Heart Racing : A Formula One Enemies to Lovers Romance

Sparks Fly #2

by Elliana Rose

An electric enemies-to-lovers, work place romance full of sharp banter and yearning to make your heart race.

Nicola Moretti is finally stepping into the career she’s always dreamed of. Raised in Formula One royalty, she’s long known she belongs trackside, and this is the year she’s out to prove she’s more than just the team owner’s daughter. Running charity events for her family’s team, Nicola is finally finding her stride and maybe even her place.

Matteo DeLuca is Moretti Racing’s golden boy driver, full of charm and sunshine. flirting with the woman who hates it is his favorite past time. Because somewhere between the arguments, the banter, and the late-night confessions, something real is starting to take shape.

After a drunken one night stand, she says it was a mistake.

He’s ready to make it her favorite one.

Genres: Romance, Sports Romance, Sports, Enemies To Lovers

333 pages, Kindle Edition

Expected publication February 5, 2026

Reviews

[har ୧ ‧₊˚ 🍵 ⋅ · Rating 5 out of 5]

── .✦ 5 stars 𓂃˖ ࣪⊹

┆ ⤿ 🏎️ ⌗ started: january 18, finished: january 24

⤿ mini review w NO spoilers ⋆

“call us whatever you want, whatever feels less scary, but i’m not going anywhere, and i’m not interested in ever spending my time, energy, or trust on anyone else other than you. you are who i want. you are who i fucking need. we take it as slow as you need.”

‧₊˚ ┊ tropes:
.ᐟ boss’s daughter x f1 driver
.ᐟ rivals to lovers
.ᐟ he falls first
.ᐟ ‘rivals’ with benefits

⤿spice: 3/5

‧₊˚ ┊ thank you elliana rose for the electronic copy in exchange for a honest review

ⓘ book 8 of 2026

‧₊˚ ┊thoughts 𓂃˖ ࣪⊹

oh em gee!! i loved this book so much 🥹 the rivals-to-lovers tension was everything, the banter, the chemistry, the slow shift from annoyance to want?? obsessed. matteo falling first absolutely stole my heart, and the “rivals with benefits” dynamic added just the right amount of spice without overpowering the emotional build. as a formula 1 lover, the setting made this even more fun and immersive, and i loved seeing nicola step into her own beyond being the boss’s daughter. sharp banter, yearning, and a romance that truly sneaks up on you, this one had my whole heart racing 😮‍💨🫶🏼

‧₊˚ ┊quotes 𓂃˖ ࣪⊹

And I couldn’t stop watching her as she walked away. God, I was so screwed.

“I know we said vacation was over,” he breathed, voice low and wrecked, “But I can’t do this anymore. I can’t pretend you didn’t ruin me that week. I can’t sleep. I hate when you’re not around. The last few days have felt like an eternity. I need you around, I need these lips, your snark, your fucking temper.”

How was I supposed to be normal around her? Not act like a drooling dog following her around all night? There was no hope. I was in free fall for this woman, just waiting for her to jump. So I turned on the charm, the one she loved to hate.

“I’d rather have your hand in mine DeLuca. You’ve turned me into a romantic.”

[joni ౨ৎ · Rating 5 out of 5]

𐙚⋆°｡⋆♡ ── 5 stars
so this was utter perfection

review when i have time but this was the most fun i had while reading in a hot minute – i giggled, i cried, i smiled, i literally went through it all.

i am a huge fan of elliana and truly cannot wait for her future work!!

if you have not already PLEASE go read book 1 + this book comes out next week!!

𐙚⋆°｡⋆♡ ── pre-read
for the thrill of it all was one of my top reads of last year (book 1) and i cannot wait to continue this lovely series!! reading with my bestie char our first buddy read 💗🥹 ily & i know we're going to eat this up!!

↪ started jan 27
↪ finished jan 29



thank u elliana for sending me an arc!

[charisse ♡]

pre-read: if you know me you'll know how much i loved for the thrill of it all when i got the arc for it last year so obviously had to read the arc of heart racing too!! prepare to be so annoyed by me lol.. and i'm reading this with jojo!!

[Paige · Rating 5 out of 5]

wow, I always find contemporary romances to not hit the spot for me but this book? ughhh I wanted to wrap Nicole and Matteo up and keep them safe. While this is based as a formula 1 book, it lightly taps into it but my god I still loved how Elliana captured the fast paced world of that sport still.

Nic goes through a lot of self doubt but fakes it till she makes it and the way Matteo strips her down to her core (not literally but also literally 🤭) was seriously so beautifully done.

