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Devlyn and Lauren #1
Madam President
This timeless classic from T. Novan and Blayne Cooper is funny, realistic and endearing.
Devlyn Marlowe, the first woman President of the United States, has just been elected. Breaking with the tradition of hiring a political writer to chronicle her administration, President Marlowe selects one Lauren Strayer, a professional biographer with a reputation for absolute honesty. There's a slight problem with Devlyn's plan, though. Lauren wants nothing to do with what she sees as a political hack job.
It takes some serious persuading, but the Commander-in-chief is an eloquent negotiator, and Lauren reluctantly agrees to take the job, provided she truly has editorial freedom. So, armed with her computer, her incredibly ugly Pug and fair bit of trepidation, Lauren finds herself in residence at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
There, amidst the harrowing and demanding life of the First Family, Lauren begins to understand and eventually love the complex woman who is both leader of a great nation and loving single parent to three rambunctious children.
Devlyn Marlowe, the first woman President of the United States, has just been elected. Breaking with the tradition of hiring a political writer to chronicle her administration, President Marlowe selects one Lauren Strayer, a professional biographer with a reputation for absolute honesty. There's a slight problem with Devlyn's plan, though. Lauren wants nothing to do with what she sees as a political hack job.
It takes some serious persuading, but the Commander-in-chief is an eloquent negotiator, and Lauren reluctantly agrees to take the job, provided she truly has editorial freedom. So, armed with her computer, her incredibly ugly Pug and fair bit of trepidation, Lauren finds herself in residence at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
There, amidst the harrowing and demanding life of the First Family, Lauren begins to understand and eventually love the complex woman who is both leader of a great nation and loving single parent to three rambunctious children.
414 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 2001
74 people are currently reading
2109 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 120 reviews
August 2, 2018
This is a decent and solid slow-burning romance. It’s about the first female (and lesbian) president of the United States Devvlyn and her biographer Lauren. During the work on the biography of the recent president the women get to know each other and slowly fell in love with each other. But there’s a conflict of interest for Lauren, can she write the biography and be in a romantic relationship at the same time? And can Devlyn let go of the first big love, Samantha?
What I most liked was Devlyn’s family, the kids are great and funny and Devlyn’s mother is just fantastic and hilarious. The dialogues were good and sometimes witty. The other secondary characters like David and Beth are very good implemented and important to the story.
The romance itself was sweet with some drama and angst. Their conversations and how they acted together, as friends and with the children, was heartwarming. There few love scenes, which were not very explicit, could have been a little more steamy, but it was OK.
I would have liked a little more presidential insights and actions and it is on the longer side, but overall I enjoyed it very much and I will read the following book «First Lady».
I recommend this book to all the romance fans.
My rating 4 stars.
What I most liked was Devlyn’s family, the kids are great and funny and Devlyn’s mother is just fantastic and hilarious. The dialogues were good and sometimes witty. The other secondary characters like David and Beth are very good implemented and important to the story.
The romance itself was sweet with some drama and angst. Their conversations and how they acted together, as friends and with the children, was heartwarming. There few love scenes, which were not very explicit, could have been a little more steamy, but it was OK.
I would have liked a little more presidential insights and actions and it is on the longer side, but overall I enjoyed it very much and I will read the following book «First Lady».
I recommend this book to all the romance fans.
My rating 4 stars.
September 5, 2014
I really love this story even if it’s not as steamy as others. But it’s the story and the characters I fell in love with. It’s funny, and sad, even funnier - simply wonderful. It would make such a wonderful series on TV. I’m ready for the first female(and gay) president!
January 28, 2012
Head hopping is a huge problem. So is calling the characters by their jobs and hair colors and not their names.
January 24, 2022
A pretty enjoyable book to read, a slow-burn romance between 2 MCs - one of whom is a high-powered femme & leader of the free world while the other, a not-so-straight biographer.
