Hammer Time

Chequered Flag #1

by Rhae Aeden

Philip, a retired Formula One driver, makes a comeback in the fast-paced world of motorsports.

While attempting to reclaim his former glory, he crosses paths with Selene, an ambitious woman who won't stop at anything until she gets what she wants.

The two find themselves at odds in the world of motorsports, but as they compete and push each other in their respective fields, their enmity turns into passion.

Will they withstand the pressure of the fast-paced and competitive industry?

Genres: Sports Romance, Romance, Sports, Enemies To Lovers, Racing, Dark Romance, Contemporary

314 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 23, 2023

About the author

Rhae Aeden is a Spanish girl, whose love for reading and hyperactive mind have pushed her into writing and publishing her own books.
As the hopeless romantic she is, Rhae writes new adult romance with a dash of comedy and twisted turns, always trying to portray relatable and strong characters.

Reviews

[Mariem · Rating 1 out of 5]

SPOILERS

As a f1 fan I was so excited to read that book with the hype on TikTok and everything so hear me out my disappointment is immeasurable and my day is ruined the way she was putting any other female character in the book down to bring the MC up was ridicules — at the first chapters with Jessica who I wasn’t really sure why we were hating on her for and then with Sofia a girl Phillip slept with once

“Selene is faster and throws the contents of her glass of champaign directly on Sofia's face, who now looks like a drowned cat with one of her fake lashes halfway falling from her eye.”

Then what happened after that ? he called security to get rid of Sofia I’m sorry Selena is not my girl boss that’s mean and rude and unacceptable ( not to talk about the amount of time the writer mentioned things like ‘ her fake lashes ..etc feels like we went 10 years back in time when women were being attacked for wearing as much makeup as they want)

There’s a lot of unrealistic things the way she gets her job and the Jessica and Mark situation also the way Cynthia interviewed them ?

Philip was very very mean for any creature being WOMAN- TEAMMATES EVEN SELENA HERSELF and no no I’m sorry we all have trauma that’s not a reason to act that way Trauma explains behavior. It does not excuse behavior.

And then about Philip anxiety ——- I was waiting the whole book for this conversation which didn’t happen - like how he’s going to manage it and etc but then they never did we can’t romanticize such things if you want to write about it THEN WRITE ABOUT IT

"Do you want to know a secret?" She comes closer to me and nods. "I threw up before my first Gala." I admit.

"Hah!" she scoffs "You tend to throw up a lot,
Philip." I should have seen that one coming.

LIKE EXCUSE ME I DONT CARE IF THIS WAS A JOKE ITS UNACCEPTABLE

Not to mention the way I cringed while reading like half of the book…..

1⭐️ I’m sorry but not what I expected

[mallon ❀ · Rating 1 out of 5]

this read like a bad wattpad fanfiction. the many spelling and grammar mistakes, the missing punctuation and empty sentences, the immature and basic writing, the plotholes, the randomly calling characters by a different name, the fact that not a single character was likable…

this work is badly in need of an editor

[Raina B 🌙 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating: 2.5-3

Overall, cute and easy read. I wanted another F1 romance. For a first time author, I enjoyed it. Definitely a little
Chaotic, the writing was a bit immature, and a lot of grammatical typos. But for a self-published author, she did great!

[Janina · Rating 1 out of 5]

I have waited, what feels like, a long time to read this book. The hype on TikTok created by the enthusiastic writer didn’t go unnoticed. The visualisation she created online helped peak my interest and was the reason for my preorder. I read and finished this book in 3 days and had fun doing so. The story is a feel-good, not much drama and even for those with lack of understanding about the F1 world it would be understandable and quite easy to follow.

However I did find it hard to overlook the many mistakes in the book. Whether it were the many grammatical errors, the random use of capital letters, the spontaneous blank spaces and open sentences were hard to miss. Throughout the book there were missing words in sentences and a wrong use of sentence structures and words. These “basic” mistakes could have, in my eyes, easily been avoided by having someone with fresh eyes proofread the book.

Some might find these various mistakes forgivable, especially in Wattpad originated books. But in officially launched and publicised books I find it unprofessional and unnecessary.

However the story overall was good and the story was easy to get through. I look forward to reading other books of this author, hopefully without to many errors.

[dreamingofbookss · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rating: 5 stars ⭐️
Tropes: enemies to lovers 💋
formula 1 🏎️
workplace 🏁
slow burn 🔥


I personally want to thank Rhae for giving me the chance to read her book in advance. I want to clarify that my opinions are honest and my own.❤️💋

This book gave me butterflies and it was so easy to read. I just couldn’t stop reading! 🦋

I think the bookcover and art inside are beautiful! You could see that there was attention to detail. 🏁

The main characters were perfect for each other and I especially loved the side characters Michael and Miriam. 🥰

I didn’t know much about formula 1 but this book really suprised me, in a good way!

