Author: Meredith Lanzen
Series: Standalone
Genre: Sci-Fi/Romance/Sports
Publisher: Berkley
Publication Date: July 7, 2026
Edition: eBook
Source: NetGalley
Pre-Order: Amazon US | Barnes & Noble | Books a Million | Bookshop | Kobo | Powell's |
Synopsis:
Madeline Clarke didn't think her life would be all fun and trophies after earning her spot in the solar system's most elite zero-gravity racing circuit, but she definitely thought it'd be better than this. Aside from being a female pilot in a male-dominated sport, her boss is a controlling jerk, her estranged father is a beloved figure from her team's past glory days (and an absolute ass), and she's performing so poorly she risks losing her contract. And worst of all, there's Julian Casperi.
Julian was Clarke's childhood best friend and is a rising star in the league. The dance between them has always been complicated, but when Clarke walked away from her feelings years ago and Julian didn’t stop her they became nothing more than competitors—until Clarke gets into a near-fatal accident on the track and Julian comes to her rescue.
Now back in each other’s orbits, the tension between them is at an all-time high. But navigating their relationship might be the least of Clarke’s problems. Things keep going wrong on the track, and she suspects there's something shady at play. If she wants to come out on top, she needs to move fast and make bold choices—about her team, her future, and her heart.
Julian was Clarke's childhood best friend and is a rising star in the league. The dance between them has always been complicated, but when Clarke walked away from her feelings years ago and Julian didn’t stop her they became nothing more than competitors—until Clarke gets into a near-fatal accident on the track and Julian comes to her rescue.
Now back in each other’s orbits, the tension between them is at an all-time high. But navigating their relationship might be the least of Clarke’s problems. Things keep going wrong on the track, and she suspects there's something shady at play. If she wants to come out on top, she needs to move fast and make bold choices—about her team, her future, and her heart.
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I have read a small handful of Sports Romance in my life, most of them were okay. Where the sport that's used as a backdrop plays such a small role in the actual story it made me question why it was there at all. But this one the sport of racing (racing in space no less) is actually a pretty big part of the story. There's also a little less of a focus on the romance, which was (at first) kind of disappointing since I was going into this expecting a more romance-focused book, but I ended up really invested in Clark's racing and the mystery of who was behind all the things going wrong with her ship, and why. The twist was a little unexpected imo.
Julian is hands down one of the best Male love interests I have read in a long time. He is a little brooding, he's not a possessive asshole. He's patient with Clarke, while also making it clear what he wants to have with her. Love a man who vocalizes his intentions. The yearning was nicely done, and the spice didn't make me cringe. (I sometimes skim-read intimate scenes for the verbiage used)
As somebody who knows next to nothing about F1 Racing, I wasn't lost while reading the racing scenes. And I do like that how the long-distance space travel between The moon, Mars, and the Asteroid belt isn't explained at all. It's a "they can do it, moving on" kind of deal, because it's not the point. It's a character lead story, not a space travel story.
This story is told in third-person, and at times I wished it was in first-person, but I think that might be because I'm used to romance being in first-person. But it worked out better, I think in part because in the intimate scenes we aren't in her head, which can get weird sometimes.
I would read more from this author. I like the way she writes characters, and their relationships with each other.
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