About the book:Emily Benton wants to be the first woman president of the United States of America. She has the pedigree, the talent, and the will to succeed as a candidate. And she'll stop at nothing absolutely nothing to achieve her goal.
It's Kate Rosen's job to make Emily's dream a reality. Besides being Emily's best friend, her chief of staff, and her campaign manager, Kate's most important role is as Emily's conscience. Both women entered politics to change the world, but Kate never anticipated how politics would change them. Now she's faced with the ultimate clash between her beliefs and Emily's drive to become president.
Lives are at stake, and Kate Rosen is a woman torn between her duty to God, her duty to country, and her duty to friendship. The fate of the nation, and perhaps the world, rests on what she does next. . . .
Emily Benton wants to be the first female President of the United States. Kate Rosen is her best friend, her chief of staff, her campaign manager and her moral compass. This first installment of the American Series by Laura Hayden covers the campaign through election night.
Emily is high-powered and will stop at nothing to achieve what she wants. Kate finds that politics often clashes with her Christian beliefs.
I found this to be an interesting story, especially as it came out during this last election. While the book doesn't come right out and say who is the Democrat and who is the Republican, it is clear that Emily is a classic liberal who not only believes she can change the world, but believes that she is what America needs. She is young, attractive and fresh, and comes from a famous Kennedy-esque political family with the requisite closet skeletons. Her opponent is a thinly veiled composite of Bush and McCain, portrayed as old and out of touch. I never really came to like or care about her. I did like that she was portrayed as a woman who gained the presidential nomination on her own. She wasn't a VP candidate, she wasn't a sidekick. She was the candidate on her own terms and her own issues. That was refreshing.
Kate, on the other hand, I liked. She's no-nonsense and while she truly believes that Emily is what is right for America, she has a hard time compromising her values to find the dirt on Emily's opponents and blackmail them before they can blackmail Emily.
The behind-the-scenes look at a presidential election was fascinating. Not knowing a great deal about the inside workings of political campaigns, I nevertheless found this to be insightful and educational.
There is very little preaching. Kate prays a lot and prays with those close to her: her mentor Wes, especially. The story shows how easily a person's faith is tested, especially in the murky world of politics where it is much too easy to lose sight of one's values.
Overall, an interesting, easy read.
Thanks to my library for having a copy I could borrow. You can purchase your own copy here
.Read 2/09
* * *
3/5 Stars
Hi Holly. I just finished and reviewed the second book in the series. Have you seen it? I agree with you about Emily and Kate. Kate is likeable, Emily isn't. I also agree with you about her political persuasion.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds pretty good and I don't usually like politics driven books. I'll have to add it to "The List".
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