The Pretty Boy Vs. The Bad Boy

On the Track #1

by Nicole Dykes

Sebastian
I’m the good one, the pretty one.
The one who follows the rules and always takes the high road.
I’ve hidden my true self for so long, I barely know who I am anymore.
But I don’t know if I can do it much longer.
I love the race, but I’m tired of sacrificing my soul to do what I love.

Axel
I’m the rebel, the bad one.
I follow no rules on the track or anywhere else. I’m the obnoxious bad boy the fans secretly root for.
I don’t mind playing my role. I’m good at it, and it pays to be the dark to his light.
Until the good boy starts to get to me.
I’m confused and unsure of what I want when it was all so clear before.

They say good always wins, but is that truly the case?
In the race between the far too pretty good boy and the angry bad boy, who will actually win?
Only time will tell.

Genres: M M Romance, Enemies To Lovers, Sports Romance, Sports, Romance, Contemporary, LGBT

204 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 31, 2023

About the author

Nicole Dykes is a wife and a professional assistant/mom to two gorgeous girls. Currently residing in Kansas, she’s a lover of coffee, Kansas City Chiefs, and all things romance.

She's found her passion in writing M/M romance because love is love is love. Some popular works include Hostile, The Spark of Hope Series, and The Kensley Panthers Series!

Email at nicoledykes_author@yahoo.com

Or visit my website at Www.authornicoledykes.com

Reviews

[ellie · Rating 3 out of 5]

He doesn’t give in easily. He doesn’t submit often. And when he does—it’s pure bliss.
“I’ll hate myself.”
I don’t miss a beat, looking straight into his pretty blue eyes. “Hate me instead.”

The Pretty Boy vs The Bad Boy was exactly what i needed🫶

this was first published as a novella in the Anti-Valentine Anthology back in February and it was hands down my favourite story out of the bunch<3 i even had to fangirl to Nicole on insta about how much i loved it, so you can imagine i was first in line to read this when she announced it was gonna be expanded into a full length book!

i feel like if you adore IlyaShane, then Axel and Sebastian will be perfect for you!

the story follows two famous race car drivers: Sebastian, The Pretty Boy, and Axel, The Bad Boy. the pair have an infamous rivalry on and off the track, but naturally with every enemies to lovers that hatred is waaaaay more complex than it seems ;)

it was so soft, swoony and fun. such an easy book to devour in one sitting. i needed the distraction last week because i was graduating and was soooo nervous, so i spent the day and night before submerging myself in this and it was perfect. the tension and their rivalry was truly the best part, i kinda wanted them to hate each other forever LMAO. this is probably why it’s three stars because i just craved more angst and turmoil from their dynamic :/

Axel was my favourite when i read the novella and i really enjoyed seeing him be fleshed out more here— the snarky bad boy is always a juicy time. but Sebastian really took me by surprise! i really connected with him and his struggles, he had so many inner struggles that i thought were handed with so much care… he may have been my favourite part of the book, if im honest.

the end of the book and epilogue were literally the cherry on top, it was so stinking cute! i loved it sm🫶

im excited to see where this series goes— hot egotistical race car drivers is what i need right now 🙏🏻

thank you to Nicole Dykes for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

[martina (the life of a chaotic reader) · Rating 4 out of 5]

i always think that race car drivers are super short idk why, but i kept picturing those two as coin sized racing on toy cars and i had the time of my life. (disclaimer: i spent all day at the beach and the sun may have fried my last two brain cells)

on a more (i really hope) serious note: this wasn’t anything like i was expecting.
and i’m confused because not a lot happened in terms of plot, however i didn’t find this boring at all, and i read this every single free minute i had because i had to finish this.
the dynamic wasn’t anything i usually like, however i loved it here. i guess it’s so well done that i couldn’t help but like it.

i loved the characters. nicole just has a way to make you love them because you really understand them, their feelings and their struggles.
i swooned so much, like a lady in ancient times, one hand on my forehead and the other clutching my chest, making embarrassing noises.
what can i say, i’m a sucker for soft bad boys.

i could’ve easily read another 200 pages about them.
i can’t believe this author is making me excited about race car drivers, but i guess she just is that good. and i can’t wait for more, because i’m so invested in the whole damn world. who knew i could love drivers? not me, that’s sure.

i read an arc and of course this is my honest review.

