Book Review: Song of the Robin (Sarah Macintyre #1) by R.V. Biggs  @rvbiggs @rararesources 

 

Song of the Robin
(Sarah Macintyre #1)
by R.V. Biggs

Amazon  / B&NBB

The whispered voices and unsettling dreams were puzzling enough, but when the visions began, Sarah Richards’ confusion turned to fear.


Though mundane, Sarah’s life is routine and well-ordered. But one autumn morning she sees a figure waving to her, the figure of a man more ghostly than real.


Several times during that same day he appears, but is the specter harmless, or are his intentions malevolent?


Disturbed and confused, Sarah endeavors to understand the mystery, to identify her unknown stalker.


But with each visitation, she becomes ever more bewildered, and as her orderly life begins to unravel, she questions the reality of all that she knows, and with mounting horror, even her own sanity.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

‘I told you yesterday you need to ask him to refer you for some proper tests. Y’know, brain scans and that sort of stuff. Mind you, if they did I’m sure they’ll find a bloody computer in there.’ ‘Well if they did a brain scan on you all they’d find would be handcuffs and a packet of condoms!’

  

My Review:

 

My introduction to R.V. Biggs has me rubbing my hands together with glee and eager for more. His man is a sly one and quickly pulled me into a most vexing vortex with his character’s absorbing conundrum and his compelling style of storytelling. His clever and tragic tale kept me guessing and postulating theories as to what had and what was happening to Sarah – possession, mental illness, time slip, amnesia, etc. Mr. Biggs craftily gilded his narratives with perceptive and sharply honed details that pulled keen visuals to my mind’s eye. I smirked, bit my lips, and nibbled on my cuticles as I worked my way through his compelling mystery. I am enamored with his skills and impatient to dive into the next volume of the series, Reunion, which is already locked and loaded on my beloved Kindle.

 

About the Author

R V Biggs lives in a small ex-mining village near Wolverhampton, England, with his wife Julie and Mags the black lab. He has four grown-up children and eight grandchildren.

Walking with the dog is a favorite pastime and much of the storyline for his first novel was developed during these lengthy outings.

Robert worked for 35 years in telecommunications but changed career paths to a managerial supporting role within a local Mental Health National Health Service trust. It was during the period between these roles that the concept for his first novel was born.

Robert is a firm believer that destiny and co-incidence exist hand in hand and this conviction extends to his writing. He has a passion for holistic well-being and after first-hand experience of the potential healing powers of Reiki, a form of energy therapy, took a Reiki level 1 training course to heighten his spiritual awareness. Robert’s experiences in these areas helped conceive the ideas that led to Song of the Robin and its sequels Reunion and Broken, novels with central themes of fate, love, and the strength of family. His writing is not fantasy however but is set in modern times involving real people living real lives.

 

Book Review: Making Waves at Penvennan Cove by Linn B. Halton @LinnBHalton

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Making Waves at Penvennan Cove
by Linn B. Halton

Amazon  / B&N / Apple / GP / BB

For once, things are going well for thirty-year-old Kerra Shaw. She has a fulfilling job helping small businesses in the local community, she is within a few minutes walk of all the people she loves best, and most importantly, she has finally got together with her childhood sweetheart, Ross.

It’s not all plain sailing, though, because they have to keep their relationship a secret. The feud between their families still rages on, and Kerra doesn’t want to pour fuel on its flame and risk losing everything.

But Kerra should know better than anyone that secrets don’t stay hidden for long in a community like Penvennan Cove…

An uplifting and feel-good romance novel for fans of Lucy Coleman, Jessica Redland and Lisa Hobman.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

As Granddad would have said of idle gossip: ‘T’aint right, t’aint fair, t’aint proper,’ and he was spot on.

I’ve had enough. I’m like a firework and the fuse paper has been lit. I’m about to explode and that thought scares me, but it also makes me feel free.

 

 My Review:

 

This installment feels to be the middle of an ongoing story although capable of being read on its own with a happy for now ending while knowing there will be more to the tale. The realistic storylines were slowly unfolding and effusively detailed while thoroughly setting each scene. Each story thread highlighted and best and worst of small-town thinking and small-town living with gossip being the main course of every resident’s meal with the type of social and family issues that are likely happening on any street in any community. The characters were true to life and individually quirky as well as flawed and varying degrees of irksome.

