This was the first book I have read by Tessonja, and it will not be the last.

I don't know what was put into this book but I could not put it down, it was so good. Cozy vibes, with charming characters, banter for days and sizzling with romantic tension and a touch of spice. I adored it. The best way to describe it is exactly the way William describes Edwina's book - smut and drivel in the best way possible. You won't want to leave the world created in this book!

If you took Bridgerton and added Fae, you'd get this book. I loved the academic rivals to lovers, the forced proximity and the dual POV. Both the characters were amazing, and some of the side characters had me laughing (in a good way). Definitely one for your shelves and I can't wait to read more from this world!

I don’t think I’ve been this happy reading a romantasy book in ages 😂
I was literally giggling and kicking my feet in some places. A book tour, a bet, and a little bit of fae chaos, A Rivalry of Hearts is an absolute DELIGHT.
Read if you don’t mind getting turned on by the words “free pass” for the foreseeable future. (IYKYK)

William is chaos and I adore him, and Edwina is a spitfire and I wish I WAS her.

10/10, top tier, no notes. Fans of adult romantasy, DO NOT SKIP THIS ONE. ❤️

I received an advance copy from the publisher, all opinions are my own and a review was not required.

Firstly, a huge thank you to NetGalley, Tessonja Odette, and Victory Editing for a digital galley of A Rivalry of Hearts.

A Rivalry of Hearts (Part of Fae Flings & Corset Strings) was a very cute, cozy, and sweet romantic fantasy with some jokes and spice thrown in. The main characters are loveable and grow on you throughout the book. The side characters make you want to go to Faerwyvae. The politics between the fae and the humankind are interesting and unique, and provides some humor here and there. The spice between Edwina and William is lovely and sweet, and their enemies-to-lovers dynamic will keep romance readers hooked. There is also elements of forced proximity and romantasy, as well as cozy/comfy/relaxing fiction.

The story does keep you very interested but not stressed. The imagery and descriptions are cute and fun, and provide an extra layer of magic to the overall fantasy element of the story. This was the first novel I've read by Tessonja Odette, and one of my first cozy fae romances, and I really enjoyed it. The friendship elements are quite strong throughout, with both Edwina's and William's friends often helping out and pushing them closer together. I would like to read more by this author in the future. Looking forward to seeing her success! I'd recommend this to anyone into cozy fiction, romantasy, fae romance, enemies-to-lovers, forced proximity, author characters, far-away lands, spicy scenes, Jane Austen/Bronte Sisters references, regency story lovers, etc.

A human and a fae go on a book tour to compete for a publishing contract, whats the worst that could happen? This is a super cozy, rivals to lovers romance, both the main characters are likeable and the side characters are almost even better. This is the first book by Tessonja Odette that I’ve read, and I would be interested in reading in more of her work. The authors other books are set in the same world so it’ll be fun to go back and see the character I’ve already come to love. Even though I didn’t read the other books first I didn’t feel like I was missing out, it seems like you can read them in any order. There’s a really helpful glossary in the beginning but I didn’t need to refer to it. Overall this is a really cute and fun read.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, The Nerd Fam PR and Tessonja Odette for this e-ARC

A Rivalry of Hearts is my first introduction to the author, and what a great introduction I now want to read more of her work.

It's a super fun and adorable read with those cozy vibes that I love and some romantic tinges that make for a great winning combination.

You have a super fun time with Edwina (human) and Willian (Fae), who are rival writers for a publishing opportunity. Here we get caught up in banter, tension, and a fantasy fairy world that you can't help but imagine.

The cover is gorgeous but the content is a bonus.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me access to this amazing story and allowing me to discover Tessonja's wonderful pen.

Review written on Goodreads on 06/09/2024.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6573192603
#ARivalryofHearts #NetGalley.