April 19, 2016
This book was decent, a pretty good romantic story. I can see why a lot of people enjoyed it. I had a few problems with it though, that kept it from being higher than 3 stars for me. For one it was long. The book easily could have lost 100 pages without losing content. I found myself bored multiple times. Scenes were just too drawn out and not enough action considering it's a book about the President. That's another thing that bothered me, while I liked Dev as a character, she just did not seem very presidential to me. And the amount of times the author had her "wiggle" her eyebrows was borderline ridiculous.
When it came to the writing style, I sometimes had trouble figuring out who was talking as character POV jumped quickly and often. I found myself having to re-read certain passages numerous times to full understand who said what. Heck it took me half the book to realized certain Dialog Tags the authors used. Example, "Grey eyes twinkled" meant Lauren was speaking (this one especially took me a while to realize which character the authors meant.)
Anyway, was this a decent romance? Yes. Would I recommend it to romance fans? Yes, its worth the read. Will I read the next book in the series? Maybe, this book was free to me using Kindle Unlimited, if the next book is free too, I'll probably give it a shot.
When it came to the writing style, I sometimes had trouble figuring out who was talking as character POV jumped quickly and often. I found myself having to re-read certain passages numerous times to full understand who said what. Heck it took me half the book to realized certain Dialog Tags the authors used. Example, "Grey eyes twinkled" meant Lauren was speaking (this one especially took me a while to realize which character the authors meant.)
Anyway, was this a decent romance? Yes. Would I recommend it to romance fans? Yes, its worth the read. Will I read the next book in the series? Maybe, this book was free to me using Kindle Unlimited, if the next book is free too, I'll probably give it a shot.
November 15, 2020
This book is one of my all-time favorites and I re-read it when I can. It's so damn good. Meaty, entertaining, two delicious MCs, humor, a sweet, slow burn romance, adorable kids, great friendships and a fascinating (and exhausting) look at the life of a U.S. President. It's got it all.
Though written in 2001, it is set in 2020 and it's interesting to read where the authors thought we might be today. Technology-wise, they were a bit ahead of us. However, we are further ahead with same sex marriage being legal in the U.S. nationwide, whereas in the book it was only legal in some states.
I'm a fan of sexy love scenes and this one has fade to blacks. That's okay, because it does have sweet moments and is kind of an old fashioned romance in many ways. They have beautiful intimacy and great chemistry which makes their love scenes altogether satisfying.
When 46 by Lynn Ames came out earlier this year I was anxious to read it, but found it was a much lighter version of this book. This still holds up well and is the gold standard for a book about the first female President of the United States. A true lesbian classic.
Now if only someone would put this out on audio!
Though written in 2001, it is set in 2020 and it's interesting to read where the authors thought we might be today. Technology-wise, they were a bit ahead of us. However, we are further ahead with same sex marriage being legal in the U.S. nationwide, whereas in the book it was only legal in some states.
I'm a fan of sexy love scenes and this one has fade to blacks. That's okay, because it does have sweet moments and is kind of an old fashioned romance in many ways. They have beautiful intimacy and great chemistry which makes their love scenes altogether satisfying.
When 46 by Lynn Ames came out earlier this year I was anxious to read it, but found it was a much lighter version of this book. This still holds up well and is the gold standard for a book about the first female President of the United States. A true lesbian classic.
Now if only someone would put this out on audio!
July 31, 2024
[Grudzień 2021]
książka ta może i nie będzie życiowym ulubieńcem, ale zasługuje na 5 gwiazdek, bo dała mi WSZYSTKO CZEGO CHCIAŁAM!!!
już sam fakt, że zjadłam ją całą w półtorej dnia świadczy o niej dużo dobrego (a nie była to mała książeczka)
- JESTEM ZAKOCHANA W PANI PREZYDENT DEVLYN, miała przecudowny charakter i teksty
- sam motyw PANI prezydent zasługuje na ocenę celującą
- fabuła była bardzo prosta, a mimo wszystko nie można było się oderwać i było kilka potężnych zwrotów akcji
- dostałam przecudownego rodzinnego fluffa<3
- prezydencki wątek życia pod presją też został przedstawiony bardzo dobrze (stwierdzam, że naprawdę mogłabym czytać i oglądać jeszcze więcej rzeczy o tej tematyce)
- no i najpiękniejsza rzecz tej książki czyli WĄTEK MIŁOSNY…you guys, to on nie pozwalał mi przestać czytać, bo był po prostu prze-cu-do-wny
książka ta może i nie będzie życiowym ulubieńcem, ale zasługuje na 5 gwiazdek, bo dała mi WSZYSTKO CZEGO CHCIAŁAM!!!
