What do you think?
Rate this book
True Colors
Taylor Crenshaw is a lifelong Democrat, but her parents are staunch Republicans. To make matters worse, her ultraconservative father has just been elected president. Although she prefers to live her life openly, her father would rather she stay in the closet. When she meets Robby Rawlins, will she choose to give in to her father’s demands or follow her heart?
Robby Rawlins works at an antique store by day. She spends her nights anonymously skewering politicians in her blog. President Terry Crenshaw’s anti-gay rhetoric gave Robby plenty to write about during a contentious campaign, but a chance meeting with his daughter leaves her at a loss for words. Getting the scoop has always been Robby’s goal. Now it might come second to getting the girl. Unless she can find a way to do both.
Robby Rawlins works at an antique store by day. She spends her nights anonymously skewering politicians in her blog. President Terry Crenshaw’s anti-gay rhetoric gave Robby plenty to write about during a contentious campaign, but a chance meeting with his daughter leaves her at a loss for words. Getting the scoop has always been Robby’s goal. Now it might come second to getting the girl. Unless she can find a way to do both.
240 pages, Paperback
First published August 15, 2017
11 people are currently reading
56 people want to read
About the author
Yolanda Wallace
18 books94 followersYolanda Wallace is not a professional writer, but she plays one in her spare time. She has written seven novels, and her short stories have appeared in multiple anthologies. She and her partner live in beautiful coastal Georgia, where they are parents to four children of the four-legged variety — a boxer and three cats.
Yolanda Wallace also writes under the pen name Mason Dixon.
Yolanda Wallace also writes under the pen name Mason Dixon.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
August 9, 2017
2 1/2 Stars. This book really did not work for me. First I want to say, I am a fan of Wallace. That fact makes it all the more surprising how much I did not like this book. And even more than dislike, I felt indifferent. I just don't care about this book or the characters. This did not feel like a Yolanda Wallace book at all. You know when the authors Acknowledgments page, is more interesting than the whole book, that it is a bad sign.
Even though I try not to talk much politics on Goodreads, I was brought up in a political minded household. Before my mother passed, she had volunteered on many political campaigns in her lifetime. I was raised to make sure I knew who I was voting for and why. So I honestly expected to really enjoy this book. But I am a very character driven reader. I like to feel connected to the characters. I can look past other faults in a book, if I love the characters. The characters overall in this book were really lacking. Taylor was okay. Her naivete and being attracted to such a selfish person, rubbed me the wrong way. And selfish brings us to Robby. There is nothing appealing about Robby at all. I don't mind characters with flaws, but I like to root for people with good hearts. Robby was a gold digging, opportunistic, liar. What am I suppose to like about that?
When it comes to the romance, there was no chemistry. One look at Robby and Taylor wanted her. After Robby opened her mouth, Taylor should have realized looks are not everything. Really the relationship seemed so superficial to me. Even the sex scenes seemed clunky and the total opposite of steamy.
When it came to the politics side I thought would be interesting, instead it seemed far fetched and unbelievable. Wallace even tried to throw a little danger and excitement into the book, instead it fell flat and I was left wondering what was the point?
I think I am going to go with the theory Bold Strokes Books mislabeled this book and it really wasn't written by Wallace. I can not recommend this at all, and I hate to say that. It was not a fun review to write, but I have to be honest. If you are new to Wallace, go read The War Within or Murphy's Law, those will show you how great Wallace's books normally are.
An ARC was given to me by BSB, for a honest review.
Even though I try not to talk much politics on Goodreads, I was brought up in a political minded household. Before my mother passed, she had volunteered on many political campaigns in her lifetime. I was raised to make sure I knew who I was voting for and why. So I honestly expected to really enjoy this book. But I am a very character driven reader. I like to feel connected to the characters. I can look past other faults in a book, if I love the characters. The characters overall in this book were really lacking. Taylor was okay. Her naivete and being attracted to such a selfish person, rubbed me the wrong way. And selfish brings us to Robby. There is nothing appealing about Robby at all. I don't mind characters with flaws, but I like to root for people with good hearts. Robby was a gold digging, opportunistic, liar. What am I suppose to like about that?
When it comes to the romance, there was no chemistry. One look at Robby and Taylor wanted her. After Robby opened her mouth, Taylor should have realized looks are not everything. Really the relationship seemed so superficial to me. Even the sex scenes seemed clunky and the total opposite of steamy.
When it came to the politics side I thought would be interesting, instead it seemed far fetched and unbelievable. Wallace even tried to throw a little danger and excitement into the book, instead it fell flat and I was left wondering what was the point?
I think I am going to go with the theory Bold Strokes Books mislabeled this book and it really wasn't written by Wallace. I can not recommend this at all, and I hate to say that. It was not a fun review to write, but I have to be honest. If you are new to Wallace, go read The War Within or Murphy's Law, those will show you how great Wallace's books normally are.
An ARC was given to me by BSB, for a honest review.
July 24, 2017
I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books in exchange for an honest review.
Characters
This book stars two young women, both of whom have their own point of view shown in the book.
Taylor Crenshaw
Taylor is a twenty-five year old young woman who is both the daughter of the current President-elect of the United States of America, and completely opposed to most of the President-elect's political platform. Taylor's parents are right wing conservative Republicans. Taylor is a left-wing Democrat, and, for that matter, openly lesbian. The parents and Taylor have their differences (including the part wherein the parents didn't approve of Taylor's college major, so Taylor had to pay for it herself, plus her graduate program), but both parties are attempting to 'live' with each other. As the book opens, it is days away from the inauguration, and Taylor is attempting to have a last fling before shutting herself up/off for four years. That's the plan at least. As noted, her point of view is represented in this book.
Taylor has the odd and annoying habit of talking to herself out-loud.
Roberta 'Robby' Rawlins
Robby's age wasn't given (yet), but she's likely close to Taylor's age. Robby and Taylor first meet at Robby's job at an antique store. But, unknown to Taylor, Robby also has two other jobs, both of which might cause issues for Taylor: Robby works on a political blog (anonymously authored, and called 'The pH Factor'); and works as a go-go dancer.
Has porcelain features.
Characters which may or may not be of importance in the book
Steven Alesana is Taylor's Secret Service agent. He is very large. Former Army sergeant.
Miles Osgood is the owner of Osgood Antiques, and the boss of, and friend to Robby. Is gay and fancies Steven.
Terry Crenshaw
Taylor's father and current President-elect. And yes, I've already had issues attempting to read a book that includes a 'Terry' and a 'Taylor'. I've seen both names used interchangeably with men and women, and both are similar enough to annoy me.
Thomas Jefferson 'TJ' Crenshaw
Son of Terry & Tina Crenshaw. Brother, and friend, of Taylor Crenshaw.
Christina 'Tina' Chrenshaw
Mother of Taylor and TJ. Wife of Terry. First Lady.
If you spot a character with a name that starts with T, there's a good chance they are somehow connected to the Crenshaws. Shesh. hehe. Terry, Tina, Taylor, TJ. mmphs.
Sheridan Kincaid
Daughter of a conservative, rich, politically powerful family based in Richmond Virginia. Like Taylor, Sheridan is also a lesbian. Possibly unlike Taylor, Sheridan is less . . . blunt, open, about 'the lesbian thing'.
