I was really excited about this one, but for me right now, contemporaries have not been doing it for me. I think I may revisit this when I'm not just devouring historicals, but for now, it isn't for me.

Think HTGAWM meets Scandal crossover. Rachel though is no stranger to scandal but when we meet her she is a hallow version of herself until her bum husband cheats and isn't very sloppy about it. For a debut Black weaves in the internal struggle of being in IR with a trust fund baby who thinks she should be greatful. In a heated argument Matt said he pulled her out of the gutter (definitely was seething when I read it) but then also acknowledged his career, his standing she had so much to do with curating it for him. See why he's a bum.

Now enters in lost puppy Nathan not sure where he's going but knows he is passively living. I think it was interesting to couple these 2 together when they are both at a crossroads. Love can be inconvenient but what I loved was Nathan actively trying to be present even if it wasn't perfect. He struggled with insecurities, anger. and loneliness. My heart ached for him bc I felt his struggle so while I was rooting for them I also wanted him to (really both of them) to have an easier chance for love.

While these two were struggling to stay away from each other we also read a strong theme of family obligations, how it impacts relationships, causes misunderstandings, and it could rob you from forgiveness. This alone can be a review in its self. I have so many highlights, this was such a good read and infused with art- chef's kiss

I have been waiting to read this book since 2021, and it was worth the wait! It's about identity, family expectations, learning to forgive yourself and a romance all wrapped up into one.

The Art of Scandal is a mix of Desperate Housewives, Scandal and The Good Wife where Rachel, who has transformed herself into the perfect politician's wife, learns her husband is cheating on her when she receives a dick pic that he meant for his mistress. He's a white, liberal mayor, and she became the cardboard cutout of a Black woman who was a teenage mother and was lifted out of poverty through their marriage. Once their facade drops, Rachel is convinced to stay in the marriage until after the election cycle ends in exchange for $1M and ownership of their house.

On the night Rachel learns of the affair, she meets Nathan Vasquez, a younger Latinx man who is also struggling to find his identity. He's the spare son who has been in the shadow of his perfect older brother and domineering father. When Nathan and Rachel meet there's a pull toward each other neither can deny, and through a lot of interconnected people, forced-proximity and a forbidden relationship compel each to decide what will make them happy, and if they'll be brave enough to pursue it.

Regina Black's prose made each scene appear like a movie in my head, where I learned people's secrets while being introduced to them and I was still shocked by some of the twists! I hope Regina will write a future book about the side characters because there are a lot of layers among the group, and there are some hints and cliffhangers that I would love to see resolved - especially Mia and Joe! I also would like more steam, but that is a personal preference!

I'm looking forward to what Regina writes next, and am so glad to have read her debut.

Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for an eARC in exchange for a review.
Pub date: Aug. 1

This book was recommended by Sarah from Sarah’s Bookshelves Live and I absolutely loved it. It is a smart, sexy and original romance, breaking the typical romance formula and not falling into the dreaded lack of communication trope. I truly cared about both protagonists, and loved the art woven in, as well as the friends and family introduced. Yes, it is steamy, but I think even appreciators of more closed door romances would be drawn in because of the high quality writing and story development. I loved this one!

A lot of traditionally published romance novels have been flattened down to be toothless, take no stand, and touch on nothing controversial. That is not this book. It has bite. It's voicey and opinionated, tough and smart. It's also very sexy and hopeful.

This book is sexy, seductive, important, heartfelt. It's a romance that starts at a time when both main characters are adrift - unsure of their next steps, living a half life. But Black gives them time to grow, both together and separately. Nothing feels rushed.

I loved Rachel and Nathan - usually in romance novels I like one person more than the other but honestly both were so strong. Complex, deep, confused yet independent, struggling to find themselves. I loved the age gap - the fact that Nathan always had to be older and Rachel never had anyone take care of her. "He had always been attracted to women with ambition because it required a level of confidence he didn't have." He truly worships her - loves her for everything she is and everything she wants to be.

Then we have the art, which adds to the seductiveness of the story. The way Nathan looks at art, the way Rachel loves art even when she wasn't allowed to do it the way she wanted to. Their art is deep, their love of art is deep, and helps to form their connection.

Side characters - Matt is GARBAGE. Like you know he's garbage from the first sentence *which never has a first sentence in a book made me as excited since Tia Williams Seven Days in June*. But he gets worseeeee. I loved his brother. I loved Nathan's brother Joe, and his mom and Dad. I loved Mia and Rachel's extended family. Understanding and learning about Rachel and Nathan's family helps to give a broader view of who they both are. Nathan's relationship with his dad, realizing that he loves him "an extension of your soul in someone else". Like truly tears.