This is a must read for formula 1 fans!! 🏎️

Hopefully there will be more books in the future! 📚

[Edilovesreading · Rating 5 out of 5]

First of all I want to thank my girl Rhae for being so kind and sending me an arc of her debut novel! (you're the best!)

I am obsessed 😍 5⭐️

I was craving a sport romance and Rhae didn't disappoint! An enemies-to-lovers, slow burn with an age gap 😱🥰😏!!! It was a really adorable, cute, funny and easy read!

Philip immediately stole my heart with his grumpiness and cocky mouth 😍 I also really enjoyed his more sensitive side and how he was dealing with his mental health!

And Selene charmed me just as much! I want to be her when I grow up 😍 she's strong, intelligent and confident! She's basically the definition of girlboss 💁🏻‍♀️.

Selenes and Philips chemistry was on point! I loved the fluffy moments but also the not so fluffy moments (🌶) were = 👩🏻‍🍳💋.

My fav part of the books were the F1 details Aeden put into her story. You can tell that she's a big fan and a pro when it comes to the sport. Reading this really gave me a better understanding of the sport!

Even tho it was a slow burn, I really liked the pace of the book. Sometimes slow burns can be too slow but this one was just right. Other than that I really enjoyed the writing, the setting, the plot, the side characters (I really hope there is a 2nd book with Miriam as the MC, bc otherwise I will sue).

Also side note: The litte art detail before each chapter was so adorable! I loved it!

I really hope there are more books coming bc I'm craving them! 😊

Can't wait to see Rhae's upcoming journey and success, bc I'm pretty sure her future is very bright! I wish her all the best and people who haven't read this amazing book a happy reading!

[Meg ✨ · Rating 2 out of 5]

giving wattpad realness, poor grammar and all

[Bridget Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

"And I always say that I am a heartless asshole, but for whatever reason my heart beats when you are around."

"Better die on your feet than live a life on your knees"

This book was absolutely beautiful. The Formula One races were described in so much detail, I really felt like I was there, watching it all unfold. I couldn't put the book down. What a fantastic debut novel!!

Selene's drive and passion for Formula One was incredible. She's smart, determined, strong, a force to be reckoned with, and just absolutely beautiful inside and out. Rhae did an amazing job bringing her character to life. I was/am in love with her. Reading about women in motorsport is now officially my favorite thing to read.

Philip was such a complex character! I loved/love him, even when he was making me so frustrated with him. The representation of his anxiety was beautifully done throughout the whole book. I really can't get over the depth of his character, like the reasons for why he portrayed himself as the villain, his feelings for Selene, his passion for the sport, it was all so amazing.

All in all, I loved this book and cannot wait for what Rhae has planned next.

[a · Rating 4 out of 5]

f1 is one of my favourite things and i have been looking for a good f1 romance and i have finally found it. this book was so good, selene and phillip did not come to disappoint. if you like a grumpy man then i would 100% recommend this book, phillip is one the grumpiest men i’ve ever read and i loved it. selene is powerful and so smart and intelligent, i loved her so much.

the side characters added sm to this story, miriam and micheal were my favs. miriam is the friend everyone needs in their life. Hopefully we gets more books in this universe cause i need more!!!

“I was so fucking in love with sparks. My sparks”

“You are all i want now and all i the i’ll ever want in the future. you are the only person i will ever love. i will respect you if you decide to walk away, but know that i will never stop loving you, Selene.”

[destiny · Rating 4 out of 5]

book girls + F1 = what better combo

i love me a good F1 book !! this was a quick read and i absolutely ate it up. the slow burn and tension between selene and philip was just so cute. philip was made to be the villain in the eyes of the media but never towards selene. selene is so intelligent and has that fire in her belly to strive for what she wants. she made her mark in the F1 industry and became a role model for women in motorsports. i love them so much !!

this is a must read for F1 fans !! it gives fan fiction in the best possible way. i loved being in this book world and it made me fall in love with the sport all over again 🏎️🏁

🌶️

[Rikke [norwegian_bookshelf] · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Rhae for sending me an arc of her debut novel! Im so excited to be a part of this journey🫶🏼

Rating: 4⭐️

As this is my first sports romance I had no idea what I was getting myself into. My first thougth after reading this was, I have to start reading more sports romances!

This book had all the tropes: slow burn romance, enemies-to-lovers and age gap🤭 there’s also kind of a workplace romance going on, which I love

As for the main characters, Selene and Philip, I loved them.

Selene is a fierce woman who burns for formula 1. She’s intelligent, confident and stops at nothing to achieve what she wants!

Philip is a typical grump that you end up loving to pieces. There’s also a lot of focus around how he was dealing with his mental health, which I enjoyed reading about.


I loved the details of this book as well, the chapter title art was stunning!!

