Sports romance is quickly climbing the ranks as my favourite brand of romance novel, and Pole Position was testament to that. While I've read countless hockey romances, this was my first about professional race car driving, and I enjoyed every bit of it.

I absolutely loved this audiobook! It was the perfect thing to keep me motivated through the trials and tribulations of exam season. Harper and Kian aren't exactly enemies-to-lovers, but they are shoved-together coworkers (racing partners) who start off disliking each other. Their opposites attract dynamic was enticing from the beginning, with Harper being the fleeting, afraid of romance type while Kian was ready to lock someone down for life. The miscommunication between them was more entertaining than it was frustrating, and honestly added to the fun of this story for me. The audiobook narrators definitely added to my enjoyment as well! I always love having separate voices read each different POV; it really personifies each character, and brings the story to life.

I've seen a few people complain about the pacing, but I thought it was well done! There's a good deal of buildup and tension through the first half, and enough time with Kian and Harper actually in a relationship that I wasn't left wanting for more. Both characters had pretty well developed backstories, with Kian's sister and Harper's best friend acting as significant supports through most of the book. Things were wrapped up nicely, too! I had such a great time with this book, and will definitely be looking out for more from this author.

4 Stars! 🎉 Huge shoutout to HarperAudio, One More Chapter, and NetGalley for the audiobook! "Pole Position" dropped on July 18, 2024, and WOW—what a wild ride! 🏎️💨 I gobbled up this 10-hour 2-minute audiobook in no time! 🕒

⧫ Enemies-to-lovers 🥊
⧫ Grumpy x Sunshine 💖
⧫ Forced Proximity 💗
⧫ Age Gap (25 vs. 33) 💓
⧫ Found Family 💕
⧫ Rivals-to-lovers ⚔️
⧫ Emotional Intelligence of Ducks 🦆

Okay, real talk, I didn’t expect "Pole Position" to grip me this hard, but WOW! I was OBSESSED. 🎧 I finished it in just three days (who needs sleep, right?). 💤

Now, let’s talk about Kian. He’s the brooding, emotionally-closed-off "golden boy" of motorsport, and while I kinda wanted to slap some sense into him (seriously, Kian, stop being so stubborn), I couldn’t help but feel for him. 😩 Kian needed to grovel a little more in the first half—he was a bit too emotionally distant. But the chemistry between him and Harper? 🔥 Off the charts! Watching them go from rivals to lovers had me living for every moment. 😍

And then there’s Harper. He’s all sunshine and chaos, but by the second half, he needed to grovel! 😤 He made a few missteps, and let’s be real—he had some serious explaining to do. I loved seeing him realize how much he messed up and step up in the emotional department. His growth? Everything. 😌

Now, the spice level—was it just enough to make me scream? Almost. 🔥 The emotional chemistry? Hotter than the sun. But when they finally got together, it felt like, "Okay, now we’re just going through the motions?" 😅 A little more exploration here would’ve made me melt even more!

Plot-wise, there were a couple of things that held me back from giving it 5 stars. The pacing was a tad off in places, and I would’ve loved to actually see some stuff instead of just hearing about it. Kian’s dad? Can we get some closure on that? 😤 But the sweet moments between Kian and Harper? Perfection. Seriously, those moments had me swooning so hard I almost forgot the plot holes. 🥰

The third act? Pure drama! And I was living for it. The back-and-forth tension was off the charts, even if it made me want to scream at them to stop overthinking! 😤

Also, Johannes? Give that guy his own book, stat! 👀👀

And let’s not forget the narrator, Joshua Chase and James Joseph! 🎙️ The voice talent totally brought these characters to life! Kian’s brooding, Harper’s sunshine—both were portrayed perfectly, making the whole experience even more immersive. Seriously, the narration made the emotional beats hit even harder and kept me hooked from start to finish. The pacing and character differentiation? Chef’s kiss 👏

CW:
- Parkinson's, dementia, parental death
- Family abandonment
- Minor sexual encounter before the MCs get together

Overall, "Pole Position" was such a FUN, emotional ride! If you love sports romances with tension, emotional baggage, and just enough spice, this one’s for you. 🏎️💨 I’m already counting the days until the next book—please, PLEASE give Johannes his own HEA! 😍

Pole Position by Rebecca J. Caffery is everything I want in a sports romance—fun, flirty, spicy, and full of tension! Harper and Kian? Absolute perfection. Harper is the kind of chaotic rookie you can’t help but love. He’s bold, hilarious, and always doing the exact opposite of what he’s told. I mean, “He can tell me not to do something stupid all he wants, but I’m going to do it anyways”—how can you not adore him?

