Senator Meredith Mitchell, member of an American political dynasty, is expected to become the first American female and openly lesbian president. When she meets public defender Stevie Palmer their mutual attraction is undeniable. Stevie is dedicated to her job and has strong convictions. Trying to date a presidential candidate gets tricky when her privacy is threatened but it becomes impossible when one of Steve's clients might implicate the Senator's family in a corruption case. But even the potentially most powerful person in the world needs a chance at love, doesn't she?

This book is part of a group of political-themed thrillers written by this author along with 'Courtship' and 'A more perfect union'. The main characters of those books make an appearance here which is good to catch up with their stories.

There's a huge amount of political content in this book, I wouldn't recommend it to people who aren't interested in the issue. Even for a person knowledgeable in politics it might be too much as the romance is left in the background. The chemistry is limited because the mains are separated most of the book and, unfortunately, the sexual tension isn't hot on the scale either.

The novel also introduces a subplot with one of Steve's cases with potential legal implications for Meredith's family. At parts it is full of legal jargon hard to follow for the rest of us and feels a bit rushed at the end. The political plot follows the Senator's bid for the presidency which is a bit simplified but not enough to avoid some technicalities that might confuse some readers. I personally enjoyed it but I have a degree in political science and an interest in American politics.

Overall, an entertaining read for anyone interested in American politics and its legal system but a bit lacking in the romance department. 3.5 stars.

ARC provided by Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

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3.5 Stars. This was another enjoyable read by Taite. I would not put this in my favorites of Taite pile but I did like this book. A nice little surprise was we get to spend some time with characters from her books Courtship and A More Perfect Union. This book does standalone so you don’t have to read any other first. However, it was nice seeing what Addison and Julia from Courtship was up to so reading Courtship first would be a bonus.

The best way to describe this book would be fluffy politics. It takes place in a wonderful world were most of the highest power positions are run by lesbians. How wonderful to be true, but it’s not and you have to suspend disbelief a bit. Don’t read this book expecting a hard hitting political drama-romance, that’s not this. This is fun politics to keep you mind off of what’s going on in the real world.

The two main characters are Meredith (a presidential candidate) and Stevie (a public defender). I thought Meredith was well written and I enjoyed watching her navigating a run to try to become president. I was totally hooked into her story. I do feel like Stevie’s character was not as well put together. Taite writes lawyers better than most authors, but I felt Stevie’s roll didn’t add much until the end. I felt it was a missed opportunity. I also had a hard time seeing exactly why Meredith was so enamored by Stevie. Stevie was missing that punch for me to make her irresistible. I believed they cared for each other, I just didn’t get the chemistry I really wanted.

My last little quibble is I thought the ending was too short. Other reviewers have mentioned this and they are right on. It was too quick and I needed another chapter or two to really warp up the ending. Luckily this didn’t ruin the story but it does add to why this was not a full 4 star book for me.

I have lost count but I think this is around the 17th full length book I have read by Taite. That’s a lot when you really think about it. And in all that time I have never rated one below 3 stars. Her writing career is pretty amazing. If you are a Taite fan you will probably enjoy this. If you just want some happy politics to take your mind off the real world, this book is for you. If Taite keeps writing, I’ll keep reading.

Another great romance from the gifted writer Carsen Taite she never disappoints her readers. This is a quick read but from the very beginning it pulled me in. I couldn't put it down. I loved how this could be so real to be with someone like Meredith always in the public's eye and fighting for just one night together. This book is fantastic ..........I vote Meredith Mitchell for president.

'ARC provided by both NetGalley and The Publisher in exchange for a fair review'

**'A writer writes not only with their ideas but also with their instincts and their intuition..The skill of writing is to create a context in which many readers can think...'

4.5stars!
Taite's bibliography has been increasing quantitatively and qualitatively year by year and a few months by a few months but for me this her latest effort is far beyond anything she has indulged in. Honing her considerable writing skills and knowledge into an arena fill of politics,romance and legal dramatics that might either send some readers scurrying or taking a chance with this impeccable,fast-paced and at the same time unimaginable well written story.
From the enthusiastic campaign staffers and door knockers to the hardcore Chief of staffs and state or national conventioneers,Ms.Taite brings into vivid focus what its like to work for a candidate anyone support and all the cause in which she (Meredith) truly believe in -- all of which said author explored thoroughly and candidly on these pages that reads like an op-ed to an intriguing story. The complex and sometimes complicated relationship between Meredith & Stevie is both informative and exciting. Also the varied characters mingle with the times and each other,constantly will remind readers of the link between Presidential candidate and Public defender,and also all the dealings with political friends and foes alike. Connections to her family is plentiful throughout this storyline as it features valuable materials drawn from her interactions with them.
With her sister (Jen),Stevie and closest friends by her side,Meredith will rely on all their support,trust,friendship and even their collaborative skills that grew into a strong mutual admiration from all their combine talents which eventually might lead her right to the Oval Office.
The rewards,frustrations,highs,lows,lack of sleep,conflicting thoughts,finding Love and passion for something or anything in which someone truly believe in then this book could not have been better written by anyone but Carsen Taite. Recommended read!

An out presidential candidate (Meredith Mitchell) who is not afraid to follow her heart during campaigning. That is truly utopia. A public defender (Stevie Palmer) who is leery about getting involved with the would-be president. The two women are very interesting characters. The author does an excellent job of keeping their jobs in focus while creating a wonderful romance around the campaign and intense media focus.

Meredith is portrayed lovingly as a mature person with her heart leading her one way while her circumstance is driving her another way. Yet, she is never shown to falter in following her heart. Stevie, on the other hand, is tentative about their relationship, unsure about whether she wants to get drawn in the drama.