 

 

About the Author

From interior designer to author, when Linn B. Halton’s not writing or spending time with the family, she’s either upcycling furniture or working in the garden. Linn won the 2013 UK Festival of Romance: Innovation in Romantic Fiction award; her novels have been shortlisted in the UK’s Festival of Romance and the eFestival of Words Book Awards. Living in Coed Duon in the Welsh Valleys with her ‘rock’, Lawrence, and gorgeous Bengal cat Ziggy, she freely admits she’s an eternal romantic. Linn is a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association and the Society of Authors. Linn writes feel-good, uplifting novels about life, love, and relationships.

Follow Linn:

Twitter

Facebook

Instagram: @linnbhalton

 

Book Review, UK Giveaway: The Secrets of Hawthorn Place by Jenni Keer @JenniKeer  @rararesources 

The Secrets of Hawthorn Place
by Jenni Keer

Amazon  / B&N  / GP / BB

Love will always find a way… Discover the intriguing secrets of Hawthorn Place in this heartfelt dual-time novel, filled with warmth and charm, perfect for fans of Lucinda Riley and Cecelia Ahern.

Two houses, hundreds of miles apart…yet connected always.

When life throws Molly Butterfield a curveball, she decides to spend some time with her recently widowed granddad, Wally, at Hawthorn Place, his quirky Victorian house on the Dorset coast.

But cosseted Molly struggles to look after herself, never mind her grieving granddad, until the accidental discovery of an identical Art and Crafts house on the Norfolk coast offers her an unexpected purpose, as well as revealing a bewildering mystery.

Discovering that both Hawthorn Place and Acacia House were designed by architect Percy Gladwell, Molly uncovers the secret of a love that linked them, so powerful it defied reason.

What follows is a summer that will change Molly forever…

 

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

I’d been warned that she was a religious woman who did not approve of anything approaching fun. No wonder her daughter looked so miserable.

 

I smiled, but the glare I received in return would dampen even Satan’s furnaces.

 

He was as bonkers as a box of frogs on speed, but it was certainly never dull with him.

 

I went and cocked it up so badly that even a powerful fairy godmother with the biggest magic wand on the planet couldn’t sort this mess.

  

My Review:

 

I was quite taken with the clever craft of this book, it was a bewitchingly addictive tale that kept me intrigued and smirking in equal measure due to this wily author’s amusing wit and perceptively descriptive observations.   Told across two timelines with a dual POV, I enjoyed the canny layering and shrewd pacing of the separate tales as they wove a heart-squeezing, and compelling tale from the past alongside a more vibrant and somewhat vexing tale in the present day and expertly and slyly stitched the pieces together with an unpredictable leap forward. I was enmeshed, enchanted, and totally delighted.   Jenni Keer has mad skills and is a gifted and evocative storyteller.

 

About the Author
Jenni Keer is a history graduate who embarked on a career in contract flooring before settling in the middle of the Suffolk countryside with her antique furniture restorer husband. She has valiantly attempted to master the ancient art of housework but with four teenage boys in the house, it remains a mystery. Instead, she spends her time at the keyboard writing commercial women’s fiction to combat the testosterone-fuelled atmosphere, with her number one fan #Blindcat by her side. Much younger in her head than she is on paper, she adores any excuse for fancy dress and is part of a disco formation dance team.

Jenni is also the author of The Hopes and Dreams of Lucy Baker and The Unexpected Life of Maisie Meadows.

Social Media Links –

FB Jenni Keer Writer

Twitter @JenniKeer

Instagram jennikeer

 

Giveaway to Win a Signed Copy of the Secrets of Hawthorn Place, plus chocolate and a sparkly pen.

(UK Only)

*Terms and Conditions –UK entries welcome.  Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below.  The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over.  Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will be passed to the giveaway organizer and used only for the fulfillment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data.  I am not responsible for the dispatch or delivery of the prize.

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/33c69494446/?

 

 

Book Review: Hotshot and Hospitality (Green Valley Library, #8) Hotshot and Hospitality (Green Valley Library, #8) by Nora Everly @NoraEverly @smartypantsromance

 

Hotshot and Hospitality
(Green Valley Library, #8)
by Nora Everly

 

Amazon / BB

 

Hotshot and Hospitality, an all-new charming friends-to-lovers small-town romance from Nora Everly, is LIVE in Kindle Unlimited! 

Molly Cooper is through with men.

She means it this time.

Being stood up and humiliated was the last straw.

But after her all-grown-up and smokin’ hot childhood bestie kissed her to help her save face, she’s left wondering if it was the tequila or his lips that gave her all the feels.

 

Garrett Monroe had no intention of falling for his childhood best friend.

Unfortunately, one unplanned kiss in a bar was all it took for him to stumble. 

Now he’s stuck with a crush that won’t quit on the most stubborn woman he’s ever known.

