Damn, does this book live up to it's title! The drama, the angst, the simmering romance--this book has it all and it does it so well. There's something about rich people drama that gets me invested every single time. Add a forbidden romance at the center of it, and I'm completely sold. I absolutely loved the high-stakes romance between Rachel and Nathan, I wanted them to be together sooo bad. I had no idea how it would all turn out in the end, which kept me flipping Kindle pages to find out. There were so many moments that had me gasping out loud, including near the end when their relationship is exposed to the community. I thought everything wrapped up the way I wanted it to, with Rachel getting everything she rightfully deserved from her dickhead ex-husband and finally being able to take her relationship with Nathan into the public eye. And I may be wrong but was a Joe-Mia relationship hinted at for book 2? If so, I'm here for it and either way, I'm excited to see what Regina Black comes out with next!

[4.5 rounded up] WHEW. I love a political drama, I love a scandal, and I love good art. To see all THREE combined in a sexy romance that is also a commentary on identity politics. the realities of life for POC women, and more? HOT DANG this book was good. My singular complaint is that I wish the book would have been tightened up to spend more time on the central cast and less on the side characters. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the free advance copy.

3.5 stars rounded up!

I enjoyed this spicy romance novel throughout, though it was definitely darker and angstier than I was expecting. We follow the story of the destruction of Rachel's high profile marriage to a politician, and her subsequent new relationship (while still married for optics).

I did understand the reasoning behind many of the decisions of the main characters, but it was still hard to fully understand/root for them. I felt like it was difficult to understand why Rachel had married her husband in the first place, or really why she had stayed with him for so long. The person she is portrayed as seems so opposite of her past.

My main gripe in this novel is just the number of side characters. So many just pop up a couple times and are just referred to by their first name. It was very difficult to keep track, and eventually I just had to let the story wash over me without really knowing who every person was.

This was a like, but not a love.

4/5
i was lucky enough to read a very very very early copy of this book for a class, but i wanted to see what it looked like after going through multiple rounds of editing! the way it was developed into the story it is now is fascinating and i cant recommend this one enough for romance fans! i had a lot of fun with it and can’t wait to see what else this author does!

WOW! This book was amazing! It is definitely going to be one of my top reads of 2023.

Imagine if Desperate Housewives had a baby with the show Scandal and you have the vibes for this book! I was hooked from the beginning by the talented words Regina Black wrote. I can't believe this is a debut. If you love a good soapy nighttime drama, then this is the romance for you.

Read this for:
- Age gap
- Forced proximity
- Forbidden love
- A little political drama
- Workplace
- He is GONE FOR HER
- ALL THE DRAMA!

Rachel has been the perfect wife to Matt for years while he builds his political career. Then her world crumbles when she finds out he has been having an affair. In her spiral, she meets Nathan and she starts to reawaken to the woman she was. The woman she thought she would be one day.

Nathan is the second born of one of the top influential and wealthy families in the area. He has rejected the family business but has been wandering for years without a clear direction. When he meets Rachel, things begin to shift for him.

As the two connect, build a friendship that turns into lovers, they both realize how much the other one is bringing out the best in one another. The problem is that the timing is terrible and them being together could cause a scandal for both their families.

I loved how Regina wove so many things into this story and interconnected them flawlessly. There is so much that happens on these pages and it's fast paced but not in a way that felt too rushed. You will be taken for a scandalous right. The title is perfection for this book. I could not put it down because I was so engrossed in all the things happening between Rachel and Nathan, both their families, and all the lies and buried truths that came out.

THE THINGS NATHAN SAYS! My heart! I was stunned into full on heart swells by all the beautiful and sometimes tortured things Nathan would say. It was highly romantic and my heart could barely take it all because it was just so good.

I'm over hear wanting so much more now. I can't wait to see what Regina writes next. I also am really hoping there are some more books in this universe... you know for Mia and Joe! I really obsessively need their HEA! Plus this setting is so good, I need more!!

