🔥This cover is perfect, as is the title.🔥
A steamy, sexy, secret age-gap affair between the mayor’s wife and a young, budding artist... both are a bit lost, and the book follows each searching for themself and who they are vs who they have been are who they want to be. The usage of art as a medium for both self-reflection and self-discovery weaves the story in a beautifully interconnected way.
I have been traveling and reading only a chapter at a time here and there which is atypical for my reading style, but it has been especially enjoyable for this read. I love returning to the story and that my enjoyment of experiencing it has been elongated. I also read the first page aloud to my travel partner and he agreed it was an amazing beginning.
I can’t believe this is the author’s debut - thank you to Grand Central for the advanced copy via NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion. If you like stories about growth and characters finding themselves - both in their mid-20s and mid-40s - I think you’ll enjoy this passionate story. I hope you’ll love it as much as I did!

Thank you for the opportunity to review this new novel.

I had heard so many great things about this but I think I'm an outlier here... the story really dragged for me and at 31 % nothing had happened so I put it down. I got bored but I'm sure many others will enjoy this.

This is a sexy book about two people who find each other in the middle of hard times in their lives. It involves interracial relationships, politics, and more. I really enjoyed this one. The characters were well developed, and I was rooting for Rachel and Nathan throughout!

If you enjoy politics or messy family drama with a capital D (looking at you scandal or housewives fans) this one is going to be right up your alley. This is one of those summer reads great for the pool or your couch just get ready to not move for a couple hours- I was drawn in from the start and couldn’t look away. We get one shitty husband set in the political world but then we get two artists in different places in their lives and their work. We also get forbidden love and age gap with a younger man, oh, and more family drama. Nathan is the protective-passion lover. I loved how Regina weaved this all into play with the rich and political society along with a bit of the art world.

We also get some great steamy romance but do note there is cheating in this one. I couldn’t get enough and can’t believe this is her debut- I can’t wait to see what is next!

This book is every bit of perfection for me. It has lust, love, spice, family drama and it’s scandalous. The opening couple of pages of the book really start with a bang. Rachel has thrown an extravagant birthday party for her husband’s 40th birthday. During the party Matt accidentally texts her a scandalous photo be meant to send to his mistress. Told you- it’s like scandalous from the start. The book is really so much more thought- Rachel is such a deep complicated character. She has been through a lot in her life- teenage pregnancy, loss of parent and then falling in love with Matt for last 15 years of marriage. He is heavily involved in politics. Her personality and character has been shaped to be a person Matt needs for his campaign and she really hasn’t been able to fully be herself. This messiness in their marriage really impact her to figuring out what she needs and wants. I found the writing fantastic and compelling. Many thanks to Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for the digital review copy of this novel. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

A perfect book! Such a beautiful exploration of what it means to be an artist and how we can find love unexpectedly. I loved everything about this book and I can't wait to read Regina Black's next one!!!

I was really excited to read The Art of Scandal and was immediately interested after the first chapter and intrigued on where the book was headed. Unfortunately, I quickly lost interest in this book.

I felt that there were a lot of underdeveloped side characters who I kept mixing up because it was hard to distinguish them and many didn’t add much to the story. In addition, I felt that a lot of the characters felt one dimensional and unauthentic.

I found I just didn’t care about the love story between Nathan and Rachel even though I did like both of them as separate characters. It was missing the spark of a good romance story.

Overall, I wouldn’t recommend this book. I didn’t hate it but didn’t love it and it was fairly forgettable. 2.5 rounded up.

Thank you netgalley for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

Hats off to the author for writing an emotionally deep and challenging novel that not only has an addictive romance but also highlights politics, race, class and motherhood. and art! The way Rachel's written as she tries to reconnect with herself and Nathan's struggles on a similar boat, it's effective and hooking.

I think this would be more of a 3.5, honestly, Rachel and Nathan's shift from meeting to being infatuated with each other was too quick for my liking, they were just suddenly all over each other. there's a lot of room for their personal growth but I wished we got more time to understand their romantic feelings.

