Toni's Review of Scandals by Sasha Campbell ***4 Stars***

Learning to trust can be the hardest lesson of all. . .

Newly divorced single mom Monica Houston needs to find a job. When her best friend suggests she answer an ad seeking exotic dancers, they both laugh. But with no work in sight, it's no joke. Soon, Monica is dancing at Scandalous, and the money is flowing. But to hold on to her children, and her heart, she'll have to keep it a secret from both her ex and her new man. Too bad someone in her life has other ideas.

The baddest dancer at Scandalous, Robin Wright a.k.a. Treasure lives for herself and trusts no one. The last thing she wants is to take in her estranged sister Deandra's little boy, Kyle. But with Deandra arrested for murder, she has no choice. There's just one condition: Kyle's hot "big brother" Trey has to babysit. With a man and a child in her life, Treasure's heart opens. Soon she's in love--and determined to prove Deandra's innocence--though it means the greatest risk of all.

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Welcome to the scandalous lives of two women. These ladies will do what needs to be done to take care of everything they hold dear. Be it their lives, family or the all mighty dollar. Grab a seat and enjoy the show, because Deja and Treasure are in the house and they are ready to rock your world.

All Monica ever wanted was to be happily married and to take care of her family. She had that until her husband wanted a new life and his wife and children were standing in his way. Now Monica is having trouble making ends meet and has no skills other than wife and mother to fall back on. After months of job searching she must do what needs to be done to take care of her girls. She is going to take a position at Scandalous Gentlemen’s Club. Now she needs to keep her deep dark secret separate from her normal life. Monica is the new dancer Deja.

Tall men, short men, fat men, skinny men, and men of avery color – all are good men as long as they bring their billfolds. The only thing Robin, a.k.a. Treasure, wants is their money. She will work all that she was blessed with, because the only one she can count on is herself. Now she must revisit a time in her life she would rather forget. See the problem is, now it’s not only Robin. She has been made guardian of her young nephew. As the mystery of why her sister is in jail unfolds, Robin begins to understand that she may have to use her body one more time to fix what is broken.

Ms. Campbell did a wonderful job intertwining these two totally different women. She kept their voices completely separated and the nuances of their lives perfectly written and balanced. These ladies may have begun on entirely different planes, but in the end they are almost as one. I can see their relationship being around for a very long time.

The mystery behind their two lives is brilliantly portrayed and nothing was given away. I was cheering for their victories and shocked at the ending. I really enjoyed the book once I got into the groove of it. I will say that it did take me a bit of time to gel with some of the characters. It wasn’t the characters per say, but their vernacular. I can see the reasoning behind the cultural language; it just took some time to get used to. It played well with the plot, the locale and even the rough and hard characters. It’s something that I’m not used to in mainstream fiction. Once I was absorbed into the world, it flowed off the pages and played vividly in my mind.

Scandals is a tantalizing look into the lives of strippers. You are able to experience both sides of the coin. The woman who needs to strip because it’s the only thing she can do and the other who does it because she enjoys the work and way of life. Ms. Campbell drew me in and had me vested in these two woman’s lives. She also threw in a deep plot full of mystery and murder.

Too many lives are involved and there are too many secrets. It’s only a matter of time before the secrets of their lives are revealed and nobody knows who will be left standing. Pick up Scandals if you want something a bit different, very tantalizing and sexy hot!

Thanks for reading - Toni