Then there’s Kian, the serious, old-soul racer who totally needs Harper’s wild energy to shake up his life. His line, “Harper is an enigma I can’t resist. Now I’ve gone and burned myself,” had me swooning HARD. Their "teammates with benefits," "rivals to lovers," and "only one bed" moments? Literal perfection. The tension, the banter, the tension—it’s everything.

This book is packed with laughs, steam, and so much heart. If you love sports romances with broody heroes who secretly have a soft side, Pole Position is a total win.

Kian and Harper are such an emotional MM story. They’re enemies and teammates with top tier banter and tension. I loved their competitiveness and how Kian’s experience in F1 pushed Harper to be better at the sport himself. Both narrators do great bringing their connection to life. Both guys are damaged in their own ways and have to work through their own issues to really be ready for more and the author handles their growth with grace and care.

I was extremely won over by this. No matter the setting-- if you give me a romance between a repressed control freak and a little jerk who uses philandering to cover up deep feelings of self-loathing and abandonment, I will lose my mind every single time. The math will math.

I'm sure I liked this more because I know so little about F1 so the details could pass me by, but then aspect of looming danger really worked for me as well. The ending is SO neat, to the point where it was ALMOST too much, but at the end of the day that's not a huge deal.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an advance copy of the audiobook in exchange for a fair and honest review.

4.35 in honest
This was a fantastic and fun book. A fun and spicy enemies to lovers book amongst the fast pace world of f1 racing. The begining was a bit slow and was a bit hard to get through but when the book finds its footing it is truly a fantastic book. I highly recommend for a fun new sports romance.

I had a great time reading and listening to this book, but I have to start by saying I know absolutely nothing about F1 racing. Since I wasn’t able to pick on the things that didn’t make sense in relation to the actual sport, this was an entertaining read for me.
I liked the later chemistry between the two characters, I enjoyed getting to know them and the way Kian calls Harper on his shit at some point. However, the beginning of their relationship was rough and I was seriously doubting if they would manage to convince me in the end. The “sunshine” part of the “sunshine x grumpy” trope was actually more “annoying and inappropriate little sh*t”, to be honest. I think this was reinforced by the fact that I adored the narrator reading Kian’s chapters, but hated the one reading Harper’s. He made Harper so freaking annoying and the way he did other characters’ voices was terrible.
There were also a lot of clichés and the fact that homophobia doesn’t really seem to exist in this world was both refreshing at times but too unrealistic given the fact that the rest of the story tries to stay true to the real world.
I was a bit disappointed that so many plot points were left unanswered, though. I’m not sure of this is a way to prepare us for a sequel, but the ending made me feel like Harper and Kian’s story was over.
These elements are the reason I won’t go over 3 stars even though it still was a good time.

So cute! A must read for fans of Red, White, and Royal Blue. And I don't mean that just because the characters are gay, the dynamic and overall "feel" of the book are very similar. Rivals to lovers with a touch of trying (and failing) to resist their feelings.

I know next to nothing about motor racing, (I know it involves cars...) but you don't have to know a lot about the sport to enjoy the book. Its a unique backdrop that I really enjoyed. The characters all have depth, as they deal with issues much bigger than just growing romantic feelings.

Clear set-up for a sequel with the best friend, Johannes (hope I'm spelling that right, I listened to the audiobook) having "something" going on with a "mystery man." It was very obvious, to me, who the mystery man is, but none of the characters seemed to connect any of the dots- *shrug.*

Speaking of the audiobook, great narration! Love the duel voices and viewpoints.

I have mixed feelings looking back on this book. While listening to it, I was hooked and listened to the entire relatively quickly. However, the book itself wasn't great. It was a quick listen if you're in a reading slump and want something quick, but the more you think about it, the less you enjoy it.

Pole Position follows Kian and James, 2 drivers who are forced to be teammates and can't take a hint. Kian has multiple-time world championship titles and takes his career and passion very seriously. It is evident through Kian's actions and words throughout the story that everything he does is done on behalf of his family and those he cares about most, but he extremely hard on himself when it comes to getting through each race. James, on the other hand, is the young rookie who sees life as an adventure and rarely plans ahead (it's a character trait that gets brought up a lot by Kain). While having raced in the lower tiers and making him name for himself prior to joining the F1 circuit, James is extremely new to the reality Kian is familiar with, and he struggles to adapt to his new life, both personally and professionally.

Kian and James are the definition of opposites attract in the most stereotypical way. Kian is 33 and has been racing as an F1 driver for many years, James is a 22 year-old rookie. Kian comes from a loving family, James was part of the foster car system (a detail that actually could provided character development had it been touched on more). Kian is a quiet bi-sexual who follows a rigid routine to keep him mentally and physically ready to race at a moment's notice, while James is a very openly gay man who apparently has been racing for years but struggles to understand the definition and concept of routines and schedules.

