Press

A White House Gay Romance (White House Men Series, Book 1)

By: Nora Phoenix

Narrated by: John Solo

Length: 10 hrs and 46 mins

Publisher's summary

Henley is off-limits for Levar. So why can’t he stay away?

Five years ago, Levar survived a terrorist attack. The bombing left its scars, but he’s picked up his life. He loves working for the vice president - who is openly bisexual - as his press secretary.

Levar can’t afford a pesky attraction that proves to be frustratingly stubborn. Worse, those highly combustible sparks are with the very last person he should be falling for: Henley Platt, a well-known reporter covering the White House.

Henley may not be Levar’s enemy, but he’s definitely not his friend. He can’t be, not when their jobs put them on opposite sides. Henley is absolutely off-limits, even when he shows his appreciation for the sexy lingerie Levar loves to wear.

When the terrorists strike again with a devastating blow to the White House, Levar and Henley lean on each other for support. The sparks become a raging fire that won’t be doused, but what happens if they’re found out?

Press is the first book in the White House Men series, a romantic suspense gay romance series set in the White House. Think The West Wing but gay, and with less politics. Each book has a new love story with a happily ever after, but the suspense plot ends on a cliff-hanger and will be continued in the rest of the series, so the series needs to be listened to in order. Press has 100,000 words. Strong TW for detailed description of terrorist attack.

©2020 Nora Phoenix (P)2021 Nora Phoenix

Intense and intimate

There were moments I read in the book that were so intense when brought to life by the narration that I cried because it felt so real. Of course the narrator was fantastic. You can definitely tell this is part of a larger series because this bigger plot kinda starts and gets you suspicious and then never really resolves so now of course I can't wait until book 2 to see what happens next. Nora definitely set up this character Rhett to get his own story at some point and I'm digging it so I'm looking forward to that too. The book is definitely a slow burn though, there are some smexy moments spread out in the book but mostly they're at the very end with the HEA. Thank goodness for that too because I was worried several times that they might not get one. I think the voices fit the characters perfectly. I enjoyed the characters greatly and you really see Henley experience a good deal of growth as a character. And of course there's an element of smexy kinky underwear that was sneakily thrown in to spice everything up. what I actually love about that is that it was done so casually. like yeah this is just another trait of this character and it's perfectly normal and should not be a bigger thing outside of feeling pretty and looking smexy opposed to a giant plot that the book is centered around. Of course, there is a political element to this story and honestly I was really concerned about that. I wanted to avoid a house of cards or White House down with all this action or drama and mistrust. but truthfully, it was great. there's politics mentioned but its in short bursts and used to progress the story. It's never boring and avoids needless drama. always focusing on the characters and their relationship with each other relative to their careers. I suggest giving it a chance.

The Gay West Wing

I. am. in. love.

I loved this. The story was engaging, and I'm really excited to see where it goes. I love politics. the MC's and secondary characters had their own personalities. John Solo voiced them well. the kink expressed in this book was real real hot. 10/10 am into.

SLOG

WILDLY boring and devoid of heat. Already bought the second book, so hopefully it improves.

A Brilliant Story & New Series! Awesome Listen🎧

This book wowed me like no other, the story grabbed my attention immediately and captivated it the entire book. Nora Phoenix has become one of my favorite authors, I fell in love with her “Irresistible Omegas”, it is great to see another side of her brilliant mind in this MM romantic suspense. With the exception of the prologue the story is set in Washington D.C, the prologue is set in NYC five years earlier, there was a terrorist attack at the Gay Parade and several characters from this book was there in one capacity or another, including the two lead characters, Levar Cousins and Henley Platt, they did not know each other at the time. That terrorist attack went down in history and is known as the New York Pride Bombing. Vice President Shafer was there as well, he had been a Massachusetts Senator at the time. Levar is currently working for the VP Shafer in a press capacity and Henley works as a White House correspondent. Several other characters in this book were present as well, I am looking forward to learning more about them as the story goes on. That attack is still an ongoing investigation and mystery, this plot will deepen and run through out the series. The group who took credit for that attack, Al Saalihin, were quiet for the past five years, an attack in the White House is claimed as theirs. There is some great plotting going on there, I am loving the web that Nora Phoenix is spinning, it is going to be interesting to see where she she goes with it, too soon to guess but I am looking forward to finding out. On to the romance aspect of this book, Levar and Henley have a lot in common and the chemistry between them is smoking hot, but there could never be anything between them because of their jobs, they are one big conflict of interest. Levar has a great rapport with the V.P Shafer and the opportunity to have a career some only dream of. Henley always dreamed of being a White House correspondent, he also loves the the investigative portion of his job but he is having second thoughts of his choices. I thought these two were perfect for each other, they were great together intellectually and romantically. Nora Phoenix masterfully pens a complex and detailed story, it is cleverly plotted and there is never a dull moment. She finds the perfect balance of romance, drama, personal and political, some mystery, thrilling suspense and lots of heartfelt and emotional moments. She did a great job keeping it all real, including covering and dealing with PTSD and some other mental health issues. Thank you for another awesome novel I am looking forward to what comes next in this awesome series.