[Renae Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sebastian and Axel are so much fun. I really enjoyed this mostly low angst rivals to lovers' forbidden romance between the resident bad boy and pretty boy drivers. They both have obvious chemistry, which leads to many steamy moments, all within this arena of secrecy.

Their affair eventually changes course when Sebastian refuses to continue living his life as a lie, while Axel is reluctant to risk the security of his job. This creates many moments where they both must confront the reality of their feelings for one another which has the potential of having disastrous results.

Overall I really loved this story and how much fun this world is. I loved the character and the fast-paced vibe of this world. Such an enjoyable read that makes me excited for the next entry!!

*** I reviewed a complimentary copy of this story.***

[ivy · Rating 4 out of 5]

So happy to see more variety of sports being added to the MM romance world!

-race car drivers
-rivals w/ benefits to lovers
-good boy/bad boy
-secret hook-ups
-coming out
-strong relationship growth

I loved the sneak peek we got of Axel and Sebastian in the Anti-Valentine anthology so I was excited to get their full story here. The Heated Rivalry of racing books when it comes to sneaking around hooking up for years while having animosity for each other.
This was a really sweet, fast, low angst read.

“Jesus Christ, when bad boys go good, they go really, really good.”

ARC received by gay romance reviews

[Megan [At The Cottage] · Rating 3 out of 5]

MM Romance
Rivals To Lovers
3 Stars ⭐️


Oops forgot to review this so this is going to be short. Looks like I finished this 10 days ago and I legit cannot remember one of their names 😂 Sebastian is the pretty boy and the other one is the bad boy and they are rivals in the racing world. This book kind of reminded me of Heated Rivalry just because these two are rivals but have secretly been hooking up for years and neither one fit the role they are forced to play for the cameras because they are both gay and couldn’t be their true selves.

I probably would have avoided this one because this author doesn’t usually work for me but I liked the short version in the anthology earlier in the year and was curious to see a full book. I was surprised to find I couldn’t put this book down and read it within a few hours but as much as I liked it, I also found it quite forgettable which is why it only gets 3 stars. The main thing dragging my rating down is I never quite saw how they fell for each other. They met up for years to fuck and during those meet ups, they never spoke so it was a completely superficial kind of relationship but then after one race, something happens that makes one of them confront the other and from there it starts to turn into more but I just didn’t feel it. Yet, I couldn’t put it down. Go figure. 🤷🏻‍♀️ Actually, that’s how it always is when I read this author. I can never put her books down yet find her characters lackluster and even if I enjoyed reading the book at the time, a few days will go by and I’ll forget everything I just read which is why I rarely rate them above 3 stars.

[lakshmi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think I like this author!!

This wasn’t very deep and it didn’t have much character development but it was a good read with characters who cares and didn’t start conflicts at the 80% mark

[Dani · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am so happy this story was extended from the short in the Anti-Valentine anthology!

I rated it 4.5 as a short, and now with the characters way more developed and much more plot with more emotional impact, I absolutely loved it.

Motorsports are my absolute favourite type of sports, although I've never actually watched NASCAR (don't even know if it's broadcast in the UK) - but this was so enjoyable! I was basically going off my experience of watching Cars a million times with my son who loves Lightning McQueen when I was picturing the racing 😂

I loved both Axel and Sebastian, and I'm very keen to read the next book and see what happens with Royal. I'm also hoping Maverick gets his own book too because there are just not enough books set in Motorsport and I want more.

