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Fast Track #2
Too Fast to Fall
So what if she’s crushing on a race car driver? That doesn’t mean it’s love at first lap.
But maybe it’s love at first lap dog?
Yesterday, Piper Murphy was just another dog sitter helping her sister with wedding prep while pretending she’s over her own broken engagement.
Today, she’s the fill-in dog sitter for Formula One driver Emilio Baquero. Brooding, gorgeous driver + naughty, cute Lab? Woof, down boy.
When Emilio offers her a five-week gig as his live-in dog nanny in London, Piper can’t help but say yes. It’s out of her comfort zone, sure, but it’s also a ticket to travel, racing, and caring for a dog she already adores. All while escaping the wedding planning that’s put her failures front and center.
Only being under the same roof means there’s no escaping Emilio’s intensity, or grumpiness. Piper tries to be a sunny presence, but their clashes just fuel the slow-burn tension to something near combustible.
Because falling for your boss is risky when you have a broken heart. Falling for your famous boss and his adorable dog? That’s a crash waiting to happen.
Too Fast to Fall is part of the Fast Track series from Karen Booth. Don't miss the first book, Not So Fast.
But maybe it’s love at first lap dog?
Yesterday, Piper Murphy was just another dog sitter helping her sister with wedding prep while pretending she’s over her own broken engagement.
Today, she’s the fill-in dog sitter for Formula One driver Emilio Baquero. Brooding, gorgeous driver + naughty, cute Lab? Woof, down boy.
When Emilio offers her a five-week gig as his live-in dog nanny in London, Piper can’t help but say yes. It’s out of her comfort zone, sure, but it’s also a ticket to travel, racing, and caring for a dog she already adores. All while escaping the wedding planning that’s put her failures front and center.
Only being under the same roof means there’s no escaping Emilio’s intensity, or grumpiness. Piper tries to be a sunny presence, but their clashes just fuel the slow-burn tension to something near combustible.
Because falling for your boss is risky when you have a broken heart. Falling for your famous boss and his adorable dog? That’s a crash waiting to happen.
Too Fast to Fall is part of the Fast Track series from Karen Booth. Don't miss the first book, Not So Fast.
281 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 26, 2026
About the author
Karen Booth
310 books532 followersKaren Booth is a Midwestern girl transplanted in the South, raised on 80s music and repeated readings of Forever by Judy Blume. She writes steamy contemporary romance and women's fiction. When she isn't creating fictional hunky men and the women who test them, she's listening to music with her kids, honing her Southern cooking skills or sweet-talking her astoundingly supportive husband into whipping up a batch of cocktails.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 234 reviews
June 5, 2026
short and sweet f1 romance with a single dog dad! emilio is a formula 1 driver who needs a dog nanny after his dog, gus, chases his other nanny’s away. piper is a dog walker/sitter who happens to be an f1 fan. emilio and piper seem worlds apart but quickly find out they have a lot in common - mostly their love of gus.
i really liked pipers character, she is enthusiastic and really resilient, even when she definitely has reason to wallow in her circumstances. i also liked that even though it has forced proximity from the start, it didn’t turn into insta love for these two.
maybe could’ve done without gus’s pov but it was more cheesy than cringe. the narrators did a good job!
thank you netgalley for the arc!
i really liked pipers character, she is enthusiastic and really resilient, even when she definitely has reason to wallow in her circumstances. i also liked that even though it has forced proximity from the start, it didn’t turn into insta love for these two.
maybe could’ve done without gus’s pov but it was more cheesy than cringe. the narrators did a good job!
thank you netgalley for the arc!
February 28, 2026
Calling all my dog lovers, you need to read this one! One of my favorite things about Too Fast to Fall is not the sweet and caring romance, not the exciting F1 races, not even the grumpy x sunshine dynamic (which, if you know me, you know I adore), it's the fact that we get chapters in Gus, the dog's, POV.
I've really been on a sunshine nanny and grumpy father (daddy, if you will) kick recently, but this is the first time that the FMC has been a dog nanny—and I love it. Gus is so cute, so lovable, and so invested in making sure Piper and Emilio get together! The antics that Gus pulls are hilarious and sweet: he wraps his leash around them, pushes Piper into Emilio's arm multiple times, and tries to whine and beg his way into getting them into the same bed.
Everything else that I listed about the romance, racing, and character dynamics were also thoroughly enjoyable. It was so lovely to see Emilio slowly open up to Piper, and how the two of them helped each other heal from their past ex's and relationships. Their romance is sweet, swoony, and so adorable. I would have preferred a bit more communication on their part, the problems that cropped up towards the last third of the book could have been solved with just a bit more talking! But ultimately, the scenes that came of it and their confession and HEA still felt worth it.
I also thought the F1 elements in this book were really well done. I am a huge fan of how Karen Booth alternated POVs within a chapter to give us both Emilio and Piper's thoughts during a race. It kept the pace rapid, matching the thrill of the cars and the laps as they counted down.
Definitely a racing romance that I'll be adding to my recommendations list. A really fun and sweet one for if you need a quick romance that will leave you with a huge smile on your face.
﹙ three-point-five stars ﹚
— thank you so much to harlequin books for the e-arc via netgalley review!
I've really been on a sunshine nanny and grumpy father (daddy, if you will) kick recently, but this is the first time that the FMC has been a dog nanny—and I love it. Gus is so cute, so lovable, and so invested in making sure Piper and Emilio get together! The antics that Gus pulls are hilarious and sweet: he wraps his leash around them, pushes Piper into Emilio's arm multiple times, and tries to whine and beg his way into getting them into the same bed.
Everything else that I listed about the romance, racing, and character dynamics were also thoroughly enjoyable. It was so lovely to see Emilio slowly open up to Piper, and how the two of them helped each other heal from their past ex's and relationships. Their romance is sweet, swoony, and so adorable. I would have preferred a bit more communication on their part, the problems that cropped up towards the last third of the book could have been solved with just a bit more talking! But ultimately, the scenes that came of it and their confession and HEA still felt worth it.
I also thought the F1 elements in this book were really well done. I am a huge fan of how Karen Booth alternated POVs within a chapter to give us both Emilio and Piper's thoughts during a race. It kept the pace rapid, matching the thrill of the cars and the laps as they counted down.
Definitely a racing romance that I'll be adding to my recommendations list. A really fun and sweet one for if you need a quick romance that will leave you with a huge smile on your face.
﹙ three-point-five stars ﹚
— thank you so much to harlequin books for the e-arc via netgalley review!
May 2, 2026
Another hit by Karen Booth!
I adored Book 1 in this series, Not So Fast - so I JUMPED to grab this galley the second I saw it! Piper is a dog sitter in Miami who receives a last minute call to dog sit for Formula One driver Emilio. Gus (Emilio's dog) is notorious for being adorable but also a little naughty, but immediately connects with Piper. Emilio sees this as the answer to all of his problems and invite Piper to travel with him as a live-in dog nanny for Gus. And things definitely get...intense.
I wasn't exaggerating when I said this was another hit by Booth! I adored this story, the characters, the development, ALL of it. Gus was such a shining star and his POV chapters were SO GOOD and cute and ugh I just LOVED them. The grumpy x sunshine was also well done and I just thoroughly enjoyed binging this from start to finish in less than 24 hours.
I listened to this galley on audio and really enjoyed it! The flow was great and the narrator was a great choice for the characters (she did great accents!). My only wish for this book was either a dual or duet narration - sometimes it took me a moment to figure out who's POV we were in. My only critique!
I definitely recommend Too Fast to Fall.
I adored Book 1 in this series, Not So Fast - so I JUMPED to grab this galley the second I saw it! Piper is a dog sitter in Miami who receives a last minute call to dog sit for Formula One driver Emilio. Gus (Emilio's dog) is notorious for being adorable but also a little naughty, but immediately connects with Piper. Emilio sees this as the answer to all of his problems and invite Piper to travel with him as a live-in dog nanny for Gus. And things definitely get...intense.
I wasn't exaggerating when I said this was another hit by Booth! I adored this story, the characters, the development, ALL of it. Gus was such a shining star and his POV chapters were SO GOOD and cute and ugh I just LOVED them. The grumpy x sunshine was also well done and I just thoroughly enjoyed binging this from start to finish in less than 24 hours.
I listened to this galley on audio and really enjoyed it! The flow was great and the narrator was a great choice for the characters (she did great accents!). My only wish for this book was either a dual or duet narration - sometimes it took me a moment to figure out who's POV we were in. My only critique!
I definitely recommend Too Fast to Fall.
May 31, 2026
A sweet romance for F1 and dog lovers, it reads like a breeze!
This was a fast read, that's for sure. A tad unrealistic, but what romance book isn't? I very much enjoyed the dynamic between Piper and Emilio, with Gus in the mix. The few chapters from the beloved dog's point of view were a really nice touch and an interesting narrative device, I have to say.
The F1 background was well done; I'm usually afraid of inconsistencies on that front, but it all looked good here (we even got a DRS explanation—something I'm missing in the current season!). The romance follows a "grumpy and sunshine" plot with a side of forced proximity. And of course, both of them are dog lovers, though to varying degrees. Nothing felt cringey; everything flows smoothly, albeit quickly, as it's a rather short novel.
I feel as though if it had been a bit longer, we could have explored the background characters more, such as Piper and Emilio's families, but it's still an enjoyable read that delivers on what it promises.
Thank you to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy.
This was a fast read, that's for sure. A tad unrealistic, but what romance book isn't? I very much enjoyed the dynamic between Piper and Emilio, with Gus in the mix. The few chapters from the beloved dog's point of view were a really nice touch and an interesting narrative device, I have to say.
The F1 background was well done; I'm usually afraid of inconsistencies on that front, but it all looked good here (we even got a DRS explanation—something I'm missing in the current season!). The romance follows a "grumpy and sunshine" plot with a side of forced proximity. And of course, both of them are dog lovers, though to varying degrees. Nothing felt cringey; everything flows smoothly, albeit quickly, as it's a rather short novel.
I feel as though if it had been a bit longer, we could have explored the background characters more, such as Piper and Emilio's families, but it's still an enjoyable read that delivers on what it promises.
Thank you to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy.
February 22, 2026
The single dog parent trope is not one I knew I needed in my life, but now I require more! This was such a cute and fun story, made even better by the fact there were chapters written from the dogs point of view.
Top F1 driver Emilio can’t seem to find a nanny who will look after his dog, Gus, whilst he’s tearing it up on the track. But luckily for him Piper has just the treats to sweeten up Gus and fill more than just the role of ‘dog nanny’ in Emilio’s life. Did someone say, puppy love? (I’m sorry, I had to.)
Filled with lots of F1 glamour, adorable dog meddling and a host of side characters you can’t help but love, this was a fun and fast read.
If anything, I wouldn’t have minded it being longer and seeing more of the build up between the relationship and also some of the side stories.
Overall, keen to read more in this series - hopefully there will be more dogs!
Thanks NetGalley and Harlequin Romance for the ARC.
Top F1 driver Emilio can’t seem to find a nanny who will look after his dog, Gus, whilst he’s tearing it up on the track. But luckily for him Piper has just the treats to sweeten up Gus and fill more than just the role of ‘dog nanny’ in Emilio’s life. Did someone say, puppy love? (I’m sorry, I had to.)
Filled with lots of F1 glamour, adorable dog meddling and a host of side characters you can’t help but love, this was a fun and fast read.
If anything, I wouldn’t have minded it being longer and seeing more of the build up between the relationship and also some of the side stories.
Overall, keen to read more in this series - hopefully there will be more dogs!
Thanks NetGalley and Harlequin Romance for the ARC.
April 16, 2026
Single dog parent might be my new favourite trope!
Thank you Harlequin for the ARC!
I enjoyed this book much for than the first tbh. I don’t know much about F1 but it was a short and sweet read!
