What a debut. Regina Black has created two excellent characters in Rachel and Nathan, but Rachel is one of the most compelling main characters I’ve read in ages.

On the night of her politician husband’s 40th birthday party, Rachel learns he’s been cheating on her when she receives a dick pic he meant to send to his mistress. It’s a hell of an opening, and I felt Rachel’s anger rolling off the page. I had to root for her as she took back control of her life after spending years making herself smaller in service of her husband’s political ambitions.

When she meets Nathan, an artist 11 years younger than her, they instantly connect — and soon find out their lives are more interwoven than they realized. I loved that they kept popping up in each other’s lives and how his mother was one of Rachel’s husband’s biggest donors. It just added to the scandal of it all.

Nathan is a compelling character in his own right, an artist who has a complicated relationship with his wealthy parents, particularly his father. This story is his journey to believing in himself and in his art. And he is GONE for Rachel almost from the moment they meet. This man literally carries her through the woods on his back in a torrential downpour when their car breaks down! If that’s not love, I don’t know what is.

THE ART OF SCANDAL was one of those books where I didn’t know how the couple would find an HEA, which definitely kept the pages turning. Regina Black is a writer to watch.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I laughed, I cried, I wanted more from this tour de force of a debut, Regina Black!

Since the Pitch Wars showcase I’ve followed this author’s journey and especially this story, and it was an honor and a pleasure to get a chance to read an arc of it. From a stunning first time to the final notes of the last page this book has the romance, drama, angst, scandal, and humor.

Rachel Abbott is the dutiful wife who receives a text from her politician husband meant for someone else. A text that can only mean one thing—he’s definitely cheating. With a flimsy prenup in place she knows she needs to bargain for more since her job the last decade+ has been a professional spouse. They agree she’ll stay through his campaign and play-act like nothing has changed for the cameras in exchange for the house and $1M. Easy enough.

And then she meets Nathan.

The owner of a laundromat and son of a rival political family (though he doesn’t act like it) and much younger than Rachel are immediately drawn to each other when the meet the night she receives the life-altering text. There’s a whole art sub-plot I won’t get into but suffice it to say, I was hooked!

This is easily one of my top reads for 2023 and I look forward to much more from this outstanding and talented author!

THIS BOOK. What a debut! I have to admit, I was wary of the affair subject matter, especially in the context of a romance novel, but Regina Black managed to write a beautiful, smart, layered, and sexy story. Every character felt like they had a purpose and the relationships and struggles felt very real. I loved Rachel and Nathan together - the connection! the tension! the pining! It was *chef's kiss".

I feel like there are so many more stories to explore in this universe. I know I am not the first to say this, but I NEED more Joe and Mia! We just got a taste of their history, and I hope we'll be able to read more in the future. I also really enjoyed Julia, the lawyer, as well as Nathan's best friends, Bobbi and Dillon, and would happily read more about all of them!

I highly recommend this book and now consider Regina Black an auto-buy author. I am excited to see what is next!

This story emerges as an excellent reflection of power. It unfolds as a story about fraught family dynamics, fears of what can be, and a woman owning her pleasure. Rachel gets to be unsure of herself. She also takes back her purpose. Matt's quest to be a political powerhouse becomes sloppy and pathetic but fits the ambition needed to a tee. Nathan needs the push to pursue his dreams and himself as a person.

There are parts that read as a soap opera but that balances the core pieces of the book. There is a big cast of characters. I would have liked more of Alesha.

Otherwise, Washington D.C. is a forthright setting in this power play of a story.

This was so sexy and gave everything it needed to give. I loved it so much!!!!!! Regina did what was necessary and then some.

Included in this post: https://www.instagram.com/p/CuK1YXsg6mw/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

This was just okay.

There was scandal, there was some heat and lots of secrets but the story also didn’t blow my mind.

This book definitely lived up to its title.

The Art of Scandal is just that and so much more. It’s about a woman taking the reins of her life back after experiencing a deep betrayal. It’s like she’s waking up from a fever dream and suddenly so many years have passed.

I enjoyed the book but somehow I couldn’t connect to the storyline. But I really liked Regina Black’s voice and I would be interested in her future work.

A biting and poignant romance with complicated but completely human characters. Rachel is one of the fiercest protagonists I've ever read and I loved her tenacity and unwavering confidence.

I definitely enjoyed this story. I think the blurb from Tia Williams is very smart as I got similar vibes to Seven Days in June (also The Idea of You from Robin Lee). Very layered and fully realized characters. But maybe too layered? This book covers a lot of big topics and introduces perhaps too many characters around Nathan and Rachel. The writing is great throughout. I think the first third of the story was perfect, then the pacing waned a bit but still kept me engaged. I worry the cheesy cover might keep it from truly catching fire (unlike the poorly photoshopped flames on it) but if this book finds the right audience I think it can be big!

Thank you to netgalley and grand central pub for the e-arc!

5/5 📖

Thank you netgalley and grandcentralpub for giving me an ARC of this book.

"I think about you all the fvcking time. And not just-" He swallowed hard. "I'm no good at this. Every time I think I'm okay with how we left it, that I've gotten it together, you take me apart. Who was I before I met you?"

This book was SO good. Rachel finds out her husband was cheating on her during his birthday. He's determined to not lose his political career, and they come to an agreement to fake the marriage until the election period is over. What Rachel wasn't planning was to meet a 26 year old man that would see her for who she really was, and would help her realize just how much of herself she had forgotten or let go of.

This book comes out in August, and I highly recommend you grab it if you like:

📚 BIPOC Romance
📚 Dual POV
📚 Age Gap
📚 Forbidden Romance

What a compelling, high-stakes, glittering romance, but it's grounded by meaningful commentary, themes, and depth. A wonderful debut!

This book is a powerhouse. Beautifully written with strong, memorable characters. I was blown away. Definitely a high recommend.

Loved this book! It's so great! Definitely would recommend!! I seriously couldn't put it down! It's definitely heavy but also entertaining!

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.