Power Of Persuasion

by Selena Montgomery

When an anti-terrorist agency decides to uses her groundbreaking artificial intelligence system to stop a dangerous threat against Jafir's monarchy, A.J. Grayson finds herself thrust in the middle of a political conspiracy that leads her into the arms of Damon Toca, the region's newly crowned king.

Genres: Fiction, Romance, Mystery

Mass Market Paperback

First published October 25, 2002

About the author

Selena Montgomery is the nom de plume of Stacey Abrams, an American politician, lawyer, voting rights activist, and author who served in the Georgia House of Representatives from 2007 to 2017. She founded Fair Fight Action, an organization to address voter suppression, in 2018.

Reviews

[Lit_Vibrations · Rating 3 out of 5]

Special thanks to the author & @berkleyromance for my gifted copy‼️

The Power of Persuasion was not my cup of tea. It was a blend of suspense and romance (odd concept) involving a political conspiracy and artificial intelligence. The writing was decent but I found the book to be a little boring and I couldn’t get into A.J and Damon having a romantic relationship. There wasn’t any real chemistry between the characters so I felt the romance aspect didn’t really fit. This was also a re-release from the early 2000’s and all I can say is you can tell!!! I don’t recommend this book but would definitely read more by the author.

Rating: 2.5/5⭐️

[Ada · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full disclosure: Power of Persuasion is book three in a trilogy that was originally published back in the early aughts with the series being re-released recently. However, it was easy to understand the basic history of the characters and read it as a standalone.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for an advance reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review. Publication date Jan 21 2025

*3.5 stars

Power of Persuasion starts with lust at first sight between A.J. and Damon underneath the stars at a wedding before Damon leaves A.J. to slide away ambiguously into the night with no explanation whatsoever. A.J. is a computer whiz who invented an advanced artificial intelligence program during the rise of tech that helps assess risk for several agencies. A.J. is dispatched on a secret mission to Jafir to aid the monarchy in uncovering a terrorist plot using her highly sought after technology. And surprise surprise.. the King of Jafir, Damon Toca, sees that it is the beautiful woman he ghosted at a wedding months prior. What follows are the twists, turns, and suspicions that come along with uncovering the truth of a political conspiracy.

I have read Our Time is Now by Stacey Abrams, but this is the first romance I’ve read by her. I always thought it was so cool how she did both. I was very thankful to read this on Kindle because I put my dictionary feature to WORK. She keeps the pace of excitement going really well. I can say that it kept my interest the whole way through even if the romance wasn’t my favorite part. To me personally the romance aspect of this book had a kind of period romance vibe with the expansive vocabulary and the setting in a King’s palace. I enjoyed the suspense aspect more than the romance part. Maybe that’s just because I loved A.J. way more than I loved Damon. But if you like your romances where the main guy love interest is a walking red flag then this is the one for you.

[Sharonda Isadora · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5

So much about this story and its characters pissed me off, smh.

[Rach · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well written but the story was a bit flat. The romance part of the book felt meh but the rest of the plot was more interesting to me.

[Lc · Rating 2 out of 5]

After really liking Abram’s Avery series I was disappointed in this one. Granted she wrote this over 20 years ago so she’s grown as a writer and/or this more romance based novel just isn’t for me.

[Chelsea (thatbookishteach) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you so much to Berkley for the arc! lagree with other reviews in that this was much more suspense/spy thriller type than romance. The wording and terminology was a little complex at times but you can tell the author really tried to make it authentic either way her word choices just had to embarrassingly consult google a few times &3). I would have loved a little more connection and physical tension between AJ and Damon as AJ seemed really torn and showed a lot of indecision. The book moved at a solid pace and didn't leave me bored with the suspense and action. Really solid read!

[Abbey H · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not for me. The dialogue was so bad, and the "will they, won't they" hot and cold interactions were so awkwardly fast it was like a tennis match of back and forth. I also thought the AI, technology part of the story would add more to the plot than it did.

