Rocco Vittori, a fallen star of Formula 1, is desperate to reclaim his place on the podium. Nico Angelini, a fiercely talented and trailblazing driver, is determined to rise to the top of a sport that’s long shut out women like her. The pair’s rivalry kicks off in the public arena of social media and intensifies after a chance encounter in a Las Vegas bar, which leads to a steamy, charged showdown involving a game of billiards. Before long, they find themselves on the same Maverick Racing team. Starling’s narrative thrives on brisk dialogue and the main characters’ quick tempers. Rocco and Nico’s verbal sparring is electric (“Doesn’t Rocco mean dick in Italian?”), but underneath the sexual tension is a deeper exploration of trust and trauma. When Nico reflects on her need to race, she reveals the story’s emotional stakes: “Racing Formula 1 was like her blood, her bone. If they were gone, so was she—not just a persona…but her, the real her.” The novel’s alternating perspectives deepen the tension and reveal each character’s troubled past—Rocco’s battle with self-doubt and media scrutiny, Nico’s resilience shaped by loss and survival. Despite their combative dynamic, the two share a need for speed, a passion for racing, and the scars of past betrayals. Starling’s prose occasionally veers into melodrama, especially in its more sensual moments, but the narrative remains grounded by its deft portrayal of ambition, its exploration of gender dynamics in male-dominated spaces, and its examination of the redemptive power of trust. Supporting characters, such as Nico’s lively best friend, Charles, deliver levity and warmth.