[ivanareadsalot · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would like to thank GRR and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

I enjoyed this Rivals to Lovers racing romance! I of course love a good sports romance, so I was very happy with PBvsBB as it was both my first for racing as well as my first ND novel! This romance was low angst, fun, and sexy-sweet, and I thought Axel and Sebastian were pretty adorable. There was a lightness to the writing style that made the story flow easily from beginning to end, but I was a bit surprised that this book didn't flex deeper, as it touched on some fairly important, heavier topics. All in all, I thought this was a very entertaining read that I gobbled up in one sitting, and because the side characters were all awesome and interesting, I definitely look forward to any and all future installments of this fun new series!

[Nordika Night · Rating 5 out of 5]

so swoony! 💜

The Pretty Boy vs. The Bad Boy by Nicole Dykes

♾️♾️♾️♾️♾️

These. Boys. 🥰

Two NASCAR drivers, in the closet because of different reasons, but who can blame them. Their fan base might not be as understanding as they hope.

Sebastian, the pretty boy, was sick of playing his role. Ready to speak his truth, it scared them both. They didn’t want to give each other up after developing something they thought was just a stress reliving arrangement over the years.

Axel, the bad boy, remained afraid. He’d come from nothing and proved to everyone that he had what it took. Could his sexuality ruin that?! He was scared, and we can’t fault him for that!

Overall, relatively low angst, swoony, and empowering! Nicole handled a sensitive topic with class and grace, and I enjoyed how it all worked out.

Read if you enjoy:
- secret hookups
- Coming out stories
- Racing and NASCAR
- Kitties!
- Brave together
- Empowerment

♾️♾️♾️♾️♾️♾️♾️

“I fell in love with Axel Lennon, and then, I let him go.”

[Jamie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This wasnt bad - it was pretty good, I liked the plot & the characters but it was a bit basic with not a lot going on

[mal. · Rating 1 out of 5]

1/5

the title and blurb were... far from impressive, so it's honestly surprising i picked up this book at all. what can i say? i had time, and i'm a shameless whore for the rival race car drivers concept.



i've yet to come across a story with it where it's executed well.

it's never a good feeling when you can tell a book is going to be underwhelming literally from the very first chapter the prologue. in all honesty, it was giving wattpad. the entire time. hardly any context or background information was given on the MCs, which subsequently made me not care about either of them in the slightest. they had no chemistry. there was so much telling and very little showing.

descriptions of the races were nonexistent, which made the two MCs being professional drivers feel completely irrelevant. the chapter would start when they'd already finished racing, it'd say who won, and then they'd go talk to reporters or something. just bland as fuck bro 😭 i promise i'll have completely forgotten about this book by tomorrow morning.

Because it’s always a battle between us. Decided a while ago. The media eats it up. Our fans live for any quick glances into our rivalry. They’ve had t-shirts made—Team Bad Boy vs. Team Pretty Boy.

idk who lied to this author, but no self-respecting human being is unironically buying a t-shirt that says "team pretty boy" on it, let alone willingly wearing said t-shirt out in public where they'll likely be perceived by other human beings.

also, what was the point of having 1-2 year time skips in between the first few chapters? i get that it was to show time passing or whatever, but it just felt really pointless and lazy to me.



and omg the names of secondary characters took me out so bad. river huxley? royal dutton? ms. dykes was seriously giving that pregnant chalkboard woman a run for her money.



oh, and sebastian and axel (had to check the blurb because i forgot their names... finished the book five minutes ago btw) getting engaged and married at the end was truly just the icing on the wattpad cake. i had to do a double-take to make sure i was reading correctly because it was just so comically sudden and forced.



overall, just a very dull and unexciting experience. at least it was short ❤️

[Bookish Meag &#x1fa75; · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my first book by Nicole Dykes, I can guarantee it won’t be my last. This was fast-paced and so easy to read. I completely was captivated by this one and couldn’t love it more.

🏁MM Romance
🏁Angel/Devil
🏁Racers/Rivals
🏁Sports Romance
🏁Opposites Attract
🏁Enemies to Lovers
🏁Secret Relationship

This is book one of Nicole’s On The Track series. At first, I thought Axel was a huge pain in the ass and he was but the more I read , the more I fell in love with both Sebastian and Axel. Axel has a softer side he tries to hide and reserves for most of the book. Sebastian and Axel show a lot of vulnerability with each other, the further you get into this one.