 

Soon enough they’re overwhelmed by out-of-control feelings, one match-making momma, and two tight-knit families who think they’re dating when they’re not.

 

Or are they?

 

Nothing stays secret in Green Valley, Tennessee.

Can Molly and Garrett navigate the nosy waters and fall for each other in private?

Or will secrets sink their friendship instead? 

 

‘Hotshot and Hospitality’ is a full-length contemporary romance, can be read as a standalone, and is book #8 in the Green Valley Library series, Green Valley Chronicles, Penny Reid Book Universe.

 

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

I could use a vicarious thrill; my well has run dry. The last man I dated said he was thirty, but I swear, y’all, if you told me he was really two fifteen-year-old boys stacked up inside of a trench coat, I would believe you.

 

There were ten different kinds of feels coursing through my body right now and each one had its own sub-list of minor feels just waiting to be categorized and sorted into something that made sense. Ugh! I was like a periodic table of feelings or a horny science project.

 

I was one hundred percent sure I would be a pain-in-the-ass pregnant woman. Honestly, I was a handful with just a head cold.

 

It’s just like my great-aunt Belle always used to say— when all else fails, show your boobs… I’ll have you know it’s solid advice. She’s been married, like, eight times. Anyway, we’ll see if it works on you after dinner. For science.

 

My Review:

 

 

This was rollicking good fun from start to finish. I adored these captivating characters and the author’s irreverent and smirk-worthy sense of humor. The storylines were engaging, entertaining, and laced together with clever wit and cheeky observations. Molly was a hot mess and everyone knew it and let her get away with it, she was lucky like that but not so lucky when it came to her love life as no one seemed capable of handling her crazy for more than a handful of dates.

As someone who also requires a hearing aid, I appreciated the author’s understanding and thoughtfulness of including the challenges, limitations, and exasperation of living with hearing loss. I am totally enamored with Garrett and he currently holds the top of the list slot on my list of BBF as he was perfect in every way and so lovely he could only exist in a book.

 

 

About Nora Everly

Nora Everly is a lifelong bookworm. She started reading the good stuff once she grew tall enough to sneak the romance novels off the top of her mother’s bookshelf and it has been non-stop ever since.

Once upon a time, she was a substitute teacher and an educational assistant. Now she’s a writer and stay-at-home mom to two small humans and one fat cat.

Nora lives in the Pacific Northwest with her family and her overactive imagination.

 

Find Nora Everly online

Facebook: http://bit.ly/2kuJmwL

Twitter: http://bit.ly/2kxjtwa

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2kx2f21

Instagram: http://bit.ly/2kuLMeI

Website: https://www.noraeverly.com/

 

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Book Review: The Lost Fisherman by Jewel E. Ann @JewelE_Ann @valentine_pr_

 

 

The Lost Fisherman by Jewel E. Ann is now live! 

Download today or read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited

  Amazon:  https://amzn.to/3ylmq30

Amazon Worldwide: mybook.to/TheLostFisherman      

Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3z3lnWo  

Start with The Naked Fisherman! mybook.to/TheNF 

 

It’s been five years since I’ve seen him. An unexpected event takes me back to the place where it all began.

But I’m no longer the naive young woman he once knew. And he’s no longer the man who took nearly everything from me.

Can this be our time? Or is it too late? Did I find myself only to lose him?

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

The only memories of my past I want to get back … are the ones of you.

 

(Mandatory use of the F-word)

 

Sounds like you’re mad at me. Is it because I have a penis and you don’t? Because I didn’t ask for a penis. It just came with my body.

  

 My Review:

 

I didn’t think it possible but I loved this half of the duet even more than the first, Jewel E. Ann rocks and her word voodoo is strong! Her storylines and writing quickly pull me under and completely submerged me into her characters’ lives. I was right there with them in every scene as if I’m watching from a corner, sitting on the couch, riding in their vehicles, the next table over at McDonald’s, or looking over their shoulders while texting on their phones. I am as enamored with her unique style and craftiness as I am with her complicated and compelling characters. The woman has mad skills and I want every word she puts into print.

 

 

Meet Jewel E. Ann

Jewel is a Wall Street Journal & USA Today best-selling author with a quirky sense of humor. When she’s not saving the planet one tree at a time, you can find her role modeling questionable behavior to her three boys, binge-watching Netflix with her husband, and writing mind-bending romance.

