I came for the gorgeous Australian garbo. I stayed for the romance, the banter, a 1971 Valiant Charger and a set of keys that have absolutely no business being that interesting.
My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5/5 stars | Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ 4/5 chillies | Format: Kindle
Keys. Actual, ordinary, jingling keys.
I’ve read enough dark romance to know that authors can get VERY creative with everyday objects. Guns? Yep. Knives? Absolutely. A candy cane? Unfortunately, I can tick that one off too.
But keys? Actual, ordinary, jingling keys? That was a first.
And somehow, Elira Hope has written a romance where the sound of keys jingling becomes a turn-on, and I am sitting here wondering how we got to this point in my reading life. But I’m getting ahead of myself.
Ideally Positioned by Elira Hope was one of those books where I fell in love with the characters almost immediately. Evie and Tristan had me hooked, the Australian humour was brilliant, the spice was inventive, and by the time I reached the ending, I was completely invested in pretty much everyone. Not just the main couple. EVERYONE.
I wanted the ending I got, I wasn’t ready to say goodbye, and I’m now mentally assigning romance novels to half the supporting cast. Five stars. No hesitation. And yes, we absolutely need to discuss the keys.
This review stays spoiler-free. You’ll find the spicy chapter list further down, but nothing about what actually happens in them.
What’s Ideally Positioned about?
Evelyn ‘Evie’ Hartley works in Sydney’s luxury property market at her family’s real estate agency, Hartcliff Homes. She’s successful, professional, polished and very good at keeping everything together, even when her personal life is considerably less organised than the beautiful properties she’s selling.
Then there’s Tristan Davidson. Also known as Davo. A council garbo with a cheeky personality, a red-and-black 1971 Valiant Charger named Valerie, and an alarming ability to make Evie forget she’s supposed to be a sensible professional woman.
Their first meeting involves a near miss with a Holden, a rescue, and a thank-you lunch that tells you everything you need to know about how different their worlds are. Evie is thinking somewhere fancy. Tristan wants Oporto. Honestly, I was sold at that point.
But underneath the humour and the rather creative property inspections, there’s a proper romance about trust, family expectations, difficult relationships and learning to put your own happiness first. It wasn’t just a funny, spicy romance with an attractive garbo. Although, to be fair, that certainly didn’t hurt.
Chapter One and I was already gone
You know those books where you’re barely a chapter in and you’ve already decided you’re going to love them? That was me.
Even the opening details made me smile. The real estate presentation, the fictional agency, the cheeky content information. I loved that Elira had taken the property theme and completely committed to it.
Then Evie nearly gets cleaned up by a Holden. Now, I live in a household where Holdens are practically family members, so naturally that got my attention.
And along comes Tristan. A gorgeous garbo driving a Valiant Charger. Not a billionaire. Not a mafia boss. Not a morally questionable man with a private jet and a collection of enemies. A garbo. And somehow, he’s making a very convincing case for himself.
Then we get the Oporto lunch situation, and honestly, what more did I need? I was laughing, I was interested, and I already wanted to know absolutely everything about these two. The Fictional Boyfriend Department had officially opened a new file.
Evie and Tristan: I loved them. BOTH of them.
Sometimes I read a romance and fall hard for the male main character while spending half the book wanting to have a serious conversation with the heroine about her life choices. Not this time.
Evie
I absolutely loved Evie. She’s smart, capable and successful, but she’s also carrying a lot more than people realise. She spends so much time managing everyone else’s expectations that her own happiness has become something she can deal with later. And I loved watching that change.
Tristan
He’s confident, cheeky, funny and definitely knows how to flirt. But what really got me was how he treated Evie. He pays attention. He notices when something isn’t right. He wants to help, but he doesn’t decide that helping means taking control of her life.
He gives her room to make her own decisions. And considering what she’s been through, that matters.
I love a possessive, morally grey fictional man as much as the next dark romance reader. My Kindle history would probably concern a few people. But there’s something incredibly attractive about a man who can be confident and protective without treating his partner like she’s incapable of looking after herself. Tristan manages that balance beautifully.
Together
Of course, that didn’t stop me from being suspicious. There were moments when I was convinced Tristan was hiding something, and Derek had me side-eyeing practically everything. I was not entirely relaxed about how things were going to unfold.
But the relationship itself? Loved it. The teasing, the chemistry, the way they gradually let each other in. I wanted them together. I wanted Evie happy. And I wanted Tristan to continue being exactly the sort of gorgeous garbo I’d unexpectedly become attached to.
Can we talk about how Australian this book is?