już sam fakt, że zjadłam ją całą w półtorej dnia świadczy o niej dużo dobrego (a nie była to mała książeczka)
- JESTEM ZAKOCHANA W PANI PREZYDENT DEVLYN, miała przecudowny charakter i teksty
- sam motyw PANI prezydent zasługuje na ocenę celującą
- fabuła była bardzo prosta, a mimo wszystko nie można było się oderwać i było kilka potężnych zwrotów akcji
- dostałam przecudownego rodzinnego fluffa<3
- prezydencki wątek życia pod presją też został przedstawiony bardzo dobrze (stwierdzam, że naprawdę mogłabym czytać i oglądać jeszcze więcej rzeczy o tej tematyce)
- no i najpiękniejsza rzecz tej książki czyli WĄTEK MIŁOSNY…you guys, to on nie pozwalał mi przestać czytać, bo był po prostu prze-cu-do-wny
March 22, 2017
DNF at 40%.
I wouldn't have tried this book if I had known it was originally fan fiction. It just... isn't good.
The perspective changes repeatedly. It seems like the story is told from every characters' point of view at least once. Really confusing.
Labels are frequently used instead of the characters' actual names like, "the taller woman," "the blonde woman," "brown eyes," etc. It really annoys me when I read stuff written like that.
Devlyn and Lauren don't seem believable at all. They seem way too immature to be President and a critically acclaimed biographer. How can you become President but not be able to handle a simple press conference when the pressure's on? Their relationship up until the point I read is basically just middle school bullshit. No communication and pointless angst.
There were some pretty ignorant and insensitive parts as well. I really doubt that the prince of the "United Arab Alliance" would greet a lady by kissing her hand. That's just a European thing, I'm pretty sure. Also, I'm not sure they'd serve champagne there either. The entire scene at the Korean restaurant seemed racist to me too. Implying they would serve cat, mocking the accents, mocking the food, implying they were serving insects, etc. Not that insects aren't potentially nutritious, but really?
It's also just way too long. Probably because it was originally fan fiction and most likely released a chapter at a time, but reading one after the other it's just so long. I was so bored waiting for everyone to either stop angsting or realize that this ENTIRE attraction/relationship is a giant conflict of interest and maybe someone else should just write the damn biography. Not sure if that ever gets addressed, but I think it should.
Anyway, didn't like it, didn't finish it, maybe it got better by the end, but I doubt it.
I wouldn't have tried this book if I had known it was originally fan fiction. It just... isn't good.
The perspective changes repeatedly. It seems like the story is told from every characters' point of view at least once. Really confusing.
Labels are frequently used instead of the characters' actual names like, "the taller woman," "the blonde woman," "brown eyes," etc. It really annoys me when I read stuff written like that.
Devlyn and Lauren don't seem believable at all. They seem way too immature to be President and a critically acclaimed biographer. How can you become President but not be able to handle a simple press conference when the pressure's on? Their relationship up until the point I read is basically just middle school bullshit. No communication and pointless angst.
There were some pretty ignorant and insensitive parts as well. I really doubt that the prince of the "United Arab Alliance" would greet a lady by kissing her hand. That's just a European thing, I'm pretty sure. Also, I'm not sure they'd serve champagne there either. The entire scene at the Korean restaurant seemed racist to me too. Implying they would serve cat, mocking the accents, mocking the food, implying they were serving insects, etc. Not that insects aren't potentially nutritious, but really?
