I’ll start by saying that I have little knowledge of F1 other than the very obvious. I could probably name 10 F1 drivers past and present, at a push, which is why I’ve never really been drawn to an F1 romance for the racing elements.
And really there aren’t too many in this for it to be off putting.
I liked the start in Vegas and while I'm not ordinarily a fan of insta-lust/love, them having a one night stand made sense. I even thought the twist of them getting married was a fun one, but them deciding to stay together was a little suss. I’m not sure how them getting married as strangers, even if they told family that they’d met previously but didn’t disclose that to the press, would really repair anyone’s reputation.
I didn’t mind either of the characters, even if I did get frustrated with them at times.
Seeing all the little things that Thomas did for her was super sweet. I also liked how sassy Stella was at times.
There is slow burn and there’s going from the strip club scene to nothing steamy happening again until the 80% mark, which even though I liked seeing them start to fall for one another, felt like too long a wait.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was delicious.

Drunken shotgun Vegas wedding but make them the actual perfect match! Stella & Thomas were so ROMANTIC with each other. Acts of service, support and sweet moments out the whazoo. I was in awe of this pairing and their trans-continental marriage of convenience was a whole adventure.

Both extremely successful people in their own right Stella & Thomas really understood each other from the get go and their immediate chemistry and banter did not hurt either. They put on a show for the public and people in their lives when they decided to use their accidental nuptials to their advantage but it was all of the time they spent faking that brought them closer. And this was a slight slow burn because of Stella's "rules" so it was even more satisfying when they finally made the joint decision to be together for real. There were so many scenes where I was giggling and squealing over these two and their connection. Also Etienne sucked and a badass like Stella deserved a man who didn't make her question her worth and my god that was Thomas to a tee.

I could read this again and again and not get sick of it. Can't wait for more from Simone Soltani because if this book was any indication she will continue to step up her game.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for this ARC. So chuffed to be able to read this gem!

4.5

4⭐️ | 3🌶️

Fake marriage in Vegas? To a ridiculously hot F1 driver? Say. No. More. 🏁💍

Ride With Me is the kind of romance that leaves you grinning like a fool and blushing like you’ve got a secret.

We’ve got Stella: confident, sassy, freshly single, and still slaying the influencer game. Enter Thomas: charming, scandal-prone, and did I mention, he drives fast cars for a living? One impulsive night, a little too much fun, and bam! They wake up married. Classic Vegas ✨

But instead of annulling it like sensible people, they roll with it. Fake dating pact? Sure. PR mayhem? Obviously. Unresolved sexual tension that could set off fire alarms? You bet. The banter is sharp, the chemistry is criminal, and the slow burn is so good it should come with a warning label.

What I loved most? The heart. Both Stella and Thomas get to be real…vulnerable, messy, and painfully human. She’s fierce with a soft center, and he’s the greenest of green flags. Like, fully in his “yes queen, go off” era.

And the “my wife” moments? Ma’am. I needed to lie down.

If you live for marriage-of-convenience chaos, spicy slow burns, and heroes who’d happily be your emotional support water bottle, Ride With Me deserves a top spot on your TBR. Strap in, it’s one hell of a ride.

It says a lot when I say I was converted to obsess over F1 after reading book 1 in the Lights Out series — now I am in need of more books from Miss Soltani!!! 😍

Ride With Me was absolutely perfect, funny and spot on! The chemistry between the characters were real, sweet and steamy! And ofc I am so weak in my knees for the marriage of convenience at any given time! 🤭

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - Fuck my life Simone Solanti can write an MMC 🥵

🏁 Accidentally Married in Vegas
🧁 F1 Driver X Bakery Owner
🏁 Slow Burn
🧁 Obsessed MMC
🏁 Interracial Romance
🧁 Marriage of convenience
🏁 Duel POV

This was the SWEETEST read, I love a rich MMC. Mix that up with fake marriage and an F1 bad boy and you get the explosive read this was.

Simone writes books that are SO easy to become submerged in. From the moment Stella and Thomas met I was hooked. As a slow burn I sometimes find it hard to remain engaged but the pacing never felt slow and I was LIVING for the sexual tension between these two!

Thomas is everything I want in an MMC. Charismatic, charming, witty and sporty. Stella was his perfect match, witty, successful, confident and takes no shit. The pair complimented each other like peanut butter and jam and I can’t wait to see what Simone gives us next.

