First and foremost, I'd like to thank the publisher, the author and Netgalley for sending an eARC my way in exchange for my honest opinion.

Unfortunately, I've found this book is not for me and I will not be finishing it, but since I did read until 50%, I'll give my opinion, however brief, and based off what I've read.

What can you expect:
One night stand turned more
Journalist and F1 team director
Age gap
Forced proximity
Open doors romance

My thoughts:
Although it started out kinda promising, from the very start I found the main characters to be quite immature. Which honestly I was not expecting, specially considering this MMC is over 40.
But even if when he tries to do things right and communicate, he ultimately allows her to take the reins and they just fall into an joint state of eternal adolescence, where they ignore their real problems, don't talk and just lust over each other and fight, over and over.
I didn't feel any sort of chemistry or tension between the two, and more often than not, I just wanted to scream at them.

The sex scenes were overall nicely done but (and this Is PURELY MY OWN OPINION, PLEASE REMEMBER THAT) could we please turn down a notch the talking? I love a man who is vocal in bed and gives praise but there's a limit and this guy was almost reciting Shakespeare to her during sex. Some might like that but for me?? It was really TOO MUCH and it made me cringe.

Lastly, the friendship dynamics between the FMC and her alleged best friend are appalling. I've never rooted less for two people to keep being friends ever.

And maybe it's because how the book is structured following the different race locations (with no actual mention of the races, drivers or anything about it except for some rare instances), so we see weeks pass by in the background, but I couldn't feel any kind of real connection to any of them. I was not invested in their stories and their constant drama was, sadly, not doing it for me.

Why????

I read Double Apex. I wasn't blown away by the whole book, but I thought that it was a decent debut. I wanted to see how Josie would grow. She...didn't. This book did not work for me.

The structure. In the first book, the romance was between a racer and an engineer. Their dynamic during races was a problem, so having the story (mostly) just from race to race made sense. We saw how they interacted during each race. What they did on and off the track. They were together for these races, and the time jump didn't feel noticeable. In this book, it's between a Team Principle and a reporter. They don't always interact one on one at a race. Therefore, not only were there time jumps, but sometimes they didn't even see each other during a chapter. It felt like they NEVER interacted. And made the weeks between feel empty. We barely got texts between them. I honestly don't know how they fell in love. I never saw it.

Plot holes. The beginning of this book relies heavily on an overlapping plot from the first book. Yet we never see those events in this book. It felt like it was assumed we would remember what happened. It's been months since I read it. And I wasn't focused on Natalia and Klaus. I was all about Phaedra and Cosmin, the MCs from that book. Why didn't we see anything? Why didn't you just skip time if you weren't going to actually write it? Mo's illness and Natalia's fight with Phae could've been skipped. Just fast forward so you can have a story solely focused on Natalia and Klaus.

Kink? Natalia tells Klaus to "make her" wear the necklace he gave her during a night together. She then says something so vague I literally could not follow, but Klaus somehow correctly interpreted that as I want you to use clothes pins as clamps for my nipples and clit. There's no negotiation. No indication that Natalia has engaged in play. Klaus admits in this POV that he's never done that. What. The. Heck. The encounter processes and includes impact with her hair brush. Which I incorrectly assumed what his hand because it's not mentioned until he's finished that he was using the hairbrush. Not a light spank mid coitus. An actual impact scene. (Though I use the term scene extremely lightly.) This added absolutely nothing to the story. This was irresponsible kink. And I felt it was poorly written.

I could go into detail on how I felt both of these characters were immature. How neither communicated effectively. How birth control was mentioned and then forgotten about. How stupid the third act breakup was. How the accidental pregnancy made me want to throw this book out the window. But...I don't want to.

This book felt rushed and under edited. I am so disappointed.

This was the first book I've read by this author, and although I power through it, I don't think this book was for me. I'm fairly new to reading F1 romance, but this book was a bit underwhelming, and I really wished for more character development while reading this, and sadly, by the end, I was left hanging. I just don't think this book was for me personally, especially since I could not connect to the characters or their story, which doesn't necessarily make it a bad book, but just not one I'd gravitate towards. Huge thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to receive an ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.