It's also just way too long. Probably because it was originally fan fiction and most likely released a chapter at a time, but reading one after the other it's just so long. I was so bored waiting for everyone to either stop angsting or realize that this ENTIRE attraction/relationship is a giant conflict of interest and maybe someone else should just write the damn biography. Not sure if that ever gets addressed, but I think it should.
Anyway, didn't like it, didn't finish it, maybe it got better by the end, but I doubt it.
December 30, 2014
Light-hearted and very enjoyable romance between an openly lesbian President and her very straight biographer. Witty and often hilarious dialogue and situations dominate the book. Oh there is the occasional bombing, shooting and the hint of scandal but those are just minor distractions in what is mainly a funny, heartwarming, slow-burn romance. More kids, dogs and domesticity than world crises, congressional wranglings or even biography-writing, this book is a perfect example of a lesfic genre romance.
4.5 stars
4.5 stars
April 1, 2020
Yes, this is longer than my usual fare and has considerably less steamy bits, but it is one of my favourites. Really well written, with many sub plots and dimensions surrounding the romance at the heart of it.
September 3, 2023
I rated this fairly low, but finished the book so that I could give a fair and hopefully nuanced explanation. First, it’s worth noting that this is a sapphic romance from over twenty years ago and therefore representative of the time in terms of tropes, humour, and realism. If anything, it’s a solid indicator of just how far sapphic romances have come in 2023 and beyond.
To start with, this is extremely 2001 in that a lot of the humour and language is no longer acceptable in modern romance writing. Some examples:
* Saudi Prince side character is drinking champagne and kissing the hands of female diplomats.
* Slut-shaming. A random side character introduced solely to incite jealousy is called a slut. This is made worse when later in the book, we learn that Devlyn .
* Mild racism when dealing with a small diversion to a Korean restaurant and Korean food, with references to Korean food containing cats, smelling very strongly, looking like insects, and also the Korean greeter of the restaurant speaking in broken, stereotypically caricatured English.
* Devlyn having zero qualms about making the moves on or romancing someone who is literally her employee with her being in a position of great authority. If nothing else, in modern times, an out and proud lesbian who is the first woman and gay person holding the office of the POTUS would be incredibly careful about reinforcing the harmful stereotype of the predatory lesbian by coming on to her in-residence biographer who was previously married to a man.
In addition to the above, Devlyn’s characterization is alarmingly sans emotional self-restraint. She is happy to snap at, yell at, or fire people based on how they behave towards her love interest (indirect) employee. Diplomatic relations are affected by how badly Devlyn is unable to control her emotional reactions to anyone else admiring or wanting to ask out the object of her interest.
It’s an interesting contrast to compare with newer romances with ice queens that are famous and run companies or global media conglomerates (such as Elena Bartell in The Brutal Truth, or Elizabeth Thornton in Breaking Character, or Vivian Carlisle in Truth and Measure) where they are ice queens because to rise to the top of their fields as women, they’ve had to display superb emotional control and restraint and continue to be accessible personally only to a select few. The Presidential model here, where Devlyn throws childish tantrums, yells at her staff when irked, and is an inarticulate mess on most occasions that are not direct public speaking, simply would not work in modern-day romances with characters embodying power as women.
Aside from the characterization, the idea that any sitting President would give no-holds-barred access with full control over what they include or how they frame things in the biography (with an explicit exception for state secrets and classified information), is laughable. Particularly when the President’s Independent party is paying several millions for said biographer to write this book. An investment of that importance and significance would absolutely have multiple levels of review and censorship which it’s unlikely that even the President could just choose to override.
Another glaring problem is that neither woman seems particularly interested in their chosen career. Devlyn takes being President for granted, using her position of power to have the taxpayers fund gifts for the object of her affection, special privileges for dates, and housing at the White House with open permission to wander. Lauren is young but an acclaimed biographer, but doesn’t seem to care that being in a relationship with the subject of her book would impact her perceived professionalism or impartiality. After this gig concludes (somehow there is a very unrealistic plan made near the end of the book to just ), Lauren will not have a shred of credibility left as a serious biographer but nobody seems too concerned about it. An excellent example of this very situation is found in The Brutal Truth, where Elena Bartell, despite caring a great deal for the young reporter, Maddie Grey, advises her to be shrewd in her dealings, even at the cost of her own magazine being nailed down in a less than ideal deal, and keeping Maddie at a distance until she is able to conclude her own messy divorce since they are both in the public eye and it would not be good for their careers.
