I DNF'd this book at 47%.

Why:
-I could not get myself to care about the characters.
-The FMC was very whiny and did not know what she wanted.
-So much romance and miscommunication but very little of the sport that connects them.
-Thought the writing needed to be improved

Natalia and Klaus are an unlikely pairing, their chemistry was combustible from he beginning to the end. The story is well told and really a treat to read.

This book! I requested this on Netgalley because of the book description and cover and I loved it! Now I see that one of the side characters has their own book, so I'm definitely going to go back and read that one!

I freaking love how Natalia and Klaus met! Random one night stand while on a "business trip"? Sign me up! Natalia's starting a new job as a writer for an auto racing journal and on her first night in one her destination cities, she meets a handsome stranger in her hotel bar. One thing leads to another, and she's up in his hotel room. Their chemistry is instant. It's not love at first sight, or even lust at first sight, it's just a carnal attraction that's meant to be for the evening. They part ways in an ironically comical way, and soon begins their little game of "will I see them again?"

Natalia's character is very career driven and focused. She wants to be taken seriously, doesn't want any handouts, and truly wants to make a difference in the work that she does. Klaus ends up being more important than she originally thought, and while she's initially bothered by it, she ends up just going with the flow of things.

That's how a lot of this book felt...like these two characters were just going with the flow. They're doing their own thing while getting to know each other incognito. They're keeping things hush hush, because Klaus is actually a big player in the auto racing world and I really loved their sneaking around that they had to do. Some big things happen behind the scenes in this book that builds up a lot of tension between these characters, but through it all I really loved their romance.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for an early copy of this book.
I always get excited to read anything F1 related but this was just not for me. This read like Toto Wolff fanfiction to me and it low key made me uncomfortable 😅. I couldn’t unsee the similarities between him and the team principal character in this book 🫣. I didn’t like any of the characters and found the relationship pretty toxic. There were a lot of time jumps and gaps in the story that made it hard to follow what was going on. I liked the Grand Prix and racing elements but there really wasn’t enough of that. This has tropes I don’t typically tend to read… But I gave it a try for F1 😂. Not the book for me and that’s okay!

I unfortunately had to mark this book as "did not finish" pretty early on at about 30%. While I know it's fiction and certain liberties can be taken, I could not get past some glaring racing inaccuracies. The biggest one being our FMC is a journalist and she was sat on the Pit Wall during a race to keep the peace between a race engineer and their driver, this just doesn't happen in Forumla 1. I also wasn't vibing with the writing style, it felt very stilted and didn't have the flow of natural conversation or even internal monologue. I'm super bummed about not enjoying this as I'm a huge Formula 1 fan and love a good romance but this was just not for me.

**I will not be posting a review on social media or any review site.

Josie Juniper's Coming in Hot had all the makings for a spicy F1 story. However, I feel like we only got part of a story with the time jumps and it left me with questions that didn't exactly get answered before the end of the book. I swear, I thought I was fully in my F1 book obsession, but this one missed the mark.

Natalia Evans is a journalist for Auto Racing Journal. She covers the world of elite racing, but when a complication in the form of a one-night stand shows up, her reputation and her career are officially on the line. Klaus Franke, the complication from the past and Emerald Team Principal, has no room for relationships in his life and certainly did not expect to be in the same proximity as Natalia ever again. Natalia and Klaus are forced together due to a high-stakes sporting scandal and whether they like it or not, they're going to have to work together in order to save both of their careers.

This book had its good moments--the spicy scenes and the maturity of the main characters' emotional bandwidth--and its bad moments--some very toxic scenes between not only Natalia and Klaus, both almost every side character possible. There was so much potential for this book to be a fiery second-chance romance, but I had a really hard time with the time jumps. One minute Natalia hates Klaus, the next she's in love with him. Like I said, there was potential here, so I'm going to give another book of Josie's a try.

Thank you to Forever for the e-ARC!

I was so excited for this book and unfortunately it was a bit of a let down for me.

I truly LOVED the characters, and I think that was my issue with this book. I wanted more of them, together specifically. It felt like a lot of their scenes were cut short and most of how their relationship progressed happened off page with their internal conflicts taking up the majority of the on page text. I had zero issues with the actual storyline but the way it was constructed really left much to be desired.

Realizing at the end of the book that entire thing takes place over the course of about two years but we don't really get to see much of it was so disappointing. The almost abrupt ending also left me wishing and wanting for more with how the story ended.

I LOVED Klaus and Natalia so much and I truly just wish wed actually gotten to see more of them.