"Complicated things usually stay complicated" Joe touched out my exact sentiments of this book as he was talking to Nathan! This book is hard for me to rate simply based on how conflicted my emotions are. The Art of Scandal is toxic, messy and brings out a range of emotions in reader much like art itself can be. (3.5/5)

The glee:
- I love a good juicy dramatic familial plot line and this definitely delivered on that. Finding out the drama the reason behind Rachel and her Aunt's friction was jaw dropping. Seeing the Vasquez family and all their years of unexpressed emotion laid out was like the telenovelas that Sofia starred in.
- The description of art was so vivid and beautiful that I wish I could see glimpses of Nathan's art work and Rachel's photography in the pages.
- The underlying messages of pursuing happiness, the value of dignity, reality of what loneliness looks like, and the importance of therapy was beautifully written.

My gripe:
- To me this didn't feel like a romance but rather a literary fiction book that has a intimate relationship that drove the growth of the characters. I wanted to fall in love their love story but in the end I just felt they both needed therapy (which i'm happy they received) and time to figure out themselves. Nathan's codependency with Rachel and his battle with loneliness matched with her need to reclaim her identity and leaving a toxic marriage doesn't bode well for forever. As a "love" story this didn't work for me but everything else did.

Now I don't typically romance. However, this book was absolutely everything. When we are introduced to Rachel, we find that her politically affiliated husband has sent her a NSFW pic during his birthday, which clearly was met for someone else. What transpires is a story of forbidden love, rediscovering one's passions, and reconciling who we are and what we want.

Now the spicy was spicy but also devastatingly sweet. The characters are beautifully written and their personalities jump off the page.

The ending had me in my feels. Because Regina Black, girl, my feelings! I highly recommend this book for romance enthusiasts. Also, let's get into this title the art of scandal, girl I see what you did there and I'm here for it.

When Rachel Abbott receives a message from her mayor husband that is clearly meant for someone else, the careful control she has exercised throughout their marriage begins to crack. She knows they will divorce, but after years of dedicating her life to supporting him and his career, she wants guarantees that she and her daughter will be taken care of when their marriage ends. He needs her for the optics of his reelection campaign. The two strike a deal, but can Rachel handle the cost?

Enter Nathan Vasquez: young, handsome, and instantly attracted to Rachel. They don’t expect their chance meeting to go anywhere, but then they keep crossing paths. Nathan and Rachel both wake up something in each other; as they spend time together, they begin finding pieces of themselves again.

After years of subjugating her own needs and sublimating who she truly is in order to support her husband’s image, Rachel comes into her own again, and Nathan becomes the man he was meant to be all along.

What to expect:
- Discussions and representation of class and race differences
- Discussions of gender roles
- Age gap
- Steam
- Instant attraction
- High angst

This one definitely doesn’t feel like a debut. I look forward to seeing what Regina Black writes next.

I received an advance copy of the book from Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley. All review opinions are my own.

WOW! This is an absolute jewel of a debut novel down that you won't be able to put down. It is much less spicy than the cover suggests but I didn't even care. This was the perfect binge book full of angst, drama, self- discovery, politics, and scandal. I loved every minute!

This book was so damn spicy and I loved every moment of it. This is what a romance book should be each and every damn time

The Art of Scandal has an interesting premise that had me very excited to read.

I saw a few reviews that mentioned it started a little slow until it heated up but unfortunately it did not capture my full attention. There is a lot of storytelling on how their relationship began and some of the obstacles they had faced before the big scandal that brought us to the current moment. With some of the prior context I found it hard to connect with the MC's and it was difficult to fully immerse myself into the pages.

Thank you NetGalley and Grand Central publishing for this e-ARC in exchange for honest review. Wow wow wowwweee i am blown away by this mesmerising, stunning debut book. Man did it live up to the hype. Matt was the biggest dog and deplorable human to exist in some time!!!! She was delight raw real and vilnerable with the ines that xount. Look out world i have a new book boyfriend. I am awaiting my linby audio hold but cpunting down till a reread.

