REVIEW: Flirting with Scandal by Chanel Cleeton

Flirting with Scandal (Capital Confessions #1) by Chanel Cleeton: Jackie has grown up in Washington, D.C. and been around politicians and scandal her entire life. Her mom’s lifestyle has made an indelible impact on Jackie and dictates how she lives. She’s currently trying to finish her undergraduate degree while on internship with a prestigious political consulting firm. Will is an up and coming politician in the state of Virginia. Will comes from money and his grandfather reached the highest ranks of political office. He’s running for office in Virginia where his young age and single status work against him.

Jackie is at her favorite hotel trying to relax after a long day when she locks eyes with Will across the bar. They feel an instant attraction and are drawn to each other. Jackie is very independent and gains the upper hand. Will at times comes across as being a little unsure, but then a flip switches and he is commanding.

“Can I buy you a drink?”
I flashed him a smile, upping the wattage to lessen the sting. “I buy my own drinks.”
He looked kind of thrown. They always were, but on him it was kind of cute.
“You can sit, though.” I gestured to the seat next to me.
He hesitated. “Is the buying-your-own-drinks thing what you use to give guys the polite brush-off, and now you’re just offering me the seat because you feel sorry for me, or do I actually have a chance here?”

Since Will is up against an experienced politician, he ends up hiring Jackie’s firm to help win the election. Will and Jackie are forced to work closely together and they push the boundaries as they struggle with controlling their need to be with each other when discretion is of utmost importance. Jackie has great instincts and they solidify their connection as she helps to prepare him for a variety of events and interviews.

Jackie has a sordid past and she knows that a public relationship with Will is out of the question, not only for Will’s chances in the current election but also for her own career. Jackie is very devoted to her career and she wants to keep things casual, but Will has other ideas. Will loves that Jackie challenges him and will be honest in terms of their working relationship, but he has to constantly push to get past her own barriers.

His dimple winked at me. “If I’d known the Metro was the only impediment to you coming naked, I would have sent a car.”
“You think you’re so adorable, don’t you?”
He laughed. “Sometimes. I think you think I’m adorable.”
I rolled my eyes. “Are you going to let me in? Standing outside your front door having a five-minute conversation is the antithesis of discretion.”

Flirting with Scandal is a steamy romance between a honest-to-goodness “good guy” politician and his brilliant intern complete with secrets and scandals. Chanel Cleeton provided a great twist with stereotypical gender expectations for relationships with Will and Jackie. Ms. Cleeton created two intelligent, charming, and well-balanced characters who brought out the best in each other. Fans of The Phoenix Candidate by Heidi Joy Tretheway and Scandal would fall for Flirting with Scandal!

Book Info:

Publication: May 19th 2015 by InterMix

The author of I See London sets her sights on Washington, D. C., with a sexy new series about three sisters, the secrets they keep, and a powerful blog with a knack for exposing scandals…

Jackie Gardner knows all about dirty little secrets. The illegitimate daughter of one of the most influential senators in Washington, D.C., she grew up surrounded by the scandals and shadows of politics. Now that she’s landed an internship with a powerful political consulting firm, she’s determined to launch her career and take this city by storm.

William Andrew Clayton was born for politics. He knows the drill: work hard, play discreetly, and at all costs, avoid scandal. At twenty-six, his campaign for the Virginia State Senate is the first step to cementing his future. It’s time for him to settle down, to find the perfect political spouse. He needs a Jackie Kennedy, not a Marilyn…

When Jackie meets Will in the bar of the Hay-Adams Hotel, sparks fly. But the last thing Will needs is to be caught in a compromising position, and an affair with a political candidate could cost Jackie her career. When what began as one steamy night, becomes a passion neither one of them can walk way from, they must decide if what they have is really love, or just another dirty little secret…