Thank you to Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

The Art of Scandal is a visceral gut punch of a book and I WILL be recommending this to everyone I know. The prose is lyrical and beautiful without sacrificing a single inch of pace, and the characters are so lived in and real that I half-expect to pass one of them on the street. Watching both Rachel and Nathan overcome toxic family situations and learn how to carve out space for themselves in their lives while also allowing themselves to be loved was a joy, but the true star and standout of this book is Rachel as she comes to terms with just how much of herself she's given up and allowed to be squashed in support of her husband's political career. I saw so many pieces of women in my own life who have lived similar lives in this book, and watching Rachel take back control of her own life to chase the dreams she put on hold was extraordinarily cathartic. Cannot recommend this one enough.

on the night of her husband Matt’s fortieth birthday, Rachel Abbott receives a sexy, explicit text from her husband that she quickly realizes was meant for another woman. Divorce is inevitable,but Rachel is determined not to leave her thirteen-year marriage empty handed so she strikes a deal with him: she gets one million dollars and their lavish house if she remains his trophy wife until after th election. But then Rachel meets Nathan Vasquez.

Listen, from the very FIRST line of this book, I was hooked! I could not put this book down! I actually had to force myself to slow down to savor this book. It was well written, fast paced, humorous, sexy and REAL all at once.

It's been so long since i read a well rounded book, I'd almost forgotten what it's like.

It was just so SATISFYING right until the end.

READ THIS BOOK.
It's really my first real, no thought, 5 star read of the year.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

This book captivated me from the first page. It deals with remembering you are and living in your truth!

This book was good! I found it delivered on heat, backstory, angst, and passion. However it’s pacing sometimes felt off. Was this a good read? Yes. Will it be in my top 10? No.

Well-written, compelling, and very fast-paced. I will definitely want to read more from Regina Black in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the free e-copy.

Equal parts sexy, heart wrenching, and insightful, this book kept me enthralled from page one. When Rachel, the Black, perfectly composed wife of a white “progressive” politician, finds out her husband is a lying, cheating scumbag, she realizes she can’t stay in a life that’s forced her to suppress who she is to be palatable for her husband’s base.

Determined not to leave the marriage with nothing after propping him up for over a decade, she agrees to delay the divorce until after his election. But things get complicated when she meets Nathan, the beautiful, brooding artist who challenges her to find herself again. Torn between the security she’s always needed and the love she’s always deserved, Rachel will have to decide what future she wants.

The book does a phenomenal job of balancing all aspects of the story. Humorous and angst, sexy and loving, all while looking at how a persons experiences and identity impact the way they see the world, and the way the world sees them.

Rachel and Nathan were as irresistible to me as they were to each other!

Perfect for fans of Tia Williams’ Seven Days in June.

I absolutely loved this book. I devoured it in a singe day. The characterization is spot on and conflict kept me turning the pages. The Art of Scandal is the book I never knew I needed!! Highly recommend and can't wait to see what this author writes next!!

I really enjoyed this book! What reeled me in was the main character. There should be more books with women 40+ either finding love or finding love again. Love isn't always easy or pretty--this book had just enough mess. I definitely would recommend this to a friend.

The Art of Scandal is the story of Rachel, the wife of a scheming politician who is running for election. While their marriage is fizzling, Matt is all too quick to use her to his advantage for the campaign. When Rachel finds out he’s cheating on her, Matt agrees to pay her in order to keep the news from the press. Rachel will be the perfect wife one last time…except she’s finally trying to figure out who she is again. What happened to the artist she once was? Rachel meets Nathan, a young artist who is fascinated by Rachel. Will Rachel keep her bargain with Matt or pursue her passion with Nathan?

The Art of Scandal is an outstanding debut. Rachel is a character that you won’t be able to look away from. The explosive opening scene drew me in- from the dialogue to the deep secrets exposed. Nathan and Rachel have excellent chemistry and find each other right when both of their worlds are changing. Their romance is captivating!! Nathan’s difficult relationship with his father Beto is exacerbated when Beto receives a cancer diagnosis. Nathan’s grief and sense of loss upon hearing this news felt realistically portrayed. I really enjoyed Rachel’s relationship with her daughter Faith and how connected they were.

I hope there are more stories in this world! The Art of Scandal is an unputdownable and scandalously good romance. I am so impressed with this debut and eager to see what Regina Black writes next!