This was a SPICY one night stand turned more on again off again romance between a journalist and the F1 team widowed principal. I loved that the main focus of the story was on the couple (their relationship together and their messy personal lives) rather than on a lot of racing - which was perfectly fine by me tbh. There are some cameos/mentions of previous characters but this can definitely be read as a stand alone. Heads up for those who don't love the accidental pregnancy trope because that pops up here. I also really liked that both main characters were older and tended to communicate well with one another. Good on audio and perfect for fans of authors like Simone Soltani or the Dirty Air series by Lauren Asher. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early audio and digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

This was one of my most anticipated reads for 2025, and unfortunately, it really fell flat. In the first book in the series, Double Apex, you can tell that Klaus and Natalia had this amazing chemistry so I was really excited to read their book. Unfortunately there were a lot of things that just didn’t work for me. I didn’t like that both of them hid things from each other and the fact that Natalia really tried to go behind Klaus‘s back to figure out what he was keeping from her. Then there’s a fact that they would be together and break up a few times from different arguments and we get a long break up where they literally do not get back together until the last chapter. I also felt like it was too rush from them, from not communicating and arguing with each other to suddenly jumping into bed and admitting they had strong feelings. This felt like a completely different book and a different world than from book one. The only thing I liked about this book with the spice. Those scenes were written perfectly. It’s so sad because I absolutely loved Double Apex and it’s honestly in my top favorite reads of all time. Really heartbroken about this!

Read if you like:
Third person dual POV’s
Formula 1 racing
Forbidden romance
Secret relationship
Secrets
Open door romance
On and off relationships

A fun, spicy read set in the high-octane world of Formula 1, Coming in Hot delivers plenty of swoony moments and fast-paced drama. The chemistry between Natalia and Klaus was undeniable, and I loved the racing backdrop and strong, career-driven heroine. That said, a few of the tropes didn’t quite work for me in execution, and some character motivations felt a bit underdeveloped. Still, fans of sports romance and Netflix’s Drive to Survive will likely enjoy the tension, heat, and behind-the-scenes intrigue.

Thank you to Forever Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy.

What a pleasant surprise this book was! I loved the racing aspect of Double Apex but the relationship wasn't my favorite. This book is such a 180 in that the racing is such a small part of the book other than to be a setting and for their circumstances. I was not anticipating this story to go in the direction it did and in another circumstance I probably wouldn't have liked it but it suited Klaus and Natalia well. They chemistry was borderline toxic but more so in the "I need yall to stop banging and talk" way rather than unhealthy. I really appreciate how they were not forced to figure out their shit together but rather their long stretches of silence forced them to examine who they were and who they wanted to be on their own.

The foreshadowing was so subtle I missed it until I had the end picture and was able to think back, masterfully done! I absolutely enjoyed this much more than Double Apex and cannot wait for Sage's story!

***ARC Provided by the Publisher via NetGalley***

DNF at 12%

I had high hopes for this one. It didn't meet them.

The book tells, not shows, the reader what is happening and still somehow skips over events.

As a result, I didn't find myself caring about the characters enough to keep reading.

I'm unable to recommend this title.

5 stars! I love this series! I love Josie writing! This book had everything spice, tension, heart wrenching plot twist, and the love! I adore this book and defiantly recommend everyone to read it! I loved getting to know Natalia and Klaus more, and I loved how their relationship felt authentic with tons of depth and deep dives into both of their pasts. I just need to add in Klaus dirty talk, was a yes! Loved and wanted more!! I aloes love Josie take on F1 and giving us a look at different side than her first book. 5 Stars I love love this book and this series!
Thank you to Josie and Forever Publishing for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

As a big F1 fan, I was really excited to read this book! I liked that the male lead was a team principal - that definitely set this apart from other F1 romances I've read. And I had fun imagining who that character might have been based on! The behind the scenes of racing aspect was so interesting, but I had a hard time getting invested in the romance and subplots amongst the characters. I had to DNF at around 45%, I don't think it was for me but others may love it! Thank you Netgalley!

This spicy F1 romance had a lot of potential but unfortunately, the execution didn’t quite deliver for me.

Let’s start with the good: the dual POV was a strong choice. Getting into both Natalia’s and Klaus’s heads added depth and tension, and the audiobook narrators absolutely nailed their performances. Seriously, if you're going to read this, I’d recommend the audio version for that reason alone.

But that’s where most of my connection to the story stopped. Natalia, for all her professional success, came off as immature and often toxic. Her comment about her best friend being "hard to love" rubbed me the wrong way. If that's how you talk about your best friend, is she really your best friend? And don’t even get me started on Phaedra.

Then there’s Klaus. I wanted to root for him but giving Natalia money after their first night together? Huge red flag. Immediate no. It made it hard to root for the relationship when the foundation felt so awkward and transactional.