Candy Ferrell
'Wife of [Taylor's] biggest campaign contributors.' '[P]ushing sixty'. Is either a closeted lesbian or a bisexual based on her rather bad attempt to seduce Taylor.
Lieutenant Harper Hutchinson
Medal of Honor winner. Daughter of a 'recently retired' five star general (which is impressive since General Omar Bradley died in 1981. Which is important since he was the last living 5 star general, and that specific rank was retired upon his death; the US Navy version, Fleet Admiral ('five star flag officer') has not been in active use since the death in 1966 of Chester W. Nimitz).
Other Secret Service Agents of Note
Ethan Moss and Lily - other agents who shadow Taylor.
Portia Thomas
Friend of Taylor's who asked her to attend a ball, and Taylor returned the favor by inviting her to her father's inaugural ball.
Story and review
Two women date. One comes from a prominent family, so prominent that her father is the President of the United States of America (or President-elect in the first part of the book). The other? Story isn't clear, but she comes from 'the wrong side of the tracks', or at least that's what she said when she talked about her relationship with the first woman she loved. Or, in other words, two women who come from different worlds. One originally from Richmond Virginia (this being the 'wrong side of the tracks' Robby), the other originally from Missouri, both currently living in Washington DC (with Taylor being the 'prominent family' one).
They actually have a lot more in common than seemed to be expressed in the story. I mean, beyond just the part where both are lesbians. There's also the part about great mounds of debt; both seem quite capable of insta-lust/love. And I suppose some other things here or there.
There's really not a whole lot to say here - Taylor and Robby meet when Taylor stops in at Robby's place of work (her antique store job, not her go-go dancing job). Taylor likes the look of Robby and so they date. Meanwhile Robby has secrets she's hiding from Taylor, like the part where she's using Taylor to get stories she can post to her political blog. And the go-go dancer thing. I'm sure there are other things as well.
There were a ton of people to follow, though there were just two points of view, Robby and Taylor. Sadly, though, most of the side-characters (with exceptions) are much more interesting and believable than Robby and Taylor who seemed destined to do everything in their power to mess up their lives and stuff.
I had certain 'issues' with the book that added to my disconnect from the book, that pulled me from the story. Like an incident involving blog posting. At around 37% into the book, Robby gets Miles to post a blog story for her while she is with Taylor. To 'throw Taylor off the scent', to get Taylor to not think that Robby is the blogger reporting on Taylor's life. Several issues with that - like, say, the fact that scheduling a blog post exists (even if the whole point was to have someone post from a specific location (which wasn't the case based on context, since Robby asked where, after the fact, Miles had posted from), then you can still set up a scheduled post from there (tracing that seems iffy, but whatever)). As noted, it was something that pulled me from the story and caused me to take a break from the book. Then there were other things. Like the soldier who had won the Medal of Honor award? Lieutenant Harper Hutchinson.
Beyond the part where the military women in this story seemed much more interesting than either of the main characters, referring to Harper and Portia here, there's some odd bits that turned up regarding Harper. Like the part where she's a Lieutenant in the Army. Who, context revealed, never graduated college. Vaguely confusing, that. A lieutenant who hadn't graduated college? There's a piece missing there, I'm sure. It can happen, just . . . a piece missing. Then there's her father. Described as 'recently retired five star general'. I'm noting things here that pulled me from the story. There was no reason to make Harper a lieutenant, but she was, so that pulled me from the story. No reason to make her father a five star general, he could easily have been listed as a four star general. Easily because they still exist. The last five star general died in 1981 (Five Star Generals still exist, heck, there's actually a level above that that also technically exists (General of the Armies, though the only one who held that rank while being alive, though not on active duty (I believe) was General Pershing, promoted to that rank so that he'd still be above the newly created 5 star generals)). See, I went and spent time looking crap like that up for a character that has no impact at all on the story - the father I mean. Could have been a four star general but nooo had to make it be a five star general. Pfft.
Robby and Taylor's personalities were weird. They seemed to bounce between thoughts and feelings with no sense. Falling into and out of insta-love/lust/hate/friendship. 'You betrayed me!!!' While also being super quick to jump to conclusions (both of them - Taylor says a specific thing to Robby, Robby then thinks that all of her secrets had been revealed and that she was forgiven and so didn't need to mention certain things because Taylor already knows them. I had to read that section three times because it bloody confused me - both why Robby would think that, then just what the fuck Taylor actually told her (.
I may have lost that last paragraph. Okay, I know I did. Sorry.
Then there were certain other things that pounded against my head that caused me issues - 25 year old daughter uprooting her entire life to move to Washington DC, forced to do so by her parents, to change graduate schools . . . and this is the same woman who has been forced to pay for her own education? Seriously? She uprooted herself from the college she's paying for to go to one in Washington DC? Hell, Trump's kid is still going to some elementary school or whatever in New York. She's not on good relations with her parents, they dominate and control her life, and she pays for it. Literally, money-wise. She has mounds of student loan debt now. ? Oh, and then there's the weird Sheridan issue. Is she evil? Good? Grey (something in-between)? Well, her own words paints her as an evil bitch, yet Taylor seems to like her and trusts her despite her own words. Insta-friends. WTF?
Oh, and I might as well mention sex. Yes yes, there's a bunch of graphic depictions of sex, but I'm mentioning it now for: surprise strap-on sex! Surprise BDSM! Gah. pfft. Thanks. Just pull me out of the story why don't ya. Yeah, both of these are things that occurred under the control and direction of Robby, they surprised Taylor and . . . . she liked it. But still, she wasn't exactly given much chance to put a word in one way or another about whether she wanted anything to do with it. mmphs.
Stupid bloody politics. If it wasn't for a section that occurred, I'd probably rate this book lower (). But it held my interest because of it. Especially the 'should she or shouldn't she'. And . . . spoiler.
In theory I can understand the interest in mixing Taylor and Robby. But Taylor and Portia, or Taylor and Harper looked a hell of a lot more interesting than Taylor and Robby. Hell, Taylor and Lily (the secret service agent), who had no chemistry, would have been more interesting - though only because I could then mention the HBO show VEEP. The romance between Taylor and Robby, though, just was not at all believable. Lust? Sure. Fling? Sure. Romance? No. They had roughly zero chemistry.
Funny thing there - I'd watched the first 3 seasons, took long break, watched season 4 and 5 while reading this book here (not literally at same time, I was in between pages while watching). The really rotten bitchy, self-centered woman that is the main focus of the show, you know, the VEEP, has a daughter on the show . . . who turned out to be a lesbian (shocked the daughter it did), who ended up in a romantic relationship with her mother's secret service agent.
