"A Rivalry of Hearts" by Tessonja Odette was an absolute delight!

It's a charming, low-stakes, rivals-to-lovers fantasy rom-com that's both steamy and sweet. Edwina and William's rivalry on their fae book tour is filled with witty banter, hilarious scenes, and a touch of magic. The characters are lovable, and the banter is top-notch. It's a cozy read that kept me smiling and rooting for the main pair throughout.

This book is perfect for fans of lighthearted romantasy!

5 ⭐
2.5 🌶️

This was a delight! On the one hand, it's very Jane Austen, yet on the other, it's spicy and sweet and filled with very un-Austenesque characters. Oh my, I loved Daphne, a fae who stayed in her Pine Marten (think of a cross between an otter and a weasel--adorable 😍). Monty, the rake! But our focus is on Edwina and William. Edwina, the author of spicy romance novels, and William, the poet. And this poet is precisely the kind females swoon over--tall, handsome, and a poet! It's a rivalry to start, but William is drawn to Edwina, and Edwina is drawn to Wiliam. From there, it is just one funny, delightful scene after another. I so enjoyed every single word of this story. Both characters had flaws, but the emotions that flowed from both made me smile. You wanted both to get what they needed, and Tessonja tied up their story impeccably. I especially enjoyed how you "modernized" characters' behaviors in a setting I would call steampunk (the elevators clinched for me), IYKYK. I eagerly anticipate the next installment of Fae Flings and Corsette Strings.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the advanced reader ebook. These opinions are delightfully my own.

This was such a fun, light, spicy and cozy fantasy read. I absolutely loved Edwina’s and William’s competitive spat, and bargain struck after a few drinks. The banter between the two leads was spectacular.

Edwina is a determined writer, trying to make a name for herself in a world that doesn’t take women writer seriously.

This book was a low stakes gas lamp romantasy set in a magical world where humans and faes interact. The characters are not perfect. They are flawed, and this makes it so much more relatable. I had many laugh out loud moments, toe curling shrieks, and a few blushes here and there.

This is book #1 in the Fae Flings and Corset Strings series, but can be read as a stand alone in any order. Please check TW before reading.

I cannot wait for the second book releasing later this year.

Add A Rivalry of Hearts to your list now!

Thank you NetGalley, and Tessonja Odette for the ARC!

Edit: Changing this from 4.5 to 5 stars after thinking about it almost everyday for a month after reading and being one of my absolute favorite books of the year.
This was such a delight to read. A Rivalry of Hearts is a cozy fantasy set in a victorian-inspired fae world about two rival authors on a book signing tour competing for a publishing contract. I think this book is perfect for fans of Divine Rivals and A Fragile Enchantment. It was just so sweet and funny, but with the right amount of spice and romance, that I loved every second of reading it. I like the clueless human in a fae world trope, but I especially love when the fae man gets flustered and head over heels for the first time for the human. I also really appreciated how the author showed the struggles of women trying to live in a world where society is always in favor of men. I will definitely be reading more of Tessonja Odette’s books from the Faerwyvae world in the future and I can’t wait for more books in the Fae Flings and Corset Strings series.

DNF 20%

I’m not rating this for the obvious reason that I don’t feel comfortable giving it a point system value when I didn’t even get halfway through. That being said, I simply could not continue this.

Edwina and William make a bet (rather, she makes the bet in a drunken state) that whichever one of them sleeps with the most people in a fixed period of time will be the winner of the coveted publishing deal they’re both up for. Unfortunately for Edwina, William is terribly, horribly in love with her. This is not a spoiler. It is just incredibly obvious subtext. I can already picture in my head the confrontation scene around halfway through the book where he gets drunk and confesses to her and/or she catches him lying about sleeping with someone and the truth comes out that he never wanted to go through the deal and he was only doing it to appease her. Then she feels conflicted because he’s an asshole but they’ve gotten so close these last few days (they can never wait a week to fall in love) and they end up having sex. Or, actually, maybe they give up the bet much quicker and just have sex from the beginning. Then in the third act they’ll remember they’re actually competitors and she’ll turn on him even though it’s obvious he’s gonna give up the deal for her because he’s so in love. All of this culminating in the end where he leaves and she feels like she ruined everything and has to apologize to him. Again, this is all completely made up by me. I have no intentions of seeing if any of this actually happens in the book.