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ok. I don't do romance novels. I do do thrillers, so I've read the first two entries of Stacey Abrams' Avery Keene novels and enjoyed the clever plotting and characters. But no. Not this. Not two immature, completely unbelievable characters who have intense attraction but he's now a king facing his coronation on some island country and she's a super brain scientist that maybe can help prevent attacks on an upcoming summit. So I got to the point where this was so repetitive I could predict the passionate magnetism and then one pisses the other off. I skipped a few chapters because I was so done with the repetition and did not miss anything important. It is my guess that this is a book a lot of people like. They kiss, they almost have sex, but first they fight so they don't. Someone's in danger. She has a chance to marry a king. blah blah blah. No thanks. But give me Avery Keene anytime.

[Tonja · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my first Stacey Abrams book. It is classified as fiction romance . There is a slow burning romance building between tech professional A.J. Grayson and King Damon Toca, however, this was definitely more of a spy/thriller. A.J. has been sent to use high tech A.I. to find out who is plotting to kill the king. It was definitely a game of cat and mouse as there were many possible suspects , including the kings own brother. This story kept me on my toes as things heated up between A.J. and Damon so did their distrust and suspicion of each other . I liked A.J.’ character as a strong,sexy, smart woman.
It did take me awhile to get used to Abram’s writing style as I found myself looking up the meaning of words more than usual. 3.5

[Danette]

I enjoyed a couple of her other books, but this one was pretty bad--should have quit it. It was about AI and a couple of times I wondered if it was written by AI.

[Barb Lie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Power of Persuasion by Selena Montgomery is an exciting, as well as a romantic story. We meet A.J. Grayson, who works with her cousin Adam, at his cutting-edge GCI technology firm, with her creating a successful groundbreaking artificial intelligence system. She is asked to use her high tech A.I. (Poppet) that she developed to thwart a plot against Jafir’s monarchy; trying to discover who is plotting to kill the king.

Damon Tuca met AJ months ago, at a wedding, and though he found her very attractive, he quickly left the wedding. Many months later, Damon is shocked when A.J. turns up in Jafir, reporting to the President, who has hired the GCI and the Extra Government Organization running counterterrorism. Damon, who is now the King of Jafir, and sees the woman who he ghosted many months ago. He is surprised that she is the person who is a whiz, having invented her A.I. intelligence program. AJ sets everything up using her AI Poppet, which does all research, collections, tying missions and suspects.

In a short time, both Damon and AJ begin to have strong feelings for each other. Though throughout the book, Damon doesn’t trust anyone, and he has a tendency to become angry, a lot of times; including AJ. He is falling in love with her, but also wants to protect her, with so many suspects that he can’t trust.

Damon knows that his brother, Nelson (currently locked up) is planning an attack, to take over as King of Jafir; but who else is helping Nelson. AJ and Damon try to find the clues as to who is helping, suspicious at first Mclord, and then President Robertsi, but the real person behind the scenes is truly evil.

When things get hot, AJ finds the clues to reveal those behind the scenes, and knowing that attack the will be very soon. Adam, Raleigh, Phillip, and Alex make plans to go to Jafir to help, bring their own group of people to stop Nelson, Zeben, Jubilee, etc.

My favorite person in this story is AJ, who was fantastic, as she was smart, strong, sexy; especially her Poppet AI, who was very cool, talking to her. I found Damon to be ok, except he was in love with her, but he was annoying constantly getting angry. What follows are many twists, turns, suspicions, and discovering the conspiracy. Power of Persuasion was an exciting, intense story that kept me glued to my kindle. Power of Persuasion was very well written by Selena Montgomery.