Thank you to Josie Juniper for introducing me to F1 with Double Apex; my life will will never be the same. Since her first appearance in Double Apex, I have been dying for Natalia's story. She is such a dynamic character - her passion for her career, her showing up for the people she cares about (even when she has to risk her career to do so), and just her compassion. Klaus has an icy exterior that is a defense mechanism that Natalia is able to break down over time, which I love. They both were so patient with one another and the turmoil in their complicated relationship trying to separate work and personal. Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the gifted eARC. All opinions are my own.

Instagram review will be live week of 26May25 and will be shared again closer to pub day via stories.

Josie Juniper continues to write the most authentic Formula One books in the business. With an emphasis on character development, she knows what she is talking about when it comes to the sport. This book contained a wide range of emotions with the right blend of spice and sadness in some parts. It was like receiving a nice big hug and being stabbed with raw emotional turmoil from our main characters. I couldn't help putting myself in Natalia's shoes and while you always root for the best outcome, Juniper knows that life doesn't give you the best hand most times. While some readers might be upset with the back and forth of Natalia and Klaus's back in forth relationship, I found it to be realistic and fit the storyline the best.

When Double Apex came out, I immediately sold all copies that we had and will be doing it again with Coming in Hot.

Thank you Forever publishing and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of Coming In Hot to read and provide my honest review. After getting glimpses of Natalia and Klaus in Double Apex I was really excited to read their story. They were every bit as fiery and intense as I expected them to be. Their second (third? fourth?) chance romance (all in one book) was dramatic but entertaining. It was a very long bumpy road for these two but their happy ending did feel deserved.

I really enjoyed the dual POV and almost preferred Klaus’s chapters- there’s something about getting in the head of an mmc that I love. I also really liked the time jumps but I feel like we missed a chunk of them falling in love in the beginning. I wish we got more of that.

I adored that we got another nickname in another language - technically 2 nicknames if we count Talia. I liked how strong willed Natalia was, although her stubbornness was frustrating at times, but I can’t say I wouldn’t have acted and felt the way she did when dealing with conflicts. I also really liked how Klaus was a bit older than Talia but it didn’t become the whole plot/conflict/center of everything. Nothing was taboo which I liked.

I need to read more F1 books because I really have been enjoying these. I felt like I was living vicariously through the characters with all of the travel to these beautiful places. I’m glad we got Klaus and Natalia’s story, and I’m looking forward to reading Sage’s.

I had zero expectations towards this book, but I was hooked from the first chapter 🤭 I just didn’t want to put it down and read the whole thing in one day🙈

I truly enjoyed the whole F1 set-up, can’t say I’m a huge fan, but definitely had visited a couple of races and it was so cool to see all the familiar locations as the premises of the main story.

Josie writes the main characters so well, you just start caring about them immediately; they’re flawed but lovable, and the spice is delicious.

Oh and I haven’t read the first book in the series, but I definitely will now🤩

DNF'd at 70%
The pacing was very disjointed, the location hops meant nothing to me, I wasn't even really sure what Natalia's job entailed, and I did not feel any connection between Natalia and Klaus. I usually love a dual POV, but this one did not really give us any more character development or even likable characters.
I got the gist of the end of the book from my buddy reader, and I'm okay with not finishing it for myself. I think I would have been even more frustrated.
Sorry that this one wasn't for me and thanks for the ARC, Forever.

I should have DNF’d this book.

1. There is a time jump almost every single chapter, for the book to span 2 years. There is nooo time for emotional connections to the character nor character development.

2. Accidental pregnancy. No thanks!

3. The FMC is 34 and the MMC is 46. They behave like they’re 19

4. The FMC has abandonment issues. Unresolved. Her parents are the worst (so of course they show up and eventually get a redemption arc).

5. This book could turn anyone off of F1 romances. It probably did for me. I will not be reading anymore from this author.

