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A review by profromance
Formula by J.M. Kelley
4.0
Overall Grade: 3 1/2 – 4 ⭐️
Look, I am absolutely a proponent for any story where a woman must show her strengths in a world “driven” by men. Usually, those stories show the tenacity and perseverance of women. When I read the blurb for Formula, a book in K. Bromberg’s Driven world, I knew that I wanted to read this book. Charlotte, “Charlie,” the heroine of Formula, is everything you love in a romance heroine: she’s independent, gritty, focused on achieving her goals of winning in the world of racing where men dominate, and she’s sexy. She is also haunted by her past, and she’s being threatened by some unknown person. Enter Jace, a man brought in by the Donovan Racing Team to protect her. Jace is also haunted by his past, one spent in the military, and he has a secret that he’s withholding from Charlie. These two meet anonymously at a fundraiser one night, succumb to their attraction, and figure they won’t ever see each other again. Even though the night is memorable, their lives are complicated, and a future feels impossible. When Jace and Charlie meet shortly after that, life becomes even more complicated for them as they struggle against their chemistry and maintaining professionalism. As the story progresses, these two flounder on their journey toward finding a happy ending. Can Charlie succeed in the world of racing if she falls for Jace? Will Jace’s secrets derail their happily-ever-after? Even more, who is this mysterious person threatening Charlie, and will Jace be able to protect her?
Formula‘s strengths lie in the chemistry between Charlie and Jace and its commitment to writing a story about a woman hellbent on disrupting a male-dominated sport and forging a path forward for other women. JM Kelley does both of these things very well. This story builds to each physical moment between Charlie and Jace, and those moments are steamy. Additionally, Kelley characterizes Charlie with the moxie necessary for taking the race world by storm. If anything, there are times when I would have loved for Kelley to pour a bit more into that journey, but I think Formula is meant to show a woman juggling life inside that world and outside of it.
Where I think Kelley could have done more work is in the evolution of Jace and Charlie’s relationship. To be honest, it’s the most confusing part of the book because one minute they “can’t” be together and in the same moment, they “do.” This happens for much of the story, and it has this consequence of undermining the development of their emotional connection. For me, Jace and Charlie read more like a “hook up” than a serious relationship. With that comes a question about the believability of their final commitments to each other. Additionally, I would have liked for Kelley to develop more of Jace’s background. His secrets don’t have the emotional punch to make you sympathetic for his vacillation over his affection for Charlie. There is more to discuss about Jace, but I don’t want to divulge his secrets here, but know that I struggled with that secret as I simply wanted more information. And lastly, the threat against Charlie is unevenly developed throughout the story. At times, it takes up the plot, but there are other times when it becomes muted by the other facets of Charlie’s story. All of these conspire to undercut the emotional punch of Formula.
Here’s the thing. There are three very distinct reasons to read JM Kelley’s Formula: a love for K Bromberg’s Driven world and its beloved characters, a need to read stories about women seeking to upend traditionally male-dominated worlds and the journey of a woman who is dogged in her pursuit of achieving goals and balancing it with the love for a man, and a chemistry between a hero and heroine that lights up the page. You will find ALL of these qualities in JM Kelley’s Formula, and it will entertain you even if it might leave you a little underwhelmed.
Look, I am absolutely a proponent for any story where a woman must show her strengths in a world “driven” by men. Usually, those stories show the tenacity and perseverance of women. When I read the blurb for Formula, a book in K. Bromberg’s Driven world, I knew that I wanted to read this book. Charlotte, “Charlie,” the heroine of Formula, is everything you love in a romance heroine: she’s independent, gritty, focused on achieving her goals of winning in the world of racing where men dominate, and she’s sexy. She is also haunted by her past, and she’s being threatened by some unknown person. Enter Jace, a man brought in by the Donovan Racing Team to protect her. Jace is also haunted by his past, one spent in the military, and he has a secret that he’s withholding from Charlie. These two meet anonymously at a fundraiser one night, succumb to their attraction, and figure they won’t ever see each other again. Even though the night is memorable, their lives are complicated, and a future feels impossible. When Jace and Charlie meet shortly after that, life becomes even more complicated for them as they struggle against their chemistry and maintaining professionalism. As the story progresses, these two flounder on their journey toward finding a happy ending. Can Charlie succeed in the world of racing if she falls for Jace? Will Jace’s secrets derail their happily-ever-after? Even more, who is this mysterious person threatening Charlie, and will Jace be able to protect her?
Formula‘s strengths lie in the chemistry between Charlie and Jace and its commitment to writing a story about a woman hellbent on disrupting a male-dominated sport and forging a path forward for other women. JM Kelley does both of these things very well. This story builds to each physical moment between Charlie and Jace, and those moments are steamy. Additionally, Kelley characterizes Charlie with the moxie necessary for taking the race world by storm. If anything, there are times when I would have loved for Kelley to pour a bit more into that journey, but I think Formula is meant to show a woman juggling life inside that world and outside of it.
Where I think Kelley could have done more work is in the evolution of Jace and Charlie’s relationship. To be honest, it’s the most confusing part of the book because one minute they “can’t” be together and in the same moment, they “do.” This happens for much of the story, and it has this consequence of undermining the development of their emotional connection. For me, Jace and Charlie read more like a “hook up” than a serious relationship. With that comes a question about the believability of their final commitments to each other. Additionally, I would have liked for Kelley to develop more of Jace’s background. His secrets don’t have the emotional punch to make you sympathetic for his vacillation over his affection for Charlie. There is more to discuss about Jace, but I don’t want to divulge his secrets here, but know that I struggled with that secret as I simply wanted more information. And lastly, the threat against Charlie is unevenly developed throughout the story. At times, it takes up the plot, but there are other times when it becomes muted by the other facets of Charlie’s story. All of these conspire to undercut the emotional punch of Formula.
Here’s the thing. There are three very distinct reasons to read JM Kelley’s Formula: a love for K Bromberg’s Driven world and its beloved characters, a need to read stories about women seeking to upend traditionally male-dominated worlds and the journey of a woman who is dogged in her pursuit of achieving goals and balancing it with the love for a man, and a chemistry between a hero and heroine that lights up the page. You will find ALL of these qualities in JM Kelley’s Formula, and it will entertain you even if it might leave you a little underwhelmed.