The found family aspects but also the love on the pages? ughhhh cut my heart out! I was sobbing at them but more importantly Matteo the golden retriever, happy go lucky guy, who just puts his heart out on his sleeve and it's just so beautiful!

Nic, is a grumpy black cat, who just has a heart of gold and seeing her open and take her armour off (heels and a bright red lip), just made me cheer for her.

Obsessed with this and very fortunate to have received an ARC for this, in an exchange for a very honest review! Thank you Elliana, for writing a beautiful love story that is wrapped up in an F1 bow. 🫶🏻

[Shana · Rating 4 out of 5]

RTC

[Briana Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

ARC Review ✨
First I would like to say a big thank you to Elliana for letting me be apart of this ARC Team!
Rate: 5/5⭐️
Spice: 1.5/5🌶️

What to expect when reading Heart Racing;
-Formula One
-Enemies x Lovers
-Bosses Daughter
-Black Cat x Golden Retriever
-Forbidden Romance
-One Bed

This is book two of the Sparks Fly series! You get to follow Nicola and Matteo! Nicola is finding her place on her family’s formula one team. Matteo is driving for his spot on the team while trying to win over the girl. Firstly I will always read formula one books because I love the sport, so I will never pass on an F1 themed book. Second, I LOVED these two main characters sooooo much, when they were announced for book two I was so excited! This was such a fun read. Their banter throughout the book it really had me laughing out loud and written (insert chefs kiss here). The chemistry was also super hot, talk about man obsessed! I literally melted for them. Also I enjoyed that even though the book focused of the push and pull between the characters, we also got those hints of racing /events as well which I always enjoy it was the perfect balance. Honestly Elliana knows how to write men, and she did so good with the black cat and golden retriever aspect (one of my favorite tropes). I could keep reading about Nicola and Matteo. Also look at this cover, it’s absolutely stunning!!!!🙌

Side notes:
-Love sassy women, like men who?
-Twitchy lol
-Vodka and Vengeance
-Layers 😂

Fav Quote:
•”I’m a delight”
•”Do you have a fucking off switch”
•”You gonna slap me or kiss me again”
•”I think I’m being seduced”

Make sure you get your copy of the book when it releases Feb. 2nd
#bookstagram #romance #review

[Kim.thebookworm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you Elliana for this ARC! This is such a good series, even if you don’t follow formula 1 (like me!). I’ve been invested from book 1!!

Overall I enjoyed the banter (lots of it..I love all the text messaging) between Matteo and Nicola! I also loved seeing the characters from book 1 appear (which I def recommend starting with!) If you are a fan of chosen family, enemies to lovers, and boss’s daughter…be sure to check out this series!

[Nicole Heron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

As a F1 girlie, I absolutely ate this up and can’t believe I have never read a F1 romance books before! I have been missing out.

It’s a dual POV book through the telling of our MMCs, Nicola and Matteo. Nicola was born into F1, being the daughter of one of the team’s founders, and Matteo our sexy F1 driver for her family’s team and brother to her close friend.

Matteo is a mixture of Charles Leclerc meets Lando Norris, and I am all here for it! He’s charming, hot, cocky with a soft marshmallow side to him. His personality definitely resembles that of Lando Norris, although he does not have a bromance with Carlos. Yes, there is a Carlos in the book, and they are on the same team, but having different roles but no bromance…. unfortunately🤣.

What I liked about the characters is they’re independent from each other, they are so different but compatible and suit each other well. Nicola is fierce and goal-oriented and trying to get out of the shadow of her family name, whereas Matteo comes off as this cocky charming playboy but really is a golden retriever for those he loves. Nicola has these high walls built up, but then comes Matteo in trying to break them down…and it’s just what she needs, even if she doesn’t realise it at the time.

The banter and back and forth between the two had me chuckling, and when Matteo called Nicola “Amore” I could just hear it in his accent 🤤🫠.

Also, when he came to Nicola’s rescue and was her “hero in a tux” I swooned. My favourite line of Matteo’s “Kissing you is pure sin, Moretti.” And yes, there is a fuck it moment as well 🥵

Whilst there is obviously romance and tension between our MMCs, there is also a hint of darker themes such as struggling to fit in the familial mould and family conflict, whilst also a notion of being a driver and the pressure that comes with it.

The pacing and writing of the book were nicely done, and I liked the pacing of our characters’ relationship. It wasn’t too fast, and transitions nicely from our enemies-to-lovers trope quite nicely. It is a slow burn, so if you want the romance to be much faster and less built up, then this might not be the book for you.