Gus honestly made the book. I love that hes a dog but Emilio’s wingman. He even has 5 chapters from his perspective! The only other book I’ve seen this done in is “if it makes you happy.” The vibes are also similar to Helena Huntings “A Love Catastrophe”
The book is fast paced and insta lovey with predictable moments but sometimes that’s what you need in a romance book!
My main beef is… she is always stroking this man from base to tip DRY?? Whyyy. The spicy scenes could definitely be written much better. I’m sorry.
If Gus wasn’t in this book the writing might’ve made me rate this book lower. But I loved the main plot points. Just not necessarily how it switches POVs sometimes between paragraphs. You get used to it but by then the books almost over.
The family drama and exes also kept the book interesting.
If you are in the mood for a cute and fun fast paced romance then try this book out!
Thank you Harlequin for the ARC!
I enjoyed this book much for than the first tbh. I don’t know much about F1 but it was a short and sweet read!
Gus honestly made the book. I love that hes a dog but Emilio’s wingman. He even has 5 chapters from his perspective! The only other book I’ve seen this done in is “if it makes you happy.” The vibes are also similar to Helena Huntings “A Love Catastrophe”
The book is fast paced and insta lovey with predictable moments but sometimes that’s what you need in a romance book!
My main beef is… she is always stroking this man from base to tip DRY?? Whyyy. The spicy scenes could definitely be written much better. I’m sorry.
If Gus wasn’t in this book the writing might’ve made me rate this book lower. But I loved the main plot points. Just not necessarily how it switches POVs sometimes between paragraphs. You get used to it but by then the books almost over.
The family drama and exes also kept the book interesting.
If you are in the mood for a cute and fun fast paced romance then try this book out!
May 26, 2026
ARC Review
My rating:- ⭐⭐⭐.5/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Tropes:-
🐶 Single (dog) parent
🏎️ Grumpy X Sunshine
🐶 Forced Proximity
🏎️ Sports romance
🐶Dog as cupid
This book is for all the dog lovers out there. I was genuinely surprised to see chapters in a dog's pov, but it just made the book better.
Too Fast to Fall by Karen Booth is a sweet, F1 romance where Gus, whom I absolutely adore, plays the cupid. I absolutely loved the hilarious methods Gus used to bring them together. I know that this is a romance book and I should be talking about the main characters, but Gus is just too adorable and my favorite (and I'm not even a dog person!).
Now, let's talk about Piper and Emilio. Emilio was being a b!tch at the beginning and I hated him for it (T_T), but that's just how he was until they started getting closer. It was so sweet to see Piper and Emilio help each other to get over their exes and past relationships, how they heal each other.
I'm definitely adding this book in my list of recommendations!
My rating:- ⭐⭐⭐.5/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Tropes:-
🐶 Single (dog) parent
🏎️ Grumpy X Sunshine
🐶 Forced Proximity
🏎️ Sports romance
🐶Dog as cupid
This book is for all the dog lovers out there. I was genuinely surprised to see chapters in a dog's pov, but it just made the book better.
Too Fast to Fall by Karen Booth is a sweet, F1 romance where Gus, whom I absolutely adore, plays the cupid. I absolutely loved the hilarious methods Gus used to bring them together. I know that this is a romance book and I should be talking about the main characters, but Gus is just too adorable and my favorite (and I'm not even a dog person!).
Now, let's talk about Piper and Emilio. Emilio was being a b!tch at the beginning and I hated him for it (T_T), but that's just how he was until they started getting closer. It was so sweet to see Piper and Emilio help each other to get over their exes and past relationships, how they heal each other.
I'm definitely adding this book in my list of recommendations!
May 26, 2026
Oh my gosh I love Emilio and Piper so much! There story was so cute and Gus, what an adorable boy.
Emilio is a F1 driver, he’s left stuck when yet another dog sitter has quit because the dog is too much, too wild. So when the new sitter comes in and Emilio sees how quick Gus is to connect with her he knows he needs to bring her along with him for race days.
Piper loves her job walking dogs and getting to bake her favourite treats for them. She’s a dog person always has been and they tune into her love and love on her. It’s adorable. So when she gets a call to work on a job at the F1 she jumps at the chance because her and her dad are big F1 fans. When Piper meets Gus she instantly loves the adorable fur baby. So after being asked to join them at the future circuits she says yes.
Watching these two and this adorable fur baby has been wonderful. Gus is mischievous and has an agenda of his own, he had me laughing like mad. I loved him, he stole the show.
I loved how they slowly began to connect through the love of the dog and F1. Piper helped Emilio believe in himself and Emilio did the same, the two of them together worked so perfectly.
I love Karen’s books, I love the way she writes the chapters and their story. I love the way she makes me love them as if they were real people. I can’t wait to see what comes from this world in the future.
Emilio is a F1 driver, he’s left stuck when yet another dog sitter has quit because the dog is too much, too wild. So when the new sitter comes in and Emilio sees how quick Gus is to connect with her he knows he needs to bring her along with him for race days.
Piper loves her job walking dogs and getting to bake her favourite treats for them. She’s a dog person always has been and they tune into her love and love on her. It’s adorable. So when she gets a call to work on a job at the F1 she jumps at the chance because her and her dad are big F1 fans. When Piper meets Gus she instantly loves the adorable fur baby. So after being asked to join them at the future circuits she says yes.
Watching these two and this adorable fur baby has been wonderful. Gus is mischievous and has an agenda of his own, he had me laughing like mad. I loved him, he stole the show.
I loved how they slowly began to connect through the love of the dog and F1. Piper helped Emilio believe in himself and Emilio did the same, the two of them together worked so perfectly.
I love Karen’s books, I love the way she writes the chapters and their story. I love the way she makes me love them as if they were real people. I can’t wait to see what comes from this world in the future.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Emilio is an F1 racecar driver who's having a rough season. He's not winning races like last season, parents are getting a divorce, he's getting over a breakup, and he hasn't found the right nanny for his dog. Things have been stressful and it's not helping his focus while racing.
Piper loves dogs. Her job as a dog walker might not be the most financially stable, but it is her passion and gives her a purpose. Although living with her parents after her engagement fell apart can't last forever. Fortunately a call from her dog walking service needing someone asap for a certain F1 driver might be her saving grace.
Piper and Emilio are such an adorable pairing. The grumpy x sunshine dynamic works so well and Piper even brightens up my spirits with her optimism and affirmations. I felt for Piper all the way through and her trying to hard to work for Emilio and be there for her sister's upcoming wedding. Emilio trying to fight back his instinctual feelings for her is comical and I just want to shake him and say "Let her in!". It's so much fun reading the racing parts and getting into Emilio's head. Seeing how things played out with his parents and ex was interesting and dramatic. My fav part is when they visited his Abuela. The best was Gus, the dog. He was a huge part of the plot which I appreciated and he even had his own POV. There was importance to his character which every dog should have.
Overall Too Fast to Fall was a sweet romance filled with exciting races, wagging tails, some tasty treats, and love that defies the odds.
Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin for an ARC to review.
Piper loves dogs. Her job as a dog walker might not be the most financially stable, but it is her passion and gives her a purpose. Although living with her parents after her engagement fell apart can't last forever. Fortunately a call from her dog walking service needing someone asap for a certain F1 driver might be her saving grace.
Piper and Emilio are such an adorable pairing. The grumpy x sunshine dynamic works so well and Piper even brightens up my spirits with her optimism and affirmations. I felt for Piper all the way through and her trying to hard to work for Emilio and be there for her sister's upcoming wedding. Emilio trying to fight back his instinctual feelings for her is comical and I just want to shake him and say "Let her in!". It's so much fun reading the racing parts and getting into Emilio's head. Seeing how things played out with his parents and ex was interesting and dramatic. My fav part is when they visited his Abuela. The best was Gus, the dog. He was a huge part of the plot which I appreciated and he even had his own POV. There was importance to his character which every dog should have.
Overall Too Fast to Fall was a sweet romance filled with exciting races, wagging tails, some tasty treats, and love that defies the odds.
Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin for an ARC to review.
June 3, 2026
Thank you to Harlequin Audio and author Karen Booth, for providing me with the ALC of “Too Fast to Fall”.
The audio is such a good way to go for this series! This is the second time I was able to listen and it was just a hit! Talon did a wonderful job with the narration.
💭My Thoughts💭
Gus one hundred percent stole the show in this book! I loved getting his cute little snip of thoughts. It was the perfect extra added to the story.
This is book 2 but can be read as a standalone, the characters from book 1 are present so you will feel like you're missing that part but not for the plot.
Piper got to live the life I wish I got to have in my 20s! To be able to dog sit for an F1 driver and travel all over while trying not to fall in love. Sign me up for it every time!! I also loved how fast Emilio folded for her, it was truly chef's kiss.
❣️Tropes❣️
F1 Romance
Grumpy x Sunshine
Boss x Employee
Slow Burn
Dog Steals the Show
🩵🩵🩵RATING🩵🩵🩵
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.25
Spice Level: 🌶️
🎧 Single Narration 7h 52m at 2x
🎙️ Talon David
Narration Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Publisher: Harlequin Audio
The audio is such a good way to go for this series! This is the second time I was able to listen and it was just a hit! Talon did a wonderful job with the narration.
💭My Thoughts💭
Gus one hundred percent stole the show in this book! I loved getting his cute little snip of thoughts. It was the perfect extra added to the story.
This is book 2 but can be read as a standalone, the characters from book 1 are present so you will feel like you're missing that part but not for the plot.
Piper got to live the life I wish I got to have in my 20s! To be able to dog sit for an F1 driver and travel all over while trying not to fall in love. Sign me up for it every time!! I also loved how fast Emilio folded for her, it was truly chef's kiss.
❣️Tropes❣️
F1 Romance
Grumpy x Sunshine
Boss x Employee
Slow Burn
Dog Steals the Show
🩵🩵🩵RATING🩵🩵🩵
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.25
Spice Level: 🌶️
🎧 Single Narration 7h 52m at 2x
🎙️ Talon David
Narration Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Publisher: Harlequin Audio
May 29, 2026
screams into a pillow GOD, I LOVE F1 ROMANCES. I finished this book in a single day — I literally could not put it down.
If you’re looking for a quick, easy, instant-love romance set in the world of Formula 1, this is definitely the book for you.
Emilio, one of the top F1 drivers, is struggling to find someone he trusts to take care of his dog, Gus, while he’s busy dominating on the track. Enter Piper, who quickly becomes much more than just Gus’s dog nanny. Suddenly, Piper’s life is turned upside down as she spends the next five weeks traveling the world with Emilio, living in close proximity while the chemistry and tension between them build fast.
Personally, I’m a sucker for Karen Booth’s books, and I really enjoyed the cameo from a previous novel in this one. That said, if you’re looking for a romance filled with deep longing and intense character development, this one may not completely hit the mark for you. It leans more toward a fun, fast-paced, feel-good romance than an emotional slow burn.
Overall, this was such an addictive read, and I can’t wait to see what’s next in the series. Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Romance for the ARC!
If you’re looking for a quick, easy, instant-love romance set in the world of Formula 1, this is definitely the book for you.
Emilio, one of the top F1 drivers, is struggling to find someone he trusts to take care of his dog, Gus, while he’s busy dominating on the track. Enter Piper, who quickly becomes much more than just Gus’s dog nanny. Suddenly, Piper’s life is turned upside down as she spends the next five weeks traveling the world with Emilio, living in close proximity while the chemistry and tension between them build fast.
Personally, I’m a sucker for Karen Booth’s books, and I really enjoyed the cameo from a previous novel in this one. That said, if you’re looking for a romance filled with deep longing and intense character development, this one may not completely hit the mark for you. It leans more toward a fun, fast-paced, feel-good romance than an emotional slow burn.
Overall, this was such an addictive read, and I can’t wait to see what’s next in the series. Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Romance for the ARC!
March 15, 2026
From the very first moment this book had me hooked. I loved being introduced to the dog Gus right away and it instantly made me want to keep reading. Too Fast to Fall is such a delightful read! Karen Booth pulls you into the story so quickly that I found it really hard to put the book down.
