Chicanes of Love: A Story of Racing, Ruin and Redemption

by Elin B. Derene

Chicanes of Love
A story of racing, ruin, and redemption, and a second chance neither of them saw coming.
🔥 Second Chance Romance | Grumpy x Sarcastic Sunshine | Slow Burn | Dual POV

Alec Adams was born to drive, fast, fearless, and addicted to the rush. But after a fiery crash ends his Formula 1 career, he disappears from the world, taking his scars (both visible and buried) with him.

Isabella Steyn has been running from her own ghosts. Sarcastic, sharp-edged, and guarded, she’s rebuilt her life brick by brick, until a new job lands her in the last place she expected, under Alec’s roof.

Their reunion is anything but smooth.
Because this isn’t the first time they’ve collided.
And this time, the stakes are higher than heartbreak.

As walls crumble and secrets unravel, Alec and Isabella discover that love isn’t always the finish line.
Sometimes, it’s the chicane, the sharpest, most dangerous turn of all.

📚 Perfect for readers who crave emotional depth, sizzling tension, and flawed characters with healing arcs.

286 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 30, 2025

About the author

Hello, I’m Elin B. Derene.

I write emotionally driven romance that blends heart, heat, and the kind of scars we don’t always see. My debut novel, Chicanes of Love, explores themes of ruin, racing, and redemption, where second chances aren’t handed out, but fought for.

When I’m not writing, I’m likely reading about morally complex characters, developing new story ideas, or enjoying a strong cup of coffee (or two).

I believe healing is rarely simple, love is always worth the risk, and that no one is too broken to find their version of a happy ending.

Reviews

[Chelsea · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC Review

Scars and Second chances, loved this line and it describes the story so well

Went into this book expecting to be immersed into the world of F1. Slightly disappointed that was not the case however it didn't affect me reading the book

This book is based in my home country South Africa which was a really nice connection to have with a book for a change

The storyline is based on the MMCs life after F1 with a few memory flashbacks to his experience there which helps explain his current situation

This was an easy read for me and one I could of easily sat up till 2am to finish but once again this girl works during the week and sleep is needed for that hence it was a two night read for me.

The introduction chapters to the main characters was a bit on the slow side but once the two "meet" in their first chapter together its fast paced from there onwards
Everything that happens is intense with twists and turns you don't see coming

I really enjoyed this book and its worth the ride, excuse the pun...
P.S Erin, I wouldn't mind a book about Nic's story next 😉

[Bernedine Nel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spice Rating: 2 x 🌶️🌶️

Alec and Isabella’s chemistry crackles with unresolved tension, pain, and passion. This story doesn’t just explore second chances, it races full throttle into them, scars and all. If you love a scarred, emotionally complex MMC, slow-burn redemption arcs, and the kind of angst that leaves a mark, buckle up. You’re in for a ride.

“Defeat tastes like scar tissue on your face and hands, with a side of go f#*k yourself.”
That line alone had me hooked.

[Faatimah · Rating 4 out of 5]

A raw and emotional second-chance romance set in the fast-paced world of Formula One. Chicanes of Love delivers unforgettable chemistry, deep healing, and a story that races straight into your heart.🙌❤️

[Jess · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was pretty impressed by this debut. It’s a great story about redemption and healing ❤️‍🩹
I would have preferred more F1 content but I read this in a day so it couldn’t have been that bad 😉
Overall a good, fast paced read.

[Esthi Labuschagne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was extremely fortunate enough to beta read this book for Elin.
What a journey this book took me on.
It was amazing to see the way Elin was able to delve so deep into Bella and Alec's emotions. I could feel every bit of anger, sadness, utter contentment and ecstasy these characters went through in this book.
I think my favorite scene was where we finally could see how Alec and Bella met. I was sucked into that moment with them. Just amazingly done.
The banter between Alec and Nic and Bella and Em was done so well.
The book has the perfect balance of affection and spice, which is not an easy feat.
I loved it!!
I can't wait to read Elin's next book!

[Keosha Trebeni · Rating 4 out of 5]

Firstly, this book taught me a new word; 'Chicanes' 👀 so that was cool.
Secondly, I'm not a fan, AT ALL, of second chances, but this book... wow. I actually liked that trope here (besides the little misunderstandings here & there that made me wanna crawl into the book & punch Bella & Alec 😪)

Alec & Bella knew each other from some months back when they met in another country. And gurl, SPARKS FLEW. But as life would have it, their short-lived love story had to end & they had to deal with that pain while also navigating life.

Now, they meet again & well...