Axel and Sebastian have been rivals on the track since they met. Their agents set it up that way, the bad boy vs the pretty boy. They’ve both known they were gay since a young age but hid the truth, afraid of what it would do to their careers. Both getting new agents changed things for them, especially Sebastian.

They make a secret arrangement, to sleep together because it’s the safest way for them both. So they hook up with no feelings attached for years. When Sebastian, gets ready to come out and stop hiding, they decide to call things off, but it’s harder than they both imagined it would be.

This story has so many well rounded, thought out characters. First their agents Jenny and Cash, also Cash’s wife Leslie and then Maverick, Royal and Cooper. I can’t wait to read more about all these characters in the next book.

Thank you GRR for this ARC. This is my honest opinion.

[m · Rating 5 out of 5]

“We aren’t anything other than colleagues who fuck occasionally, just because it’s easier and safer than going out into the world to find a hookup.“
5⭐️3🌶️

Sebastian and Axel are rival Nascar drivers who have been encouraged to play roles as The All-American Pretty Boy and The Risk-taking Bad Boy but behind closed doors they are long term fuckbuddies.

Until Sebastian decides he’s ready to come out and Axel maintains that he’s not - so their arrangement has to end. Only they didn’t realise how addicted to each other they had become..

This book tugged on my heart the whole time! I loved that it largely centred around the very personal decision to come out, how that can affect those around you, and how sometimes pursuing your dreams isn’t worth it if you can’t be yourself. All while still completely being a romance 💘

I’m a Southern girl and my dad is a NASCAR dad. I know firsthand what the fans can be like and that added so much depth to the struggles these characters go through. I cried twice!!

I really loved the found family aspect in this as well (I immediately went to read Immoral so I could get more Jenny in my life) and I’m really excited for this new series.

“Who knew in the race between the bad boy and the pretty boy, we’d both win and lose so damn hard at the same time?”

I received an advanced copy for review - all opinions are my own.

[amber. · Rating 4 out of 5]

truly had fun reading this and it might be the lack of sleep I’ve had over the week but it also made me low key emotional?

It was so easy to fall in love with Axel and Sebastian. And how they both put on an act in front of cameras and fans but with each other they could be themselves🥹

“We lie in my bed under the covers, his head on my chest, and I try really hard not to think about how right this feels.”


Even though this was a short read and there was one main story line that was clear from the beginning, I never found myself bored or annoyed with what was happening. The angst was done well.

The ending? yeah😭 I love them

anyways I received an arc and this is my honest review

[Brooke · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️ 3.5 stars ⭐️

Rivals-to-lovers race car drivers.

“I’ll hate myself.” I don’t miss a beat, looking straight into his pretty blue eyes.
“Hate me instead.”

Wholesome and low stakes sports romance.
The racers aspect is what drew me in, but it was a little brushed over and not explored as I was hoping.
Sebastian and Axel were cute, but not extremely captivating.
Overall fun read, sweet and lightly spicy.

Tropes and NSFW info (spoilers):
- Racecar drivers
- Rivals-to-lovers
- Closeted MCs
- Vers MCs
- Cat owner

[⋆｡°✮ Lucy InTheSky ✮°｡⋆ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 - 3.75⭐ for the story, but I'll round it down.

The story is sweet and almost like a comfort read, it's not really angsty and provides a good setting with good - even great - characters, but I had a bit of a problem getting into it, then the book started picking up at about 30% and finally nailed it at 50%.
Some things didn't really make sense, but the MMCs had a sweet story between them, so I did have a good time in the end.

🟡 Sports romance - NASCAR
🔵 Both MMCs gay
🟢 Coming out (both)
🟣 Secret relationship
🟠 Rivals
🌶️ Great spice; both vers
🟢 No homophobia, no angst, a very supportive environment

The world setting is good, although it doesn't deal much with the sports itself, it's more in passing, but it's a decent setup.