I’m mostly joking. I unironically love regency romance novels, all of which are the exact same plot strewn together with different character names. I’m not judging for that. And maybe the book would have subverted my expectations. But I simply don’t care to find out, because this book suffers from what I am now coining as male characterization dissonance. As in, a man acts one way during the female point of view, and is a completely different character when the story is told from his perspective. (See: Xaden from Fourth Wing) William is annoying, and really, really rude. But his point of view chapter did not convey that at all. And, sure, one might say that characters put on facades for others to interpret and that’s not their real self. But come on. Anyway, he’s just too much of a dick for me.

Edwina is the shy, clumsy, and blabbermouth type protagonist that I don’t really like very much. Characters that lack this much confidence are frustrating to read from the point of view of. This book certainly has an audience, but I don’t think it’s me.

This served everything I was hoping it would. I LOVED the witty banter, dynamic relationships, and bookish theme. I full heartly give this a 5 star endorsement and would recommend it to anyone who reads RomComs and/or Romantasy. It’s a lighthearted story infused with a reader’s soul. The way Edwina transforms when she starts talking about books is so darn relatable. Edwina’s character development was delightful to explore. However, I was absolutely here for the romance and steamy bits too. Overall, this read was super fun and plain delightful.

Thank you to the author and publisher, for the opportunity to read this ARC, via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This is a fun enemies to lovers read. I really enjoyed the banter between the two and loved the ending.

I gave this book two stars. The concept was intriguing and I went in really excited and although it did have some good moments, I felt personally that the book lacked structure. The situation that our main characters are put in is so far fetched and ridiculous that it seems improbable and impossible especially between two people who have literally just met, and I understand that this is a fantasy but it’s a fantasy that is based in reality and in a world a lot like our own. I do think this book is a great concept and there were a lot of good and intriguing points I just wish that there had been a little more thought into a more believable plot that could have brought the characters together, the plot seemed a little weak and I think there could have been other ways for things to develop.

The chemistry between the two main characters William and Edwina is there and there is tension between them for the a lot of the book which is why I enjoyed some parts of this book. However, Edwina is needlessly stubborn and don’t get me wrong there is nothing wrong with a stubborn character but when that is used to imped the plot or relationships for most of the story it becomes a determent and made me like her a lot less. I wish there has been more spice throughout the book since that is what it was advertised as; a light and easy fantasy read with smut and there is but not till closer to the end.

I have to say that at some point I looked at how much progress I had made and was shocked to see that I was 80% through since nothing had progressed with the plot or the characters and I was almost done the book, what plot there was dragged out and then wrapped up super easy and neat in a few pages at the end.

The world that she built for this book was whimsical and did capture a cozy fairytale vibe, I really liked the descriptions of the different courts in the fairyrealm. Also they fae themselves were a great interpretation.

I didn’t love this book but neither did I completely dislike it. I just had some things that I couldn’t look past. This book is a light and easy romantic fantasy read and if the premise intrigues you then check it out. I know that others will love this book and it’s okay for everyone to have different tastes and opinions on books.

I really wanted to love this, it was one of my most anticipated reads for this year but it really didn't do it for me. I really tried but DNF at 45% unfortunately.

I'm giving 3 stars because I didn't finish it and wouldn't feel right rating it anything else and there were things I enjoyed about the book.

I liked that it was dual POV, I always love that in a book. The characters were nice and the MCs had a few sweet interactions. The main character is definitely neurodivergent coded if not canonically and I liked seeing those traits in her. If this had been more character focused, and maybe YA, I would have devoured this.

I think if the plot had been a bit different and more focused on their actual writing rivalry or been more character focused rather than throwing in the weird and cringey sexual statements and sex bets and bargains it would have been better. I totally acknowledge that that plot point is mentioned in the description of the book but I didn't think it would be so cringey or uninteresting.

The characters were cute and fun and the initial rivalry was fun too but the plot went a bit bizarre while also being boring at the same time. It was all a bit too ridiculous, I completely lost interest.
And the nickname? For one thing Weenie is the most annoying and frankly stupid nickname it felt like I was reading about children and it was repeated so often I got so sick of it.

