In Crash Course by Piper Lawson, Shay MacDonald has every intention of becoming a mechanical engineer but is still up in arms about whether she wants to work on F1 
cars like her adoptive father does or to open a family garage after getting her degree. The choice is nearly made for her when her dad has surgery and can’t work. Shay not only covers his shifts at the Ashford Racing Inc (ARI) garage at night, but she is also accepted to the prestigious Ashford Academy to continue her studies. Not that her father knows–nor will he find out if she has her way.
‘Forget aerodynamics, Ashford confessing how long I’ve been living rent free in his head is my new favorite subject.’
But from day one, Shay ends up in the crosshairs of the famous Ashford brothers, Theo and Jameson, after a literal run-in outside the Academy. After that, she somehow becomes the woman who intrigues them both. All she wants to do is get her degree, work and innovate cars, not be the person the competitive Ashfords see as the prize at the end of the track. Shay has enough going on. Then parts of her past she’s wondered about for years begin to come out as do secrets from the Ashford family, changing her view of her upbringing as well as who she should associate with. Can Shay trust Jameson and Theo? Or will they and the powerful people around them run roughshod over her as her father warned her about for years?
“Driving fast I can handle. You? …You make me out of control.”
A sexy F1 sports romance that was high octane on the track but a slow burn in the romance department, CRASH COURSE burrowed itself into my heart with its twists and turns, secrets and triumphs. Author Piper Lawson’s new Ashford Academy series took off at full speed right from page one with a meet-cute involving our heroine, a Porsche, and two wealthy brothers who each set their sights on her. And it didn’t let up one bit all the way to the finish line.
‘He’s the storm I craved, the one that tears through my life and leaves nowhere to hide.’
Love triangles aren’t typically in my top five favorite tropes but the way Lawson used it in this story completely worked. It amped up the already competitive nature between the Ashford brothers, Theo and Jameson, and the intense world they were surrounded by. But it was smart, capable, feisty heroine Shay who stole the show time after time. I’ll admit I cheered with every comeback she threw at the brothers while also rooting for her to show them just how talented a mechanical engineer she was by tweaking their vehicles, turning them into beasts on the track. (The guys *and* their cars!) And the way Shay knew her own mind, made her own decisions? That was the icing on top.
TROPES/VIBES:
🏎️ F1 Romance
💘 Love triangle
🏁 Rival brothers
🧠 STEM heroine
❤️🔥 Enemies-to-lovers energy
CW: View Spoiler »
Without giving away who Shay ended up with, I can say that I didn’t envy her the choice she had to make because honestly, both of the Ashford brothers were catches. And not just because they were wealthy and powerful. Jameson and Theo hadn’t had an easy family life, but they were a team in most things and watched out for each other overall. Jameson was the older sibling, with all the responsibilities that came along with it, which made him more serious along with his broody side that came across as cold at times. His true, hidden self was a bit more caring and soft. Theo was the charmer who gave off golden retriever energy and was constantly surrounded by people who loved to have a good time. But under it all, he longed to prove himself on the racetrack and as an important member of the family.
On top of the intriguing characters, brotherly ambitions, and turmoil at Ashford Academy, Lawson layered in some twists that added to the intensity of the story. For readers who love piecing things together like I do, it will only bump up the experience and keep you flying through the pages as fast as the drivers burn around corners on the track. I can’t wait to see what is next for the Ashford family, particularly with the teaser at the end of CRASH COURSE!
QOTD: If you could take any sports car or exotic car of your choice for a spin, what would you choose?
Book Info:
Publication: Published: October 20th, 2026 | Berkley XO | Ashford Academy #1
A spicy, angsty, slow-burn F1 academy romance about fast cars, forbidden attraction, and family secrets from USA Today bestselling author Piper Lawson.
Shay MacDonald was raised to avoid two things: race cars and the Ashford family. But when an injury puts her mechanic father on bedrest, she vows to save his career by covertly covering his shifts at the Ashford garage and enrolling at Ashford Academy—an elite school that trains aspiring drivers and engineers, like herself, for the lucrative F1 circuit.
Keeping a low profile is out of the question when she has a run-in with the Ashford brothers on day one. Theo and Jameson are racing royalty who know they can get away with anything. Theo, the charming and reckless playboy, tempts her to break every rule, while Jameson, the brilliant prodigy, unsettles her with a cold intensity that cuts deeper than she expects.
Shay will always be the adopted daughter of a mechanic, trying to survive unnoticed in a world that was never meant for her. But Theo and Jameson’s only reprieve from their father’s sky-high expectations is Shay. She’s a shiny new pawn in their old rivalry—or a prize worth risking everything for.
When a competition to work on the F1 circuit brings her further into their orbit, Shay is forced to work harder to protect her secrets. But the deeper she’s pulled into the world of the rich and famous Ashfords, the more she realizes everyone is keeping secrets.
Secrets that could shatter her past, her future…and her heart.
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