I know absolutely nothing about formula 1, but all the details and the amount of knowledge Rhae has on the sport while writing makes it easy to follow along.

I enjoyed this book and if there’s a book 2 coming out Im definitely gonna pick it up.

[Maria João Faria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review "Hammer Time" by Rhae Aeden: 5/5✨

"I am the Head of marketing strategy at Cavaglio Nero. (...) And Philip's girlfriend"

Thank you @rhaeaeden for sending me the arc of your book.

Hammer Time is an F1 novel. At the outset, it would become one of my favorite books, wouldn't it?
Philip is a retired driver who decides to return to racing. Selene is a girl with a dream: to work for Cavaglio Nero. And what a coincidence that this is the team Philip will be racing for.
This couple's chemistry was amazing despite the age difference between them.

One of the many things I liked the most was that this book represents women in motorsport, without her getting there by knowing someone or being someone's daughter, girlfriend or sister in between. Selene has worked hard to get where she is and I admire her so much for that.

My second note for amazing things in this book definitely has to go to the F1 knowledge demonstrated in this book! One thing that pisses me off is when writers haven't done enough research or don't know enough about what they're writing about. In Hammer Time this did not happen. From the first page I could feel that Rhae really knows what she is writing about. He even included a "Formula 1 Vocabulary" at the end, in case there's anything you missed!

I have to say that I think the writer's first language is not English, and I noticed in some things that maybe I had written differently (but then again, English is not my first language either). However, this did not affect my experience with the book!

If you want to read any F1 novels, please let it be this one. My favorite so far.

[bethanybookcase · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love a good sports romance and the slow burn between these 2 was amazing

Selene and Philip are so cute loved the together and the slow burn of them coming together. Love how strong both of them are and how Selene helped Philip. Philip is your classic grump but had a soft spot for Selene. They are such a cute couple

[Natalia · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was so bad that at some point it actually became good

[Mimi Reads · Rating 2 out of 5]

Philip's behavior got old real quick!
What's with all those spelling errors?
Didn't anyone proof-read this before publishing?

[Ine Maria🤎 · Rating 2 out of 5]

2,5 stars🥳

It was a short book!!

[Leonor Palmeiro · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am so grateful that I found this book!
I lived the romance of these two so intensely and I enjoyed every page of it 🤩
Happy to mix two things I love: books and F1!!!!!!!

[melsartofbooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Little sum up (not really):
Imagine your childhood F1 race driver hero is in real life a grumpy ass and you meet and he crashes that pretty picture. On top of that he starts racing for the company you’ve been dying to work for, how would that turn out?

Structure and writing:
Rhae’s writing style is really good to follow, you get loads of dialogs that are easy going and flow and you don’t have super long never ending chapters :D also it’s got dual POV of the two main characters and there are little race tracks in the books to help you understand the roads of the F1 better, I love that! Also Rhae added a lot of awareness and consent scenes into the book which makes everything more relatable and eyes opening!!

Favorite characters:
Selene: duh, she’s such a bad ass and a hustler and gives off major Virgo vibes with all that organized and self confidence.

Miriam: she’s such a supportive friend but also such a character, I want her as my best friend honestly!

Side note:
I don’t know a lot about F1 but that didn’t stop me to actually feel nervous and excited whenever there was a race, I had no problems with understanding what’s going on, Rhae did a really good job to describe it in the best way possible to understand the sport.

Bookish:
Like I said there are race tracks whenever there is a race going on which I think is so cool also the chapter headers are so pretty.

Tropes:
Enemies to Lovers
Work place romance
Age gap
Badass fmc
F1 Romance
RomCom

[Ramishah · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75⭐️ rounded to 4


This was my first formula one romance book and it was such a solid start especially for Rhae being a debut author! I feel very lucky to have received an ARC.

This story follows Philip a grumpy formula one driver and an ambitious & passionate woman named Selene trying to get her dream job in a man’s dominated sport.

The immediate tension and dislike both characters had for each other was hilarious, I loved their friction.

Def room for improvement & there was some spelling errors and grammar errors etc but I loved how much passion was poured into this book!


Can’t wait to read what Rhae writes next!

[Alyssa Morgan · Rating 2 out of 5]

As a fan of Formula 1 racing, this book was too cringey and predictable. I didn’t like it much at all. This was my first time reading a “romance” book and I can say I much rather prefer crime and mystery. There was only one chapter of smut (and I think there should have been more) and it was drawn out A LOT. Did I mention the amount of grammatical errors and punctual mistakes?!?

