[4.25 stars]

This debut novel is more than just a romance...it's a bit genre defying (there's a heavy political drama element) and the romance is a tool in service of something greater (reclaiming yourself), which I loved. Rachel gets a text from her husband with a picture of his penis during his birthday party. She quickly realizes it wasn’t meant for her. Her husband is a prominent Mayor and has ambitions for higher office, so he strikes a deal with her to play the perfect political trophy wife until the election. Of course, things aren’t that simple. The story centers on Rachel’s story of finding herself and reclaiming her true identity more than the romance. The true romance here might be Rachel finding out how to love herself. It’s also about being in an interracial relationship, marriage, the role art can play in discovering yourself, and appearances vs. reality (through putting on a facade for political reasons). There's a hell of an opening scene that had me laughing and hooked me right away. Caveat - the cover completely misrepresents what this book is...there's a lot more depth than it would lead you to believe.

To the outside world it seems Rachel has everything looks, money, a great successful husband who’s in the middle of a re-election campaign. Right now she’s happy to be living as the trophy wife.
So When Rachel finds out her husband of thirteen years is having an affair she now has to decide what to do next since her husband is running for re-election.
Rachel and her husband end up striking a deal that until his re-election is over they decide to live as if nothing has changed.
But when Rachel meets Nathan she can’t hide her feelings for him what will she do?
“Love would be so much easier if it were perfect..." 
I enjoyed reading The Art of Scandal it has drama, money, power, passion and some spicy scenes. I am hoping the author has more in store for us soon.
I looked Regina Black up to read more from her and found The Art of Scandal is her first book so I am keeping my eye out for this author.

Wow.

I first heard about Regina’s book in the BBIL FB group. After I absolutely DEVOURED the first half, I went searching for all her other books to immediately purchase. I was shocked to find out this is her FIRST!!

Art of Scandal is one of those books that reminds you why you fell in love with reading in the first place. I fell in love with Rachel and Nathan over and over again. I hope there’s a sequel coming ASAP (Joe and Mia??). I’m already planning to purchase a physical copy once Art of Scandal is released in August.

This is a must read!!

WOW. Black comes out swinging in her debut novel. From the very first chapter to the last, THE ART OF SCANDAL is visceral, seductive, and so damn smart. The language is evocative, the characters are beautifully flawed, and the romance is=steamy. Black just became an auto-buy author for me!

I was SO excited to read this book! I'm a sucker for age gap and forbidden romance and this one did both of those topes wonderfully! The political aspects were interested and I really enjoyed this book! The ending was satisfying and even though I wasn't sure how I felt about cheating, I loved Rachel and Nate.

I adored the hell out of this book. It's sharp, witty, purposeful, immaculately formed. I can't believe it's a debut! I was genuinely so blown away by the character studies it offered, on top of the commentary on art and the making of art, the nature of a scandal, DC Liberal politics, race and community, respectability, etc. etc. It's just like, a dream. I need everyone to read it.

This book is the perfect read that got me out of my reading slump. It's a page-turning romance that had me hooked in the first chapter. The main characters have so many layers than expected from reading the blurb. This was emotional, filled with passion, you're rooting for the couple the whole way through. This was amazing debut from Regina Black.

I devoured this sexy, secret-filled debut. It's like 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘐𝘥𝘦𝘢 𝘰𝘧 𝘠𝘰𝘶 crossed with 𝘚𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘭 and who could say no to that?

In 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗔𝗥𝗧 𝗢𝗙 𝗦𝗖𝗔𝗡𝗗𝗔𝗟, Regina Black examines the unravelling of a political marriage so realistically that it almost feels ripped from the headlines. I could not stop listening to see where the story would go. The chemistry between the characters is off the charts (and hooray for an older woman/younger guy romance!) and the narration is perfection. Treat yourself to a cold glass of Rosé and this hot summer read ASAP.

Thanks to Grand Central Publishing for the copy to review.

The Art of Scandal is a raw and honest love story. There’s an intensity to this story that will suck you in. This forbidden romance is between the mayor’s wife and a young artist and business owner. After striking a deal with her husband to stay in their complicated marriage, Rachel meets Nathan at a very low point in her life. She is drawn to him and even though her mind knows she should not complicate her life further, their paths cross time and time again. It’s sensual and the writing (overall) is incredible! These characters were so real and I have a hard time believing they aren’t, very vivid. These two try to steal moments together whenever they can. Each time they meet their connection strengthens and what was once a little fling, is more than either are prepared for. Rachel is the curator for the first charity show that Nathan’s art will be the focus of. Can they pull off this event with their feelings growing stronger every day as their lives become more entangled?

Rachel. Girl. You’ve been through it! I loved Rachel so much. Her marriage to Matt made me so furious! I loved how we get to see Rachel try to navigate all the complex social structures surrounding race, class, and agency with her daughter, her spouse’s affluent family, all the political posturing and all these damn secrets this woman is holding. She was complex and balancing too damn much all the time. I was tired for her. Her mental capacity is extra large to accommodate all these things at once. But she is strong and smart and resilient. She can literally handle anything. I am obsessed with her! What I really loved was seeing the woman she truly was after all the unfortunate events that she was involved in. Oh. I loved it. The retribution was sweet.