Emilio and Piper are both lovely characters and the chemistry between them is definitely there. They felt real and easy to root for. And it’s not just them who come to life on the page, Gus absolutely steals the show too! I loved the chapters from his perspective, they were fun and added something really unique to the story.
Also, I didn’t even know “single dog dad” was a thing but I’m officially a fan now. I had such a great time reading this one!
4.5 ⭐️
Emilio and Piper are both lovely characters and the chemistry between them is definitely there. They felt real and easy to root for. And it’s not just them who come to life on the page, Gus absolutely steals the show too! I loved the chapters from his perspective, they were fun and added something really unique to the story.
Also, I didn’t even know “single dog dad” was a thing but I’m officially a fan now. I had such a great time reading this one!
4.5 ⭐️
April 26, 2026
3⭐️
This one was enjoyable overall, but it felt a bit slow in parts and I found myself waiting for things to pick up. The romance had some sweet moments, even if it didn’t fully hook me the whole way through.
I also didn’t love the dog’s point of view. It pulled me out of the story a bit and just wasn’t really for me.
Still an easy read, just not one I was fully invested in.
Thank you so much to harlequin books for the ALC via Netgally!
This one was enjoyable overall, but it felt a bit slow in parts and I found myself waiting for things to pick up. The romance had some sweet moments, even if it didn’t fully hook me the whole way through.
I also didn’t love the dog’s point of view. It pulled me out of the story a bit and just wasn’t really for me.
Still an easy read, just not one I was fully invested in.
Thank you so much to harlequin books for the ALC via Netgally!
May 17, 2026
A quirky F1 love story? Say less. This book had everything I love, fast cars, globe-trotting, dogs, tension, chemistry, and a romance that kept me smiling the entire time.
The mix of Formula 1 glamour and heartfelt moments made it such a fun, addictive read. I loved getting swept into the chaos of the racing world while still feeling grounded by the humor, emotional moments, and lovable characters. Honestly, what’s not to love?
The mix of Formula 1 glamour and heartfelt moments made it such a fun, addictive read. I loved getting swept into the chaos of the racing world while still feeling grounded by the humor, emotional moments, and lovable characters. Honestly, what’s not to love?
May 25, 2026
Sports Romance | Grumpy x Sunshine, Workplace, F1
Sunny dog sitter Piper becomes live-in carer for brooding F1 driver Emilio. Forced proximity, sharp banter, and sizzling sparks—falling for the boss was never part of the plan. Fast, fun, steamy, and full of heart. Past heartbreak, relationship pressure
Perfect racing romance—total winner! 🏎️❤️
Sunny dog sitter Piper becomes live-in carer for brooding F1 driver Emilio. Forced proximity, sharp banter, and sizzling sparks—falling for the boss was never part of the plan. Fast, fun, steamy, and full of heart. Past heartbreak, relationship pressure
Perfect racing romance—total winner! 🏎️❤️
May 18, 2026
The title of this book says it all. This book was super fast paced. But the narration was perfect, the story line adorable, the attraction palpable and the build up hot!
June 7, 2026
Thank you Karen & Harlequin Romance for the eARC of Too Fast To Fall.
Actually rating 3.75.
RTC
Actually rating 3.75.
RTC
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
This book was a shorter read so I decided to push through, but nothing about it really kept my interest.
The main plotline involved Piper (a dog sitter) moving to London from Miami to work for and live with her favourite F1 racing star, who she had a huge crush on.
Instead of this being super exciting and tension filled, with Piper exploring a whole new world, we enter drizzly London where Piper stays in the house the whole time. The setting could have been so fun.
I expected Piper to perhaps go with Emilio to work and see him training and racing up close. It's mentioned that other racers bring their dogs with them, but we don't meet a single one.
We also didn't get any scenes of her doing fun 'activities' with Gus outside of the house.
Piper's sister was mad at Piper for leaving right before her sisters wedding when there was so much planning to do, but Piper promises to do her maid of honour duties remotely, however we don't see her doing a single one.
It just seemed that every element that could have made for some fun and interesting scenes was completely missed out on.
With how grumpy and dismissive Emilio was, and Piper feeling lonely and isolated, the situation she had agreed to ended up just being an uncomfortable one.
The F1 element was also disappointingly lacking. I craved more Formula 1 talk, especially as Piper was apparently a big fan.
I feel like it should have been so exciting, but even the racing scenes were missing intensity for me.
There was very little build-up or anticipation to them. Instead of this sentence ( "The lights blinked on in succession— one, two, three, four, five. They went out. Away the cars went." ), I think it would have been really cool if the countdown was split into separate sentences, with descriptions in between of how Emilio was feeling right before he took off.
Even the final big race was over in just a couple of paragraphs.
I had a similar problem with the first book in this interconnected series. Despite this, I did give that book 5 ★, but the writing quality of this book was very poor - I'm really not sure how that changed so much since the first book 😕
The writing felt cringey and there were a few word choices from the characters' dialogue that took me out of the story. I kept thinking to myself 'people don't talk like that'. Emilio's "epic, sweaty hair" was mentioned quite a few times too.
Lots of sentences stood out to me, such as:
"Just like it was a car, Emilio steered the conversation away from the topic."
The way the characters communicated also felt very robotic, making their conversations feel stale and awkward. I didn't feel anything at all from them.
My biggest problem with the writing, however, was the lack of description from everything.
Similarly to the first book, I craved more descriptions of the F1 environment. The reader gets a passing mention of: the drivers room, the paddock, the media pen, the pit lane, a formation lap etc, but no explanation of what these things actually are or what they look like. They were blank spaces in my mind as I had no way to fill them.
We also received no character descriptions until 10%, making it difficult to fully form and connect with the characters from the get-go.
There were even times when it would be mentioned that the characters were feeling something, but it didn't go into further detail, like:
"It was giving her all sorts of feelings— tingling and whatnot."
"Piper had so many feelings as she watched Emilio come across the finish line in sixth place."
All of these issues made the writing feel jolty and difficult to read.
The combination of this and the split pov's made my reading experience a confusing one.
The split pov's happened mid chapter with no character name heading above, so they were hard for me to differentiate between and took me out of the story each time while my brain caught up.
We also get pov's from Emilio's dog, Gus, but instead of these being a fun clever addition, they felt uncomfortable because Gus felt more human than dog - he didn't have a dogs personality and spoke in clear sentences. It just didn't work for me.
One of the jokes Gus made: "you know what they say about big paws", was a bit weird for me personally. What the joke was hinting at is not something I'd want to be thinking about at all, but especially not while reading a romance.
I also found it weird the way Emilio spoke to Gus. It was as if he wasn't a dog. He spoke very awkwardly and formally to him.
Neither of our main characters appealed to me either. Emilio felt very bland. The only time he had personality was before he 'softened' towards Piper, when he had a biting and blunt attitude that was very dislikable. When he all of a sudden switched to being nice, there was nothing to him.
We never get to know from Emilios' perspective what stood out about Piper to him and why he suddenly liked her after previously finding her so grating (other than his dog liked her).
Piper is described as having a 'sunshine' personality, but I personally didn't view her as so. I found her to be a bit irritating, especially as she was careless and constantly overstepping boundaries.
The main plot of this book is Piper becoming Gus's dog nanny - she is hired as a professional in this field. Except she wasn't professional at all.
She put Gus in unsafe situations with crowds of fans, allowing the fans to hold Gus while she stood away from him and took photos. She posted pictures of Gus online without his owner's consent and even made a social media account of Gus without asking.
None of this was in her job description and I was surprised she didn't think about these things. For all the money she was being paid, and her only job being to care for and protect Gus, she was often distracted.
She also didn't respect Emilio's boundaries when he first hired her. She was hired to care for Gus but badgered Emilio about wanting to spend time with him 'hanging out', going on his training runs with him, and having dinner together.
I didn't feel able to root for the possibility of a romance forming because Emilio had set a professional boundary, and that shouldn't have been stepped on by Piper.
Another problem I had with boundaries was once Piper and Emilio were first intimate together. They didn't give themselves any label afterwards and discussed that "last night meant nothing". So when they went to Emilio's grandmother's house, Piper told him she wouldn't be sharing a room with him and didn't want to be intimate out of respect for Emilio's grandmother. When it came night time and they were outside their rooms, Emilio asks a SECOND time if they can be intimate together and she STILL declines, but later he creeps into her room anyway and disregards what she told him.
This was an uncomfortable scene for me to read and didn't make Emilio look good to me.
The power balance of Piper and Emilio's relationship was also a factor I didn't enjoy. Piper moves in with him to care for his dog and is being paid A LOT of money. In the end, once they are together, he pays her 4x the amount he was supposed to, which instead of being a gracious gesture, felt inappropriate to me.
Before the 50% mark of this book, Emilio kept thinking about kissing Piper and dating her, and how he "couldn't" due to their work relationship dynmatic, but surely the biggest complication of all here was the fact that he was constantly considering being intimate with her, even though she had given no hint towards him that she liked him like that. It felt creepy and uncomfortable.
There was no flirting or banter between them even once they got together, and the only foundation of their relationship was lust - and a tiny amount at that.
I never understood why it progressed to love. I didn’t feel any spark between them when they met and the chemistry just wasn't there.
Emilio's feelings toward PIper did a complete 180 at 40%, where suddenly she was magical to him, but I didn't feel like there were many moments to show for this newfound feeling. He'd been so frustrated by her previously. Suddenly he was inviting her to everything when just a couple days ago he'd wanted nothing to do with her.
The only romantic moments between them were when Gus wrapped his lead around their legs and had them pressed up together. This happened over and over again and was extremely repetitive and felt uncreative.
Up until 70% of the way through this book, it really felt like nothing had happened. I chose to highlight 70% as a slight changing point because it was the first and only 'conflict' in this book, other than Piper needing to decide if she would he staying or leaving Emilio's employ.
At 70% we bump into Emilio's ex, who we have been made to feel was evil for leaving Emilio, even though it is later admitted that Victoria had the courage to end the relationship after many years because it turned out Emilio never really loved her.
The scene is short and not much of a conflict.
At Piper's sisters wedding, I assumed there would be a conflict with her ex who broke their engagement, but even though the ex IS at the wedding, we don't get any scene of them interacting.
Emilio also crashes this wedding with Gus, which felt highly inappropriate.
One plotline that I think could have been really interesting could have been the dog treat company that wanted to sell Piper's homemade dog treats.
There is a scene where they ask Piper to send them the recipe so they can "check it over". The scene shows Piper feeling uneasy about this, but she does it anyway. I assumed this was leading to a conflict around Piper being stolen from, but nothing comes of it and it was a perfectly harmless interaction.
Finally, I wanted to note something that probably made me the most uncomfortable out of the many uncomfortable moments in this book, which was the continued mention of reckless driving that Piper performed.
Piper admits to often speeding and having points on her licence. A character from the previous book tells her "we all get them (points) at some point".
The scene of her driving to the airport at the beginning even has her being pulled over for speeding, but she doesn't get a ticket because the policewoman likes F1.
We also see Piper answer her phone while driving at one point.
We got statements throughout this book like:
"I broke several major traffic laws to get to the airport in time."
"You drive like you passed your test yesterday."
"You just clipped that cyclist’s left arm. Okay. Fine. You grazed it."
"Who's going to pull me over? There’s nobody around."
These scenes were clearly intended for comedic effect, but they were not funny and I found them very distasteful, even in a book about racing.
* thank you to harlequin and netgalley for the e-arc in exchange for a review. these are my honest thoughts *
The main plotline involved Piper (a dog sitter) moving to London from Miami to work for and live with her favourite F1 racing star, who she had a huge crush on.
Instead of this being super exciting and tension filled, with Piper exploring a whole new world, we enter drizzly London where Piper stays in the house the whole time. The setting could have been so fun.
