“Sharp writing, layered characters, and wonderful tension flow through this book, along with a super-swoon-worthy hero and a kick ass heroine I just love.” — Elizabeth Hunter, USA Today bestselling author
Code of Conduct, the first in the romantic suspense Cipher Security series of standalones, from April White is available now!
There are three things you need to know about Shane P.I.
1) P.I. is not her last name, it’s her job title,
2) Her specialty is catching cheaters, and
3) She’s a superhuman – kind of.
Gabriel is a security expert for Cipher Security, and a former UN Peacekeeper with a fierce protective streak that finds its focus on the beautiful P.I.
Their attraction is like an elephant in a room full of breakable things, and figuring out how to trust each other with their hearts, and maybe their lives, is the most fragile thing of all.
‘Code of Conduct’ is a full-length romantic suspense novel, can be read as a standalone, and is book#1 in the Cipher Security series, Knitting in the City World, Penny Reid Universe.
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My Review
Romantic suspense is one of my favorite romance sub-genres because it provides me with the best of both worlds – the tension and drama that revolves around mysterious and thrilling situations as well as a hero and heroine working together amidst the chaotic situations they face in order to protect each other and acquire the ending they want – one that keeps them happily together despite what they had to deal with along the way.
Fiercely strong and independent heroines are a must for any romantic suspense that I read and I can wholeheartedly say that Shane is more than qualified for this distinction. She fights her own battles and assesses situations according to her dictates not anyone else’s and while she is technical the fairer sex, she holds her own with any guy and her specific skillset is in high demand.
Gabriel is an interesting hero. He’s definitely an alpha male, but there’s a side to him that’s nurturing and gentle. As soon as he meets Shane, he’s attracted to her and pulled to her in a way that he can’t deny and even though Shane’s a bit prickly at first, it’s clear that she’s drawn to him as well, and once they do bridge the gap between them, they’ll see it’s exactly where they both belong.
Despite the fact that Code of Conduct is a slow burn when it comes to any romantic entanglements between Shane and Gabriel, there’s plenty to keep readers’ interest due to the troublesome situations that Shane finds herself in as well as what the men of Cipher Security endure due to the very nature of their jobs.
Like Penny Reid’s stories, Code of Conduct has a fantastic case of secondary characters, some new ones and then a few that readers of Reid’s universes will be more than happy to catch up with, even in a limited capacity.
I’m all about smart romances and April White’s story in the Penny Reid Universe is fast paced, intriguing, and suspenseful, not necessarily components of smart romances, but in this case, each aspect of Code of Conduct resonates an intelligently crafted story about complex characters, and I can’t wait for more books in this spin-off series.
4 Poison Apples
Excerpt
I pulled up the audio version of the newest Iron Druid book, turned my phone on speaker, and when the tub was full, I sank into the hot water with a sigh. Luke Daniels could read a shampoo bottle and I’d listen, but my mind kept drifting off of Atticus’ and Oberon’s adventures, and was instead hopping from rock to rock in the garden of ADDATA, the Quimbys, and Gabriel. I wasn’t even annoyed when the phone rang and interrupted the story, because I knew I’d have to go back to the beginning of the chapter anyway.
It was on its fourth ring when I finally dried off my hand and reached to answer it, so I hit the speaker button just as I looked at the screen.
Gabriel’s name startled me so much I didn’t say anything – I just sat up in the tub and stared at the phone.
“Please say you’re not in the bath.” Gabriel’s voice was quiet, deep, and had a note of pleading in it.
“What do you want, Gabriel?” I moved again, and the water sloshed around me. I knew he could hear it because he groaned softly.
“Where to begin.” It was almost a whisper, and the words sent a shiver through me. He cleared his throat and continued in his normal, beautiful voice. “We had a call from Quimby. He said he’d found you and wondered what we were going to do about it.” I didn’t say anything, and the silence lasted two long heartbeats. “Are you okay?” he finally asked, quietly.
“He saw me turn from Bryn Mawr onto Sheridan. I lost him in the alleys.”
Gabriel exhaled. “Good.”
“Aren’t you supposed to be finding his money? Or his wife? Or something else he misplaced?”
“Do you have his money or his wife?” he asked
“No.”
“Okay.”
“Okay? What exactly do you want from me, Gabriel?” I sat forward and the water sloshed again. I traced the ripples with my fingers as I heard his sigh.
“I don’t know. I just know that every time you move, I hear the water in your bath, and I imagine …” He exhaled sharply. “Be careful, darling. I don’t trust Quimby not to try to hurt you if he can. Don’t let him catch you.”
“You haven’t caught me yet, and you’re far more resourceful than that little man.”
He chuckled softly. “Yet.” He hung up the phone without saying goodbye, and Luke Daniels’ voice returned, continuing the story as I sank down in the water and let its heat lap over the chills on my skin.
About April White
April White has been a film producer, private investigator, bouncer, teacher and screenwriter. She has climbed in the Himalayas, survived a shipwreck, and lived on a gold mine in the Yukon. She and her husband share their home in Southern California with two extraordinary boys and a lifetime collection of books.
Her first novel, Marking Time is the 2016 winner of the Library Journal Indie E-Book Award for YA Literature, and all five books in the Immortal Descendants series are on the Amazon Top 100 lists in Time Travel Romance and Historical Fantasy.
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