I might have liked the book more if not for VEEP. Possibly. Because a lot of the 'evil parents'!!! was more . . . in theory than in reality. The mother on VEEP showed what an evil bitchy mother is like. This book? Daughter and parents have different political views. Like daughter is pro-lesbians and LGBT stuff, father, the USA president, is all like - they shouldn't marry!!! Conflict. But that was most of what was in the book - yeah, that's a major thing to have to deal with, but it rarely actually got seen in the book (hell, the father kept doing things that seemed downright accepting of LGBT people, where was the evil?). And I'm saying all of this, while now admitting that the daughter on the show is paper thin personality/story/character/etc. Still more interesting story than what I read in this book. Hell, now I want to read the book form of her relationship - there was a whole lesbian fiction book like relationship shown in one specific episode (the relationship is over more than one episode, but one episode showed, through the documentary, the whole relationship) - meeting, being asked out, noting not lesbian, realizing lesbian, having the best sex ever, loving life, meeting her parents, being introduced as a work friend, relationship now over, heartache, months pass, begging, apology, reunion - sounds like a lesbian fiction novel, eh?). bah, lost track of myself again there.
I’ve rambled. Too much rambling. Too much about VEEP.
Rating: 2.75
July 24 2017
Characters
This book stars two young women, both of whom have their own point of view shown in the book.
Taylor Crenshaw
Taylor is a twenty-five year old young woman who is both the daughter of the current President-elect of the United States of America, and completely opposed to most of the President-elect's political platform. Taylor's parents are right wing conservative Republicans. Taylor is a left-wing Democrat, and, for that matter, openly lesbian. The parents and Taylor have their differences (including the part wherein the parents didn't approve of Taylor's college major, so Taylor had to pay for it herself, plus her graduate program), but both parties are attempting to 'live' with each other. As the book opens, it is days away from the inauguration, and Taylor is attempting to have a last fling before shutting herself up/off for four years. That's the plan at least. As noted, her point of view is represented in this book.
Taylor has the odd and annoying habit of talking to herself out-loud.
Roberta 'Robby' Rawlins
Robby's age wasn't given (yet), but she's likely close to Taylor's age. Robby and Taylor first meet at Robby's job at an antique store. But, unknown to Taylor, Robby also has two other jobs, both of which might cause issues for Taylor: Robby works on a political blog (anonymously authored, and called 'The pH Factor'); and works as a go-go dancer.
Has porcelain features.
Characters which may or may not be of importance in the book
Steven Alesana is Taylor's Secret Service agent. He is very large. Former Army sergeant.
Miles Osgood is the owner of Osgood Antiques, and the boss of, and friend to Robby. Is gay and fancies Steven.
Terry Crenshaw
Taylor's father and current President-elect. And yes, I've already had issues attempting to read a book that includes a 'Terry' and a 'Taylor'. I've seen both names used interchangeably with men and women, and both are similar enough to annoy me.
Thomas Jefferson 'TJ' Crenshaw
Son of Terry & Tina Crenshaw. Brother, and friend, of Taylor Crenshaw.
Christina 'Tina' Chrenshaw
Mother of Taylor and TJ. Wife of Terry. First Lady.
If you spot a character with a name that starts with T, there's a good chance they are somehow connected to the Crenshaws. Shesh. hehe. Terry, Tina, Taylor, TJ. mmphs.
Sheridan Kincaid
Daughter of a conservative, rich, politically powerful family based in Richmond Virginia. Like Taylor, Sheridan is also a lesbian. Possibly unlike Taylor, Sheridan is less . . . blunt, open, about 'the lesbian thing'.
Candy Ferrell
'Wife of [Taylor's] biggest campaign contributors.' '[P]ushing sixty'. Is either a closeted lesbian or a bisexual based on her rather bad attempt to seduce Taylor.
Lieutenant Harper Hutchinson
Medal of Honor winner. Daughter of a 'recently retired' five star general (which is impressive since General Omar Bradley died in 1981. Which is important since he was the last living 5 star general, and that specific rank was retired upon his death; the US Navy version, Fleet Admiral ('five star flag officer') has not been in active use since the death in 1966 of Chester W. Nimitz).
Other Secret Service Agents of Note
Ethan Moss and Lily - other agents who shadow Taylor.
Portia Thomas
Friend of Taylor's who asked her to attend a ball, and Taylor returned the favor by inviting her to her father's inaugural ball.
Story and review
Two women date. One comes from a prominent family, so prominent that her father is the President of the United States of America (or President-elect in the first part of the book). The other? Story isn't clear, but she comes from 'the wrong side of the tracks', or at least that's what she said when she talked about her relationship with the first woman she loved. Or, in other words, two women who come from different worlds. One originally from Richmond Virginia (this being the 'wrong side of the tracks' Robby), the other originally from Missouri, both currently living in Washington DC (with Taylor being the 'prominent family' one).
They actually have a lot more in common than seemed to be expressed in the story. I mean, beyond just the part where both are lesbians. There's also the part about great mounds of debt; both seem quite capable of insta-lust/love. And I suppose some other things here or there.
There's really not a whole lot to say here - Taylor and Robby meet when Taylor stops in at Robby's place of work (her antique store job, not her go-go dancing job). Taylor likes the look of Robby and so they date. Meanwhile Robby has secrets she's hiding from Taylor, like the part where she's using Taylor to get stories she can post to her political blog. And the go-go dancer thing. I'm sure there are other things as well.
There were a ton of people to follow, though there were just two points of view, Robby and Taylor. Sadly, though, most of the side-characters (with exceptions) are much more interesting and believable than Robby and Taylor who seemed destined to do everything in their power to mess up their lives and stuff.
I had certain 'issues' with the book that added to my disconnect from the book, that pulled me from the story. Like an incident involving blog posting. At around 37% into the book, Robby gets Miles to post a blog story for her while she is with Taylor. To 'throw Taylor off the scent', to get Taylor to not think that Robby is the blogger reporting on Taylor's life. Several issues with that - like, say, the fact that scheduling a blog post exists (even if the whole point was to have someone post from a specific location (which wasn't the case based on context, since Robby asked where, after the fact, Miles had posted from), then you can still set up a scheduled post from there (tracing that seems iffy, but whatever)). As noted, it was something that pulled me from the story and caused me to take a break from the book. Then there were other things. Like the soldier who had won the Medal of Honor award? Lieutenant Harper Hutchinson.
Beyond the part where the military women in this story seemed much more interesting than either of the main characters, referring to Harper and Portia here, there's some odd bits that turned up regarding Harper. Like the part where she's a Lieutenant in the Army. Who, context revealed, never graduated college. Vaguely confusing, that. A lieutenant who hadn't graduated college? There's a piece missing there, I'm sure. It can happen, just . . . a piece missing. Then there's her father. Described as 'recently retired five star general'. I'm noting things here that pulled me from the story. There was no reason to make Harper a lieutenant, but she was, so that pulled me from the story. No reason to make her father a five star general, he could easily have been listed as a four star general. Easily because they still exist. The last five star general died in 1981 (Five Star Generals still exist, heck, there's actually a level above that that also technically exists (General of the Armies, though the only one who held that rank while being alive, though not on active duty (I believe) was General Pershing, promoted to that rank so that he'd still be above the newly created 5 star generals)). See, I went and spent time looking crap like that up for a character that has no impact at all on the story - the father I mean. Could have been a four star general but nooo had to make it be a five star general. Pfft.
Robby and Taylor's personalities were weird. They seemed to bounce between thoughts and feelings with no sense. Falling into and out of insta-love/lust/hate/friendship. 'You betrayed me!!!' While also being super quick to jump to conclusions (both of them - Taylor says a specific thing to Robby, Robby then thinks that all of her secrets had been revealed and that she was forgiven and so didn't need to mention certain things because Taylor already knows them. I had to read that section three times because it bloody confused me - both why Robby would think that, then just what the fuck Taylor actually told her (.
