As a multi-term state representative tries to push for a gubernatorial bid, a growing connection builds between he and his opposition research specialist.

As someone who has always been fascinated by the political machine, having that combined with my fondness for LGBTQ+ romance was a perfect match in a lot of ways. I’m all too used to romances treating their leads’ careers and industries as nothing but window-dressing though and was trying not to get my hopes up too much. I shouldn’t have worried ultimately because Winning His Vote very much serves up a novel where politics is integral to the plot. And the main characters are extremely competent at what they do.

The description and humor are some of the highest selling points of the story. Shifting first person point of view between David and Joe (most of the novel is in Joe’s), both characters still have distinct voices for the most part. Humor and interests being the bulk of how that was done. While I enjoyed both, Joe was by far my favorite for phrases like: “his butt gave me a vertical smile.” The dialogue was also very strong throughout the novel.

However, despite the above praise, the novel isn’t without it’s issues. There were a few inconsistencies within the characters that made some of their actions feel less believable or the gains feel less earned in some ways. At certain parts, I also feel like the reader would have gotten a stronger attachment to the characters if the other point of view had been used instead to approach the scene.

The novel also fell prey to what I call secondary character syndrome. A character not to be heard from or seen again was fleshed out too much to just be a plot point and only offhandedly mentioned again when it’s convenient to create artificial tension. I also think that two chapters were mixed up somehow (19 and 20) which led to quite a bit of confusion surrounding what is one of the most important developments of the two characters.

I did highly enjoy reading my copy of Winning His Vote and recommend it to anyone who likes their m/m romances with a little bit of extra drama in the form of politics. And despite not rating this one full stars, the author is clearly a talented writer whose work I’d like to see more of.

Winning His Vote is available to buy on Amazon.

Verdict:

READABLE