I personally think I would have enjoyed Kian more as a character if James was not the romantic interest. James literally did not know how to take a hint. For someone who claimed to have idolized Kian Walker and Kian's famous racer father, James never really thought about the fact that Kian rarely ever brings up his father in interviews - or at all. James goes as far as to talk about how much he loved watching Kian's dad drive and how lucky Kian is to have this famous driver as a father in an interview without putting together that Kian only mentions his father few and far between, and credits his success to his own commitment and the support of his mother and sister. At the beginning of the story, Kian is just trying to get in the zone and focus on what he needs to do and James is following him around like a lost puppy. Even after directly telling him that he is just trying to rest and recover and do whatever else he needs to in order to remain a successful driver, James essentially goes, "well, he keeps ignoring me and trying to be alone, but I am going to continue takin out his earbuds and talking to him because I need to know more about him."

Something else that really bothered me was the half-assed attempt the author made to bridge the gap between fictional F1 and real F1. Some of the teams (like Henderson) and characters were obviously fictional and inspired by real teams and people, while McLaren, Ferrari, Haas, Redbull, and Fernando Alonso are mentioned by name. This is something that should have been caught and fixed by the editing team, and lowers the quality of the book in my opinion.

While I starting watching Formula 1 this year and know enough about it to read and review this book, I am not overall familiar with the rules and routines, so my opinion about how F1 is referenced in the book will not be backed up by facts or evidence. The entire topic of Formula 1 racing felt like a subplot of the book that came back every few chapters to remind people why they were reading the book in the first place. Very little racing terminology is used, and the details that are included in the story left me with more questions.

I would like to thank the NetGalley and the publishing company for providing me with this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

3.5/5. Out now.

The Vibes:

—Red, White, & Royal Blue flavored

—F1 (obvi)

—truly wild behavior when speaking to the press???

Heat Index: 6/10

The Basics:

Kian is one of the best Formula One drivers in the world. Harper is the rookie he hates, brought in to replace Kian's injured teammate. The problem? Kian hates Harper, but also wants to jump him. Oh, the horror!

The Review:

So, they weren't kidding when they said this was for the RWARB girlies (gender neutral). It definitely is, with all the snippiness and rivals to lovers (not enemies to lovers, to be clear—there's a difference) energy. I... am not a RWARB girly, but I respect the journey, and I found this cute harmless, if not quite as thrilling as Formula One. Or as thrilling as I imagine F1 is, as I've never watched it.

And a disclaimer: I have no idea how accurate or inaccurate this is.

Speaking of formulas... there definitely is one here. Kian dislikes Harper, Harper kind of idolizes Kian but is also rather irritated that Kian dislikes him, there's tension of the other kind from the jump. If you enjoy a formulaic read (and a lot of people do, that's not shade) I think you'll be pleased by the beats this follows. It follows them well. For me, it was a bit... well, I was comparing it to Heated Rivalry, my favorite sports romance. Which also happens to be M/M, and is also about rivals.

This didn't hit the emotional beats of that book, and I also found it was a bit harder to believe. Like I said, I'm not familiar with the Formula One landscape (and I'm honestly not a hockey fan either) so I can't speak to whether or not this is something that really happens... The baldfaced lack of media training both Kian and Harper seemed to have, especially Kian at thirty-three, sort of blew my mind and took me out of the story at points.

The Sex:

Milder than I expected! There are tidbits here and there, but I'd say one big scene.

It's light, it's cute. I don't think I'll remember it super well, but I would recommend it to people who enjoy that light rivalry and sports romances that are a bit less emotionally heavy than novels like Heated Rivalry.

Thanks to HarperAudio Adult and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I was soooo excited for this story!!I love a good MM sports romance! While I know nothing about F1, I wasn’t too worried about those details and was eager to focus on Kein and Harper’s relationship. Unfortunately, the romance didn’t quite hit the mark for me. We have the grumpy, seasoned driver in Kein and the frat-boy rookie in Harper, which had so much potential for great banter, but sadly, their chemistry felt forced. I struggled to really see the connection in their relationship.

On the bright side, the audiobook narrators were fantastic! They brought strong emotion to the heart-wrenching moments, and the production quality was excellent. However, the distinction between character voices when narrating each other’s lines within POVs wasn’t as smooth, which felt a bit off at first but I adjusted to it over time. That said, both narrators nailed their respective roles. Kein’s grumpy focus and Harper’s frat-boy energy came through perfectly, making their characterizations believable and enjoyable, even if the romance itself fell a little flat for me.

