amazing read, with the exact amount of spice! I fell in love with their banter, their witty comebacks and the world that Tessonja has created, and can't wait to keep on reading everything she writes in the future.

This was a cozy low stakes romantasy about two authors on their book tour, I loved the vibes and thought it was really well written! Such a fun read and I thoroughly enjoyed a fantasy about authors and writing.

💕rivals to lovers
💕 historical fantasy but with fae
💕 slow burn
💕open door
💕 He says “use me”
💕touch her and die

Oh I do love when theres a theme of books and/or writing within a book.
The chemistry in this was 🔥 and the banter very cute.
The worldbuilding was really cosy and dreamy.
The motives keeping these work rivals apart were strong and the tension for this was perfect.

Two rival lovers
One prestigious publishing contract
A bargain of hearts and desire

This book is so good!! The characters are so lovable and the premise of the story is great. Rivals to lovers and a bet to win a life changing contract.
It was a fun read!

Paranormal romance is one of my favorite genres so it seems like romantasy would be an easy sell for me. However, I struggle with figuring out which books I'll like because I prefer low fantasy and need an HEA. Epic war between good an evil? Don't care that much. However, two rival writers on a book tour in a fae kingdom? Absolutely love it! I loved the magic as part of the world with the romance still being the main plot.

On top of this being the exact kind of romantasy I like, it was so incredibly well written, funny, swoony, and set in a really interesting world. I had so much fun with Edwina and Will's bet. Him being jealous was very amusing and I loved Edwina looking at everything as a learning opportunity. Men being broody about being attracted to someone is one of my favorite things to read about.

I also thought William using his skills as an actor was a really interesting part of the story. I think it is very relatable to have a job where you feel like you have to have a certain persona. I liked how that played in the story with the fae rules making it more black and white.

I cannot wait for the next book! I need it immediately but will try to wait til December. I am planning to go back and read some of the other stories set in this world in the meantime. This book is a new favorite and I'm so glad I grabbed it. If you like a romance with a little magic this is a must read!

Absolutely stunning cosy fantasy with a great rivals to lovers story. The tension between William and Edwina was great and their banter was hilarious. Really looking forward to following books about Monty and Daphne.

Arc review
4⭐️
Historical romance
Enemies to lovers
He falls first
Angsty
Slow burn
The tension!!!!!!
One bed
Fae x human

This book is for people who love characters with a tragic backstory
I think I would swoon at first sight over William too. He just so kind but without even realising it.
It’s a book full of messy feelings and swoon worthy characters!!
He’s a flower fae so produces flowers which I find so cute

Overall I just loved both Edwina and William so much.

I love Tessonja’s writing. Overall, I thought this book was enjoyable. The plot and characters were great. The only thing that I didn’t love was the spicy scenes. Usually I love her spicy scenes, but these ones were a bit cringey and much for me. Can’t wait for Daphne’s story!