In The Art of Scandal, we meet political wife Rachel, who has been the perfect mayoral first lady for the prior decade until she discovers her husband is having an affair. Desperate for money, she agrees to stay with him through the election in exchange for one million dollars and the house. But then she meets young, attractive artist and laundromat owner Nate, who shows her everything she's been missing her life--freedom, art, and passion. The two begin an affair destined for scandal, with a push and pull for the ages, all while Rachel plans a gala that will showcase Nate's art in front of everyone they know, including Rachel's husband and Nate's equally powerful family.

I had heard amazing things about this book from fellow bookstagrammers and author Ava Wilder at an author event I went to, so I was extremely excited to read it. The idea of affairs and the constant threat of scandal made me nervous--I don't typically read books with cheating, even though Rachel's marriage was so clearly over and it was hard not to revel in her affair as revenge. But the book was crafted beautifully, with me rooting for Rachel and Nate at every step of the way. The ending was perfect, and I'm happy with where everyone ended up.

Thanks to Grand Central Publishing for my eARC and finished copy! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

5 stars - 9/10

I feel fairly confident saying that The Art Of Scandal by Regina Black is THE audiobook of the summer for me. There was just something so sultry about this book. The Art Of Scandal opens with Rachel Abbott getting a lewd text from her husband at his fortieth birthday party. Only, it turns out the text isn’t meant for her. He’s cheating. To make matters worse, he is in a high profile position as town mayor with hopes of making it to congress someday. In order to do that, he can’t have any hint of scandal. Rachel has sacrificed so much for Matt and his career. As his Black wife, she is good for his progressive image. And so, Rachel negotiates with Matt, she’ll play nice if she gets the house and a cool million. Only, Rachel doesn’t anticipate meeting young artist Nathan Vasquez.

Seriously, The Art Of Scandal was so good. It has moments of drama. There’s moments of romance. Also, we have art playing a role. There are big reveals. And a moment where I was about to stand up out of my chair and cheer. There’s so much payoff in this book. Read it. I fell for Rachel and Nathan. They are so engaging to read about. Mela Lee is the perfect narrator for this audiobook. It is 8 hours and 25 minutes and I could barely put it down — but had to thanks to meetings and calls. Do not get FOMO, pick this book up — particularly on audiobook — and experience the absolute enthralling excellent plot and characterization.

LOVED this book! wow! what a debut! was totally stunned by this one and couldnt get enough. rachel was such an interesting MC to me. I loved the growth and build of this story. spectacular!

What a wonderful debut novel by Regina Black!

The Art of Scandal centers on the love story of Nathan and Rachel. Rachel is a Black woman married to Matt, a white man who is mayor and has his eyes on DC. They've been married for over ten years, and Matt's family is RICH. At Matt's 40th birthday party, Rachel texts Matt a pic that is uncharacteristic for him (rhymes with stick pic) and Rachel has a feeling this pic was not meant for her. He caves and says he is in love with another woman, and Rachel tells him she is leaving him. Matt begs her to stay because this scandal will affect his political career, and her by his side has always been good optics. She angrily agrees only if he pays her a million dollars. Disgusted with herself and Matt, she storms out of the party and gets drunk at the Drive In, where she meets Nathan. He is way too handsome, way too tattooed, and way to young (26 to her 38). Nathan owns a laundromat but also is an artist, though he does not want to go public with his works. He knows who Rachel is, is attracted to her, but at first glance dismisses her as just another socialite. But their worlds keep intersecting and they can't stop the connection that develops.

The Art of Scandal is beautifully written and the banter between Nathan and Rachel crackles of the page. There is plenty of angst, outrage,and swoony moments as well as commentary of the intersection of art, race, wealth, and politics in our modern times. I look forward to seeing what Regina Black writes next.

Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Station for the ARC for my honest review.

Thank you to Regina Black and Grand Central for this ARC!

i have been so excited to read this since one of my other favorite authors (Ava Wilder !) talked about this story on her Instagram! it did not disappoint, the opening line was so good and got me hooked! this definitely felt like the scandal series by shonda rhimes but still different!

will def be on the lookout for future books from this author!