BREENA
LEA
Writing modern romances that prove the power of a love story.
CURRENTLY QUERYING
BREAD &
ROSES
Ottilie Taylor single-handedly ruined her hometown when she was a politician, according to social media. She thought being an elected official was the answer to helping the place she loved most, but when everyone turned on her, she left office traumatized. With the small amount of hope she kept safe, she ducked behind the scenes. Now she runs a campaign for a state legislator that could flip the script for North Carolina. Her work is rewarding and, best of all, she can work tirelessly to take down incumbent Jack Mason without stepping into the spotlight.
Jack Mason is the newest golden boy of his political party. He’s charismatic, handsome, and speaks his mind. He’s leading in the polls, and despite Ottilie’s attack ads labeling him as an out of touch nepo-baby, people can’t get enough of his charm.
When Ottilie and Jack meet in person, their professional observations quickly turn to romantic curiosity. They agree to one date, knowing that dinner will prove impossible because of their opposing values. But dinner turns into one unforgettable night, and with Jack’s public persona, their relationship goes viral. The internet can’t get enough of the couple proving that politics can be different.
But can it?
Election night changes everything. A loss, a betrayal, a scandal: a media cocktail that whips the world around Jack and Ottilie into a furious slurry. The previously supportive and hopeful internet turns hateful, forcing Ottilie to relive her worst nightmare on a national scale and Jack is forced into a narrative he has no control over. A narrative that threatens to destroy the future he desperately wants. Together they’ll have to decide if they can trust each other or if they are, in fact, too different to make it work.
ABOUT
BREENA
The first book Breena read for fun was Killing Me Softly by Nicci French, in middle school. It’s a wildly age-inappropriate romantic thriller, and despite looking like a flat-chested, A-sexual, vanilla wafer, Breena fell hard for love.
Since then, romance has accompanied her through all phases of her life. She was a wallflower in high school when she moved to Alaska. Her only friends, the Mormons who accepted her despite being non-religious. Her and her husband, Pickle’s meet-cute was fraught with tropes like best friend’s crush and only one bed. The latter resulted in a less romantic joint contraction of MRSA. Twenty-one boils later, she and Pickle ran away on an adventure, moving onto a sailboat and sailing for a decade. She’s lived in a yurt in rural Alaska during the winter, driven through foreign countries, evaded arrest in Mexico when her husband exposed himself to a nest of baby sea turtles and lost her job where she was likely being trafficked (labor, not sex). She’s been a politician, a tech-bro, an influencer, and an Amazon seller of biodegradable vomit bags (Eco-chucks).
All this, she’s gotten to do with a man whom she adores and a group of girlfriends that inspire her. She now lives in a small coastal town, complete with gossipy residents and ruckus town halls. She and Pickle own their own business, sewing canvas for boats. They live in a historic home with a ghost named Hazel, their rescue dog Roux, and a feral cat they found under the house, Kady.
When she finally got the courage to write a book, she wrote what she knew best: a love story.