First Lady [Paperback]

Blayne Cooper (Author), T. Novan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 2003

Blayne Cooper and T. Novan continue to chronicle the lives of Lauren Strayer and Devlyn Marlowe in First Lady, the eagerly-awaited sequel to their thirteen-month best seller, Madam President.

Planning a wedding is never easy. However, most brides don’t face the challenges that Lauren Strayer does. Her beloved comes with a ready-made family, something the biographer never imagined for herself. In addition, Lauren’s estranged father thoroughly disapproves of her future mate, who just happens to be the nation’s first female president.

Lauren tackles the perils and pleasures of parenting and the tension between her private nature and her new, very public role. At the same time, Dev, a dedicated public servant, struggles to find the balance between managing the nation’s interests, her family, her fears, and her stress, while continuing the development of her relationship with Lauren. The result is an action-packed, amusing and tender tale of the sort that fans of Cooper & Novan have come to love and expect.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Blayne Cooper

Blayne Cooper is the author or co-author of a variety of fiction ranging from mystery/romance to outrageous parody. While she enjoys the challenge of working in multiple genres, it's writing about the humor found in everyday life that gives her the most pleasure.

The University of Oklahoma College of Law grad loves travel, reading, and spending long, sleepless nights crouched over her computer in search of the perfect words that will make people laugh or weep uncontrollably. She's still looking, but having a great time on the journey.

A rolling stone at heart, Blayne currently resides in the Midwest with her loving spouse, two young children, and cairn terrier.

T. Novan

For years, Theran Novan wrote for her own amusement. A true child of the seventies, she often wrote scripts for television shows, reaching back to classics like "Get Smart" and other comedies. The television and the stories in her head were often her only companions, as she was diagnosed with cancer at the age of eleven, and spent much of her childhood and teens in therapy. Adulthood and remission coincided, and TN, as her friends call her, pursued two careers – first managing major conventions and events in the Columbus Ohio area and then going back to school to become a police officer. Unfortunately, her cancer re-emerged and one day, while undergoing treatment, her friends brought her a computer. At the same time, she became addicted to a new television show – Xena, Warrior Princess. The whole world of fan fiction opened up, and a supportive global community came to recognize her as a real talent.

TN quickly found her own voice, writing original stories and novels. Her quality work, realistic characters, and sense of humor all combine to create quirky, charming, compelling stories. Her works have made both the Open Book and the Lambda Literary Society bestseller lists.

Product Details

• Paperback: 347 pages
• Publisher: Cavalier Press.com (October 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0974621013
• ISBN-13: 978-0974621012
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,508,058 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly recommended, March 29, 2004

By 

Cornqueen "cornqueen" (Omaha, NE, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: First Lady (Paperback)

It was always going to be hard to follow the action and drama of the vastly popular Madam President. The characters of Devlyn Marlowe and Lauren Strayer have a multitude of fans, and Blayne Cooper and T Novan faced a great challenge in extending their story into a second book. But in First Lady, Cooper and Novan give an impressive demonstration of just how far they have travelled as a writing duo. For as well as being a playground for their signature humor - the wedding night scene is hilarious - and quick-fire dialog, the writing in First Lady shows a greater maturity and confidence than their previous works. The developing relationship between the President and her soon-to-be consort is skilfully and subtly drawn, as the tensions surrounding running the nation and getting married at the same time are played out. These characters have real depth, and the result is that First Lady is both an enjoyable and satisfying book. Highly recommended.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Spend some enjoyable time with characters you like, April 3, 2008

By 

B. Rabkeb (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: First Lady, 2nd edition (Paperback)

I enjoyed this book mostly for the chance to spend additional time with these likable and interesting characters that the authors created. There are some great moments in this book. It's highly entertaining to be along for the ride as the wedding is planned and executed. I also really liked the honest way they deal with Dev's handling of all of the trauma's and stresses of being President after almost having been killed, etc. They even bring up how she dealt with Samantha's death so many years before. There was a lot of poignancy here, and it felt real and gave Lauren and Dev some real issues to work with.

Overall, though, there never really seemed to be a direction or a point that could have made the book stronger. I know that this was an earlier work for both of these authors, and you can see how they grow over the years in their storytelling abilities. There's still a lot of humor and emotion and romance here. But similar to the first book it was almost like a collection of well-written, amusing or touching scenes involving these characters, versus scenes that followed a strong narrative line to a powerful conclusion. Even up to the prologue, which was a precious look at this family in the future as they prepare for life after the White House, I would sometimes stop and think "what's the point of this scene?"

So again, well-written in individual scenes. Strong characterizations and consistent motivations. There are a lot of good pieces here, if only the construction could have had more discipline or been stronger. An above-average 3 to 3-1/2 stars.

8 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars I loved it :), April 15, 2004

By 

E. B. MULLIGAN "Bronwyn" (Tampa, Florida) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: First Lady (Paperback)

I couldn't be happier with this novel - the characters are absolutely charming. I could not put the book down until I finished it

I laughed out loud many times while reading First Lady.

The dialogue is really well written, I could totally visualize the action.

There are a couple real tear jerker moments.

Can't wait to to read the author's newest book.

This is a Keeper !