I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

In the beginning we find out that Rachel’s husband, who is the mayor and also a white man, is having an affair. She wants to divorce him but due to her husband being in campaign season it isn’t the optics he needs at the time. Rachel had always moved things around in her life for husband but what he is suggesting leads Rachel to storm out the house and start reflecting. Where she meets Nathan for the first time.
This was a great debut that had me in a chokehold from the beginning. Great writing and pacing are the made this a real enjoy


T hank you Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ebook in exchange for an honest review.

Rating:4.25/5

The Art of Scandal truly delivers on its title! It has scandal, angst, and ALL the sultry vibes! And I just loved seeing how Rachel and Nathan’s shared passion for art helped them heal and rediscover parts of themselves.

This is one of the best debuts of the year and I truly cannot wait to see what Regina Black writes next!

Thank you to Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for my arc and finished copy.

The Art of Scandal by Regina Black is a captivating masterpiece, brimming with passion, warmth, and an intriguing blend of romance, artistic aspirations, political turmoil, and unexpected love.

Wow, I cannot believe this was the author’s debut novel. Despite the cover and title, this book was about so much more than scandal and steam (though don’t worry — it had all of it). I am so happy I got this arc because I will be recommending it!!

The Art of Scandal focuses on complicated family dynamics, messy marriages and affairs, being in the public eye, losing and finding yourself, social dynamics, and so much more. The writing was so well-done, and I was so drawn in throughout the entire story. I loved this!

I saw The Art of Scandal described as a mix of the tv shows The Good Wife and The Housewives of the Potomac with a heavy dose of How Stella Got Her Groove Back and Scandal. That's pretty accurate since The Art of Scandal has politics, messy family situations, high-society drama, and a slow-burn age-gap romance.

At its core, this book is about a woman who lost herself in her marriage. I couldn't help but feel for Rachel as she navigated the demise of her marriage while rekindling her passion for art and meeting a young artist with whom she has an intense connection.

I can't recommend this book enough! The Art of Scandal is definitely one of my top reads for this year. I was hooked from the startling open line til the satisfying conclusion. I loved this debut novel's focus on finding love in unexpected places and family.

I hope Regina Black gives us more stories set in this same world. There are so many characters that I would like to know more about, like Mia & Joe, and Sofia.

Thank you to Grand Central Publishing for a copy of this book.

"𝘙𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘭 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘬𝘦 𝘶𝘱 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘢𝘵....𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘴𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘬 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘳𝘢𝘸 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯. 𝘏𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘵𝘺 𝘴𝘬𝘦𝘵𝘤𝘩𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴 𝘩𝘦'𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘨𝘯𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘩𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘦."

Add this to your TBR immediately! I don't say that too often and mean it the way that I do right now. This debut novel is breathtaking and I just want to take the time to say thank you Regina for not giving up on this dream. The Art of Scandal is by far one of my favorite reads of the year. There is so much pain along with the romance in this story, it will take you on a journey that made it hard for me to put down. I found myself hooked from the very start and on the look out for Ms. Olivia Pope when things really started to go down. Again I want to praise this phenomenal debut, I cannot wait to see what Regina has in store. Thank you @netgalley and @grandcentralpub for this advanced copy for my honest review!

𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦:
+ age gap
+ the world of art
+ family drama/trauma
+ forbidden romance
+ Scandal vibes
+ political drama

I was intrigued as soon as I saw the cover for this book. The story absolutely lives up to the amazing cover. Rachel has to deal with the fact that her husband is having an affair but she doesn’t want to leave a 13 year marriage with nothing. They agree to stay together until his election and she will get $1 million. What Rachel is not counting on with meeting the artist Nathan, and having some sort of instant connection with him. The story has so many nuances and shows you that there is not always a right or wrong, but generally an in between gray. It also shows a difference of how and affair is seen when a man does it then when a woman does. It also shows how society views a black woman differently in the situation, that Rachel finds herself in. The attraction between Rachel and Nathan is like reading fire on the pages. There’s also an emotional depth to their feelings that surprises both of them. I also like the way the book really examines how both Rachel and Nathan do you think about the repercussions of their actions on their families. This is a book that shows love can be complicated and messy yet can succeed.