A Rivalry of Hearts is my first Tessonja Odette book (I know I know!) and it is such a fun, adorable read! Edwina, the human FMC, is a romance author who inadvertently ends up on a book tour with a stuffy Fae poet, William. Unfortunately due to actions of the Fae publisher (Edwina is visiting from human-land), the two do not hit off and thus starts their banter-filled rivalry. This book does not take itself too seriously and it was overall a lighthearted slightly cozy fantasy read. Plus it had some of the best side characters - I learned what a pine marten is thanks to this book and no offense to Daphne (book tour assistant) but they're quite adorable.

While I did enjoy this book, it never quite felt like it fully hit its stride. It was lacking...something and I'm honestly not sure what. It also may just be me - so if it sounds like something you'd enjoy don't hesitate to pick it up! I will definitely be checking out Odette's other books!
(3.5 stars rounded to 4)

Really enjoyable!

I enjoyed this book quite a lot. For me the romance was really well done as was the world and world building. Before this book I hadn’t read anything by Tessonja Odette but I now plan on reading more.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to have an ARC in return for an honest review.

The story is about two rival writers trying to win a publishing contract, and they end up making a bet to win that contract, sealed with a fae bargain !

Review :
This book was so good !
The world was so easy to get into, and the romance extremely well done (the tension, the banter !!!).
Let me tell you how I swoooooned reading this book !

I loved Edwina and William so much ! They were such relatable characters. I felt like I would be Edwina if I ended up in a fairy country !

This story tiptoes between fantasy, romance and historical romance and it would be the perfect gateway book into those genre for readers.
You know I loved a book when I go look and add all the author’s other books to my tbr ! I just couldn’t get enough of that story, I can’t wait for book 2 to come out !

a rivalry of hearts is a mix of rivals to lovers, historical romance, light-hearted banter with a dash of being placed in absurd circumstances from drunken nights & wicked fae drinks

short intro to the book: edwina a romance author is set to do a book tour in the isle of faewyver. however, edwina is two weeks late to her own book tour due to unforeseen circumstances which now results in her sharing her own book tour with the vexing poet william haywood. their first encounter leads them to enter a rivalry of wits which continues to escalate when only ONE of them can enter into an exclusive publishing contract under the most popular publishing company in faewyver. a drunken night & competitive spirits leads them to enter a bet of seduction.

rambling thoughts
→ the story is playful & light-hearted which was exactly what i was in the mood for. despite the tone of the book, i was pleasantly surprised to see the complexity of the characters & how their own past adversaries affected their motives/actions.

→ i enjoyed reading about the main characters & thought they were really endearing. edwina is imaginative, a lover of romance books, and doubles down like no other. william is charamastic, a lover of the arts & hides behind a facade. together they were fun & messy. they were so messy that they even made a bet of seduction out of pride to spite each other. however, my thing is that the introduction of the bet was incredibly wild to me. i just didn't think it was the most natural way to proceed things, but i did end up enjoying how things played out between them as a result of the bet.

→ overall, i did like the writing & pacing of the story but i do think the book was a little longer than i would have liked. the story could have been cut shorter.

→ the chemistry between edwina & william was so good. i loved their banter & appreciate the slight slow-burn to their relationship.

thanks to the author & netgalley for the ARC in exchange for a honest review!

A Rivalry of Hearts
First book in the Fae Flings and Corset Strings

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟/5

-Historical Romantasy
-Human x Fae
-Romantasy writer x Poems writer
-Rivals to lovers
-Forced proximity
-A bet and special « use me » pass between them 🫠
-Jealousy
-Touch her and you’ll die

You all know me, I don’t read a lot of Romantasy, but I really love this author writing ✍️🥰

And this book is everything I love in romance 🥰
A Romantasy author and a Poet Fae!!!! 🫠🫠🫠You know how much I love bookish characters 💞

And their rivalry, how much they hated each other at the beginning because of the publishing contract that only one of them will get and how lust and attraction for each other will change their relationship little by little 🫠

If you love Cozy Romantasy, Banter, Chemistry, Steamy scenes and bookish settings, I recommend this book 💞

“It’s easy to tease each other. As easy as breathing and as comforting too.”