I received a copy of Pole Position on audiobook from HarperAudio Adult and I was so happy I did! The narrators were perfect for these roles and I found myself laughing at times and crying at times. This book was spicy and sweet and the narrators captured the emotions of the characters perfectly. It doesn't hurt that they both had a British accent either. Overall it was a great addition to the books set in the world of Formula 1 and I would definitely recommend listening to it on audiobook!

I was excited for this book and enjoyed it! Kian is grumpy and judgemental towards Harper. But he's fantastic with his family and I really felt for him regarding his mom's diagnosis.

Surprisingly, I really liked Harper and thought he really meant well and he wasn't as bad a Kian thinks he is. I felt bad for him in this regard. His idol just ignoreed him the whole time and then when he does speak to him, he speaks to him like a child he's scolding.

The chemistry is there and they are sweet to each other. I really enjoyed them getting to know each other and the deep talks they had. The way Kian comforts Harper after his 16th place loss was so sweet.

However, the reason I am giving it 4 stars is that the line of consent was blurred at best in some spots and I didn't love that. Harper is drunk and Kian kisses him anyways. "He's too drunk to consent." and then he kisses him? That's not it.

The cover is so cute.

Give me all the formula 1 romances! This was a quick and fun opposites attract story between two hot F1 drivers. Kian and Harper could not be any more different, but the chemistry was always there. Was fun seeing these two grow and figure out what was happening between them. The narrators did a great job with this audiobook.

Pole Position is the perfect storm of lighthearted fun, chaotic romance tropes (enemies-to-lovers, opposites attract, age gap, forbidden love, hurt/comfort—you name it) and soul-crushing angst. By the time I hit the last 30%, I was a wreck—crying, swooning, screaming into the void, and then doing it all over again.

Kian and Harper’s relationship was an emotional rollercoaster I couldn’t get enough of. But I won’t lie: half the time, I wanted to march into the book, grab a chair, and knock some sense into Harper. Sure, he’s painfully realistic—commitment issues and abandonment baggage galore—but wow, could he be insufferably insensitive. Kian? A literal saint. He had so much patience it almost hurt to watch, but let me just say: if Harper had pushed him to grovel just a little bit more, it would’ve been chef’s kiss. Where are all the grovel-worthy romances when you need them?

Despite Harper’s maddening moments, I couldn’t stay mad. His journey felt raw and familiar, and the way Kian grounded him was both heartwarming and incredibly satisfying. Kian, on the other hand, was everything I could’ve hoped for—anxious, guilt-ridden, tightly wound, and yet so deeply relatable. I loved watching him slowly find his footing and his happiness with someone who made him feel freer and stronger. Their dynamic—full of miscommunication, drama, and delicious push-and-pull—had me glued to the page.

Beyond the swoony romance, this book wasn’t afraid to tackle heavier themes, and it handled them with care. Some chapters had me sobbing so hard I had to put the book down just to breathe. It’s an emotional gut punch, but so worth it.

Ultimately, Pole Position was wildly entertaining and deeply moving, even with its flaws. I can’t wait to dive into book two and uncover the mystery of Johannes—he’s such a fascinating character, and I’m dying to see what’s been brewing beneath the surface. If you’re ready for some high-octane romance with equal parts laughter and tears, this one’s for you.

I was very excited to pick this one up, I love RWRB (Red, White, and Royal Blue) and I’m always a sucker for a sports romance! Overall this was fun with just enough spice, it fell a bit flat but the audio was fantastic and I enjoyed listening to it.

Kian is 34 and facing the potential last season of his career, he’s hardworking and disciplined, everything his racing legend father wasn’t. Harper is the quintessential handsome party boy, ready for his shot at the big leagues. When these two are forced together on the same team sparks fly in more ways than one. Can Harper live up to Kian’s expectations on and off the track?

While the romance was solid it didn’t grip me, it was spicy but I wasn’t rooting for them. Most of the book felt like Harper living up to Kian’s expectations and growing, while Kian didn’t really have any growth. While it had similar vibes and plot points to RWRB it lacked the overall charm and chemistry.

I recommend this one for romance lovers who like a sports romance and the enemies to friends to lovers vibes you got from RWRB. Thank you to NetGalley, One More Chapter, and Harper Audio for the audio ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Kian, the four-time Championship winner, got racing in his blood—his dad was a legend on the track—but he’s determined to be his own man and not just live in his father's shadow.

And then there's Harper James, the rookie who's totally the opposite of Kian. He’s cocky, hotheaded, and known for breaking hearts as much as track records. Their chemistry is electric, and you can feel the tension as they navigate the crazy world of motorsport together.