The Art of Scandal by Regina Black is a layered, complex and beautifully written debut novel - I couldn't even tell because it was so well crafted. While it's about outside my usual contemporary reads, I enjoyed the reverse age gap and true soulmates trope. Black infused this story with so much joy, angst, and personal growth that I am still thinking about it a few days laters. Rachel, the FMC, gets the chance to rediscover who she is after being married for quite some time - she had completely lost her identity to support her husband and his career. I laughed, teared up, and wanted it to work out with Nathan so badly. This book kept me on my toes with a few twists and was just so darn good! I highly recommend!

4.5 stars

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

What a sexy debut novel!

Rachel meets a man who transforms her life from being the Mayor’s wife to the women she dreamt of living. Rachel and Nathan’s sexual chemistry sizzles through the pages. From its opening chapter, this novel captivated my reading time.

Throw in some politics, a scandal and some naughty behavior and you’ve got yourself book you can’t put down.

Simply based on its cover, you know this book will be scintillating read.
Older women, younger guy romance - I’m here for it!

Thank you Grand Central Publishing for the complimentary copy.

Loved the drama in this story. It kept my interest from beginning to end. Loved the scandal and all the political aspects as well. This was well written and definitely steamy. The two leads had great chemistry and the aha moments kept me on the edge of my seat. I look forward to more by this author. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I wanted to like this book better than I actually did. The premise (basically, Scandal) was so enticing. There was some lovely prose, and I will definitely read the author’s next work as she has a lot of promise.

My main gripe was that there was a lot of telling, not a lot of showing, about how the two main characters connected. It made it very hard to buy into their relationship, which is obviously the crux of the entire book. Without that I wasn’t invested enough in them to care about what happened.

Also, I am not sure if she is trying to set this book up for spin off’s, but there are clearly backstory‘s and relationships between other characters that were not really fully explored. The book seemed a bit incestuous and unrealistic in the ways that every single character was connected to someone else.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I loved this book. I love a debut novel, especially when I can tell how much love and care the author has put into it. There was so much more than just Nathan and Rachel’s romance, every part of their individual and combines stories were so complicated and messy and it was written so well. I could read a book on just Rachel and just Nathan.

It was so chaotic, but in such a good way. There was way more blurred lines and grey than black and white and it was so good. Nathan and Rachel meet right after she finds out her husband is cheating on her then they eventually end up working together for gala that his mother is heavily involved it. It is a wild ride. And both Nathan and Rachel do a lot of hard work figuring out who they really are as individuals and where they belong in their lives. This is a story about reclaiming your life and finding your passion and now having the right people in your life can make all the difference.

The way the story is set up there isn’t a ton of just fluffy romance between Rachel and Nathan. There’s mostly tension, longing, hoping, lots of texting, and sneaking off to be together. It’s never really easy to be together, but when they are together…it’s SO GOOD. They really see each other and it’s seemingly the first time in each of their lives that that’s happened. And they way they have it SO BAD for each other?? The way Nathan refuses to call himself and artist but is now all of a sudden sketching Rachel CONSTANTLY?? I love them.

Thank you to Netgalley and Grand Central Publishing for this ARC in exchange for an honest review! I’m already so excited to see what’s next for Regina Black!

This book was well written and captivating but just wasn’t for me. Cheating just isn’t sexy to me, sorry. This book just didn’t do it for me. This wasn’t a bad book by any means, I just couldn’t connect to it but would recommend if cheating was one of your tropes.

I requested this book after seeing a lot of positive feedback on Good Reads and other good buzz on social media, but I have to admit that I didn't love it. I like books that "show, don't tell" - this one is all tell. Every time we meet a new character, we get a two page backstory. It really took away from the story.

This book had me HOOKED from the very first chapter all the way through to “The End.” I literally could not put this book down and read it all in less than one day – it was one of those “sneak read on your kindle app on your phone at dinner” books.

Rachel has given up her passions, her life, her art, to be Mrs. Abbott, the first lady of DC in support of her husband and rising political star, Matt. How does Matt repay her? By sending her a pic that was intended for his mistress on his 40th birthday. She meets Nathan as she’s running away from her “picture perfect” life, and the chemistry and passion is palpable. This book has drama, scandal, wealthy family posturing, and a sizzling forbidden age gap romance. I really loved watching Rachel reclaim her voice and worth throughout the story, as well as how Nathan’s genuine heartfelt support while she battled the social-political generational institutions working against her.