Axel is a racer from a very humble background. He's been in foster care, had a shitty life and ended up being a racer right along with his best friend from foster care, Royal. Axel plays the role of a bad boy and his biggest rival is Sebastian, the all-American good boy.

Sebastian is Axel's polar opposite, he's blonde, pretty and can do no bad.
Axel and Sebastian aren't friends and the animosity between them isn't just for the show, it's real.

In the midst of everything that's going on they realise they're both closeted, so they make an arrangement between them and secretly start hooking up.

"What if they knew? Knew that Sebastian Harris, their golden boy, loves to fuck men just as much as he loves to be fucked by men? That he's a goddamn animal in the sack. That he likes it rough. Loves to bite and manhandle. That his cock has left me walking funny many, many times after a hard fucking. They'd turn on him too. "

The kicker here was that they were hooking up for almost 5 years. Like 5 damn years or regular hook ups with them not talking one bit and not only that, they're being exclusive here. Now, I might understand if it was for a few months, they don't need to talk, they don't need to hook up with others if it's on the DL and the guy is right there, close, available and won't say a thing. That's believable. But 5 years?

But fine, for the sake of the story, let's say it was five years of great sex with each other and noone else and they didn't want to do anything with the other besides the sex, fine.
After those 5 years suddenly Sebastian has an issue with him being closeted and wants to come out - just as things between him and Axel start to get deeper.

Axel and Sebastian start talking and sharing things and out of nowhere these feelings come crashing in, so they gradually fall in love - which was definitely believable. It was slow, it was careful and made sense since they've been basically building up this situationship for 5 goddamn years.

What I personally didn't really like here was the coming out part. Sebastian seemed way too unsure about it, and not only that, their relationship had just gotten started, so it made no sense for it to end - which it did, in a way. They stopped seeing each other, telling each other it was just temporary, but seriously, it made no sense.

The final big gesture was from Axel and it had to do with him coming out and showing the world they're together. It was heartwarming and sweet, but again - no backlash? Nothing? It seemed like them coming out separately and them coming out as a couple made absolutely no negative impact in their careers in this sport, which was not believable. A little bit of angst should've been present, I think.

All in all it was a good story, I liked the setting and the side characters - I liked Jenny! My god, this is the first time I'm reading about a female side character in m/m books that's fierce, strong and positive! And yes, I'll definitely be reading Immoral, as suggested.

I'm continuing with this series, it's definitely better than #Spark of hope series, somewhere in the range of #Kensley Panthers.

[DeniReadsMostlyMM · Rating 4 out of 5]

***ARC Review***

This is my honest review for the ARC I received.

I loved this story when it was a novella in the Anti-Valentine anthology. I was super excited to hear it was being expanded, edited, and released as a full length novel. This book is super interesting and was hard to put down.

Sebastian and Axel are both race car drivers. They love the track. They have a heated rivalry going on, a lot of it put in motion by the roles they have had to play on account of their agents (present or former). They push each other’s buttons and get under each other’s skin. They also have intense chemistry and a strong physical connection. There are some hints in Axel’s backstory to let you know why he is the way he is.

Since both men are in the closest and lonely on the road during the racing season, they are able to rely on one another for a physical release. These two stay in each other’s orbit for years. Eventually, things get more emotional. I loved when they started talking after the deed and things went a little deeper. Things start to gradually shift for Sebastian and Axel. The push and pull/battle for dominance the pair have going on stays the same, however.

It was very touching seeing Sebastian and Axel growing protective and supportive of one another. It was very clear how much they cared for each other. There’s a bit of conflict as Sebastian decides whether to publicly come out or not. Don’t worry, the MCs achieve their HEA in a really great way.

I really loved seeing the support they have from those close to them as well. Cash, Leslie, Jenny, Cooper, Maverick, and Royal are awesome colleagues and friends for the couple. Acceptance is a beautiful thing. It was also cool meeting the cast of other racing characters that are sure to follow up in the series.

This book has good dialogue, some heat, and a nice helping of heart. I’m excited for this new series AND for the next book up - Royal’s story!