Thank you to Forever and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Natalia Evans just landed the journalistic opportunity of a lifetime--lead reporter for Auto Racing Journal. She will travel the world, meet racing legends and rising stars, and cover all aspects of the extremely glamorous world of Formula 1. It's all comin' up Natalia...until she learns that the Team Principal of Emerald also happens to be the incredibly sexy Austrian stranger she shared one Very Memorable night with. Good thing her first big assignment isn't doing a deep dive into his life...ope wait.

Klaus Franke is the stoic and unflappable TP of the Emerald Formula 1 Team. Almost nothing can crack his reserve...except perhaps for the one night stand he cannot forget...who will now be a fixture in his professional life. He absolutely CANNOT afford to be involved with a journalist who is very likely scouting out her next big story.

As a big F1 gal who absolutely adored Double Apex, this was probably one of my most anticipated reads of 2025. Coming In Hot took a little bit more time to find its footing than its predecessor and I found it difficult to totally connect with Natalia and Klaus. This is partially to blame by the fact that when my brain thinks of a Stern Austrian Car Daddy (tm) it cannot help but picture Toto Wolff. It's an affliction I'm not particularly sad about as Toto Wolff is a babe, but it was a bit of a mental roadblock that was 100% a "me issue".

I was very invested in the subplot about the ethical and political implications of the potential new race location however, which is ultimately what got me to click a bit more with the MCs despite the hot and cold nature of their relationship. Natalia is fiercely independent and Klaus is a bit misguided in how to simultaneously nurture her autonomy and protect her from the dark side of their world. They both fumble the ball in terms of communicating their needs and resolving how their personal and professional relationships would work, and I didn't leave the book feeling totally convinced that they had lasting power.

This story and Double Apex happen concurrently, so while you do not necessarily need to read the first book to dive into this one, I recommend it. I actually just recommend Double Apex in general because it's still one of my favorite F1 romances.

3/5 stars

Thank you to Forever for a copy of this eARC via NetGalley! All opinions are honest and my own.

2.5 ish rounded up to 3. This is a stand-alone, but I highly recommend reading Double Apex first because some of the story line is occurring at the same time, and it provides additional context that Coming in Hot does not.

I wanted to like this one, but it was admittedly hard for me to get through. I don’t know if this is the right way to phrase it, but it almost felt chopped up. It was hard to follow the story line through the timeline, and I felt like Klaus and Natalia’s relationship never truly grew or resolved the challenges they were facing.

Now mind you, the physical chemistry and the sexual tension between them was A+, but I wanted more depth in their relationship.

As someone who has within the last couple of years really gotten into formula one I was really excited to read this book. While I do think it was an easy read with good spice, it definitely wasn’t something to write home about nor does it make me want to go back and read the first book in this series. I think there are definitely enjoyable moments in this book, but I just didn’t love the male main character (Klaus) or really the female main character (Natalia). It’s hard to enjoy a romance book when the main characters continually make poor decisions. I’m sure there are lot of people that will love this book—just not my favorite.

ARC provided through Netgalley.

I’m an F1 girly and adore the amount of F1 romances coming out. However, this one seriously missed the mark. The setting, while F1, was mostly focused on the field of journalism. It was kinda disappointing.

The beginning scene of Natalia and Klaus’ initial meeting felt so stilted and the chemistry forced. Everything—the chemistry, setting, characters—was just underdeveloped and that didn’t get better as the book went on. I was honestly so confused at times because each chapter was a time jump and the author didn’t expand on what happened each time. A specific example is Natalia and Phaedra are friends in the beginning. Natalia got annoyed with her once in the first few chapters. Next thing I know, Natalia decides to dump her as a friend in chapter 5. There was no development of their friendship build up or break down. The author consistently just told the reads what was happening after the fact, but spent no time on development.

Natalia was a hard character to like, the romance didn’t feel natural, and this book was difficult to read.

