Title: Caribbean Competitors

Author: Poppy Minnix

Pub. Date: November 22, 2022

Pages: 272

Pub: City Owl Press

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Goodreads

Xiamara Nivar and Apollo Fischer had the perfect childhood friendship, leading her to believe they’d transition to soulmate-status seamlessly.

She couldn’t have been more wrong.

When it came to a more-than-friends relationship, they were super cringe. No wonder Xia didn’t believe him when he promised to come back for her the night before he left for college. But still, she waited.

After seven years of foolishly hoping he’d keep his word, Xia has put all that behind her. She’s got a career, a cast of colorful comrades, and a competitive streak bigger than the Caribbean Ocean. Winning this year’s Moss Monster Meet will be a cinch—until Apollo returns to the small island of Simona.

Not only is she a stumbling, stuttering, shipwreck of a human whenever he’s present, but the unthinkable has happened. Apollo plans to compete in the race, threatening the three-year winning streak that will earn her the coveted title of Moss Boss.

When they are thrust together, Xia can’t maintain her composure—and Apollo knows it. He isn’t above using it against her, either.

With the finish line in sight, Xia has one burning question: is it the race Apollo wants to win, or her heart?

This will be a spoiler free review. Thank you so much to Poppy and City Owl Press for the advanced copy! I really enjoyed this second installment in the Simona Island series. I loved book one, and this one was just as fun to read and as easy to get lost in.

If you’re curious about Holiday Hotel – you can check out my spoiler free review – here. I inhaled Holiday Hotel in one night when I first read it, so if you’re looking for a fun, fast paced, spicy holiday romance read, you might want to check it out!

I know, I know – I’m very behind on reading it, and I’m kicking myself, because I thoroughly enjoyed this book. But in my defense I spent all of November sick as shit with no energy, and then it was the rest of the holidays, and I’m sure I’m not alone in dealing with a bunch of stupid bullshit at work that just eats at your soul.

But I’ve been reading a lot of high fantasy and just heavier books in general and remembered that I had Caribbean Competitors still sitting half read on my kindle, so I decided to dive in.

I’m kicking myself for having procrastinated for so long because this was fun. The bumbling and fumbling Xia and Apollo shared – the teasing and sexual tension. The denial on Xia’s part to protect her heart all while practically eye fucking him at every opportunity and getting jealous and possessive when other women fawned over him.

Okay, maybe jealous and possessive are red flags, but it’s fiction and you know what, it was hot. And the way Apollo teased…oh damn. I get why Xia was a fumbling mess around him, because that man is very obviously walking sex incarnate. And kudos to Poppy for making that so very obvious that it just rolled off the page.

But even with all that, he was still kind of that kid who left seven years ago – they both were, and it was damn endearing. Like, how despite Xia’s reservations in protecting her heart, she couldn’t help but fall back into the easy camaraderie they had and those moments were so fun.

I loved the two of them together – their ups and downs and miscommunications and obvious desire for each other. It made it so much fun to read and get lost in.

I also really loved the tournament. I liked the tests that Poppy came up with – they felt just a bit silly, but also really applicable if you worked at an island resort. I loved all the training leading up to it, and the forced proximity – like, I’m an absolute sucker for forced proximity and the feelings and tension it arises. Makes for a really fun read.

And the conflict…THE CONFLICT. I ate it up. Childhood best friends, broken promises, forced proximity, miscommunication to…well you’ll just have to read the book to find out how it all ends. I loved how the ending played out, how everything was handled, and if it had been me, I would have died. I loved it so much.

Overall, this was a great second book to this series, and if book 3 (I’m assuming there’s a book 3. Please let there be a book 3) is about who I think it’s about, I want it right now, because I need more. I want more, and I need more and I’m really interested in the potential couple that would be featured in book 3. I definitely recommend checking this out, and the first book in the Simona Island series – I promise you’ll have fun and enjoy yourself!