ARC Review: Dangerous Strategy (Shut Up and Drive #1) by B. Randall
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Series: Shut Up and Drive #1
Author: B. Randall
Published May 26th 2025 by Haunted Hearts Publishing
Goodreads Synopsis
Welcome to the world of Formula 1, a high intensity sport, where drivers’ lives are scrutinized, relationships are tested, and if you don’t perform, you’re out.
Arabella Cedillo just landed her dream job as photographer for her favorite Formula 1 team, Albatross Racing. Suddenly, her quiet life is upended, full of fast-paced race weekends and trips across the globe. But Arabella is keeping a secret. She’s in love with her father’s old rival-turned-best friend, Albatross’s lead driver, Mateo Silva. And now that she’s spending every weekend up close and personal with Mateo, she’s not sure she can keep her feelings a secret anymore.
Mateo Silva used to be a champion. But that was years ago. Now he’s hanging on to his Formula 1 seat as tight as he can, forced to face the fact that he’s not as young as he once was. His team has made it very win a championship this year or kiss a future contract goodbye. The only thing keeping Mateo going every week is the one person who never stops believing in him, his best friend’s daughter.
But his best friend’s daughter is also the one person he shouldn’t be thinking about kissing, the one person he absolutely cannot fall for if he wants to keep his career on track. Mateo has to decide what he wants Formula 1 or Arabella’s heart.
Goodreads
Review
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher, via BookSirens. This in no way impacted on my view.
Photographer Arabella Cedillo has spent the last 6 years in love with F1 driver, Mateo Silva. There’s just a small problem with that: he’s her father’s best friend, and 17 years older than her. No matter what, she has followed his career religiously, and has now found herself a job as the art director for Albatross Racing, the team Mateo drives for. Spending the next year documenting every minute of Mateo and teammate, Jayce’s, races, Arabella is going to have to keep a hold on her feelings, because surely Mateo won’t reciprocate them?
I haven’t read many F1 romances before, I think this might be the 3rd one, and definitely not one with a forbidden romance with such an age gap as Arabella and Mateo had. I wasn’t sure how I’d like it, but for the majority of the book, that 17 years difference wasn’t so obvious. It was clear that there was a strong connection and chemistry between Arabella and Mateo, and the fact that Mateo hadn’t started to really spend time with Arabella until she was at college, and definitely didn’t have feelings for her until she joined the Albatross team, definitely made it less creepy. I enjoyed the F1 aspect of the story too, even though I’m not a big fan of the sport. It was clear that the author is a big fan, and that she had done a lot of research before writing this book. Having a female F1 driver in Lola, who was not an ememy of Mateo’s, but a friend, was a great addition too.
Dates Read:
August 3rd, 2025
Rating
3 Stars
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