It also gives us a view into the motorsport as well and a view on race days. As someone that’s been to an F1 race, trust me, it’s incredible, and the author did a good job with the descriptions and painting scenes of race day and building that excitement and tension.

This is book two in the series, and not going to lie, I didn’t realise it was, and I have not read the first one! So there may be spoilers if you are going to read this one first. But I will definitely be going back to read the first one and am intrigued to see what characters the first book is based on.

I want to thank the author for giving me this amazing opportunity to read this book! I loved it, and I am sure other F1 girlies will enjoy it as well.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC REVIEW:

One quote from this book that embodied the entire story and something that really resonated with me: “You deserve to be loved as you are. You deserve to be happy as you are. And if someone out in this universe meets you where you’re at and loves you as you are, then hold on to that with everything you have.” THIS. This was literally Matteo and Nicola and this was what Heart Racing really was about.

Nicola Moretti HATES Matteo DeLuca, and honestly, I would’ve too if someone’s ONE comment discredited all the work I put in to demand respect in a male dominated field. However, Matteo’s golden retriever charms knocked down all of Nicola’s walls and she fell for that… AND I was eating up every moment of it.

“Nicola and I? We flirted like it was a sport, fought like we were in the ring, and orbited each other like something was always just about to catch fire.”

Nicola and Matteo’s chemistry was off the charts. Even from For The Thrill Of It All, I knew that I would love them and that I needed Elliana Rose to write a book for them. I love a good hate-to-love trope and Nicole and Matteo were just that for me. I giggled and kicked my feet while reading all their chapters spent together. It was fluffy, it was cute with just enough of a spice kick that I really enjoyed. Heart Racing would also be a great vacation or summer read with their chapters from Portofino. It was giving summer rom-com vibes and I honestly imagined a movie for them in my head.

“You’re the worst.”
“Not tonight.”
“Tonight, I’m your hero in a tux.”
“And tomorrow you’ll be back to being the arrogant pain in my ass.”
“Can’t I be both?”

I envisioned a lot of myself in Nicola while reading Heart Racing. As someone who also works in a male dominated field, she has the same attitude as me, and a lot of her quips back to Matteo, I could also imagine myself saying to a man. Nicola was a character that I just wanted to wrap up in my arms and protect. I supported her all the way and by the end of the book, I was ALSO proud of her and her accomplishments. I felt like I was in the crowed clapping and cheering for her too.

Matteo DeLuca is just the type of man I want to encounter in my lifetime. He really is so sweet. He is supportive in Nicola and what she wants to do, he’s the greatest uncle and an amazing lover. He gives his all to the people he loves. I wanted a little bit more of the plot to also focus on his character. There wasn’t that much to develop for him.

I loved that there was no third act break up, just Nicola and Matteo deciding that they wanted to give their relationship a chance. I appreciated that there were no disapproving parents, and just a damn good dad that loves, supports, and is proud of his daughter.

If you love banter, a feel-good time, a strong FMC, and a golden retriever MMC, Heart Racing is for you.

Elliana and Team, thank you so much for this ARC!

[yueting ♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Heart Racing is a sweet, cute—slightly predictable—romance that had moments that I really enjoyed, but which, overall, I sadly didn't connect with very deeply.

Fans of the black cat FMC and golden retriever MMC will absolutely adore Nicola and Matteo. He's all sunshine and smirks and teasing jokes, and she's all sharp rebuffs with a no-nonsense attitude. However, despite this set-up feeling very fun and super up my alley as a grumpy x sunshine lover, I never got very invested.

In particular, it took me a while to understand where Nicola's sharpness came from, even in her own POV. And while Matteo's layers were easier for me to grasp, I just didn't find myself getting emotionally attached. They did have some really lovely moments together, and the scenes where they both drop their masks and are real with each other were some of my favorites, but the tension and spark wasn't quite there for me.

The supporting cast of characters around Nicola and Matteo were wonderful though, and reading this book has actually made me very excited to go back and read book one. The story here runs almost parallel to For The Thrill Of It All, so we get to see Lucia and Alexander's relationship peripherally. I am also very intruiged by a character in here who I believe will be getting their own book soon ...

I also thought the F1 details were immersive but not distracting. I loved seeing the chaos of game days, the pressure on Matteo to perform on the track, and even all the behind-the-scenes work that Nicola was involved in. Elliana Rose really was able strike the perfect balance between the sport and the romance, and, overall, I thought her writing was confident, emotive, and easy to sink into.

Although I wish I loved Nicola and Matteo a bit more, this was still an enjoyable read—and I can see this being a fav for someone looking for a light, fun F1 romance!

