Laughter, tears and butterflies. These three things summarise my experience when reading the Dirty Air series by none other than Lauren Asher. This quartet is one of the only book series that I’ll rate as 5 stars, and I will never stop recommending it. I’m an avid reader and a massive Formula 1 fan (if you know me, you know just how much!), so this series was the perfect read for when I was missing race weekends.
The series has four books, each focusing on a different couple. They’re all interconnected standalone sports romances and can be read in any order, but I would recommend reading them in the following order: Throttled (Dirty Air #1), Collided (Dirty Air #2), Wrecked (Dirty Air #3) and Redeemed (Dirty Air #4).
I’ve read the whole series and will be reviewing each book individually. Read below for my review of Throttled to see whether you need to add it to your TBR – I definitely would!
Throttled by Lauren Asher – Dirty Air #1
Forbidden Romance: 9.5/10
Brother’s Rival to Lovers: 9/10
Sports Romance: 9/10
Friends to Lovers: 8/10
Steam: 7/10
Throttled is Lauren Asher’s debut novel and the first book in the Dirty Air series, and all I can say is…WOW! Lauren certainly kickstarts the series with one hell of a bang! The glamorous, addictive and fast-paced world of F1 paired with a forbidden romance certainly captivates you.
This book follows the story of Noah Slade and Maya Alatorre. Noah is the son of an F1 legend, and is pathing his own legacy in the sport, winning championship after championship. As a driver for Bandini racing team, he’s expected to be the best. Noah’s competitive spirit drives his success, and two years after a crash with Santiago Alatorre, the rivalry only increases when they become teammates. Working alongside Santi for the new season provides Noah with his biggest challenge yet – but the threat is off the track and to his heart.
Maya Alatorre, Santi’s sister, has recently graduated from university and has decided to join her brother for the F1 season. With no job lined up, she starts vlogging her F1 experience, detailing race after race and each new city she explores. With behind-the-scenes footage and adventures with her new best friend, Sophie, who is the daughter of Bandini’s team principal, her vlog grows and everything starts looking brighter. But the one thing she didn’t expect was her brother’s teammate, the dangerous bad boy of racing, to capture her heart.
Noah and Maya push and pull, their attraction growing stronger and their resistance growing weaker with each passing day. Santi and Noah’s rivalry, and fear of the repercussions, stand in the way of a potential relationship between the two, but as they spend more time together and Noah lets Maya see past the notorious player façade, the two grow closer. Maya becomes someone Noah can lean on, helping him carry the pressure of his not-so-caring family, and in return he lets Maya find out who she really wants to be. What happens when the rivalry between teammates is no longer an issue, and the bad boy racer falls for the independent vlogger?
The American Prince. Noah Slade captured my heart despite his cockiness. He’s the good-looking, funny and incredibly talented racer who’s built a wall of steel around his heart. Being the son of an F1 legend isn’t easy and for Noah, it meant pressure and expectations, not love and support. When you finally learn his story, you instantly want to give him a hug – a bit like when Lando Norris crashed in Q3 at Spa. Noah longs for the love that Maya and her family share, but when she offers it to him and his walls slowly crumble, it takes nearly losing her to realise what he wants.
The Spanish princessa of vlogging. Maya Alatorre is a sassy, strong-willed and feisty Latina. She’s loyal to her family and has kept her wild side buried for too long; she stands her ground and controls her own life, but the attraction to Noah threatens her relationship with Santi. Afraid of her brother’s reaction, Maya keeps her relationship with Noah secret, stealing kisses and fleeting moments. Lauren’s writing about Maya’s vlogging is so entertaining that you almost feel like you’re watching all the interviews, games and action she records. If Maya Alatorre was real, I’d watch her videos religiously! Her friendship with Sophie rivals that of any fictional friendship I’ve read and comes out on top – everyone needs a Sophie to their Maya.
I loved Noah and Maya’s characters, and I loved the relationships Lauren created between everyone, so much so that I read the entire series in four days! I’ve never seen a sports romance about F1 until I met the Dirty Air series, and I don’t think future ones will live up to this. Lauren’s ability to transport you around the globe, visiting different cities, and bring you into the world of racing is amazing.
When you read it, it feels like you’re there with the characters, experiencing everything they do. The race descriptions, the pre-race rituals, the galas, and everything in between, are all detailed so spectacularly that it’s realistic and believable. The descriptions of all the cities on the F1 circuit make you wish you were there. Her writing style is simplistic yet effective; the balance between dialogue, action and description is so perfectly done that you get to know the characters and are carried on their journeys with them.
Lauren’s cocky alphas and feisty heroines will make you laugh out loud and smile so hard your face hurts; but you’ll also have tears in some scenes from the heart-wrenching, emotional moments. Throttled ticked every box for me and set the scene for the other racers’ stories. I cannot recommend this enough! I will reread this series again and again, and never stop telling people about. Lauren is one of my favourite authors – she gets bonus points for liking F1 – I hope that one day, I can create a fictional success like she has.
Stay tuned for my review of Collided - book 2 in the Dirty Air series.
Click the cover below to buy Throttled on Amazon or get it on Kindle Unlimited.
Disclaimer: I own the edits, not the images.