I may have lost that last paragraph. Okay, I know I did. Sorry.
Then there were certain other things that pounded against my head that caused me issues - 25 year old daughter uprooting her entire life to move to Washington DC, forced to do so by her parents, to change graduate schools . . . and this is the same woman who has been forced to pay for her own education? Seriously? She uprooted herself from the college she's paying for to go to one in Washington DC? Hell, Trump's kid is still going to some elementary school or whatever in New York. She's not on good relations with her parents, they dominate and control her life, and she pays for it. Literally, money-wise. She has mounds of student loan debt now. ? Oh, and then there's the weird Sheridan issue. Is she evil? Good? Grey (something in-between)? Well, her own words paints her as an evil bitch, yet Taylor seems to like her and trusts her despite her own words. Insta-friends. WTF?
Oh, and I might as well mention sex. Yes yes, there's a bunch of graphic depictions of sex, but I'm mentioning it now for: surprise strap-on sex! Surprise BDSM! Gah. pfft. Thanks. Just pull me out of the story why don't ya. Yeah, both of these are things that occurred under the control and direction of Robby, they surprised Taylor and . . . . she liked it. But still, she wasn't exactly given much chance to put a word in one way or another about whether she wanted anything to do with it. mmphs.
Stupid bloody politics. If it wasn't for a section that occurred, I'd probably rate this book lower (). But it held my interest because of it. Especially the 'should she or shouldn't she'. And . . . spoiler.
In theory I can understand the interest in mixing Taylor and Robby. But Taylor and Portia, or Taylor and Harper looked a hell of a lot more interesting than Taylor and Robby. Hell, Taylor and Lily (the secret service agent), who had no chemistry, would have been more interesting - though only because I could then mention the HBO show VEEP. The romance between Taylor and Robby, though, just was not at all believable. Lust? Sure. Fling? Sure. Romance? No. They had roughly zero chemistry.
Funny thing there - I'd watched the first 3 seasons, took long break, watched season 4 and 5 while reading this book here (not literally at same time, I was in between pages while watching). The really rotten bitchy, self-centered woman that is the main focus of the show, you know, the VEEP, has a daughter on the show . . . who turned out to be a lesbian (shocked the daughter it did), who ended up in a romantic relationship with her mother's secret service agent.
I might have liked the book more if not for VEEP. Possibly. Because a lot of the 'evil parents'!!! was more . . . in theory than in reality. The mother on VEEP showed what an evil bitchy mother is like. This book? Daughter and parents have different political views. Like daughter is pro-lesbians and LGBT stuff, father, the USA president, is all like - they shouldn't marry!!! Conflict. But that was most of what was in the book - yeah, that's a major thing to have to deal with, but it rarely actually got seen in the book (hell, the father kept doing things that seemed downright accepting of LGBT people, where was the evil?). And I'm saying all of this, while now admitting that the daughter on the show is paper thin personality/story/character/etc. Still more interesting story than what I read in this book. Hell, now I want to read the book form of her relationship - there was a whole lesbian fiction book like relationship shown in one specific episode (the relationship is over more than one episode, but one episode showed, through the documentary, the whole relationship) - meeting, being asked out, noting not lesbian, realizing lesbian, having the best sex ever, loving life, meeting her parents, being introduced as a work friend, relationship now over, heartache, months pass, begging, apology, reunion - sounds like a lesbian fiction novel, eh?). bah, lost track of myself again there.
I’ve rambled. Too much rambling. Too much about VEEP.
Rating: 2.75
July 24 2017
July 11, 2017
3.5 stars
Taylor Crenshaw is very comfortable being a lesbian, and a Democrat, but it’s not sitting too well with her staunchly Republican parents. Her father is just about to be inaugurated President, so staying under the radar is getting harder. However, running into the gorgeous Robby in a shop might change things.
Robby Rawlins wants to live the high life, and wants to fund it with her political blog. Living in Washington while she builds her readership, she funds her passion for expensive fashion by working in her friend’s antique store during the day, and as a go-go dancer at night.
When Taylor walks into the shop one day, Robby just knows there’s a story in it. But will the strong connection they feel take precedence over Robby’s career?
Wallace admits to having started this book a while ago, and then updating it to fit our current times. It is a little distracting having so much of the current political sphere in a romance, but Wallace has done well to extract some of the more salient points and turn that into a dramatic story.
Taylor is a lovely creation, and I really liked her pragmatic, thoughtful and gutsy style. She was definitely the heart of this book. Robby was a much more difficult character. She starts out fairly selfish; she lies and definitely uses people. It isn’t a likeable trait. The fact that she lies for so long to someone she supposedly really likes, and then uses her to promote her own self interest, really doesn’t make her an appealing character. It did make me wonder why Taylor would give her any consideration at all by the end of the book.
This was the biggest flaw for me. Wallace can certainly write, and she has a good grasp of how much of the Washington political scene to include and how much can be excluded without damaging the setting. However, no matter how hard Wallace tried, I found Robby’s character very hard to match with Taylor, without the sense that it was going to be a disaster down the track. Not really what I want to know when I’m reading a romance.
All in all, this was a well-written book, and quite a light read with an interesting main character.
Advanced reading copy provided by NetGalley for an honest review.
Taylor Crenshaw is very comfortable being a lesbian, and a Democrat, but it’s not sitting too well with her staunchly Republican parents. Her father is just about to be inaugurated President, so staying under the radar is getting harder. However, running into the gorgeous Robby in a shop might change things.
Robby Rawlins wants to live the high life, and wants to fund it with her political blog. Living in Washington while she builds her readership, she funds her passion for expensive fashion by working in her friend’s antique store during the day, and as a go-go dancer at night.
When Taylor walks into the shop one day, Robby just knows there’s a story in it. But will the strong connection they feel take precedence over Robby’s career?
Wallace admits to having started this book a while ago, and then updating it to fit our current times. It is a little distracting having so much of the current political sphere in a romance, but Wallace has done well to extract some of the more salient points and turn that into a dramatic story.
Taylor is a lovely creation, and I really liked her pragmatic, thoughtful and gutsy style. She was definitely the heart of this book. Robby was a much more difficult character. She starts out fairly selfish; she lies and definitely uses people. It isn’t a likeable trait. The fact that she lies for so long to someone she supposedly really likes, and then uses her to promote her own self interest, really doesn’t make her an appealing character. It did make me wonder why Taylor would give her any consideration at all by the end of the book.
This was the biggest flaw for me. Wallace can certainly write, and she has a good grasp of how much of the Washington political scene to include and how much can be excluded without damaging the setting. However, no matter how hard Wallace tried, I found Robby’s character very hard to match with Taylor, without the sense that it was going to be a disaster down the track. Not really what I want to know when I’m reading a romance.
All in all, this was a well-written book, and quite a light read with an interesting main character.
Advanced reading copy provided by NetGalley for an honest review.
July 31, 2017
I will admit this book has me in a bit of a conundrum. Firstly I would like to say there had better be a book two. There are too many questions unanswered. In general terms I liked the book and I would like to see how far Taylor can actually get in politics. But on the other hand I hated all the lies and deceitfulness that seemed to be in abundance.