[Sheena · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5 stars

Everything may not be totally perfect, but these stolen moments with him—they’re enough for me. I’m happier than I’ve ever been in my life. Even with my boyfriend in the closet, cats, and annoying best friends.

I didn’t know whether to rate it 4 stars or 3 stars so i’m going right in between. I really liked this though! It was a fun story, but there was a couple of things holding it back from being above 4 stars.

My heart rate kicks up. His presence still does that to me, even after all these years. The adrenaline. The excitement. The fear. It’s so damn tangible every single time we’re together. Naked or not. Doesn’t matter. The way he makes me feel is always the same.

There were positives though. I really did like how well fleshed out the side characters were. Like Cooper for example. While he didn’t play the biggest role, it didn’t feel like he was just there to move the plot along. I liked how Axel and Sebastian’s backstory is all there. Though I wished he got more of Axel’s. I wanted to know more about his past then what was given. But the cutest part had to be his love for animals. It made my heart melt.

The kitten wakes up and starts rubbing against my hand. “Can I?”
“Oh, yes. Of course.” He nods to me, and I pick the kitten up, looking into its green eyes and smiling. Yeah, I’m getting a damn cat.
I’ve been out of foster care for years. I have a bigass house. I can get a pet.
“Let’s get you all set then, okay?”
I nod and follow the guy over to a desk while I cuddle and play with the feisty little kitten as I fill out forms.

Another thing that bothered me a tiny bit was the ending. While their relationship was done really well, I feel like there was something missing. I think I would have liked to see Axel and Sebastian a little more about Axel came out, but that’s just me. Other than those tiny things I really did enjoy it! Im so excited for Royal’s story. I can’t wait.

He looks so damn lost, so I shove the door closed behind me and wrap him in my arms. His body is pliant and willing to mold against mine as the fingers of his hand find the back of my hair and thread through it, holding me to him. He breathes me in, and I nuzzle his neck, doing the same.

[Jacqueleen the Reading Queen♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Who knew in the race between the bad boy and the pretty boy, we'd both win and lose so damn hard at the same time."


An enemies to lovers sports romance by Nicole Dykes? SOLD! I really enjoyed this new series opener. Sebastian and Axel were both likeable MCs. Sebastian for his morals and bravery. For standing up for what he thought was right and wanting to live his life on his own terms. And then there's Axel. He broke my heart. He's confident in his persona. His skills on the track speak for themselves. However, he's also incredibly terrified of losing everything he's worked so hard to get and being outed as a gay racer is a threat to all he holds dear. As a foster kid, Axel grew up with nothing. Now that he's made something of himself, he swears he will never let himself go back to having nothing ever again. Even if it means losing the man he's somehow grown to love.


"We both know...it really is the end of something that could have been so damn great.
If I wasn't such a goddamn coward."


These two had a lot of hurdles against them. What started off as a convenient and discrete hookup over the years slowly changed into more. But just like their relationship changed, people also change too. They are both older, more set in their careers. Sebastian is finally ready to live his truth, while Axel is still firmly keeping a terrified choke hold on his closet door. In the end they both have to decide if the fallout is worth it. Since this is a romance we know the books going to end with an HEA. And it does. In epic Axel fashion and I couldn't have asked for anything more.

[Mug]

dnf @ 43%…….how is possible to have two main characters who have been fucking for 5 years to have absolutely zero sexual tension or chemistry😐

[rayy ♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

At first I was like: What in the Heated Rivalry is this? It's almost like a carbon copy of it except it's car racing, and a lot more fast paced. Despite the resemblance to Ilya and Shane's story, I think Axel and Sebastian have their own charm. I just wish they had more build up. It was so fast paced on the early chapters that I had a whiplash. Axel just got soft out of nowhere, too, which was meh.

Also, I wished it got deeper into the car racing thing. I don't normally care about the sports part in sports romances, just the aesthetics of it really, but this got me curious about racing.