I expected Piper to perhaps go with Emilio to work and see him training and racing up close. It's mentioned that other racers bring their dogs with them, but we don't meet a single one.
We also didn't get any scenes of her doing fun 'activities' with Gus outside of the house.
Piper's sister was mad at Piper for leaving right before her sisters wedding when there was so much planning to do, but Piper promises to do her maid of honour duties remotely, however we don't see her doing a single one.
It just seemed that every element that could have made for some fun and interesting scenes was completely missed out on.
With how grumpy and dismissive Emilio was, and Piper feeling lonely and isolated, the situation she had agreed to ended up just being an uncomfortable one.
The F1 element was also disappointingly lacking. I craved more Formula 1 talk, especially as Piper was apparently a big fan.
I feel like it should have been so exciting, but even the racing scenes were missing intensity for me.
There was very little build-up or anticipation to them. Instead of this sentence ( "The lights blinked on in succession— one, two, three, four, five. They went out. Away the cars went." ), I think it would have been really cool if the countdown was split into separate sentences, with descriptions in between of how Emilio was feeling right before he took off.
Even the final big race was over in just a couple of paragraphs.
I had a similar problem with the first book in this interconnected series. Despite this, I did give that book 5 ★, but the writing quality of this book was very poor - I'm really not sure how that changed so much since the first book 😕
The writing felt cringey and there were a few word choices from the characters' dialogue that took me out of the story. I kept thinking to myself 'people don't talk like that'. Emilio's "epic, sweaty hair" was mentioned quite a few times too.
Lots of sentences stood out to me, such as:
"Just like it was a car, Emilio steered the conversation away from the topic."
The way the characters communicated also felt very robotic, making their conversations feel stale and awkward. I didn't feel anything at all from them.
My biggest problem with the writing, however, was the lack of description from everything.
Similarly to the first book, I craved more descriptions of the F1 environment. The reader gets a passing mention of: the drivers room, the paddock, the media pen, the pit lane, a formation lap etc, but no explanation of what these things actually are or what they look like. They were blank spaces in my mind as I had no way to fill them.
We also received no character descriptions until 10%, making it difficult to fully form and connect with the characters from the get-go.
There were even times when it would be mentioned that the characters were feeling something, but it didn't go into further detail, like:
"It was giving her all sorts of feelings— tingling and whatnot."
"Piper had so many feelings as she watched Emilio come across the finish line in sixth place."
All of these issues made the writing feel jolty and difficult to read.
The combination of this and the split pov's made my reading experience a confusing one.
The split pov's happened mid chapter with no character name heading above, so they were hard for me to differentiate between and took me out of the story each time while my brain caught up.
We also get pov's from Emilio's dog, Gus, but instead of these being a fun clever addition, they felt uncomfortable because Gus felt more human than dog - he didn't have a dogs personality and spoke in clear sentences. It just didn't work for me.
One of the jokes Gus made: "you know what they say about big paws", was a bit weird for me personally. What the joke was hinting at is not something I'd want to be thinking about at all, but especially not while reading a romance.
I also found it weird the way Emilio spoke to Gus. It was as if he wasn't a dog. He spoke very awkwardly and formally to him.
Neither of our main characters appealed to me either. Emilio felt very bland. The only time he had personality was before he 'softened' towards Piper, when he had a biting and blunt attitude that was very dislikable. When he all of a sudden switched to being nice, there was nothing to him.
We never get to know from Emilios' perspective what stood out about Piper to him and why he suddenly liked her after previously finding her so grating (other than his dog liked her).
Piper is described as having a 'sunshine' personality, but I personally didn't view her as so. I found her to be a bit irritating, especially as she was careless and constantly overstepping boundaries.
The main plot of this book is Piper becoming Gus's dog nanny - she is hired as a professional in this field. Except she wasn't professional at all.
She put Gus in unsafe situations with crowds of fans, allowing the fans to hold Gus while she stood away from him and took photos. She posted pictures of Gus online without his owner's consent and even made a social media account of Gus without asking.
None of this was in her job description and I was surprised she didn't think about these things. For all the money she was being paid, and her only job being to care for and protect Gus, she was often distracted.
She also didn't respect Emilio's boundaries when he first hired her. She was hired to care for Gus but badgered Emilio about wanting to spend time with him 'hanging out', going on his training runs with him, and having dinner together.
I didn't feel able to root for the possibility of a romance forming because Emilio had set a professional boundary, and that shouldn't have been stepped on by Piper.
Another problem I had with boundaries was once Piper and Emilio were first intimate together. They didn't give themselves any label afterwards and discussed that "last night meant nothing". So when they went to Emilio's grandmother's house, Piper told him she wouldn't be sharing a room with him and didn't want to be intimate out of respect for Emilio's grandmother. When it came night time and they were outside their rooms, Emilio asks a SECOND time if they can be intimate together and she STILL declines, but later he creeps into her room anyway and disregards what she told him.
This was an uncomfortable scene for me to read and didn't make Emilio look good to me.
The power balance of Piper and Emilio's relationship was also a factor I didn't enjoy. Piper moves in with him to care for his dog and is being paid A LOT of money. In the end, once they are together, he pays her 4x the amount he was supposed to, which instead of being a gracious gesture, felt inappropriate to me.
Before the 50% mark of this book, Emilio kept thinking about kissing Piper and dating her, and how he "couldn't" due to their work relationship dynmatic, but surely the biggest complication of all here was the fact that he was constantly considering being intimate with her, even though she had given no hint towards him that she liked him like that. It felt creepy and uncomfortable.
There was no flirting or banter between them even once they got together, and the only foundation of their relationship was lust - and a tiny amount at that.
I never understood why it progressed to love. I didn’t feel any spark between them when they met and the chemistry just wasn't there.
Emilio's feelings toward PIper did a complete 180 at 40%, where suddenly she was magical to him, but I didn't feel like there were many moments to show for this newfound feeling. He'd been so frustrated by her previously. Suddenly he was inviting her to everything when just a couple days ago he'd wanted nothing to do with her.
The only romantic moments between them were when Gus wrapped his lead around their legs and had them pressed up together. This happened over and over again and was extremely repetitive and felt uncreative.
Up until 70% of the way through this book, it really felt like nothing had happened. I chose to highlight 70% as a slight changing point because it was the first and only 'conflict' in this book, other than Piper needing to decide if she would he staying or leaving Emilio's employ.
At 70% we bump into Emilio's ex, who we have been made to feel was evil for leaving Emilio, even though it is later admitted that Victoria had the courage to end the relationship after many years because it turned out Emilio never really loved her.
The scene is short and not much of a conflict.
At Piper's sisters wedding, I assumed there would be a conflict with her ex who broke their engagement, but even though the ex IS at the wedding, we don't get any scene of them interacting.
Emilio also crashes this wedding with Gus, which felt highly inappropriate.
One plotline that I think could have been really interesting could have been the dog treat company that wanted to sell Piper's homemade dog treats.
There is a scene where they ask Piper to send them the recipe so they can "check it over". The scene shows Piper feeling uneasy about this, but she does it anyway. I assumed this was leading to a conflict around Piper being stolen from, but nothing comes of it and it was a perfectly harmless interaction.
Finally, I wanted to note something that probably made me the most uncomfortable out of the many uncomfortable moments in this book, which was the continued mention of reckless driving that Piper performed.
Piper admits to often speeding and having points on her licence. A character from the previous book tells her "we all get them (points) at some point".
The scene of her driving to the airport at the beginning even has her being pulled over for speeding, but she doesn't get a ticket because the policewoman likes F1.
We also see Piper answer her phone while driving at one point.
We got statements throughout this book like:
"I broke several major traffic laws to get to the airport in time."
"You drive like you passed your test yesterday."
"You just clipped that cyclist’s left arm. Okay. Fine. You grazed it."
"Who's going to pull me over? There’s nobody around."
These scenes were clearly intended for comedic effect, but they were not funny and I found them very distasteful, even in a book about racing.
* thank you to harlequin and netgalley for the e-arc in exchange for a review. these are my honest thoughts *
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
These was SO CUTE!
At first I wasnt sure if I'd like Emilio by the immature way he was treating Piper but he finally got over that and it was cuteness overload 🥰
Love the secret crushing, the standing up for each other, and the dog! Omg I LOVED that the dog has a pov and how hard he tried to get them together 😂
This book reminded me what a good fake dating and forced proximity book should be like. I got worried when the author used the good ol "it doesn't have to mean anything" ploy, but I didnt mind it too much as it wasnt dragged on forever.
I wish there was a hardcover edition of this because I'd buy it in a heartbeat 🥹
At first I wasnt sure if I'd like Emilio by the immature way he was treating Piper but he finally got over that and it was cuteness overload 🥰
Love the secret crushing, the standing up for each other, and the dog! Omg I LOVED that the dog has a pov and how hard he tried to get them together 😂
This book reminded me what a good fake dating and forced proximity book should be like. I got worried when the author used the good ol "it doesn't have to mean anything" ploy, but I didnt mind it too much as it wasnt dragged on forever.
I wish there was a hardcover edition of this because I'd buy it in a heartbeat 🥹
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
This is the second Karen Booth F1 romance in the Fast Track series that I've read. I think it's fair to say that Karen Booth is producing some of the best F1 romance novels these days. Both were fabulously good times. I worry my neighbors thought I was an escaped deranged clown with how big my cheshire cat smile was while walking around listening to this audiobook. It really brought me joy and made me smile which is exactly what I'm looking for from a romance read.
Too Fast to Fall opens with F1 driver Emilio Baquero not having someone to watch his dog, Gus, on qualifying day. Gus is an escape artist and is quite good at getting dog sitters to quit. Emilio's PR person gets him a dog sitter for race day through an app. Piper Murphy who's a F1 fan shows up and gets along great with Gus leading to Emilio hiring her and asking her to move to London with him and Gus and to go to all his races.
I admit: I almost skipped reading this one because I was rather dubious of the premise. It seemed exceedingly contrived and I didn't really see how it could work from the description. I didn't see how we'd go from dog sitter to offer to live with a F1 driver in any reasonable way. I only read it because I'd enjoyed Not So Fast enough to justify taking a risk. I'm very glad that I did because let me say, the premise worked. I was shocked at how well it worked and came together. If anything, it was less contrived than Not So Fast and handled the conflict of the situation more authentically.
The chapters written from the dog's perspective were fantastic and entirely unexpected. Karen Booth even changed the voice in those chapters to more closely resemble a dog's. To me, they took what was already a good book and made it truly special. I'm a sucker for great animal character and Gus (and his role in the story) was on par with the crows from Wooing the Witch Queen that I adored.
Another thing I appreciated was the emotional maturity of the main characters. So often I read romance books and am deeply concerned by the characters' relationship skills and emotional maturity.
Karen Booth's decision to call Piper's clitoris her "heavenly apex" was impressive and hilarious. I snorted when I heard that. It's truly a shame that most men miss the apex when driving.
My only real complaint of this book is that while it's coming out well into the F1 2026 season, it is very much written about the 2025 season. There's 20 drivers on the grid and we have DRS trains. I know with publishing timelines, this was likely a bit of a problem, but the 2026 regs have been known for a long time. I also feel like we could have had some pretty good sex jokes with supper clipping, harvesting, etc. While this isn't inherently problematic, I was reading this ARC before, during, and after watching the 2026 Miami Grand Prix. It felt oddly dated in ways it shouldn't for a F1 book that hasn't even been published yet. That said, it's really my only complaint about this book and it's hardly a complaint and more of a weirdness. Too Fast to Fall contained significantly less F1 technical depth than Not So Fast since we don't have Mia's podcast needing technical depth which made the regulation differences less noticeable. Karen Booth does a rather impressive job of including enough F1 stuff to actually root the book in the sport without actually needing much technical F1 understanding. I think this works very well--a stark contrast to All to Play For which felt like it took place in hotel rooms and was hardly about F1 at all.