My favorite thing about this book was the intimacy. Not smut - this INTIMACY. Every touch was full of purpose & healing. I feel like many books now have smut just because & there isn't enough emotions in it. The 🌶️ scenes in this book were so beautiful & strong - it felt pure & beautiful.


Spice: 🌶️🌶️

🏁 Second chance
🏁 Slow burn
🏁 Forced proximity
🏁 Employee × Personal chef
🏁 Grumpy × Sarcastic sunshine
🏁 Dual POV

[Netalya · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Stunning Debut!

Chicane of Love was everything we didn’t know we needed—slow burn perfection with just the right amount of spice 🔥👌. The buildup was deliciously paced, and when it finally hit, it hit.

The characters felt so real, each dealing with their own issues and growth in a way that made their connection feel earned and so satisfying. And just when we thought we had it all figured out—boom! That plot twist hit and took everything to another level.

It’s honestly hard to believe this is a debut novel. The writing was emotionally rich, the story well-layered, and the romance? Chef’s kiss. We lived for this book and can’t wait to see what the author does next.

[Tamara Bray · Rating 4 out of 5]

Calling all F1 girlies!!!🏁 You're going to want to add this book to your TBR. If you're looking for a fast-paced, emotionally-charged storyline with off-the-charts chemistry (🌶️🌶️) between the two main characters, this is it. The fact that it's set in South Africa was a pleasant surprise (representation!) 👏🏼

[Dani Arndt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Congratulations on your debut novel! I enjoyed this one thoroughly. The tension between the characters, the suspenseful moments and the themes of love, grief and overcoming the past - amazing! Looking forward to your next book! 🥂

[Melanie Dorfling · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully written emotional book! As a F1 fan and South African this book was extra special. The complex relationship between Bella and Alex, the emotional depth and the pacing was so good. There were twist and turns I didn't see coming which I loved! Truly enjoyed this book so much!!

[Michelle Fourie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall, a great second chance romance with characters that are easy to love and root for. The pacing was a bit fast in places, but if you're in the mood for something quick and emotionally driven, this one will keep you turning the pages. The storyline is sweet, heartfelt, and perfect for a cozy afternoon read.

[Jana Kleynhans · Rating 5 out of 5]

•|| NO SPOILERS REVIEW ||•

Had to take a moment before I wrote a review. Not because it was a bad book, but because it had me SHATTERED (in a good way) at one stage.

If you’re looking for an easy romantic read, with a lil bit o’ spice - this one is for you!!

Spice rating 🌶️🌶️
Honestly, the intimate scenes were beautifully written, and might I add a little vanilla to what I’m used to. But it made it such a pleasurable read, and fit into the story so well that anything spicier would have felt out of place.

Chicanes of love truly is a beautifully written story about love, redemption and restoration. From the first page I was captivated by the double POV and the twists and turns had me shook!

Wonderful first publish from an upcoming writer.

[Candice from cair_paraval_chronicles · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is Erin B Derene's debut and I'm sure she will become a favourite author for some.

I was excited to read a story set in the world of formula one and although the MMC was a driver the story takes place after he leaves the sport.
This was a fast paced and an easy read perfectly for a Sunday while waiting for the Grand Prix to start.

This story has it all.... second chance love, some spice and some thrill all in one.

I enjoyed the characters scars and all, the tension and the build up to the climax of the story has me hooked.

I hope to read more from this author in the future.

[Vidhika Yadav · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book Review : "Chicanes of Love: A Story of Racing, Ruin and Redemption" by Elin B. Derene

In Chicanes of Love, Elin B. Derene creates a whirlwind of emotional work intertwining the fast-paced world of professional racing with the unrestrained jerking around of interpersonal relationships. The main action of the novel takes place around Alec, an abused former race car driver suffering through injuries both physically but even more so emotionally, and Isabella, an adult woman with, just like Alec, failed relationships and trauma. What brings them together in an unexpected way.

Derene's ability to write about the visceral nature of the chaos and energy of race day infused with sensory details and psychological truths is evident from the first couple of pages of the prologue. The book's "chicanes" work on one level as course obstacles on a racetrack, but work on a second level as analogous to the twists and turns and sharp right angles of love and life, which bring you full circle to confront yourself. The writing oscillates from grit to vulnerability, where Alec's self-imposed bitterness, a form of personal exile, is described with diligence just like Isabella is trying in earnest to get back to some level of faith in herself, which is resolute and we see is fragile.