[Nimet · Rating 3 out of 5]

Boi was I disappointed when I found out Hammer Time wasn't about Lewis Hamilton😂😭. My beige flag is never reading the blurbs and buying books based on their covers. Don't be like me. Philip Burton, a legend in F1 making his comeback on the grid. He's an arrogant (and truamatised) asshole but then he meets Selene. Selene is ambitious and is trying to make her dream come true, getting a job in F1. Selene grew up watching Philip and so looked up to him, until she met the man 😂. I loved her character. She was such a strong fmc and I loved her banter with Philip. We love an "enemies" to lovers story. Also, her bestie Miriam? Amazing. She was so funny and I looooved her. I must say it was very predictable, but every now and then we need an easy read like that. It wasn't very well written, a bit immature sometimes, and it had a lot of typos and grammatical errors. However it was an enjoyable story so it didn't bother me too much. For a self published author she did great though! I read this in one sitting, and I'm excited to read the next book in the series.🤭

[Haylee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Personally I would like to extend my gratitude for receiving a early version of this book!

This book was simply beautiful, I was so excited to read this book and I am beyond gutted it had come to an end.

The main characters were so easy to fall in love with and not just them but the side characters and their characteristics were perfection!

The attention to detail regarding formula 1 was amazing especially from a F1 fan myself!!

If you enjoyed the dirty air series then I can not recommend this book enough!

Thank you for delivering this beauty to us I am eternally grateful

[Cvetelina Borisova · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is more suitable for Wattpad. There are a lot of typos and mistakes and the story is a little too rushed but otherwise cute characters and storyline.

[Nicki Griffiths · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sooo many spelling mistakes and paragraphing errors makes this a very hard very also not very well written

[Abby | WriteWatchWork · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was lucky enough to get an ARC of Hammer Time (2.0) from Rhae and I'm glad I did because I really enjoyed reading this story.

Hammer Time is a Formula 1 romance that focuses on Philip, a driver in the sport, and Selene, a young woman looking to make her mark on the male-dominated industry. There are quite a few time jumps within the book to help progress the story along because it's not all in one year. Philip is cast as the villain by the media and he doesn't exactly help that image himself. He's charming, a bit arrogant sometimes, but also just confident in himself.

Selene is determined and motivated to get her dream job that she will do anything to work in the sport. But throughout the book, she learns to stand up for herself and do what's best for her. She doesn't want a prince to save her. When she finally gets a job within Formula One, Selene doesn't want people to think that she got the job because of her friendship with Philip, she wants to make her mark and get by on her merit.

I liked the F1 aspects of this book - particularly the race tracks at the beginning of the chapters, I liked that touch. I also enjoyed Selene and Philip's characters and how they overcame the challenges they were faced with.

[Jess (library.of.jess) · Rating 4 out of 5]

✨ 4 stars ✨
🌶️ 1 spice 🌶️

‘Sparks and Wick, what a pair we make indeed.’

Thank you to Rhae Aeden for sending me the ARC of this book, here is my honest review:

This was my first Formula 1 romance book and I have to say it was very enjoyable! It had a lot of fan favourite tropes such as age gaps, a bit of enemies to lovers, and slow burn.
I would also saw we got a bit of a grumpy x sunshine going with our main characters Phillip and Selene. I absolutely loved the relationship between these two characters and the character development though out the book. Loved the anxiety representation from Phillip and the female empowerment from Selene.
I do feel the plot was a bit minimal but I feel the characters on their own had their own things going on to make the book the more interesting. Definitely one of my favourite parts of the book was the characters.

So if I had to say, I would highly recommend this book!

Happy reading 🤍

[Anna Mrázová · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oh. Boy. Where. Do. I. Start?

The book was so bad it was actually good. Loved the story line, but the grammar was horrible, some situations just so unrealistically random and there was a serious lack of depth in the characters, no descriptions of thoughts, purely just action and conversations.

I think that if this book had an editor, or significantly better editor than it actually had, it would have a great potential.

[Nina · Rating 2 out of 5]

*** 2.5 STARS ***

I did enjoy this one but it wasn’t anything special. The book felt a lot like a Wattpad fanfiction and there were so many spelling mistakes in it which was a bit annoying.

instagram || my blog || tiktok

[Maddie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think the plot and main characters of this book are amazing. I love Philip and Selene and think their relationship is so cute and I love the tropes and everything. Such a cute couple and I love their slow burn, flirty banter. I had mixed feelings in the first half of the book but by the second I had been won over.

The reason I took off a star was for the writing. I read the kindle version and there was a lot of grammar and sentence errors that sometimes confused me or made it hard to read. I don’t know if this is the case in the paperback version but the kindle did have some. I also found that the first half of the book had a slightly juvenile writing style. Similar to something written in a grade 9 English class where things were over detailed when it wasn’t needed and under detailed when it would have been beneficial.

At the end of the day I think the book is really cute, the characters are adorable and I did like the plot. I think some aspects were rushed or under developed but at the end of the day the story was cute and if you can look past writing style errors and visualize the story of the characters it’s a great read.

[Johana · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75