Head Over Wheels by Leonie Mack

 

Happy release day to Leonie Mack for her new cycling themed sports romance, Head Over Wheels.

Lori Gallagher should be in the most successful phase of her career. However, she is recovering from injury so she needs to stay focussed and get back to peak condition.  At home in Australia, she joins a training app called ZSpeed and there she teams up with a guy who calls himself LoonieDunes. They don't share personal details like their names or career history but they spend a lot of time together online and soon they are sharing favourite movies, music, feelings and the like. However, realising that she does not need distractions Lori eventually ghosts him. 

In contrast, Belgian rider Sébastien Franck is at the end of his career. All the years of training, and being the rider who helps out the main riders in the team are coming to the end, and he is okay with that! He did very much enjoy the time he spent with Folklore99 on ZSpeed so he was very shocked when she just disappeared. 

Unexpectedly, Seb gets one final chance to ride in one of the big professional teams. The star rider, and star prankster of that team is Lori's brother Colin. Her dad is also the team manager which gives Lori the perfect chance to train at high intensity with the men. 

At first, Seb and Lori don't realise that they know each other, but the spark of attraction is definitely there. It's the last thing either of them need! It doesn't take long though for them to realise who they each are. Seb and Lori decide that maybe it will help them both get it out of their system if they just sleep together once. Does that ever work in a romance?

Even though they are both professional athletes, they both have very different approaches when it comes to dealing with the pressures of elite sports at different points in their respective careers and with publicity and social media. Lori is a win at all costs kind of girl and this attitude is reinforced regularly by her ambitious parents, whereas Seb is more than happy to do his role, support his leader and let them take the win. Except, this season, Lori seems to be beset by bad luck and Seb is ironically in the best form of his career. 

There was so much that I enjoyed in this book. I loved the dynamics not only between the couple but also the whole team. Some of the strange superstitions among sports people are explored here again both as individuals and whole teams. And the book was funny. There were a number of scenes that made me laugh out loud and share with the people around me. 

I also loved all the pop culture references that are sprinkled liberally through the book from Star Trek, to Taylor Swift, rom com movies and so much more!

I don't mind watching a bit of cycling although to be fair I do watch the Tour de France more for the chateaux, cathedrals, scenery and the 5 minute cooking show which showcases the areas that the riders are racing through. I have, however, picked up some of the more technical terms which helped. However, if you don't watch any professional cycling, there is no need to worry. You can still read and love this story! Yes, the cycling frames the story, but really it is about two very different people who find each other and need the balance that they can give each other. 

This is my eighth book by Leonie Mack and I have rated all of her full length books as either 4 or 4.5 star reads, with more at the higher end of the scale. I am definitely at the point where I will happily call her an autobuy author. Leonie Mack is originally from Australia, but has lived overseas for many years. I felt like I could see the Aussieness more in this story than in other books, although it isn't the first Australian character living overseas she has written.

If you follow her on social media, it is clear that Mack has had a lot of fun with the marketing of this book from character art to playlists and so much more. I am looking forward to watching this unfold as we get closer to the second book, which will feature Lori's brother Colin. 

I am sharing this review with the New Release Challenge hosted at The Chocolate Lady's Book Reviews. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the review copy.

Rating 4.5/5