Barb
The ReadingCafe

[Melanie Stewart · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have worked in IT my entire professional career yet the term artificial intelligence is still more of a pie in the sky concept. It is truly next level intelligence on the part of the programmer and reading about how A.J.'s program worked impressed me and filled me with a sense of this is my type book. Years ago, watching Bones, I remember a line "I find intelligence soothing." I do too so reading about a super smart person using her tech for such lofty goals as helping to avert more terror was totally in my wheel house of books.
I, like our characters, was caught from the first. For A.J. and Damon it was insta-lust but for me, it was great setup for the FMC and MMC in the story. Shortly after sharing a lusty kiss in the wine cellar Damon is spirited away to be King of Jafir and A.J. relegates him to a memory. Her program and political intrigue bring them back to each other. A.J.'s program is not longer being used to read and predict shopping trends. Instead it can be used by the alphabet agencies to predict how treaty. From there we have a story rife with intrigue as A.J. learns to navigate the unfamiliar. Of course, we couldn't call it a romance unless A.J and Damon' s story moves past the insta-lust in the beginning.
This was a good book and introduced me to the world of a new alphabet agency and the characters who fill it. I plan to go back and reread the other books since Adam also works for the same tech company as A.J. As I final note, I love the program name. IT and acronyms go together like peanut butter and chocolate and I love how the acronym Poppet tied back to the title.
Overall, I would recommend this book.

[Brooke | bookswithbabs · Rating 3 out of 5]

3/5 stars

Thank you Berkely Books for the advanced reading copy & PRH Audio for the advanced listening copy.

I liked this book overall, though there are some things I would change about it. First of all, Stacey Abrams has a beautiful writing style; lots of prose and eloquent language. This did, however, make the spicy scenes so awkward to me, as they are written in the classic almost "metaphorical smut" way -- with analogies and metaphors. My personal preference is just to come out and say it, so this didn't work for me.

This book was definitely intriguing from the beginning and pretty fast-paced, just like the last book I read by this author THE ART OF DESIRE. Similarly to that one, this jumps right into a world that has come from other books, in a way that makes the reader feel they're missing something. These are not listed on Goodreads as being part of a series, but I think they should be and that this would enhance the experience of the reader significantly, as many characters, organizations and plots cross over. I do, however, think the backstory is fairly well-explained, in a way that doesn't take too much time but makes you feel in-tune enough to keep up.

I liked our main character, AJ, and enjoy that these books are written in third person omniscient, so you get to hear into everyone's heads at times. I did, however, think that the conflict between AJ and her love interest, Damon, were soooo repetitive and got very boring after a while. Felt like the same argument over and over. That said, narration was phenomenal and there were enough twists and turns to keep me engaged the entire time!

[Turtleberry Turtleberry · Rating 4 out of 5]

AJ is an AI scientist. Damon is an art gallery owner turned King. They met at a wedding and had a moment but he left before anything could happen between them.
Then her cousin pulls her into a spy mission to help save Damon's new kingdom. When they encounter each other again, the sparks are still there.
These two have a constant tug of war. He doesn't want to pull her into his chaos. Then there is a trust issue. It takes them a minute to get it together. All the way to the very end.
I'm not a fan of AI so that part of the story was a miss for me. The suspense made up for it. I wanted to shake Damon because it seemed like he would not get his act together when it came to AJ's heart. All in all it was a good story.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I saw this book at my library and was intrigued to see that Stacey Abrams used to write romance thrillers under the name Selena Montgomery. It was originally published in 2002 and was re-published again this year. It's definitely interesting to me that Ms. Abrams, the community activist and tax lawyer, was a romance writing. I guess we can all wear multiple hats in our life times.

In this story, there were multiple "will they or won't they" moments between the two main characters. A.J. Grayson was a young, talented computer scientist who developed an early version of an AI program, and Damon Toca was an art gallery owner who inherited the monarchy of Jafir. (What?) Considering that the AI bubble is now in the headlines everyday, this book is an interesting read on multiple levels. Some of the romantic scenes are pretty steamy, but there were a lot of interpersonal flags raised for me. I guess the king can do whatever he wants, but should he? I'm not sure where I stand on the political intrigue/spy stuff. I was struggling to believe all that was happening. I kept reading, but I had my eyebrows up a lot more than I normally do. And I gritted my teeth a few times. So, I gave the book 3 stars.

This is the third book in a series, but I read it as a stand alone book. There are a few other fiction books that Stacy Abrams wrote. I will probably read her nonfiction first before I read anymore of her romance novels.

