Thank you NetGalley and author for the E-Arc of this book! I definitely enjoyed myself.

This book screams magic and regency, but also longing and yearning for one another. Just how we like our books ;).

Can I just say I loved the word choice? Like the nicknames and how characters address each other with respect but also with a certain flirt in it? I loved the banter between William and Edwina. William is dreamy, a man with a wanting heart. And Edwina is sweet but also filled with fire when it comes to writing her books. The characters fit wonderfully well together. Even the sidecharacters had their own flare to add and it was truly wonderful.

The book felt like a perfect summer romcom with magical elements (fae, what can I say more?) and hot elements. Two friendly rivals who bicker towards each other but secretly long for each other is my new favorite trope!

If you like any of the above, please give this book a chance!

A Rivalry of Hearts gives everything you want in a romance novel! We've got spice, sweetness, and humor that made me giggle through multiple pages. A perfect rom-com!

I really wanted to like this but this story came off juvenile, at least for me. I wanted to to get into Odette’s work but I feel that it isn’t for me.

A Rivalry of Hearts delivered everything I wanted in a romance and more: academic rivals-to-lovers, poorly-made bets, clever and entertaining banter, stunning wordbuilding, friendship, and women supporting women.

I absolutely adored this and will now be reading everything Tessonja Odette ever has and ever will publish.

Such a fun read. Great combination of romance and a touch of fantasy. Can't wait to hear more from this group of friends and the world they live in.

Really enjoyed this book, it was a nice easy fluffy romantasy that was the perfect palette cleanser while still being engaging.

I enjoyed William and Edwina’s story a lot. I loved the backlog of this author so I was excited to dive into this fae romantic comedy.

Things I loved:
- The banter
- The fae world
- William’s yearning
- Edwina’s steadfastness
- The romantic tension that you could cut through with a knife
- I want to eat and drink all the things mentioned in the book, stat
- The cover is fun and colorful and a great representation of the book
- I need a book with the sister now pls and thank you
- June’s story (IFKYK)

Things I didn’t adore:
- The constant mentioning of sex, etc. It seemed like one of them couldn’t go a chapter without imagining sex or mentioning sex. It is entirely subjective if you like this or not, but it wasn’t my thing and I wish it was either closed door or just had the few sex scenes. I feel like the author was great at showcasing the yearning and love and didn’t have to always describe the physical in detail
- Edwina annoyed me at the end reveal—her reaction felt like she reverted back into her previous self and that her character development had made no progress. Granted, the sister does call her out on this, but it still bugged me
- The they/them pronouns, while I get why they were there, really took me out of the story every time I encountered it. Could just be because I’m an editor by day and I’m always correcting errors, but it took me a while to realize it wasn’t a grammar mistake but pronouns. It’s another subjective opinion that didn’t affect the rating, but took me out of the story

Overall, it was very enjoyable! But the above was the reason why it didn't get a higher rating from me.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

I’ve been looking forward to “A Rivalry of Hearts” for a while. On paper, everything about this book is catnip to me. And while it is not perfect, it’s a fun, quirky diversion. I would call this cozy-adjacent as there is a fair amount of stress with higher stakes built into the nature of the wager between the FMC & MMC.

The world building is fairly well accomplished. Honestly, my biggest criticism is that the book is written in present tense, which, anymore, is an almost automatic DNF. It’s extraordinarily clunky and smacks of inexperienced, poor writing. I don’t think it serves the plot in any capacity, especially since there are constant asides written in past tense. During the asides, I thought, “Wow, this is great!” But the minute it switched back to present tense, I was pulled out of the story.

Similarly, there were several instances of modern word usage that stood out because they didn’t fit within the context of the time period the author established.

About seventy percent in, there was an out-of-the-blue, magically problem-solving piece of information about fae-human partner lifespans that was oddly out of place.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

1000% yes to this book

I, a non-believer of all things related to love, actually believed in love for a quick second while I was reading this book

This is a 4/5 read for me. It was close to 5/5 but some things I just didn’t enjoy. One of those was how Edwina could kind of be a bit infuriating and naive. Like girl. Open your eyes please you’re nearly 30. I also felt like that William fell for her a tiny bit too fast after being so dismissive in the beginning. But all in all, this was a cute story to read and I absolutely loved the banter between the two and between Daphne and Monty. Daphne was one of my favourite characters. Adding side characters like Zane were a nice addition too. In my opinion it’s the perfect book to read when you want a fae fantasy/romantasy but don’t have the energy for long world building. It is a cozy read that has a good amount of spice.

Anyone who likes rivals to lovers set in a fae world with a smattering of academia will love this light-hearted romp about two authors (she a humam writer of trashy romance books and he a fae pompous poet) who make a bet whilst on their joint book tour in the fae lands that whoever can seduce the most Lovers will win the one book contact on offer by their publisher.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️4.5 stars
🌶️🌶️🌶️ Pretty spicy? Given that this is a smutty book about smutty books 🧐

I cannot express how grateful I am to have received an ARC of this book, and I will be purchasing a physical copy. I finished this in less than a day and could not put it down; it was so much fun.

If you love rivals to lovers and cozy fantasy - THIS IS FOR YOU.

We follow the journey of two competing authors: William Haywood and Edwina. Edwina has been invited to do a book tour featuring her most recent novel, but due to delays in her travel to get there, her tour is now shared with heartthrob poet, William Haywood. His allure and fame is clear during the first few book signings while Edwina’s is not, which leads to them making a bargain.

Instead of having whoever sells the most books receive a contract from a publishing company - make it “who can seduce more people into private, physical acts of intimacy?”