The two main characters are Taylor Crenshaw the current Presidents daughter and Robby part time political blog writer and someone who thinks she is a bit of a rebel. These two meet fall in love. Yep you get the picture.
Robby feels the need to not reveal all parts of herself to Taylor and they end up splitting because of what I call lies and deception. Nothing good comes from lying no matter how you spin it. I can understand why Robby did it but is wealth and status better than being loved unconditionally. Maybe I am just an old romantic but why play with both ends.
I enjoyed the story very much but if that is what you need to do to survive Washington I am glad I live in the UK. I also really liked the cover of the book. I gave it 3.75 stars because as I said I had issue with the lies. It is also a good set up for a second book which I would definitely read.
Yes, I would recommend it. It is a good read. Enjoy!
*ARC provided by publisher via NetGalley*
OK need a question answered... What are the bathroom bills that are mentioned in this book?
The two main characters are Taylor Crenshaw the current Presidents daughter and Robby part time political blog writer and someone who thinks she is a bit of a rebel. These two meet fall in love. Yep you get the picture.
Robby feels the need to not reveal all parts of herself to Taylor and they end up splitting because of what I call lies and deception. Nothing good comes from lying no matter how you spin it. I can understand why Robby did it but is wealth and status better than being loved unconditionally. Maybe I am just an old romantic but why play with both ends.
I enjoyed the story very much but if that is what you need to do to survive Washington I am glad I live in the UK. I also really liked the cover of the book. I gave it 3.75 stars because as I said I had issue with the lies. It is also a good set up for a second book which I would definitely read.
Yes, I would recommend it. It is a good read. Enjoy!
*ARC provided by publisher via NetGalley*
OK need a question answered... What are the bathroom bills that are mentioned in this book?
August 1, 2017
ARC received from NetGalley in return for an honest review.
I like Yolanda Wallace's writing, and have enjoyed past books of hers, but I struggled with this one. It's hard to like a book when you can't stand one of the lead characters. Robby was a bitch, plain and simple. She had multiple opportunities to not be a bitch and let 90% of them pass her by. I could (maybe/though not really) understand her trying to pump Taylor for info at the start, but once they really started to get to know each other, her selfishness and callowness really shone through.
Taylor on the other hand was lovely, albeit too trusting (and way too understanding). I honestly wish she'd been paired with either Portia or Sheridan than Robby. And to be honest, all the reasons that Robby listed for why they shouldn't get together at the end were true, but the biggest reason was Robby wasn't good enough for Taylor, and I wish Taylor had realised that.
I also didn't love the whole Steve and Miles side story. Seemed more than a little unlikely that Taylor's SS agent would be gay, but whatever. Even more unlikely is Taylor running for office. Seriously, there's just no way she would win that seat.
The political setting gave it some interest and the writing was good, as always, but it couldn't overcome the Robby character for me. This one won't be a re-read. If you haven't read Ms Wallace before, I suggest you start with Month of Sundays instead.
I like Yolanda Wallace's writing, and have enjoyed past books of hers, but I struggled with this one. It's hard to like a book when you can't stand one of the lead characters. Robby was a bitch, plain and simple. She had multiple opportunities to not be a bitch and let 90% of them pass her by. I could (maybe/though not really) understand her trying to pump Taylor for info at the start, but once they really started to get to know each other, her selfishness and callowness really shone through.
Taylor on the other hand was lovely, albeit too trusting (and way too understanding). I honestly wish she'd been paired with either Portia or Sheridan than Robby. And to be honest, all the reasons that Robby listed for why they shouldn't get together at the end were true, but the biggest reason was Robby wasn't good enough for Taylor, and I wish Taylor had realised that.
I also didn't love the whole Steve and Miles side story. Seemed more than a little unlikely that Taylor's SS agent would be gay, but whatever. Even more unlikely is Taylor running for office. Seriously, there's just no way she would win that seat.
The political setting gave it some interest and the writing was good, as always, but it couldn't overcome the Robby character for me. This one won't be a re-read. If you haven't read Ms Wallace before, I suggest you start with Month of Sundays instead.
August 7, 2017
I really had to work to finish this book mainly because I just couldn't connect with the characters, especially Robbie. You know when you get to the point in a romance book that you don't want the characters to be together that the book isn't working for you.
Taylor was likable but I did found her all over the place with her opinions. One minute she wanted nothing to do with being in the public eye but then later she seems to change her mind. I found the relationship did move too quickly and just couldn't feel what it was about Robbie that made Taylor want to go against her plans to not date for 4 years.
Robbie was the main issue I had with the book, she lied and then really did nothing to make it better in the end, Taylor did all the work. Just found it annoying. Robbie is selfish and her thought process for me did nothing to make me believe she really changed.
I was given this book by NetGalley for an honest review.
Taylor was likable but I did found her all over the place with her opinions. One minute she wanted nothing to do with being in the public eye but then later she seems to change her mind. I found the relationship did move too quickly and just couldn't feel what it was about Robbie that made Taylor want to go against her plans to not date for 4 years.
Robbie was the main issue I had with the book, she lied and then really did nothing to make it better in the end, Taylor did all the work. Just found it annoying. Robbie is selfish and her thought process for me did nothing to make me believe she really changed.
I was given this book by NetGalley for an honest review.
September 9, 2017
So I usually love Yolanda's books, but this was one I struggled with. My biggest hang up was I couldn't find myself liking one of the main characters. To me she was without morals and that really never changed for me. There were also some odd transitions. Taylor is the daughter to the newly incoming very conservative President and she has an completely different political view. Robby is a blogger on the level of Perez Hilton, so sometimes without any tact or understand of whom they are hurting. The odd turn for me was when all of a sudden Taylor decides she wants to get into politics and run for office. It just seemed a big leap from graduate student. This book won't stop me from reading future Wallace novels, but it maybe just wasn't my cup of tea and I didn't click with the characters.
August 29, 2017
I have read all of Ms. Wallace’s books and this one seemed to have a weak plot. It can be described as a romance/suspense, but the suspense part didn’t develop. It was thrown in to provide a little mystery and excitement, but missed its purpose.
As with many romantic books, the lead characters meet, fall in love immediately, have a little trouble in their relationship, and then come together for a happily ever after ending. Although this story followed the same scenario, the characters’ personalities didn’t have the makings for a solid relationship.
The two main characters are Taylor Crenshaw, the daughter of the President, and Robby Rawlins, a political blogger and antique shop employee. I enjoy books when I can relate to the characters in the book. I was unable to do so this time. Although Taylor is a strong person with high morals, she is weak when it comes to Robby. I found Robby to be extremely selfish and unlikeable.
I only rated this book as 2-1/2 stars. Although I did not rate this book highly, I do recommend Ms. Wallace’s other books.
I was given this ARC in return for a fair and honest review.
As with many romantic books, the lead characters meet, fall in love immediately, have a little trouble in their relationship, and then come together for a happily ever after ending. Although this story followed the same scenario, the characters’ personalities didn’t have the makings for a solid relationship.