All of the above were things I think may have been acceptable in 2001 for a romance novel, in terms of characterization and making it all a bit hand-wavy and fairytale-ish. Unfortunately, even without these, I was going to give this three stars at best because:
* It is far too long. This story desperately needs an editor with a very sharp knife to trim it down and speed things along.
* The incredibly abrupt switching of points of view is jarring. I lost count of the number of times I was reading from Devlyn’s point of view one paragraph and literally the next we are in Lauren’s point of view with no break or indication of the change.
* The three children were too many children. They don’t have any distinct personalities, except the oldest daughter being more vocal about missing her deceased mother and the relationship now starting with her surviving mother and her biographer. The two boys are young and interchangeably cute, loud, and messy, so it just clutters things up.
To conclude, while I did not enjoy this book, it was an important read for me to be able to get a feel for where sapphic romance literature was at the beginning of the millennium and be able to appreciate how nuanced, inclusive, and deep it is now just to be able to rise about the many releases coming out every week.
To start with, this is extremely 2001 in that a lot of the humour and language is no longer acceptable in modern romance writing. Some examples:
* Saudi Prince side character is drinking champagne and kissing the hands of female diplomats.
* Slut-shaming. A random side character introduced solely to incite jealousy is called a slut. This is made worse when later in the book, we learn that Devlyn .
* Mild racism when dealing with a small diversion to a Korean restaurant and Korean food, with references to Korean food containing cats, smelling very strongly, looking like insects, and also the Korean greeter of the restaurant speaking in broken, stereotypically caricatured English.
* Devlyn having zero qualms about making the moves on or romancing someone who is literally her employee with her being in a position of great authority. If nothing else, in modern times, an out and proud lesbian who is the first woman and gay person holding the office of the POTUS would be incredibly careful about reinforcing the harmful stereotype of the predatory lesbian by coming on to her in-residence biographer who was previously married to a man.
In addition to the above, Devlyn’s characterization is alarmingly sans emotional self-restraint. She is happy to snap at, yell at, or fire people based on how they behave towards her love interest (indirect) employee. Diplomatic relations are affected by how badly Devlyn is unable to control her emotional reactions to anyone else admiring or wanting to ask out the object of her interest.
It’s an interesting contrast to compare with newer romances with ice queens that are famous and run companies or global media conglomerates (such as Elena Bartell in The Brutal Truth, or Elizabeth Thornton in Breaking Character, or Vivian Carlisle in Truth and Measure) where they are ice queens because to rise to the top of their fields as women, they’ve had to display superb emotional control and restraint and continue to be accessible personally only to a select few. The Presidential model here, where Devlyn throws childish tantrums, yells at her staff when irked, and is an inarticulate mess on most occasions that are not direct public speaking, simply would not work in modern-day romances with characters embodying power as women.
Aside from the characterization, the idea that any sitting President would give no-holds-barred access with full control over what they include or how they frame things in the biography (with an explicit exception for state secrets and classified information), is laughable. Particularly when the President’s Independent party is paying several millions for said biographer to write this book. An investment of that importance and significance would absolutely have multiple levels of review and censorship which it’s unlikely that even the President could just choose to override.
Another glaring problem is that neither woman seems particularly interested in their chosen career. Devlyn takes being President for granted, using her position of power to have the taxpayers fund gifts for the object of her affection, special privileges for dates, and housing at the White House with open permission to wander. Lauren is young but an acclaimed biographer, but doesn’t seem to care that being in a relationship with the subject of her book would impact her perceived professionalism or impartiality. After this gig concludes (somehow there is a very unrealistic plan made near the end of the book to just ), Lauren will not have a shred of credibility left as a serious biographer but nobody seems too concerned about it. An excellent example of this very situation is found in The Brutal Truth, where Elena Bartell, despite caring a great deal for the young reporter, Maddie Grey, advises her to be shrewd in her dealings, even at the cost of her own magazine being nailed down in a less than ideal deal, and keeping Maddie at a distance until she is able to conclude her own messy divorce since they are both in the public eye and it would not be good for their careers.
