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Gamble Racing #1
Driven to Distraction
A race to the finish line, and a family secret ...
F1 driver Ondrej D’Grieg has one goal in life. Be a champion. To achieve that he needs to focus. That's why Ondrej has no time for his father's insistence on him being involved with some old family drama about a missing rare car. He can ignore the mystery, but Hudson, the historian investigating, is more than a little distracting.
Hudson Lockley has a research job to do, and falling for the son of his employer is a no-no. But only one thing is more fascinating than this puzzle; Mr D’Grieg’s famous racing car driver son, Ondrej.
When their interest turns to kisses, then more, the race to figure out this attraction between them starts. But a small mistake could cause a crash that breaks both their hearts.
F1 driver Ondrej D’Grieg has one goal in life. Be a champion. To achieve that he needs to focus. That's why Ondrej has no time for his father's insistence on him being involved with some old family drama about a missing rare car. He can ignore the mystery, but Hudson, the historian investigating, is more than a little distracting.
Hudson Lockley has a research job to do, and falling for the son of his employer is a no-no. But only one thing is more fascinating than this puzzle; Mr D’Grieg’s famous racing car driver son, Ondrej.
When their interest turns to kisses, then more, the race to figure out this attraction between them starts. But a small mistake could cause a crash that breaks both their hearts.
294 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 15, 2022
6 people are currently reading
229 people want to read
About the author
Renée Dahlia
73 books75 followersRenée Dahlia is an unabashed romance reader who loves feisty women and strong, clever men. Her books reflect this, with a side-note of awkward humour. Renée has a science degree in physics. When not distracted by the characters fighting for attention in her brain, she works in the horse racing industry doing data analysis. When she isn’t reading or writing, Renée spends time with her partner, four children, and volunteers on the local cricket club committee.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
February 15, 2024
DNF @ 11%
The writing is too awkward and amateur for me to enjoy the story, which is shocking because this author has been charging money for her work for many years. A lot of the dialog doesn't sound natural because the author has characters randomly not using contractions and making odd declarations about things that aren't phrased the way people normally talk. Another problem is that the writing is very stiff and lacks emotion. Actions are described in rigid sentences, there's no attempt to establish flow between sentences and there's little description of emotion. Oh, except when characters act OTT as if they're in a Saturday morning cartoon. That's when emotions are described in detail. Yay. Anyway, the rest of the time, it feels like reading an instruction manual. Making things worse is that the narrative constantly grinds to a halt as the author awkwardly shoves info-dumping paragraphs in. There's no attempt to insert the information in a smooth, natural way - it's just crammed in between lines of dialog and most of the information is pointless (such as telling us the backstories of random side characters who are part of the MC's racing team).
There's also no chemistry between the MCs, despite the author constantly telling us how attracted they are to each other. There's instalust but nothing else. The sequence of events right before I DNF'd is a perfect example of what was wrong with the author's execution of this story:
The MCs have barely spent time together, then the author has them randomly kiss and one of them runs off 'as fast as he could' afterwards because that's how 28 year olds usually deal with their emotions. Then he bumps into his ex on the stairs he's running down (he comes to a 'screaming halt' and 'gulps' when this happens) and everything stops as they have an awkward, pointless conversation about the ex's new job. That's followed by a scene from the other MC's POV, where he's having a phone conversation with his sister, who sounds like she's quoting from motivational self-help books as she awkwardly keeps pointing out how wonderful her brother is. The conversation also grinds to a halt constantly because the author feels the need to awkwardly cram in details about the siblings' family history. The part where the author deliberately stops things so she can carefully explain what the sister's husband's full name is and what his relationship with the sister is like, I knew I couldn't continue.
Everything about the writing and execution was amateur and it's too distracting for me to continue. It's too bad because I can't seem to find a well written MM sports car racing romance, but my hunt will continue.
The writing is too awkward and amateur for me to enjoy the story, which is shocking because this author has been charging money for her work for many years. A lot of the dialog doesn't sound natural because the author has characters randomly not using contractions and making odd declarations about things that aren't phrased the way people normally talk. Another problem is that the writing is very stiff and lacks emotion. Actions are described in rigid sentences, there's no attempt to establish flow between sentences and there's little description of emotion. Oh, except when characters act OTT as if they're in a Saturday morning cartoon. That's when emotions are described in detail. Yay. Anyway, the rest of the time, it feels like reading an instruction manual. Making things worse is that the narrative constantly grinds to a halt as the author awkwardly shoves info-dumping paragraphs in. There's no attempt to insert the information in a smooth, natural way - it's just crammed in between lines of dialog and most of the information is pointless (such as telling us the backstories of random side characters who are part of the MC's racing team).
