The Art Of Desire by Stacey Abrams (Review by Stacey Lorenson)

Rating:  3.6/5

Abrams has a talent for combining several distinct genres into deftly cohesive, thrilling storytelling. The Art of Desire is packed with titillating characters that navigate harrowing circumstances keeping readers entertained and informed. Readers are sure to enjoy the steamy romance scenes and the international intrigue. The Art of Desire has a little bit of everything that will appeal to a wide variety of readers! 

This is Stacey Abrams first of eight romantic suspense novels published under the pseudonym, Selena Montgomery. September 2023 marks the rerelease of this novel previously published in 2001, reintroducing readers to her earlier works.

Phillip Turman, congressman from Maryland, is masquerading as a spy for the International Security Agency. Phillip is recovering from three years in a terrorist organization as a covert operative, nearly costing him his life. As Phillip attempts to piece his life back together, he has taken himself off the market, excluding serious relationships. Phillip has agreed to escort his superior’s godchild, Alex Walton, to a wedding they both have been invited to. He quickly becomes smitten with this beautiful, alluring, and outspoken woman. 

After a series of failed relationships, Alex has pledged a moratorium on men in order to recalibrate her life towards more productive outcomes. That is, until she meets the tall, exasperatingly sexy, Phillip Turman. Attraction between the two is instantaneous, but wedding party obligations, attempts on both their lives, interference from past relationships, and an international incident complicate the burgeoning romance between them.