This audio book was okay. I was not the biggest fan of the narrators and was glad I had this one as a kindle read too so I could alternate between the two. Overall the story is a 4 star read but my audio experience was 3 stars.

I challenged myself to read something outside my comfort zone because I know nothing about F1 racing. I am happy to report that you really don’t need to know anything about the racing scene to enjoy this book.

What I liked:
-the spicy/steaminess
-the very spicy first meeting of the main characters
-the accents on the audiobook (with one caveat - he does her voice strangely)

What I didn’t like
-the time jumps in the story, it was a bit clunky for an audiobook
-I didn’t feel like the characters were developed enough for me
-I wasn’t invested in their story/HEA

Thank you for the ALC NetGalley & Hachette Audio in exchange for an honest review 🎧

Whelp. This started in a good direction, they jumped right into bed together & had some early mishaps. But the more it went on, the less I was rooting for them to be together.

The narration was done well, I enjoyed listening to both POV's, except for how dreadfully wrong Bacau was pronounced. I can only assume that's the city in Romania they were in since I listened to the audiobook, but rest assured it is not pronounced "bah-coo"...being Romanian that was a major ick.

Generally I am a major fan of age gap which is why I ran to request this, however, I was left underwhelmed.

Thank you Forever and Hachette Audio for the ALC.

While Coming in Hot was definitely an upgrade from Double Apex it still left me feeling a bit unsatisfied and sometimes frustrated. I did enjoy the dynamic of the couple for the first half of the novel but then it got to a point where it was a lot of miscommunication and assumptions and I just wasn’t vibing with it anymore.

I loved Klaus’ character and I think he was my favourite POV of the two but even he started to get very repetitive in his declaration and inner dialogue.

I do think the narrators did a wonderful job and bringing out these characters personalities and had great chemistry. I do kinda wish though that regardless of POV the narrators still read their part of the dialogue rather than reading both roles. But that might just be a personal preference.

Overall it wasn’t my favourite F1 romance but it definitely a step up from the first book.

Ich habe mich nach dem ersten Teil schon sehr auf die Geschichte von Natalia und Klaus gefreut. Und ich wurde nicht enttäuscht. Ich war direkt im Buch und konnte auch nicht aufhören weiterzuhören, da ich unbedingt wissen wollte wie es weitergeht.
Ich fand Klaus unglaublich toll, auch wenn ich viele Entscheidungen von beiden Seiten nicht immer nachvollziehen konnte.

Für Formel 1 Fans die eine Romance Geschichten für zwischendurch suchen, das perfekte Buch

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

With the newest season of F1 on Netflix currently I had to bump this one up on my tbr. I really wanted to love it - steamy, team principal and a journalist, he's a widower, it had the makings of a great romance. However, each chapter jumps in time whether it's a week, two weeks, a month, two months making it very hard to keep track of what is going on. The entire book takes place in about a 2 year time period. I felt that it was choppy with key plot points missing when there was so much potential.

I love a sports romance, and was recently introduced to F!, so I was super excited to listen. I liked the premise- I'm always a big fan of a "one night stand" to more storyline, and who doesn't love a silver fox with an accent?

Unfortunately the premise and tropes were where the enjoyment ended. To begin, I didn't mind the FMC's narrator, but her faux German accent that somehow leaned British was one of the most uncomfortable and off-putting narrations I've listened to- especially during smut scenes. It completely took me out of the book and honestly made me want to pause.

Additionally, I did not enjoy the characterization at all. I am totally fine with an annoying FMC or a brooding MMC, but when they are multidimensional and loveable. These two just felt exhausting and disingenuous. The FMC accidentally sleeps with married men and the MMC is shy and mysterious. He finds it impressive that she doesn't take his money after they hook up and she's annoyed that he took her for a hooker.

I tried listening to this multiple times but couldn't get through it.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an ALC in exchange for an honest review.

Actual Rating: ⭐️⭐️

Thanks to Hachette Audio and NetGalley for the advanced copy of the audiobook!

Okay...so a lot of the thoughts I had in the previous book about parts of the narrative feeling disjointed because the author was trying to set up a second book...yeah that's what was happening. And while it did make me mildly intrigued in this book, the payoff just wasn't there. The F1 stuff was also very much not overly present in this book, which was a bit disappointing considering how much there was in the previous book.

