A Rivalry of Hearts (Fae Flings and Corset Strings)

This was such a fun and adorable read! Light, easy, and exactly what I needed. I absolutely loved Will and Edwina—they were so charming. I’d been stuck in a reading slump, but this book pulled me right out of it!

3.25 stars - A drunken bet between rivals leads to a whole lot of spice and feels. Edwina has finally arrived in the land of fae, and even better, she's there to lead her own book tour, things are looking up! Or, they were, until she's informed she'll now be CO-leading the book tour with William, a poet who makes it clear he thinks very little of her writing. Forced to compete for a new publishing contract, Edwina realizes she can't leave this decision up to fate and her books sales, and William - confident in both his sales and skills - agrees to a wager. Whoever seduces the most lovers by the tour's end will win the contract.

This is a fun, flirty, rivals-to-lovers tale that gave me Pride & Prejudice vibes. I found the cast of characters to be charming and the bet was entertaining - overall an enjoyable read!

Thank you to Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op and NetGalley for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.

A Rivalry of Hearts is out June 2024!

📚A Rivalry of Hearts by Tessonja Odette📚 5⭐️ out of 5 2.5🌶️ out of 5 🎉Publication Date🎉 June 12, 2024 ✨Tropes✨ 🫖 Rivals to lovers 🫖 Dual POV 🫖 Seduction bet 🫖 He falls first 🫖 Competition 📜Page Count: 400 Pages📜 ✨Summary✨ Aspiring author, Edwina Danforth, has landed on the island of the Fae, Feaerwyvae, for her book tour…late. A disheveled Edwina arrives to the news that her publisher has lined up another author to potentially replace her. Now that she has joined the tour, she must endure the new author, William Haywood, and his outlandishly flirtatious personality with his readers...and everyone else. To make matters worse, Edwina finds out had she arrived to her tour on time, she would have been offered a once in a lifetime publishing contract. Now she must compete with William Haywood for it. And to top it all off, after a night of drinking, Edwina and William find themselves in a magically binding bet. This misguided wager stipulates that Edwina and William must attempt to seduce other people. Who ever seduces the most people, wins the contract, by way of the other person forfeiting the contract. Where Edwina lacks in experience, she more than makes up for in enthusiasm to do “research” for her romance novels. And, as it turns out, where William exceeds in experience, he lacks in enthusiasm to “bed” other people due to a fellow author quickly finding her way into his affections. Will Edwina win out over her handsome, charismatic rival for most seductions? Will the prized publishing contract be taken by the more sexual experienced William Haywood? Or will Edwina and William learn that there’s more on the line than just seducing random strangers and a publishing contract…such as their own hearts? 📚A Deeper Read📚 It’s interesting how there’s a juxtaposition between Edwina and William’s experience with sex, yet neither have found love before. William intentionally sought out partners to help his acting career, yet it only led to deeper loneliness due to having superficial connections. For example, at one point he admits that once the sexual nature of his relationship with Zane fizzled out, they were able to find a deeper connection through friendship. William’s issues seem rooted in the fact that he was unable to sync attraction and personal connection together. He was always playing a role, whether he meant to or not. His connection with Edwina broke down those barriers and forged a bond, while he simultaneously became attracted to her. Thus, William was able to finally find love for the first time despite how many sexual partners and encounters he had over the years. With Edwina, it is the direct opposite. She is very limited in her sexual, and even plutonic, relationship experiences. She spends too much time working and in her own head writing scenes for next novel to forge any real life relationships. The one time she believed she was in love, it was all through letters with someone she had never met. When they did finally meet, the physical attraction wasn’t present. Edwina was able to make a meaningful emotional connection, but struggled with the physical aspect. This was a huge blow to her self esteem and adds to her loneliness. Through William’s consistent reassurance, Edwina gains new confidence and self assurance, which helps her to accept William’s advances. ✨Critiques✨ The miscommunication trope is used a little bit here. I’m not a fan of this trope at all. However, it is used deliberately. The context and setting give way to a better understanding of why the miscommunication trope is used. A historical (for example Victorian) setting with societal rules where women are not permitted to openly express feelings and flirtations is an appropriate place to have this trope and not be too annoyed by it. ✨Elements I Loved✨ I LOVED the main character, Edwina. She was endearing, witty, funny, strong, and mature. Sure, she has her vulnerable moments (who doesn’t), but she handled them at the end with a level of maturity and grace that’s refreshing. I loved that William (who is Fae) is 26 years old. This makes him 3 years younger than our FMC! Everyone rejoice! Finally we have a (slightly and age-appropriate) younger man for our FMC. Monty and Daphne’s side flirtation and romance was so fun to read. I was so excited to see there was a bonus epilogue setting up a future book for their story. I really liked Monty and Daphne and I could tell that both of them are deeply multifaceted characters. 🪄Standout magic features🪄 This story picks out the well known element of “fae can’t lie” and really expounds upon it. Fae cannot lie- so what does that mean for stage actors? Only the best actors can lie because it’s within their role. But what about intimacy? We find out William’s struggles with this issue. It’s such a refreshingly different outlook on the same old adage. I loved the Unseelie verses Seelie Fae. A fae usually has a Seelie (human form) and Unseelie (animal form) and most can switch back and forth between them. One of the characters, Daphne, keeps to her Unseelie form (a pine marten) but has the ability to go into her Seelie form (a woman). It’s such a fun and different twist on the concepts from what I’ve come across. 👩🏻My Recommendation👩🏻 I would recommend this book for anyone looking to fill a space that Bridgerton left. But not only that, this really is such a fun and unique book. It’s fae meets Divine Rivals meets Pride and Prejudice, and make it spicy. For me, it doesn’t get much more perfect than that. ✨Where it’s Available✨ Barnes and Nobles, Amazon, and wherever else books are sold. Thank you to Netgalley and the author for providing the ARC.