Month: March 2020

Yours in Scandal
Series: Man of the Year, #1
Author: Lauren Layne
Publication Date: March 10, 2020
Publisher: Montlake Romance
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Note: This review is for an ARC and is my unbiased opinion.

Rating: ★ ★ ★

Synopsis:

A political golden boy and the woman of his dreams take the risk of their lives in a sexy romantic comedy of strange bedfellows and second chances by New York Times bestselling author Lauren Layne.

Fresh off being named Citizen magazine’s Man of the Year, New York City’s youngest mayor, Robert Davenport, decides it’s time to strategize. Next move: a bid for the governor’s seat. In his way: an incumbent with a flawless reputation. He also has an Achilles’ heel: an estranged wild-child daughter with a past so scandalous it could be Robert’s ticket to victory. And a charm so irresistible it could be Robert’s downfall.

Rebellion is a thing of the past for Adeline Blake. As New York’s premier event planner, she’s all about reform and respectability. Then she’s approached by Robert to organize the party of the season. Curious, considering he’s her father’s most formidable opponent. And alarming, too. Because Addie can’t help but fall for the righteously popular candidate with the movie-star smile.

Now it’s Robert’s choice. Does he pursue a future that holds his legacy? Or the woman who holds his heart?

I’m a little bummed after reading Yours in Scandal. It was not my favorite book by Lauren Layne. She is one of my go-to contemporary romance writers and I have loved every single one of her books but this one fell short. Yours in Scandal was just okay bordering on good for me. I’m going to give you my likes and dislikes for it below.

Likes:

• I loved Addie’s character and her back story. The whole estranged daughter of a political opponent thing was fun.
• The romance between Addie and Robert was sweet. It was the best thing about this book. It felt like it was made for a T.V. movie.
• Robert when he wasn’t making dumb decisions.
• Addie’s friends. I see some fun stories coming in the future for them!
• How all the drama and the end played out. It was cute!

Dislikes:

• Normally, I’m not a fan of third person narration. It usually works for me in LL’s books because she’s such a great writer. Sadly, it didn’t work for me in this book. It harder for me to connect to the characters.
• I didn’t really like Robert when I first met his character. There was something off-putting about him and I couldn’t figure it out. Maybe it was his willingness to go along with his advisor. I don’t know. I did find myself liking him somewhere in the middle (see above).
• My biggest dislike is that the entire book just felt slow. I had to push myself to read it when normally I’m enthralled with LL’s stories.

I really wish I hadn’t struggled through the beginning of this book and had to push myself to read it because the romance and the ending were so good. I’m hoping the rest of the books in the series are stronger reads for me.