There's also no chemistry between the MCs, despite the author constantly telling us how attracted they are to each other. There's instalust but nothing else. The sequence of events right before I DNF'd is a perfect example of what was wrong with the author's execution of this story:
The MCs have barely spent time together, then the author has them randomly kiss and one of them runs off 'as fast as he could' afterwards because that's how 28 year olds usually deal with their emotions. Then he bumps into his ex on the stairs he's running down (he comes to a 'screaming halt' and 'gulps' when this happens) and everything stops as they have an awkward, pointless conversation about the ex's new job. That's followed by a scene from the other MC's POV, where he's having a phone conversation with his sister, who sounds like she's quoting from motivational self-help books as she awkwardly keeps pointing out how wonderful her brother is. The conversation also grinds to a halt constantly because the author feels the need to awkwardly cram in details about the siblings' family history. The part where the author deliberately stops things so she can carefully explain what the sister's husband's full name is and what his relationship with the sister is like, I knew I couldn't continue.
Everything about the writing and execution was amateur and it's too distracting for me to continue. It's too bad because I can't seem to find a well written MM sports car racing romance, but my hunt will continue.
September 7, 2023
I liked this book. Hudson was so insecure, he didn't think he deserved anything good in his life, that poor man. And even thinking that, he didn't give up on Ondrej he was always there for him, no matter what. Ondrej was motivated and found in Hudson someone who he could share his life with. They were so much happier together, I loved them
April 1, 2024
I definitely enjoyed this, even though there were grammar and word choice issues. Will read more in the series.
November 16, 2022
***ARC Review***
I was lucky enough to receive an advanced copy of this book through the author.
“Driven to Distraction” is about F1 formula racing. It features Ondrej and Hudson. Ondrej is a car racing driver. Hudson is a research historian tasked with solving a mystery on behalf of Ondrej’s father, Mr. D’Grieg. It’s a high octane motorsports romance!
Ondrej is one of twenty of the best drivers in the world. He has been on a major S1 team since the young age of 20. Now, at 28, he is dealing with the fallout of an incident that happened with a team mechanic two years prior. He was caught kissing a mechanic and promptly kicked off of the team. He is picked up by Socrates, owner of Gamble Racing Team. Ondrej has more support on the Gamble Racing Team than he realizes, which he will discover later in the novel.
Ondrej struggles with being gay in a heavily masculine industry. His father and team owner knows he is gay, yet he has to keep a clear divide between his private and professional lives. Ondrej often receives the message that it’s okay to be gay, just not gay at work. Renée Dahlia highlights the internal and external struggles that Ondrej deals with as a result of this.
Hudson is the sweetest soul. He grew up as a foster kid and expects the people in his life to leave him. He’s surprised and shocked that someone like Ondrej desires him. As Hudson works to solve the mystery of Mr. D’Grieg’s family’s missing Fourth Bugatti, Ondrej and him get physical often and eventually grow closer. There is a ton of steam in this novel. Hudson has some insecurities associated with being a foster kid. Sometimes the insecurities leave him in a negative head space. Ondrej says some things early on in their coupling that feed into the insecurities. However, both men are able to overcome their internal struggles and find their HEA. I was so happy when Ondrej fully claimed Hudson. Also, I loved that Hudson finds his answer in regards to the mystery of the missing car. If you enjoy racing, adrenaline, heat, and heart - this book is for you!
I was lucky enough to receive an advanced copy of this book through the author.
“Driven to Distraction” is about F1 formula racing. It features Ondrej and Hudson. Ondrej is a car racing driver. Hudson is a research historian tasked with solving a mystery on behalf of Ondrej’s father, Mr. D’Grieg. It’s a high octane motorsports romance!
Ondrej is one of twenty of the best drivers in the world. He has been on a major S1 team since the young age of 20. Now, at 28, he is dealing with the fallout of an incident that happened with a team mechanic two years prior. He was caught kissing a mechanic and promptly kicked off of the team. He is picked up by Socrates, owner of Gamble Racing Team. Ondrej has more support on the Gamble Racing Team than he realizes, which he will discover later in the novel.
Ondrej struggles with being gay in a heavily masculine industry. His father and team owner knows he is gay, yet he has to keep a clear divide between his private and professional lives. Ondrej often receives the message that it’s okay to be gay, just not gay at work. Renée Dahlia highlights the internal and external struggles that Ondrej deals with as a result of this.
Hudson is the sweetest soul. He grew up as a foster kid and expects the people in his life to leave him. He’s surprised and shocked that someone like Ondrej desires him. As Hudson works to solve the mystery of Mr. D’Grieg’s family’s missing Fourth Bugatti, Ondrej and him get physical often and eventually grow closer. There is a ton of steam in this novel. Hudson has some insecurities associated with being a foster kid. Sometimes the insecurities leave him in a negative head space. Ondrej says some things early on in their coupling that feed into the insecurities. However, both men are able to overcome their internal struggles and find their HEA. I was so happy when Ondrej fully claimed Hudson. Also, I loved that Hudson finds his answer in regards to the mystery of the missing car. If you enjoy racing, adrenaline, heat, and heart - this book is for you!
