The Hotshot vs The Reporter (On The Track, #2) by Nicole Dykes

The Hotshot vs The Reporter is the story of Royal, the cocky racer best friend of Axel from book 1, and I don't think it's going to go the way you'd expect! 

From the blurb:

Royal

I’m the hotshot—both on and off the track. I know how to work the crowd and show off. And I’m good at it.

I’ve had to become very effective at putting on a show.

But my agent is not a fan of my over-the-top antics. So she did something I still can’t believe . . .

She called in the press—the media. Specifically, the reporter who hates everything I stand for. And now, he’s tasked with showing the world a different side of me.

Yeah . . . Good luck with that.

Soren

I’m a sports reporter, but I’m so much more than that.

My social media following has allowed me to be more. To do more. To try and help my corner of the world do better and be better.

I believe in accountability. I believe in integrity. And that sports professionals are obligated to be a moral compass to their fans.

I’m loud and outspoken about that point. Maybe more so with Royal Dutton—the loudmouth, crude racer with absolutely no morals.

And now, I’m supposed to find the redeeming side of him. I took this job to find something deeper within him. The good guy inside.

Yeah . . . This is going to be impossible.

Jacqueleen the Reading Queen's Review:

"𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙩'𝙨 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙄'𝙫𝙚 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙧. 𝘼𝙡𝙡 𝙄'𝙫𝙚 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙣𝙚𝙚𝙙𝙚𝙙.

𝙎𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙢𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙢𝙚. 𝙎𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙡𝙚𝙩 𝙢𝙚 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙬𝙚𝙖𝙠 𝙢𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙨.

𝙄 𝙛𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙 𝙞𝙩 𝙞𝙣 𝙎𝙤𝙧𝙚𝙣.

𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝙄'𝙢 𝙣𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙡𝙚𝙩𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙝𝙞𝙢 𝙜𝙤."

Royal's story was not what I expected, and that was one of the things I loved most about this book. Everyone knows him as the cocky hotshot of the racing world, and he is those things, but he's also so much more. He's a man with intense abandonment issues. A man who has fought for everything he has since he was just a little boy. A man who feels alone even when surrounded by fans. It was this man that eventually captured Soren's heart.

"𝘿𝙖𝙢𝙣, 𝙄 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙙𝙞𝙙 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙝𝙞𝙢 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙮.

𝙒𝙝𝙞𝙘𝙝 𝙢𝙚𝙖𝙣𝙨 𝙞𝙩'𝙨 𝙖 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙜𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙖 𝙩𝙤 𝙡𝙚𝙩 𝙝𝙞𝙢 𝙜𝙤."

Every time Royal put himself down, it made me so sad for him. A lot of those times were to himself, in his head, and I kept wanting to yell at Soren when he would come at Royal with one of his snarky comments. I wanted to tell Soren to look at him. Take a step back from your judgement and really look beyond the surface. Royal was a man who was hurting. I forgave Soren, though. Once he realized who Royal truly was behind the mask, he realized his mistake, and did everything he could to own up to it.

The two of them together were super sweet. They were also super steamy too! Once they got together, they couldn't keep their hands off each other! Royal made it very clear that even though he'd never been with a man, he had no qualms about getting down and dirty with Soren. I liked that about him. No big gay freakout in sight. Poor Soren spent some time waiting for the other shoe to drop, but he needn't have worried. Being with Soren was the happiest Royal had ever been in his life and there was no way he was letting his man get away.

The next book in the series is The Pro vs The Fan and I need it ASAP because Maverick was someone who definitely intrigued me from book 1. He's also a pretty quiet guy, so the fact that his love interest is such a bubbly delight is going to make for a fun match. Can't wait!!

Rating: 5 Stars

SNik's Review:

The Hotshot vs The Reporter is the second in the series (On the Track), can be read as a standalone but might be more fun if read in order. Hurt/comfort. Dual POV. 

Royal is the “Hotshot” on the racecourse and he’s unapologetic about working to be number one and showing everyone he’s made it to the top. But when Royal’s agent says he needs a media makeover, and hires Soren, a reporter that hates Royal, there is no way Royal will open up to him. However, Royal slowly realizes he’s attracted to Soren, and Soren finds that not everything about Royal is what he shows on the surface. 

Royal and Soren waste no time falling for each other, and once they leap, the honest communication and emotional sharing is just swoony, not to mention the super spicy scenes they have together. 

I enjoyed every moment Royal and Soren were on page together. The easy acceptance of their feelings and the fact that they were both fully committed to a relationship between them and it had no angst. 

Fully invested in this series.

Rating: 4.5 Stars

Heather's Review:

Despite the obvious tension at the beginning of their story, The Hotshot vs The Reporter is a low angst read with a lot of background to cover and a chance to really see Royal and Soren as individuals and a couple.  This book gives us a wealth of story, a heap of steamy scenes and a lot of honest communication, which makes it a story that I didn't want to put down.

I'm hooked on this series and can't wait to delve into Maverick's story next!

Rating: 5 Stars

The Hotshot vs The Reporter is available to buy as an ebook, paperback, hardback, or to read with Kindle Unlimited subscription.