I'm not much of a passionate romance kind of gal, but I did enjoy the twists and politics of this one. I tended to skim some of the steamy stuff to get back to the action. It was well written and I felt the pain of Marie as she struggled to overcome her influential family, husband and truly embrace who she was.

This author is completely new to me. In fact, I was interested in the book solely based on the premise in the blurb of a political wife embroiled in a scandal where her senator husband is divorcing her to marry his mistress. I mean it’s the news story we always see and then wonder what becomes of the wife. This novel takes that premise and runs with it from pillar to post. Indeed so much happens in these 500-odd pages, that the eventfulness of the novel begins to stretch the realm of plausibility. If you like shows/movies like The Good Wife, Eat Pray Love and Scandal, this novel might be for you. It also positively screams of the melodramatic tv hands of Shonda Rhimes with the amount of head banging annoyance you’re going to feel with the characters as you read this.

This novel is seperared into 2 parts and actually, this could have been a first book and a sequel because at the point the first part ends, you’ve already been through the trenches with these characters. Enough has happened in the first part to make an entire novel. The second part kind of blindsides you from where it starts and the characters of Marie and Luc and even those of Marie’s parents are significantly different by part 2. I actually almost DNF’d this early on because the heroine in my opinion completely lacked agency in an inexplicable way. The hero, Luc, was a total and utter entitled d-bag at the beginning but I’m glad I stuck with this. Because there’s a lot of growth these characters go through across the two parts of this book. In that sense, this is more Women’s Fiction than Contemporary Romance because you don’t necessarily have main characters that you *like* but you have main characters that are flawed and problematic and because of that, real. Because problematic people find love too.

Art and the way we see people and the things right in front of us is also a major theme of this novel and moreso than art, vulnerability and self-awareness and awareness of truths right in front of us is another major theme. This novel was a study in how you can live your whole life with yourself and yet not know who you are until circumstances force you to deal with your thoughts and emotions and come to a state of self-awareness.

So in conclusion, did I like this or not. I liked parts and I disliked parts. I didn’t like the beginning at all and I also struggled with Marie’s incredible naïveté and lack of backbone and Luc’s forwardness and sense of entitlement early on in the novel and that kind of coloured the way I read this. It’s like watching a Shonda Rhimes tv series where the characters are doing all the wrong things and you’re powerless to fix them, that sort of struggle as a reader. The author’s writing however was incredibly compelling- the sort that whether you were annoyed by the characters or not, you couldn’t put this book down. I recommend this for anyone who likes romance novels but dislikes the plastic perfect tropes romantic couples can be and anyone who also has a high tolerance for problematic characters.

I received a copy of this book from XpressoBookTours through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. (And being a heavy duty book purchaser myself, I’d never leave a BS review because I got it for free).

this book felt like two books merged into one, packed with drama and up and down of our heroine’s life make this book enjoyable to read. Prepared yourself for rollercoaster rides tho.
this book will be an ‘it’ book for those who enjoy romance with spice of erotica.

thank you netgalley for providing the arc.

I just finished reading The Seantor’s Wife by Julia Gabriel. The novel focuses on the life of Marie who is trapped in an abusive marriage to a senator and takes drawling lessons as an outlet. The romance she has with her instructor is steamy. I was rooting for Marie so much that I found it difficult to read through her trials and setbacks. Her parents infuriated me in the way they betrayed her. The writing is quick, characters are multidimensional and the dialogue is witty. #thesenatorswife #juliagabriel #netgalley #romance #serifbooks

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Bordering on the erotic, the love scenes in this book were amazing. I truly believe every woman should find a lover like this in their life - and if they're lucky enough this person will be there forever love.

As fo the rest of the book - predictable, yet endearing to read. Marie's friendship with Nishi is amazing but the rest of Marie is annoying... Her relationship with bully Richard as well as her parents seems unrealistic in this day and age and her naivety drove me up a wall.

Wonderful saga about a cheated on wife, how she gets her revenge, gets her groove back, finds love, (lots of other things but don't want to spoil it), and finds HER happily ever after. Wonderful visuals (wish I could see the paintings descibes in the book) and very romantic/ graphic.


Note to publisher: I think I would have preferred to have it split out in two books due to length.

Will review on book Amazon and Goodreads.

I always enjoy books about woman who realize their value and choose to empower themselves and this didn't disappoint. Marie believed in herself and their story was wonderful to read (and certainly steamy). What I was disappointed by is that he never told her why he left as to what occurred at UVA or shared it with others. The necklace was easy to guess but a good side story as well.