-

Thank you netgalley and victory editing for the gifted arc in exchange for an honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

🌸rivals to lovers
🌸cozy fantasy
🌸hate to love
🌸human x fae

Blooming hell, this book had no business making me giggle like a fool constantly ✋ the writing was so engaging and I had so much fun reading this beauty! The world was so well built and I completely fell in love with faerwyvae!

The characters are so friggin funny and cute! I loved all of the minor characters (especially my baby daffy, you deserve the world bbg). The dynamic between all of them was so fun and I totally fell in love with the little tour group ❤️

Edwina, our fmc, is a romance author (aka smut and drivel 🤭) who doesn’t want to fall into societal norms by marrying instead of pursuing her career. Love a girlie who follows her dreams 😌 she’s determined and a bit weird, but so incredibly lovable.

William, will, Willy, my male 😭❤️ when I was introduced to will I was getting major ick vibes from him with his snooty poet vibes. Little did I know, will would steal my heart (Fr I love him sm) ✋ his development was so well done and I loved slowly seeing his exterior crumble as he got to know edwina ❤️ when we see his first pov I was shook with the switch up 😭

“I want to tell her she can still use me, to do more than use me. To maybe fall for me the way I’m falling for her.”

The romance was *chefs kiss* 🤌 rivals to lovers is one of my fav tropes when it’s done well, and tessonja did it well 😮‍💨 the tension? The banter? The steamy teasing? Phewwwwww it was getting hot 🥵 and will was so friggin SWEET to edwina 😭 I was grinning like crazy every time he said something to her.

"You are beautiful. Your words are beautiful. There is no this is more beautiful than that when it comes to you. Your beauty and the beauty of your work are separate entities. Dennis fucking Feverforth was an idiot. He put you on a pedestal. He didn't deserve the eyes he assessed you with or the heart he professed to love you with if he couldn't separate himself from the fantasy he built around you and take you for the prize you are."

Alsoooo I’m just gonna leave this quote here 🤭👀

“Do you want that? Do you want me to ruin you?”

This book took me a minute to get into but once I was about 25% through I really started understand the characters and enjoy the rivalry between them I appreciate that it was framed as like rivals to lovers versus enemies to lovers cause I often times think that enemies is too strong of a word to describe the level of animosity between the two main characters. This was funny and sweet and had a lot of the elements that I was really looking for, but overall, I have liked other books by Tessonja better.

I could tell from the cover that this book would be a fun one!

This book does have some spice but honestly I thought it was done so well and it really added a lot to the story without seeming like it was just written to attract certain readers. This workplace romance just made me smile from the start. There is fantasy also woven into this story and I think it was so well done! They are both authors on a book tour yet they get pitted against each other! This book uses multiple POV which I love.

Very well done and a delicious romance read!

A Rivalry of Hearts || Tessonja Odette

"I like smut and drivel."

Edwina Danforth is a human woman who writes romance novels, her most recent one involving the fae. Due to her popularity in Faerwyvae (the isle where fae reside), she is offered a book tour to promote her latest book and a three book contract. As she's an independent woman who is trying to make her own path in life and not depend on her parent's plan for marrying her off, it's the ideal opportunity. There's a hiccup though, she was late to tour due to unforeseen circumstances, so when she arrives to tour, there's a fae male there, William Haywood, who is also promoting his book of poetry. By the end of the tour, only one of them will come out of the tour with a three book contract and both of them desperately need the contract and money that comes with it.

At the beginning of tour, Edwina's turn out is abysmal, and William is ahead in sales, only the person who makes the most sales will win the contract. On a drunken night, the two make a binding bet that instead of getting the most sales, the one who seduces the most people by the end of the tour wins. Edwina, a romance author, sees this as not only a way to get a leg up in the game, but a way to do her own romantic research. However, things get complicated when our two rivals become entangled with each other.

This is my first novel by this author and it won't be my last. A game of rivals, a bet of seduction, the right amount of spice, all in a fantasy setting is my ideal romance book. You're also left off on who the next book will be following and I absolutely cannot wait for that one.