Definitely good and bad aspects to the book but overall it really wasn't for me. If you liked Emily Wilde or Half a Soul I would give it a go!

A Rivalry of Hearts was one of the cutest books I’ve read in a long time. It’s a hilarious story about an author named Edwina Danforth who has set off on the Heartbeats Tour. Due to bad weather during travel she misses the first week of tour and when she finally catches up she meet another author that has been added to the tour in her absence. His name is William Haywood and he is an up and coming poet and famous actor. Instantly William and Edwina do not like one another and wishes the other would go away. There banter throughout the entire book is absolutely hilarious. From the funny names they call one another… Ed, Weenie and Willy. To the bet the magically binding bet they made to see who would ultimately win the publishing contract at the end of the tour.

Edwina is so charming and intelligent but also dumb as a brick when it comes to love and lust. She’s obsessed with everything about love but sometimes she’s so obsessed, she missies what is right in front of her face. And William is ridiculously charming and he knows it. He’s attracted to Edwina from the moment they met but chooses to “hate” her because he needs to win the publishing contract. But as with any good story, William can only avoid Edwina for so long. And even though it takes Edwina a much longer time to catch on to the fact that William is in fact attracted to her, she struggles with accepting her own true feelings.

I most definitely recommend this story and think it’s a delightfully funny and romantic read.

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to read this arc.

I love all of Tessonjas books! Just as expected- this was a fun, romantic and spicy fast read with a lot of banter, rivalry and pining. Edwina wasn’t my favorite FMC in the series, but I devoured this book nonetheless.

This was the first book I have read by Tessonja, and it will not be the last.

I don't know what was put into this book but I could not put it down, it was so good. Cozy vibes, with charming characters, banter for days and sizzling with romantic tension and a touch of spice. I adored it. The best way to describe it is exactly the way William describes Edwina's book - smut and drivel in the best way possible. You won't want to leave the world created in this book!

If you took Bridgerton and added Fae, you'd get this book. I loved the academic rivals to lovers, the forced proximity and the dual POV. Both the characters were amazing, and some of the side characters had me laughing (in a good way). Definitely one for your shelves and I can't wait to read more from this world!

I don’t think I’ve been this happy reading a romantasy book in ages 😂
I was literally giggling and kicking my feet in some places. A book tour, a bet, and a little bit of fae chaos, A Rivalry of Hearts is an absolute DELIGHT.
Read if you don’t mind getting turned on by the words “free pass” for the foreseeable future. (IYKYK)

William is chaos and I adore him, and Edwina is a spitfire and I wish I WAS her.

10/10, top tier, no notes. Fans of adult romantasy, DO NOT SKIP THIS ONE. ❤️

I received an advance copy from the publisher, all opinions are my own and a review was not required.

Firstly, a huge thank you to NetGalley, Tessonja Odette, and Victory Editing for a digital galley of A Rivalry of Hearts.

A Rivalry of Hearts (Part of Fae Flings & Corset Strings) was a very cute, cozy, and sweet romantic fantasy with some jokes and spice thrown in. The main characters are loveable and grow on you throughout the book. The side characters make you want to go to Faerwyvae. The politics between the fae and the humankind are interesting and unique, and provides some humor here and there. The spice between Edwina and William is lovely and sweet, and their enemies-to-lovers dynamic will keep romance readers hooked. There is also elements of forced proximity and romantasy, as well as cozy/comfy/relaxing fiction.

The story does keep you very interested but not stressed. The imagery and descriptions are cute and fun, and provide an extra layer of magic to the overall fantasy element of the story. This was the first novel I've read by Tessonja Odette, and one of my first cozy fae romances, and I really enjoyed it. The friendship elements are quite strong throughout, with both Edwina's and William's friends often helping out and pushing them closer together. I would like to read more by this author in the future. Looking forward to seeing her success! I'd recommend this to anyone into cozy fiction, romantasy, fae romance, enemies-to-lovers, forced proximity, author characters, far-away lands, spicy scenes, Jane Austen/Bronte Sisters references, regency story lovers, etc.

