Falling for Danger & Capital Confessions Series 1-3 by Chanel Cleeton-reviews

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FALLING FOR DANGER
(Capital Confessions #3)
by Chanel Cleeton
Genre: new adult, contemporary, romantic suspense
ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date September 15, 2015

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N / KOBO / BAM

The author of Flirting with Scandal presents her third book in a sexy contemporary romance series about three sisters in a powerful political family, the scandals that threaten to destroy them, and the passion that drives them…

Kate Reynolds has just graduated from college and is determined to make it on her own. Her job as a junior political analyst at the CIA is a dream come true and the perfect opportunity to find answers about the night that’s plagued her for four years—the night she lost her fiancé, Matt, on a Special Forces mission in Afghanistan. Kate’s consumed with uncovering the truth and avenging the man she loved and lost, even if it means risking her own life to prove that his death wasn’t an accident.

When she gets too close to discovering what happened that fateful night and danger arrives on her doorstep, Kate’s stunned by the man who comes to her rescue. Together, they begin to dig for the truth, fighting to stay alive as they’re dragged down into a world of secrets and lies. But when the threat hits close to home, Kate must choose between vengeance and a future with the man who’s ignited a fire inside her that she thought died long ago.

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NOTE: If you have not read the previous installments my review may contain some spoilers.

REVIEW: FALLING FOR DANGER is the third installment in Chanel Cleeton’s contemporary, new adult Capital Confessions political romantic suspense series focusing on the three daughters of Senator Edward Reynolds and the scandals that threaten to destroy their lives. This is youngest daughter Kate Reynolds-a new CIA recruit-and former US solider Matt Ryan’s storyline.

Told from alternating first person points of view (Matt and Kate) FALLING FOR DANGER is the culmination of three storylines wherein Senator Edward Reynolds’s life in the public eye is about to take center stage for all of the wrong reasons. Over three years has past since the ambush in Afghanistan that killed Kate’s fiance Matt Ryan and his team of soldiers but Kate has suspected that the entire story is somewhere between the truth and a cover-up of epic proportions. As Kate begins to amass a series of documents, from an unknown source, regarding the ambush in the Middle East her world will begin to spiral out of control when a ghost from the past walks back into her life bringing with him death, destruction and chaos to her less than orderly life.

FALLING FOR DANGER is a story about second chances for two people whose life together barely had a chance to begin. Kate has mourned Matt’s death for close to four years, and in the ensuing time Kate has never once faltered in her belief of a cover-up and her father’s involvement in the death of the man she has always loved.

All of the previous storyline couples play a secondary and supporting role as the sisters prepare for Jackie and Will’s upcoming nuptials. But the wedding is secondary to the storyline as Kate becomes the target of several attempts on her life, as well as a break in, stabbing, explosion and the death of an innocent man who got caught in the embroiled family battles.

FALLING FOR DANGER focuses on the darker side of political power as Senator Edward Reynolds continues his spiral into depravity and loss of control. Secrets from the past slowing bleed through the cracks of the walls the Senator has built to protect his political empire but sometimes the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree when revenge and a second chance at love are the focus of a daughter whose father has destroyed everyone she has ever loved.

The suspense filled premise storyline is impressive as the reader is pulled into the action and fast paced drama that surrounds Kate and the man that she loves. There is some repetition and redundancy that I can forgive as it continued to emphasize the distraught nature of the situation. There are moments of intense life and death situations followed by the need to reaffirm one’s survival; the emotional fall out of the truth is traumatic and staggering although the growing conflict was easily deduced throughout the developing series.

FALLING FOR DANGER does not end on a happily ever after-but a happily ever after for now. There were too many loose ends that were left unaddressed and I didn’t feel the provocateur of evil met his due. Perhaps it is the nature of the political beast, but sometimes there is a need to see retribution meted out in all of its glory. The suspense-filled build up reached a less than satisfying conclusion but when all is said and done, perhaps there will be a novella that reveals the entirety of the havoc one man has brought to his family and the people of Washington DC-revenge is a dish best served before the public eye.

Copy supplied by the publisher through Netgalley

Reviewed by Sandy

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FLIRTING WITH SCANDAL
(Capital Confessions #1)
by Chanel Cleeton
Genre: New adult, contemporary, romance, suspense
ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date May 19, 2015

99¢ ebook special: Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N / KOBO / BAM

Jackie Gardner knows all about dirty little secrets. The illegitimate daughter of one of the most influential senators in Washington, D.C., she grew up surrounded by the scandals and shadows of politics. Now that she’s landed an internship with a powerful political consulting firm, she’s determined to launch her career and take this city by storm.