I listened to the audiobook and thought the narration helped bring the story to life. There were a few moments where I sort of felt like Piper was annoyingly warm and bubbly but that's in-line with her character and not 30 seconds later that same narration decision was making me smile and improving my experience with the book. I think this speaks to the appropriateness of the narration since my experience mirrored Emilio's and is not a complaint. Again, Gus the dog was a standout narration--just like he is in the prose. Talon David did a fantastic job changing her cadence to both match how Karen Booth writes Gus' internal narrative as well as letting us very clearly know these are Dog Thoughts.
This was another delightful F1 romance from Karen Booth. I both enjoyed it and recommend it, even if you're not a F1 fan. At this point, I'd say you should just trust that Karen Booth's F1 romances will almost certainly be worth reading. I am.
Thanks to Harlequin Audio and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.
Too Fast to Fall opens with F1 driver Emilio Baquero not having someone to watch his dog, Gus, on qualifying day. Gus is an escape artist and is quite good at getting dog sitters to quit. Emilio's PR person gets him a dog sitter for race day through an app. Piper Murphy who's a F1 fan shows up and gets along great with Gus leading to Emilio hiring her and asking her to move to London with him and Gus and to go to all his races.
I admit: I almost skipped reading this one because I was rather dubious of the premise. It seemed exceedingly contrived and I didn't really see how it could work from the description. I didn't see how we'd go from dog sitter to offer to live with a F1 driver in any reasonable way. I only read it because I'd enjoyed Not So Fast enough to justify taking a risk. I'm very glad that I did because let me say, the premise worked. I was shocked at how well it worked and came together. If anything, it was less contrived than Not So Fast and handled the conflict of the situation more authentically.
The chapters written from the dog's perspective were fantastic and entirely unexpected. Karen Booth even changed the voice in those chapters to more closely resemble a dog's. To me, they took what was already a good book and made it truly special. I'm a sucker for great animal character and Gus (and his role in the story) was on par with the crows from Wooing the Witch Queen that I adored.
Another thing I appreciated was the emotional maturity of the main characters. So often I read romance books and am deeply concerned by the characters' relationship skills and emotional maturity.
Karen Booth's decision to call Piper's clitoris her "heavenly apex" was impressive and hilarious. I snorted when I heard that. It's truly a shame that most men miss the apex when driving.
My only real complaint of this book is that while it's coming out well into the F1 2026 season, it is very much written about the 2025 season. There's 20 drivers on the grid and we have DRS trains. I know with publishing timelines, this was likely a bit of a problem, but the 2026 regs have been known for a long time. I also feel like we could have had some pretty good sex jokes with supper clipping, harvesting, etc. While this isn't inherently problematic, I was reading this ARC before, during, and after watching the 2026 Miami Grand Prix. It felt oddly dated in ways it shouldn't for a F1 book that hasn't even been published yet. That said, it's really my only complaint about this book and it's hardly a complaint and more of a weirdness. Too Fast to Fall contained significantly less F1 technical depth than Not So Fast since we don't have Mia's podcast needing technical depth which made the regulation differences less noticeable. Karen Booth does a rather impressive job of including enough F1 stuff to actually root the book in the sport without actually needing much technical F1 understanding. I think this works very well--a stark contrast to All to Play For which felt like it took place in hotel rooms and was hardly about F1 at all.
I listened to the audiobook and thought the narration helped bring the story to life. There were a few moments where I sort of felt like Piper was annoyingly warm and bubbly but that's in-line with her character and not 30 seconds later that same narration decision was making me smile and improving my experience with the book. I think this speaks to the appropriateness of the narration since my experience mirrored Emilio's and is not a complaint. Again, Gus the dog was a standout narration--just like he is in the prose. Talon David did a fantastic job changing her cadence to both match how Karen Booth writes Gus' internal narrative as well as letting us very clearly know these are Dog Thoughts.
This was another delightful F1 romance from Karen Booth. I both enjoyed it and recommend it, even if you're not a F1 fan. At this point, I'd say you should just trust that Karen Booth's F1 romances will almost certainly be worth reading. I am.
Thanks to Harlequin Audio and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.
May 24, 2026
✨ALC Review✨ - 2.5 ⭐️
This one was kind of a mixed bag for me.
The chapters from Gus’s POV were cute, and I enjoyed getting a glimpse into his head, but I’m honestly glad there were only a few of them. I think if there had been many more, they would’ve started to feel repetitive pretty quickly.
My biggest issue was that I never really bought into the romance. A lot of the conversations between the main characters felt very robotic and unnatural, and because of that, I never felt much chemistry between them. They were constantly talking, but very little of it sounded like conversations real people would actually have.
The romance itself suffered from that as well. It was obvious that they cared about each other, and I could see why they enjoyed spending time together, but I never truly felt the love. The book kept telling me these two people were falling for each other, but emotionally I just wasn’t there with them.
The intimacy didn’t help either. I’m not sure if it was the writing itself or the audiobook narration, but the spicy scenes felt surprisingly unsexy. Despite being open-door, they had the same vibe as a clean romance somehow. There was very little tension, longing, or chemistry leading up to those moments, so they didn’t have much impact when they finally happened.
And honestly, that’s how I felt about the book as a whole: it had all the ingredients for a romance filled with tension and yearning, but somehow none of it ever materialized. Everything felt very surface-level.
I also struggled with how quickly the relationship progressed. They’ve known each other for what, a month? Yet somehow we’re supposed to believe they’re deeply in love. I just didn’t buy it.
There were also a few plot points that left me scratching my head. For example, why did they give in to that photographer so easily? It felt like something he should have known how to handle given his experience, so the whole situation came across as unnecessarily frustrating.
Another thing that stood out was how many story threads were introduced and then seemingly forgotten. Piper’s conflict with her sister is a good example. We’re told her sister is upset because Piper left when she was supposed to be her maid of honor, and Piper promises to keep working on things remotely while she’s away. Then… nothing. It never really comes up again, and there doesn’t seem to be any meaningful resolution.
I also felt like neither the characters nor the story itself had much substance. There wasn’t a lot of character growth, and by the end I didn’t feel like either of them had changed in any significant way.
One thing I did genuinely love, though, was that he wasn’t afraid to cry. We need more male characters who are allowed to be emotional without the story treating it as a weakness.
Overall, this was sweet enough, and I can understand why it would work for some readers, but it was too slow, lacked chemistry, and never delivered the emotional depth I was hoping for. I finished it feeling pretty indifferent, which is probably the worst thing a romance can make me feel.
Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Audio for letting me listen to this one early.
This one was kind of a mixed bag for me.
The chapters from Gus’s POV were cute, and I enjoyed getting a glimpse into his head, but I’m honestly glad there were only a few of them. I think if there had been many more, they would’ve started to feel repetitive pretty quickly.
My biggest issue was that I never really bought into the romance. A lot of the conversations between the main characters felt very robotic and unnatural, and because of that, I never felt much chemistry between them. They were constantly talking, but very little of it sounded like conversations real people would actually have.
The romance itself suffered from that as well. It was obvious that they cared about each other, and I could see why they enjoyed spending time together, but I never truly felt the love. The book kept telling me these two people were falling for each other, but emotionally I just wasn’t there with them.
The intimacy didn’t help either. I’m not sure if it was the writing itself or the audiobook narration, but the spicy scenes felt surprisingly unsexy. Despite being open-door, they had the same vibe as a clean romance somehow. There was very little tension, longing, or chemistry leading up to those moments, so they didn’t have much impact when they finally happened.
And honestly, that’s how I felt about the book as a whole: it had all the ingredients for a romance filled with tension and yearning, but somehow none of it ever materialized. Everything felt very surface-level.
I also struggled with how quickly the relationship progressed. They’ve known each other for what, a month? Yet somehow we’re supposed to believe they’re deeply in love. I just didn’t buy it.
There were also a few plot points that left me scratching my head. For example, why did they give in to that photographer so easily? It felt like something he should have known how to handle given his experience, so the whole situation came across as unnecessarily frustrating.
Another thing that stood out was how many story threads were introduced and then seemingly forgotten. Piper’s conflict with her sister is a good example. We’re told her sister is upset because Piper left when she was supposed to be her maid of honor, and Piper promises to keep working on things remotely while she’s away. Then… nothing. It never really comes up again, and there doesn’t seem to be any meaningful resolution.
I also felt like neither the characters nor the story itself had much substance. There wasn’t a lot of character growth, and by the end I didn’t feel like either of them had changed in any significant way.
One thing I did genuinely love, though, was that he wasn’t afraid to cry. We need more male characters who are allowed to be emotional without the story treating it as a weakness.
Overall, this was sweet enough, and I can understand why it would work for some readers, but it was too slow, lacked chemistry, and never delivered the emotional depth I was hoping for. I finished it feeling pretty indifferent, which is probably the worst thing a romance can make me feel.
Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Audio for letting me listen to this one early.
May 9, 2026
3 ⭐️
Tropes: forced proximity, grumpy x sunshine, F1 driver, live-in dog nanny, dog lover
A broken engagement, an F1 driver with no time for chaos, a girl trying to rebuild her life… and a very opinionated dog named Gus who basically runs the entire story.
Emilio’s entire world revolves around his dog Gus, but with the insanely fast-paced life that comes with being an F1 driver, finding someone he can actually trust to care for him has been nearly impossible. Gus running off dog sitters makes everything even harder, and Emilio’s priority is always making sure his fur baby is safe and happy.
So when a call to a dog temp agency brings Piper into Emilio’s life, everything shifts.
Fresh off a broken engagement and back living with her parents, Piper is feeling stuck and trying to figure out what comes next for her. She’s not exactly looking for chaos—but that’s exactly what she walks into.
She had grown up watching F1 races religiously with her dad, so stepping into Emilio’s world feels almost surreal at times—like she’s been dropped straight into something she used to only see on a screen, and can’t quite believe it’s actually her life now.
She fits so naturally with both Emilio and Gus that his offer for her to become Gus’s live-in nanny honestly feels like the easiest decision ever.
The only problem? She quickly becomes way too hard for Emilio to ignore.
His plan is to keep things strictly professional and keep his distance, but that becomes harder and harder the more time they spend together traveling for races.
“The warmth and spark he felt with Piper around, it made him feel like he was coming back to life.”
What I really loved here was the slow shift between them—the way their walls start to crack without either of them fully noticing at first. Emilio is guarded and distant with everyone else, but with Piper he slowly starts softening in a way he clearly doesn’t know how to handle. And Piper, starts finding her footing again in a life she never expected to be part of.
I absolutely adored the shift between them — it felt real, and I was just along for the ride.
And Gus absolutely steals the show for me! This is 100% a dog lover’s dream, and getting chapters from Gus’s POV was honestly adorable and such a fun touch that made everything feel even more heartwarming.
My one real issue was that the POV switches between Emilio and Piper could feel a little abrupt at times. It jumped between their inner monologues quite quickly, which occasionally gave it a bit of whiplash.
That said, I still really enjoyed the story and the characters overall. This was also my first book by this author and I enjoyed her writing.
Narration Review:
Narration Rating: 5 ⭐️
The narrator did an amazing job with this one and really brought the story and characters to life - she killed it!
Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Audio for an ALC in exchange for an honest review.
Tropes: forced proximity, grumpy x sunshine, F1 driver, live-in dog nanny, dog lover
A broken engagement, an F1 driver with no time for chaos, a girl trying to rebuild her life… and a very opinionated dog named Gus who basically runs the entire story.
Emilio’s entire world revolves around his dog Gus, but with the insanely fast-paced life that comes with being an F1 driver, finding someone he can actually trust to care for him has been nearly impossible. Gus running off dog sitters makes everything even harder, and Emilio’s priority is always making sure his fur baby is safe and happy.
So when a call to a dog temp agency brings Piper into Emilio’s life, everything shifts.
