Flirting With Scandal (Capital Confessions #1) by Chanel Cleeton

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The author of I See London sets her sights on Washington, D. C., with a sexy new series about three sisters, the secrets they keep, and a powerful blog with a knack for exposing scandals...

Jackie Gardner knows all about dirty little secrets. The illegitimate daughter of one of the most influential senators in Washington, D.C., she grew up surrounded by the scandals and shadows of politics. Now that she's landed an internship with a powerful political consulting firm, she's determined to launch her career and take this city by storm.

William Andrew Clayton was born for politics. He knows the drill: work hard, play discreetly, and at all costs, avoid scandal. At twenty-six, his campaign for the Virginia State Senate is the first step to cementing his future. It's time for him to settle down, to find the perfect political spouse. He needs a Jackie Kennedy, not a Marilyn...

When Jackie meets Will in the bar of the Hay-Adams Hotel, sparks fly. But the last thing Will needs is to be caught in a compromising position, and an affair with a political candidate could cost Jackie her career. When what began as one steamy night, becomes a passion neither one of them can walk way from, they must decide if what they have is really love, or just another dirty little secret...

Calling all Scandal and Gossip Girl fans - this one’s for you! It has everything you need for a juicy read: lust, secrets, fame, manipulation. All set in the nation’s capital.

Jackie is a tough-as-steel hardworking college student currently interning at Price, a campaign consulting firm. One night she’s at the Hay-Adams grabbing a drink after a particularly rough day at work. Will happens to be there as well. He notices Jackie and makes a move on her which she happily accepts. Both are acting out of character as Will doesn’t do one-night stands and Jackie doesn’t get involved with politicians.

Even though nothing comes of that night, they do see each other again when he hires her firm to help manage his senate campaign. And guess who is assigned to help him? Awkward, right? These two cannot contain their lust at all. They are so reckless that you kind of want to shake them. The harder Jackie rails against the two of them being together, the more persistent Will gets. Seriously, these two have no self-control whatsoever.

There are two things that make an involvement with Jackie complicated.  The first is her lineage that if it ever comes out could ruin several people’s lives. The second is the Capital Confessions blog that keeps a close eye on all the seedy goings-on around town. If that blog ever catches wind of what Jackie and Will are up to, it would be the end of his campaign and a blight on both of their careers.

There’s a lot of “magic time” in this which as I’ve mentioned before they’re very reckless about. They lose their senses around each other and one of these days it’ll blow up in their faces. Then there’s also the fight over who controls the relationship and how deep their relationship should go. Jackie is not one to give in easily and Will is determined to convince her that they as a couple work. They just need to stop humping like bunny rabbits long enough to have a thoughtful conversation about their future.

All that being said, Flirting With Scandal was tremendous fun! It’s far removed from Cleeton’s previous International School series featuring college age characters which I loved. This is a grown up affair where hard choices need to be made and decisions have consequences, some being very public. There's no shortage of suspense as you're waiting for either someone to walk in on Jackie and Will or for her secrets to come out.  This is a fun and dirty start to the Capital Confessions series!

~ Bel

A Peek In The BiblioBin #150

Welcome to our Stacking the Shelves post! Stacking the Shelves (or as we like to call it, A Peek in the BiblioBin) has been created by the lovely ladies at Tynga's Reviews.

Stacking the Shelves is a way for bloggers to share what books they have won, received for review, bought from the bookstore, borrowed from the library or friend, etc.

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We're slowing down after a bit of a spending spree and stuffing our BiblioBin to the max over the last few weeks. Enjoy your Memorial Day everyone!

For Review:

Between Us And The Moon by Rebecca Maizel (HarperTeen via Edelweiss)

Anne & Henry by Dawn Ius (Simon Pulse via Edelweiss)


Purchased:

Be Before You by Jojo Moyes (paperback)

Upside Down (Off The Map #1) by Lia Riley

One Night by A.J. Pine

***

When she lost it all, Jess decided to cope by living a lie. 

But you can’t keep on pretending forever…

Twenty-one-year-old Jess used to have everything—a loyal best friend, a boyfriend she loved, and a future that was right on track. But in a single night, her whole world changed.

Now, Jess lives for the impersonal connection of drunken hook-ups and to-go coffee cups in the morning. All she needs is one night to pretend everything is fine…until she meets Adam.

Thanks to a sports injury, gorgeous, charming basketball star Adam Carson is stuck in physical therapy at the hospital where Jess interns—giving her the perfect opportunity to see his sweet, considerate nature and making her realize that maybe she does want something more.

But while Adam might be the best thing that’s happened to Jess in a long time, letting him past her carefully constructed walls means letting him know what happened...and why he'd never want her for more than one night.

One Night poses an interesting situation, how does someone overcome a terrible loss and learn to forgive themselves and move on?  Jess gets through the day by keeping to herself, going through the motions at school and at her physical therapy internship and especially with guys, preferring drunken one-night hook-ups to relationships.  Which is why she has Carson firmly in the friend zone.

Basketball god, Adam, is drawn to Jess during his physical therapy for a knee injury, but she is clear that they are just friends.  She's clearly been through something awful, but she's not talking.  