I was obviously wishing for more but at the same time my brain's not ready for complicated plots and magical creatures at the time, so this was still fun. ❤️

[Kenny Danewitz raveh · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am sorry to say but this just felt mellow. They were dealing with one thing and one thing only throughout the book. I liked the beginning of it, the crave, the competitiveness, push and pull, but I didn’t feel any proses towards Like and definitely not towards Love.
For the first 70%!!!! Percent of the book Sebastian wanted to act, talked about acting, sulking and doing nothing. I get the Why I just don’t get why I need to read this. The extra 30%? It was Axel’s turn.
Sorry but even though the writing was very easy to read there wasn’t much here.

[LibraryofR · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who is really the bad boy 😉 this book was amazing! I got it as an arc read and I couldn't put it down. Enemies to lovers trope is the best in my opinion. Axel being the bad boy that he is took my heart as soon as the story started and his backstory made me cry. Sebastian being the good one and his fears and his heart made me swoon over him just as much. Loved the side characters and the managers for those boys. Can't wait for the next one ❤️

[therese ˃ᴗ˂ · Rating 4 out of 5]

CUTEEEE.

Listen, I know that the transition from enemies to fuck buddies to friends to lovers was not detailed and unrealistic. They were talking only a little bit in the middle, but they just developed feelings over the years, but I loved that more than pages and pages of angst and longing. I kinda believe that somewhere they fell in love, and I love that the coming out was not forced and it was the mc's own decision. I loved that it was focused more on external problems than their internal relationship problems. I love that Axel only goes soft for his pretty boy. This was cute tbh and low angst. This was also a quick read, so I prefer that to be honest.

[Ana Nimity]

DNF at 28%.

I tried, y'all. I really did.

This book is not about NASCAR. It's some fictionalized racing series that the author labeled as NASCAR Cup racing but it is not at all accurate in any way.

I've been a die-hard NASCAR fan for 25 years and have been privileged to cover quite a few races in person as media. I know many of the other media members personally, have met a lot of drivers, and even interviewed a couple of them. I know what the media center is like, what the PR is like, and have a better-than-casual understanding of the way the business works.

This isn't it.

That's probably part of the reason I couldn't connect to the characters. (I didn't feel any connection between them, either, but it's possible I DNFd too soon for that.) I was too busy making notes that say "NOOO" or "THAT'S NOT HOW THIS WORKS. THAT'S NOT HOW ANY OF THIS WORKS."

Agents don't play nearly the role in NASCAR that this book suggests. Some drivers have them, but they're much more influenced by their crew chiefs, their PR person, their team owners, and their sponsors, none of which were mentioned. They're independent contractors and their agents negotiate the terms of their employment with a team, but agents are not required for that process.

The way the business works could easily been used to create the same conflict or even better tension and drama than is in the book. Sponsor expectations carry millions of dollars with them that run the teams and no one wants to piss them off. Crew chiefs and spotters are in the driver's ear every time they're on the track. Team owners have expectations of how their driver will act and will end a contract if those expectations are not met.

Agents certainly don't manufacture personas for their drivers - regardless of what people say, it's not like the WWE where characters are created as the heel or the baby face. The FANS determine that based on their reaction to the drivers and the drivers' actions on the track.

Racers don't intentionally wreck other drivers to keep them from winning or they get penalized by the sanctioning body. They may wreck them trying to win, but retaliation gets slapped with a suspension, and if you don't race, you don't get points and if you don't get points, you fall behind in the championship standings.

Finally, the whole "You deserve to live your life the way you want to, celebrity or not. You don't owe anyone that part of you" sounds good on paper, but it's totally unrealistic in the world of NASCAR where fans still protest the banning of the Confederate battle flag. A driver would need to consider their safety, their sponsorship, and their entire racing careers to be "out and proud" and still be in a competitive ride.

I could go on an on with what isn't accurate, but I won't. I'll just say I'm totally disappointed that if any research was done into the business of NASCAR, it didn't make it onto the page, so I found the characters and story totally unbelievable and I simply couldn't finish the book. The rest of the series doesn't look promising either.

I like the books I've read by this author. She has talent and I wish her success. But this book didn't work at all for me and is the rare exception to my "if I don't like it, I just won't review it" policy.