Fresh off a broken engagement and back living with her parents, Piper is feeling stuck and trying to figure out what comes next for her. She’s not exactly looking for chaos—but that’s exactly what she walks into.
She had grown up watching F1 races religiously with her dad, so stepping into Emilio’s world feels almost surreal at times—like she’s been dropped straight into something she used to only see on a screen, and can’t quite believe it’s actually her life now.
She fits so naturally with both Emilio and Gus that his offer for her to become Gus’s live-in nanny honestly feels like the easiest decision ever.
The only problem? She quickly becomes way too hard for Emilio to ignore.
His plan is to keep things strictly professional and keep his distance, but that becomes harder and harder the more time they spend together traveling for races.
“The warmth and spark he felt with Piper around, it made him feel like he was coming back to life.”
What I really loved here was the slow shift between them—the way their walls start to crack without either of them fully noticing at first. Emilio is guarded and distant with everyone else, but with Piper he slowly starts softening in a way he clearly doesn’t know how to handle. And Piper, starts finding her footing again in a life she never expected to be part of.
I absolutely adored the shift between them — it felt real, and I was just along for the ride.
And Gus absolutely steals the show for me! This is 100% a dog lover’s dream, and getting chapters from Gus’s POV was honestly adorable and such a fun touch that made everything feel even more heartwarming.
My one real issue was that the POV switches between Emilio and Piper could feel a little abrupt at times. It jumped between their inner monologues quite quickly, which occasionally gave it a bit of whiplash.
That said, I still really enjoyed the story and the characters overall. This was also my first book by this author and I enjoyed her writing.
Narration Review:
Narration Rating: 5 ⭐️
The narrator did an amazing job with this one and really brought the story and characters to life - she killed it!
Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Audio for an ALC in exchange for an honest review.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
✦⚬───────────────────────────✧───────────────────────────⚬✦
ꜱᴛᴀʀᴛᴇᴅ/ꜰɪɴɪꜱʜᴇᴅ: 11 ꜰᴇʙ/12 ꜰᴇʙ
ᴅɪꜱᴄʟᴀɪᴍᴇʀ: ɪ ɢᴏᴛ ᴛᴏ ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴛʜɪꜱ ʙᴏᴏᴋ ꜰᴏʀ ꜰʀᴇᴇ ᴛʜᴀɴᴋꜱ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ᴀᴜᴛʜᴏʀ/ᴘᴜʙʟɪꜱʜᴇʀ ᴠɪᴀ ɴᴇᴛɢᴀʟʟᴇʏ, ʙᴜᴛ ᴍʏ ᴏᴘɪɴɪᴏɴ ᴡɪʟʟ ʙᴇ ꜰᴜʟʟʏ ᴍʏ ᴏᴡɴ.
ʀᴇᴀᴅ ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀɴᴛ: ꜱᴘᴏʀᴛꜱ (ꜰᴏʀᴍᴜʟᴀ 1) ʀᴏᴍᴀɴᴄᴇ, ʙᴏꜱꜱ x ᴇᴍᴘʟᴏʏᴇᴇ, ꜰᴏʀᴄᴇᴅ ᴘʀᴏxɪᴍɪᴛʏ (ʟɪᴠᴇ-ɪɴ ᴅᴏɢ ɴᴀɴɴʏ), ɢʀᴜᴍᴘʏ x ꜱᴜɴꜱʜɪɴᴇ
✦⚬───────────────────────────✧───────────────────────────⚬✦
Rating 3.25/5 | Spice 4/5 on the romance.io scale (1= Glimpses and kisses, 2=Closed door, 3=Open door, 4=Explicit open door, 5=Explicit and plentiful)
You can definitely tell that the author is a real F1 fan which I appreciated, it felt authentic. The premise of this book was really cute too, but the relationship itself felt like I needed a bit more to really see them falling in love, I needed the emotional part a bit more. I do realise that's just a personal wish for me, and it did a way better job than recent books I've read.
The writing is done well and it was a nice easy read because it's paced well. The book has a few chapters from the dog's POV and at first I thought it was kinda cute, but it became a bit cringy cause it was written as if the dog had thoughts and made decisions, like he was their cupid. I also feel like MMC acted a bit too young for his age.
Overall, I had a nice time reading this book, there is nothing wrong with it but it also wasn't a wow for me.
⊹₊ ˚‧┈┈┈┈⋆ ᴛʜᴇ ʀᴇʟᴀᴛɪᴏɴꜱʜɪᴘ ⋆┈┈┈┈‧ ˚ ₊⊹
I liked that besides their insta-lust (which is very clear) they had genuine moments of appreciation for their personality/struggles. It was sweet and it worked. What didn't work entirely for me though is how much the narrative tried to convince me that they were deeply falling. There was constant push from others (the dog, the sister, the friend etc) to go after eachother, but I didn't feel it. I do like them together. FMC was a ray of sunshine, always positive and supportive. MMC was really drawn to that, and it's kinda what he needed in his life/career. He was also there to listen to her and make her feel better. I do feel them falling for eachother is genuine, I just wished I personally felt/read it more too.
There is a sort of 3rd act breakup because they both don't (dare to) share their feelings, but they get back together so soon that I didn't really mind it.
⊹₊ ˚‧┈┈┈┈ꨄ ᴛʜᴇ ꜱᴍᴜᴛ ꨄ┈┈┈┈‧ ˚ ₊⊹
Open door scenes, explicit. There are about 3 scenes and it takes a long enough time for it to happen/make sense. They were the right length. Nothing too different from most books tho, just normal vanilla sex with no dirty talk. Also, FMC's sister says "lady bits" twice and I really think authors need to abandon that description...
⊹₊ ˚‧┈┈┈┈୨୧ ᴄʜᴀʀᴀᴄᴛᴇʀꜱ ୨୧┈┈┈┈‧ ˚ ₊⊹
MMC
About: Emilio Baquero, 30, Spanish Formula 1 driver
Appearance: Thick dark slightly curly hair, chestnut brown eyes, bronze skin, full lips, athletic build
FMC
About: Piper Murphy, age not mentioned, dog carer
Appearance: Blonde hair, big blue eyes
⊹₊ ˚‧┈┈┈┈✦ ꜰᴇᴀᴛᴜʀᴇꜱ ✦┈┈┈┈‧ ˚ ₊⊹
Standalone
HEA
Vanilla smut
✦⚬───────────────────────────✧───────────────────────────⚬✦
ꜱᴛᴀʀᴛᴇᴅ/ꜰɪɴɪꜱʜᴇᴅ: 11 ꜰᴇʙ/12 ꜰᴇʙ
ᴅɪꜱᴄʟᴀɪᴍᴇʀ: ɪ ɢᴏᴛ ᴛᴏ ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴛʜɪꜱ ʙᴏᴏᴋ ꜰᴏʀ ꜰʀᴇᴇ ᴛʜᴀɴᴋꜱ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ᴀᴜᴛʜᴏʀ/ᴘᴜʙʟɪꜱʜᴇʀ ᴠɪᴀ ɴᴇᴛɢᴀʟʟᴇʏ, ʙᴜᴛ ᴍʏ ᴏᴘɪɴɪᴏɴ ᴡɪʟʟ ʙᴇ ꜰᴜʟʟʏ ᴍʏ ᴏᴡɴ.
ʀᴇᴀᴅ ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀɴᴛ: ꜱᴘᴏʀᴛꜱ (ꜰᴏʀᴍᴜʟᴀ 1) ʀᴏᴍᴀɴᴄᴇ, ʙᴏꜱꜱ x ᴇᴍᴘʟᴏʏᴇᴇ, ꜰᴏʀᴄᴇᴅ ᴘʀᴏxɪᴍɪᴛʏ (ʟɪᴠᴇ-ɪɴ ᴅᴏɢ ɴᴀɴɴʏ), ɢʀᴜᴍᴘʏ x ꜱᴜɴꜱʜɪɴᴇ
✦⚬───────────────────────────✧───────────────────────────⚬✦
Rating 3.25/5 | Spice 4/5 on the romance.io scale (1= Glimpses and kisses, 2=Closed door, 3=Open door, 4=Explicit open door, 5=Explicit and plentiful)
You can definitely tell that the author is a real F1 fan which I appreciated, it felt authentic. The premise of this book was really cute too, but the relationship itself felt like I needed a bit more to really see them falling in love, I needed the emotional part a bit more. I do realise that's just a personal wish for me, and it did a way better job than recent books I've read.
The writing is done well and it was a nice easy read because it's paced well. The book has a few chapters from the dog's POV and at first I thought it was kinda cute, but it became a bit cringy cause it was written as if the dog had thoughts and made decisions, like he was their cupid. I also feel like MMC acted a bit too young for his age.
Overall, I had a nice time reading this book, there is nothing wrong with it but it also wasn't a wow for me.
⊹₊ ˚‧┈┈┈┈⋆ ᴛʜᴇ ʀᴇʟᴀᴛɪᴏɴꜱʜɪᴘ ⋆┈┈┈┈‧ ˚ ₊⊹
I liked that besides their insta-lust (which is very clear) they had genuine moments of appreciation for their personality/struggles. It was sweet and it worked. What didn't work entirely for me though is how much the narrative tried to convince me that they were deeply falling. There was constant push from others (the dog, the sister, the friend etc) to go after eachother, but I didn't feel it. I do like them together. FMC was a ray of sunshine, always positive and supportive. MMC was really drawn to that, and it's kinda what he needed in his life/career. He was also there to listen to her and make her feel better. I do feel them falling for eachother is genuine, I just wished I personally felt/read it more too.
There is a sort of 3rd act breakup because they both don't (dare to) share their feelings, but they get back together so soon that I didn't really mind it.
⊹₊ ˚‧┈┈┈┈ꨄ ᴛʜᴇ ꜱᴍᴜᴛ ꨄ┈┈┈┈‧ ˚ ₊⊹
Open door scenes, explicit. There are about 3 scenes and it takes a long enough time for it to happen/make sense. They were the right length. Nothing too different from most books tho, just normal vanilla sex with no dirty talk. Also, FMC's sister says "lady bits" twice and I really think authors need to abandon that description...
⊹₊ ˚‧┈┈┈┈୨୧ ᴄʜᴀʀᴀᴄᴛᴇʀꜱ ୨୧┈┈┈┈‧ ˚ ₊⊹
MMC
About: Emilio Baquero, 30, Spanish Formula 1 driver
Appearance: Thick dark slightly curly hair, chestnut brown eyes, bronze skin, full lips, athletic build
FMC
About: Piper Murphy, age not mentioned, dog carer
Appearance: Blonde hair, big blue eyes
⊹₊ ˚‧┈┈┈┈✦ ꜰᴇᴀᴛᴜʀᴇꜱ ✦┈┈┈┈‧ ˚ ₊⊹
Standalone
HEA
Vanilla smut
✦⚬───────────────────────────✧───────────────────────────⚬✦
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
THANK YOU NETGALLEY FOR PROVIDING ME THE ARC COPY OF THIS BOOK.
Too Fast to Fall follows a dog-sitter Piper, an energetic sunshine that has her way around dogs, and Emilio, an incredible F1 driver who needed a nanny for his even better dog, Gus.
As she takes the job, the sparks start flying, and youre left just waiting for them to finally give in. Because is there really a better match than a dog-sitter and a single dog daddy?
Piper is a sunshine character, that much can be clear. Shes energetic, kind and will never turn you down. She has incredible talent with dogs and baking dog treats and always seems to know just the right thing to comfort you. She felt deeply personal because of how normal she was - just a girl from Florida with amazing family, somehow achieving an impossible dream of some of us - meeting and spending time with a Formula 1 driver.
Emilio is often viewed very cryptic, very work-focused and cold, and it that sense he reminded me of Max Verstappen from the real life grid.