I love the language that Regina uses when talking about both Nathan and Rachel’s art. It was beautiful and transparent. Even for someone who couldn’t understand what a passion for art looks and feels like from the artist’s perspective, you will feel deeply for their respective struggles with it. Nathan’s complicated relationship with his family, especially his father, and his craft held so many painful truths for me. His soft heart had me swooning. He said things in this book that made me put my book down, giggle, pick the book back up and giggle some more. I love this MMC so much. My heart broke for him over and over as he tries to get close to Rachel. I loved their easy chemistry and their stolen moments. Phew… that lake house scene. Wow. Ultimately, I enjoyed his growth from beginning to end, he was always my favorite.

I have two questions for Matt though. 1) Where do you get the gall?! 2) How could you fumble Rachel!! Eegit. I swear.

The Art of Scandal is easily in my top 5 of the year. I highly recommend you give this one a read if you like forbidden romance! Thank you so much to NetGalley and the author for an advanced copy of this book for review!

This one kicked off with a “IKYFL” moment in the opening chapter which only made me eager to read more. It gave me a little Desperate Housewives x soap opera tease with some of the storylines, but those two things are right up my alley so you know i was gere for every moment. I liked that this one had some layers to it. Aside from the romance aspect, we got to witness family dynamics, class issues, and different characters struggling with their wants and needs in life while living in an affluent community. I enjoyed the build up to the drama, parts of it were definitely gasp worthy.

Will definitely give Regina Black my kindle to fill her backlog of everything she’s written. Can’t wait to see what she does next.

This book was an absolute barn-burner! The chemistry was scorching hot, and there were times where I genuinely had no idea where the story would go next. I rooted for Rachel and Nathan so hard. This felt like Shonda Rhimes in novel form in the very best possible way, and I can't wait to read whatever Regina Black writes next.

Rachel receives a text from her husband Matt during his 40th birthday party that she quickly realizes wasn’t intended for her. Rachel is livid but feels some level of dependency on Matt and the life they’ve built over the years so they strike a deal as Matt can’t afford a messy split right now with election season approaching.

Holding up the deal is more challenging though, especially when Rachel meets a young artist, Nathan, who comes from a wealthy, well-known family. Nathan’s family is full of tension, some of which he feels responsible for creating when he decided to take a different route than the other men in his family by pursuing his artistic ambition.

Initially I was hooked by the story but this began to fade and I found myself starting and finishing several books along the way as I continued to read this one. It wasn’t bad by any means and I did want to see it through, it just didn’t quite captivate me like I hoped.

While they’re not overly similar, I couldn’t help but be reminded of The Perfect Find at times while reading The Art of Scandal — The two stories are different enough but both involve an age gap (less of one in TAOS) and a forbidden (to an extent) romance — 3.5 stars

Perfection. No notes. Okay, I have a few lol. The Art of Scandal starts off with… not quite a bang–but pretty adjacent. Rachel’s throwing her husband a 40th bday party when he sends her an eggplant pic. She quickly realizes it’s not meant for her, so she goes on the offensive. She’ll pretend to keep playing the role of perfect wife, smiling beside her cheating husband as he wins over the votes he needs to transisiton from mayor to senator.


But Rachel didn’t account for a run-in with a much younger, sexier man, but she immediately clicks with Nathan Vasquez. They keep gettting pushed together, and Rachel’s finding fewer excuses to push him away.


There were SO many intricaltely plotted layers to the story, juicy bit after juicy bit. Regina said romance is a bit like writing a mystery, and I swear she came at us with better plot twists and misdirection than a loooot of thriller writers I’ve read. This is a story that is one hundred percent impossible to put down. It’s like Scandal meets Desperate Housewives but with the exciting new angles. It’s super sexy, steamy, and satisfying until the very last page.

Perfect for fans of Before I Let Go. This one packed an emotional punch. I loved the emotional development between the main characters but also between Nathan and his family. A very strong debut!

The Art of Scandal is a well-written romance that features characters with depth. Even so, the story and characters just didn't grab me. I think that might be more me than the story. The MCs are part of prominent DC families who care far more about money, power, and appearances than anything else. It was a frustrating world to be a part of. The MCs fortunately are more reasonable and want to escape the boxes they've been put in. Rachel is the wife of an up-and-coming politician and Nathan is the son to a wealthy family with a coffee empire. At the beginning, Rachel discovers her long-time husband is cheating on her and planning to leave, but convinces her to play the part of his doting wife. By chance, Rachel meets Nathan, a much younger, intriguing man. I was a little disappointed that the spice doesn't even start until 40% into the book! I liked the journey of Rachel and Nathan. They start out lost, but gain confidence in themselves. The story is intriguing and very readable and filled with some surprises.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing this ARC. All thoughts are my own.

🔥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!