Party of Two

Party of Two by Jasmine Guillory, 337 pages

Career-driven Olivia Monroe has just moved to L.A. when she meets a cute kinda familiar-looking guy at the hotel bar. They strike up a conversation about cake and pie (because that's the good dessert, not the fancy schmancy pastries that all the hotel restaurants put on their menus), and it's only later that Olivia realizes she's been chatting with the most eligible bachelor in the U.S. Senate, Max Powell. While he's immediately smitten with her drive and confidence, she's understandably hesitant to get involved with a senator.

A romance novel about a Black lawyer and a privileged white U.S. senator (from Beverly Hills, for crying out loud!) shouldn't be able to be adorable AND steamy AND a balanced criticism of racial disparity and the criminal justice system. But somehow, it is. It's fantastic, and Guillory proves once again that she has the Midas touch. Read this book, and everything else Guillory writes, because it's awesome.