And I have to talk about the racial aspects of this book. Matt, being a white man married to a Black woman. Using his "platform" to make rants that show he's a good white person, a woke white person. And the utter exhaustion Rachel feels. Those scenes felt so real - ripped from everyday relationships. "She never told him it was exhausting...". "Kind of like being married to a white man, I guess. Some parts fit. Others don't. Try to have more that fits." - GOSH THAT IS PERFECT.

Plus the background of the town, and how Alesha's family had owned the bank until the Vasquez family abandoned them. The cross-racial history woven into the story just elevated it even more. The comments on racism in the art community. All of it made such a well rounded story.

Lastly, I was SHOCKED by the Matt mistress reveal. But I loved the way Black wrapped up the story.

I need a Joe and Mia story STAT.

I wish I could write as thoughtful and nuanced a review as this book deserves. First of all, what a debut. I look forward to reading many more book from this author. Her voice is clear and sharp and smart and I was hooked on the story.

The book is messy. Not that it's sloppily written, I mean the plot the messy. The book opens with our heroine, Rachel, finding out her husband has been having an affair for months and wants to leave his wife for his mistress. She learns this while hosting his 40th bday party. Theirs is an IR marriage, she is Black, he is white, wealthy, the mayor of their rich little exclusive town, and has dreams of running for the U.S. Senate. Rachel gave up her whole identity and her own dreams to basically become Matt's wife, the supportive partner. She was a teen mom, homeless for at a time and the way that Matt plays on her background to curry votes is sickening but also accurate. Something this book does extremely well is the commentary on race relations and racism, on allyship and how performative it can be.

Enter Nathan, younger than Rachel by 11 years (she's 37, he's been 26). He has secrets of his own. Secrets about who he is, his family, his art, his dreams. He is hiding and Rachel is done with hiding who she is. It's an interesting dichotomy, these two have, the instant attraction is there, of course, but it's fascinating that Nathan just wants to hide his existence and Rachel finally wants to come into the light and find her wings.

I liked the book a lot, loved the writing and immediately added this author as one to watch.

I will say, there's a good amount in this book that could be triggering, from the infidelity to toxic family relationships, to parental illness (there's a revelation of a cancer dx and resulting death, both in the past off page and also in current times) on page, teen pregnancy, homelessness, drug use, slut shaming.

5/5 stars
2/5 spice

Oh the love I have for this book. The characters, the scandals, the emotion, the passion... loved it all.

Tropes:
Age gap (reverse)
Taboo romance (she's married)
Work together
Forced proximity
Soulmates
Artistic MCs
Latinx rep
LGBTQIA rep (side characters)
Dual POV

So before y'all get up in arms you have to know right off the bat... Rachel is the mayor's wife but he was cheating on her so she's basically done with him. So she had every right to take life back. Unfortunately, she's coerced into staying married for political reasons. I was so upset by this decision but I can't judge her for protecting her daughter and her future. But then when she meets Nathan... OMG that chemistry was palpable. I just knew some scandal was going to come... they couldn't hide their attraction. But it was more than just lust... it was a meeting of like minded individuals who yearned for more. You could tell that the attraction was going to develop into something deeper very fast.

I loved that both MCs are artists... he hid his true talent for years because of family pressures and she smothered her talent for her husband's political career. The journey of hope they inspired each other to be brave and embrace their talents was amazing. I loved how it all came together in the end, even with the inevitable scandal.

The build up to the spice was also well done. Like I said... the chemistry was on point... they really felt like soulmates. It is open door but it's not super descriptive so that's why it's rated low.

Overall, I highly recommend this book for anyone who loves tense love stories full of passion and drama.

Thank you to Netgalley and Grand Central Publishing for the ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own and offered voluntarily.

Trigger/Content warnings:
Teen pregnancy (past tense), homelessness, misogyny, classism, infidelity (not between the MCs), death of a parent

Ohmygod I absolutely loved this book! This is a great BIPOC age-gap romance that definitely is written in a more mature voice? It's a romance that also has other stakes involved and definitely isn't that rom-com/wholesome romance. But! That's not to say that this book is definitely gives off "hot romance of the summer vibes" - it has really well-written stakes, a good romance storyline, and it's HOT. I fell in love with this book, with Rachel and Nathan, and their forbidden relationship. Highly recommend if you love forbidden romances.