﹙ two-point-five stars ﹚

— thank you so much to the author for the e-arc!

[sky ~miss.littlereader~ · Rating 5 out of 5]

🅰🆁🅲 🆁🅴🆅🅸🅴🆆

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Heart Racing by Elliana Rose

"𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒉𝒐𝒕 𝒃𝒆𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒃𝒐𝒔𝒔𝒚."
"𝑾𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒔𝒉𝒖𝒕 𝒖𝒑? 𝑾𝒆'𝒓𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒂 𝒑𝒖𝒃𝒍𝒊𝒄 𝒉𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒘𝒂𝒚, 𝒊𝒅𝒊𝒐𝒕."
"𝑩𝒐𝒔𝒔𝒚. 𝑭𝒐𝒄𝒖𝒔𝒆𝒅. 𝑨𝒍𝒍 𝒇𝒊𝒓𝒆. 𝑲𝒊𝒏𝒅 𝒐𝒇 𝒂 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒎𝒆."
"𝒀𝒐𝒖'𝒓𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒏𝒐𝒚𝒊𝒏𝒈."
"𝑨𝒏𝒅 𝒚𝒆𝒕, 𝒀𝒐𝒖'𝒓𝒆 𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒕𝒂𝒍𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐 𝒎𝒆."

This book kept me engaged from beginning to end. The pacing flows well, the tension builds naturally, and the emotional moments feel genuine. The banter between Matteo and Nicola is excellent, fun, sharp, and filled with chemistry. Every disagreement, glance, and late night conversation adds to their connection, making their relationship development and feel well earned.

"𝑴𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒐 𝒅𝒐𝒆𝒔𝒏'𝒕 𝒌𝒊𝒔𝒔 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒚 𝒏𝒐𝒓𝒎𝒂𝒍 𝒌𝒊𝒔𝒔, 𝒉𝒆 𝒌𝒊𝒔𝒔𝒆𝒔 𝒎𝒆 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒊𝒕'𝒔 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆'𝒔 𝒃𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒉."

What I especially appreciated is that Heart Racing fully embraces being a sports romance. I've read a couple of Formula romance and it's hardly a sports romance like so little details but this one, Formula One isn’t just in the background here, it plays an important role in the story. The racing scenes clearly show the focus, pressure, and real risks Matteo faces on the track, which adds depth and makes the stakes feel real. I loved how much care was given to this aspect of the story. And that is really beautiful. Great job Ms. Elliana.

[Stacy · Rating 4 out of 5]

There were definitely sparks in this F1 romance! My first Elliana Rose read was really enjoyable and I was lucky enough to be chosen as an ARC reader for my honest review.

The enemies to lovers wasn't overly done where it became unbearable. The transition to romance was slow but consistent. The characters from book 1 were a steady presence and it was easy to pick-up their general background while they helped book 2 characters.

Where I did get left behind in the story was the believability of the FMC's career. As an event planner -- and having worked in foundations -- her road from entry level to C-suite in less than 6 months was too far fetched and took away form the story. It felt like someone learning to be a mechanic suddenly became the lead mechanic for Moretti in the same time frame.

That stated, I loved the storyline, the character depth, the love the characters shared for each other and chosen family. The father in the story was a nice break from other F1 father figures.

The epilogue... I was so happy! I wanted more and I hope book 3 continues to develop the characters in the universe like this one.

[TribesReadingObsession · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was awesome, it was funny, sassy, cheeky and heartfelt.

Nicola is a smart, strong willed, sassy, grumpy badass. She’s determined to achieve her dreams in the F1 industry and not let any relationship hinder that, so she’s just not interested.

Matteo is an f1 race driver, who enjoys provoking any reaction out of Nicola even if it’s her fire. He loves getting a rise but is just a cheeky smitten guy, who’s just a ray of sunshine.

Their banter is hilarious and fun, the whole book is full of funny laugh out loud moments, it’s just a gorgeous sports romance with plenty of sports talk too. I rally enjoyed watching their relationship grow. I loved the other characters we met lots and cannot wait to go read their stories too.

Overall this is definitely an enjoyable romance book and the no 3rd act breakup was perfection, when all romances seem to have to have that I throughly enjoyed it not being a factor here, just growth connection support and eventually love.

Definitely one for a romance book lover and ones who love some sports involved. Definitely recommend ❤️

[Javiera · Rating 4 out of 5]

Arc's review 💖

First of all, thank you very much for the opportunity Elliana 🥹

As a girl who likes F1, I admit that I enjoyed this book a lot🫢

It’s a story so lovely, funny, spicy, and sweet that I need a man from this book for myself right now! 🥺

About the main characters, they’re so adorable, but the tension was so obvious. I shouted during so many parts when they made or took any decision about their 'friendship'. HAHAHA!