Thank you so much to netgalley, Pan MacMillan and Simone Solanti for this e- ARC 💜

Marriage / engagement of convenience / oops accidentally married oh no / anything with marriage idc is my absolute favourite romance trope so I was already in love heading into this book. Now, reading Ride With Me, my main feelings about Thomas were, meh. I was unsure how Simone would pull this off with such a seemingly underwhelming character. Oh boy

Is it an understatement to say I’m in love with Thomas Maxwell-Brown? Actually, yes. I don’t think I’ll ever need another mmc in my life. I was expecting a George Russell type of boredom from this (yes, I am convinced George actually is a robot, I will hear no argument otherwise) but oh my days I got this caring but spicy man only dreams could conjure.

Even with all that, full props have to go to Stella! I loved her character so much! I did want to scream at her a few times when she wouldn’t just immediately fall in love with Thomas (don’t worry, I mentally screamed at him too!) but I genuinely am going to name her as my new hero.

I adored every little interaction between these two. I love a slow burn and while after an initial teaser of spiciness, we were put off for a while, I really loved that there was obvious heat between them and that it was acknowledged! It was somehow even more frustrating when it was ‘yeah, obviously we want to sleep together, but we can’t, for uh reasons??’ It was so frustrating but so good!

And of course all the F1 drama, I had so much fun! So glad we were back in Simone’s F1 world and cannot wait for more books in this series!

This was one of my most anticipated releases of the year and i was not disappointed🤭 simone soltani is fab at writing really fun and accurate f1 romances - which i have struggled to find in the past. i feel like she is very aware of the f1 space and funnels that perfectly into her books, which i really appreciate.

This was so swoonworthy oh my good goodness.

Simone has done it again and somehow done it better?
Ride With Me expands on Simone Soltani’s world of F1 and delivers in terms of insane, irresistible chemistry while also keeping the stakes high outside the romance.

Following Stella and Thomas as they take an explosively sexy meet cute at a Vegas joint stag and hen do and wake up married…whoops. With each of them coming with their own baggage and reasons for following through with this sham marriage, they quickly find that underneath the sizzling attraction is perhaps something more substantial.

I was giddy reading this one. Soltani hits the romance jackpot here and I cannot wait for the rest of the series and for the universe to expand (I am taking the opportunity to put in a petition for a Joshua and Amara prequel - I am begging nay PLEADING).

An easy 5 stars. If you love F1 and love swoony romances with sensational chemistry this is the book for you.

Thank you to Pan Mac and NetGalley for this ARC

First of all. A huge thank you to NetGalley & Simone Soltani for this ARC. I remember screaming when I got the mail haha.

After Cross The Line, my hopes for this book where sky high, and let me tell you; it was even better that I had hoped!
A marriage of convenience becoming a fake relationship becoming a slow burn love story, sided with the F1 storyline was exactly what I wished for.

Thomas is the real Prince Charming of my dreams and I really want Stella to be my next best friend.

This story was cute, respectful and kept me at the end of my seat.
The first 10% of the story was very, very slow. But after that the pace was picking up fast and I enjoyed the story as an whole!

It was a 4,75 star for me!

3.5

I started this book in the beginning of May, got to the 10% mark and then didn’t touch it for another 3 weeks. I don’t know why but I think it was because I found the first 15-ish% a bit slow.
The story did pick up nicely after that and I found myself enjoying it over all, though I wouldn’t say it clicked the same way the first book in the series did.

I liked the chemistry and especially the dynamic between Stella & Thomas. They complemented each other really nicely, both in their shared humour and the drive when it comes to their respective careers.

I also kinda liked how the couple from the first book, Dev & Willow, were incorporated into this book, which is not the way I am used to seeing it done when it comes to series with interconnected standalones.

There were several instances that could have been executed better:
The Vegas marriage/fake relationship wasn’t really put to the test. Half of the people knew what actually happened, which takes half the fun out of faking it.
A lot of the moments regarding Thomas’s F1 stuff seemed almost out of place and felt like it would interrupt the actual plot, rather than go along with it.

The pacing in the second half felt a bit all over the place. We get glimpses and small moments of Stella & Thomas together only to then go ahead and skip several days and weeks at a time.
The book-timeline covered Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year, big and arguably significant holidays for couples and (extended) family, yet all of them were rushed and barely acknowledged. I feel like this was (again) a missed opportunity to put the faking to the test, especially with family around.

