What a debut! My favorite contemporary new release of 2023? This romance was MESSY (complimentary) and dramatic. All the (positive) comps to Scandal are right! ( )

Rachel is icing her husband Matt's 40th birthday cake when she receives a text from him. But, she knows it wasn't meant for her. Matt is launching his reelection campaign for mayor, and he can't let scandal of an affair ruin his chances. Rachel is furious and by chance meets Nate, an entrepreneur and an artist (although he denies this). There is an instant attraction between them, but Rachel and Matt have a deal that she stays in the house, attends his events as his spouse, and she will get a payout after the election.
However, the tug of Nate is too much for Rachel to ignore. This is a sexy story and one that shows a strong woman will get her love and respect if she fights for it. ( )

I am fasting today for Yom Kippur so to keep my mind off of food I began the process of switching out my summer and winter wardrobes. This audiobook kept me great company as I gave much too much thought to whether to give away or pack up for next year each one of the 36 black short-sleeved and sleeveless shirts I own. (I should note that I am atoning for the overshopping and hope that my dedication to not doing so will not affect Nordtrom's stock price. Further, I realize I am being dramatic and treating this like I am a member of the Donner Party - I ate a full meal 22 hours ago and I have a house full of food waiting for me in a couple hours.)

I was a big fan of this complicated romance. Briefly, Rachel is the Black trophy wife of a White liberal politician currently serving a very affluent majority-minority community in Fairfax County Virginia. She works her butt off to be perfect to bolster his career, and she is very good at it. They have been experiencing problems in their marriage, and then at the 40th birthday party she throws him he accidentally sends her a dick pic intended for someone with whom he is having an affair. This sets off a series of events which includes Rachel meeting Nathan, a directionless 26-year-old artist (Rachel is 38 I believe) with whom she becomes involved. It makes a good setup for all sorts of political family intrigue, observations on race and economic privilege, secret trysts, explosive sex, and so much longing. It was really satisfying. It was not perfect, there was family drama on Nathan's side regarding his brother's family that was pretty extraneous and this would have been better either without that storyline or with a deeper exploration of that and an effort to connect it to all the other events. Still going with a 5-star though. I love seeing smart, sexy, modern romance with a clear point of view. ( )