I LOVE finding a romance that actually feels Australian. Not just a book that happens to be set in Sydney but could easily have taken place somewhere else.
I’m talking about the humour, the conversations, the cars, the food, the music and those little everyday details that make you think, yep, I know exactly what they’re talking about. The luxury property market provides some fabulous settings, and the contrast between Evie’s professional world and Tristan’s everyday life is part of what makes their relationship so entertaining.
Valerie
And then there’s Valerie. Tristan’s red-and-black 1971 Valiant Charger. I know she’s a car, but she deserves her own character profile. I became ridiculously fond of her.
The houses
The houses also deserve a mention, although perhaps someone should consider revoking Evie and Tristan’s access to them. These are beautiful, expensive homes, professionally styled for prospective buyers. And these two seem determined to test just how much disturbance a property inspection can withstand.
The best part? They have to put everything back afterwards. I don’t know why that recurring detail amused me so much, but it did. There are some very questionable professional boundaries happening at Hartcliff Homes. Very questionable.
Ideally Positioned spicy chapters: how spicy is it and where?
Ideally Positioned is a four chilli read with frequent open-door scenes. The first full spicy scene between Evie and Tristan happens in Chapter 8, and my confirmed spicy chapters are 8, 10, 11, 12, 15, 16, 20, 24, 30, 31 and the epilogue (Chapter 32). There’s plenty of flirting and chemistry before Chapter 8, so you’re not sitting around waiting for the romance to turn up, but that’s when things properly heat up.
Is Ideally Positioned spicy, and how much?
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ 4/5 chillies. Right. The keys. Because I genuinely need to discuss this.
As I said earlier, I’m primarily a dark romance reader. I’ve encountered some VERY creative uses for everyday objects, and at this point I thought there was very little left that could surprise me. Apparently I was wrong. Evie and Tristan have a thing for keys. Not just using keys during spicy moments, although there’s that too.
Evie gets turned on by the SOUND of keys jingling.
The jingle. Of a keyring. I have spent years hearing keys and thinking someone is home, someone’s leaving, or I’ve forgotten where I parked the car. Evie hears keys and has an entirely different thought process. And you know what? I’m not judging. I’m just impressed that an author managed to make something so ordinary feel so suggestive. Honestly, Elira. KEYS. Who knew?
What makes it even better is that the keys aren’t just a random novelty thrown into one scene. They’re part of the ongoing flirtation between Evie and Tristan, alongside all the locks, doors, private inspections and rather convenient opportunities for privacy. It’s a recurring little thing that belongs to them, and I loved that.
I can safely say I’ve never read another romance where a jingling keyring carried quite this much sexual tension. I may never look at an estate agent’s enormous collection of keys quite the same way again.
But is the rest of the spice good?
Oh, absolutely. There’s plenty of it. We get frequent open-door scenes, playful power dynamics, a mirror scene, a car scene and some rather inventive uses for luxury real estate. The attraction is there early, and once things start happening, Elira certainly doesn’t leave us waiting too long between encounters.
Something I appreciated was that the intimate moments actually felt connected to Evie and Tristan’s relationship. There’s teasing, trust and communication. Tristan pays attention to what Evie wants, and that makes their chemistry work beyond just the physical attraction. It isn’t spice thrown in because the book needs another spicy chapter. It feels like their spice, and I think that’s an important distinction.
So why four chillies instead of five?
Because my EmberSas spice rating isn’t simply a count of how many times the characters get up to something. It’s about the level of explicitness, description and intensity.
While Ideally Positioned has PLENTY of spice, it doesn’t quite hit the level of graphic detail I’d associate with my five-chilli books. For comparison, something like Wolf.e by Paisley Hope sits at the more intense end of my spice scale.
So this is a very generous four-chilli read. Frequent? Yes. Creative? Absolutely. Am I still thinking about the keys? Clearly.
Which chapters are the spicy ones in Ideally Positioned?
I tracked the spicy chapters while reading on my Kindle, because apparently this is the sort of important research I now conduct. You’re welcome. Based on my reading notes, these are the chapters I’ve confirmed contain on-page spice:
- Chapter 8: the first full spicy scene between Evie and Tristan
- Chapter 10
- Chapter 11
- Chapter 12
- Chapter 15
- Chapter 16
- Chapter 20
- Chapter 24
- Chapter 30
- Chapter 31
- Epilogue (Chapter 32): yes, even the epilogue
Apparently Elira decided we’d had enough emotional closure but perhaps not quite enough spice.
