Author: K.A. Linde
Genre: Romance
Published on: August 26, 2014 by Montlake Romance
For political reporter Liz Dougherty, election day—a day of looking toward the future and saying goodbye to the past—seems like a fitting time to start a new relationship. But feelings for her former flame still linger...
The sexy second book in bestselling author K.A. Linde’s Record series decides whether it’s better to pick up the pieces and move on...or to pick up right where you left off.
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Liz Dougherty’s intriguing story continues in On the Record. If you’ve read the previous book, you’ll recall that it ended in a cliffhanger. This sequel picks up a few months after. Brady Maxwell has won the November election to the House of Representatives. Liz is happy that he’s achieved his biggest wish. For her part, Liz has been working hard, both on her classes and on the college newspaper she works at. No one has managed to find out that Liz had a brief but intense relationship with Brady. She hopes to keep it that way.
Now that Liz is single, the doors are open for another guy to scoop her up. She develops a closer relationship with Hayden Lane, her boss. The two have been longtime friends. Liz has, in fact, had a crush on Hayden for years, from before she met Brady. As the attraction is rekindled, Liz decides to give Hayden a chance. He regrets not asking Liz on a date when he had the opportunity. Now Hayden is trying to rectify that. Liz has always thought of him as a pleasant, charismatic, and driven guy. They start dating. Unfortunately, the memory of Brady keeps Liz from becoming intimate with Hayden. She can’t stand to do more than kiss him. Hayden takes it in stride, but it's eating him up inside.
Even though it appears like it, Brady still isn’t out of the picture. Savannah Maxwell, Brady’s little sister, begins working at Liz’s college newspaper. There is a little awkwardness at first, but the two are set to become great friends. Liz feels a pang of jealousy when she finds out that Brady has a new girlfriend. She tries not to let it affect her. It definitely seems as if Liz will end up with Hayden. At his sister's wedding, Hayden shows Liz how much he loves her. Despite that, Liz is unable to completely let go of Brady’s memory. She is also haunted by the belief that she’s lying to Hayden by hiding the truth about Brady. Liz’s best friend, Victoria, agrees that she’ll have to tell Hayden the truth sooner or later.
Most of the principal characters introduced in the first book return in On the Record. We get to learn more about Hayden, Victoria, Justin, Clay Maxwell, and Professor Mires. They each get a decent amount of “screen time”. There are also significant newcomers, including Savannah, Massey, and Jamie Lane. Savannah’s role is prominent enough that she even gets her own romance subplot. I think the author did justice to all her characters. They were all well-developed, but we didn’t find out much about Brady’s temporary girlfriend. She was just a fill-in, so expanding her role wouldn’t have been wise. Victoria’s story arc is also comparably small, because there isn’t much trouble in her love life. She is quite the character, though.
I was really satisfied with this second installment in the Record trilogy. K.A. Linde’s knowledge of politics and journalism once again shows through. She also has a great familiarity with the setting, and skillfully handles a large cast of characters. There are enough of them that the book may have collapsed under their weight in the hands of a less talented author. This book won't disappoint you.
My rating: ★★★★ 1/2
4.5 stars - A fantastic page-turner!
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