Balance of Power
Senator Marcus Whelan is stuck without a date to a state dinner. To bail him out, his assistant hires Cassandra Hargrove to accompany him to the dinner. Senator Whelan is not at all pleased at the idea of having to hire a date and tries to convince his assistant - until he actually meets Cassie. Then the idea of having the beautiful security expert on his arm made even the tedious dinner much more inviting. During their dance after dinner, he finds Cassie more and more irresistible until she tells him that she doesn't sleep with her clients.

Power of the Press
Congresswoman Maggie Tsolis has almost gotten used to being hounded by the press after two terms in office. The press was definitely a persistent and necessary nuisance - except for Dylan Carter, a reporter for the Washington Post.

Maggie and Dylan had met six months earlier at a White House dinner. Their attraction and mutual interests had been so undeniable that they had talked the entire night away. After a while, they began a secret love affair. They survived so far on stolen moments and late night rendezvous when they could manage them. But a Congresswoman dating a reporter leads to a lot of issues so what happens if their romance becomes public knowledge?

Both of these stories were interesting views at the life behind the scenes of public figures. I really enjoyed Philippa's characterization of each of them. The interesting differences between the male and female political lives gave each story a life of their own and called out to the reader to think about the similarities and dissimilarities.

I loved the way the scenes were given life and color with Philippa's scene building. These are not terribly edgy or pushing the limits but I really enjoyed them, more than I had first thought I would in all honesty. While sweet, they were never saccharine or lost their touch on reality.

Overall rating:
Sensuality rating: Explicit

Reviewer: Maura Anderson
July 27, 2006