I’ve been watching Formula 1 racing on and off my whole life (more on than off recently) so seeing romances featuring this sport has been an enjoyable turn of events. Having read several of the books Karen Booth wrote for Harlequin Desire, I picked up Not So Fast expecting a good ride – and that’s what I got.

Mia Neal’s Formula 1 racing podcast is taking off. Initially just a hobby, its popularity skyrocketed when she started critically analyzing the current performance of her favorite driver, Xander Bishop. Mia’s podcast Not so Fast has even started making her some money from advertising. She is good at it, darn good, with a biting sense of humour but more importantly, a deep love of the sport which means she does a lot of research and can back up what she says. She tries to be entertaining and informative, and that has definitely paid off.

When Mia gets an invite from Xander’s teammate, Dirk Van Dijk, to attend the Miami Grand Prix, including all the VIP events, Mia jumps at the chance (after first being convinced by her best friend Jasmine that as a podcaster and not a journalist, it wouldn’t be breaking any ethics code to be seen in the company of one of the drivers). It’s no secret that Dirk and Xander, despite being teammates, don’t get along at all. And Mia is very aware that the invitation from Dirk is likely due to her criticism of Xander’s performance. But it’s a chance she’d be silly to pass up.

Xander Bishop is having a bad year. His first year with Mega Racing and his third year driving was supposed to elevate him to the pinnacle of success. Instead, he’s failing on qualifying, crashing on course, and consistently ending up at the bottom of the races he’s finished. It doesn’t help that his older teammate, a man he used to idolize, treats him like shit and that podcast, Not so Fast, with its constant criticism of him, is creeping into questions on media days. When he finds out that Mia is going to be in the paddock for the upcoming race as Dirk’s guest, he doesn’t take the news well.

Inevitably Mia and Xander meet before the race and it goes about as well as can be expected. Pissing off her favorite driver wasn’t really what Mia wanted to do, but she feels honour bound to tell the truth about Xander’s driving. Still, once she’s met him, she does feel some remorse for what’s she’s said and she wants him to regain his status and his driving mojo. After the race, when Xander’s performance is examined, she knows that this time it’s not his fault. A pit crew slow to deal with mechanical problems and no safety cars to give him a chance to catch up left him in eighteenth place. When Mia gets the chance to speak to Xander after the race, she tells him that it’s not his fault, and they get a chance to actually have a conversation. When Dirk catches them talking together Xander blurts out an invitation for Mia to attend the next race on his dime to stop Dirk from inviting her again as his guest, and she quickly accepts. What happens next is the start of a turning of the wheel from animosity to friendship, and eventually to a romantic relationship as they get to know each other. But to keep Mia’s podcast going, she can’t reveal that she’s dating Xander. Can their fledgling relationship survive or will everything crash and burn when people find out they’re together?

The author clearly did her research (or was already a fan) in order to write this book, as the historical information is true and the details all fit. As someone who watches F1, I’m pleased to say it’s portrayed very well, with a lot of insight into the psychological stress of performing well in such a high pressure and dangerous sport. It’s hard for me to tell if a complete newbie to the world of motor racing would be overwhelmed by the details, but I don’t think so. Mia travels with Xander from one race to the next and I enjoyed all the details of those trips, and also getting to see Xander opening up to Mia about what he’s going through off the track. We meet Xander’s family (for whom he’s putting a lot of pressure on himself) and delve into Mia’s complicated relationship with her mother, a journalist who doesn’t see Mia’s podcasting as a valid career choice. The romance pacing is good and Mia and Xander share some sexy scenes.

Overall, Not So Fast is a well executed sports romance and I’m happy to recommend it.