These alternating perspectives bolster the reader's attachment by demonstrating, not only the misunderstandings and unstated history between the leads, but also that memory is shaped by perception. The domestic tensions, for example, Isabella preparing sumptuous meals for a guy who studiously ignores her, are as electrified as the recollections that employ flashbacks to sunny afternoons in Amsterdam, or injecting a sense of chaos through the racing accidents. Derene's talent is in allowing the emotional history to emerge through short, blunt dialogue, a telling silence, or symbolic details (the smell of vanilla, a knotted set of earphones, a hauntingly appropriate playlist).

With this romance developing against a backdrop of mystery, resentment, and redemption, this book provides no easy answers. Sure, the pacing sometimes gets bogged down in internal monologues, but I think this is necessary to make the eventual emotional turn believable. In particular, the South African scope of the novel imbues the story with texture—both through the openness of the scenery, and the reality-based unspoken specters of danger—which made the stakes feel real, beyond the romance.

As such, Chicanes of Love is equally about self-respect, healing, (and personal) reconnection, as it is about love regained. Derene has crafted an emotionally resonant, and immersive debut novel that will appeal to readers of romance with that added dose of grit, regret, and hard-won potential for forgiveness.

[Debabrata Mishra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chicanes of Love by Elin B. Derene is a delightful debut novel that blends the themes of romance, emotional healing, and the visceral excitement of motorsport. The novel tells the story of Alec, a former racecar driver whose life is changed forever after an accident that irrevocably destroys his racing career and a sense of self-worth, and Isabella, a woman whose seemingly innocent re-entrance into Alec's life forces them both to examine deeper, unresolved wounds. But beyond this narrative lies a subtle examination of trust, pride, and the art of forgiving—a forgiving of yourself, as well as others.

Derene uses a dual narrative prompt brought alive through alternating perspectives. This not only sustains the connection between Alec and Isabella, it allows readers to move between the characters' distinct interior lives, breathing up the tension of the contrasting emotional landscapes. Where Alec is a gruff hostility and despairing rage, Isabella occupies a clinical, professional stance as a therapist, yet their shared history exists in the air between them, combustible. The tension in their exchanges—charged, terse, and sometimes erupting from hurt that was silently dragging them both towards isolation—demonstrated Derene’s use of dialogue as a genuine emotional weapon.

The racing context functions not only as an atmospheric color. The “chicanes” function as a repeated motif, representing the harsh destabilizing turns in life and love that require decisions in moments. Scenes at the track use enough detail to satisfy motorsport lovers while quieter home scenes—with Isabella creating extravagant meals for an absent, ungrateful Alec—carry as much emotion.

The South African setting provides a new place setting, contrasting quiet beauty with the hidden danger of the streets it heightens the tension when action turns toward danger. The addition of a “soundtrack of the book” is an especially clever feature that ties major/secondary emotional beats to music and emphasizes a multi-sensory reading experience.

While there are a few moments of introspection that might disrupt pacing for action-oriented readers, they are needed for the central theme of the novel—that healing is never linear and always a struggle. In the end, Chicanes of Love takes the reader through a heartfelt and vividly written romance rooted in the grit of regret and the stubbornness that love can survive the hardest turns.

[Prince Raj · Rating 5 out of 5]

A world of Racing crumbles when they found out there number one F1 driver injured during the race and third degree on his left side of body and some part of face, he is now laying on hospital bed,burned and broken, with no one by his side.

Alec a F1 driver, his dream was to have the feeling of flying, of pushing beyond fears, pushing beyond his limit and freedom but what he gets "A broken Dream which full stopped his dream and broke him beyond reparing and now he don't to go ever on racing road.

Isabella met him when she was busy hearing song on earphone and he asked what she is listening and from that time they started to talk to each other and had first date and it was awesome and they decided to meet more often but circumstances changed and it didn't happened and that left Isabella felt heart broken.

The ending of the book is like a cinematic experience, it is a good ending a loving and soothing ending, I adore those book which have a good and blessed ending.

The book has a fast paced story and it is engaging and captivating, it also has romance and crime thrilling experience, it has suspense that will make you read faster.

In simple world authors says that, It is a story of two people Isabella and Alec, both are scarred by the past, colliding in a place neither of them expected and finding something worth staying for.

Lack of Communication and belongingness sometimes brake a relationship apart and it is what happened in the story and when the communication between the character improves and if you wanna more.

To know how people found themselves discarding the past and moving forward with each other, go grab the book and start reading it.

[Komal Kumari · Rating 5 out of 5]

Elin B. Derene's Chicanes of Love is an intoxicating combination of high-speed racing thrill-ride drama and poignant personal journey. This novel traces the intersecting lives of its focal characters against the backdrop of the high-octane world of motorsport, where a moment's decision can mean the difference between notoriety and calamity.


