Podium Finish

by Rhae Aeden

“As long as that black diamond ring is wrapped around your finger, nobody but me gets to touch you.”

The new owner of Cavalgio Nero, Daniel Conte is determined to cleanse the team of corruption and fill a void that haunts him from his past.

Miriam Lefebvre thought she had it all: a successful career, the job of her dreams, and a future laid out before her - but something was missing from her life.

Miriam and Daniel find themselves on the same team but on opposite sides of the track, when the unspoken truths from his past, threaten to ignite a fire that could consume them both.

Can they set aside their differences and confront their past before it's too late?

Genres: Romance, Sports

Kindle Edition

Published July 23, 2024

About the author

Rhae Aeden is a Spanish girl, whose love for reading and hyperactive mind have pushed her into writing and publishing her own books.
As the hopeless romantic she is, Rhae writes new adult romance with a dash of comedy and twisted turns, always trying to portray relatable and strong characters.

Reviews

[drew :) · Rating 4 out of 5]

firstly I’d like to thank rhae for providing me an earc of this book for an honest review!

I did enjoy this one! It was a good well paced read though it took me about until 20% into the story to really get into it, but after about 20% I was hooked. I’m not a big dark romance reader but I actually enjoyed this one, be sure to check the trigger warnings before reading! This is an enemies to lovers second chance forced marriage dark romance between daniel, a trans man who is the new owner of an f1 team and mariam a black woman with is the senior accountant for the oldest f1 team. While reading it was so fun to see their relationship and chemistry grow from people who hate each other to lovers, I loved seeing both of the characters growth throughout the story. daniel and mariams banter throughout the book was absolutely amazing and had me giggling constantly. This book is an f1 romance but neither drive actually f1 cars, there is a scene of them racing on motorcycles 🤭, there are a few races that take place in the book for the 2026 season but for the most part this book focuses on the preseason testing of f1, which is still honestly fun to read about. Throughout this book you have the current timeline and also flashbacks to Monaco 2024, which I also loved reading. Overall I really enjoyed this one and definitely recommend it for any dark romance f1 loving people!!

tropes:
•billionaire/ceo romance
•accidental forced marriage
•enemies to lovers
•trans romance
•forced proximity

[henrietta ✰ · Rating 2 out of 5]

~ 2.5 stars

[Edilovesreading · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my second time diving into Podium Finish and every time I fall more in love with the characters and the story!
The story centers around Dani, the new CEO of Cavalier Nero, on a mission to restore the team to its former glory, and Miriam, whose complicated history with Dani has evolved into mutual resentment (if you didn’t already sign up for this, what are you waiting for???😝)

If you're yearning for….
- … an unexpected marriage between two people who hate each other 🤭
- … funny, witty, and steamy banter (its literally chefs kiss banter, trust me 🤌🏻)
- … electric chemistry (as a STEM woman I wholeheartedly approve 🧪)
- … a rollercoaster of emotions (#screaming, crying, giggeling, kicking my feet…)
- … amazing representation!
- … authentic characters
- … and a mystery 👀

…then this one is for you!!!

My fav part (not only in this book, but in general with all the books Miss Aeden writes) is the F1 aspect! As someone who discovered a passion for F1 through this series, I can tell you that this story is perfect for die-hard F1 fans and newcomers with the perfect blend of sports drama and romance.
This story focuses more on the behind the scenes of the sport which I absolutely love and find so unique compared to other F1 sports romances out there (#morewomaninF1 🤌🏻). But don’t worry we still have a couple of races in this book which are gonna make you heart race (pun intended 🥰)!

Also shout out to my bestie Rhae for letting me be her beta-reader again for the 2nd time ❤️

[destiny · Rating 4 out of 5]

thank you rhae for giving me the opportunity to arc read this book !! i absolutely love this series and this book holds such a special place in my heart <3

there is nothing better than a dark F1 romance 🏎️🖤
add that to a one night stand, forced marriage, second chance, and enemies to lovers …
WHAT MORE COULD YOU WANT !?

i just knew i loved miriam the second she was mentioned in book one !! she cares so much about the people she loves and it was so amazing getting to know her more in this book. daniel had always fought for what he wanted and dreamed of. he became the youngest F1 owner and how his story unfolded was so beautifully written. the banter between miriam and daniel was EVERYTHING !! i completely ate it up 😩

i cried every time daniel shut down but i also understood him. he quickly became one of my favorite fictional characters.

this book is truly a message to those who want to be a part of the change that is currently happening in this world. with the evolvement in the motorsports industry and the struggle of finding a place in this world.

[Lucie Hillsley · Rating 4 out of 5]

✸ 𝗧𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝘀 ✸
F1 romance 🏎
Grumpy x sunshine ☀️
Accidental marriage 💍
Workplace romance 💼
One bed 🛏


“𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘱𝘰𝘥𝘪𝘶𝘮 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘩, 𝘔𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘮.”