This was SUCH a fun premise and created such tremendous tension throughout the entirety of the book, and there is nothing I love more than a slow burn.

I absolutely loved both of our main characters, which does not happen very often. Edwina is witty, charismatic, and very much her own person. I appreciate an “older” FMC who is already very much her own person. Will is so much fun getting to learn his personas, as well as what is really important to him.

I loved the romance so much. I loved this book; it was so much fun and I think I forgot to blink while reading. I just couldn’t put it down!

If you love books based around books and bookstores, human x fae romance, this is for you!

Thank you so much to NetGalley, the publisher, and Tessonja Odette for this ARC.

Well plotted, witty and entertaining. An original mix of paranormal romance and fantasy with a lot of spice.
I rooted for the character and enjoyed it.
Well done, recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

If you're into cozy romantasy and need a light easy read... then this is for you. I on the other hand think I was in the wrong mind set for this kind of story and couldn't appreciate it. I liked Tessonja's writing and world building but felt that the story was a bit too slow and repetitive. The spice is good but the slow burn is slowwwwwww. I think if I didn't have so much on my plate to do this month I could have sat bag and enjoyed this a bit more.

Thank you @netgalley and Crystal Moon Press for the ARC.

A cozy, rivals-to-lovers fae romantasy with dual POV set on the creatively thought of world of Faerwyvae in what feels like the late 19th century. Both Edwina and William are loveable characters though Edwina is a little dense about romance despite being a renowned fae smut author. When the awkward adorable author clashes with the irresistably charming actor/author fae on her book tour, they forge a bet (while heavily under the influence unfortunately) to determine who will win the career boosting contract offered by their publishing company. It was very entertaining/relatable to follow as Edwina cluelessly tries to figure out seduction in order to win the bet while fighting off her conflicting feelings for William and the intense private interactions had me giggling/blushing (what I would do for a “free pass” at Will ooof). The side characters are very funny and the themed Fae kingdoms provided and entertaining variety of settings for the story.
I appreciate the inclusion of a favorably-portrayed non-binary character in this story. I look forward to the sequel!

**Thanks to NetGalley and Tessonja Odettte for access to this title. All opinions expressed are my own.**

This book was a fast paced read where I was so excited to see the interactions of the characters. Overall it gave me such a different taste of fae characters and their world. I love how the main character strives to reclaim the significance and impact of women's literature and smutty romance books. It holds more depth and meaning than people realize and I love the character chemistry between the two characters. It took me a while to get through the second half but I overall enjoyed the character development and the rivalry. Looking forward to the next book!

For fans of Emily Wilde, Knights Bride and The Spellshop : this rivals to lovers spicy romantasy will steal your heart!
I absolutely loved Edwina and her encounters, her openness and akward talkativeness (i related to her so much!) and how William turned out to be not just a fae poet but someone who Edwina can lean onto.

Cosy, adventurous, a new beautiful and exciting take on faes and humans! Recommending it with my whole heart.

Another epic fantasy romance by Tessonja, her books always lift up my mood and her writing got me hooked into the story right from the beginning!

It’s good to be back again in Faerwyvae, it’s been a while and I really like that I got to explore around the fae isle again with the book signing tour that the main characters (Edwina and William) are having!

Putting down this book is so hard with all the lovely characters introduced in this story, they’re all very well developed.
I really admire Edwina, especially her determination and bravery to survive in the world of publishing. It wasn’t easy being a career woman but she really proved herself in here.

As for the romance, readers who like a little bit of steamy scenes won’t be disappointed with this one!
I love Edwina and William as a couple, I was rooting for them the whole time I read this book. However, I wasn’t a fan of the third act break-up near the ending. Nevertheless, I still really enjoy the whole story.

Overall, exploring Faerwyvae with Edwina and William has been fun!
I am looking forward to read the next book in this series, which possibly about Monty! It’s time that guy has his own happy ending!

⚠️ 𝐓𝐖: Explicit language, overindulgence in liquor, fantasy drug use, mention of death parental figure, chronic illness, descriptive on-page sex scenes (medium spice), public displays of sexual activity and mentions of voyeurism, and taking advantaged of an inebriated person (stopped before he can make attempt).

This was super cute and funny with a great amount of spice! I really enjoyed the world building and thought the dialog was witty. Both Edwina and William were fantastic characters with great chemistry. I absolutely loved their banter and easy way with each other.

A Rivalry of Hearts is a lovely beginning to this cozy romantasy series. All of the other characters were so much fun and brought so much to the story. I can't wait to read the next one!

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I have been wanting to read a book by Tessonja Odette for a while, so I was thrilled when I was gifted an ARC by NetGalley.

This was such a fun and enchanting gaslamp fantasy with some of my favourite tropes, including enemies to lovers, forced proximity and academic rivals. The story surrounds Edwina, a human romance writer going on tour with a handsome fae poet named William. On a night where she gets a bit too intoxicated, she and William make a magical and binding bet - whoever beds the most people by the end of the tour get the publishing contract.

The angst, the witty banter, the tension, and the character development made A Rivalry of Hearts one of my favourite cozy fantasy reads - along with the Meads and Mishaps series (IYKYK). And there is 🌶️ also sprinkled in, for any fans of romance that is a bit picante. I absolutely loved both Willy and Weenie’s characters and found myself grinning and kicking my feet throughout the book.

Needless to say, I cannot wait to read more of Tessonja Odette’s work and would definitely recommend A Rivalry of Hearts 🩵

4.5/5 ⭐️ (rounded up)
3/5 🌶️