We weren’t supposed to be friends. We weren’t even supposed to like each other.I’m Michael Grath. I’ll admit I was elected to Congress on my Republican family history. I was out to make a name for myself, until I met Jessie Clark, a spitfire Democrat.
She’d be my nemesis, if I could just stop thinking about her. We’ve got nothing and everything in common, and one big issue that divides us. All of this is going to land us in more than one compromising position.
And like I said, we weren’t supposed to be friends, we weren’t even supposed to like each other, and we certainly weren’t supposed to fall in love.
PURCHASE LINKS: AMAZON
MICHELLE’S REVIEW
EEK!!! I am so excited that this book is being unleashed to the world.
So I have a deep love for MWhit. She’s awesome and her books her awesome. But I also feel like because she’s lived in DC and worked in politics her political romances are some of the best around.
In the interest of full disclosure- I have been very invested in this book since I found out it was being written and I was a beta reader for this story. So it definitely has a special place in my heart.
This book is definitely a political romance but I think that non-political junkies can still appreciate it. Michael is a sexy Republican Congressman who votes with his party, some from a conservative Catholic background and is super hot.
So naturally I pictured him as the hottest man on Capitol Hill-
Aaron Shock- you and I may never be on the same page politically but I would definitely go a few rounds with you in the sack.
But now my heart belongs to a different Republican (words I never thought I would say)- in one Michael Grath.
On the other side of the aisle you have Jessie Clark. A liberal, democrat Congresswoman who is basically the opposite of Michael in every way.
Naturally they are totally drawn to each other and it’s so damn hot I can’t stand it.
There may or may not be an incredibly hot scene in one of their Congressional offices. And I can neither confirm or deny having a similar experience myself that might have made that scene even hotter in my head.
Underneath the hot sex and the fighting of feelings and all of that fun stuff- there is a GREAT story line. It’s the thing that takes MWhit from good writer to a great writer.
Jessie and Michael find themselves fighting for both their jobs and their love when a bill comes to the floor to defund Planned Parenthood. Jessie is very strongly pro-choice and Michael is personally not as invested in the fight but usually votes with his party and on the side of his religious beliefs. It is this issue that shakes their relationship to the core. Even through they were able to work together previously, this issue is such a heated debate that it really becomes a turning point for the couple.
MWhit does a magnificent job of taking a very touchy subject and making it very comfortable for the reader- no matter what side you fall on.
And if you aren’t a political person- don’t worry. You can still enjoy this book. It is, at it’s core, a story about two people who have to work through all of their differences and baggage to make love work. And who doesn’t like that?
I cannot recommend this book enough. If you want a well written book with plenty of steam but a story line that is realistic and interesting the entire way through- you will want to pick this one up!!
AUTHOR INTERVIEW
1) This story was a bold choice to write considering some of the subject matter. We’ve read a few of your books and there has always been a political angle but in this book you really dive into some real specifics. What inspired you to write this story?
I’m always drawn to stories where the characters are flawed and the problems aren’t so clear-cut as to who is right and who is wrong. Usually when the issue of abortion arises in a story – and especially in a movie or on TV – the plot is always the same. The woman debates whether or not to do it, and if she does decide to have an abortion, she changes her mind at the clinic. Then she has the baby, and everyone lives happily ever after (because that’s reality, right????). The alternative typical story is that she had an abortion earlier in life and now spends her days riddled with guilt. I wanted to explore a situation where a woman had an abortion and had no regrets.
2) You spent some time working on the Hill in your past life. Were any of these characters based in reality?
I’d say there are many composite characters. The traits of a good staffer, reporter, and politician are there, but the personalities are mine.
3) What are you currently working on?
I’m writing a story about my cockney cad, David, from Beside Your Heart and its sequels. In the new book, David finally meets his match in a woman. The poor bloke doesn’t know what hit him!
4) When you aren’t writing your own stories- what do you like to read?
I’m a romance junkie, but I also read literary fiction. It’s good to read outside your genre because we all get in such ruts with language.
5) Name 3 things you cannot live without!
Well, these are things – not people, or I would be listing my husband and daughters.
1. Coffee
2. Milk for my coffee
3. Wine because I can’t drink coffee too late in the day.
AUTHOR INFO
Even before she graduated from law school, Mary knew she wasn’t cut out to be a real lawyer. Drawn to politics, she’s spent her career as an organizer, lobbyist, and nonprofit executive. Nothing piques her interest more than a good political scandal or romance, and when she stumbled upon writing, she put the two together. A born Midwesterner, naturalized Texan, and transient resident of Washington, D.C., Mary now lives in Northern California with her two daughters and real lawyer husband.
CONTACT MARY:
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Thank you!!!!