What I love most is how the book dives into Kian's struggles. Racing at 220mph seems easier for him than dealing with his feelings for Harper! It’s such a rollercoaster of emotions and action. At first the constant back and forth between enemies to lovers was giving me so much whiplash that I was borderline sea-sick, but such a cute pay off !

This story is a Formula 1 racing rivalry, MM, enemies to lovers romance. Rookie, Harper James, is called up to the big leagues when there is an injury to a top racer. He is called up to race on the team of his racing idol and the ‘Golden Boy’ of racing, Kian Walker.

Kian Walker does not like change and he does not handle it well when his racing partner/best friend gets injured and Harper James gets pulled up to take his place. These two are explosive and opposites in every right and it does not help that Harper reminds Kian of his estranged father, who was also a Formula 1 driver, in a bad way.

The chemistry/banter is definitely there with these two, but they are both in very different places in their lives. Harper does a lot of growing up throughout the book but I feel like more emphasis should have been put on his therapy appointments. Even if the author would have us into one appointment in depth it could connect the dots more clearly for the readers.

Personally, I do not know much about Formula 1 racing and I am not sure if all those details are factually accurate, but the story made sense to me and was very easy to follow for someone that does not know much about the sport.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and basically binged it. I would recommend this to anyone that is interested in MM sports romance because it was a really great time!

I listened to this book as an audiobook and really enjoyed the narrator's voices and found their accents very appealing and easy to understand.

Lastly, I want to thank NetGalley, Rebecca J. Caffery, and HarperCollins Audio for making it possible for me to read the ARC for this book.

Book Tropes:
-Enemies to Lovers
-Grumpy/Sunshine
-Forced Proximity
-Age Gap
-Sports Romance

3⭐️
It was okay.
There were no building blocks to this romance (it was strictly physical attraction until suddenly it wasn't), but when they did speak about or act on those romantic feelings, I really did enjoy it. Both characters were relatively unlikable, but they grew on me over the 10hrs I spent with them.

I found that the book skipped through a lot of time. I'm sure the author cut out the majority of the racing scenes because that would've been very repetitive and boring, but somehow, the way it was done had me super confused on the timeline throughout the story.

Also, don't loveeeeeeee the barely consensual smut scene. That wasn't very cool. Maybe let's not take advantage of drunk people. I found the smut in this book overall to be a little off. Didn't love it, but I'm not a big smut reader, so take that with a grain of salt.

Lastly, I can't recommend the audiobook. The narrators themselves weren't the problem. However, they were at totally different volumes the whole time. One of them was speaking at a normal volume, and the other was always ALWAYS whispering. Please, please STOP WHISPERING, I cannot hear a word you're saying! Someone needed to sort that out during recording or at least fixed the volumes after it was finished. It made it very frustrating to listen to as I was constantly adjusting the volumes or missing large chunks of the book.

Thank you to Netgalley for the Audio Arc.

Guess I’m a F1 trope fan now.
WOW was this steamy and tense!🌶️🌶️🌶️
MM enemies to lovers, sports romance, forced proximity grumpyxsunshine tropes

I loved this so much. Kian’s broody, clean cut, and a type-A top contender. Harper is a messy party boy rookie looking to make it to the top. When an accident puts Kians teammate out of the running, he’s teamed up with Harper and the tension is HOT. Both on the track and off.

Kian comes from celebrity parents; his father who was famous for also setting records and placing top spot, only to be fired in the midst of his career and his mother who also leaves the spotlight when she diagnosed with Parkinson’s. While Kian’s touring, chasing his own dreams, he does his best to separate his own name and accomplishments from his estranged father’s and yet he internally struggles with his absence from his mother due to her illness. While Kian feels close to ready to retire, he’s still got his goals set on winning the top spot before he does so. He likes order and routine, or rather he needs it in order to stay focused on the goal, so when Harper enters his like, chaos ensues.

Harper was a fan of Kian’s father growing up and when Kian took center stage he became his biggest inspiration to move up in the rankings himself. So when Harper and Kian are not only teamed up together but are also paired to share rooms and travel arrangements while on tour, he couldn’t be more excited to be close to his idol, that is until Kian makes it very clear that he does not like Harper AT ALL. Can the two learn to work together to bring their team to the top? Not to mention an accidental kiss that completely derails Kian’s focus. I also really enjoyed Harper’s growth journey in general as there’s an emphasis on trauma and therapy work in his character that I found so well depicted. Both our leads are dealing with internal struggles and the way they help each other evolve was very compatible, you didn’t need to convince me they had chemistry.