Connect with Jewel

Website: https://www.jeweleann.com

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7505427.Jewel_E_Ann

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Jewel-E-Ann/e/B00IJYHDIG/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorjeweleann

Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/485996228236493

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authorjeweleann/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JewelE_Ann

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/jewel-e-ann

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/jeweleannauthor/

Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jeweleannauthor

 

Book Review: The Sister Pact (A Leyholme Village Story #3) by Lisa Swift @rararesources @LisaSwiftAuthor @Herabooks

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The Sister Pact
(A Leyholme Village Story #3)
by Lisa Swift

 

Amazon  / Apple / GP / BB

Thirty-year-old Brooke Padgett is the landlady of The Highwayman’s Drop in the beautiful Yorkshire village of Leyholme. Commitment-averse and obsessed with work, she isn’t looking for anything serious – and she certainly isn’t interested in the pub’s new barman, gorgeous single dad Hayden. Or is she?

Older sister Rhianna Garrett has fled wealthy husband James after discovering his infidelity. As she moves back to the pub with her children in tow, it’s clear that living together will be tricky for these two very different sisters…

Meanwhile, their widowed mum Janey is keen to rejoin the dating scene. But a lot has changed since her youth in the seventies – and she’ll need the help of her girls.

As the sisters join forces to help Janey, as well as fight off the chain circling the pub, their relationship becomes close once again. Until Brooke discovers Rhianna is hiding a secret that could drive a wedge between them all…

Can the two sisters come together to save The Highwayman’s Drop, their mum’s love life – and their relationship?

 

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

‘Come on. I know you like kids really.’ ‘Yeah, I like them – some of them. I like butternut squash too, but I’ve never felt the need to eject one from my vagina.’

 

‘We didn’t say a word!’ Janey protested. ‘You didn’t need to. I’m fluent in eyebrow.’

 

I can’t help fretting about it, this internet dating lark. I struck it lucky with Mike tonight, but it feels like such a lottery. You know, four men have sent me photos of their todgers so far.

 

Molly Sollis said she heard Bianca’s mum say to her mum at the parents’ night that she wouldn’t mind a bit of rough if it’s got an arse like that. I don’t know what the first bit means but I think she was saying she likes your bum.

 

‘We could be on Britain’s Most Haunted if we wanted.’ ‘Why aren’t you?’ He shrugged. ‘The ghost thought it was tacky.’

 

 My Review:

 

This was highly pleasurable reading and good fun from start to finish with engaging and amusing storytelling and endearingly flawed characters. My favorite was Janey, the feisty pub landlady. Janey was canny and kept her two adult children on their toes although both of her daughters needed a major alteration in their thinking, which they finally got to via the hard way. The writing was top-notch, smirk-worthy, keenly witty, and laced with sharp humor and amusing snark. I adored it and have added this crafty and wily wordsmith to my list of favorites as I greedily covet ALL of her uniquely nimble and clever arrangements of words.

 

 

 

About the Author

 

Lisa Swift is a romance author from West Yorkshire in the UK. She is represented by Laura Longrigg at MBA Literary Agents. Her first book is due to be published by Hera Books in August 2019.

As Mary Jayne Baker, Lisa also writes romantic comedies for Aria Fiction.

Lisa is a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association.

Social Media Links

https://twitter.com/LisaSwiftAuthor

http://www.lisaswiftauthor.co.uk/

https://www.facebook.com/LisaSwiftWrites

 

Book Review: How I’m Spending My Afterlife by Spencer Fleury  @spencerfleury  @TLCBookTours

How I’m Spending My Afterlife
by Spencer Fleury 

Amazon  / B&N / BB

Attorney Alton Carver has a problem: he’s under federal investigation for embezzling and securities fraud. Instead of spending the next three to five years behind bars, he’s got a plan: stage his own death, take the money he stole and light out for Central America, leaving behind wife Nicole and daughter Clara. But when he sticks around town long enough to watch his own funeral, he makes the unpleasant discovery that the life he’s leaving behind isn’t the life he thought he had.

The shock of seeing Nicole in the arms of another man leads Alton to postpone his plan to run for the border and forces him to reconsider his self-image as a respected and admired pillar of the legal community. What comes next is a slow-burn train wreck, a tale of self-deception, revenge, and bad decisions.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

Chas and his light-beer-commercial friends were still tossing beanbags around. One of the girls squealed for some reason. She probably felt a thought forming. It can hurt if you’re not used to it.

  

My Review:

 

This was exceedingly clever and deftly paced – I never would have guessed it was the author’s first novel. I had trouble putting my Kindle down today and was prone to hiss or moan when my avid perusal was interrupted, as I didn’t want to miss a moment of the snarky observations and inner musings of this rather vile couple. Not one of the characters featured was an upstanding citizen or the type of person I would choose to share air with, yet I was riveted to their tale and deathly curious to know how it would resolve. I keenly followed each surprising twist and crafty revelation with fervent interest and waffled in my opinions as the layers were cunningly peeled back ever so shrewdly. Spencer Fleury is a wily storyteller with strong word voodoo. He is definitely one to watch.