I didn't feel like Stella has properly worked through her last relationship and the way it ended. I do have to say I expected more here, especially how much it impacted her and more so since it happened not long before the events of this book started.
Similar to Thomas and his family issues. He seemed to get along with half of his siblings and then barely acknowledged the other half (a total of 5 siblings). There were moments where their issues, mainly between Thomas and his older brother and dad, could have been worked through on-page, but this never happened and I have to guess that this was done on purpose.

The last 10-15% and the ending in general almost felt a bit too dragged out.

This was cute & easy to read and I can see people enjoying it!
Will definitely read the next book in the series.

Thank you to Pan/Pan Macmillan for providing this book for review via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Ride With Me by Simone Soltani is the second book in the Lights Out Series. This is Thomas and Stella’s story.
 
Stella has a big social media following where she portrays a perfect life but after her engagement ended, she’s trying to move on. She is confident, sassy and knows what she wants, and I really liked her direct manner. At the same time, she had very vulnerable moments and insecurities and that made her so real.
 
Thomas comes from a prestigious family, and he followed his passion and became a successful F1 driver. Thomas is charming and sweet in a very pleasant way and the way he slowly falls in love with Stella was just everything.
 
I really liked how the story slowly builds and that makes you get to know the characters really well and I totally rooted for them from the beginning. Their chemistry is fun and sweet and that in combination with lots of banter and humor was so enjoyable. And my favorite part was obviously the marriage of convenience in Vegas and the fake dating aspect was done so well.
 
Ride With Me is a lovely F1 romance and I really enjoyed Thomas and Stella’s story. 4 stars.
 
(Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an arc.)

Ride with Me is the second volume after Cross the Line & I was so looking forward to it, because it contains so many of my favorite tropes. I mean it's about Stella Baldwin (the Macaron Queen) getting left at the altar by her fiancé. She meets F1 driver Thomas Maxwell-Brown at her cousin's bachelorette party in Las Vegas. The two party together and accidentally get married in Las Vegas. Afterward, they decide to stay married & pretend they're actually a couple....

I loved this book! Stella is an absolute queen! She is confident, she knows what she wants and her sense of humor is great! She's used to taking care of herself & doesn't know how to react when someone else does it for her. Her ex was/is a narcissist and I was kind of glad that he let her go - because that's how she met Thomas. Of course, her ex also left his mark and Stella had to heal from that first. She went through a great development!
I thought Thomas was hot hot hot! Despite his British manner and aristocratic smile, he's a gentleman. You wouldn't put it past him, but he also has a cheeky (& rather foul) mouth, which was very surprising. He's just boyfriend material, ah!

Little heads up: the book is really crazy slow-burn!

This was a gorgeous second instalment to the series, I really loved the accidental marriage and how it benefited both our main characters. Their chemistry was definitely meant to be.

If you’re looking for a new spicy, adrenaline fuelled and funny racing romance to add to your TBR then look no further, I was craving a change from my usual fantasy reads and this one hit the spot perfectly. Packed full of witty banter and slow burn tension between two strangers who accidentally end up getting married in vegas, who decide to stay married for mutual beneficial reasons having to then display to everyone around them a loving relationship that has the lines between what is real and what is fake blurring this book will have you hooked from start to end. I felt like I knew where the book was going, but this didn’t make it any less enjoyable, I simply knew what I was in for and happily went along for the ride, reading as Stella and Thomas slowly but surely realise they want more than the front they are putting on for those around them.

We start our story with Thomas, and the series of unfortunate hot headed events that have landed him in more than a little hot water in the F1 community with his reputation on the line. Dodging revenge seeking fans he finds himself at a bachelor party in Vegas prior to his upcoming race, it is during this bachelor/hen party that he meets Stella. Stella’s life isn’t all rose either, on the back of being jilted at the alter she just wants to get back out there and love her life, rediscovering the person that she was and lost somewhere along the way. In an effort to prove to those around her that she isn’t all that she seems, Stella sets her sights on Thomas to try and prove to herself she can be fun and care free. However, she quickly realises that she enjoys the company of this not so upstanding F1 driver after all, and Thomas feels much the same hanging off Stella’s every word. As the tension between them blooms and the night goes on with more and more drinking to be had, we then rejoin our characters on the morning after the night before where they realise they accidentally got married. Initially wanting to sweep this under the carpet as quickly as possible, this gives way to an opportunity neither of them can pass up on. However, pretending to be in love while guarding your heart is a tricky business and will these two realise what they have before it is too late and they both grew to walk away.

