★Black, Regina. The Art of Scandal. Grand Central. Aug. 2023. 304p. ISBN 9781538722770. $28. CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE

DEBUT From the outside, Rachel seems to have it all, as the gorgeous wife of a successful and wealthy liberal white politician. But behind the perfect facade is a life of hardship and betrayal. When Rachel finds a racy text sent by her husband to another woman, she decides she’s done trying to make her marriage work. She’s also done fitting into the mold of trophy wife—one she was forced into when, as a young single Black mother, she married into the powerful Abbott family. Now estranged from her husband, but still acting the part of his wife in public for his reelection campaign, Rachel begins to reconnect to her true passion, creating art. She soon finds herself entangled with a much younger man, Nate Vasquez, an artist who is battling his own set of ill-fitting expectations. Although their searingly hot affair threatens scandal and endangers Rachel’s newfound independence, the couple can’t stay away from each other, nor can they deny their growing love. VERDICT In this deeply emotional and fast-moving romance, debut author Black writes a sultry story about family, forgiveness, art, and embracing love, even when it’s inconvenient.