Both the women are humanised and their character arcs are consistent. Their feelings for each other are well documented…though they actually only meet about half a dozen times before expressing their love for each other. But since we believe in love at first sight, that is hardly an impossibility for us.

We were a little uncertain about the book when we started precisely because of the context, but Taite has written a book that draws you in. It had us hooked from the first paragraph to the last.

We thoroughly enjoyed this book and would unhesitatingly recommend it.

I loved everything. the story was Not fast not slow it was just perfect. I honestly wished she'd lose the whole thing because it seem so far fetched to believe something as big as thins in reality yet at the end thankfully she stoped and left it to the imagination in some certain way.
Very recommended

I was giving free copy in exchange of honest opinion

ARC received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is political book with a bit of romance.

Senator Meredith Mitchell is a successful and popular senator because she seems to do the right thing for the people. When she get a chance to run for presidency she take it but it comes at a cost as much she like politics she wishes she had someone to share her life with.

In comes Stevie Palmer a public defender attorney who works for the federal government. Stevie knows what hard work is because she had to work to make a life for herself with no support.

When they meet there is a attraction but because Meredith is in the public eye Stevie doesn't want any part of it but as they settle for a friendship the line is drawn between being friends or something more.

This book is set in some sort of political utopia where the upper echelons of power (the chief justice, multiple White House staff, and potentially the next president) are crawling with relatively young, good-looking lesbians, the current president is a Democrat with the highest favorability ratings in history, and Texas has a female Democratic senator. On one hand, I suppose that sounds like a pretty nice world to live in! Given the current state of affairs, I can understand wanting to escape into that. But on the other hand, I think I prefer political books to reflect and comment on our current reality. After just having read Charlotte Walsh Likes To Win and seeing how that book explored the realities of being a woman in a stressful campaign during the 2018 midterms, this book's take on politics seemed almost unbearably fluffy at times. Also, I thought it was very weird that despite the political landscape in the book looking nothing like the real one, the author inserted several real-life problems (Russians infiltrating social media, a WikiLeaks-like organization releasing hacked emails), which caused a bit of scandal, but nothing like the systemic issues and huge consequences they have in reality. So, that rang a bit false to me--why inject these major real-life issues into a world that doesn't have the consequences that we're facing because of them? Yes the characters face some issues throughout the book, but at the end of the day everything is fluffy and wonderful for both them and the country.

However, I don't mean to be too hard on the book--it's a romance, so it can be forgiven a bit of fluff, and I can understand why someone would enjoy escaping into a world that is full of successful, good-looking lesbians and Democrats enjoying tons of political success, and where we don't have a narcissistic buffoon in the White House. I think I am too much of a hardened political junkie to really take all that very seriously (though I would certainly trade our current government for it if I could!), but the romance was cute and enjoyable. I won't read any other books in this series, but I would recommend this for readers who want a light romance and don't mind a lot of details about a political campaign set in a fantasy political climate.

Two women meet by chance and find there's an instant connection however both women know that nothing more can come from this strange an instant attraction. The first woman is Stevie Palmer, A public defender attorney working for the federal government. Stevie learned at an early age that it was up to her to work hard to make a life for herself as she had no support or encouragement from her family. So all she knows is hard work with little time for anything else. The second woman is senator Meredith Mitchell, a successful and popular senator because she seems to do the right thing for people, she's kind and considerate and well bred into politics. Meredith comes from a successful political family and she has worked hard her whole career because she believed representing people was an important job and needed her full attention . However lately Meredith is tired of having her personal life take a backseat to politics and she wished she had a partner in her life. She believes Stevie is that person, however given Meredith's rise in the political system and the notoriety that is attached to it Stevie wants no part of that type of lifestyle. Meredith and Stevie develop a very sweet friendship that suddenly changes with a kiss. Is it possible for these two to have a relationship against all odds or is the political system with all of its ramifications too much for the two of them?

This is a terrific book and Carson Taite is a very gifted writer. She does not let her writing get distracted by non-relevant information that does not lead to store forward forward she does not let her writing get distracted by non-relevant information that does not lead to story forward . The way she developed the two characters of Meredith and Steve he drew me in from the very beginning of the story. When I finish the story I immediately re-read it because it was just that good.

This was a quick, fun and sexy read. The time jumps were a little jarring, but the story was interesting enough to make it easy to keep reading. It was enjoyable to read about a political landscape filled with out-and-proud LGBTQIA+ folks winning elections. I hope we can really have a President Mitchell someday!

This book is dense. And my lack of interest in politics make me the very last person who should be speaking about it.  But I will give my opinion anyway,  with all the respect this author deserves.

I do not want to go into much detail. I would love to live for real the situation this story raises, really, but many times I've found myself a bit lost in the thickness of the language, making me unfocused. The case that Stevie is defending in court is confusing and unintelligible for me. And Meredith forced by the events must take some difficult decisions but sure she could handle some of them much better. And the development of the story is a bit in the run, with jumps in time, sometimes it seems that things are missing.

So, mainly because I would like the issue to come true sometime and as a thank you to the author for giving us hope in the midst of the current situation, I will not value it in a negative way.

I am a big fan of Carsen Taite's books. I love the plots she writes, I love practically everything about her books. Color me biased, but I'm in love with all the expert terminology in law and the cases she presents in the books. This book is no exception! Plus, her characters are always likeable and they seem real.
I was very fond of Stevie and Meredith and their relationship, the way it was developing seemed real and down to earth; it was some fatal love on first sight, even though there was attraction between these two from the beginning.
One thing I wasn't very fond of, however, was the end. It seemed abrupt, rushed and somehow cut short. I am partial to more rounded, more detailed endings, and this one wasn't like that. Besides that one point, the book is fantastic! 4.5 stars