Author: K.A. Linde
Genre: Romance
Published on: March 11, 2014 by Montlake Romance
Liz Dougherty has no idea a single question is about to change her life.
Her first big reporting assignment for her North Carolina college newspaper has her covering a state senator’s impromptu press conference. Brady Maxwell may have everything it takes to be a politician—a winning pedigree, devastating good looks, a body made to wear suits—but his politics rub Liz the wrong way. When Liz’s hard-hitting question catches the upstart senator off-guard, it impresses Hayden Lane, Liz’s editor who feels she’s headed for a promising career as a reporter.
But Liz is also headed into a secret romance with Brady that could destroy both their ambitions. Though he’s a bachelor, potential voters might frown on Brady cozying up to a reporter. And Liz isn’t sure sneaking around is enough for her—especially when things between her and Hayden might be less platonic than she thought.
Sleek, sexy, and smart, Off the Record ventures into a high-stakes campaign and an even higher-stakes affair to answer the question: When politics and love collide, can there ever be a winner?
Stories about star-crossed lovers are quite common, but K.A. Linde’s Off the Record proved hard to put down. Can a well-known politician and a rookie reporter hope for a serious romance? That question was what drew me to this book. Off the Record is written in the third-person POV of main character Liz Dougherty.
The book starts with Liz’s first big press conference. She’s there with Hayden Lane, the editor of the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill newspaper. When Brady Maxwell III (a popular NC Senator) comes into the stage, Liz is breathless. After Brady announces that he’s running for the House of Representatives, he starts a round of questions. To Liz’s surprise, Brady picks her for the last question because he also attended UNC. What Brady doesn’t expect is for a rookie reporter to ask a tough question.
After the conference, Liz is nervous about having stumped a politician. Hayden takes Liz to a bar after Calleigh Hollingsworth, his predecessor at the UNC paper, invites them. There, an anonymous person sends Liz a free drink. When she goes to investigate who the person is, Liz feels shocked to see that it is Brady Maxwell. He confesses that she made him feel hyperventilated, in a way no one else has done it. Liz is relieved that Brady doesn’t resent her tough question. To her surprise, Brady makes his attraction toward Liz obvious. He tells her that he wants to see her again and gives him his card. Liz accepts it, despite knowing that she can never use it.
Liz and Brady meet again during a gala. Liz is there to make connections as a reporter, so she has no plans to leave early. All those plans go down the drain when Brady asks her to go with him. Against her better judgment, Liz accepts. After a night together, the two continue to meet at various events. Since a public relationship would risk both of their careers, Brady proposes to keep it secret. Liz isn’t too happy about that but agrees to the need for it. They keep their relationship physical at first. As she gets to know Brady better, Liz finds that her views of him change considerably. She used to have a negative opinion about Brady, but now he’s won her over.
Liz is not all about Brady for the whole book, though. She’s just as serious (likely even more so) about her studies. Liz aspires to become a renowned newspaper reporter. She makes high grades in her classes and keeps challenging herself. Liz also has a best friend/roommate, Victoria Glass. The two are very close. Victoria is the kind of woman who has both great beauty and intelligence. She wants to become a scientist. Victoria is also very sexually open-minded and adventurous. She enjoys regaling Liz with stories of her affairs. The latter doesn't judge her for it, which I liked.
Brady also falls for Liz slowly, and their relationship starts turning more serious. Things are especially complicated for Liz, who’s felt attracted to Hayden for years. She soon wishes Brady were able to give her what Hayden can: an open relationship with no secrets and no hiding. Brady made it clear from the start that he won’t let anything stand between him and the campaign. Does this mean any potential romance between Liz and Brady is doomed from the start?
K.A. Linde’s knowledge of politics and campaigning helped give substance to this book. She mentions this in the acknowledgements. Without that, Off the Record probably wouldn’t have been as interesting. The secondary characters were also compelling, especially Victoria. Clay Maxwell, Brady’s younger brother, was an enigma. The book was well-written, although there were a few mistakes of the kind that are very easy to miss. I’m definitely going to read the sequel. Note that Off the Record ends with a cliffhanger. All three books in the series are available now, so you don’t have to wait.
My rating: ★★★★ 1/2
4.5 stars - A fantastic page-turner!
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