Marie Witherspoon is married to Richard - an overbearing, will-do-anything-for-politics type of husband. Theirs is not a marriage of love but a marriage of power that is only meant to help him in the cut-throat world of Capitol Hill. Marie thinks she's in love with Richard until she finds herself amidst a very public divorce, from a husband that her family continues to support despite the cheating scandal that broke their marriage and Marie's heart into a million pieces.

Marie is ready to move on, and with the help of her fearless friend Nishi, she starts taking art lessons from the sexy Luc Marchand -- a French artist living in the outskirts of Virginia. Marie has led a life of decisions made by others in a world that is only meant for show and not for seeing the truth behind paintings. With Luc by her side, Marie dives into the arms of a love affair more powerful than the politics that surround her.

Told in two parts, Julia Gabriel reaches deep into the raw emotions of Marie and Luc as they navigate their relationship in a society that rejects it. This book inspires a certain kind of realness that only comes with the experience of a true broken heart and the courage to mend it. A coming-of-age story for adults that captures two people in the light and in the dark.

This was riveting, to say the least. Julia Gabriel at her best. If this doesn't make it to your personal Top 10, then perhaps you need to read this book again.

Awful. Couldn't read it. Sorry. I loved the first 50 pages of the book but then it got crazy like a take 50 Shades.

Reading this book was like taking a 3 hour long road trip that passed through all four seasons, plus some storms, beautiful sunny days, and a natural disaster. Overall, I really enjoyed this story and would recommend it to any romance lovers despite my few criticisms.

I think this novel could've easily been split into two books because the first and second parts are that different. The first half takes us through exactly what the summary tells us. We get to follow Marie as she rediscovers her sexuality (and self!) in a fun and exciting rom-com set in the political world. She steps out of her abusive husband's shadow to follow her bliss with the support of her powerful and feisty best friend, and I loved it.

Then came the mid-portion when things got unbelievably dramatic (which I don't mind, bring on the drama and suspense), and finally the second half of the book which I can only describe as comfortably angsty. The angst wasn't so much that I was getting frustrated, but it was certainly more than you'd experience in reality...it almost felt like a fan fiction in the sense that it went on in more detail than it really needed to, but I was grateful for the extension of the story because I had become so invested in the characters and wanted as much from them as possible.

I think this book is so much more than its summary leads you to believe and you'll only have to read it to understand. I could definitely see myself rereading this book, or at least my favorite parts, because sometimes you just need a dramatic and sexy love story that takes you ~through it~.

I really loved The Senator's Wife. The story has so many ups and downs and even though it is lengthy, it just took me a few days to finish.

Marie is married to a Senator who is only interested in her when his election team tells him he needs her to win; otherwise his mistress ranks higher. Marie's friend signs her up for an art class to take her back to an old hobby and the art class leads her to the possibility of finding the real meaning of true love.

A real love saga. The wife of a politician is not for the weak, Marie learned too late that reality. A generous gift has Marie meeting Luc, sexy French artist giving Marie her life back. She gains confidence, love and independence. This saga is told in two parts, originally published as two books Drawing Lessons and Chiaroscuro. The first part is the evolution of Marie, the second is mostly for Luc and then as a couple. It's heartbreaking, powerful and romantic. My copy came from Netgalley, review written voluntarily.

This review is a no-brainer. I loved every second of The Senator’s Wife! It’s filled with romance, humor, and family drama. I couldn’t put it down.

This is the best second chance (or third?) romance I have ever read!

Marie is in the middle of a divorce to her cheating Senator husband. He is openly dating his mistress! A gift of lessons to reconnect Marie with her passion for drawing introduces her to artiste Luc Marchand. From the first moment, both their reactions are impossible to miss. The attraction is mutual and all-consuming. Little did they know then the complications they were about to face.

This romance is like no other. There is passion, sacrifice, and growth of character, of course. The plotline is gripping and you will not be able to put this book down. What really struck me about this book are the characters. They are well-developed and real. Their struggle for their love is one you will not soon forget.

This book blew me away!

I am voluntarily reviewing this book. Thanks to the publisher for sharing a copy with me.

If you like books about "good girls" who finally break out of their shells and find love, themselves, and a bit of revenge, then THE SENATOR'S WIFE is perfect for you. Some of the characters were a bit too cookie-cutter, but the book was a fun read and perfect for vacation'!