First thank you netgalley and tessonja for giving me an arc of this, it made my week!

I am a fan of tessonja’s writing, the entangled with fae saga made me fall back in love with reading and coming back like this was glorious!!

I loved seing the isle out of this view and just reminiscing other courts we already visited.
And even for readers not as familiar ( a colleague of mine read it too) it’s super understandable and a great way to get to know the isle

The writing just feels like a hug after a long day, I was both entertained and enthralled and I giggled through the whole book, the only thing stopping me from rereading all the other books is my judging tbr ✌︎('ω')✌︎
As a booksellers pov it was so much fun joining the tour ( monty hire me )

I will wait patiently for our new paring (no spoilers incoming)

So everyone who has a weakness for bridgerton, faes and needs some swooning and giggles, read this after it was published you will not regret it!!

Tbh we just need more silly little rom coms with a dash of fantasy!!!!

From the first page to the last, this book held my attention and my heart. So many emotions, it was easy to get lost in the pages, and I found myself reading it all in one day. It had the air of a historical with a touch of fantasy, keeping multiple sides of my chaotic reader self happy. I will admit that initially, my interest was captured by the cover more than anything else, and I'm happy to report that the insides match the outsides in a spectacular fashion. There are so many tropes I love - enemies to lovers, guy falls first, forced proximity - but there are other elements to the tale that can't quite be captured simply by stating the trope. And the side characters were an absolute delight, each and every one of them. I was already starting to make a list in my head of who I want to see next, although it becomes obvious at the end who will get their happy ending in the next book. I could not be more delighted! There was also great representation in this book with gender identities and sexual orientations, and we also get to see how the fae people navigate their comfort in their own skin. We have one side character who stays in her unseelie form, which is an animal, for the majority of the book, and her discomfort in her human form was so relatable. I am very intrigued to learn more about her in the next book..

Back to the main characters - they were so delightful and lovely, I couldn't get enough. So many layers to them both but especially with the hero, William, who has such an interesting backstory that comes out in bits and pieces as the story progresses. At first, the reader is led to think he is going to be a rude, arrogant character...but then, as he and our heroine, Edwina, spend more time together, he reveals a bit more of himself with every interaction. William is absolutely head over heels for Edwina fairly early on, but he fights it, given that she is human and he is fae. Not to mention their bet, which pits them against each other for the chance to win a publishing contract, and in order to win the bet, they must beat each other in how many people they can sleep with before midnight each night. Not to worry - there is no cheating or any major OW/OM drama in this book. But it's fun seeing their jealousy and teasing as they realize the only person they want to sleep with is each other. William is protective of Edwina in a way that gives me all the good feels, and Edwina grows to care more for his well-being than she does her own ambition. However, both have a lot more to lose than a contract if they lose the bet, so there's a lot of angst as they get closer to the end of the book tour. It's heartbreaking and emotional, and I wanted at times to shake them through the pages. But love will prevail, and all that angst and drama will come to a very satisfying conclusion. And what I especially appreciated was the excellent epilogue (or two!) - so don't skip those. It will leave you smiling ear to ear.

I didn’t know what to except with this book, and it totally blew me out of the water!
An enemies to lovers fae romantic fantasy; this book had me kicking my heels and giggling.
Will as the MMC and Weenie as our FMC are a match made in literary heaven. All bets are on (or are they off?) as the two battle to win a top contest with their publisher. Set in the regency era; this book will transport you to a new world that you won’t want to leave. I love the authors unique writing voice and will absolutely be seeking out more of their work.

How does one review a book that leaves you in one of the worst reading slumps you’ve ever experienced?
This is a romance book for fantasy readers. In a way that if I were lucky enough to be a fae, I'd go to a library (in fae world, of course) and pick this up. Then, I'd devour it in less than a day.
Whatever magic Tessonja used while writing this, I really hope she has a lot more left because we need more. It was perfect. Everything from the true rivals to lovers dynamic, to the tension and slow burn. Every scene was thought through, every conversation full of banter and love. I, with all my heart, hope no one saw my face while I was reading this, because I probably looked half mad. I was either crying or giggling like an idiot, and I'm pretty sure that tells you enough about the emotional rollercoaster I was put through.
I cannot recommend this book enough and It definitely isn't the last Tessonja Odette’s book I'll read this year!

I absolutely loved this book! The romance was so cute and the banter was top tier. I loved the combination of fantasy and historical elements. I would highly recommend this book!

Thank you so much for the ARC! I really enjoyed this book as it had me hooked from the beginning. This was such a beautiful story and I loved the storyline. It was very well written and the description of the main characters was amazing. I cannot wait to read other books written by this author.

I’m in love! This rivals to lovers was quirky and fun with excellent banter and the perfect amount of spice! The Victorian feel mixed with fantasy elements made it something special!

