First off, can this woman write a bad book?This quote is from the TV series, "The Newsroom" - it's not meant to insult anyone, especially Americans but I thought it was appropriate especially regarding the subject matter of the book. No stars could be seen, of course, because of the city lights. But there was a pretty moon.This one probably dropped a star as I really wanted some more one on one time for Barrie and Gray... where was it? Barrie Travis is stuck at a low-budget independent television station struggling to survive among the giant networks. Then, suddenly, she receives an invitation from First Lady Vanessa Merritt for an off-the-record conversation. Barrie's reporter's instincts are instantly aroused. During a furtive, emotionally charged meeting, Barrie sees that the President's beautiful wife is stunned by grief after the crib death of her infant son.> Vanessa's motive for meeting Barrie seems to be to share her heartache with another woman. What Barrie overlooks in her excitement at hearing the confidences of the First Lady are the questions she should be asking: Why would Vanessa Merritt call her? And why would the President's wife hint to an unknown reporter that her child may have been murdered? Blind to everything but getting her exclusive, Barrie is determined to investigate the death of the President's child. But she soon realizes that getting her story will test her ethics and her patriotism. Would she expose information that could topple the presidency? This one left me seconding guessing to the end again - OK, I had an inkling of who might be the bad guy.... but still, SB can spin a tale and keep you captivated right until the final line. She confronts this problem when she tracks down Gray Bondurant, a former presidential aide and war hero who shunned the politics of Washington in favor of life on a remote Wyoming ranch. And when they both begin to follow a trail of lies and intrigue right to the White House door, Barrie's exclusive puts at least three people on the firing line: the First Lady, Gray, and herself - as crimes and ambitions combine to endanger their lives and the future of the nation. Not sure what the breed of dog in the book was but let's put Binky in there!As with most SB books, go in blind. You are better off in case you see any spoilers. And he stayed there.And stayed.Fucking her in his mind.Sweet heaven and holy hell.It was the most sustained, most intense, most intimate, most satisfying, most frustrating encounter he had even experienced.
2 ½ stars. At best OK, but forgettable. Nothing new or different.Barrie is an investigative reporter looking into bad things done by the President. Gray used to be one of the President’s advisors. He is helping Barrie.Gray is smart and always right. Barrie argues with him on almost everything. The effect is similar to “they are hiding, he tells her to be quiet, and she says loudly why.” She also assumes incorrect things, frequently. I was annoyed with some of her actions.There is too much pondering and dragging out the story. The interesting parts would make a much shorter story. There is nothing new or special. It’s the kinds of things used in most suspense stories. There’s a twist at the end, but it raised a question about someone’s death instead of answering it. I did not like having this open ending.Romance exists, but it wasn’t well done. It was barely there.The narrator had a snippy smartalecky tone to her voice which was ok for Barrie. But it did not fit Gray.DATA:Narrative mode: 3rd person. Unabridged audiobook length: 13 hrs and 21 mins. Swearing language: strong including religious swear words, but rarely used. Sexual language: strong, but rarely used. Number of sex scenes: 6, most are brief. Setting: current day Washington D.C. area and a little Wyoming. Book copyright: 1996. Genre: romantic suspense thriller.
What do You think about Exclusive (1997)?
The Exclusive is suspense story of the corruption in the Presidential Office. When the First Lady Vanessa Merritt contacted Barrie Travis and hinted that her baby may not have died from SIDS, Barrie started to investigate. Her investigation soon hit a nerve from the White House. She was being followed and her life was in danger. When she went to find Gray Bondurant to find out if he was the father of Vanessa's baby, her life was put into jeopardy.Barrie Travis took risks that put herself into danger. She doesn't look for fact to back up her story. She based it on assumptions and theories which is the reason why she was working at a low-budget television station. Another reason was that she made a mess on a story that make her a laughing stock. She needed to prove herself as a serious reporter. Gray Bondurant acted more of bodyguard for Barrie than anything else. He doesn't revealed anything unless it has to be said. Because of his silent, Barrie misconstrued it as the truth. Gray is the strong, silent, heroic and noble type. The Exclusive shows both the protogonist and the antagonist point of view. Readers would be surprised that there is a third point of view which nobody would have noticed until the very end.
—Kai
Reading a Sandra Brown ... listening to a Sandra Brown-I really enjoyed both books at the same time! This one with its political setting was very good, a long one but you kept interested the entire time. I really wish that there had been a different conclusion about the main character's dog.Barrie Travis is a TV reporter, and when the First Lady calls her for an appointment she thinks it is her lucky day. But news from the First Lady is shocking, as she is grieving the loss of her 3-month old infant, and she lets on to Barrie that she thinks her husband murdered the child! Barrie follows clues out west and meets Gray Bondurant, a former aide to the President who was suspected of having an affair with his wife. They join forces and try to get to the bottom of it all -- with shocking results along the way.
—Dale Safford
Sandra Brown always writes the kind of book that you don't want to put down. Just as one chapter ends with loose ends, you can't help but turn the page to the next chapter. If you haven't read Sandra Brown and you like an realistic story lines that twist and turn, this is a great one. Exclusive is about a reporter who is trying to get an exclusive report when the First Lady contacts her and reveals hints about troubles in her life and troubles in the White House. Did the baby really die of SIDS or was the president somehow involved. I have to say I was quite surprised by the ending.
—Eva