All of the above were things I think may have been acceptable in 2001 for a romance novel, in terms of characterization and making it all a bit hand-wavy and fairytale-ish. Unfortunately, even without these, I was going to give this three stars at best because:
* It is far too long. This story desperately needs an editor with a very sharp knife to trim it down and speed things along.
* The incredibly abrupt switching of points of view is jarring. I lost count of the number of times I was reading from Devlyn’s point of view one paragraph and literally the next we are in Lauren’s point of view with no break or indication of the change.
* The three children were too many children. They don’t have any distinct personalities, except the oldest daughter being more vocal about missing her deceased mother and the relationship now starting with her surviving mother and her biographer. The two boys are young and interchangeably cute, loud, and messy, so it just clutters things up.
To conclude, while I did not enjoy this book, it was an important read for me to be able to get a feel for where sapphic romance literature was at the beginning of the millennium and be able to appreciate how nuanced, inclusive, and deep it is now just to be able to rise about the many releases coming out every week.
June 15, 2015
I can always appreciate a wellrounded story, and this novel provided that. But without a strong conflict, it felt a bit was left to be desired. However, this is my own personal opinion, and the story was still quite enjoyable all the way through.
September 21, 2017
I've read this story before but it was the online, Xena-uber fan fiction version. I was young in my lesfic reading career and pretty easily impressed. I liked this story pretty well back then. I read it a second time a few years ago and liked it less. I still liked the humor and some of the situations the characters found themselves in and the relationships between the main and the most prominent secondary characters were fun and felt genuine.
It was only a few months ago, I think, when the newest edition was released for sale on Amazon and I was happy when I was able to grab a copy on a free day. I felt much less lucky as I got into the book and discovered it is absolutely riddled with typos, missing words, and other problems that should have been cleaned up before releasing it to the lesfic consumers. Setting aside all the standard old fan fic issues of head hopping, identifying characters by their eye or hair color or profession, not taking the time to run spell check or hire a proofreader before charging money for the book put me in a bad place while reading. If I had paid for it, I'd be really pissed and likely would have returned it for a refund.
I already know that most of my friends would still rate this a 4 or 5 star book simply because they'd read it before when fan fic was still going strong in the Xenaverse, and I wouldn't rate the free online version with only two stars. But this is supposed to be a professionally produced product that readers are paying for. Judging the book in that way, two stars, in my opinion, is fair.
It was only a few months ago, I think, when the newest edition was released for sale on Amazon and I was happy when I was able to grab a copy on a free day. I felt much less lucky as I got into the book and discovered it is absolutely riddled with typos, missing words, and other problems that should have been cleaned up before releasing it to the lesfic consumers. Setting aside all the standard old fan fic issues of head hopping, identifying characters by their eye or hair color or profession, not taking the time to run spell check or hire a proofreader before charging money for the book put me in a bad place while reading. If I had paid for it, I'd be really pissed and likely would have returned it for a refund.
I already know that most of my friends would still rate this a 4 or 5 star book simply because they'd read it before when fan fic was still going strong in the Xenaverse, and I wouldn't rate the free online version with only two stars. But this is supposed to be a professionally produced product that readers are paying for. Judging the book in that way, two stars, in my opinion, is fair.
January 26, 2016
Well.... When I started this, I was quite impressed. The strong Xena vibe, the first gay president, setting the story in near future despite being written in 2001... I was all in.
But then, while reading the book, I had some issues. The characters sometimes behaved very, how to put this, childish even? The way the main couple talked sometimes, it was more as if 16 year old kids talked, not adults. I was not impressed.
And the writer kept insisting on calling them 'friend' in their thoughts even after dating officialy and sleeping together. It was my biggest issue. I think it was sometimes before their engagement - which was near the very end - that the author started using the word 'partner' instead.
