After the Cozy Read: The Illusion of Power (Passion and Politics #1) by J.L. Seegars

Whew. Okay. Deep breath.
Y’all… this book did not come to play. I was up until 3:30AM, blinking at the ceiling like, “what did I just read??” Because honestly, I’m still not okay. Let’s talk about it, bestie. First off, Aubrey is the biggest piece of crap I have ever read about. His audacity is completely off the charts. He put Selene through the absolute most. This was a selfish man. The fact that Selene was still standing and able to form complete sentences is a test to her strength.

The Basics (Quick Recap)

📘 Title: The Illusion of Power: Passion and Politics #1
✍🏾 Author: J.L. Seegars
💞 Tropes: Why Choose, Slow Burn, Cheating, Protector, Political Suspense, Trauma Healing
🎭 Mood: Emotional wreck meets romantic chaos

Initial Reaction

I saw people screaming about this book on BookTok, and naturally, I had to see what the hype was about. Well, hype confirmed. This book dragged me through every emotion in existence. I went from “girl, leave him” to “oh no, not the kidnapping!” in under ten pages.
Selene’s story? Gut-wrenching. Her strength? Unreal. The way this woman is juggling her trauma, her husband’s mess, and two men who would literally risk it all for her? Whew. I had to close my Kindle and breathe. The way this book started off building the emotional turmoil that Selene is experiencing at the hands of her husband, the inability of him to allow her to grieve her son properly and even the constant nitpicking of the campaign manager, is told with such important and careful detail.

The Characters

Selene (FMC):
My girl Selene deserves peace, quiet, and a therapy retreat in Bali. She’s autistic, emotionally intelligent, and constantly adapting to survive the chaos around her. She’s been everything to everyone for so long, it’s heartbreaking and powerful to watch her start choosing herself. From taking the constant disrespect of her husband, the touch and go relationship with her family, the loving but slightly judgmental relationship with her best friend, the annoyingly toxic professional relationship with her husband’s campaign manager, and dealing with navigating all of this while having Autism, shows me how strong Selene is. It also shows me her need to hang on to what is normal even at the expense of her own mental health.

Cal (MMC):
Our sweet, overprotective cinnamon roll with a bodyguard badge. He’s loyal to a fault, protective, and definitely the “falls first” type. Watching him go from protector to lover? Chef’s kiss. 👌🏾The way he becomes attached and protective of Selene to the detriment of it possibly affecting his career is so swoon worthy. I love the way he pulls Selene into his protective bubble that he initially only had for Beck. From the beginning you see his protective nature when it comes to Beck. The tragic events that has taken place in Beck’s compels Cal to be somewhat of a protector and avenger for Beck. From being his backup and champion in their career to being the shoulder and lover in their private life, he has a protectiveness over Beck that he believed he would never have for anyone else. When he meets Selene and immediately feels the same need to be that shield for her, he can’t imagine not having both Beck and Selene as a part of his forever.

Beck (MMC):
Slow to open up, but when he does? Melts you. His trauma runs deep, but his love runs deeper. The way he and Cal balance each other — and how Selene fits into that dynamic — is honestly beautiful and so human. Beck was a little slow to come around. To me it was not because of him not liking or being attracted to Selene, it was more out of a fear of losing anything that became important or close to him. I believe even though he opened up to Cal, he still keeps part of himself closed off to even Cal out of fear of losing him. This was of course the first piece of happiness he felt since his wife and unborn son were murdered. As Selene drew closer to Cal, she continued to do her best to pull Beck into the fold. He slowly came around and relieved the same as Cal that the energy, passion, and protectiveness he felt for Cal, he also felt for Selene.

Aubrey:
Oh, this man. The audacity. The nerve. If “trash” were a person, it’d be him. The fact that he’s President now? Terrifying. He’s the type of character that makes you yell at the page. How many ways can you say “Fuck You” about a character? Aurbrey is the lowest form of a waste of human skin ever. The fact that he was elected President at the conclusion of this book is terrifying. The sneakiness that this man possess mind blowing. I know that Selene describes that he was a different person when they fell in love, but I must wonder what the hell she ever saw in him and if he EVER felt anything for her other then disdain.

The Romance Arc

This love triangle (square? emotional tornado?) is messy in the best way. Cal and Beck’s bond is already unbreakable, and watching Selene become part of that love was magic. The passion, the tension, the forbidden nature of it all—yeah, I was stressed, but also living for every reckless moment. The fact that from jump Cal was all in when it came to Selene was wonderful. To me, watching Beck come to the realization of his feelings for Selene and the acceptance of his need to have both Selene and Cal in his life was beautiful. My heart broke for Beck so much with everything he had been through. I think it made his love and protective nature for Selene that was much more genuine. With Selene having Autism, she was use to studying people’s body language to adapt to everyday situations. This is how she was able to pick up on the love between Cal and Beck. Watching the three of them navigate their feelings and passion for each other was a wonderful experience and made for a great read. It also stressed me out with how reckless they would sometime be. Like do you not understand how out in the open you were being for three people who were having a forbidden romance? Still the romance aspect of this book was amazing.

Themes That Stuck

Power. Control. Grief. Healing.
This book isn’t just steamy—it’s layered. It asks how much you’d sacrifice for love, and what happens when the illusion of control finally shatters. This wasn’t just about love, the suspense and action in this book was amazing. It made this feel like a theatrical release. The kidnapping scene alone was nail biting. As a lover of a well-rounded romance, I was thoroughly impressed.

Spice Factor

🔥🔥🔥🔥 out of 5 flames
(Had to pause mid-scene to grab a cold drink.)

Cozy Final Thoughts

That ending? DISRESPECTFUL. 😩
But also… perfection. The emotional whiplash? Worth it. I cannot wait for book two because I just know Selene’s story is about to explode now that a certain someone’s sitting in the Oval Office. Ending this on a cliffhanger was stressful. I was definitely not aware of that beforehand, lol. As you get to the end you realize this store is far from done. Although it hurts to see the guys choose their career over Selene, I believe it had more to do with protecting her then hurting her. I, for one, cannot wait until part 2 is released in December. The roller coaster that will take place now that this crazy man has made it to the White House will be diabolical.

Discussion Time 🫖

Okay bestie, your turn.
Did you forgive Aubrey? (Because I did not.)
Which scene had you blushing or pacing the floor?
Let’s scream together in the comments — blanket forts optional but highly recommended.