Creating a playlist for each book I write is a key part of my process. Honestly, I don’t think I could write without music driving me along! So here are five songs that I listened to on repeat while writing and that fit the vibes of RIDE WITH ME, a Formula 1 romance that kicks off with an accidental Las Vegas wedding, perfectly.
Marry You – Bruno Mars
“It’s a beautiful night, we’re lookin’ for somethin' dumb to do
Hey, baby, I think I wanna marry you”
When it comes to upbeat anthems about getting married on a whim, this has to be the go-to. Considering our main characters, Stella and Thomas, put very little (drunken) thought into their decision, this is definitely fitting!
Married in Vegas – The Vamps
“Under the neon lights
I think we might get married in Vegas”
How could I have a book about getting married in Vegas without the song “Married in Vegas”? This one from The Vamps is such a bop and has plenty of nods to taking a gamble on someone, which is exactly what Stella and Thomas do for each other—and it certainly pays off in the end.
Olivia Rodrigo – So American
“When he laughs at all my jokes
And he says I'm so American
Oh God, it's just not fair of him
To make me feel this much”
Our MMC, Thomas, is a charming Englishman who definitely laughs at some of our American FMC’s jokes, habits, customs for being… well, so very American. (She does the same back to him, so it’s equal opportunity teasing!)
For My Hand – Burna Boy ft. Ed Sheeran
“I want to be dancin' with you forever
You see through the storm and take me as I am”
The reason for this song is two-fold. One, because Thomas is a huge Afrobeats (and thus Burna Boy) fan and Stella is a secret Ed Sheeran lover—to have a song with both of them featured was a perfect combo. And two, it represents the supportive relationship they have with each other, especially when it comes to dealing with the “storms” they’re both facing at the start of the book.
Ride Wit Me – Nelly
“In the club on the late night, feeling right
Looking, tryna spot something real nice
Looking for a little shawty I noticed
So that I can take her home”
When my team and I were brainstorming titles for this book, one of my editors mentioned “Ride with Me” as a possibility and joked that this song was now stuck in her head. It was immediately stuck in mine too, a throwback to my childhood and the songs on the radio back then. It just worked perfectly for a book about Formula 1 and an FMC who certainly has this song on her own personal playlist. This is the song I would imagine playing at the end credits of a movie based off the book!
Lights Out #2
A marriage of convenience threatens to go off track in this steamy Formula 1 romance from the USA Today bestselling author of Cross the Line.
Stella Baldwin thought her life couldn’t get worse. Being left at the altar was bad enough, and the drunken rant she posted to her social media followers in the aftermath was the cherry on top. But having to show up at her cousin’s bachelorette party in Las Vegas barely two weeks later feels like a cruel joke.
Thomas Maxwell-Brown is just looking for a good time. With his family’s expectations pressing down, his career as a Formula 1 driver threatened by fresh talent, and a new reputation as the most hated man on the grid, he needs a break to clear his head. And what better way to decompress than with a stag party in Vegas?
Stella isn’t the woman Thomas expects to meet that night. And Thomas isn’t the man Stella expects to wake up next to in the morning—with a ring on her finger. Staying married might be the perfect solution to all their problems, even if it is a little wild. Sometimes, what happens in Vegas doesn’t need to stay there. . . .
Romance Sports [Berkley, On Sale: May 20, 2025, Trade Paperback / e-Book , ISBN: 9780593818169 / eISBN: 9780593818176]
Simone Soltani is a romance author and former ghost writer for a serialized fiction platform. Born and raised in Washington, DC, she holds a BA in Geography from The George Washington University, which she likes to think comes in handy for world building in her novels. When she’s not writing, she spends most of her time planning vacations she’ll probably never get to go on, reorganizing her many bookshelves, and watching sports while cuddling with her dogs.
No comments posted.
© 2003-2025 off-the-edge.net
all rights reserved Privacy Policy