Thank you so much to Regina Black, Grand Central Publishing, and Netgalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review

For publisher: My review will be posted on Instagram, Goodreads, Amazon, Storygraph, and Barnes & Noble etc

Throughout my life, there have been several main characters I've felt close to, a few I've wanted to hang out with, and a handful I've wanted as my besties forever. And then there's Rachel Abbott. Rachel, babe, you are it for me. I would blow up my life for you. I would go to war for you. You need me, anytime, anywhere? I'm so there.

The Art of Scandal by the brilliant Regina Black is a story about a woman who gives up so much of herself, her dreams, even her personality to be the perfect, supportive wife of a Very Important Political Darling. In perhaps one of the strongest first chapters of any book I have ever read, Rachel finds out in one of the worst possible ways that her hubs is a cheating POS. Going full scorched earth, as she damn well should!, Rachel finds herself another man. She just doesn't realize this other man—the younger, tattooed, text-flirt-extraordinaire, Nathan—is THE man. Rachel and Nathan are not in good places. They aren't ready for the obvious connection they have. There are SO MANY REASONS they just can't right now. But, too bad my babies, good luck trying to stay away from each other while I scream at my kindle "YOU'RE PERFECT TOGETHER WHY CAN'T YOU SEE IT????"

This book is gorgeous, enraging, steamy, sweet, real, uncompromising, and satisfying as hell. Regina Black's writing is so good, evocative and emotional and so sharp sometimes it lacerates (one specific line made me shout out loud like I'd been punched in the stomach. I'm still not over it). If you bow to Kennedy Ryan the way I do, my friends, this one is for you.

I loved every second of this spectacular book, and I am so grateful to the author, Grand Central, and NetGalley for this ARC. Pardon me while I go back for a reread.

4.25⭐️

This is going to be a perfect debut romance novel for the summer with the right amounts of steaminess!

When I first heard about this book while doing one of my deep dive searches for new reads on goodreads, I was immediately intrigued and I knew I wanted to read this book in whatever shape or form I can get my hands on. I was not disappointed.

Regina Black did a great job bringing me, the reader, into this story filled with different kind of complex relationships, either being familial, romantic, or friendships, and how they mold you into the person you become. Additionally, with everything going on in the story between the two love interests, Rachel and Nathan, I really enjoyed how practical it was. In my experience with romance, things can something feel to fictionalized and fairytale-like which is something I greatly enjoy in romance novels, but I appreciated Black not going down that route especially with issues such as, possible divorce, family tensions, being a token black woman, imposter syndrome, and etc., looming over the characters heads.

Aside from that, I did find the pacing just a little to quick within the book. I would have loved for certain scenes between Nathan and Rachel to be dragged out more with a little more detail instead of only seeing small moments with them. There was a lot of time skips and I really wanted to slow down absorb everything happening. When I first started reading the book, this issue definitely threw me off, but I slowly fell in line with how the story was being told.

With that being said, I found this to be a pretty addicting read, and would definitely recommend to those who enjoys:
- age gaps
- black FMCS
- art/artists
- stories set in political setting (although I wouldn’t say this is like Scandal)
- hot tattooed men

content warning: teen homelessness, teen pregnancy, infidelity.

With stunning prose and a page-turning plot, Regina Black's debut is sharp from the very first page and emotionally gripping right through the last. Rachel and Nathan's relationships with their family and friends are given the same thoughtful depth and attention as their steamy, addictive romance, and Rachel in particular is a protagonist whose story will stick with me.

I cannot go on and on about how GOOD THis book was. It was hot, It was steamy. It had heart. I cannot wwait to read more from Regina Black

Such a good debut! I loved Rachel and Nathan and their forbidden, spicy romance. Reader beware, there is infidelity in this novel, but that doesn't bother me. It worked for the story and I was still rooting for Rachel and Nathan. I hated when I had to put this down and couldn't stop thinking about it when I wasn't reading it! It does get a little bogged down in the middle, but overall this is a great debut and I would definitely recommend it!

This was a debut? HOLY HELL!
This book was phenomenal. Truly. Phenomenal. All I knew was that the cover was hot. But the inside? Just as good.
Like, I knew from the second page I’d be hooked. I will read whatever Regina Black writes. WHATEVER!!