I thoroughly enjoyed how both incredible normal and ludicrously unrealistic this book is, with both Stella and Thomas being incredibly well off in the money department and not being afraid to flaunt it this is on aspect that I was not used to but enjoyed. Both of them being successful provided a balance to the story that worked incredibly well. For me Stella undergoes the most character development in this story, it takes her an awfully long time to realise why she is so closed off and how much she has changed but once she finds herself again it is amazing. I was rooting for her from start to finish, she’s had a rough time of it and it was amazing to read as she got her happily ever after, even if Simone had me going to moment there. Thomas is the perfect gentlemen, he reminds Stella of what it is like to actually be cared for in a healthy and thriving relationship and it is beautiful to see. We get to read as Thomas has some why of a redemption ARC and how him meeting Stella shifts his goals into perspective and makes him want more. I thoroughly enjoyed the banter between these two, especially when they are trying to fake their feeling for each other tripping over their own feet as they do so.

The story is fast paced, with the marriage of convenience aspect being the main focal point of the story. I really enjoyed having a sense of what was happening next and being comfortable that my heart wasn’t going to be broken into pieces, it allowed me to full relax into the story and enjoy it for what it is. During the course of the story we get an insight into the lives of both Stella and Thomas with the F1 being a key feature. It is so interesting to have this take on the sport and how this is integrated into the romance and relationship. Highly recommend this book if you’re looking for a new sports romance that’s a little different but a lot of fun!

Thank you so much to the author and publisher for sending me an e-ARC to read and review early.

This was really sweet. The banter was everything between them and slowly revealing more of their personality's and own unique little things made this book a really enjoyable to read.
The plot had already hooked me as a accidental Vegas wedding is always a definite read for me but the way the story progressed I found really entertaining and the pace was great.
I would say that I would have preferred a slightly more extended ending and for some more page time for the side characters as I really enjoyed them but I felt I didn't necessarily get to really get to know them that well.
Otherwise, the relationship between them was great and I really enjoyed!
Favourite Quote - Ah shit. I think I'm falling for my wife.
Favourite Character - Janelle

formula 1 romance?
here we are

give me all the sport romance pleasee i am so back in my formula 1 phase and i regret nothign
loved this more than book 1 if possible

A new all-time favourite sports romance for me! a sultry slowburn that is incredibly well-paced. It's funny, sweet and incredibly romantic and charming. Simone has outdone herself!!

Gotta love the flirty action at the beginning with Stella and Thomas!

✔️ strangers to lovers?
✔️ F1 romance
✔️ dual POV
✔️ interracial couple
✔️ drunk marriage in Vegas

I can’t wait to read more from Simone Soltani!

Thank you to Netgally for the oppotunity to read this as an arc!

Since reading Cross the Line I couldn't wait for this to come out but unfortunately it didn't click for me like the first one did.

One thing about me is I will eat up marriage of convenience every single time no quesitons asked and to a point I did. I think I just have such high standards for this trope that them getting drunkedly married in vegas first made the trope not hit as it normally does. They also took so long to finally decide to be together for real which could've happened way earlier if they only had communicated.

I love how they had a mutual agreement to never let their relaitonshps become more than their career.

I love the tiny cross over with Stella being the macaroon baker from Cross the Line however I would've loved to see more of Dev and Willow in this. Another aspect I felt was missing a bit was f1 action. We got a bit but I definitely wanted a bit more of the action.

Overal I did really enjoy this book but it wasn't an outstanding read for me.

Stella and Thomas

"Ride with me" by Simone Soltani is the second book in the "Lights Out" series and tells the story of Stella, who was left at the altar, and Thomas, a racing driver who is disliked by everyone.

It was time for me to pick up a Formula 1 Romance again, and I am so glad that I chose "Ride with me" by Simone Soltani, because the story was a little highlight!

The story captivated me after just a few pages! The writing style was so pleasant to read and the characters were just so wholesome.

Stella is very direct and sassy. I liked her straight away. Her demeanor often comes across as confident, but her insecurities make her seem so real to me.

I fell in love with Thomas after just a few pages! He's aware of his good looks, but he's not a playboy and he's not someone who jumps on everyone who crosses his path. He's sweet and can flirt like the devil at the same time.

The story was exciting, amusing and sweet - simply a perfect mix!

I give "Ride with me" 5 out of 5 stars.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.