Not all these chapters contain the same type of scene. Some are more intense, some are shorter, and some include solo moments or other characters. I’ve included the chapters I recorded as having meaningful on-page spice, not every single occasion where someone says something suggestive. Otherwise, we’d be here all day.
And remember, just because a chapter isn’t listed doesn’t mean everyone is behaving themselves. These two are quite good at making an otherwise innocent interaction feel considerably less innocent.
The tropes, microtropes and other things I apparently enjoy
This book gave me quite a few things to add to my ever-growing collection of romance preferences.
The bigger tropes:
- Working-class hero meets luxury-property heroine
- Instant attraction
- Different social worlds
- Protective but respectful MMC
- Complicated family expectations
- Consensual kink
- A satisfying romantic ending
The little details that had my attention:
- Mirror scenes
- Car scenes
- Praise
- Secret signals
- Checking in with each other
- Risky locations
- Obviously, key and lock play
And can we also appreciate how clever the whole key theme is? Beyond the spice, there’s something rather fitting about a romance set in the property industry using keys, doors and access as recurring details. Evie spends her working life opening beautiful houses for other people, while being much more careful about who gets access to her own life.
Then Tristan comes along. And suddenly she’s reconsidering a few boundaries. Some professional. Some personal. Some involving a keyring. I see what you did there, Elira.
The supporting cast needs their own books. I’m serious.
You know what annoys me about finding a genuinely good standalone romance? Finishing it. Because then what am I supposed to do with all these characters I’ve become attached to?
Evie and Tristan were obviously the main attraction, but I loved the wider cast so much that I’m not remotely satisfied with leaving everyone where they are.
- Lucille and Eric? I want more.
- Stephen and Ben? Yes, please.
- Maddie and Grace? Absolutely need their story.
And then there’s Loto. LOTO. A divorced Tongan single dad with three kids, a personality I absolutely loved and a family I now want to know everything about. Tell me that man doesn’t deserve his own romance. Actually, don’t tell me. I’ve already decided. And while we’re at it, can we please have significantly more of Loto’s mum? I loved her.
I don’t know whether Elira has plans to revisit these characters, and I’m certainly not claiming any companion books have been announced. I’m simply putting my requests into the universe. Preferably with six new books attached. Because I am not done with these people.
Even the little extras made me love this book more
One thing I really appreciated was how much effort Elira put into everything surrounding the story. There’s the fictional Hartcliff Homes material, the property-themed presentation, a location map, extra background details and a whole soundtrack.
Not just a handful of suggested songs. A 45-track playlist. And it’s a very Australian-feeling mix, with artists including INXS, Cold Chisel and Paul Kelly, alongside Fleetwood Mac, Lana Del Rey and others. I loved that it wasn’t simply a generic romance playlist. There’s thought behind the songs and how they connect with the characters and story.
You can find the official playlist and reader extras on Elira Hope’s website, including the Spotify link. I genuinely enjoy it when an author gives me little ways to stay in the world after I’ve finished reading. Especially when I’m not emotionally prepared to leave.
I’ve also covered the launch information, available formats and release details in my Ideally Positioned book news article.
If Ideally Positioned had a scent
You know I can’t finish a book without wondering what it would smell like. And Ideally Positioned gives me two completely different worlds to work with.
For Evie, I’m thinking beautiful expensive linen, polished interiors and the kind of perfume that makes you feel as though your life is much more organised than it actually is. For Tristan? Sun-warmed leather, old-car vinyl, strong coffee and a little salty coastal air. A touch of grease and garage? Perhaps. But we’re making a romance-inspired scent here, not recreating bin day.
Glamour meets garbo. Honestly, it works.
If Ideally Positioned was a drink
Elira’s raspberry-pink The Open House cocktail, which is her own recipe and very much worth a look. If you’d rather keep it alcohol-free, my Second Viewing raspberry-lime mocktail is the pairing.
If Ideally Positioned was a snack
Gorgeous Garbo Sliders, a peri-peri chicken nod to that brilliant Chapter One Oporto moment. Because I couldn’t get over that lunch situation, this book also inspired a full EmberSas reading night.
You can find the whole pairing in my Ideally Positioned Sip, Snack and Smut reading night, or browse the rest of my Sip, Snack and Smut collection. Personally, I think this one deserves a Friday night, a good drink, something delicious to eat and a Kindle with plenty of battery. Just keep an eye on the house keys. Apparently they’re not as innocent as I once believed.
