Review: Mr. President by Katy Evans (White House #1)
Note: This ARC was provided by Social Butterfly PR in exchange for an honest review.
“One day I’ll do all the things I need to. And she’ll be mine. Mark my words.”“Does she know this yet?” I ask, quietly.“I just told her,” he says.His voice is thick and low, but his eyes are still alight with mischief.“Maybe . . . maybe she’s already yours.”“Is she?”
You'd think I didn't have time for much else since I live and breathe books--both personally and professionally--but I'm a political junkie and this year's political season in quite a few countries was like the gift that kept on giving, though there were and still are times I wish it would just stop being so damn giving. Anyway, with the presidential election in the United States just around the corner, I think that it's only fitting to have a couple of political romances on my reading list this week, and hello, what absolutely fantastic reads these were. I've already posted my review for one, and now you're reading the review for the second one, Mr. President. I'm no stranger to Katy Evans, having read all but the fifth novel in her Real series, but I must confess that there's something extraordinary about this new White House series starter of hers. I was both wooed and wowed by this love story between thirty-five-year-old former presidential son turned presidential candidate Matthew Hamilton and twenty-two-year-old social worker turned campaign staffer Charlotte Wells, whose meeting eleven years ago is the unexpected start to an innocent connection that evolves into something far more life-changing for them both over a decade or so later.
She met him when she was eleven and he became her first crush. Writing him a thank you later seemed proper for the daughter of a senator to do for the son of the president, and while Matthew Hamilton may have promised he would never run for the same office as his father, Charlotte Wells receives an offer she can't refuse eleven years later--to keep her promise to him and become part of his still being formed presidential campaign staff. He's the youngest candidate to ever run for the presidency and while his single status may be pronounced as some sort of deterrent, Matt has committed himself to only one mistress--the United States of America. His sole focus is to fulfill his late father's legacy and live up to the expectations of voters who look to him as their source of hope. But it was Matt who brought on the distraction that is Charlotte and he becomes increasingly tempted to spend more and more time getting to know her--not just her dreams for herself but those she has for the country as well. Too many people are waiting for him to make a mistake, to give them a reason to take him down, and he refuses to have Charlotte become a casualty in his quest for the highest office in the land. Matt's quest shouldn't involve laying claim to everything Charlotte is--heart, body, and mind--because winning the presidency may well mean losing her.
Oh, the feels this novel elicited from me! Goodness, but I swooned a time or two or a few dozen while reading Matt and Charlotte's love story. But here's the thing: it ends in a cliffhanger. It isn't an overly evil one; more heartrending than anything else, but I've already got the second book in the series, Commander in Chief, on my to-be-read list and thank goodness it's currently slated for release in the second week of January next year! Remember when I mentioned that this book wooed and wowed me? Matt and Charlotte are like those candidates that you can't help but want to campaign for. I became totally enamored with their story and absolutely invested in the outcome--which, of course, will have to wait a little over two months and my fingers are crossed that it'll be worth the wait. I kinda wished there were more people like both Matt and Charlotte, people who wanted to serve their nation to the best of their abilities without waiting for or expecting anything in return. Nowadays, too many have become disillusioned with the state of politics, regardless of what country they're in or from. There was a hopefulness to Matt's campaign, one that I more than appreciated. Ironically, the success or failure of that campaign could result in a hopeless situation for our main characters. Le sigh. I dare say that Mr. President is Katy Evans at her best, setting the bar unfairly and impossibly high for herself. I trust she'll easily pass it. Five-plus stars. ♥
Date Read: 02 November 2016
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