Review: The Rival Pact by Olivia Hayle
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About the Book
James Sterling was once my academic rival and childhood torment. Now he’s the ice-cold Duke and single dad I'm forced to share an estate with.
I arrive at Sterling Hall to inspect the historic restoration, notto clash with the billionaire Duke who owns it. But he’s arrogant and impossible and resents my presence.
We argue over building violations and play chess at night, our old rivalry flaring to life. James’s sneer is familiar. It only disappears when he looks at his young daughter.
But then he learns my secret… We share the same interests in bed. Power exchanged. Limits negotiated. James has more experience and offers to teach me.
It’s perfect. I don’t have to worry about hurting his non-existent feelings. So we make a pact; pause the rivalry for practice sessions. On his jet. In the library. By the fireplace.
Piece by piece, I learn about his tough childhood, and how he judges himself harshest of all. And yet he’s surprisingly good at praise and aftercare..
We agreed on no feelings and no future, but the way James looks at me makes me wonder if that’s still true…
Review
I am conflicted about my feelings for The Rival Pact. Overall, I have enjoyed this series. And out of the three books, I do feel this is the weakest one. On one hand, I did like Florence and James together. There were moments that I genuinely enjoyed. I loved watching their relationship develop as they gradually grew closer and started to understand each other. However, there were long stretches where the story dragged. By the end, I don’t think I was fully convinced that they loved each other. Respected? Sure, but at that point, not love.
The highlight of the book was James’ relationship with his daughter, Pippa. He was kidnapped as a child, and that event had such a significant influence on how he approached fatherhood. It was fascinating yet heartbreaking to see how that experience continued to shape his decisions. He certainly needed therapy because there was so much trauma to unpack.
I also appreciated the reasons behind Florence and James’ initial dislike of each other. I thought that part of their relationship was particularly well done. I do think James’ reasoning was the strongest. It added another layer to his tragic backstory. He had endured so much throughout his life that it made sense why he was so closed off.
While I loved Florence’s POV, I don’t think she was nearly as fleshed out as James. Yes, we learned about her hopes and dreams. And I appreciated seeing her finally pursue something she'd always wanted to do. However, I struggled to get a strong sense of who she was beyond those ambitions and her relationship with James. She also felt incredibly isolated outside of her sisters and parents. James had this large, established friend group that gave him a life beyond the romance. Florence didn't really have anything comparable. I wish she'd been given more meaningful relationships and a more distinct personality. Another thing I wanted more of was the restoration process. Florence came there specifically to pursue that opportunity, but I felt that aspect of the story was underexplored.
Final Thoughts
The Rival Pact had some elements that I enjoyed, specifically James’ relationship with Pippa and the moments of vulnerability between him and Florence. But I don’t think I was sold on their love. Not yet at least. It’s not even that I wish the book would have had more pages. I wish it had been better paced. There were stretches where the story dragged. And somehow, the progression of their relationship felt rushed. Enjoyed watching them together but needed a bit more to believe that they were madly in love with each other. Thank you, Netgalley, for providing this ARC. Top Shelf releases on November 2, 2026!
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