These two main characters are supposed to be full-fledged adults (mid-late 30s and 40s) but they act/interact like emotionally immature children. I understand that some of that lack of open ocmmunication is coming from past trauma or trying to keep themselves safe, but there was just SO much of it. Such a severe lack of open, adult conversation that made this frustrating to read at some points.

This book also (unknowingly to me) had one of the tropes that I like the least, which was unexprected pregnancy. And this pregnancy was VERY unexpected. Not because it wasn't forwshadowed several times throughout, which made me think it was going to happen way earlier in the book, but because it happened in the final moment of this book and at a time where our characters feel like they're so seperated in their relationship that I knew this was just going to be something that was a plot device to get them together.

There are some ultimatums or essentially forced decisions that happen throughout that also make me a little frustrated. This book ultimately was pretty hard to get through and actually care about the characters. By the end, I was pretty glad it was over and just glad to move on to something else.

This is the second book in the Frontrunners series. I read the first one Double Apex last year. F1 is a growing sport genre that is getting the romance treatment. If you watched the F1 movie and you wanted something like that movie this book is not it. There is actually very little about F1 in the story besides the vague traveling and the fact that one of the characters Klaus is a team principal.

This story overlaps Double Apex a little bit and then expands past the previous novel. It dives much further into the long romance for Klaus and Natalia. It is a long drawn out courtship but not really in a bad way. It makes for some interesting drama and keeps you entertained. It is a peppering of spicy romance but overall it was a fun read.

I listened to the audio as well and the dual narrators were great. I like when the audio can play out two POVs with two different narrators. I found it easy to listen to and enjoyable.

Natalia Evans, lead reporter, and Klaus Franke, Team Principal for a racing team, shared one unforgettable night that needed to be forgotten. Icy and closed off Klaus is completely off limits for Natalia, but their pull and and fate keep bringing them together. Needing a major breaking scoop Natalia needs a breakthrough for her career but a High stake sporting scandals threaten both their relationship and their reputation.

I really enjoyed how the story was presented and read. Both Max Rauch and Cecily Foster brought to life the characters. The pace and interpretation for me was a 10/10. I’m a little thrown off by the MMC accent but i always am at first when it not an american accent but i really enjoyed their work.

This books seemed promising and quite easy to enjoy. And i did enjoyed it but as the style of the story went on I felt that the time jumps really kept me from really connecting with them as characters and with their “connection”. Time jumps at almost every chapter, from 1 week to 6 months I felt that it kept me from really grasping my full attention.

While my feelings were mixed throughout the whole book, I think that my only reason for not enjoying it to it’s full potential was those time jumps, i really wanted to get to know them and not just those in between moments that they ok. I wanted the nitty gritty of it all.

Natalia is stepping into a new role within her journalism career: lead reporter for Auto Racing Journal. And while she is new to the ultra-glamorous world of Formula 1, there is one familiar face Natalia is trying to forget. Klaus is the Team Principal for Emerald. Though their one night stand was exceptionally hot, Natalia has a job to do and is determined to find the scoop of the century. Klaus isn’t ready to let Natalia disappear from his life, but after countless missteps, does he honestly have a chance?

The first book in this series of interconnected stand alone books was full of racing and a true sports romance. Coming in Hot is like sports romance light! A little of the sport, a lot of the romance! The characters have more maturity than many in this genre, and I appreciated the detail that created their individual backstories. I really enjoyed the dual narration, complete with many accents that capture the international reality of F1.

Thank you so much @NetGalley and @HachetteAudio for a chance to read and review this audiobook!

DNFed at 41%.

The audiobook narration was difficult for me to get used to with the various accents used by multiple narrators. With the book being dual POV, the voices for the FMC and MMC would differ largely based on the POV I was in and the side characters often had very eccentric personalities that made following along tough. I usually listen to audiobooks at 2x speed but had to reduce it to 1.6x to follow the story. If you could, I would recommend immersive reading this story with the audiobook + ebook (or just the ebook/physical copy) for a smoother experience. This will also be helpful with translating the many non-English phrases included.

Unfortunately, the story simply wasn’t for me. I wasn’t a fan of the romance and as someone who loves female friendships in books, this is the first time I didn’t enjoy any main character + best friend scenes. Heartbreaking! The conflict with her parents was also irredeemable for me.