I can’t wait to read more in this series ♥️

Edwina is a writer eager to win a publishing contract. She is competing with a Fae, William. They fall in love along the way against their wishes... Lots of spicy scenes. Love how they fight and flirt and banter. Very funny scenes... a light-hearted fun read.

Thanks to the publisher for the arc.

This book is slow burn and full of fantasy aspects you wouldn’t see in a lot of other fantasy books making it have a more whimsy feel. It’s definitely a romcom and I enjoyed the banter Will and Edwina had! This book is also fantasy regency, so Edwina is determined to be successful so that she doesn’t have to go home and be married off.
I loved that Will fell first, the first chapter of his POV had me kicking my feet and made me even more excited for his POVs going forward. I also loved that Edwina was headstrong and refused to let anyone or anything get in between her and her dream, even love. And the item Edwina was supposed to auction, that was my favorite scene!
While this book is a fantasy romcom it still hits on serious topics such as chronic illness and loss of a parent.
I really enjoyed the cast of characters, I think Daphne is my favorite side character but I also loved Monty and how he came to defend Edwina.
This book has:
-Found family
-Queer representation
-He falls first
-Protective MMC
-Witty FMC
-Dual POV
-Rivals to lovers
Thank you so much Victory Editing & Tessonja Odette for the ARC 🖤

A Rivalry of Hearts, a fantasy rom-com set on The Isle of Faewyvae, delivers a romantically (sexually) tense rivals authors to lovers story-where he falls first.

Author Tessonja Odette has created a world that is simply fun and easy to be fully immersed into, which is always a delight with fantasy novels. A Rivalry of Hearts was a perfect combination of fantasy, romance, comedy, and spice. The banter between characters, not just William and Edwina, but with Monty and Daphne, leave you looking forward to further works within this world.

Thank you to NetGalley and Victory Editing NetGalley Co-Op for an advanced copy of A Rivalry of Hearts in exchange for my honest review.

Review posted on Goodreads on 5/4/2024.

I absolutely LOVE this book. I love the dual POV, the enemies to lovers, and the rivalry that Edwina and William have. All of the characters are so well written and this was such an easy read. Once I started reading it, I couldn't put it down.

So I was actually quite enjoying this until about halfway and then for me it just lost that spark. But I really loved their banter and enemies to lovers vibe at the beginning. The cozy, competing authors fantasy fae element was super fun!

However, I was not a fan of the "the bet" they had going on but I was able to get over some of it until things started to just feeling too all about sex. I feel like it was doing such a great job building up that angst but it started to just get too lusty and not lovey in my opinion.

It was still cute but not quite what I had hoped. Maybe I just went into this with the wrong expectations since I haven't read her other books. I'm sure it'll be someone else's jam and they'll love it. It just wasn't quite the right fit for me unfortunately. If you like a cozy, fun, sexy & spicy fantasy fae story then definitely give this a shot.

god im so in love with her writing style, it’s SO magical. 5/5 ⭐️, im obsessed.
literally read this in a day and so so so sad it’s over

5⭐️
3🌶️

I was definitely in need of a cosy, spicy fantasy and Tessonja Odette understood the assignment!

We follow Edwina and Will as they travel through Faerwyvae on a joint book tour and they become almost instant rivals. After a bad first tour stop, and a few two many Cloud Dives (a popular Faerwyvae drink) bets are made. Who could seduce the most people before the end of the tour to take the prize that they both so desperately need?

I fell in love with Edwina and Will from the start. The tension between them and the bet just made my heart flutter with every interaction 🥰 All of the side characters were so sweet and well fleshed out. I just loved everything about this book!

Read this if you like ⤵️
•Cosy romantasy
•Rivals to lovers
•Forced proximity
•He falls first
•Fantasy with spice
•Dual POV
•Banter

I would like to thank NetGalley for providing me with this arc in exchange for an honest review.

I requested Net Galley for an ARC and I am so glad that I received one! Thank you to Net Galley, the publisher and the author for accepting my request!
I discovered this author last year and it's been the absolute best experience reading her books!
So far, I haven't faced disappointment even once!

I LOVED this book! Both our leads, Edwina and William have oozing chemistry, fun banter and sizzling bedroom moments! The spice level is definitely higher in this book as compared to the ones that I have read before. But that's okay, as we get a fair warning in the contents section about what we will be facing as readers and I really admire that. I also love how ridiculously talented the author is! She not only writes but also paints? The cover illustrations? The detailed portraits of our leads inside? All to DIE FOR.
The conflict did seem a bit weak in this book but again, we were warned it's a low stakes rom-com. It was refreshing to have a young male lead and an older female one....though it wasn't really stressed on or even mentioned often. The male was a fae so he easily could have been portrayed as centuries old and wiser but he wasn't and that I feel it kind of justified his actions...spurring on the bet, for example? And our heroine is sassy and extremely judgemental but at the same time, she thinks and understands and accepts her mistakes....not being short of anything can do that to you ...no one is forcing her to get married....even if she's out of work...she won't be starving...so yes, such people can be a little full of themselves.