But deep inside, hes just a person who was hurt quite badly that just felt incapable of ever loving. But he could, because he loved so much and he cared even more. His dog, Piper, his family... he loved everyone. He was determined to push harder in his work, always reaching for a goal just about, always pushing and pulling to do what he loved the most- racing. He also wasnt afraid of speaking up about problems with the bosses and how everybody will try to silence you.
Both of our characters are just pure love and kindness, and I think thats why they fit so well together. One more chaotic with their life, always having to travel, the other more chaotic inside, always pondering. But this match wouldnt be complete without our beloved doggy, Gus.
What makes this book so unique that Gus actually got his own chapters and it was the best form of entertainment ever. He was sassy and iconic and the biggest shipper of our main character, which just makes you love him.
Considering this book follows a part of Formula One, it comes to no surprise I loved this so much. As an F1 fan and an absolute romantic deep inside, this was the perfect blend for me. This book also weirdly felt motivational, because some of the quotes just uplift you.
Overall, id say this book is perfect for everyone who loves a little thrill, loves the warm feeling of love and adores dogs.
Too Fast to Fall follows a dog-sitter Piper, an energetic sunshine that has her way around dogs, and Emilio, an incredible F1 driver who needed a nanny for his even better dog, Gus.
As she takes the job, the sparks start flying, and youre left just waiting for them to finally give in. Because is there really a better match than a dog-sitter and a single dog daddy?
Piper is a sunshine character, that much can be clear. Shes energetic, kind and will never turn you down. She has incredible talent with dogs and baking dog treats and always seems to know just the right thing to comfort you. She felt deeply personal because of how normal she was - just a girl from Florida with amazing family, somehow achieving an impossible dream of some of us - meeting and spending time with a Formula 1 driver.
Emilio is often viewed very cryptic, very work-focused and cold, and it that sense he reminded me of Max Verstappen from the real life grid.
But deep inside, hes just a person who was hurt quite badly that just felt incapable of ever loving. But he could, because he loved so much and he cared even more. His dog, Piper, his family... he loved everyone. He was determined to push harder in his work, always reaching for a goal just about, always pushing and pulling to do what he loved the most- racing. He also wasnt afraid of speaking up about problems with the bosses and how everybody will try to silence you.
Both of our characters are just pure love and kindness, and I think thats why they fit so well together. One more chaotic with their life, always having to travel, the other more chaotic inside, always pondering. But this match wouldnt be complete without our beloved doggy, Gus.
What makes this book so unique that Gus actually got his own chapters and it was the best form of entertainment ever. He was sassy and iconic and the biggest shipper of our main character, which just makes you love him.
Considering this book follows a part of Formula One, it comes to no surprise I loved this so much. As an F1 fan and an absolute romantic deep inside, this was the perfect blend for me. This book also weirdly felt motivational, because some of the quotes just uplift you.
Overall, id say this book is perfect for everyone who loves a little thrill, loves the warm feeling of love and adores dogs.
May 25, 2026
Okay first and foremost, y'all I was approved for this arc on Tuesday, 5/19. As I was running on pure vibes, I hadn't realized it was the second book in the series, and I had a week. Y'all know I can't read things out of order so yes I absolutely immediately picked up Not So Fast and jammed through it over the week, picked this baby up yesterday and once I got into it, there was no question I'd be finishing before I went to bed.
Piper is so easy to relate to, especially for those of us who were Animal Planet kids and connected more readily with strange animals than strange people. Her heart is so kind, something you love to see in a MC, and her doubts are so familiar. I'm normally annoyed by a lot of characters that crack jokes all the time, but it didn't feel forced in this. Piper was just a whole vibe, and she's a FMC you just wanna sit down and hang out with.
Emilio. Lemme tell ya, when I first saw him in Not So Fast being a kind king, I was hoping I'd see more of him. We love tall, dark, and kind. So I wanted to shake him through the beginning, yeah, it's a romcom, that's the vibe, but his growth was so fun, and I love how he opens up throughout the book.
I can't forget GUS, the goodest damn boy in this whole book. So Gus is a dog, yes, but he's also an entire vibe. You ever think your dog is understanding you a little too well? You'll love Gus. I particularly liked how he was handled, since his part easily could've felt cartoonish, but it's really just a fun bit that adds some extra heart to this book.
Too Fast To Fall is a delightful F1 romcom, that manages a really delicate balance for me. There's enough conflict that I don't have anxiety about things turning sour the entire book, but it's light enough that I could sink in and plow through it. This is SO HARD to find and I'm pleased to report that book 1 also hit that same balance beautifully. I cannot stress enough how many fluffy romcoms I have to dnf because of this, and that this also centers around F1, with the author clearly being a fan? It's a gift. I'm so stoked to have stumbled across this series!
Many thanks to Afterglow Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion. Y'all know I'll tell you if a book misses, but this was a really fun ride! Def keeping an eye out for more in this series!
Piper is so easy to relate to, especially for those of us who were Animal Planet kids and connected more readily with strange animals than strange people. Her heart is so kind, something you love to see in a MC, and her doubts are so familiar. I'm normally annoyed by a lot of characters that crack jokes all the time, but it didn't feel forced in this. Piper was just a whole vibe, and she's a FMC you just wanna sit down and hang out with.
Emilio. Lemme tell ya, when I first saw him in Not So Fast being a kind king, I was hoping I'd see more of him. We love tall, dark, and kind. So I wanted to shake him through the beginning, yeah, it's a romcom, that's the vibe, but his growth was so fun, and I love how he opens up throughout the book.
I can't forget GUS, the goodest damn boy in this whole book. So Gus is a dog, yes, but he's also an entire vibe. You ever think your dog is understanding you a little too well? You'll love Gus. I particularly liked how he was handled, since his part easily could've felt cartoonish, but it's really just a fun bit that adds some extra heart to this book.
Too Fast To Fall is a delightful F1 romcom, that manages a really delicate balance for me. There's enough conflict that I don't have anxiety about things turning sour the entire book, but it's light enough that I could sink in and plow through it. This is SO HARD to find and I'm pleased to report that book 1 also hit that same balance beautifully. I cannot stress enough how many fluffy romcoms I have to dnf because of this, and that this also centers around F1, with the author clearly being a fan? It's a gift. I'm so stoked to have stumbled across this series!
Many thanks to Afterglow Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion. Y'all know I'll tell you if a book misses, but this was a really fun ride! Def keeping an eye out for more in this series!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Too Fast to Fall was such a fun, fast-paced romance filled with Formula One glamour, adorable dog chaos, and a grumpy/sunshine pairing that completely won me over. Between the racing world, the emotional family drama, and one scene-stealing dog, this book ended up being an incredibly entertaining read from start to finish.
The absolute star of the book was Gus. I genuinely did not expect to love the dog POV chapters as much as I did, but they were hilarious, charming, and somehow added so much heart to the story. Gus wasn’t just there as a cute accessory either. He felt important to both the plot and the emotional development of the characters, and honestly, every romance could probably benefit from an emotionally invested canine wingman.
I really enjoyed Piper and Emilio together too. Piper’s warmth and optimism balanced Emilio’s stress and emotional walls perfectly, and their chemistry felt natural from the beginning. The single dog dad trope was unexpectedly adorable, and watching Emilio slowly unravel every time Piper fit more seamlessly into his life had me grinning the entire time.
The Formula One backdrop added a lot of excitement to the story as well. Even as someone who doesn’t know a ton about F1, I still found the racing scenes engaging and easy to follow. The combination of glamorous racing circuits, emotional tension, travel, family complications, and romance made the pacing feel quick and addictive.
I also appreciated that both characters had their own personal struggles outside the romance. Piper’s uncertainty about her future and Emilio’s pressure from family expectations and career stress gave the story more emotional depth underneath all the lighter moments.
There were a few moments where I wished the emotional development had slowed down just a little more to really let certain scenes breathe, but honestly, this book knew exactly what kind of story it wanted to be: fun, flirty, emotional, and comforting.
A charming romance for readers who love grumpy/sunshine dynamics, sports romance, adorable pets, fast-paced love stories, and dogs with more personality than half the human cast.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
The absolute star of the book was Gus. I genuinely did not expect to love the dog POV chapters as much as I did, but they were hilarious, charming, and somehow added so much heart to the story. Gus wasn’t just there as a cute accessory either. He felt important to both the plot and the emotional development of the characters, and honestly, every romance could probably benefit from an emotionally invested canine wingman.
I really enjoyed Piper and Emilio together too. Piper’s warmth and optimism balanced Emilio’s stress and emotional walls perfectly, and their chemistry felt natural from the beginning. The single dog dad trope was unexpectedly adorable, and watching Emilio slowly unravel every time Piper fit more seamlessly into his life had me grinning the entire time.
The Formula One backdrop added a lot of excitement to the story as well. Even as someone who doesn’t know a ton about F1, I still found the racing scenes engaging and easy to follow. The combination of glamorous racing circuits, emotional tension, travel, family complications, and romance made the pacing feel quick and addictive.
I also appreciated that both characters had their own personal struggles outside the romance. Piper’s uncertainty about her future and Emilio’s pressure from family expectations and career stress gave the story more emotional depth underneath all the lighter moments.
There were a few moments where I wished the emotional development had slowed down just a little more to really let certain scenes breathe, but honestly, this book knew exactly what kind of story it wanted to be: fun, flirty, emotional, and comforting.
A charming romance for readers who love grumpy/sunshine dynamics, sports romance, adorable pets, fast-paced love stories, and dogs with more personality than half the human cast.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Woof. Maybe this one just wasn't for me. While I think it has moments of sweetness as the two main characters find their way back to realizing they're worthy of love, there's a real lack of substance going on that makes it hard to care. I don't mean for it to sound as callous as it is to call this book boring, but it was. So many of the problems faced were illusionary and paper thin obstacles that were solved by common sense or a stern talking to.
While I can usually look past a "will they, wont they" romance exacerbated by characters not saying what they feel, the book didn't do enough to really make me think of the character motivations as anything more than superficial excuses for the plot to happen. Subplots crop up and then are IMMEDIATELY extinguished as non-issues and it's hard not to wonder why they were included at all. And at the end of the day, most of all of the tension was a big nothingburger. It wasn't as if Booth made bad choices really, there was just nothing going on that particularly grabbed me as interesting. The emotional beats just did not land at all and were as shallow as a workplace motivational poster.
As for the writing itself, the dialogue was often stiff and even eyerolling at times. Piper and Emilio have practically no verbal chemistry with one another, which is a major bummer as that's usually a highlight of the grumpy x sunshine trope. Side characters don't really have enough presence to make a mark and mostly exist to make the main characters want to lean on each other in some fashion. The split POVs that take place WITHIN the same chapters weren't exactly jarring, but it made it hard to settle in with either character as events folded in. I think the format has legs when it came to the racing scenes, but ultimately I just found myself getting pingponged around when I wanted to have the characters show some introspection.
Also, I nearly DNF'd from the getgo when it began with the dog's POV. It's a cute idea and the book is probably better for trying it, but reading a dog make a dick joke about itself just isn't for me, and that's zero diss to the people who found it cute or funny, you do you.
While I can usually look past a "will they, wont they" romance exacerbated by characters not saying what they feel, the book didn't do enough to really make me think of the character motivations as anything more than superficial excuses for the plot to happen. Subplots crop up and then are IMMEDIATELY extinguished as non-issues and it's hard not to wonder why they were included at all. And at the end of the day, most of all of the tension was a big nothingburger. It wasn't as if Booth made bad choices really, there was just nothing going on that particularly grabbed me as interesting. The emotional beats just did not land at all and were as shallow as a workplace motivational poster.
As for the writing itself, the dialogue was often stiff and even eyerolling at times. Piper and Emilio have practically no verbal chemistry with one another, which is a major bummer as that's usually a highlight of the grumpy x sunshine trope. Side characters don't really have enough presence to make a mark and mostly exist to make the main characters want to lean on each other in some fashion. The split POVs that take place WITHIN the same chapters weren't exactly jarring, but it made it hard to settle in with either character as events folded in. I think the format has legs when it came to the racing scenes, but ultimately I just found myself getting pingponged around when I wanted to have the characters show some introspection.