-romantasy
-rivals to lovers
-dual POV, first person POV
-a bet of seduction
-loveable characters
-right amount of spice

Spice 4/5

My review will be posted within the next week also on my bookstagram @unboundedtbr

thanks to netgalley for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for a review!

tessonja odette you've done it again. written yet another perfectly fluffy romantasy. the lightest enemies to lovers i have ever seen with the cutest banter and our male mc telling edwina "use me". i don't usually love historical romances, but this was a rare one that i truly enjoyed, and i think that is mostly because the historical aspects operate mostly in the background. the romance between edwina and william is front and center. after this one, odette has become one of my auto read authors, everything she puts out is incredible.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Nerd Fam for an eARC in exchange for my honest review!

This book is absolutely fantastic. I devoured it. Could not put it down. While it’s not very heavy on the fantasy, the romance and humor was top tier. I was cackling on multiple occasions. I forced myself to put it down for a while because I didn’t want it to end. I immediately ran and purchased the signed hardcover and character art.

Synopsis:

In a world where there is a fae realm and a human realm, a human author, Edwina, travels to the fae realm for a book tour as her smutty novels have much more of an audience there. Since she is late starting her tour, the publisher decides to add William to the tour, a fae poet heartthrob. They instantly become rivals, which only intensifies when they find out that whoever sells the most books on tour will get a 3 year publishing contract. However, what they don’t anticipate, is their attraction for each other. Witty banter, hilarious scenes, and lovely side characters ensue as they battle for the contact, and each other’s hearts.

Tropes:
🩵Rivals to lovers
🩵Fae (seelie and unseelie)
🩵Witty banter
🩵Fae bargains
🩵Secrets
🩵Protective MMC
🩵Nonbinary rep

I absolutely loved this book! The banter between the characters was witty and delightful, keeping me entertained from start to finish. The spicy romance was perfectly balanced, adding just the right amount of heat without overshadowing the story. The fae element brought a magical and enchanting layer to the plot, making the world feel truly immersive. Best of all, it can be read as a standalone. I highly recommend it!

Another 5 star read ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“Smut and Drivel”
A spicy standalone adult fantasy romcom in the Fae Flings and Corset Strings series.

The book follows Edwina Danforth, who is a human in the Fae Islands on a book tour. She writes spicy romance novels (which we love 😉). Joining her on her book tour is William Haywood, a poetry author who was a last minute addition on the tour. The two authors become immediate rivals and quickly find out there is a three book deal that will be awarded to the author that sells the most books on their tour.

However, Edwina has already missed the first two signings for reasons out of her control. She then decides to make things interesting by making a bet with William on who can seduce and perform an act of personal intimacy in their bedroom with the most people.

I absolutely loved following the story of these two and their competition. This book had spicy scenes, hilarious banter, dual pov, and so much more!! Definitely one of my top reads of 2024! I can’t wait to read the rest of the books in this series!

Thank you Tessonja Odette and Netgalley for my gifted ARC copy!

A delightful fantasy rom-com between a romance author and a traditionally trained stage actor.

This book is pretty much everything I could want:
- A fantasy standalone to kick off a series of interconnected standalone books
- Fae bargains/Spicy bets
- Rivals to lovers

Edwina and William are both amusing, relatable characters, with chemistry and banter to back up their steady attraction to one another. Once they gave into their true feelings for one another, there was no one else for either of them.

I had such a fun time with this. Was it predictable? Sure, but I still ate it up in a matter of hours.

Thank you to Tessonja Odette, Victory Editing, and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!!!

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Who doesn't love Fae, Romance, and Regency??

If you don’t, I promise you will after you pick up Rivalry of Hearts!!!

Rivalry of Hearts by Tessonja Odette is a spicy romance set in the Regency Era with Fae, Rivals-to-Lovers, TENSION, hilarious banter and characters, spicy bets, and captivating writing.

I absolutely loved this book. It made me laugh and cry, often at the same time.

This book is perfect for anyone who loved Bridgerton, Fae Lovers, and A Court of Thorns and Roses!!

Rivalry of Hearts hits shelves on June 12th, 2024!!

____________

This review has been posted to Instagram and Goodreads under the handle @le.midnight.chaptre