Thank you Netgalley & Grand Central Publishing for the advanced review copy, and for #Joyfulchaosbookclub for hosting the buddy read! I can’t wait to read more from Regina!

The Art of Scandal is a book about strength and love. While there are elements of politics, the book mainly centers around the female lead, Rachel, and her emotions and reactions concerning her husband's actions. She's not the type of character to be walked over and played with, but the type to do what she has to make things work for her and eventually find exactly who she's supposed to be. There is an age gap between the female and male leads, but it's not that serious, and they have a lot of chemistry. Regina Black does a great job at building her characters and giving them the depth to change and become better for one another. Although not my favorite, it's still a solid read.

For thirteen years, Rachel Abbott has been the picture-perfect wife to Matt. On the night of his fortieth birthday, she discovers that he is having an affair. Rachel decides to take advantage of her upper hand - she wants a million dollars and their house in exchange for pretending to be Matt's happy wife for his political campaign. It isn't until she meets twenty-six-year-old Nathan Vasquez that she questions the deal that she made with Matt. Nathan awakens something in Rachel that has been dormant for over thirteen years. Their romance is their saving grace even though it could destroy both of their families.

If you know me, you know that age gap romances are my jam, especially if it's a story about an older woman and a younger man. There is something so deliciously salacious about it and this book blew me away!

Rachel was a captivating character. She lived a muted version of herself for many years and her unraveling was fascinating. I could feel the visceral pull that Nathan felt towards Rachel from the moment they met. Their love formed when they were going through some painful experiences and it was inevitable that they would crash and burn. I didn't know what to expect on their journey and I loved every second of it.

This was an AMAZING debut novel! Regina Black's smart and insightful writing in this book took me on a beautifully emotionally complex journey. I love it when a romance story is more than just a romance story. Black weaved themes of race, class, gender inequities, and maternal sacrifices into this intriguing story about a woman falling apart and finding herself again. One of the most impressive parts of this novel was the depth of the characters. They were fully formed and I found myself wanting to learn more about each of them.

I can't wait to see what Regina Black writes next...and I am hoping it's about Nathan's brother Joe and his ex Mia!

You MUST READ this sizzling age gap romance! It will be one of my top reads of the summer!

Steam level: 🔥🔥🔥
⚠️: infidelity (not between the main characters), brain tumor, panic attacks, stroke, death of a parent, mention of homelessness & cancer

5/5 - This book was outstanding. Regina Black is a wonderful writer - her ability to set a mood, capture a feeling and create a world of real, interesting, flawed and captivating characters through thoughtful prose and smart dialogue was incredible. I was completely absorbed in this story and the questions and feelings it brought up for me.

Per usual I didn’t read the overview, I simply dove in after several recommendations and I’m so glad I did. The age gap, forbidden love and art world themes will hit if you (like me) loved The Idea of You. And there are some major Scandal (another fave of mine) vibes, too. While Rachel’s husband is a politician, and that impacts her life in a major way, the book wasn’t about that per se. To me, it was about identity, self discovery and trusting yourself. About sacrifices, taking risks, familial and societal expectations, holding on to the past, self forgiveness and of course, hope and love. In the epilogue, Black writes “This is a book about all the different shapes of love. It’s about how passion creates us, hurts us, and heals us, but also shows us who we really are.” I can’t say it better than that.

The chemistry and heat between Rachel and Nathan is next level. But I also loved how they truly find themselves in and through each other. This story is full of passion and solid drama but it’s also thought provoking and insightful. I couldn’t put it down and suggest you snap it up when it’s released on August 1st! I can’t wait to read more from Regina Black!

Thank you to @netgalley, Grand Central and Regina Black for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Plot was interesting. Cover art was amazing so I had high hopes. Unfortunately, the storyline and characters didn’t keep me engaged.

I think The Idea of You is a fair comparison- I really enjoyed this one. Not too steamy, but great chemistry and tension. I really enjoyed this one!