If you didn’t know already, I’m a bit anal when it comes to reading order. Now, I’ll admit that I’ve grown a bit lax about that recently and frankly, I’m glad. Chanel Cleeton has been on my radar for a while now. All the books in the Capital Confessions series were on my TBR, I just hadn’t gotten to them. Lo and behold a well-timed email from a publicist motivated me to pick the book up one afternoon. I flew through that book and I ended up reading the first two books in the series and now I am a massive Chanel Cleeton fangirl.
I’ll admit that I do kind of wish I read this series in order. There were some aspects of the plot that would’ve made more sense to me if I had read the first two. This had mainly to do with Kate’s relationship with her parents and her sisters. Her parents are complete and utter jerks and that’s putting it nicely. At this point, Kate is completely motivated by sadness and revenge and I’d have to say that she is almost completely blinded by it. Until one night, Kate’s apartment is broken into and a mysterious man comes to her aid. At this point, I’m not going to say who Kate’s rescuer is because I don’t want to spoil it. The love story that follows is romantic and a bit raw in some ways. 4 stars
*I’m not saying you can’t read this book as a standalone. You can. I went into it thinking of it was one and it can function fine as one. You can totally read this one without reading the others and still enjoy it.
So, instead of going into a great amount of detail, I want to talk about the first two books in the series… that you MUST read.
Flirting with Scandal
Jackie Gardner knows all about dirty little secrets. The illegitimate daughter of one of the most influential senators in Washington, D.C., she grew up surrounded by the scandals and shadows of politics. Now that she’s landed an internship with a powerful political consulting firm, she’s determined to launch her career and take this city by storm.
William Andrew Clayton was born for politics. He knows the drill: work hard, play discreetly, and at all costs, avoid scandal. At twenty-six, his campaign for the Virginia State Senate is the first step to cementing his future. It’s time for him to settle down, to find the perfect political spouse. He needs a Jackie Kennedy, not a Marilyn…
When Jackie meets Will in the bar of the Hay-Adams Hotel, sparks fly. But the last thing Will needs is to be caught in a compromising position, and an affair with a political candidate could cost Jackie her career. When what began as one steamy night, becomes a passion neither one of them can walk way from, they must decide if what they have is really love, or just another dirty little secret…
This book will go on my best of 2015. Yes, I loved it that much. What did I love about it? William Andrew Clayton. The man is on my Book Boyfriend list and I don’t add too many of those to the list anymore. Will comes off as a squeaky clean senatorial candidate and he truly is a good guy. But good lord, when he and Jackie get together the true Will Clayton is revealed.
“If a woman’s in my bed, it’s because I want her there. I’m not a child who gets bored with his toys after five minutes. If the guys you’ve been with treat you like that, then you’ve been screwing around with boys.
Wouldn’t you rather fuck a man?”
Annnddd I’m done. So much to love about this book. Jackie is a force to be reckoned with, she is smart and ambitious. She knows getting involved with Will could ruin both their careers and yet, they cannot stay away from each other. Can you tell that I love this book? Have I said it enough? 😉 I imagine this will also go on my “Read Again” list. 5 stars
Playing with Trouble
The author of Flirting with Scandal presents her second book in a sexy contemporary romance series about three sisters in a powerful political family, the scandals that threaten to destroy them, and the passion that drives them…
The daughter of one of the Senate’s most powerful figures, Blair Reynolds was ready to become the ultimate political wife—until she caught her fiancé cheating on her wedding day. Law school is a fresh start, her shot at putting the pieces of her life back together. That’s the plan, at least. Until trouble comes in the form of her Torts professor, the man whose arrogance infuriates her in class but haunts her private fantasies.
Graydon Canter had a fortune and a place on all the hottest “Thirty under Thirty” lists, until a series of personal missteps nearly destroyed his career. A year teaching at a D.C. law school is just the break he needs to get his life back in order, as long as nothing—and no one—trips him up.
When Blair and Gray are forced to work together, their explosive attraction becomes impossible to resist. But Gray’s demons have drawn him dangerously close to the edge, and Blair has spent her life playing by the rules. Will she break them for a shot at love?
Loved this one almost as much as the first one. Graydon and Blair a bit of the ” I think I hate you, but I really want to get into your pants” thing going on. The attraction between them is immediate and neither can deny it… even though they try to initially. They are also from different worlds and I think that is one thing that really drew me into their story. Blair is a good girl she has always tried to do the right thing especially where her twisted parents are concerned until her own life gets completely blown apart. She decides to try law school, in an attempt to find herself and pacify her parents. Not the best plan ever, but she encounters the gruff and growly, Graydon Canter and that’s all it takes for the match to be lit. Graydon and Blair each bring a fair amount of baggage to the relationship, not to mention he is her law school professor. Obstacles galore!
Their banter is biting, funny and frankly, verbal foreplay. Ms. Cleeton really puts them through their paces where the development of their relationship is concerned. And frankly, she does this in all 3 books. While the attraction is immediate and undeniable, between the MCs, she always crafts an interesting “journey” (kind of cheesy in a Bachelor way but it’s what it is) or series of conflicts that they must navigate to be together. I’m not a huge political person, but I enjoyed the political aspects of this series and the setting of D.C.
“How old are you?” Her eyes flickered with that expression I’d come to love, a cross between disdain and annoyance, her tone ice. Her only tell was the faint pink that spread across her cheeks.
“Did you seriously just ask me how old I was?”
I didn’t bother trying to hide my smile. “I did. And you’re avoiding the question.”
“It’s a rude question,” she snapped.
I shrugged, egged on by the temper she threw off. I was a twisted fuck, but I liked bantering with her. Liked the sparks that ignited between us every single time. By the look in her eyes, so did she.
“Maybe I’m a rude guy,” I countered.
“I’ve picked up on that,” she muttered and her gaze did that fuck you look, and I shifted in my seat again.
Behind those pretty lips I wanted wrapped around my dick, she had razor-sharp teeth she wasn’t afraid to use. “I’m twenty-three,” she answered with the same hauteur of a queen addressing a peasant. She gave me the words without abdicating an inch.
Hot as fuck.
Seven years. Not exactly dirty-old-man territory, but not small.
“You seem older.”
She blinked and her eyes widened. “Are you saying I look old?”
This conversation goes on for a while and is quite funny and yet it’s all foreplay. 4.5 Stars
I intended to write this as a review for Falling for Danger and then talk a little about how much I enjoyed the series a whole. Instead, I’ve just turned it into a bit of a gush-fest over Ms. Cleeton and I’m ok with that. One thing to know, Ms. Cleeton has a new series coming out next year- Wild Aces, a fighter pilot based series. (Berkley) You had me at fighter pilot. You can read an excerpt/teaser in Falling For Danger. Honestly, it made me cry a little because I have to wait until next May to get this series and more Ms. Cleeton. Gah, I am pathetic.
Mandy
Purchase Flirting with Danger:
Because I love you so much and I want to be your Chanel Cleeton enabler, I’m giving away 2 e-copies of FLIRTING WITH SCANDAL