Power of Persuasion by Stacey Abrams

Posted January 21, 2025 in review Tags: 4 stars

Power of Persuasion by Stacey Abrams, Selena Montgomery

Genres: Romantic Suspense
Setting: Jafir
Source: ARC, NetGalley

Goodreads

Sometimes the power of love . . .

A.J. Grayson has come a long way from adopted orphan to fast-rising executive at a cutting-edge technology firm. Now an anti-terrorist agency wants to use the revolutionary artificial intelligence system she developed to thwart a plot against Jafir's monarchy—and handsome, dynamic Damon Toca, the region's newly crowned king.

. . . can be the most seductive weapon of all.

In six short months, Damon has gone from gallery owner to controversial politician. When his cabinet hires A.J. Grayson—without his consent—he gets ready for a battle. Expecting a computer geek, and skeptical of A.J.'s highly touted secret invention, he is stunned to find a strong-minded beauty who arouses much more than his suspicions. But someone in his inner circle is in league with a treacherous adversary who threatens his throne, his nation's tenuous peace . . . and his future with a woman he'll risk everything to have and to hold.

Power of Persuasion is a taut suspense story that will keep you on your toes for sure. I think this is more suspense with a romance subplot. The romance didn’t feel really fleshed out to me, and it felt more like a romance of circumstance-with some insta-lust. However, the plot was great! Apparently this is a release of an older book that was in a series, but I didn’t know that when I was reading-it doesn’t feel like you are dropped into a series at all.

AJ is a brilliant woman who has created software that is very coveted. She is called to another country to aid in rooting out a terrorist plot. The king? Damon, the guy who ghosted her at a wedding. Clearly, with trying to stop a terror plot, there is a LOT of action going on. I’m not gonna lie-I had to look up some words. That’s rare for me, but there are some specific vocabulary words that I was unfamiliar with. AJ and Damon have a slow burn, and sometimes they were irritating in the way they would push each other away. However, as I said, this is really more suspense read with a romance subplot, so there is plenty to distract from their, at times, annoying romance.

Stacey Abrams is a brilliant author, but her writing style can be a little cumbersome at times. Stopping to look up vocabulary words excites me because I love learning new vocabulary, but it can tear you out of the story. Fans of romantic suspense will love Power of Persuasion!