Washington dish du jour

REVIEWS BY SANDY HUSEBY

Anyone who believes Washington is awash in power sex will find ample support for their theory in Jessica Cutler's juicy roman à clef, The Washingtonienne. When a lowly Hill staffer starts sharing her exploits with her friends via her blog, the whole world soon knows every intimate detail of her life. Jackie may be just a staff assistant, but she plays Washington's "you use me, I use you" game to the hilt. Breezing through men for sex, lines of cocaine and cold, hard cash, she's a waif with attitude. Author Cutler, a former Senate mail girl who grew infamous thanks to her own blog, cuts through the spin of inflated Washington egos with an edge as sharp as the heels of Jackie's Manolos. She delivers the dish and an insider's view of Washington's two favorite sports, and we don't mean baseball and the Redskins. Cutler also drops pseudonyms like crazy, leaving readers guessing who the "characters" (such as "Bloggette") really are. Savvy and sexy, this sizzler strips away the pompous, stodgy veneer of our capital city to prove that all Washington is political, from the boardroom to the bedroom. We just know this racy tale is going to be clucked over and tucked into every messenger bag and briefcase in the District.


Best-laid plans

As long as you have a plan, you can keep going against great obstacles, or so believes Concordia Glade. She devises just such a plan to lead her students from Aldwick Castle. To the four young women, she is teacher, surrogate mother and their only hope for escape from the sinister scheme of Alexander Larkin. But Concordia's plan didn't account for a mysterious rescuer who poses dangers of his own in Amanda Quick's spunky, suspenseful Victorian romance, Lie by Moonlight. Amid the fiery confusion of their escape, Concordia and her young charges meet Ambrose Wells, who hides them in a London townhouse. The four girls become chaperones for the soon-to-be couple, and they are as charming a quartet of enthusiastic young yentas as any teacher could hope for. Quick delivers a sparkling lesson on knowing when it's time to toss the plans aside and go for the promise of love and adventure.


Runaway groom

On the verge of marrying, Holt McKettrick abandons his bride-to-be and Lizzie, the daughter he barely knows, to return to Texas and the unfinished business of past relationships in Linda Lael Miller's new installment of the McKettrick family saga, McKettrick's Choice. On his way, Holt encounters Lorelei Fellowes, who is burning her wedding dress in San Antonio's town square. Lorelei has ample reason to distrust men: her own father, Judge Fellowes, was only too willing to marry her off for his advantage. Fellowes had also sentenced Holt's friend Gabe to hang, and seems linked to a plot to take away a ranch from the man who raised Holt. Miller paints a Western landscape as vivid and earthy as Remington and Russell as Holt and Lorelei team up to save their ranch lifestyles. What begins as temporary expediency becomes the foundation for a new family forged in the Texas frontier.


Fair will to arms

Awakening within the walls of an old Cuban prison, Hannah Geary fights for her life and escapes into the arms of Luther Lindstrom, a Navy SEAL leading her rescue team. From the moment she collapses into his embrace, Luther is frustrated—and captivated. Much as he'd like to avoid her complexities, Luther needs Hannah to help clear his friend, Jaguar, in Marliss Melton's In the Dark. The NFL football player-turned-commando likes to keep things simple, but now he's committed to keeping Hannah safe while authorities hunt down a global arms dealer known as the Individual. When the mystery man proves too familiar for comfort, Luther sets out to rescue Hannah again in this hard-charging romantic thriller as warm and heady as a Caribbean sun-soaked bay.


Sandy Huseby wonders why Washington seemed so different way back when she was a Senate intern.

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