[Jane aka Coughy019 (Safety info included) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tropes: Rivals to lovers, found family, hookups to more, secret/forbidden relationship
Feels: 4/5
Steam*: 4.5/5
Kinks: no
Angst: low/medium
HEA: yes
Pairing: MM
Triggers/potential icks/content themes: homophobia, foster care

Sebastian and Axel are racecar drivers. They have both built up reputations for marketing purposes... Axel is known as the bad boy, while Sebastian is pretty and good. They have a rivalry and initially clash. They are both in the closet. But one day Axel sees something in Sebastian's expression and he knows that Sebastian is gay like him. Axel propositions him, and starts them off on an ongoing hookup relationship that lasts for years.

But it starts being more. And Sebastian is feeling trapped in the closet, he wants to come out. But if Sebastian comes out people will start looking closer at the interactions between Sebastian and Axel. An Axel isn't ready to come out. So the clock starts ticking on them just as they are getting more invested.

I really liked this book. This was a top tier premise. It had so many elements that I love in a romance. They started out as rivals and enemies what they just got more and more hungry for each other over time. And the feelings snuck in and closeness developed. And then they were secret boyfriends. And talking about a future.

I'd say this was 4.5 stars because it hit so many things for me. One thing it could have done better though is showing a bit more stream of consciousness thoughts. It kind of felt like they told us rather than showed us what the emotions were, and I think it would have added a bit more depth if we'd seen directly into their heads a little bit more. Btw, I liked the references to Immoral.

Some notable moments:

"I try to stay away. I fight with myself repeatedly. I ignore that nagging craving deep inside me until it boils over and I seek him out. Every. Single. Time. He never comes to me because he doesn’t have to. He just pisses me off and waits."

"When I reach the bathroom, Sebastian is zipping up and walking from the urinal to the sink, then washing his hands as he eyes me in the mirror. “Axel . . .” he sighs. I can hear the warning in his voice, telling me we can’t do this in public. Saying we should keep our distance. But I can’t take it anymore. I close the gap between us in long, rapid steps and grasp his face in my hands just as he turns around. “Ax—” I don’t let him finish. I smash my mouth against his without any grace or warning, and he doesn’t push me away."


*FYI, I rate steam based on a combination of quality & quantity. I note kink separate from steam because I don't want to underrate steamy reads that don't have much kink."

[Fiona · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was initially a short story in the Anti-Valentine anthology. I was glad when I heard Nicole was to going to turn it into a full book, because I really wanted more. Sebastian and Axel are race car drivers with carefully crafted personas – the pretty boy and the bad boy, respectively. They are fiercely competitive and their animosity on the racetrack does nothing to dampen their attraction to each other off the track. Given the sport they are in, they are both well in the closet. While they are both concerned about the possible implications of “coming out” Sebastian wants to be his authentic self and Axel is determined to keep his sexuality to himself. I really loved these two, but I have to say Axel the bad boy was my favorite – probably because I was drawn to him because of his past and how despite his past he made something of himself. This was an entertaining read with a whole cast of characters that I hope we see more of in the future. I also enjoyed the angst and tension as Sebastian and Axel fell for each other and struggled to be together when they were in very different places in terms of publicly acknowledging their sexuality. Their struggles just made the HEA that much sweeter, and Axel does know how to make a big statement. I really enjoyed this book, it was an emotional, steamy read. I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. 4.5⭐️s

[readingwithmiaa · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5⭐️
3.25🌶️



Recommend The Audiobook If Y’all Want t To Read This But Other Then That, This Was Okay, Nothing Special But Something Quick And I Love That💕💕💕💕

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish I had picked this one up sooner, it was so good. Sebastian and Axel might have started out as rivals who hated each other, but ended up being so cute together. I love seeing a bad boy turn sweet for the right guy. I’m excited for the rest of this series.

[Christina Sturgill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating: 3/5 🌟
Spice: 3/5 🌶️
Characters: Sebastian and Axel