Recent Reads: Pole Position by Rebecca Caffery

Pole Position by Rebecca Caffery 

Series: Pole Position #1
Publisher: One More Chapter, Harper Collins
Publication Date:  June 6, 2024

 

Format: Paperback
Source: Bought/Own

Rating:

Goodreads Synopsis: 

Red, White and Royal Blue meets Formula 1!

Kian Walker has always been the golden boy of motor sport. The four-time Championship winner has racing in his DNA – his father was a legend on the track, just don’t let him catch you comparing the two. As reckless and unreliable at home as he was behind the wheel, there’s nothing Kian wants less than to be just like his dad.

Enter Harper James. This year’s rookie called up to compete with the big boys – and Kian’s new teammate. Cocky, hot-headed and with a reputation for breaking as many hearts as he does new track records, Harper’s the opposite of Kian in every way. But when the season starts, there’s no getting away from him.

This might be one of the most dangerous sports in the world, so why then does Kian’s heart feel safer flying around the track at 220mph than when he's anywhere near his teammate?

Review: 

I will start this review off by saying this review is for overall vibes, this was an enjoyable read and I sat down and practically read it in one sitting... but the editing was rough. There were a few plot points that I was very confused about, but I really enjoyed the ride. 

We follow Kian and Harper, F1 drivers and now teammates. Kian is serious, determined, older, and he has been the golden boy of racing for years. Harper is new, messy, the party boy and he is also a pretty good driver, but Kian is not convinced they will make a good team. 

I liked the slow build romance between these two, with their trust issues, and finding ways to come together to become semi-friends before anything more. I liked the will they, won't they, back and forth for a bit, and I liked that both were dealing with seemingly bigger internal/external issues than just being gay in motorsport. 

The F1 parts of this were ok. There were nods to gear, qualifying, locations, and some races. but generally this is a book about racecar drivers that is mostly about their time outside of the cars. The plot overall was really just - they hate each other, or do they? 

I really liked this book. 

Now about the editing and plot points that were odd:

• Harper was a foster kid, never seemingly adopted, and they put him in karting? I am not sure the author fully understood what that time and cost commitment are. I highly doubt foster parents would be able to do that knowing that he could be adopted and leave at any point. 
• Was there any resolution to the Kian dad situation or any more explanation to Harper about the fan-boying? Maybe I missed it in there somewhere.
• Also some general typos, editing oddness throughout as well.

However, if you are reading for the MM romance with some vroom vroom, this works.

Early Reader Review: Fire Power by Mir Benitz

Source: From Netgalley and the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This in no way alters my opinion or review.

Fire Power by Mir Benitz 
Publisher: Little, Brown & Company
Publication Date:  September 1, 2026

 

Format: Ebook


Rating:


Goodreads Synopsis: 

Fourth Wing meets Formula One in this enemies-to-lovers sports romantasy about a stubbornly ambitious dragon rider who goes up against her childhood friend turned racing rival in the ultimate dragon race.

The Silverscale Grand Prix is the national championship of dragon racing—a high-speed, often deadly, elite sport with an unimaginably big cash prize. 

Asta and her dragon Carmine are unlikely competitors. No sponsors, no high-tech gear, no fans out in the stands. Not to mention that a female rider hasn't won the Prix for nearly sixty years. The odds are stacked against them—but Asta is determined to prove everyone the training school that kicked her out for fighting a classmate, her family who wished she'd never left the farm, and, most of all, her infuriatingly arrogant childhood-best-friend-turned-rival Felix, the poster-boy heir to the Seraphin racing dynasty and reigning tournament champion.

Raw talent alone won't be enough to get Asta and Carmine through these races—and it soon becomes clear that the risks Asta has taken to get to Silverscale could have devastating consequences. Time to think fast, or die trying.

Review: 

I was so excited to get this book for review, I have been loving F1 and the description pulled me in. Sadly, I found the book just ok, which is a bummer. 

The story follows Asta, a dragon rider headed for Silverscale. She’s worked her way up from farm life to racing and is determined to win. While there, she reconnects with her former neighbor and rival, Felix, while also getting pulled into some shady dealings with people who want her help during the race.

Asta is our FMC, determined and stubborn, which are usually traits I enjoy in a character, but she often acts like she is much younger than she is with her dialogue and behavior. Felix, the MMC and golden-boy rival, felt somewhat oblivious, which I think was partly because of his privilege. Nat, a side character and love interest, was easily my favorite. She was mouthy and rude, but her attitude added a lot of fun to the story.

I enjoyed the race descriptions, but the racing itself felt like an odd mix of horse racing and Formula 1 without fully committing to either. I couldn’t quite grasp the mechanics of dragon racing, and the world surrounding the races was barely described beyond the track itself.

The character relationships were another weak point for me. This was marketed as a romantasy, so I expected more development in the romantic relationships, but they felt fairly shallow. Asta and Felix especially read like they were having a high school breakup every time they interacted. Asta’s constant insistence that she had done everything completely on her own also started to get annoying. Yes, she worked hard to make it to the championship, but Felix’s family gave her a dragon and allowed her to start riding in the first place...on their dragons. Her success is absolutely her own accomplishment, but I wish the story acknowledged the privilege and help she had along the way that was less whiney. 

Overall, I think the book had an interesting premise, but the execution didn’t quite work for me. I liked Nat, Asta was okay but sometimes whiny, and Felix was a fairly forgettable MMC. While there were some spicy scenes, the rest of the book read more like a Young Adult romantasy than an adult one.