I didn’t realize this was the second book in the series so who knows if more context would’ve helped me enjoy this more. Definitely pick up the first one if you’re considering reading this! If I had to recommend this book to anyone, it would be anyone interested in F1 racing and following a main character who works as a journalist.

Hopefully this book is a better fit for you!

🏁 Bookish Thoughts
Woah this book was messy… and naturally, I freaking LOVED IT.
It’s a slow burn with slow pacing. Which shouldn’t have worked for me, but I was never bored. This book had me wanting to throw it across the room out of sheer emotional frustration (in the best way), but I couldn’t stop reading. Both MCs were terrible at communication, irrational, toxic, and experts at self sabotage… 5 star read!

Natalia had me pulling my hair out, but I was still rooting for her. She was so wishy washy and completely her own worst enemy. I understood her choices, even when I hated them. Towards the ending she was absolutely unreasonable, but it weirdly made her more relatable. She made self sabotaging her personal mission. Girl make up your mind!

Now Klaus? 🔥🔥🥵🥵
I really enjoyed his POV. Our silver fox was arrogant, stubborn, and always felt he knew best. He had to learn some hard lessons. But I really felt for him while he was suffering from the actions of his consequences. Especially toward the end. Because Natalia was a bit unhinged and totally set it up for Klaus to not be able to do anything right. He felt paralyzed with fear.

The audiobook is a must. The narration was top tier, and the spice was 🥵🥵

The only thing I did not love was the storyline with Natalia’s parents. I get that it was part of her growth, but I really hated both of them. And their reasonings. 🤦🏽‍♀️

✍🏽 What to Expect
• Formula One world
• Journalist FMC
• Broody MMC
• Second chance romance
• Slow burn
• Age gap
____
📖 Final Score: 5 stars
🎧 Audio Score: 5 stars
🎙️ Narration Style: Dual (Max Rauch and Cecily Foster)

📅 Pub Date: June 17 2025
Thank you to Hachette Audio and NetGalley for the advanced listening copy. All thoughts are my own.

Coming in Hot by Josie Juniper is quite honestly a Toto Wolff fan fic fever dream. I cannot describe how I'm feeling after finishing this book because it was so freaking entertaining yet bad. I think if the book didn't try to take itself as seriously as it does, I would be giving it a higher rating but it does. I also feel conflicted because I genuinely liked the narration aspect so I'm giving it a higher rating than I would have if I didn't do the immersive reading. I just have so much to say about this book like the MMC's dialogue was absolutely insane sometimes. I was howling with laughter when we get to the clothes pins scene.

I know I haven't actually described what happens in the book but basically the entire thing is a miscommunication trope. The book starts with the MMC thinking that she's an s worker, flies through what could have been a nice relationship, they fight like a million times about miscommunication while also going to town like all the time, and then goes to a trigger warning but surprise pregnancy. I really thought the book was good for like a few chapters but then it went downhill so quickly with all the miscommunication. I even like miscommunication but this was just a lot.

Now, who would I recommend this book to? Anyone who likes the miscommunication trope and also a lot of fighting. I do not recommend this book to anyone who doesn't like the miscommunication trope as this book might get tiring.

Also for anyone wondering, I am going to read the rest of the series. In fact, I can't wait!

Thank you to NetGalley, Hachette Audio | Forever, and Josie Juniper for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I have not gone down the sports romance road until discovering F1 romance and I finally found a sport I can get excited about!

I am really enjoying the thrill and speed of the race track and the unique storylines that come from the racing world. Additionally, races are held in exotic locales, and I love to travel through books. This is my second racing book and I really enjoyed it.

There are some super spicy moments to rev your engine, but there is also heart fluttering feelings. Josie Juniper does a fine job of bringing these characters to life in an engaging way. I was thoroughly entertained by Natalia and Klaus's story, devouring it in one sitting on my travel day home from vacation.

The narration by Max Rauch and Cecily Foster was enjoyable. I haven't had too many (any) German accented listens, and that was fun!

There was so much to dislike about this book, that I am not even sure where to start.

The constant time jumping left me confused almost every chapter. A lot of the story I feel like was implied, instead of shown on page, which was also confusing. It felt as if the author was just throwing bits and pieces of an idea of a book at the wall, then just wrote whatever stuck.