The two main characters are Taylor Crenshaw, the daughter of the President, and Robby Rawlins, a political blogger and antique shop employee. I enjoy books when I can relate to the characters in the book. I was unable to do so this time. Although Taylor is a strong person with high morals, she is weak when it comes to Robby. I found Robby to be extremely selfish and unlikeable.
I only rated this book as 2-1/2 stars. Although I did not rate this book highly, I do recommend Ms. Wallace’s other books.
I was given this ARC in return for a fair and honest review.
September 27, 2017
3.5 rounded to 4. Good read but not as good as some of her others. I loved Taylor but didn't love Robby. Not sure I could be as forgiving as Taylor is in this novel.
August 14, 2017
I received an ARC from Netgalley and Bold Strokes Books.
I contemplated between 2 and 3 stars because there were so many things in this book that didn't add up like Tayler's profession - was she a student, grad student, professor TA did she have some background in Politics? It seemed like whatever she wanted she could do.
the character Taylor was at least like able and believable but Robbie's character was not at all like able- which made it also hard to read her POV. There was no chemistry between them and I felt the whole time hopeful that Tayler would get together with one of the many other lesbians in this book - with which she had more chemistry.
The ending seemed a little thrown out there with the after thought of "oh there has to be a happy ending with a couple". It just didn't seem believable to me that it would happen that way.
I contemplated between 2 and 3 stars because there were so many things in this book that didn't add up like Tayler's profession - was she a student, grad student, professor TA did she have some background in Politics? It seemed like whatever she wanted she could do.
the character Taylor was at least like able and believable but Robbie's character was not at all like able- which made it also hard to read her POV. There was no chemistry between them and I felt the whole time hopeful that Tayler would get together with one of the many other lesbians in this book - with which she had more chemistry.
The ending seemed a little thrown out there with the after thought of "oh there has to be a happy ending with a couple". It just didn't seem believable to me that it would happen that way.
March 17, 2018
The "what-if?" of this book really snagged me: What if they had something close to the awful reality they're got now in the White House, but with an openly queer first daughter who doesn't at all agree with her father's politics, but is just trying to keep her head down and not become either a scapegoat or a puppet or—worse—some sort of tabloid disaster?
This first daughter is so well written. The tension between Taylor and her mother, especially, was so familiar I could feel my stomach clench. I felt for Taylor even as I wanted her to just pull the pin, toss the grenade, and walk out leaving devastation behind her. The scenes between Taylor and her father the President (just barely beginning his term) were also deftly written, and evoked empathy and frustration in equal measure: I never felt Taylor was a victim, but rather trying to find a balance and doing her absolute best not to compromise her beliefs, which became increasingly impossible.
Now, Robby, the love interest, rubbed me the wrong way by design. She's a schemer. She has been burned before, and has decided her role as a political blogger is more important than her personal feelings, but that starts to crumble when she gets involved with Taylor—but not fast enough for her to have anything approaching an easy out.
That's the real meat of the story, and I appreciated it: Robby has done wrong from step one, and though perhaps a confession might have been enough, things blow up before she gets there, and frankly, I wasn't sure how Wallace was going to spin their reconciliation. But I really liked how we got there—it felt tentative enough, more like a Happy-For-Now, to my reading. They had enough feelings for each other to try, and I'm hopeful for them. Also, Robby gives up enough to make it feel real.
Moreover, and I don't think I can cheer about this enough—adjacent queer characters! Wallace is so good at this: her queer characters don't exist in an otherwise entirely straight bubble of the world. While some of these characters aren't exactly loveable (again, we're in Conservative politics), they existed, and moreover, the B-plot of a blooming relationship between her guy best-friend/boss and one of her agents was super-sweet to see. So rarely do I read queer books where queer men and women exist in the way they do in my lived experience, and this is the kind of touch of reality I love so very much.
Hell, I'd love their story, too.
I read this on vacation, and it was a great escape during a thirty-six hour traverse of the globe, as well as some lovely sit-in-the-sun-on-a-balcony time.
(And I wish we had someone like Taylor in reality. If only.)
This first daughter is so well written. The tension between Taylor and her mother, especially, was so familiar I could feel my stomach clench. I felt for Taylor even as I wanted her to just pull the pin, toss the grenade, and walk out leaving devastation behind her. The scenes between Taylor and her father the President (just barely beginning his term) were also deftly written, and evoked empathy and frustration in equal measure: I never felt Taylor was a victim, but rather trying to find a balance and doing her absolute best not to compromise her beliefs, which became increasingly impossible.
Now, Robby, the love interest, rubbed me the wrong way by design. She's a schemer. She has been burned before, and has decided her role as a political blogger is more important than her personal feelings, but that starts to crumble when she gets involved with Taylor—but not fast enough for her to have anything approaching an easy out.
That's the real meat of the story, and I appreciated it: Robby has done wrong from step one, and though perhaps a confession might have been enough, things blow up before she gets there, and frankly, I wasn't sure how Wallace was going to spin their reconciliation. But I really liked how we got there—it felt tentative enough, more like a Happy-For-Now, to my reading. They had enough feelings for each other to try, and I'm hopeful for them. Also, Robby gives up enough to make it feel real.
Moreover, and I don't think I can cheer about this enough—adjacent queer characters! Wallace is so good at this: her queer characters don't exist in an otherwise entirely straight bubble of the world. While some of these characters aren't exactly loveable (again, we're in Conservative politics), they existed, and moreover, the B-plot of a blooming relationship between her guy best-friend/boss and one of her agents was super-sweet to see. So rarely do I read queer books where queer men and women exist in the way they do in my lived experience, and this is the kind of touch of reality I love so very much.
Hell, I'd love their story, too.
I read this on vacation, and it was a great escape during a thirty-six hour traverse of the globe, as well as some lovely sit-in-the-sun-on-a-balcony time.
(And I wish we had someone like Taylor in reality. If only.)
August 22, 2017
Even though I'm a fan of Wallace other books this one just wasn't for me between the pasting story it just felt like all over the place.
NetGalley for honest review.
NetGalley for honest review.
September 25, 2017
I've read some good books by Yolanda Wallace, but this one was not one of her best. At least it was an original story.
July 27, 2017
At first this novel seems like the typical poor girl meets rich girl, they fall in love, fight against their odds and live happily ever after, but it had more than that. Starting with the “rich girl” not being a rich girl, but a “powerful” girl since she’s the daughter of the new U.S. president. The “poor girl” anonymously writes a political blog, works at an antique store by day, and as a go-go dancer by night.
The book tells a nice story that at times feels too close to the current political climate in the US which I wonder how it would read in four or five years. The story has a nice pacing and I was able to read it in a couple of days because at times I couldn’t put it down.
I liked how we got to see some interesting secondary characters that seemed to have an interesting story. I would love to read more about them. I would certainly enjoy a book starring Portia or one about Sheridan.
This was my first encounter with this author, and I already started looking for more of her books.
The book tells a nice story that at times feels too close to the current political climate in the US which I wonder how it would read in four or five years. The story has a nice pacing and I was able to read it in a couple of days because at times I couldn’t put it down.
I liked how we got to see some interesting secondary characters that seemed to have an interesting story. I would love to read more about them. I would certainly enjoy a book starring Portia or one about Sheridan.
This was my first encounter with this author, and I already started looking for more of her books.