I LOVED the cameos of our beloved characters from previous books such as Queen Gemma! It was perfect!
And our Monty who was as good as a main character was a delight! He was an absolute menace in his introduction in "A Dream so Wicked". And now I am dying to get my hands on his book which is next in the series.

I did think the end twist was fabulous. Maybe a few readers saw it coming but I was completely blind sided!
I also liked how Will's magic was not something grand but was supremely beautiful! I wondered if he would ever use it for any other purposes....

Now to the one part I didn't like or I feel, could have been avoided....
The grand declaration? In front of the guests.... don't get me wrong...I am all for airport confessions and big gestures....but here in this particular book...it did not feel needed...but this is my personal opinion. Maybe other readers may dig it. So, I don't see it as a fault. It was definitely enjoyable to read.

I'd highly recommend this book, this author and her entire work to all!

I received early access to this on 1 May, I finished it just earlier on 3 May.

*dual POV
*rivals to lovers
*he falls first
*oh-no-just-one-bed
*cozy spice

My goodness, it was my first time reading the author and I wasn’t sure what entirely lay in store for me and I just fell in love with this - the characters are so wonderfully flawed and real - the sense of humor in the writing ❤️ and the romance here are fantastic.

I adored this book and will definitely be reading more of Ms Odette!



Thank you to Tessonja Odette, Victory Editing and NetGalley for the DRC

💘 - 4.5 stars

Such an interesting read!!! ‘Pride and Prejudice’ meets ‘The Cruel Prince’ and ‘Book Lovers’ in the best possible way. Such an interesting combination of a period piece, romance and fantasy and they all mesh so well together.

I loved both the characters so much, I think they work really well together and they are both super interesting in their own right as well as in the romantic sense which I think is really important for a good romance book. Love the representation within the side characters, the writing was funny and easy to follow but still was beautiful and incredibly detailed, especially with the world building which is perfect! The plot was fun and interesting with a good amount of suspense, it’s a light hearted prompt but becomes an emotional story about love, lust, family and the sacrifices we make for the ones we love. Will definitely be reading the second book in the series,

This is a fantasy romcom that deserves to be a movie. I don’t generally like to read romantic comedy (only watch it), but this has me loving a genre I never liked before. I devoured this book in two days.

Edwina comes to the island of Faerwyvae to promote her romance novels. Through no fault of her own she ends up being late to her first book signing only to find her tardiness turned her one-author book tour into a two-author book tour. William Haywood, an arrogant, snide fae poet joined her tour after rumors she might not arrive. Edwina and William do not get along. To make matters worse, Edwina accidentally makes a bet with her now rival after a few to many drinks- the person to gain the most lovers during the tour wins the coveted contract with the largest publisher in Faerwyvae. Edwina and William both need the contract, but the bet isn’t as simple as it seems.

This book had me smiling, giggling like a little girl, and gasping over the top notch banter. The characters were so witty. The nicknames had me cackling, especially because they were suggestive and silly.

Odette’s writing is always an easy but compelling read. I loved the way the book started off reading almost like a historical romance novel but became more formal as the characters became more familiar with each other. The dual POV was a great way to further develop Edwina’s and William’s characters, especially when it came to understanding their feelings for each other.

I loved the nods to her other books set in Faerwyvae. She even includes some characters from past books.

Overall, this was a fun, low stakes, happily ever after romcom with just the perfect amount of fantasy and spice. I will be recommending this book to friends in addition to reading any more books in this new series of standalones.

This was an adorable and super fun book! I loved it so much, and read it in one sitting. I adored Edwina as the main character; she was such a perfectly weird lead, and I loved her so much! William was also a really great MMC, and the side characters were super fun as well! I loved the relationship between William and Edwina; the banter was so good, the chemistry was amazing, and I really enjoyed watching their relationship grow. Overall I absolutely loved everything about this book, and can't wait for the next one in the series!! :)

5/5 ⭐️

A cozy fantasy that I'm obsessed with? Unheard of, but here we are. Here are just a few of the reasons this is no less than 5 stars for me:
- Rivals to lovers
- Dual POV
- He falls first
- Stubborn, witty, and hilarious banter between FMC and MMC
- One bed trope (with a hilarious twist)
- Elevator scene (no more needs to be said)
- Protective and jealous MMC
- Tension and spice that is perfectly paced

I was laughing out loud throughout this and can't say enough great things. This is probably at the top of my favorite romance books for the year.

Thank you to NetGalley, Tessonja Odette and Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for my early access to this.