[Doug · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rounding up from 1.5. I waited for my hold on this book thinking it was new from Stacey Abrams. Within a couple of pages, I knew I was wrong so I researched the book to learn this is a reprint of one of her first novels. I’m glad she has improved her writing skills because this is borderline drivel.

Trite. Barely original. Bad dialogue. Cliche characters. Toxic relationships. Both of these characters are horrible. Both mistake lust for love and make dumb decisions as a result. The narrative skips over important details about the investigation and the AI operation so that it’s difficult to follow the resolution process. Complete with shallow character development and villain dialogues.

[Angelo Flowers · Rating 2 out of 5]

Power of Persuasion is a well-written novel that showcases Selena Montgomery’s (Stacey Abrams') command of language and structure. However, despite the polished prose, the story itself felt flat and lacked momentum. The plot dragged across several chapters with little to no climax, making it difficult to stay engaged. The romance, though a slow burn, never quite delivered the payoff expected from its buildup. Additionally, the characters were so deeply flawed that they became hard to connect with or root for. Overall, while the writing style is commendable, the story's pacing and emotional arc left much to be desired.

[DyaaReads_ · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐️

I think Selena’s flaw is being slightly too chatty/overly descriptive. But the plot was great and the romantic build up was perfect. I read book 2 of the series (Art of Desire) and enjoyed that one too.


The ending:
Damon lifted A.J., the pledge burning to be spoken.
"I’ll love you. Every day. Always."
A.J. kissed him until neither could remember ever
being without. "And I'll love you. Forever."

[Loretta · Rating 3 out of 5]

A, J. A very gifted, intelligent adopted orphan built a super computer with AI. A government agency assigned her to be a spy on a small monarchy island where there was a plot against a newly crowned King Damon. A,J and Damon met at a wedding months ago and were instantly mesmerized with each other. They are re-introduced at his estate and feelings heat up for them. Damon has a twin brother locked up in the jail. Lies, fraud attempts on lives. Who to love or trust! Suspense to the end! Enjoy.

[Lee Holden, E. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read

Great read, I enjoyed the characters and storyline. This was an intriguing and suspenseful story. Spy’s, secret organizations, monarchy, terrorist and a fight for power. A.J is a computer geek recruited for a special mission, and Damon is a king fighting to save his country. They must work together, to neutralize the threat. Their relationship is tumultuous, chemistry sizzling. This is their journey to love.

[Arlette Mooney · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a Stacey Abrams novel from 2002 reissued in 2025. An interesting story and easy read albeit a bit dated, I rate it 3.5 stars. Ms. Abrams has a way with words, suspense, romance and AI at the dawn of the computer age.

[Ellen · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. I liked the writing and the plot, but this lacked something. Maybe no depth to the storyline or characters? I’m not sure. It’s a quick read. I listened to the audiobook and also liked that — not annoying

[Sue Fletcher · Rating 3 out of 5]

The spy story was pretty interesting but the romance language was contrived and over the top. Ugh. Not surprised Stacey used a nom de plume. This was nowhere near the quality of her books she authored with her real name.

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice cute entertaining, not as intricate as her recent work but good.

[Ruth Natanson · Rating 4 out of 5]

AI mixes love & intrigue with spies & plots

Fascinating use of AI to solve crimes, plots, and deception! Once in, one cannot put it down. It’s worth the read!

[kathryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were a lot of descriptor words and adverbs. Fun to read something outside of my usual and if course can't hurt that it was sort of a mystery spy situation.

[Brianna · Rating 3 out of 5]

The writing was a bit unnecessarily verbose for me. I also didn't enjoy the pacing. I did find that the FMC and MMC were well written though. The intrigue was my favorite part.

[aaliyah❦ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Ingrid R · Rating 1 out of 5]

I liked the other books,the romance theme kinda turned me off from this one. I got bored and dnf.

[Carmen Lang · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rounded up from 3.5. This book was originally written several years ago. Some things aged well with time, others not so much.