Release Date: May 19, 2015
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...
Let me start by saying that Chanel Cleeton's International School series is one of my favorite contemporary romance series of all time. I was looking forward to reading Flirting With Scandal but didn't think it could possibly live up to my love of I See London and London Falling. I am happy to say that I was wrong.
Jackie is a different heroine than I usually read, not going to lie. She's sassy and straightforward and committed to not being committed to anything but her job. I loved how incredibly complex she was - at times, she was so sure of herself and at others, so completely lost. We get to follow along and see how strong and smart she is, especially when it comes to politics, as well as see her carefully constructed walls fall bit by bit as she realizes there might be more to her life than just being boss as her job.
It takes a certain story, with interesting characters and wonderful writing, for me to buy duel point of view. I loved reading Will's thoughts and seeing Jackie through his eyes. I gotta say, he seems to be the perfect man - sweet, charming, smart, sexy. I fell for him almost as quickly as Jackie. I'm not one to require some traumatized or damaged character, but I wish that there was something about Will that could be relatable to Jackie's messed up life, just a little. Will is still so incredibly swoon-worthy, I was banging my head against a wall when Jackie was being so stubborn.
I thought the novel did a good job balancing sexy times and normal times; normal as in, people doing everyday things, like Jackie actually doing her job in Will's campaign and her interactions with Mitch, Will's campaign manager. I liked seeing Jackie in her element and Will's struggles with the campaigning part of politics - it was an interesting dynamic with the politician being uncomfortable in his supposed element and the strategist being the more confident of the two. And those sexy times...phew *fans self*. Jackie and Will have incredible sexual chemistry and are a joy to read - hilarious and witty and smart, their quips make me laugh and swoon.
Flirting With Scandal was a wild emotional ride with two incredibly strong, charming characters that drew me in from the start. I loved their chemistry and the tensions surrounding politics, politicians, and political campaigns - the good and the bad, the pretty and the ugly. Cleeton created a sassy, sexy romance that I loved almost as much as I love Will, and I can't wait for Playing With Trouble.
*I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Originally a Florida girl, Chanel Cleeton moved to London where she received a bachelor’s degree from Richmond, The American International University in London and a master’s degree from the London School of Economics and Political Science. Chanel fell in love with London and planned to stay there forever, until fate intervened on a Caribbean cruise and a fighter pilot with smooth dance moves swept her off her feet. Now, a happily ever after later, Chanel is living her next adventure.
Law school made Chanel realize she’d rather spend her days writing sexy stories than in a courtroom, and she hasn’t looked back since. An avid reader and hopeless romantic, she’s happiest curled up with a book. She has a weakness for handbags, her three pups, and her husband.
Chanel writes contemporary romances and women's fiction. She is published by Harlequin HQN, Penguin/InterMix, and Penguin/Berkley and is the author of the International School, Capital Confessions, and Wild Aces series.
Happy Reading!
Jasmine