William Andrew Clayton was born for politics. He knows the drill: work hard, play discreetly, and at all costs, avoid scandal. At twenty-six, his campaign for the Virginia State Senate is the first step to cementing his future. It’s time for him to settle down, to find the perfect political spouse. He needs a Jackie Kennedy, not a Marilyn…

When Jackie meets Will in the bar of the Hay-Adams Hotel, sparks fly. But the last thing Will needs is to be caught in a compromising position, and an affair with a political candidate could cost Jackie her career. When what began as one steamy night, becomes a passion neither one of them can walk way from, they must decide if what they have is really love, or just another dirty little secret.

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REVIEW: FLIRTING WITH SCANDAL is the first installment in Chanel Cleeton’s contemporary, new adult Capital Confessions political romantic suspense series focusing on the American political elite, and the three daughters of Senator Edward Reynolds. This is Virginia State Senate hopeful, twenty six year old William Clayton (Will), and twenty one year old university senior and political consultant intern Jackie Gardner’s storyline.

Told from alternating first person points of view (Jackie and Will) FLIRTING WITH SCANDAL follows the election campaign of William Clayton. William comes from a successful political family, and with it he has earned the respect of the American people. But a scandal is brewing when William falls for one of his campaign consultants, and a sex video emerges thanks to the DC blog known as Capital Confessions. Capital Confessions is in the business of digging up dirt on the political and power elite of Washington DC, and Wil and Jackie’s misadventures are ripe for the picking. Sex, politics and a scandal do not make for successful bedfellows. Each chapter begins with an excerpt from the Capital Confessions blog.

Jackie Gardner is a strong heroine whose past is riddled with scandal, betrayal and personal humiliation. As the illegitimate daughter of a Washington DC Senator, Jackie has never known the benefits of her father’s power and political connections. From an absent mother whose reputation throughout DC is that of a political groupie, Jackie fears her presence in William’s life will affect his election campaign and any possible future between her and Wil.

Wil is the personification of the perfect boyfriend, the perfect political candidate, and the perfect son. His family is deeply rooted in the political atmosphere of DC, and with it comes the clean cut image of a boy wonder-there are no skeletons in William Clayton’s background and he is willing to risk everything for the woman that he loves.

The relationship between Wil and Jackie begins through an accidental meeting at a local DC bar where backroom deals and affairs begin. Their attraction to one another is immediate; the sexual tension is palpable; there is no denying the chemistry and pull, but Jackie will soon discover that Wil’s political connections hit too close to home. While Will and Jackie keep secret their private affair, someone behind the scenes is releasing personal information about the goings on at Wil’s campaign headquarters. The $ex scenes are intimate, passionate and hot without the over-the-top graphic, erotic imagery; there is some definite steamy $ex going on.

FLIRTING WITH SCANDAL has a large cast of colorful and energetic secondary and supporting characters including the introduction of Jackie’s half sisters Blair and Kate Reynolds whose own stories will be revealed in books 2 & 3. We are also witness to the aggressive tactics of Jackie’s cold-hearted biological father; and a mother who is less than worthy of the title of mother-of-the-year.

The world building focuses on Jackie and Wil’s building relationship as well as the political blog Capitol Confessions. The blog has a reputation of getting the dirt on the power elite of the American political system, and with it comes hints and clues as to the goings on behind the scenes and in the bedrooms of DC’s law makers and wanna-bes.

FLIRTING WITH SCANDAL is a solid and easy read; a well written and evenly paced storyline; a fascinating look at the dirty side of politics, and the scandals that could make or break a run for political office. The premise is entertaining and will captivate your imagination; the characters are engaging, animated, ruthless and charismatic; the happily ever after hopeful and inspiring. This is my first Chanel Cleeton read, but it won’t be my last.

Copy supplied by the publisher through Netgalley

Reviewed by Sandy

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PLAYING WITH TROUBLE
(Capital Confessions #2)
by Chanel Cleeton
Genre: contemporary, new adult, romance, suspense
ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date July 21 , 2015

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N / KOBO / BAM

The daughter of one of the Senate’s most powerful figures, Blair Reynolds was ready to become the ultimate political wife—until she caught her fiancé cheating on her wedding day. Law school is a fresh start, her shot at putting the pieces of her life back together. That’s the plan, at least. Until trouble comes in the form of her Torts professor, the man whose arrogance infuriates her in class but haunts her private fantasies.

Graydon Canter had a fortune and a place on all the hottest “Thirty under Thirty” lists, until a series of personal missteps nearly destroyed his career. A year teaching at a D.C. law school is just the break he needs to get his life back in order, as long as nothing—and no one—trips him up.

When Blair and Gray are forced to work together, their explosive attraction becomes impossible to resist. But Gray’s demons have drawn him dangerously close to the edge, and Blair has spent her life playing by the rules. Will she break them for a shot at love?

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REVIEW: PLAYING WITH TROUBLE is the second installment in Chanel Cleeton’s contemporary, new adult Capital Confessions political romantic suspense series. This is thirty-year old law professor Graydon (Gray) Canter, and twenty-three year old law student Blair Reynolds’s storyline. Blair is the eldest daughter of Senator Edward Reynolds, and a woman whose personal life has been the subject of gossip and headlines news. PLAYING WITH TROUBLE commences a few months after the events of book one FLIRTING WITH SCANDAL but can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty; any important information from the previous storyline is revealed when necessary but I recommend reading the series in order for backstory and enjoyment.

Told from alternating first person points of view (Gray and Blair) PLAYING WITH TROUBLE focuses on the forbidden relationship between Professor Gray Canter, and first year law student Blair Reynolds. Gray’s attraction to Blair is immediate but his reaction to the young woman is awkward, stilted and sometimes aggressive. Blair is fighting her own demons following the discovery, on her wedding day that her fiancé was cheating on her with his best man. But Gray’s attitude toward Blair finds our heroine targeted and singled out during class for reasons that will all too soon become apparent.

The attraction between Blair and Gray is immediate but forbidden. Gray is Blair’s professor, and any sign of impropriety will be grounds for dismissal. A new start in a new town finds Gray travelling down a familiar path towards personal destruction and regret-a path that previously spiraled out of control. The $ex scenes are provocative, sensual and slightly more erotic than the previous storyline but there was no rush to consummate their relationship. The sexual chemistry and tension is off the charts; the flirting is a constant reminder of things to come as we are inside the head of our two leading characters for a good portion of the story.

The secondary and supporting characters include Blair’s sister Kate-a woman whose past is mired in betrayal, loss and grief. Jackie Gardner, Blair and Kate’s half sister, along with her fiancé William Clayton (Flirting With Scandal #1) make a couple of cameo appearances as the sisters continue to struggle with the missing years of growing up without the knowledge of one another’s existence. We are also introduced to Blair’s fellow classmates-Adam and Caitlin-Adam’s attraction to Blair is but a blip on the radar but a source of conflict between Blair and Gray-none-the -less.

PLAYING WITH TROUBLE is a fascinating and revealing storyline that continues to focus on the scandals haunting Senator Reynolds, his family and his political career. The series does not center on the politics but on one man’s corruptive lifestyle and hidden past. Once again, each chapter is highlighted with a blog excerpt from Capital Confessions- an online blog site that reveals the good, the bad, and the ugly of America’s capital and the political machine in Washington DC. The premise is well structured and evenly paced-there is a bit of a rush to the conflict resolution between Gray and Blair.

Chanel Cleeton’s CAPITAL CONFESSIONS series has all the angst of a new adult storyline: dark history; past demons; regret, betrayal and loss. PLAYING WITH TROUBLE reveals a little more about the Reynolds’s family dynamics; Senator Reynolds’s continuous fall from grace; and the American public’s willingness to forgive and forget. Today’s headlines news is tomorrow’s bird-cage liner.

Copy supplied by the publisher through Netgalley.

Reviewed by Sandy

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Originally a Florida girl, CHANEL CLEETON moved to London where she received a bachelor’s degree from Richmond, The American International University in London and a master’s degree from the London School of Economics and Political Science. Chanel fell in love with London and planned to stay there forever, until fate intervened on a Caribbean cruise and a fighter pilot with smooth dance moves swept her off her feet. Now, a happily ever after later, Chanel is living her next adventure.

Law school made Chanel realize she’d rather spend her days writing sexy stories than in a courtroom, and she hasn’t looked back since. An avid reader and hopeless romantic, she’s happiest curled up with a book. She has a weakness for handbags, her three pups, and her husband.

Chanel writes contemporary romances. She is published by Harlequin HQN, Penguin/InterMix, and Penguin/Berkley and is the author of the International School, Capital Confessions, and Wild Aces series.