A Rivalry of Hearts

Fae Flings and Corset Strings Book 1

By Tessonja Odette, Pub Date June 12, 2024

5*s, 5🌶️s. I cannot say enough about this one. I was so surprised and delighted by it!

Publisher’s Synopsis:

“They say never bargain with the fae. They also say don’t get drunk on fae wine. Yet romance author Edwina Danforth has managed a blunder with both on her first visit to the infamous faelands. Now she’s trapped in a magic-fueled bet she barely remembers with a man she’d be happier to forget. The terms? Whoever can bed the most lovers during their month-long dueling book tour wins a coveted publishing contract.

The win should be easy for Edwina. She’s known for penning scintillating tales of whirlwind romance. There’s just one problem: her imagination vastly exceeds her bedroom experience. But when failure means plummeting her career back into obscurity, losing isn’t an option.

Her handsome fae rival, William Haywood, poses an even greater challenge. Not only are his looks as aggravatingly perfect as his track record behind closed doors, but he has his own reasons for playing to win, and he won’t go down without a fight. Unless, of course, it’s a different kind of going down. In that case, he’s fair game.

Edwina and William clash in a rivalry of romance. But what happens when their objects of desire…turn out to be each other?”

Like Biting Into Fairy Fruit!

From the moment that Edwina steps off the boat on the Fae Isles, which was the first page, this book absolutely swept me away. It is definitely one of my absolute favorite tropes, rivals/enemies to lovers, and it was funny, heartfelt, and oh so so spicy! But you could probably tell that from the synopsis.

Edwina is a spicy romance author, and William Haywood is a poet. The tour was supposed to only be for Edwina, but complicates on her voyage made her miss at least two weeks of the paid tour. Now, she’s sharing the tour with the infuriating Haywood and there are stakes: the person who sells the most books during the tour will win a three book publishing contract. They both have their own desperate reasons to win. However, during an ill fated evening that included a fae drink that had the potential to cause an inflated ego and Edwina’s all too human constitution, they find themselves in the middle of a fae bargain. The bet? Which one can bed the most people throughout the tour.

The problem is, Edwina’s books are less based on experience and far more on flights of fancy. And Haywood? He’s hiding his true self under a mask that his desire and care for Edwina can’t hide. He has secrets that he can’t let get out, but he also doesn’t want Edwina to get away.

Honestly, the SPICE and the tension between Edwina and William are absolute *chef’s kiss* material. I was hooked from the first page to the last. I honestly have a mind to read this a second time and I NEVER do that. This was my first Tessonja Odette book and I am chomping at the bit to get into more of her work!

Thank you to Victory Editing, Tessonja Odette, and Netgalley for the advanced copy in exchange for the above partial review.