I was really excited to read this because it was my first F1 romance, and the mix with the dark romance side of it was a really interesting combination! 🏎

I loved how confident and bold Miriam was as a character and her determination to make sure that Daniel knew he was enough for her even if he couldn’t give her his heart! And the representation in this book was amazing, the whole cast were so different and diverse! 🖤

I’m not the biggest dark romance reader so it took a few chapters for me to get into the story but when I got to the last third of the book, I couldn’t put it down! The pacing was perfect because I could really get into the racing side of it as well as the bigger revenge plot line and even though a lot was going on, it didn’t feel like it skipped over anything.

The only thing that stopped me giving it a higher rating was because there were a lot of grammatical errors which really took me out of the story and made it a bit jarring to read because I kept stumbling over the mistakes, but these will most likely be smoothed out before release!

[Britt · Rating 5 out of 5]

if you are looking for a f1 romance where he’s a billionaire and the new ceo of the that that she works at, they’re enemies who become lovers podium finish bu rhae aeden is something you should be looking into!!

podium finish is quite literally different than any other f1 romance you have or will ever read and the representation that this book has is insane!! he’s a trans man, she’s a person of colour and the plot if this book is INCREDIBLE!

[Kacey Co]

First I want to say thank you to Rhae for giving me the opportunity to beta read podium finish.
A dark F1 romance with a surprise trope and one night stand 🤭
Not only was this a well paced, easy read but it was a great continuation from the speed trap.
There was a lot of representation within this book while still managing to maintaining a good plot which I really appreciated.

[Chayde - thequeenofbooks]

I’m a sucker for a sports romance and a dark one. I loved the concept of the story. I will say this series is absolutely intriguing and I cannot fault Rhae for her writing & the story she brought to life unfortunately it was not for me.

If you love:
Dark f1 romance
Billionaire romance
He’s obsessed with her but doesn’t know it
Arranged forced marriage
Transgender romance

[Elijah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I laughed. I cried. I felt seen in a story for the first time in Daniel. I will forever cherish this story like no other. Thank you for writing such a story.

[Rileigh 24 · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you’re looking for a dark f1 romance you’re in the right place.

A failed One Night Stand. A forced marriage and a friendship no one wants.

Since he barely survived from a terrible experience, revenge is what fuels Daniel. He grabbed his pain and turned it into motivation to keep going and to become the youngest f1 team owner.
Miriam has everything but she is forced to trail him hoping not to get eaten alive while he gets rid of everything that corrupted the team.
A drunken mistake leads to a marriage that becomes an arrangement of convenience and god only knows how much i love this trope along with the enemies to lovers one.
The banter in this book made me finish it in a bunch of days especially thanks to the micro trope SECOND CHANCE. I couldn’t stop reading about their electricity and tension.

There are a lot of topics touched such as sexism in motorsports, the struggle of being a transgender man in a world dominated by toxicity. The author explained them and written in a good way, explained egregiously.
I felt terribile each time Daniel shut himself, taking distance from her only because he was certain she had the keys to break his already too frail heart. I loved every word because Daniel is a complex character and his representation can give hope to the trans community. I am glad Daniel could leave behind his loneliness to live fully in the name of the love he always deserved. I am glad Rhae told us their story, giving us the Monaco and London vibes, the f1, the boats, the luxury, the teams, the drivers, their team principals at its finest.

A book written for those who want to make a difference, for people who want to feel safe and valued. Two strong characters who want to do something that matters and help people.

[Victoria Nygaard · Rating 4 out of 5]

A one night stand that went wrong and an arranged marriage, spiced up with the crazy atmosphere in the formula 1 paddock.

Podium finish is the third book in the chequered flag series, and damn it was a ride!

Daniel is a transgender man who went through a traumatic experience as a younger version of him self, and now he is sequin revenge. A revenge that involves buying a corrupted f1 team.

Miriam has it all. A successful career as an f1 journalist, a job she has always dreamed of, and her future laid out for her. But her mind is still on the beautiful man she once had a one night stand with.
_______________________________

I've read my fair share of f1 inspired books, and let me tell you - Rhae is out there absolutely killing it! The whole aspect of f1, the teams, the cars, the rules is done to perfection. Everything is so realistic and it's a treat to read!

I'm gonna be honest with you, I was a bit sceptic about the transgender trope. But wow it opened my eyes to this whole new world of things I didn't know existed. I was intrigued by the switch of it, and the thoughts behind Daniel is so well written.

The story being an enemies to lovers, dark romance just does it for me! Rhae is such a strong author, and all 3 books in this series has been a blast to read. I cannot recommend it enough, even if your knowledge of f1 is small, this series is such a great guideline to prep you for the real thing. ❤️

[Caroline · Rating 5 out of 5]

Podium Finish by Rhae Aeden is my favorite F1 romance. Im actually so obsessed with this series and devoured Daniel and Miriam's book. I loved the chemistry they had and i loved ghat this was a darker romance. I absolutely loved Miriam's character, she was truly a bad bitch and i love that she always stood up for herself and Daniel. Im a sucker for marriage of convenience books so i was sucked in so fast, but also the mystery aspect of this book kept me on my toes. i was constantly trying to figure out who "the cat" was. I loved the depth of Daniel's character and loved getting to know Daniel and Miriam's past. The end if the book had me at the edge of my seat, I wish i could read this book for the first time again.

Big thank you to Rhae Aeden for entrusting me to be a beta reader. This book (and series) is my favorite F1 series out there <3