All of the characters felt unlikeable to me. Like they were all toxic, and not in a "hot morally grey" way, but in a "why would someone find this attractive?" way. Especially the two main characters, who were incredibly immature. When I read romance (no matter the genre) I feel as if I should be kicking my feet, and rooting for the character to be together. However, I spent most of this book hoping Natalia and Klaus would go to therapy, and leave each other alone. I was hoping there'd be some pivotal moment where Natalia would grow up, and leave all the toxic people around her alone, and maybe focus on her career in a positive way.

I LOVE a contemporary romance, which is something I wouldn't have said 2 years ago.  But I am picky.  

This was, objectively, bad.  Time jumps, zero character development, plot all over the place, and not a single redeeming quality in the entire cast of characters. The 'stakes' were so wild and unlikely that I really can't figure out why they were there at all.  FMC was an unhealed mess, MMC is a codependent rich buffoon, and the family and friends don't give two rips about each other.  Plot was a mechanism for the hate fvcks, which ended up resulting in a surprise pregnancy?! Ewwwwww.  

The audiobook was a frustrating experience.  The female voice actor had a decent enough German accent for our MMC, but then our male voice actor was British?! Otherwise I have zero complaints and it's not their fault the book was bad. 

Not to mention that there was next to NO actual F1 racing information, technical jargon, or care for the sport.  If this hadn't have been an ARC I would have DNF'd at 25%.

I do appreciate the Advanced Reader's Copy (audiobook) from NetGalley and Hachette Audio, but this was a total mess.

Thanks to @hachetteaudio for the ALC
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Spicy, smart, and straight-up addictive!
Coming in Hot delivers ALL the drama you’d want in an F1 romance. With tension, sizzling dual POV narration, and the perfect blend of heat and heart, this book had me cheering for true love.
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The dynamic between the leads is off the charts with equal parts snarky banter and emotional depth. And the behind-the-scenes paddock drama? I’m here for it.
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Loved that the characters were a bit older and that we had a team principal finding his soul mate in this one.
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Thoroughly enjoyed both these audios and would recommend to F1 fans, as well as lovers of a good sports romance.

Oh my gosh did I not like anything about this. Maybe it's because I'm a hardcore F1 fan but this was probably the worst thing I've read since throttled and that was a dumpster fire

My first Josie Juniper read, and I was super excited after I'd heard good things about the first book in the series and with this dreamy cover and seeing that is involved more mature (in age) characters. And there were certainly aspects of this that I enjoyed, but unfortunately this book didn’t quite land for me overall.

Natalia, our heroine, is a sharp, ambitious journalist and the lead reporter for Auto Racing Journal. After a steamy, anonymous night with a stranger, she returns to her professional life—only to discover that the mystery man is Klaus, the Team Principal of one of the Formula 1 teams she'll be covering all season. Their undeniable chemistry makes it tough to keep things professional, and despite their best efforts, they quickly get entangled again. But just as things begin to heat up, secrets come to light, boundaries are crossed, and trust is shattered.

The narrative style of this book really tripped me up- and I found it even more disruptive on the audio format. There are frequent, sometimes lengthy, time jumps between chapters over and over again- which makes the story but feel choppy and makes it hard to really immerse yourself in the narrative. It almost feels more like vignettes at times for a cohesive storyline. While the occasional time skip I know is necessary sometimes to advance pacing, here they felt excessive—“two weeks later,” “three weeks later,” even “six months later”—and they made me feel like I was constantly missing important emotional and relational development in all these off page moments, and it pulled me away from the characters connection (and my connection to them too). As someone who enjoys a more immersive emotional experience and a real build up to substance, this just pulled me out over and over again.

I also didn't love the depiction of women here. Natalia herself and her best friend. I was attracted to this storyline in part because of the character's ages- a romance between a 35 year old and a 45 year old. YES! My age. A mature story. But Natalie often reads as immature, at times lacking emotional intelligence (especially in times of tension and conflict). And her relationship with her "bestie" just felt toxic and dramatic. Honestly this felt like a problematic and archetypal depiction of adult women that I'd get from a patronizing male writer- I'd hope to feel more connection to the female journey in this book, and I just didn't. And the relationship itself felt like old school 20's something "new adult" type dynamics vs. one characters who are closer to middle aged.

The book really did start well- I loved how these two met, the spice was good, and the premise is really a great one. Execution just didn't quite land. That said, the audio dual performances by Max Rauch and Cecily Foster were good. I enjoyed listening to them, even if the story didn't quite work for me.

Audio Performance: 4 stars
Story: 2.5 stars