This was a good debut for the author. I love a story that centers around a woman trying to take back her life after her heartbreaking betrayal.

The characters were pretty well developed and their back stories were well done also. The book held up to it's title with having plenty of scandal, politics, romance, Nathan and Rachel relationship was written very well. While I understand some of the reasons the decisions were made, I did find myself having a hard time connecting with the characters and rooting for them.

Overall I really enjoyed the premise of this story and would read more of this authors work

When Rachel receives an explicit text from her husband Matt on the night of his 40th birthday party she knows immediately it was meant for another woman. And so begins the fallout of their marriage - except, Matt is a rising star mayor and doesn’t want anything to tarnish his image. He convinces Rachel to continue playing the ideal Black trophy wife and in return she’ll receive a million dollars and get to keep their home. But what she doesn’t expect is 26 year old artist, Nathan, or the attraction between them.

I wanted to love this book so much more than I did - it had all the makings of a book that I’d fall in love with. But from the get go I felt like there were so many characters, that all of them were pretty unlikable except for Nathan, and that this wasn’t really a romance at all as it seemed to be from the blurb. Had I had different expectations, I think I would’ve fallen more in love with this story.

I wanted more of the romance but I felt like we hardly got Rachel and Nathan on the page together - we didn’t really get to see them fall in love or the build up. And with all of the plot lines I found myself often losing interest.

I’m sad to say this one just wasn’t one for me.

I really wanted to love this one, but I struggled with the last half. I was totally hooked by the first half of the book, but the last half seemed to fall apart a bit. I struggled to understand Rachel and Nathan's chemistry in the second half. It just didn't carry over for me. The writing is good, but the pacing is a bit off.

Kudos to the author for making a solid Black- and POC-centric addition to the romance genre. This book has serious "How Stella Got Her Groove Back" vibes, with key characters Rachel Abbott and Nathan Vasquez having a significant age gap. The book's theme is essentially how a wife supports a rising-star husband and loses herself along the way - very relatable!

Unfortunately, Rachel's politician husband from a rich family, Matt, is super cringy, and that cast a negative spell over the whole book for me. I felt like he could have been written as a little more likeable character to whom Rachel was attracted many years ago, and still had the message of the book work.

That said, my rating is within the romance genre and in support of a debut author with a novel representing persons of color, very positive. 4-stars. Pub date 8/1/23. 335 pages.

Thank you NetGalley, for providing an eARC for review consideration. All opinions expressed are my own.

#netgalley @netgalley #theartofscandal

What first drew me to The Art of Scandal was its tantalizing premise! After discovering her husband Matt's infidelity, Rachel Abbott is determined to break away from her crumbling marriage. The only problem is their airtight prenup could prevent Rachel from receiving a fair divorce settlement, so she agrees to keep playing the part of dutiful wife for the remainder of Matt's political campaign. Putting on a facade is second nature to Rachel, she's been putting on a front for the cameras for years, but when she meets young artist Nathan Vasquez he ignites a desire within her to grab hold of her true self. What ensues is a passionate love affair scattered with secrets, betrayals, and searing romance.

I would venture to say that this book is more of a character study than plot-focused, something I think we rarely see in romance. The way Regina Black dives into Rachel and Nathan's psyches allows readers to understand the depths of their trauma and how it impacts their decisions. I was fully invested in their relationship and felt that the progression of their journey was crafted in a realistic manner. The drama within the town and the tangled cast of characters also made for exciting moments. I could see the author expanding on this universe and delving into some of the side characters' stories deeper. My only complaint is that while this book is relatively short, the chapters themselves are quite long. As a reader who refuses stop in the middle of chapters, I felt like there were times when sections could have been split up.

The Art of Scandal was deeply emotional and contained beautiful passages on grief, love, race, and inner strength. For lovers of literary romance, this book is sure to capture your heart!

Thank you to Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC!

ARC REVIEW (thanks NETGALLEY!)

This was a wonderful read! Based on the cover & title I thought this was going to be a spicy read. While there was some spice the story was more intriguing. After finding out her husband has cheated Rachel’s life is falling apart, she meets Nate and finds a friend who she can be herself with. Having to be trophy wife to the mayor for 13 years she’s lost herself and who she used to be. Poor Nate is a trust fund baby who is the black sheep of his family.