The premise gave this book a lot of potential but unfortunately the story falls flat. Starting off, for the first half of the book there are so many choppy scenes it felt like I was jumping 5 scenes in one chapter. The storytelling was very much that, telling. Not showing, not developing, just telling the reader so and so have a good relationship. Do they because I can’t recall a single scene where I see that? It was rather strange and definitely took me out of the book. The relationship between the main characters was honestly boring as it was based off of insta-lust and nothing else. As soon as we may dive deeper into an emotional connection it’s cut off in favour of other random scenes. I’m surprised that I pushed through, but I wanted to give it a chance, and honestly the only reason the main characters get together in the end is through one of my most hated tropes so sorry but this was just not for me.

✨Thanks to author @josiejuniperauthor for the opportunity to be a Coming In Hot ARC Reader 🏎️💨 In this book, we meet Natalia, a reporter who covers F1 racing for Auto Racing Journal. On the other hand, we have Klaus, the leader of the Emerald Team F1 team. The two meet one night at a bar and share a "one-night stand" that was supposed to be forgotten... but we all know how those things end 👀 What follows is an on-again, off-again relationship full of chemistry, but also mistrust. This book had me upset because I just wanted them to be together from the start! 😩 However, they both had wounds, fears, and trust issues, especially due to their professions, which prevented them from moving forward in their relationship. Klaus is a tough guy, but he made mistakes that hurt, and Natalia was willing to risk everything for him, even though she sometimes doubted whether it was worth it. This was my first book with an F1 theme, and even though I didn't know much about the subject, I loved how the author integrated it into the story. Her passion and knowledge of the sport are evident, and that made it even more interesting. Coming In Hot is perfect if you're looking for a romantic read with drama, good spice, and a unique backdrop in the world of Formula 1. 🏁✨

I really wanted to love this book. The premise had so much potential—their initial meeting was a fun, promising blunder that seemed like it could lead to something great. But unfortunately, the execution just didn’t deliver.

The first 30% of the book skips around so much that we’re simply told the characters have been connecting off-page… but we never see it. We learn very little about either of them, which makes it hard to invest in their relationship. The dual POV doesn't help, either—his chapters don't really add anything meaningful to the story.

The subplot involving her family felt confusing and disjointed. At one point, she immediately assumes her aunt is referring to her parents after a single conversation, yet months later, when it’s incredibly obvious who’s coming to Christmas, she doesn’t make that same connection. Then she thinks a gift is from him—with no real reason? It just didn’t make sense.

The storyline about her parents feels like it was added for shock value. It comes out of nowhere, and since I didn’t feel emotionally connected to the characters, it didn’t land with any real weight.

Most of the relationship seems to be arguing or hooking up, with very little shown emotional development in between. We're told there's a pull between them, but it’s never truly shown on the page.

Again, I wanted to love this book. The setup had all the right ingredients, but the follow-through left me disappointed.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this early.

I had…issues with the first book in this series due to the graphic domestic violence between MCs about 3/4 of the way through the book. But, because it was a debut, I thought maybe it was just a misguided scene and was willing to give book 2 a shot.
Oi. I love older MC’s in their 30’s and 40’s. But not when they act like 15 year olds. The time jumps from chapter to chapter were messy and just felt like…we didn't know how to show plot progression in a true linear fashion so we just hopped from scene to scene. Which really left me feeling like I A. didn’t know either character that well or their motivations and B. didn’t buy into their chemistry/attraction/emotions.

I did not film a review for tis book because It wasn't for me and I didn't want to post a negative review

For a lot to have happened in this book, it feels like nothing happened. We’re told huge events have occurred but never have scenes of these things despite them having huge impact on the main characters. The romance doesn’t make sense because we don’t see them falling in love. We’re told they spend time together but there’s rarely scenes depicting their pivotal moments. The concept is there, but the execution is completely lacking. I love F1 romances and had high hopes for this one just to be disappointed.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

dnf at @ 30%

I couldn’t really connect to the main characters at all. Also the time jumps with every chapter left me a little confused. I am sad because a lot of my mutuals enjoyed this book but alas for me it just didn’t hit