The funny thing was surely reading about the year 2020. And how the authors imagined it back in 2001. Clearly they didn't think the gay marriage would be legal in all states of USA. I don't blame them.
Anyway. It was a sweet, very vanilla story. No angst. No drama. I think some drama was missing, since I was bored sometimes.
Last but not least, if you're into more explicit sex scenes, you'll be disappointed. The very few love scenes 'faded to black'. I didn't mind, not everything I read has to be explicit.
But then, while reading the book, I had some issues. The characters sometimes behaved very, how to put this, childish even? The way the main couple talked sometimes, it was more as if 16 year old kids talked, not adults. I was not impressed.
And the writer kept insisting on calling them 'friend' in their thoughts even after dating officialy and sleeping together. It was my biggest issue. I think it was sometimes before their engagement - which was near the very end - that the author started using the word 'partner' instead.
The funny thing was surely reading about the year 2020. And how the authors imagined it back in 2001. Clearly they didn't think the gay marriage would be legal in all states of USA. I don't blame them.
Anyway. It was a sweet, very vanilla story. No angst. No drama. I think some drama was missing, since I was bored sometimes.
Last but not least, if you're into more explicit sex scenes, you'll be disappointed. The very few love scenes 'faded to black'. I didn't mind, not everything I read has to be explicit.
June 25, 2019
Enjoyed this - long book - but you could tell there were two authors - Lauren or The Writer depending on who was writing (or that is my theory!) Good back characters but Book 2 at £8 (on kindle) seems a lot, so no thanks.
June 29, 2020
I shouldn’t have read this again. Some things are just perfect in your memory because the timing was right, or your experience was adequate. It’s a classic, a basic must read, it reminds me of my first attempts at lesbian fiction and fanfics, I probably read this the first time in 2009, on xenafiction.net, I’m not sure if the book version is really different, I can’t remember, but it’s good to reflect and see how much my tastes and the authors and stories have change. After a lot of consideration I downgraded this from 5 to 4 because 2020 me has different taste in books and this is a good story that could have been shorter or in several books, but it just felt long and about nothing specific that made that worth it. This is Xenafiction in its prime.
February 13, 2017
I just re-read this book and I still love it as much as I did the first time I read it, but I had to drop my rating from 5 stars to 4. After the second time going through I realised that there is quite a lot of page space taken up by irrelevant information. I know it added to the characters and the story but I feel like it just created an unnecessarily long book which could turn people off (but it really shouldn't). I would still recommend this book to anyone looking for a a good lesfic comedy romance because it will not disappoint.
November 20, 2022
Dnf at 20%
I was really looking forward to reading this book and I started it and was enjoying it, and then I read some reviews that said some concerning things.
Cooper makes jokes about Asian people and how they eat dogs and cats and while this book was published in 2001 that doesn’t excuse anything I really wanted to enjoy this book and I was until I found that out and it kind of just ruined it for me.
I was really looking forward to reading this book and I started it and was enjoying it, and then I read some reviews that said some concerning things.
Cooper makes jokes about Asian people and how they eat dogs and cats and while this book was published in 2001 that doesn’t excuse anything I really wanted to enjoy this book and I was until I found that out and it kind of just ruined it for me.
June 23, 2016
These two books were incredibly racist towards the Asian population in general. Considering the contents of this book are in some ways promoting equal rights and the rise of women, I just can't fathom how the authors deemed it okay to have such blatant racism e.g., "hewo, hewo" from the Korean waitress; or when Lauren is wondering whether the restaurant is serving cat; Or "Japanese Queen"; Or even the comment about having sex with a "black man". Disappointed is all I can say.
April 22, 2016
A really nice story, nice evolution of the protagonists, slow but sure. I liked it.
March 7, 2020
My 3 stars..
So it's 2020 I'm late again, and the book is set way ahead than ours. I'll be honest this book made me laugh, made me sad a little BUT, it lacks in a lot of ways. This couldve been a good book if not of the tossing and turning.