There were A LOT of characters at play here and at times I had to stop and think of who was who. I found there to be some pacing issues and would have preferred more on page interactions between Nate and Rachel. They meet at one point and then 2 weeks later they’re text buddies, I would have rather read about them exchanging phone numbers than given an entire back story to Sophia or Mia.

Ending was a little too dramatic for me and the hea seemed too hea? Do you know what I mean? But all in all this was a fantastic read and cannot believe this is the authors debut novel. Hoping there will be another book from this world (I’m looking and you Joe and Mia 👀 ) And if there is it’ll be a smoother read since most characters we’ll already have their history.

Despite a few moments where the wording was awkward, I loved this debut novel. I simply fell in love with Nathan and Rachel. I am also a huge fan of a book with a political setting, and loved the insight into Matts career and how it played a role in his relationship with Rachel. The whole time I was just desperate for Rachel to leave Matt and run away with Nathan. But I understood her motivations, needs, desires, and that she needed to consider faith. I also loved the angle that art played in this book. I was not expecting that, and it was very unique and compelling. I spent a lot of time thinking about Nathan’s art and imagining it in my head. The steamy scenes were super steamy but not totally vulgar so I didn’t feel uncomfortable reading them. I think this book will be a huge hit. I totally wanted Nathan for myself by the end.

4.5 stars

A fantastic debut novel from Regina Black.

Synopsis: Rachel is a Black woman whose white husband is a mayor with ambitions of making it to White House. On her husband's 40th birthday, Rachel discovers that her husband is having an affair. Rachel is prepared to leave him, but it is important for optics during the campaign that she remain by his side. Therefore, she is bribed into keeping up appearances for the duration of the campaign. However, when Rachel meets Nathan, a young artist and laundromat owner, matters become more complicated. There is an instant connection, despite appearing to come from completely different worlds.

Thoughts: The writing in this book was phenomenal. Regina Black captured the complexity of Rachel's situation with such expert detail, and I thoroughly enjoyed watching the story and secrets unfold. This story is not necessarily as spicy as the cover suggests, but I didn't find that to detract from the reading experience. It really had all of the ingredients for a bingeable read: politics, scandal, secrets, and romance. I could easily see this being adapted into a TV series-- it reminded me a bit of the show Sex/Life (though with way less steam).

Scandalous indeed - this book definitely lives up to its name. If you're a fan of the show Scandal or Desperate Housewives, you'll love this. We follow Rachel, a DC housewife who finds out her husband engaged in a torrid affair via SEXT of all things. Literally within the first 5% of the book and I was DYING listening to it happen on audiobook. So in typical scorched earth fashion, she's going to get her money, revenge, and then some. While she definitely didn't plan on Nathan Vasquez being part of that, this reader certainly was happy he stayed. The steam is real, but I really enjoyed the plot more than anything. Combining family dynamics with politics gives everything grand stakes, just amping up the tension. I'd love to see Mia and Joe get a book because lord knows I need to know what's going on there. I'd recommend this to anyone who wants a little more DRAMA in their life.

*Thank you to Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review and LibroFM for the gifted ALC*

This was very good. First off the amount of pages in the book was PERFECT. It was the perfect length for a romance story. Not too long where I lose interest but not too short I feel like something is missing. Second, I love the relationship between Rachel and Nathan. I love LOVE them together but I also enjoyed seeing them grow individual as characters just as much.

The Art of Scandal is a debut romance novel written by Regina Black that NEEDS to be on everyone's radar!!

It all starts when Rachel Abbott gets sent a text that she quickly realizes was supposed to be sent to another woman. Knowing divorce is the solution, Rachel will not walk away without getting her fair share. Yet her
husband" Matt cannot let Rachel go as he announces he's running for a spot in the White House. Rachel will take his offer up to be his woman on the stage for a price and their house.

One day Nathan walks in and Rachel forgets everything she's known for him. Nathan's an artist, kickstarting Rachel's lost dream to create art and perhaps find love again. But are these two able to keep their love away from the prying, gossiping eyes of Oasis Springs and other notorious towns? Will both their loves and all they've worked for be worth it if everyone starts dissecting everything they are?

The Art of Scandal had me hooked from page one and had me consistently flipping the pages. I loved Regina George's voice as she set the tone for all characters and made me care about everything that was put on page. I was definitely rooting for Nathan to shine throughout and Matt to get whatever was coming to him. While there are some steamy scenes on page, they don't take away from the storyline. I recommend lovers of romantic dramas and the television show Scandal grab a glass of wine (or beverage of choice) and read Art of Scandal when it hits bookstores soon!