Adam, despite being the popular jock, is the epitome of a good guy.  He's patient, kind and caring with Jess.  Jess, for her part, is a mess and is completely lost.  She's full of self-loathing, depressed and angry, very angry. These themes can be a little difficult at times, but it's an interesting story, with some twists and turns thrown in to keep you interested.   

~ Shel

That's What HE Said Thursday #29

Image courtesy of Kei at The Lovely Pages Review

That's What HE Said is a weekly meme hosted by the wonderful ladies at Chapter Break. It's a chance for us to spotlight and gush over a quote from our current book crush to the object of his desire. We like to pretend it's us ;)

What better way to celebrate our book boyfriends?

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My pick this week is from Sweet by Tammara Webber. There are so many excellent quotes to choose from but this one is by far my favourite because it encompasses what Boyce and Pearl's relationship has been about from the beginning -- protecting and looking out for each other. Not that they can't take care of themselves. It's just that sometimes your friends can see things a bit more clearly and they're there for you no matter what. Here they're discussing why Boyce isn't fond of Pearl's controlling ex.

If you haven't read Sweet yet, you should! I'll have a review coming soon.  ~ Bel

"I may be jealous, but jealousy isn't why I don't trust him, " I said, and she turned her face to mine. I wanted to fall into the deep wells of her eyes. "I protect you, Pearl. It' s just what I do."

~ Boyce to Pearl

Sweet (Contours of the Heart #3) by

Tammara Webber

   

     

   

  

Galgorithm by Aaron Karo

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A romantic comedy about high school, heartbreak, and having all the answers.

What if the secrets of dating and love were revealed in one simple formula? That’s the tantalizing proposition high school senior Shane Chambliss offers the hopeless and hapless guys who come to him for relationship advice.

After the girl of his dreams breaks his heart, Shane devises a mysterious formula called the Galgorithm and establishes himself as the resident dating guru at Kingsview High School. But his attempts to master the art of romance go outrageously awry.

As Shane tries to navigate the ensuing drama, he must follow his heart, abandon all the rules, and ignore his own advice in a quest for true love. What he discovers, no formula could ever predict... 

Review:

After a terrible heartbreaking love affair ended at the very tender age of 14 (or was it 15? Whatever..) Shane Chambliss chose to protect his heart by concentrating on helping the other woeful geeks at school get the girl of their dreams.  He’s developed a “formula” which he has chosen to call the Galgorithm.  A little tongue in cheek homage to his dad’s sexist insistence on referring to women as gals.  Shane is basically a teenage Hitch, helping guys up their game so they can get the girl.  A great service that is also a perfect recipe for disaster.

Between maneuvering a new relationship with a slightly obsessive mostly crazy girl, working with his newest client, saving a former client’s failed relationship and trying to escape an over-zealous teacher that wants to secure his services, something is BOUND to go wrong.  And to top off the chaos, all this nonsense is keeping him from spending time with his best friend, Jak.  Of course, he can’t tell Jak why he can’t spend as much time with her because he’s never told her about the secret services he’s offering to guys at school. That one secret might end up ruining a friendship that was forged years ago over naked bath time at the very young age of two. 

I love it when a book that I think I will enjoy turns out to be a book that I absolutely love.  I haven’t read very many books this year that made me want to tell the world to buy and read it.  But Galgorithm IS that book.  How can it not?  Not because it’s a romantic comedy.  Although we all know that I love those.  Not because the hero is adorable.  Although he absolutely is.  And not because the reluctant heroine is kick ass.  Oh, yeah, she’s totally kick ass.  All those things were great.  But what put this book above so many others was the dialogue and Shane’s inner monologue.  At certain points I thought that maybe Aaron Karo was spying on Bel, Shel and Me and listening to our ridiculous conversations.  But I’m 110% certain that isn’t even a possibility.  Still, it was like getting an outside view of the three of us sitting around eating pie and devolving into utter ridiculous conversation and laughter. 

There isn’t much more I can say about Galgorithm without ruining it for you.  The plot isn’t a new one but the delivery is so fresh and funny that all I can say about this book is “Amor y Cacahuetes”.  Love and Peanuts my friends.  Love and Peanuts.   

Nat

Snowcroft Safehouse by Christi Snow

*** 1/2

A year ago Declan Jasper was entertaining sold-out arena crowds as the lead singer of Black Rainbows. But that came to an explosive end when the band got caught up in a criminal cover-up, one that ended with the entire band dead. At least that’s what everyone is supposed to think. 

Now, Dex is hiding in plain sight, working as the school band director in a sleepy little mountain resort town while under the protection of a hard-nosed FBI agent. Instead of eyeliner and black leather, he now wears glasses and corduroy. Instead of having sexy coeds—both male and female—throw themselves into his bed, he’s dealing with teenage angst and grumpy parents. 

At the top of his troubles list is Kelsey Walker, a junior high bundle of rare musical talent in the form of one confused, messed-up adolescent. Dex figures the problem comes from her broken home and wants to help. But when he meets her father, sexy bar-owner, Jack Walker, he realizes that instead of helping he’s probably just bringing more trouble and danger to their door. 