For one, it's a very long read that made me bored in some ways (just my opinion really) So I skipped it many many times. And just like what Lex said, Dev is not so presidential when it comes to a character. Gee, I'm way matured than hers, way political and I'm not even a politician.
There are scenes that are so left out that might as well not write it at all if the author would just skip it like a fine day.
So hmm. There goes my 3 not so happy stars.
So it's 2020 I'm late again, and the book is set way ahead than ours. I'll be honest this book made me laugh, made me sad a little BUT, it lacks in a lot of ways. This couldve been a good book if not of the tossing and turning.
For one, it's a very long read that made me bored in some ways (just my opinion really) So I skipped it many many times. And just like what Lex said, Dev is not so presidential when it comes to a character. Gee, I'm way matured than hers, way political and I'm not even a politician.
There are scenes that are so left out that might as well not write it at all if the author would just skip it like a fine day.
So hmm. There goes my 3 not so happy stars.
November 11, 2020
Enjoying love story, kinda of slow burn in blossoming which is nice.
It's really interesting to read this book for the first time because the story starts in November 2020 but had been written two decades ago. They are some futuristic element (voice command, auto drive) implemented by the writer but our true gadgets are not there, like... no smartphones.
On the legal side, we also have a lesbian elected as president but same-sex union is still not legal depending on the state. It really feels like reading about an alternate reality and it was pretty funny.
On the minus side, some scene and drama were useless. I would have dnf at the first chapter if I hadn't read positive reviews beforehand.
It's really interesting to read this book for the first time because the story starts in November 2020 but had been written two decades ago. They are some futuristic element (voice command, auto drive) implemented by the writer but our true gadgets are not there, like... no smartphones.
On the legal side, we also have a lesbian elected as president but same-sex union is still not legal depending on the state. It really feels like reading about an alternate reality and it was pretty funny.
On the minus side, some scene and drama were useless. I would have dnf at the first chapter if I hadn't read positive reviews beforehand.
October 27, 2025
this is a really good book. amazing couple, amazing story, normal but fun characters i would say. what prevents me from giving this book 5 stars are the “weird” jokes i read in it (if not racist) that deeply bothered me. when i read i was like hmmmm are you serious? thought it couldn’t get worse but! it did. the whole scene was a disaster imo. i felt really sad bc oh well this is a good book but that’s not something i can just forget and easily erase from my mind. i hope this book gets a modern editing one day!
February 15, 2017
I enjoyed this book as it is a sweet romance with some angst thrown in for good measure. The two mains fall in love over time and the book is long enough for that unfold. My only complaint is the love/sex scenes. It takes half the book before they get together and then the scene is super short. I'm a bit bashful about saying this, but aren't the sex scenes one of the reasons we read these novels? Yeah, thought so. ;-D
April 28, 2019
I remember when I read this in late 2017 that I really enjoyed how realistic everything was, apart from the single female president I mean, and how the author managed to work with it. That was until the very end of the book. Something so immensely unrealistic, super over the top dramatic, awkward and just plain embarrassing happens. I couldn’t stop cringing. That I think, ruined it quite a lot for me.
April 4, 2017
It's not perfectly perfect, I'll give you that. But, I needed something that was not just a happily ever after for the couple in the story, I can get that from current BSB, Bella, Ylva, Riptide, etc. books I needed a kick ass ever after when it came to the politics too. And this book had both.
June 6, 2025
Honestly, rereading this piece is always a joy. I'm always hooked from the first turn of the page to the last. The good banter, political humour, mystery and suspense with a bit of adventure had me loving the authors and their fmcs.
March 26, 2025
I LOOOOOOVE LESBIANS
December 13, 2022
4.5 very enjoyable. Why is this book not in audio format???
December 19, 2017
One of my favourite Xena Ubers, love the character of Devlin not only the first woman president but also it's first gay president to boot. I also love the idea of a second love, showing that life goes on even after the loss of a loved partner. The kids were enjoyable and I really hope the annoying character Michael will get it in the neck in the sequel. I highly recommend this story of real people in places of power.
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