Also, for a book pitched as an F1 romance, there really wasn’t enough Formula 1. The setting could’ve added so much more thrill and atmosphere but ended up feeling more like background piece.

In the end, this book had a few things going for it (age gap, dual POV, stellar narration), but the characters’ emotional immaturity and lack of genuine chemistry left me feeling disappointed.

I want to start by saying that I did DNF this book 50ish% of the way through, so this review is based on the first half of the book.

However, I did feel that half of the book was enough to say that this is not my vibe. The first chapter, I was intrigued, and did enjoy. It didn't particularly stand out or anything, but it seemed like a fun romance novel (and got to the real good stuff right away). Klaus, aesthetically, sounds hot as all get out. After that though, it fell apart for me. They both turned into kind of insufferable, the storyline that I only got a bit of with her parents was odd, and Phaedra, though I hope there's something in character development in the previous book, seemed ridiculously insufferable.

Also, the amount of "I'll trust you," and then they don't, again and again, was really frustrating.

Coming In Hot is the second book in the Frontrunners Series. Standalone F1 Racing sports romances with interconnected characters, and they are filled with heart, hilarity, and heat. This one is true to its name y’all. We follow Natalia, a fan-favorite racing journalist, and Klaus, the Emerald Racing team principal. (If you aren’t familiar with F1, think “race daddy” and you won’t be far off.) These two are an unlikely match due to the nature of their jobs and a wee 10-year age gap. They’re hot, they’re oh-so-interested, and incredibly stressed. What can they truly have when they’re dancing around conflicts of interest and distance? Josie Juniper weaves us a complex tale of messy people figuring it out and you know what that means… I’m obsessed.

The growth in this! Ugh, I’m verklempt, which is bad for reviewing. As I was reading my highlights, I was swooning all over again. I love a fun romp of a glitzy romcom, but nothing beats gritty, realistic characters and the angst and longing and tension of them figuring it out. These characters go through it. And that’s why I keep picking her books up again and again. This book packs the spice with an emotional slow burn that has you wishing you could trap them in a room for a week. But then of course, we wouldn’t have this delightful book. Instead we get a Jayné Journey™ for the ages as our MCs unpack their pasts to make room for a possible future.

Rating: 3.75⭐️
Spice: 🌶️🌶️
Media: eARC/ALC

This was my first exposure to an F1 sports romance. It was great to be immersed in this world following Natalia, a confident journalist, and her evolving relationship with Klaus, the team principal. It was refreshing to have a FMC in her 30s who was career driven even if she made some questionable choices.

From the start, the spice absolutely delivered in this book. I fell in love with Klaus and his tender moments. I completely understood the back and forth due to the professionalism that needed to be maintained. I also liked how the story jumped between locations and periods so it wasn't an instant attraction but a build to their love. I enjoyed learning about Natalia and her growth as well as learning her family's backstory but it could have been farther developed. It kind of felt random and it was explained but I wish we could have seen more. While I feel it was foreshadowed, I was a bit disappointed by the pregnancy trope. I feel that at this age they would be more responsible and it is kind of alluded to that Natalia may have chose to be irresponsible on purpose. Overall, though, I enjoyed it and will definitely look forward to more of this world.

Thank you to Josie Juniper, Forever Pub, and Hachette Audio for this eARC and ALC.

3.5 stars

Coming in Hot is book 2 in Josie Juniper’s Frontrunner series. This can “technically” be read as a standalone. However, as someone who did not read book one prior to reading this one, I would recommend reading Double Apex first. I believe some of the timelines for this book and book one interconnect. I definitely think that knowing some of the context behind certain elements would make the reading experience even better. Although, I still really enjoyed this one without having any prior knowledge.

This book was really fun and steamy. The books is set over a couple years time period, so the pacing is FAST. I would say that the time jumps did make it a little harder to follow along. The author spent most of the book telling us about their connection with the occasional “pit stop” moments of conversation and interactions. I think this was the main reason why I felt more lust than real connection between Klaus and Natalia. Most of their interactions in the first 60% of the book were either with them fighting or hooking up. I was hoping for a little bit more development of their relationship. This was true for friend connections as well. In this particular book, it was hard to understand Natalia and Phaedra’s friendship. However, I really liked the last 40% of the book! I feel like this was where most of the relationship development happened.

Overall, I had a really fun time with this one. Special thanks to Netgalley and Forever/Grand Centeal publishing for an arc of this copy!

This was a really well done Formula 1 romance, it had that overall feel that I was looking for and enjoyed the overall The concept worked well with the characters that I was enjoying the overall feel of this, it had a great romance element and glad the concept was so well done. Josie Juniper has a strong writing style and can't wait for more.