July 22, 2017
An Honest Review thanks to NetGalley. This was a good romance by Yolanda Wallace. The intrigue of Washington and the White House as well as navigating her life as the first daughter brought a lot to the table of Taylor's character. If I have one complaint it is Robby, I still do not feel as if she loves Taylor, it has always been about her blog, and even with her point of view, we see her constantly doing everything in her power to play Taylor. Honestly, I do not feel as if these two should have ended up together; I would have much rather seen Taylor with Harper or Sheridan. Even with my problems with Robby, this was a nice romantic read, enjoy.
September 9, 2017
This was a deception for me. The blurb make me believe it was a story of political intrigue with a dash of romance. Turn out it was a weird romance with some half develop political elements.
The story isn't bad in itself. More badly advertised. So if you want a flashbang romance with dash of political obstacles.
could of win a 3.5/5 stars with a more truthful blurb.
I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
The story isn't bad in itself. More badly advertised. So if you want a flashbang romance with dash of political obstacles.
could of win a 3.5/5 stars with a more truthful blurb.
I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
September 28, 2019
3 1/2 stars. I’m not one for politics, especially in my reading for fun. So I enjoyed the book, but would have liked it better if it didn’t revolve so much around political venues.
July 24, 2017
I received this book from Bold Strokes Books and Net Galley for an honest review.
1. The characters both of them are a little whiny for me especially Robby. I also thought Taylor should just cut ties with her family if they aren't supporting her financially then why is she still there?
2. The likelihood of her winning that seat is very low and I thought it was stupid that she did an abrupt about face into politics just to prove a point to her father.
3. The sex scenes were written poorly and just weren't very believable.
4. The book felt uneven at certain parts and the author didn't explain enough. Especially during the state dinner scenes. Why didn't the author say it was a state dinner honoring Australia? I went back and reread several times she never did you had to guess that from the context of what the other characters were saying. Also why in every single lesbian book they make the men out to be the bad guy. I mean do they do the opposite in romance novels for straight people? And why is every woman who is in any seat of power a lesbian, except the Vice President. I have a hard time. Eli king that the Prime Minister of Australia would have a hard time finding a date.
5. Overall not the best book I've read. The unredeemable and boring characters just made me incredibly angry. Also the writer assumes too much of their reader. We sometimes need you to fill in the blanks. Also the author sort of starts the story in the middle and there isn't enough background so I ended up having to reread passages to make sure that I hadn't missed anything.
1. The characters both of them are a little whiny for me especially Robby. I also thought Taylor should just cut ties with her family if they aren't supporting her financially then why is she still there?
2. The likelihood of her winning that seat is very low and I thought it was stupid that she did an abrupt about face into politics just to prove a point to her father.
3. The sex scenes were written poorly and just weren't very believable.
4. The book felt uneven at certain parts and the author didn't explain enough. Especially during the state dinner scenes. Why didn't the author say it was a state dinner honoring Australia? I went back and reread several times she never did you had to guess that from the context of what the other characters were saying. Also why in every single lesbian book they make the men out to be the bad guy. I mean do they do the opposite in romance novels for straight people? And why is every woman who is in any seat of power a lesbian, except the Vice President. I have a hard time. Eli king that the Prime Minister of Australia would have a hard time finding a date.
5. Overall not the best book I've read. The unredeemable and boring characters just made me incredibly angry. Also the writer assumes too much of their reader. We sometimes need you to fill in the blanks. Also the author sort of starts the story in the middle and there isn't enough background so I ended up having to reread passages to make sure that I hadn't missed anything.
July 17, 2017
Nice romance.
August 15, 2017
Taylor Crenshaw is a grad student and daughter of the President of the United States. Robby Rawlins works in an antique store and secretly runs a political gossip blog. A chance meeting between Robby and Taylor gives Robby an in to start spending time with Taylor and the political elite to gather information for her blog. Neither of them expected the attraction and the love that would form between them, so when the secrets all come out, will their love be enough?
I didn't really like either of the main characters and found it hard to relate and connect to them. And while I thought they had tons of chemistry, I didn't feel the romance, I didn't feel them falling in love.
I did however loveeeee all the secondary characters. I loved Steven and Miles. I loved Sheridan. I loved Diana and Portia and all the little side stories. And I really enjoy the way the author writes. So I would absolutely loveeeeee more books with the characters! Hint hint :)
All in all I enjoyed the story. The drama was pretty obvious, but it was a really interesting, very gay, look into the world of politics with unique characters and great chemistry.
I received an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I didn't really like either of the main characters and found it hard to relate and connect to them. And while I thought they had tons of chemistry, I didn't feel the romance, I didn't feel them falling in love.
I did however loveeeee all the secondary characters. I loved Steven and Miles. I loved Sheridan. I loved Diana and Portia and all the little side stories. And I really enjoy the way the author writes. So I would absolutely loveeeeee more books with the characters! Hint hint :)
All in all I enjoyed the story. The drama was pretty obvious, but it was a really interesting, very gay, look into the world of politics with unique characters and great chemistry.
I received an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
November 9, 2020
The one thing you are not supposed to bring up on a first date? Politics. That is kind of hard to avoid if you are the First Daughter and you see a woman you like (laugh). Yolanda Wallace writes about a woman with all of the right curves and style in Robby Rawlins in True Colors. I would have asked her out too if I was Taylor, secret service be damned. (laugh).
Wallace creates quite an interesting premise and conundrum for Robbie and it is interesting to go through her thought process. It was Taylor’s journey that had me thinking the most though as I read this just a few weeks ago and was watching the United States get ready for its presidential election. I loved Wallace’s interpretation of Taylor’s responses to the unfolding events. Then Wallace throws in some action and drama and makes everything spin...very exciting.
True Colors is a wonderful read. If you are wondering what to do while waiting for the results of this election, spend some time falling in love in the middle of politics in True Colors.
I got this book from my library. I love my local library and you should check out yours too. Request LGBTQ+ books and they will stock them! #ebooksforall
Wallace creates quite an interesting premise and conundrum for Robbie and it is interesting to go through her thought process. It was Taylor’s journey that had me thinking the most though as I read this just a few weeks ago and was watching the United States get ready for its presidential election. I loved Wallace’s interpretation of Taylor’s responses to the unfolding events. Then Wallace throws in some action and drama and makes everything spin...very exciting.
True Colors is a wonderful read. If you are wondering what to do while waiting for the results of this election, spend some time falling in love in the middle of politics in True Colors.
I got this book from my library. I love my local library and you should check out yours too. Request LGBTQ+ books and they will stock them! #ebooksforall
July 31, 2017
I rec'd an ARC from NetGalley/Bold Strokes Books in exchange for an honest review - no synopsis needed. A nicely written political romance with Taylor (Rep. President-elect daughter (herself a lifelong Dem)) and Robby (blogger/pseudo socialite). The D.C. political environment is neatly described, barring some areas when I had to re-read. I never got attached to the character of Robby - her machinations to succeed regardless of who got hurt continually showed her as manipulative - with Taylor seeming sophisticated but foolish. Ms. Wallace's books are among my favourites but surprisingly this plot left me a bit wanting. 3 stars.