🎧📚🎧 Nora Phoenix cast the perfect narrator to bring her characters and story to life. John Solo is a talented narrator and a versatile voice artist. He gives each character their own distinct voice, making it easy to follow along and tell who is who. As always he does an awesome job portraying the characters, taking each role and making it his own, sounding believable and just as I picture the character to sound. He sets the perfect tone for the story captures all of the characters emotions and projects them into his performance. He is an entertaining storyteller and a pleasure to listen to. Thank you for another awesome listen, love the top notch quality of your audio as well as your performance.

omg, what a fantastic story!

I loved this story, and can't wait for the next in the series. this one has me on the edge of my seat multiple times! the action was very exciting and intense, while the relationship was sweet.

Enjoyed all of this book

Interesting storyline involving politics, the White House, believable current events woven into actual events like 9-11, PTSD, terrorist plots, and hot romance. Fully engaged. Immediately put the other 6 books in my Wish List, feeling delighted to have more of White House Men to indulge in.
John Solo narrates well, 5 stars.

Lots of Action

This is one of Nora Phoenix's books that have a lot of action and things happening around the main characters that not only involve their developing relationship but impact the storyline on their own. There are a lot of intense moments in this story and it was very satisfying to see them uphold their integrity and yet find a way. I listened to the audio version and enjoyed it very much.

enjoyed it - solid 4 stars

Would I listen to it again: yes ✔
Did the story keep me engaged: yes ✔
Was I invested in the characters: yes ✔

📖 Story comment: Good pace and well written characters, some good world building and an interesting story. I liked that both main characters are strong and independent.
It was a good start and has me interested enough to follow the rest of the series.

🎧 Narrator comment: I enjoyed John Solo's narration and think he's done a good job narrating Press. Each character had their own voice and it was easy to tell them apart, he has good timing, inflections and intonations and it all worked to bring the story to life.

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📌 Where does it fall on my personal scale? 7
• 1 not my thing • 2 didn't like the narration • 3 didn't keep my attention • 4 was good, but once was enough • 5 enjoyed it • 6 will listen again if i'm in the mood for the narrator [4⭐] • 7 goes on the "re-listen" list [4⭐] • 8 kept me up past bed-time [4.5⭐] • 9 recommended to family/friends [4.75⭐] • 10 own it in all formats [5⭐] • 11 keep a copy with me at all times [5⭐]
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Incredible

I read this book months ago. I’d forgotten some of the details and hearing John Solo give all these men life was phenomenal. He brought depth to Nora’s characters and had you wanting to know what was going to happen next.

Get this series NOW!

I absolutely lii oh be this series! Everything about this book is amazing! Just when I thought it was going to get predictable it went another way!! I wish I could find more books like this!! If you’ve read Tal Bauer you’ll love this series!

It was ok

This book was ok, but lots of it dragged and I got a bit bored. I was hoping it would be like Tal Bauer’s Executive Office series (starts with Enemies of the State) which I loved, but this is a poor imitation. I might just re-listen to that series instead.

So good

I loved this. The story, the characters, the emotions - they all come together so well.

First book of seven!

The book is set in the white house but the story is about two people meeting through work, with a huge conflict of interests, which means that they can/should not be personally involved. Probably not even friends.
I found the topic interesting and think that it probably is a fairly common problem.
I like the start of the series and John made a great job with it. His ability to portray emotions is amazing!