Laura’s Review of The Phoenix Candidate (Grace Colton, #1) by Heidi Joy Tretheway

If you have read & enjoyed Wicked Burn by Beth Kerry, Off the Record (Record, #1) by K.A. Linde, and Unravel Me by Tori St.Claire then you will LOVE this book!!

Synopsis

Fans of Scandal, House of Cards, and The Good Wife will love Grace Colton...

U.S. Congresswoman Grace Colton is the most famous woman in politics—and the loneliest—until a drawling, sexy stranger offers her one night: no strings and no regrets. And it rocks her world.

Grace wakes to an empty hotel room and a phone call. The dark horse for the 2016 presidential election, Senator Shep Conover, is considering her as his vice presidential running mate.

Before she can be selected, Grace must be vetted and coached by Shep’s political consultant, Jared Rankin, who already knows too many intimate details about her. He’s Mr. One-Night Stand.

Grace is torn: play nice with Jared to join the senator’s ticket, or play hardball and back the slick frontrunner? As the Democratic National Convention approaches, Grace must decide where her loyalties lie and if she can trust Jared with her future—and her heart.

The Phoenix Candidate is an adult erotic romance recommended for mature readers.

What I Loved

          First of all being a political science major in college definitely perked my interest when I read this summary so I was excited to dive into this story.  I absolutely love the protagonist in this story, she is strong, independent and not afraid to speak her mind.  I also loved that Grace had a past and isn’t some inexperience damsel in distress like so many other lead female characters.  The author made it easy to relate to Grace and to all she’s been through helping me, as the reader become more engrossed in her story. 

          I love that the sexual attraction being Jared and Grace is literally immediate, the very first page oozes their want for one another and it’s palpable throughout the entire story.  Of course this leads to very hot and steamy sex scenes that I thoroughly enjoyed!

Not So Much

          This was a great story and the plot itself really was original enough that it kept my interest the entire time.  Yet there were at times that I felt like the foundation of the characters, mainly Jared was a little bit more detailed.  I get that his life is supposed to be intriguing and mysterious making the read want more of him, and I did, but there were times where I felt his story was a little shallow.  I felt the same way with some scenes between Grace and Jared, I wish there was more explanation or follow through in some scenes so I could understand better what was going on in the scene.

To Sum It All Up!

        

            I really enjoyed this story so much I was reading and all of sudden looked down realized that I was 92% of the way through because I was so enthralled.  The sexual chemistry between Jared and Grace was hot, and everything about Jared was nothing less than steamy.  I must admit I wasn’t a huge fan of Jared in the beginning of this story, which is a twist for me because I usually really like the love interests in books like these.  Jared kind of had to earn my love for him but he definitely got there eventually. I cannot wait to see where Grace’s journey takes her next, although I must say I have a pretty good idea about some of it!