Political Action
Oh these politicians are getting action alright
Just in time for the election to shatter any illusions of progress, I’ve got three new political-leaning romances for ya. And if you simply cannot get enough idealized government in your spicy TBR, a year ago I had another roundup of political romances for your perusal. I’m rewriting this intro in the wake of… well. You know. And I’m still very much processing…. the fascist convicted felon being the president and all. It’s really fucking hard to pretend to care about anything else, or feel normal, or think normal exists anymore… but I do know that in the coming years for my own resilience, I need to remember and imagine better worlds. So I’m glad I have romance. It’s not enough. It’s not a priority. But I need it anyways.
Love, Hate, and Clickbait by Liz Bowery. First of all, thank you to Tumblr user BatmanIsAGatewayDrug for recommending this book to me via the post where they describe Thom’s arc thusly: “this wretched man got so dickmatized by autistic swag that he threw away his entire career and became a housewife.”
The first book in this roundup involves two political backup boys, rather than either of them being politicians themselves. We’ve got Thom (the aforementioned wretched man) who starts the book at his girlfriend’s cousin’s wedding, which he managed to join the wedding party of because of a potential political connection who was meant to attend. But when an emergency breaks out back at the office (he’s a political analyst for the governor of CA who’s running for president) and it becomes clear the potential political connection isn’t attending the wedding anyways, he bails. His girlfriend breaks up with him, and the biggest emotional reaction we get out of him, is this:
Thom was used to that look - he saw it a lot when his relationships ended, if he even bothered doing it face-to-face. He just couldn’t understand why the women he dated got so invested in him. Most of them were in politics too, or in similar fields where winning and advancing were all that mattered. Why did they let emotions get in the way of that?
If you know me, you know I was immediately obsessed with this wretched man. Notable: at the start of the book, he considers himself straight. Even at the point that the plot hook shenanigan begins (he’s yelling at Clay but someone takes a photo that makes it look passionate [sexy] rather than passionate [furious] and to distract the press from their boss’s most recent gaffe, they Must fake date) he still considers himself straight, just bi for political gain. When he realizes he’s bi for real, he spends like one sentence of the book acknowledging it to someone and himself and then his sexuality never comes up again. He comes out with zero identity crisis at all, and it’s honestly so par for the course with him. I loved it.
Let’s talk about the autistic swag whomst dickmatized him, though. Clay Parker is a data analyst known for co-founding a big tech company before getting ousted by his former business partner. He’s smug and obnoxious in the opposite way that Thom is, and is trying to get his bearings in politics until he figures out how to use his tech skills again (though naturally, he’s got a lot of hangups given how is last foray went). He’s comfortable with his sexuality, but he wouldn’t love Thom if he was the last man on Earth. Unfortunately, in order to save their jobs and the campaign they both believe in, they have to fake date as a political distraction.
Or… do they? What I really liked about this book, aside from the completely believable enemies to lovers arc and the sheer level of contempt shared even after they clearly start to like each other, is that it doesn’t shy away from the ugliness of politics even within the arenas you’re rooting for. It’s nuanced, it’s complicated, it’s heartbreaking, and it would be a little too real if it ended any differently and were slightly less ridiculous. But this book managed to be hilarious and bananas and also smart with its political commentary all at once. This will absolutely be a comfort read for every future election year.
How hot? 🔥🔥🔥
Getaway Girl by Tessa Bailey. Book 1 in a duology (read book 2’s review in my Runaway Brides roundup!) about why rich people shouldn’t exist (at least, that’s my interpretation) is my favorite of the two, though it’s a close call. After his basically arranged marriage to a perfect debutant lady is foiled by said lady running away (her adventure is in book 2), Elijah Montgomery Du Pont (incredible rich guy name) needs to get away from it all and regroup to be the best future mayor he can be.
Luckily, his almost-bride’s controversial cousin Addison Potts is back in town and happened to stroll by the wedding, see his distress, and pull up in a getaway vehicle to help him outta there. What begins as simply a much-needed ride becomes a genuine friendship and the first peace Elijah has known his whole life.
And as that friendship and kinda roommates situation progresses into something sexier, they’ll both have to wrestle with the secrets they keep, the conservative town they’re both committed to living in, and what to do when Elijah’s runaway bride makes a surprise return.
There’s also crafting, holiday markets (this is a good “it’s almost but not QUITE Christmas season” book FYI), buried familial scandals, complicated grief, and, oh yeah, political drama because remember, Elijah’s the new mayor!
How hot? 🔥🔥🔥🔥
The Boyfriend Candidate by Ashley Winstead. A series loosely connected by sisters involved (to different extents) with liberal politics in Texas! Book 1 was in my daddy issues round up recently.
This one has a lot of tropes and vibes in common with a book I reviewed a while ago, in my FIRST political roundup (“Honestly, I’m Totally Faking It”), but they’re classic tropes and vibes for a reason!
Alexis Stone is a school librarian, sister to a loud-mouthed politician, and was recently dumped for being boring in bed. In a fit of “I’ll show YOU,” she gets into a fancy dress and heads to a bar for a spicy one night stand. She picks up the dirty-talking Logan at said bar, but before they can consummate their sizzling chemistry, the hotel catches fire (Ashley Winstead knows how to do a Romance Shenanigan, y’all) and Logan carries her to safety, only to be immediately photographed.
Which matters, because it turns out that Logan is running for governor of Texas. And he’s already in a tenuous position as a liberal, as a young hotshot, and as a non-family man. So he can’t be pictured with a random woman, but he CAN be pictured with his lovely wholesome girlfriend… so of course, some fake dating is in order!
But quickly the meek Alexis realizes that she’s got more power than just appearing besotted (fakely, definitely) with a better candidate than the incumbent. And with great power comes responsibility to use it, to help fund education and libraries and stand up for what she believes in, even when it isn’t politically convenient to her maybe not so fake politician boyfriend. And conversely, Logan starts to learn that perhaps, while it’s a worthwhile fight, the best way to get ahead isn’t necessarily the path he’s on.
How hot? 🔥🔥🔥
Next week, I’ll be recommending some of my favorite, most heartbreakingly romantic historical romances. The ones that I couldn’t wait to feature so I grouped them together because they’re simply swoonworthy.
What should I be reading next? Let me know in the comments!
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