A human and a fae go on a book tour to compete for a publishing contract, whats the worst that could happen? This is a super cozy, rivals to lovers romance, both the main characters are likeable and the side characters are almost even better. This is the first book by Tessonja Odette that I’ve read, and I would be interested in reading in more of her work. The authors other books are set in the same world so it’ll be fun to go back and see the character I’ve already come to love. Even though I didn’t read the other books first I didn’t feel like I was missing out, it seems like you can read them in any order. There’s a really helpful glossary in the beginning but I didn’t need to refer to it. Overall this is a really cute and fun read.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, The Nerd Fam PR and Tessonja Odette for this e-ARC

A Rivalry of Hearts is my first introduction to the author, and what a great introduction I now want to read more of her work.

It's a super fun and adorable read with those cozy vibes that I love and some romantic tinges that make for a great winning combination.

You have a super fun time with Edwina (human) and Willian (Fae), who are rival writers for a publishing opportunity. Here we get caught up in banter, tension, and a fantasy fairy world that you can't help but imagine.

The cover is gorgeous but the content is a bonus.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me access to this amazing story and allowing me to discover Tessonja's wonderful pen.

Review written on Goodreads on 06/09/2024.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6573192603
#ARivalryofHearts #NetGalley.

A Rivalry of Hearts is my first Tessonja Odette book (I know I know!) and it is such a fun, adorable read! Edwina, the human FMC, is a romance author who inadvertently ends up on a book tour with a stuffy Fae poet, William. Unfortunately due to actions of the Fae publisher (Edwina is visiting from human-land), the two do not hit off and thus starts their banter-filled rivalry. This book does not take itself too seriously and it was overall a lighthearted slightly cozy fantasy read. Plus it had some of the best side characters - I learned what a pine marten is thanks to this book and no offense to Daphne (book tour assistant) but they're quite adorable.

While I did enjoy this book, it never quite felt like it fully hit its stride. It was lacking...something and I'm honestly not sure what. It also may just be me - so if it sounds like something you'd enjoy don't hesitate to pick it up! I will definitely be checking out Odette's other books!
(3.5 stars rounded to 4)

Really enjoyable!

I enjoyed this book quite a lot. For me the romance was really well done as was the world and world building. Before this book I hadn’t read anything by Tessonja Odette but I now plan on reading more.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to have an ARC in return for an honest review.

The story is about two rival writers trying to win a publishing contract, and they end up making a bet to win that contract, sealed with a fae bargain !

Review :
This book was so good !
The world was so easy to get into, and the romance extremely well done (the tension, the banter !!!).
Let me tell you how I swoooooned reading this book !

I loved Edwina and William so much ! They were such relatable characters. I felt like I would be Edwina if I ended up in a fairy country !

This story tiptoes between fantasy, romance and historical romance and it would be the perfect gateway book into those genre for readers.
You know I loved a book when I go look and add all the author’s other books to my tbr ! I just couldn’t get enough of that story, I can’t wait for book 2 to come out !

a rivalry of hearts is a mix of rivals to lovers, historical romance, light-hearted banter with a dash of being placed in absurd circumstances from drunken nights & wicked fae drinks

short intro to the book: edwina a romance author is set to do a book tour in the isle of faewyver. however, edwina is two weeks late to her own book tour due to unforeseen circumstances which now results in her sharing her own book tour with the vexing poet william haywood. their first encounter leads them to enter a rivalry of wits which continues to escalate when only ONE of them can enter into an exclusive publishing contract under the most popular publishing company in faewyver. a drunken night & competitive spirits leads them to enter a bet of seduction.

rambling thoughts
→ the story is playful & light-hearted which was exactly what i was in the mood for. despite the tone of the book, i was pleasantly surprised to see the complexity of the characters & how their own past adversaries affected their motives/actions.

→ i enjoyed reading about the main characters & thought they were really endearing. edwina is imaginative, a lover of romance books, and doubles down like no other. william is charamastic, a lover of the arts & hides behind a facade. together they were fun & messy. they were so messy that they even made a bet of seduction out of pride to spite each other. however, my thing is that the introduction of the bet was incredibly wild to me. i just didn't think it was the most natural way to proceed things, but i did end up enjoying how things played out between them as a result of the bet.

→ overall, i did like the writing & pacing of the story but i do think the book was a little longer than i would have liked. the story could have been cut shorter.

→ the chemistry between edwina & william was so good. i loved their banter & appreciate the slight slow-burn to their relationship.

thanks to the author & netgalley for the ARC in exchange for a honest review!