March 10, 2019
I've gotten more and more into politics lately, so this book piqued my interests. I felt for Taylor, especially when it came to her relationship with her parents. Robby was an interesting character from the start and the secondary characters made the story all the more interesting. I'd vote for Taylor.
April 11, 2021
Career advancement or a chance at love
Robby has to deal with conflicting goals & desires: Career advancement or a chance at love with Taylor—because blogging DC political secrets doesn't go so well with dating the First Daughter.
Robby has to deal with conflicting goals & desires: Career advancement or a chance at love with Taylor—because blogging DC political secrets doesn't go so well with dating the First Daughter.
February 10, 2018
She may not think of herself as a writer, but she is very good at what she does. Always a good read to pick up this author!
February 24, 2024
good story
A little angsty, a lovely romance, engaging characters, some suspense and generally a nice read. Sometimes your birth family is not the best choice to please
A little angsty, a lovely romance, engaging characters, some suspense and generally a nice read. Sometimes your birth family is not the best choice to please
June 3, 2021
3.5 stars... bit of a mixed one for me- I didn't really warm to the main characters though did like Taylor. Couldn't reconcile the final outcome with the behaviours shown...
August 15, 2017
Taylor Crenshaw's father has just been elected president and while she is a Democrat, her father is not. Her parents prefer that she not flaunt her life around in the open and she plans on following their wishes until she meets Robby Rawlins who works at an antique store as well as blogs anonymously about the politicians in her country.
To be honest, it was hard to like Robby Rawlins' character as her motives for being with Taylor were less than honorable. I much preferred Taylor's character as she felt more genuine and likeable. I'm not sure I believed their love story, it was hard to get over the fact that Robby was mostly using Taylor for her own gains.
Overall, it was an okay read and it was definitely not my favourite by Yolanda Wallace.
Review also posted here: http://wp.me/p4Pp9O-G5
I was given a copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
To be honest, it was hard to like Robby Rawlins' character as her motives for being with Taylor were less than honorable. I much preferred Taylor's character as she felt more genuine and likeable. I'm not sure I believed their love story, it was hard to get over the fact that Robby was mostly using Taylor for her own gains.
Overall, it was an okay read and it was definitely not my favourite by Yolanda Wallace.
Review also posted here: http://wp.me/p4Pp9O-G5
I was given a copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
December 2, 2017
Previously reviewed on The Good, The Bad, and The Unread:
Having parents who are famous for whatever reason always seems to be a mixed blessing. While there are advantages to growing up in a, one assumes, privileged environment, there are plenty of disadvantages: the intrusive media attention, the speculation as to whether the child will grow up to emulate their parents or to follow an opposing path, the parental pressure to conform to their and society’s expectations of the family’s place in it, or at least not to rebel too obviously. These last are possibly more keenly felt by the children of politicians, than by those whose parents are other types of celebrity, particularly in the polarised political climate that we are experiencing in various parts of the world right now. And that’s precisely the situation Taylor Crenshaw finds herself in, made particularly difficult by the fact that her beliefs and needs are precisely the opposite of those that got her father elected to the White House.
Taylor is a lesbian and a Democrat, while her father is a Republican who has embraced the conservative viewpoints of many of his core voters. While he’s not attempting to stop Taylor from seeing who she wants, he and his team are keen that she be ‘discreet’ and only appear at public functions with suitable, equally media-neutral escorts. While Taylor loves her parents, she has no intention of putting her life on hold for the length of her father’s time in office. When she meets Robby Rawlins, she is keen to act on the attraction she feels, despite the difference in their status – though not in their politics.
Robby has three jobs, none of which is likely to endear her to the President or his advisors. As well as working in her friend’s shop, she also writes a pseudonymous political blog and performs as a go-go dancer in a popular lesbian bar. When Taylor asks her on a date, Robby at first thinks only of the gossip she might pick up for her blog. As the two grow closer, however, Robby – as well as Taylor – has to work out how much, if any, of her life she is prepared to sacrifice for love.
I really enjoyed this book. It was clear that there was a lot going on beneath the surface of Taylor’s parents’ supposedly perfect relationship, although the family had a lot holding it together beyond ambition. Taylor wasn’t the only one investing emotions into her home-life, although at times it seemed like she was giving more than either her mother or her father. I was interested also to read about the public and private events Taylor was expected to attend as first daughter, and really wanted to see her get the future, relationship, and career she deserved sooner rather than later. I definitely want to investigate this author’s back catalogue as soon as I get some spare reading time.
Having parents who are famous for whatever reason always seems to be a mixed blessing. While there are advantages to growing up in a, one assumes, privileged environment, there are plenty of disadvantages: the intrusive media attention, the speculation as to whether the child will grow up to emulate their parents or to follow an opposing path, the parental pressure to conform to their and society’s expectations of the family’s place in it, or at least not to rebel too obviously. These last are possibly more keenly felt by the children of politicians, than by those whose parents are other types of celebrity, particularly in the polarised political climate that we are experiencing in various parts of the world right now. And that’s precisely the situation Taylor Crenshaw finds herself in, made particularly difficult by the fact that her beliefs and needs are precisely the opposite of those that got her father elected to the White House.
Taylor is a lesbian and a Democrat, while her father is a Republican who has embraced the conservative viewpoints of many of his core voters. While he’s not attempting to stop Taylor from seeing who she wants, he and his team are keen that she be ‘discreet’ and only appear at public functions with suitable, equally media-neutral escorts. While Taylor loves her parents, she has no intention of putting her life on hold for the length of her father’s time in office. When she meets Robby Rawlins, she is keen to act on the attraction she feels, despite the difference in their status – though not in their politics.
Robby has three jobs, none of which is likely to endear her to the President or his advisors. As well as working in her friend’s shop, she also writes a pseudonymous political blog and performs as a go-go dancer in a popular lesbian bar. When Taylor asks her on a date, Robby at first thinks only of the gossip she might pick up for her blog. As the two grow closer, however, Robby – as well as Taylor – has to work out how much, if any, of her life she is prepared to sacrifice for love.
I really enjoyed this book. It was clear that there was a lot going on beneath the surface of Taylor’s parents’ supposedly perfect relationship, although the family had a lot holding it together beyond ambition. Taylor wasn’t the only one investing emotions into her home-life, although at times it seemed like she was giving more than either her mother or her father. I was interested also to read about the public and private events Taylor was expected to attend as first daughter, and really wanted to see her get the future, relationship, and career she deserved sooner rather than later. I definitely want to investigate this author’s back catalogue as soon as I get some spare reading time.
May 11, 2019
I don't think this book was for me,
Although I liked Taylor I really struggled to empathise with the character Robby, I found her selfish, shallow and I just couldn't warm to her
I like the basis of this story but I thought the story jumped around and I found myself checking to see if I'd missed a chapter
Not sure where Lieutenant Harper Hutchinson came into the story or had any impact.
I'm not saying this a a bad book just didn't do it for me
Although I liked Taylor I really struggled to empathise with the character Robby, I found her selfish, shallow and I just couldn't warm to her
I like the basis of this story but I thought the story jumped around and I found myself checking to see if I'd missed a chapter
Not sure where Lieutenant Harper Hutchinson came into the story or had any impact.
I'm not saying this a a bad book just didn't do it for me
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews