SUMMARY
A marriage of convenience threatens to go off track in this steamy Formula 1 romance from the USA Today bestselling author of Cross the Line.
Stella Baldwin thought her life couldn’t get worse. Being left at the altar was bad enough, and the drunken rant she posted to her social media followers in the aftermath was the cherry on top. But having to show up at her cousin’s bachelorette party in Las Vegas barely two weeks later feels like a cruel joke.
Thomas Maxwell-Brown is just looking for a good time. With his family’s expectations pressing down, his career as a Formula 1 driver threatened by fresh talent, and a new reputation as the most hated man on the grid, he needs a break to clear his head. And what better way to decompress than with a stag party in Vegas?
Stella isn’t the woman Thomas expects to meet that night. And Thomas isn’t the man Stella expects to wake up next to in the morning—with a ring on her finger. Staying married might be the perfect solution to all their problems, even if it is a little wild. Sometimes, what happens in Vegas doesn’t need to stay there. . . .
Image and summary from Goodreads.
REVIEW
After reading Cross the Line back in 2024, I knew I wanted to continue with Simone Soltani’s Lights Out series. I finally picked up Ride with Me on my Kindle and I’m so glad I did because I actually ended up enjoying this one even more than the first book.
If you know me, you’ll know I’m an absolute sucker for certain romance tropes and this book seemed to tick all of my boxes. Fake dating? Yes. Marriage of convenience? Also yes. Throw those two together and you’ve already got me invested before I’ve even finished the first chapter. They’re two of some of my favourite romance tropes because they almost always guarantee plenty of tension, awkward moments and characters slowly catching feelings while trying to convince everyone else (and themselves) that it’s all fake.
One of my favourite parts of this book was definitely Stella and Thomas. I absolutely adored both of them. Stella was such an easy character to root for and I loved how resilient and independent she was without feeling unrealistic. Thomas completely won me over as well. He had that perfect balance of confidence and vulnerability and I loved seeing his softer side come through as the story progressed. Together, they had fantastic chemistry and I genuinely found myself smiling during so many of their scenes together.
Their relationship developed naturally and I enjoyed watching them slowly become each other’s safe place. The little moments between them often ended up being my favourites because they made their relationship feel believable rather than rushed. Even though you know where the romance is heading, Simone Soltani does a great job of making you want to stick around for the journey.
That being said, I do think the journey took a little longer than it needed to. The opening chapters felt slower than I expected and it took me a little while to become fully invested in the story. Once things got moving, I flew through the rest of the book, but I think the beginning could have been tightened up a little.
I also felt like the slow burn maybe burned a little too slowly for my personal taste. I usually love a slow burn romance, but there were several moments where I was practically begging Stella and Thomas to stop dancing around their feelings and just admit what was obvious to everyone else. The payoff was still satisfying. I just think it took a bit longer to get there than I would have liked.
My biggest surprise though, was actually the Formula 1 aspect of the story. Considering this is supposed to be a Formula 1 romance series, I found myself wishing there was well more Formula 1. Don’t get me wrong, it’s definitely there, but I was hoping for more race weekends, more behind the scenes moments, more team dynamics and more insight into the sport itself. I felt like it sometimes became more of a backdrop than an active part of the story.
Even with those small criticisms, I genuinely had such a fun time reading this book. Simone Soltani has a writing style that’s easy to get into and once I was invested, I found it hard to put my Kindle down. The romance kept me turning the pages and I was completely invested in seeing Stella and Thomas find their happy ending.
Overall, I enjoyed Ride with Me more than Cross the Line and it definitely makes me want to continue with the Lights Out series when the third book in the series – Crash Into You comes out later this year. Stella and Thomas were such loveable characters and their relationship was full of sweet moments, great chemistry and the kind of romance that leaves you smiling by the end.
This was an easy 4star read for me. While I would have loved a quicker start, a slightly faster slow burn and a lot more Formula 1 action, the characters completely made up for it. If you’re a fan of fake dating, marriage of convenience and romances with plenty of heart, I think this one is definitely worth picking up.
-Rachelle
I’m on Instagram at @rachellesbookshelf