Read Ideally Positioned if:
- You love a romance with proper chemistry, genuinely funny banter and characters you actually care about
- You enjoy contemporary Australian settings
- You want a fictional boyfriend who doesn’t need to be a billionaire, criminal mastermind or walking collection of red flags to be interesting
- You want a confident, funny and considerate MMC, and a heroine with her own story and personal growth beyond falling for him
- You want frequent, creative spice that actually belongs to the relationship
- You like falling for the whole supporting cast, not just the main couple
Avoid or pause if:
- You want a completely fluffy romantic comedy. There are some heavier themes underneath all that flirting.
- You need low-heat romance. The spice is frequent.
- You’re sensitive to coercive control, blackmail, assault, addiction themes or violence (see the comfort note below)
- You want the supporting cast’s stories right now. No companion books have been announced.
Reader comfort note: The author’s content information includes explicit consensual sexual content and kink, coarse language, alcohol and drug references, coercive control, blackmail, assault, addiction themes and violence. The storyline involving Evie’s abusive ex is particularly important, so please check the full spoiler-free content note before reading. I love an entertaining romance, but knowing your own reading boundaries always comes first.
Quick answers
Is Ideally Positioned by Elira Hope spicy?
Very! I rated it 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ 4/5 chillies, with plenty of open-door scenes throughout the book. There’s key and lock play, a mirror scene, a car scene and some very creative property inspections. The keyring deserves special recognition for services to romance literature.
What chapter does the spice start in Ideally Positioned?
Chapter 8 is the first full spicy scene between Evie and Tristan. My confirmed spicy chapters are 8, 10, 11, 12, 15, 16, 20, 24, 30, 31 and the epilogue (Chapter 32).
Does Ideally Positioned have a happy ending?
Yes! And I absolutely loved it. I’m not spoiling how everything works out, but I finished the book genuinely happy with where Evie and Tristan ended up. I just wasn’t ready to leave their world behind.
Is Ideally Positioned part of a series?
The book works as a complete romance with a satisfying ending. As for whether we’ll get more stories featuring the supporting cast, I’m certainly hoping so. Loto, if you’re listening, I’m waiting.
Where is Ideally Positioned set?
Mostly in Sydney, particularly within the world of luxury real estate, with some South Coast atmosphere as well. The Australian setting is one of the things I really enjoyed, especially the humour, music, cars and familiar little details.
Can I read a sample of Ideally Positioned?
Yes. Elira has a free first-chapter sample on her website. It includes a Holden, a gorgeous garbo and an Oporto lunch situation. That should tell you plenty.
EmberSas ratings
- Book: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ / 5
- Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ / 5. Frequent and creative, but not my most graphic.
- Keys: the most unexpectedly effective use of a keyring in romance I’ve read
- Biggest complaint: I need more books about these people
Review Snapshot
- Book: Ideally Positioned
- Author: Elira Hope
- Format: Kindle
- Setting: Sydney
- Overall rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ / 5
- Spice rating: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ / 5
- First full spicy scene: Chapter 8
- Spicy chapters: 8, 10, 11, 12, 15, 16, 20, 24, 30, 31 and the epilogue (Chapter 32)
- My favourite things: Evie and Tristan’s relationship, the genuinely Australian humour, Valerie the Valiant, the supporting cast and the very creative use of keys
- What surprised me: that a romance about a luxury real estate agent and a council garbo could give me this much chemistry, humour and emotional investment. Also, keys. Obviously.
- Who I’d recommend it to: readers who love funny, spicy, character-driven romance with a genuinely caring MMC and plenty of personality
Final verdict: Five stars, four chillies and I want more Davo
I absolutely loved Ideally Positioned. And not just because it introduced me to a kink I genuinely hadn’t encountered before, which, given my reading habits, is quite an achievement.
I loved Evie. I loved Tristan. I loved their relationship, the way they treated each other, the humour and all those moments where I could see Evie gradually becoming more comfortable choosing what she wanted for herself. I loved the Australian setting, the cars, the music and the completely inappropriate things happening in very expensive houses. I even loved the supporting characters enough to start planning their fictional futures without the author’s permission.
And the ending? Exactly what I wanted.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5/5 stars. 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ 4/5 chillies.
It’s one of those books where I finished the final page feeling genuinely happy, but also slightly annoyed that I couldn’t immediately jump into another story from the same world. So, Elira, if more books featuring this cast ever happen, I will be very interested. Especially Loto. Just saying.
My final group-chat voice note: I picked up a book about a luxury real estate agent falling for a gorgeous garbo, and somehow came out of it completely in love with the couple, emotionally attached to half the supporting cast and with an entirely new opinion about house keys. FIVE STARS. Also, please give Loto a book. And someone should probably check the state of those display homes.