I really enjoyed the growth they had. I think Nicola showed the most growth in the book, but Matteo is a man who understands many things by the end too❤️‍🩹

I hadn't read the first book before, but I need to read it now because I really fell in love with Alexander, Lucia, and Gianna🫶🏼

Finally, I think it’s important to remind you that this is a story with too much influence from F1, so obviously you will find many coincidences—SO MANY. So, you can decide if you want to keep reading or choose another book, or keep reading and leave an honest but kind review🤍

[Hailey✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to the author for the ARC ❤️

Heart Racing was so good. I absolutely loved Nicola and her bad ass personality. She was confident, strong in herself and completely unapologetic about who she was, which made her such a refreshing and empowering main character to read about.

The banter between Nicola and Matteo was everything, definitely sharp and undeniably hot. Their chemistry kept me hooked.

You can also clearly tell the author is a Formula One fan, which I loved. The race scenes were written so well that it genuinely felt like I was watching Sky Sports (iykyk). The attention to detail and the adrenaline of the races added so much authenticity and excitement to the story.

Overall, I loved this book and I am already counting down until the rest of the series. I would highly recommend it to Formula One fans and book lovers alike.

[Sydney Gessler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Elliana Rose has made my interest In Formula 1 go from 0 to 100 with this series. I adored for the Thrill
of It All and was VERY excited for Matteo's book. I absolutely live for a black cat find and a golden retriever man and Matteo is as golden retriever as they come. He was so patient with Nicola, who has obviously been hurt before, it just melts your heart. If you haven't read a F1 romance before, Elliana Rose is a great place to start. She makes it so engaging I might actually watch a race.

[colleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

my whole entire heart, oh wow.

this series feels like the warmest hug. every single page left me feeling comforted and completely in awe🥹 i knew i would fall head over heels in love with this book. after reading for the thrill of it all, i was instantly in love with matteo and nicola, and i couldn’t wait to watch all of their moments unfold.

matteo is like if mirrorball by taylor swift were a person, and i adore him so deeply. the way he loves and shows up for the people in his life, especially his sister and gia, was the most captivating part of the story for me. elliana rose does this so beautifully. she makes the love between her characters feel tangible, whether it’s familial or romantic.

nicola is such a strong character. from the moment we met her in the previous book, i was drawn to her straightforward personality. i loved seeing a woman absolutely thrive in a male-dominated field, and watching her grow into her role was so rewarding.

matteo and nicola were beautiful together. what began as banter turned into a one night stand, which rippled into hidden moments and something so much deeper. their connection felt natural and real.

overall, i absolutely adored this book and this series, and i am beyond excited for what the next installments have in store. thank you so much, elliana, for the arc. i’m truly so grateful <3

[sads · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to the author for an arc!

very cute read but it didn’t really speak out to me, it felt overly cliche in parts and the plot itself was a little flat. I did, however, love the characters 🙂‍↕️ Matteo was such a sweetheart, always showing up for the people he loves and Nicola was a baddie 💯

[Selena Tostado · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ugh I enjoyed book one but man oh man did I devour & ADORE book two!!
Matteo & Nicola are utterly perfect! Their dialogue and flirting had me GLUED to my phone reading. I couldn���t put them down!
This whole book felt like a warm hug. The writing was so good! Glad I got to ARC read this!!

[Claire Johns · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series is so damn cute, please check the triggers as there are real themes included but damn these happy endings and the swoon worthy men! The banter and snark in this book is bar none and I am here for it. Nicola and Matteo deserve their HEA. So grateful for the opportunity to read this ARC!

[grace]

Beta read!

[Hailey · Rating 5 out of 5]

i LOVED For The Thrill of It All & I was very very excited to see that Matteo was getting his own book🤭 lemme just say this book had me in a chokehold.

Nicola is so badass, I wanna be her when I grow up. And Matteo ofc, I loved him in the first book, he’s sweet, sunshiney, and dreamy. I loved their dynamic so much 😍🤌🏼 the banter, the tension, everything was just chefs kiss and I ate it up 😮‍💨

Absolutely loved seeing Alexander, Lucia, and Gia in it too. They’re the cutest!! Honestly, no notes. I just loved the entire book so much and these couples will always live in my head rent free.

Thank you so much to the author for the ARC copy. Everyone better pick up this book when it comes out!!! 🏎️💕