November 13, 2022
💕A fantastic start to the book as it has all my favourite reading themes.
The book starts in Australia with Ondrej finishing another Grand Prix 🚗🏁race with many more countries on the agenda.
Ondrej wanted to race and be a winner. Hudson was a researcher and fascinated by his client's son.
Ondrej, 28 years was in the closet, being gay and afraid to come out because of his racing career and his father.
A mystery of a missing Bugatti of Ondrij's ancestors to track down, that's when Hudson 31 years comes into the story. I loved Hudson's name.
A not-so-good first meeting between both characters as they find a slight lead on the car. There were definite sizzles there for one character, yeah I'm not telling. I loved the information trails for the research for the car as I'm a historian too. 🔥🔥🔥Wow hot scenes with the first kiss between them. Ondrej has baggage that has him running with his secret being outed.
Scenes play out, and their relationship runs smoothly until Ondrej says the wrong thing. He plays the dominant personality between them but pushes too far yeah he is an 💩sometimes. Hudson needs to say no a few times.
Wow this has a fantastic ending with a surprise to the mystery for the perfect finish to the book. I look forward to reading the next book for Victor and Lucian's romance, and another mystery continues from this novel.
also reviewed on mmbookwormreviews.com
The book starts in Australia with Ondrej finishing another Grand Prix 🚗🏁race with many more countries on the agenda.
Ondrej wanted to race and be a winner. Hudson was a researcher and fascinated by his client's son.
Ondrej, 28 years was in the closet, being gay and afraid to come out because of his racing career and his father.
A mystery of a missing Bugatti of Ondrij's ancestors to track down, that's when Hudson 31 years comes into the story. I loved Hudson's name.
A not-so-good first meeting between both characters as they find a slight lead on the car. There were definite sizzles there for one character, yeah I'm not telling. I loved the information trails for the research for the car as I'm a historian too. 🔥🔥🔥Wow hot scenes with the first kiss between them. Ondrej has baggage that has him running with his secret being outed.
Scenes play out, and their relationship runs smoothly until Ondrej says the wrong thing. He plays the dominant personality between them but pushes too far yeah he is an 💩sometimes. Hudson needs to say no a few times.
Wow this has a fantastic ending with a surprise to the mystery for the perfect finish to the book. I look forward to reading the next book for Victor and Lucian's romance, and another mystery continues from this novel.
also reviewed on mmbookwormreviews.com
August 28, 2023
Ondrej needs to focus on reestablishing himself as an S1 driver with a new team and doesn't need any distractions. Cue the arrival of Hudson into his orbit, the historian Ondrej's father has hired to solve the mystery of a unique Bugatti that has been missing since WWII. Distraction is inevitable. But whether or not it will lead to something else is another matter entirely.
A super steamy and super fun romance with the added bonus of a mystery (though I do wish more pages had been devoted to the later, since it was so fascinating!). I really liked how Ondrej and Hudson were give the space and plenty of time to develop their relationship, especially given how much they had to work through. I'm happy to report that this book is just as good as its cover. ;)
A super steamy and super fun romance with the added bonus of a mystery (though I do wish more pages had been devoted to the later, since it was so fascinating!). I really liked how Ondrej and Hudson were give the space and plenty of time to develop their relationship, especially given how much they had to work through. I'm happy to report that this book is just as good as its cover. ;)
September 6, 2023
Enjoyable story
I am always on the lookout for MM motorsport books, so when I came upon this book I knew I had to read it. This was an enjoyable story about a racecar driver and a historian. Ondrej's dad is looking for a car that was lost somewhere around WWII. While Hudson searches for the car, he meets Ondrej on several occasions. At first they can't stand each other but the sexual tension combusts and they get together. I liked how the two got to know each other as the story progressed. Hudson's backstory is a little sad but it gave him his passion for his job and his family. I also liked the racing parts of the story and thought they were done really well. The resolution with the missing car was really cool.
I am always on the lookout for MM motorsport books, so when I came upon this book I knew I had to read it. This was an enjoyable story about a racecar driver and a historian. Ondrej's dad is looking for a car that was lost somewhere around WWII. While Hudson searches for the car, he meets Ondrej on several occasions. At first they can't stand each other but the sexual tension combusts and they get together. I liked how the two got to know each other as the story progressed. Hudson's backstory is a little sad but it gave him his passion for his job and his family. I also liked the racing parts of the story and thought they were done really well. The resolution with the missing car was really cool.
December 4, 2022
This is more I give up date, cute but a little too much self loathing closet clinging arsehole action for me to loose myself in the story.
April 13, 2025
DNF 124
May 2, 2023
I quite enjoyed this one. Since I am an F1 fan and this book is basically based around that series, it was fun to read references to my favorite motorsport. I also really liked the ensemble of characters, especially Papa D'Grieg and Hudson's family. Of course, the main romance was great too although a bit too up and down at times for my tastes.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews