Series: The Perfect Gentlemen

Review: At the Pleasure of the President by Shayla Black and Lexi Blake

Posted May 7, 2019 by Casee in Reviews | 1 Comment

Review: At the Pleasure of the President by Shayla Black and Lexi BlakeReviewer: Casee
At the Pleasure of the President by Shayla Black, Lexi Blake
Series: The Perfect Gentlemen #5
Also in this series: Scandal Never Sleeps (The Perfect Gentlemen, #1), Seduction in Session (The Perfect Gentlemen, #2), Big Easy Temptation (The Perfect Gentlemen, #3), Smoke and Sin (The Perfect Gentlemen, #4)
Publisher: Self-Published
Publication Date: April 9, 2019
Format: eBook
Source: Purchased
Point-of-View: Alternating Third
Cliffhanger: View Spoiler »
Content Warning: View Spoiler »
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Pages: 474
Add It: Goodreads
Reading Challenges: Casee's 2019 GoodReads Challenge
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four-half-stars
Series Rating: four-stars

The thrilling conclusion of the twisting, page-turning Perfect Gentlemen series!

When a dangerous conspiracy threatens to tear them apart, he’ll have to choose between his country and the woman he loves…

Decades ago, ambitious Zack Hayes set his sights on the White House. He’s worked his whole life to become the leader of the free world—attending the right schools, marrying the perfect bride—all to aid his campaign. He didn’t realize someone behind the scenes has been pulling the strings to manipulate Zack and the country he loves into a dangerous position—one he will risk his life to wrench free from. The one thing he can’t risk is Elizabeth Matthews.

From the moment she met Zack Hayes, Liz felt the connection. Serving as his campaign manager and then his press secretary, she accepted that her love for him would remain unrequited. Still, she’d thought they were friends, so when he pushed her aside, she felt the stab in her heart. And when she realizes he’s done it to protect her, nothing will stop Liz from standing by his side—not even the men who would use her as a weapon against him.

As shocking secrets are revealed, Zack and Liz find succor and passion in each other’s arms. When the ultimate villain shows his face, Zack may have to choose between his country and the woman he loves…

This is the conclusion to The Perfect Gentlemen series. And holy hell, View Spoiler » Honestly, this isn’t really a spoiler because even I figured it out. If I knew it, anyone reading this book knew it two books before. No joke.

Zack Hayes has been groomed from birth to be the President of the United States. One of my favorite passages of this series was from the prologue of Scandal Never Sleeps, which is book one of the series. The Perfect Gentlemen had been called to the counselor’s office at their boarding school. Zack threatened him when it because clear that the man was out to get the five of them. He was still a teenager at the time.

“You don’t have that kind of power,” Ogilvie blustered.

“You think I don’t? My father was the ambassador to Russia for years. He’s been close friends with the last three presidents, including the current commander-in-chief. My father wants one thing and one thing only from me. Everyone who’s met him knows that he gets what he wants. My future is mapped out. If I do the right things—get the grades, remain class president, go to the appropriate college—then I accomplish everything I should. If you derail me from this path, I’ll get my ass kicked in ways that would make your head spin. But it will end even worse for you. I recently got my SATs back. I had a perfect score. I’m getting into Yale, and Skull and Bones will be waiting for me senior year because they know what my father’s friends have already figured out: I will be the president of the United States one day. Now, you can be my friend or my enemy. You decide.”

Yep, Zack was badass from the beginning.

Moving on, Zack did become president, but how it happened was beyond sad. That doesn’t mean he wasn’t a great one. Through the last four books a conspiracy has been unraveling that makes it apparent to Zack that he might have to step down. Although it was his father that wanted him to be President of the United States, it is Zack that has made the office and policies his own. Zack will not allow himself to be blackmailed or let the integrity of the office be brought into question.

Elizabeth Matthews is the Press Secretary. She is a ball buster where and when she needs to be. She’s also a good friend to Zack. They know where they stand with each other. They’re in love, but unable to do anything about it. Elizabeth is not on the inside of Zack’s circle. Although it hurts, she knows that he doesn’t completely trust her. She thought she could live with that until she couldn’t.

Zack thinks Elizabeth is a Russian spy, which is understandable. What’s not understandable is how Zack doesn’t see who the real spy is. Come on, Zack. You’re supposed to be the smartest person in the country, if not the world and you can’t figure it out? When there is an assassination attempt on Zack, it is obvious Elizabeth is the spy they all thought her to be (seriously?). Or is it?

Roman Calder drove me bonkers in this book. I know it was his responsibility to protect Zack, but I wanted to brain him. He just went completely overboard.

Still, I was so happy with this book because I loved Zack throughout this entire series and I really loved Elizabeth. She was perfect for Zack because she knew exactly what sort of pressure he was under so she didn’t except things from him that she knew he couldn’t give. She knew that being the President of the United States came before all things.

This was a perfect conclusion to this series.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

The Perfect Gentlemen

four-half-stars


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Review: Smoke and Sin by Shayla Black and Lexi Blake

Posted December 4, 2018 by Casee in Reviews | 1 Comment

Review: Smoke and Sin by Shayla Black and Lexi BlakeReviewer: Casee
Smoke and Sin (The Perfect Gentlemen, #4) by Shayla Black, Lexi Blake
Series: The Perfect Gentlemen #4
Also in this series: Scandal Never Sleeps (The Perfect Gentlemen, #1), Seduction in Session (The Perfect Gentlemen, #2), Big Easy Temptation (The Perfect Gentlemen, #3), At the Pleasure of the President
Publisher: Self-Published
Publication Date: September 26, 2017
Format: eBook
Source: Purchased
Point-of-View: Third
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Pages: 460
Add It: Goodreads
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three-half-stars
Series Rating: four-stars

More than a decade ago, Roman Calder had a scorching affair with the sister of one of his best friends. Augustine Spencer drove him so crazy he thought of nothing but her. The only thing they did more often than heat the sheets was fight. Unprepared for the intensity of their relationship, Roman broke things off and concentrated on things that made sense to him: his career and putting his best friend, Zack Hayes, in the White House.

Gus Spencer is known to Washington insiders as the president’s secret weapon. Gorgeous and brilliant, Gus runs the press pool with the determination of a shark. No one dares to cross her, not when she’s known for having a spine of steel…but long ago one man melted her down. Despite the fact that she’ll never forgive Roman for breaking her heart, now that they work together she can’t get him off her mind.

When a dangerous investigation leads both Roman and Gus to London, the heat between them becomes unbearable. As they begin to unravel an international conspiracy, they find themselves falling all over again. But when a killer threatens their world, can they fight to stay together or will the sins of their past keep them forever apart?

This book picks up immediately where Big Easy Temptation left off (except for the Prologue). What do we know about Roman Calder and Augustine Spencer? We know that Roman is Zack Hayes Chief of Staff and best friend. He’s known in the media as the Hitman. He’s scary. When he wants things done, they get done. Gus is Dax’s sister. She likes sleeping with men and she doesn’t care if people thinks she’s a whore. She’s refreshing. I really like her. Or I did like her until I read this book.

Roman and Gus have a history and it’s not a good one. You’ll get an idea right away of what they have to overcome. It’s not just not pretty. It’s ugly. There was a day thirteen years ago that Roman should have been at Gus’ side. He wasn’t. Instead it was Maddox Crawford that was there. He was also there every year since. Mad was one of Gus’ best friends. She knows that Mad was murdered. She will do anything she has to do to prove it, even if it means point the finger at her boss. Did I mention she runs the press pool at the White House? So Zack is her boss.

The reason Roman broke it off with Gus all those years ago was because he didn’t want a relationship like his parents had while he was growing up. All his parents did was fight (spectacularly) and then make up. He saw the pattern repeating itself with Gus and wasn’t going to let that happen. He was determined to be different. To fall in love and marry someone, well, boring. He did fall in love with someone else. Zack’s wife. She may have just been his wife for political reasons, but she was still his best friend’s wife. When she was murdered two days before the election, Roman was devastated. Still, no one was more devastated than Zack.

Having Gus be so close to him, but not be with him is hell for Roman. Their situation changes when they’re in England. He knows Gus and he can tell she’s up to something. She knows a few bits and pieces of what is going on with Zack, but she doesn’t know the whole picture. And he’s not going to let her find out. He doesn’t want her in danger. He’ll do whatever he has to do to protect her. Even from herself.

Roman is the same man he’s always been. He’s someone that underestimates her. She doesn’t need him to accomplish her goals. Except then she does because he makes a public claim on her and unless she’s going to call him a liar in public, she has to go along with his plan. Though they’re now partners, they’re still not partners because Roman won’t tell her the entire truth. Which is no less than Gus expected. Even if she is disappointed she’s not surprised.

I didn’t like Roman at all. He just didn’t respect Gus. Not as a woman, not as a partner. Oh, he made all the right noises, but he didn’t. It was annoying as all hell. I didn’t like Gus either. She didn’t trust Roman at all. The fact that she had no reason to was beside the point. The only relationship I did like in this entire book was between Liz and Gus. Liz is Zack’s Press Secretary and the woman he’s secretly loved for years. Except now Zack has pushed her away because he knows the Russians are after him.

So this book was just meh. The best part happened at the end when Zack thinks he has a handle on who Liz is. Ha. Laughable, really.

At the Pleasure of the President (Zack’s book, obviously) was supposed to be out this fall. I emailed Lexi and a couple things came up. She said that she and Shayla hope to have it out next spring. Yay!

Rating: 3.75 out of 5.

The Perfect Gentlemen

three-half-stars


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Review: Big Easy Temptation by Shayla Black and Lexi Blake

Posted November 30, 2018 by Casee in Reviews | 2 Comments

Review: Big Easy Temptation by Shayla Black and Lexi BlakeReviewer: Casee
Big Easy Temptation (The Perfect Gentlemen, #3) by Shayla Black, Lexi Blake
Series: The Perfect Gentlemen #3
Also in this series: Scandal Never Sleeps (The Perfect Gentlemen, #1), Seduction in Session (The Perfect Gentlemen, #2), Smoke and Sin (The Perfect Gentlemen, #4), At the Pleasure of the President
Publisher: Berkley
Publication Date: May 3, 2016
Format: eBook
Source: Purchased
Point-of-View: Third
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Pages: 371
Add It: Goodreads
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four-stars
Series Rating: four-stars

The New York Times bestselling authors of the Masters of Ménage series present the third scintillating novel featuring the privileged, wealthy, wild men of Creighton Academy—the Perfect Gentlemen.

Years ago, Naval officer Dax Spencer and NCIS agent Holland Kirk indulged in a steamy affair—until she betrayed him in the wake of his father’s death. Dax tried to put her behind him with a payback of his own. But he never forgot Holland…

Now, as Dax and his fellow Perfect Gentlemen unravel a web of lies, he discovers his family’s tragedy is part of a much larger conspiracy. Soon, all clues point him back to New Orleans…where Holland waits, protecting her deadly secret and holding a torch for the only man she’s ever loved.

Once reunited, they can’t fight the passion flaring hot and wild. But something sinister lurks around every corner, from the elegance of the Garden district to the beauty of the bayou. Dax and Holland may find their way back to each other—if they survive...

While I wouldn’t say the series started going downhill exactly, it was this book that the series started backsliding for me. I loved the first book and fucking loved the second book. Don’t series books get better with each successive book (see Hidden Legacy)? Unfortunately that wasn’t the case here. This book wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t up there with the first two.

When this book begins, all we know is that Dax and this Holland person have had a nasty falling out. Which is putting it mildly. What I mean by that is that you know it’s putting it mildly even before you find out what happened. It’s just apparent that Dax hates this woman. It could have been this:

Until he’d seen that translation, he’d never intended to set eyes on her again. She’d betrayed him in the cruelest fashion possible by closing her investigation after giving it as much thought as someone opening an umbrella on a rainy day. In the blink of an eye, she’d made a judgment call that gave the press free license to vilify his father. Hell, she’d even had him believing his father was guilty at one point. She’d torn down his family to further her career. Oh, he’d paid her back. Now nothing lay between them but anger and regret.

Yeah, it was that.

Im not a fan of books that go from past to present in general. When I’m in the middle of a series where there has been a lot of action and I want to know more about the present, like, now, I have even less patience for the jump back in time. I understand that Dax and Holland’s past had to be told. It was just such an adjustment in reading pace compared to the first two books. It was hard. Very hard. So hard that I started skimming the past until I got to the good part and understood exactly what happened.

Holland sacrificed everything to keep Dax safe. They were in love. Seriously in love. Like get married, have babies, etc. in love. After years and years of knowing each other, Holland finally took a chance on Dax. He was everything she hoped he would be and more. The problem that lay between them now is the suicide (or was it?) of his father. Holland isn’t certain it was suicide any longer and she is determined to help Dax find out the truth. That’s until the Russians come to her with a threat. Drop the investigation or Dax dies. If she doubted it, she stops when he comes home that night and tells her some crazy driver almost hit him. If that didn’t do it, the text would have.

To help Holland stop the investigation, the Russians put money into her account to make it look like she was on the take. Dax is too hurt to wonder why Holland–Holland–would do something like that to him. He has no idea how he could have been so wrong about her. He quickly beats feet and leaves New Orleans. He takes Holland’s best friend with him and elopes with her in Vegas, though. Whoops. Guys are dumb. For real.

Now we’re back to the present (If you’ve stayed with me this long, grab yourself a drink–you deserve it). Dax may be blind, but he’s not stupid. He’s finally realized what happened all those years ago and he’s seriously shaken. He abandoned the woman he loved. Still loves. He left her in danger. He married her best friend. He took everyone from her. She was good friends with his mother, friends with his sister. All gone. Dax knows he has a lot to make up for, but he’s determined to do it. He’s going to get her back. He’s going to make sure they have what they should have had years ago.

There’s still that thing with the Russians though. That and someone is taking shots at both Holland and Dax. Not to mention something is going on with Holland’s uncle, who is the captain of the New Orleans Police Dept. They have serious problems. But they still have each other. Right?

Winding down…I really enjoyed the last 35-40% of this book. The whole book was very well written, but the whole thing was about pace. It was really hard to switch gears. I don’t think I really did, even by the end. Even with that, I liked Dax and Holland a lot.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

The Perfect Gentlemen

four-stars


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Review: Seduction in Session by Shayla Black and Lexi Blake

Posted November 29, 2018 by Casee in Reviews | 0 Comments

Review: Seduction in Session by Shayla Black and Lexi BlakeReviewer: Casee
Seduction in Session (The Perfect Gentlemen, #2) by Shayla Black, Lexi Blake
Series: The Perfect Gentlemen #2
Also in this series: Scandal Never Sleeps (The Perfect Gentlemen, #1), Big Easy Temptation (The Perfect Gentlemen, #3), Smoke and Sin (The Perfect Gentlemen, #4), At the Pleasure of the President
Publisher: Berkley
Publication Date: January 5, 2016
Format: eBook
Source: Purchased
Point-of-View: Third
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Pages: 379
Add It: Goodreads
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four-half-stars
Series Rating: four-stars

The second Perfect Gentlemen novel from the New York Times bestselling authors of the Masters of Ménage series.

Privileged, wealthy, and wild: they are the Perfect Gentlemen of Creighton Academy. But the threat of a scandal has one of them employing his most deceptive—and seductive—talents…

Recruited into the CIA at a young age, Connor Sparks knows how dirty the world can be. Only when he’s with his friends can he find some peace. So when an anonymous journalist threatens one of the Perfect Gentlemen, Connor vows to take down the person behind the computer, by whatever means necessary—even if it means posing as his target’s bodyguard.

Publishing a tabloid revealing Washington’s most subversive scandals has earned Lara Anderson the ire of the political scene—and a slew of death threats. To keep herself from ending up a headline, Lara hires a bodyguard, a man as handsome as he is lethal.

When the bullets start to fly, Lara is surprised to find herself in Connor’s arms. But as they begin to unravel a mystery that just might bring down the White House, Lara is devastated when she discovers Connor’s true identity—and finds herself at the mercy of forces who will stop at nothing to advance their deadly agenda.

If Scandal Never Sleeps was wow, this book was wow squared. This book is my favorite of the series. I loved it. I love Connor, I love Lara, I just loved everything about this book. Well, except the lying. But really, what are you going to do?

After the death of one of their own, no one understand the danger more than Connor Sparks. Connor was never naïve, not even as a young scholarship kid at Creighton Academy. He may have been innocent, but even that was questionable. When he was approached by the CIA shortly after graduating, Connor didn’t have very many options. So he said yes. Now he has the skills needed to find out who killed Maddox Crawford. But it’s not his skills as an operative that are needed. It’s the charm he’s never had that is needed in this case. Since he knows that will never work, he decides to go all in with a seduction.

Lara Anderson runs Capitol Scandals. It’s an online website which seems to publish tawdry political news. What the site truly does is pull people in with the tawdry and get them in stay with the true political scandals and news. Connor is sure that she’s involved with the Russians that killed Mad. He’s gone in undercover on the web to get to know Lara as everything she wants in a man. Everything Connor isn’t. He doesn’t much care at first, then he gets to know her. As things start progressing further, he realizes that Lara needs real protection.

Lara doesn’t know why her new friend Niall thinks she needs a bodyguard. She’s willing to listen to him because she’s falling in love with him. He believes in everything she does. He’s basically her dream man. The she meets Connor and she really questions what Niall is thinking to send such a neanderthal to protect her. Connor is everything she doesn’t like in a man. He’s big, bossy, and he eats meat. He also doesn’t listen to her. Lara tells him in no uncertain terms that she is not in danger, but he won’t listen to her. Then someone tries to kill her.

Connor is walking a very fine line here. He has to be Connor in front of Lara, but he still has to keep up the Niall persona online. If he doesn’t, Lara won’t trust Connor. In real life. Another thing is that Connor is falling for her. The problem is that Lara is falling for Niall. So there’s that. What a conundrum.

I loved watching these two fall in love. Connor was always on the outside, even with the Perfect Gentlemen. He finally found somewhere that he belonged, with someone he felt he belonged with. The problem is that he lied to get there and he doesn’t know how to get out of it. He stupidly thinks that Lara never has to know. When you’re friends with the President of the United States, you can’t really hide what you’re doing. Especially when the woman you love thinks he’s a murderer.

I loved Lara too. She was such a staunch defender of her beliefs, whether they be political or environmental. Her and Connor were such opposites, but they were absolutely perfect for each other. Just perfect. I adored them.

Oh, we also find out more about what happened with Mad’s death, why the Russians are involved and if Zack has anything to do with it.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

The Perfect Gentlemen

four-half-stars


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Review: Scandal Never Sleeps by Shayla Black and Lexi Blake

Posted November 28, 2018 by Casee in Reviews | 7 Comments

Review: Scandal Never Sleeps by Shayla Black and Lexi BlakeReviewer: Casee
Scandal Never Sleeps (The Perfect Gentlemen, #1) by Shayla Black, Lexi Blake
Series: The Perfect Gentlemen #1
Also in this series: Seduction in Session (The Perfect Gentlemen, #2), Big Easy Temptation (The Perfect Gentlemen, #3), Smoke and Sin (The Perfect Gentlemen, #4), At the Pleasure of the President
Publisher: Berkley
Publication Date: August 18, 2015
Format: eBook
Source: Purchased
Point-of-View: Third
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Pages: 386
Add It: Goodreads
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four-stars
Series Rating: four-stars

They are the Perfect Gentlemen of Creighton Academy: privileged, wealthy, powerful friends with a wild side. But a deadly scandal is about to tear down their seemingly ideal lives . . .

Maddox Crawford’s sudden death sends Gabriel Bond reeling. Not only is he burying his best friend, he’s cleaning up Mad’s messes, including his troubled company. Grieving and restless, Gabe escapes his worries in the arms of a beautiful stranger. But his mind-blowing one-night stand is about to come back to haunt him . . .

Mad groomed Everly Parker to be a rising star in the executive world. Now that he’s gone, she’s sure her job will be the next thing she mourns, especially after she ends up accidentally sleeping with her new boss. If only their night together hadn’t been so incendiary—or Gabe like a fantasy come true . . .

As Gabe and Everly struggle to control the heated tension between them, they discover evidence that Mad’s death was no accident. Now they must bank their smoldering passions to hunt down a murderer—because Mad had secrets that someone was willing to kill for, and Gabe or Everly could be the next target . . .

Wow. Just wow. I have been wanting to read this series for quite some time. I just never got to it. So many books, so little time, etc. I decided to start it and I am so, so glad I did. This series is ah-mazing. Just so good.

The book starts at Creighton Academy around five young boys. That’s when you start to get an idea of who The Perfect Gentlemen are. You begin to understand the bond that these six boys have formed while away from their families in boarding school. It’s no small thing to be away from families and these boys became a family of their own.

Fast forward twenty or so years and they are burying on of their own. Although the six of them are close as brothers, Gabriel Bond and Maddox Crawford were best friends. Now Gabe is burying Maddox. Gabe loved Maddox as you would love a brother, but he also hated him at the time he died. Not only did Mad leave his sister pregnant, but he broke her heart as well. Gabe is determined to find the woman who Mad threw his sister over for and he’s not giving up until he does.

Everly Parker had an unusual relationship with Maddox Crawford. As in they didn’t have any sort of sexual one. Everly was more than fine with that as she respected Mad as a businessman and mentor. When he died, she was devastated and knew that she might not have long at Crawford Industries. When she has the opportunity to go home with a stranger on the night of Mad’s funeral, Everly does something she’s never done before. She has a one night stand.

Except it turns into more than one night. It turns into a weekend. And holy hell, is it hot. Smokin’ hot. Gabe and Everly burn the pages. Everly doesn’t know it, but by the time their weekend is coming to a close, Gabe is already thinking about a way to keep Everly in his life. Little does he know that Everly is the woman he thinks he’s looking for.

Gabe is blown away when he finds out that Mad left Crawford Industries to him. He’s even more surprised when he finds out who “Eve” is. That she’s the woman that Mad left his sister for is something that he’s surprised to realize is irrelevant. He still wants her. Gabe is a total ass. Seriously. He just won’t give that up. It was so stupid.

The remaining five Perfect Gentlemen start to realize that Mad’s death was not just an accident, but murder. Not just that, but somehow the Russian mob is involved. Oh and one of the Perfect Gentlemen? Yeah, he’s the President of the United States. The whole Russian thing is about him somehow, but they haven’t quite figured it out yet. I haven’t either. This book was so good. You should read it.

Rating: 4.25 out of 5.

The Perfect Gentlemen

four-stars


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