Title: A Rivalry of Hearts
Author: Tessonja Odette
Length: 409 pages
Genre: Fantasy, Romance, Adult literature
Is this book part of a series? Yes, this is book one of Fae Flings and Corset Strings.
I discovered this book via… a Kindle Unlimited suggestion.
Published: June 12th, 2025
Summary (courtesy of Goodreads):
Two rival writers.
One prestigious publishing contract.
A bargain of hearts and desire.
They say never bargain with the fae. They also say don’t get drunk on fae wine. Yet romance author Edwina Danforth has managed a blunder with both on her first visit to the infamous faelands. Now she’s trapped in a magic-fueled bet she barely remembers with a man she’d be happier to forget. The terms? Whoever can bed the most lovers during their month-long dueling book tour wins a coveted publishing contract.
The win should be easy for Edwina. She’s known for penning scintillating tales of whirlwind romance. There’s just one problem: her imagination vastly exceeds her bedroom experience. But when failure means plummeting her career back into obscurity, losing isn’t an option.
Her handsome fae rival, William Haywood, poses an even greater challenge. Not only are his looks as aggravatingly perfect as his track record behind closed doors, but he has his own reasons for playing to win, and he won’t go down without a fight. Unless, of course, it’s a different kind of going down. In that case, he’s fair game.
Edwina and William clash in a rivalry of romance. But what happens when their objects of desire…turn out to be each other?
A Rivalry of Hearts is a spicy standalone adult fantasy romcom in the Fae Flings and Corset Strings series. Every book in this interconnected series is a complete story and ends with a HEA. If you like academic rivals, enemies to lovers, and quirky heroines, then you’ll love this sizzling tale.
The Fae Flings and Corset Strings series is set in the same world as The Fair Isle Trilogy and Entangled with Fae. Journey back to this beloved fae world or fall in love for the first time.
My Thoughts:
This was rediculously cute! I adored Edwina with her single-minded love of her books, for her absolute awe at having fans. She was just so freaking cute! William grew on me over time. At first I didn’t like him, couldn’t understand him. When I began to see William the actor, and William the brother… well, I loved those parts of him. The banter between the two, even when they thought they hated eachother (especially when they thought they hated eachother) was absolute fire. I was enchanted!
I also love the different ways the author brought pieces of them to light- the back and forth bickering over a copy of William’s book, taking what should probably be an extremely sexy scene and making it… research? Edwina’s perchance to getting lost in story ideas, to the extent of losing lovers that way… only to have William take it as a challenge. So absolutely adorable. I loved the side characters too, and will be reading My Feral Romance in a bit. This was a fun, fast read, but it did not ignore real issues. Edwina’s lack of confidence, both as an author and a lover, broke my heart. William withholding his own happiness, denying who he is, to protect his family. These are there, and they are heartbreaking (though I have to say, I adore William’s sister). The character growth we saw here was everything. For me, this is a four star book.
As far as adult content goes, there’s language, drinking, smoking (of more than cigars) and sexual content. Be it the sex scenes, research or inuendo, there’s a good amount of sexual content (level three spice). I don’t think it took over the plot, though. I want to call this a New Adults book, but I think it might be geared towards adults.
The book is out. Have you read it?
Happy Reading,
Gwen