Derene writes with such excitement about the racing world that you can feel the burning rubber and roaring engines. Yet, underlying the speed of the spectacle is an equally personal story about dreams, betrayal, and messy realities of love, and the comforting and damaging ways love is ever-present. The "chicanes" of the title are as much emotional mechanisms as they are obstacles that the characters navigate and course-correct through on the racetrack.


What makes this novel clearly enticing is the way it marries a high-speed action story with an emotional experience. The characters are both imperfect and authentic, with their character arcs shaped by the racetrack that demands swift change as much as the horrible elements of being human. Derene writes in such rich detail that conveys the essence of high-speed racing, curating the pace of the story like a wonderful race, with high velocity being interspersed with slow and reflective laps.

In the end, Chicanes of Love is not just about racing, but about resilience, redemption, and the courage to navigate life’s most treacherous curves.

[Mischke Meyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

(3.5 stars)
⚠️ Content warning: Contains language and a few open-door scenes.
If you’d like to read this without spice, skip these chapters (approximate Kindle %):
Ch. 17 (36–37%)
Ch. 22 (48–49%)
Ch. 24 (52%)
Ch. 26 (58–60%)
Ch. 29 (68–69%)
Ch. 33 (78–79%)
Ch. 34 (79–80%)
Epilogue One (97%)

Give me an F1 racer and a love story and I’m already invested—but what I didn’t expect was the action and suspense woven into the romance, and I really enjoyed it! Just when you think it’s smooth sailing and heartwarming scenes ahead, the tension kicks back in and raises the stakes.

I loved the dual POV from both the WMC and MMC. It gave great insight into their emotional journeys, their pain, and the way they both slowly begin to heal through each other. One of the standout moments for me was how they met—the simplicity of "What are you listening to?"—which sparked a connection neither of them expected and ended up shaping how they support one another later on.

This isn’t just a romance; it’s a story of healing, trust, facing your past, and learning to let love in—even when it’s messy and painful. A tale of scars, both visible and hidden, and the winding road to redemption. 🏁💔

Thank you Elin B. Derene for the ARC*

[Zia · Rating 4 out of 5]

An emotional, fast paced, slow burn, spicy read!

Alec Adams a speed freak race car driver gives up life in the fast lane after a devasting crash that changes his life and leaves him isolated, lonely and angry.
Isabella Steyn lives off good food and sarcasm – agrees to a short-term contract as a live in private chef. What is suppose to be an escape from life’s complexities turns into a challenge when the two are forced to remain in each other’s company.

The story kept me intrigued and I enjoyed the balance between affection and spice. I am also a South Africa girly so reading about our beautiful landscape scored a point.

I did not have a favourite character however, I did feel more of a connection to Alec’s character. Elin wrote his story with a raw vulnerability that made it easier to empathise with his pain and fears.

I would have liked more back story of Amsterdam and everything that took place there 18 months ago. This part of the story felt rushed and lacked depth. I think this would've made a good first book of a series.

Lastly, I am still confused about Candice and how she fits into Alec’s life. Maybe a sequel with some dark secrets that Alec didn't share?

Well done Elin! I look forward to reading your future work.

[Dawn Smit · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow!! what a great read!!

This second chance romance had me gripping my book so tightly from the first page.
The tension and chemistry between our FMC Isabella and the gorgeous but damaged MMC Alec was off the charts, the emotions were so raw, my heart was breaking for these two.

And just when I thought I knew where the plot was heading the author throws in a plot twist out of nowhere that had my head spinning.

The writing is brilliant, the story is beautiful and the fact that it is set in my home land of South Africa makes my heart swell even more with joy
and lets not forget the spice which is just the perfect amount for this great story.

Do yourself a favor, grab this book and settle in for a ride you will not regret!!

Thank you so much Elin. B. Derene for choosing me to be on your ARC team - you now have a fan for life ❤

[Laetitia · Rating 5 out of 5]

🔥 Wow! What a ride! Chicanes of Love by Elin B. Derene had me hooked from the first page. The chemistry between the characters was off the charts—steamy, emotional, and so addictive. Just when I thought I had the plot figured out, a twist came out of nowhere and completely floored me. 😱

The ending was beautiful and heartfelt, and now I’m begging for a sequel. If you love romance with spice, drama, and depth—this one’s a must-read! 💕🏁

[bookthingswithsam · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a quick, fun read! One of those books you pick up and BAM, you're on chapter 12. A tangled romance with secrets, longing, and trauma.
Messy.
Raw.

"Some detours lead you straight back where you were always meant to be."