Dex has to stay alive until the trial to bring his bandmates’ murderers to justice, but can he do that if it means sacrificing his own happily ever after?

Review:

Snowcroft Safehouse opens with Dex Jasper and his bandmates buoying up their bassist, Michael.  Michael’s ex-boyfriend has left him beaten and scared for himself and those around him.  The band is dealing with the issue but the show must go on.  Unfortunately, the show doesn’t go on.  An timely placed bomb puts an end to lives of everyone in the band except Dex.   

A year after the night that irreparably changed his life, Dex finds himself living in Snowcroft, NM.  The world thinks he’s dead and Dex is living under WitSec protection until the trial that will hopefully convict the man responsible for taking the life of his friends.  Dex arrives in town with a new name (Finn Alexander), a new handler (a hot straight-laced FBI agent that will hopefully have his own book one day) and a new job teaching band to a small group of middle school students.  All things he thinks he can handle temporarily.  What he doesn’t expect his the instant attraction he feels for the local bar owner…and of course, father of his brightest and most talented student.

Jack Walker is pretty happy with life.  Except that he has no idea how to handle his 12 year old daughter’s mood swings.  Nor does he know what to do about his sex life.  The thing is, Jack is gay.  He knows this.  But he isn’t out.  Being a single dad to a middle-school aged kid in a small town has made embracing that part of himself difficult.  But when Finn Alexander walks into his bar he has hard time hiding his interest.

In a small town it’s impossible to avoid each other and soon Jack and Dex find themselves exploring the possibilities of a relationship.  Jack will need to decide if their relationship is worth coming out and possibly putting his daughter’s small town social life at risk.  And Dex will need to decide if he cannot only tell Jack his true identity but also put him at risk while the trial is still underway.

This was an extremely satisfying m/m romance.   Both men were extremely likable.  I found Dex’s reactions to life after such trauma and loss completely believable.  And although I didn’t LIKE the reason for Jack’s resistance I completely understood it.   There is a perfect amount of mystery built into the story.  It was almost like watching a ramped up episode of In Plain Sight.  Which is one of my favorite shows so it’s no wonder I seriously enjoyed this book.

If you love small town romance with a touch of drama and mystery I can’t recommend this one enough.

Nat

Tiny Pretty Things by Sona Charaipotra & Dhonielle Clayton

* * * * 1/2

Black Swan meets Pretty Little Liars in this soapy, drama-packed novel featuring diverse characters who will do anything to be the prima at their elite ballet school.

Gigi, Bette, and June, three top students at an exclusive Manhattan ballet school, have seen their fair share of drama. Free-spirited new girl Gigi just wants to dance—but the very act might kill her. Privileged New Yorker Bette's desire to escape the shadow of her ballet star sister brings out a dangerous edge in her. And perfectionist June needs to land a lead role this year or her controlling mother will put an end to her dancing dreams forever. When every dancer is both friend and foe, the girls will sacrifice, manipulate, and backstab to be the best of the best.

Suspenseful and disconcerting. That’s how I sum up Tiny Pretty Things. Underneath the alluring cover and innocent title, is a sinister story about ambitious people who want to get ahead regardless of the price. In the process, they each lose a little bit of their soul.

Each character has a unique identity. Gigi is the vibrant, happy-go-lucky girl who revels in the pure joy of dancing. Bette, is the diva of the school who has everyone under her thumb. Her older sister's success pushes her to elevate her game which would be resorting to pranks, intimidation and manipulation. Gigi’s innocence and popularity are threats to her success. Then there’s June, whose stand-offish nature is her weapon. June doesn’t have friends. She has competition. She has a surgical approach in how she analyzes everyone to target their strengths and weaknesses. At times Gigi’s charismatic personality almost breaks down her iciness but June is exceptional at compartmentalizing. Despite their differences,  all three want the same thing: to be the lead in the next production.

These young people undergo intense auditions and grueling rehearsals. It's a sensational environment where things can often get fierce. As the story progresses, the characters become more distraught and desperate. The things they do to each other and to their bodies are horrifying. They make you wonder at what point they lost their moral compass to blur the line between right and wrong. I mean, do they still love the art of ballet, or performing or are they so deeply entrenched in its dark underbelly that they don't know anything else? I know I became more distressed with each chapter as “mishaps” and foul play became more serious. Gigi, who is the only genuine person there, appears to be the innocent lamb nestled deep in the lion’s den.

The feeling I had as I read Tiny Pretty Things was the same jittery feeling I had when watching the tv show Revenge - always on edge because you never know what the next surprise will be. I both cared about and despised these characters for all their heartache and their flaws. There are reasons why Bette and June are as vile as they are but even those don't erase the the truth that these girls are treacherous when it comes to achieving their dreams. At times they’re something to be feared and at others, they’re close to crumbling.

Charaipotra and Clayton have written an enthralling story about bloodthirsty ambition featuring dynamic and diverse characters from different backgrounds, even breaking some stereotypes.  The fact that these characters sway back and forth between being decent and wretched, leaves you guessing as to how things will turn out by the end. 

~ Bel