Also, I nearly DNF'd from the getgo when it began with the dog's POV. It's a cute idea and the book is probably better for trying it, but reading a dog make a dick joke about itself just isn't for me, and that's zero diss to the people who found it cute or funny, you do you.
May 25, 2026
“Gus keeps pushing us together.” “It’s like he’s trying to tell us something.”
Firstly I loved the fact we got POVs from Gus! He was a matchmaker and determined to get Emilio and Piper together. The fact we had chapters from him was so fun and added a twist to the story I hadn’t seen before.
I also liked the cameos of Xander and Mia from book one! Little snippets of how they’ve settled into life as a couple.
“I had pole position for all but three races last year. This is just . . .” He pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head. Thinking about how effortless his success had felt last year, and how impossible everything was this season, gave him a headache. “It’s a fall from grace.”
Emilio is struggling this season, he has a new team and a new car. Whilst he may have been championship material last season, this year he’s in the lowest quarter of the grid and it’s hitting him hard. He meets Piper when his dog sitter quits and he hires her as his new one. What he doesn’t expect is the impact she’ll have - how he’ll fall for his newest employee. Can he have a better season once his head is in a better place?
Piper is a dog sitter, who also happens to be a F1 fan - of course Emilio is her favourite driver. She’s struggling with her sister’s wedding as it brings up the complex emotions surrounding her own broken engagement. So when Emilio offers her the job of being his dog nanny, flying with him to races to look after Gus, how can she say no.
“It was like she’d been roaming a desert, desperate for water, and someone turned up with a carafe of perfectly chilled mountain spring water, an umbrella and a chaise longue. Emilio was the spring water. And the little voice in her head said she shouldn’t have so much as a sip. He was Emilio Baquero, one of the sexiest men on the planet, and she was an ordinary person, a dog walker from Florida. That was an equation that didn’t add up.”
Tensions rise as the pair grow closer - can they keep their relationship strictly professional? Or will they let themselves fall?
ARC copy provided by Harlequin & NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
Firstly I loved the fact we got POVs from Gus! He was a matchmaker and determined to get Emilio and Piper together. The fact we had chapters from him was so fun and added a twist to the story I hadn’t seen before.
I also liked the cameos of Xander and Mia from book one! Little snippets of how they’ve settled into life as a couple.
“I had pole position for all but three races last year. This is just . . .” He pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head. Thinking about how effortless his success had felt last year, and how impossible everything was this season, gave him a headache. “It’s a fall from grace.”
Emilio is struggling this season, he has a new team and a new car. Whilst he may have been championship material last season, this year he’s in the lowest quarter of the grid and it’s hitting him hard. He meets Piper when his dog sitter quits and he hires her as his new one. What he doesn’t expect is the impact she’ll have - how he’ll fall for his newest employee. Can he have a better season once his head is in a better place?
Piper is a dog sitter, who also happens to be a F1 fan - of course Emilio is her favourite driver. She’s struggling with her sister’s wedding as it brings up the complex emotions surrounding her own broken engagement. So when Emilio offers her the job of being his dog nanny, flying with him to races to look after Gus, how can she say no.
“It was like she’d been roaming a desert, desperate for water, and someone turned up with a carafe of perfectly chilled mountain spring water, an umbrella and a chaise longue. Emilio was the spring water. And the little voice in her head said she shouldn’t have so much as a sip. He was Emilio Baquero, one of the sexiest men on the planet, and she was an ordinary person, a dog walker from Florida. That was an equation that didn’t add up.”
Tensions rise as the pair grow closer - can they keep their relationship strictly professional? Or will they let themselves fall?
ARC copy provided by Harlequin & NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
May 27, 2026
📖 Title: Too Fast to Fall-Fast Track #2
✍🏾 Author: Karen Booth- I read Not So Fast and gave it 4⭐
📅 Publication date: 5/26/26 | Read: 5/27/26
📃 Format: e-Book 288 pgs.
Genre:
*Contemporary Romance
Tropes:
*Formula 1 driving
* slow burn
*forced proximity
*grumpy-sunshine
*pet friendly
*workplace romance
👆🏾POV:3rd person
⚠️TW: sexual harassment-mentioned only, divorce
🌎 Setting: Florida, London, and Spain
Summary: Piper is not looking forward to helping her sister with her upcoming wedding after her bad break-up. She loves dog sitting and when F1 driver Emilio's team contacts her about his dog Gus, she jumps at the chance to go to races. Emilio is not having the best season after leaving Vermillion for Mega Racing. His parents are divorcing, and he misses not having Gus with him. After a rocky start to their work relationship while living together, sparks fly.
👩🏾 Heroine: Piper Murphy-a dog sitter, makes homemade treats for dogs
👨🏾 Hero: Emilio Baquero-30, F1 driver for Mega Racing
🎭 Other Characters
* Gabby-Piper's younger sister, getting married
* Meghan-Piper's youngest sister
* Kyle-Piper's ex-fiancé, broke off engagement 2 yrs ago, now best man @ Gabby's wedding
* Victoria-Emilio's ex-gf, broke up 18 mos. ago
* Josh and Willa-Piper's parents
*Bianca-Emilio's mother, has new beau Rico
*Isabel-Emilio's PR team
*Mia-has a podcast "Not Too Fast" w/ bf F1 driver Xander Bishop (Emilio's teammate)
*Brett Lockford-Vermillion's #1 driver, dating Emilio's ex-gf Victoria
*Gus-Emilio's dog
👍🏾 Liked:
-Piper philosophy on different kinds of love
-Talking w/ Ximena about starting her own business/doing something bigger with her life.
-Emilio and Piper's time w/ Emilio's grandmother Ximena
-Emilio feeling at home in his new place in London w/ Piper, Gus, Mia, and Xander
-Emilio confronting Victoria about their relationship
-Gus chapters🐶
Rating: 5/5 ✨
Spice level: 5/5 🌶️
🙏🏾Thanks to NetGalley, Afterglow Books | Harlequin Romance, and Karen Booth for this ARC! I voluntarily give my honest review, and all opinions are my own.
✍🏾 Author: Karen Booth- I read Not So Fast and gave it 4⭐
📅 Publication date: 5/26/26 | Read: 5/27/26
📃 Format: e-Book 288 pgs.
Genre:
*Contemporary Romance
Tropes:
*Formula 1 driving
* slow burn
*forced proximity
*grumpy-sunshine
*pet friendly
*workplace romance
👆🏾POV:3rd person
⚠️TW: sexual harassment-mentioned only, divorce
🌎 Setting: Florida, London, and Spain
Summary: Piper is not looking forward to helping her sister with her upcoming wedding after her bad break-up. She loves dog sitting and when F1 driver Emilio's team contacts her about his dog Gus, she jumps at the chance to go to races. Emilio is not having the best season after leaving Vermillion for Mega Racing. His parents are divorcing, and he misses not having Gus with him. After a rocky start to their work relationship while living together, sparks fly.
👩🏾 Heroine: Piper Murphy-a dog sitter, makes homemade treats for dogs
👨🏾 Hero: Emilio Baquero-30, F1 driver for Mega Racing
🎭 Other Characters
* Gabby-Piper's younger sister, getting married
* Meghan-Piper's youngest sister
* Kyle-Piper's ex-fiancé, broke off engagement 2 yrs ago, now best man @ Gabby's wedding
* Victoria-Emilio's ex-gf, broke up 18 mos. ago
* Josh and Willa-Piper's parents
*Bianca-Emilio's mother, has new beau Rico
*Isabel-Emilio's PR team
*Mia-has a podcast "Not Too Fast" w/ bf F1 driver Xander Bishop (Emilio's teammate)
*Brett Lockford-Vermillion's #1 driver, dating Emilio's ex-gf Victoria
*Gus-Emilio's dog
👍🏾 Liked:
-Piper philosophy on different kinds of love
-Talking w/ Ximena about starting her own business/doing something bigger with her life.
-Emilio and Piper's time w/ Emilio's grandmother Ximena
-Emilio feeling at home in his new place in London w/ Piper, Gus, Mia, and Xander
-Emilio confronting Victoria about their relationship
-Gus chapters🐶
Rating: 5/5 ✨
Spice level: 5/5 🌶️
🙏🏾Thanks to NetGalley, Afterglow Books | Harlequin Romance, and Karen Booth for this ARC! I voluntarily give my honest review, and all opinions are my own.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Okay wait because why was this actually SO cute???? 😭🏁🐶
If you’re even slightly into F1 romances, grumpy x sunshine, or books where the dog is basically the real main character… you need to pick this one up immediately.
This follows Piper, who accidentally becomes the live in dog nanny for broody Formula 1 driver Emilio Baquero after his adorable menace of a Labrador, Gus, basically chooses her on sight. And honestly? Gus deserves his own trophy because that dog was WORKING overtime trying to get these two together 😭
What I loved most about this book was how fun it felt. The racing atmosphere was there without being overwhelming if you’re not deep into F1, but if you are into racing? The paddock vibes, travel, race weekends, media chaos, all of it was so entertaining. You could tell Karen Booth actually understands the sport instead of just throwing “fast cars” into a romance novel and calling it a day.
And Emilio??? Classic emotionally unavailable grump who slowly turns into the softest man alive for Piper. Their chemistry felt natural and I really loved how Piper’s sunshine personality balanced his intensity. Plus the forced proximity setup absolutely delivered.
Also… the DOG POV chapters??? I thought they were going to be cheesy and somehow they ended up being one of my favorite parts of the entire book. Gus fully believes he is responsible for this relationship and honestly… he’s right.
The reason this wasn’t a full 5 stars for me is because I wanted just a littleeeee more emotional depth during the last part of the book. I felt like some of the communication issues could’ve been explored more before everything wrapped up. But overall? This was still such a fun binge read and one of those romances that leaves you smiling when you finish.
Read this if you like:
🏁 Formula 1 romance
☀️ grumpy x sunshine
🐶 chaotic matchmaking dog
✈️ forced proximity + travel
💋 slow burn tension
🏠 live in dog nanny trope
🖤 broody MMCs who secretly fall HARD
Honestly this made me want more F1 romances
If you’re even slightly into F1 romances, grumpy x sunshine, or books where the dog is basically the real main character… you need to pick this one up immediately.
This follows Piper, who accidentally becomes the live in dog nanny for broody Formula 1 driver Emilio Baquero after his adorable menace of a Labrador, Gus, basically chooses her on sight. And honestly? Gus deserves his own trophy because that dog was WORKING overtime trying to get these two together 😭
What I loved most about this book was how fun it felt. The racing atmosphere was there without being overwhelming if you’re not deep into F1, but if you are into racing? The paddock vibes, travel, race weekends, media chaos, all of it was so entertaining. You could tell Karen Booth actually understands the sport instead of just throwing “fast cars” into a romance novel and calling it a day.
And Emilio??? Classic emotionally unavailable grump who slowly turns into the softest man alive for Piper. Their chemistry felt natural and I really loved how Piper’s sunshine personality balanced his intensity. Plus the forced proximity setup absolutely delivered.
Also… the DOG POV chapters??? I thought they were going to be cheesy and somehow they ended up being one of my favorite parts of the entire book. Gus fully believes he is responsible for this relationship and honestly… he’s right.
The reason this wasn’t a full 5 stars for me is because I wanted just a littleeeee more emotional depth during the last part of the book. I felt like some of the communication issues could’ve been explored more before everything wrapped up. But overall? This was still such a fun binge read and one of those romances that leaves you smiling when you finish.
Read this if you like:
🏁 Formula 1 romance
☀️ grumpy x sunshine
🐶 chaotic matchmaking dog
✈️ forced proximity + travel
💋 slow burn tension
🏠 live in dog nanny trope
🖤 broody MMCs who secretly fall HARD
Honestly this made me want more F1 romances
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