No other political couple has attracted such interest and empathy since John F. Kennedy and Jackie Kennedy. Yet Barack and Michelle Obama are perhaps even more iconic, glamorous and approachable than the Kennedys ever were. Every gossip column — not only in the US but across the entire Western world — has been captivated by questions like: did the dream couple share their first kiss in an ice cream parlour or a darkened movie theatre? Love in Power charts the meteoric rise of the Obamas — not only to the White House, but to their status as role models for millions of couples around the world, all too willing to fall under the spell of a presidential partnership that seems lifted straight from a Hollywood script.

Yet beyond the spontaneous, affectionate relationship lies a political image machine. Early in the presidential race, spin doctors and campaign strategists recognised what a powerful secret weapon the couple could be — and from that point on, they worked meticulously to shape their public image, focusing particularly on Michelle. In the early days of the campaign she spoke candidly on talk shows about how her husband, like any other, would leave his socks on the floor.

She laughed that around the house, her husband could be “snorey and stinky” — but as the campaign progressed, Michelle’s public commentary was steadily steered away from such candour and towards the role of adoring, supportive wife. Even her eyebrows were reshaped, says Pulitzer Prize-winning fashion critic Robin Givhan, so that Michelle would no longer appear angry in photographs. Today, the First Lady is first and foremost “First Mom.”

Love In Power explores the tightrope the Obamas walk: a delicate balance between being the couple whose genuine personalities have captivated the public and preserving the image carefully crafted by omnipresent spin doctors. The campaign trail has continued relentlessly beyond the Inauguration: there has never been so much love in power.