About the Author

Spencer Fleury has worked as a sailor, copywriter, economics professor, and record store clerk, among other disreputable professions. He was born in the Detroit suburbs, spent most of his life in Florida, and now lives in San Francisco.

His first novel, How I’m Spending My Afterlife, was published in October 2017.

Book Review: The Village Inn of Secret Dreams by Alison Sherlock @AlisonSherlock @rararesources  @BoldwoodBooks

The Village Inn of Secret Dreams
by Alison Sherlock

Amazon  / B&NGP 

Brand NEW from the bestselling author of The Village Shop For Lonely Hearts.

After escaping her parents’ unhappy marriage to sleepy Cranbridge a long time ago, Belle Clarke dreams of staying at The Black Swan Inn forever.

But with the rundown Inn threatened with closure, Belle may be forced to leave, unless a buyer can be found … quickly.

So, when her oldest friend Pete Kennedy returns from working abroad with a plan to save the Inn, Belle should be overjoyed. The trouble is, Pete has some rather radical ideas for the renovation which Belle disagrees with.

But when a snowstorm hits, Belle and Pete are forced to put aside their differences and work together to help the village.

Can Belle realize her dreams to stay in Cranbridge and can Pete ever stop running from his past?

As they try to save The Black Swan Inn, secrets are revealed and just maybe they’ll finally find out how they really feel about each other.

 

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

Aunty Angie’s view of clothing, hair and make -up was that you needed to be seen from outer space. Preferably without the need of a telescope.

 

Angie’s cooking was legendary and, unfortunately, not in a good way. Her food was almost always revolting and was normally soggy, dry or inedible. Sometimes all three at once.

 

My Review:

 

The small village of Cranbridge sounds pleasant and gentle, despite the frigid weather and dodgy electrical service. I’m enjoying getting to know the quirky residents and uniquely appealing characters. Each tale in this series has involved rebuilding and strengthening not only the buildings but of the people residing in them as well as the village at large.   I appreciate the pleasant sense of satisfaction of a community finding camaraderie and pulling together to help those in need as well as the sweet love story blooming amongst the toil and sweat. The engaging storylines were easy to follow and populated with struggling yet likable and oddly endearing characters I can’t help but root for.

 

 

 

About the Author

Alison Sherlock is the author of the bestselling Willow Tree Hall books. Alison enjoyed reading and writing stories from an early age and gave up office life to follow her dream. Her new series for Boldwood is set in a fictional Cotswold village and the first title was published in July 2020.

Social Media Links –

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/alison.sherlock.73

Twitter https://twitter.com/AlisonSherlock

Newsletter Sign Up Link http://bit.ly/AlisonSherlockSignup

Bookbub profile https://www.bookbub.com/authors/alison-sherlock

 

Book Review:  Reckless Hart (A Cross Creek Small Town Novel Book 4) by Kelly Collins   @kcollinsauthor

 

Reckless Hart
(A Cross Creek Small Town Novel Book 4)
by Kelly Collins

 

Amazon  / BB

I knew she was trouble from the start.

Too bad I fell for her.

Because I was right … about everything.

I might be the youngest Lockhart brother, but I’m not stupid. When Noah goes behind my back and hires Lauren, my gut tells me something isn’t right about the beautiful, intelligent woman.

When she uncovers a company secret, I rethink my doubts about her.

When her ex pops back into her life, I’m on guard again.

When her adorable daughter and snaggle-toothed, one-eyed dog melt my heart, I lose sight of what’s important.

In the end, I should have gone with my gut. She’s trouble with a capital T. The question is, what do I do when I’ve fallen for her, already love her daughter, and my company needs her expertise?

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

It’s not up to you to make him into the man he should already be.

  

My Review:

 

This was a quick and entertaining story that took the final Lockhart brother off the market. Quinn had been a somewhat bitter holdout after a bad relationship and had been watching his brothers succumb to love from the sidelines while being envious yet leery. The storylines were easy to fall into and unfolded with a smooth and steady progression as the realistically flawed yet likable characters fell for each other while Lauren was also dealing with and enabling her manipulative waste of skin ex-husband, a loathsome villain worthy of a triple hex. Sweet moments and amusing humor were provided by an adorable preschooler and her faithful snaggletoothed dog.

 

ABOUT KELLY COLLINS   

 

  Goodreads  / Website  / AmazonFacebook / Twitter / Pinterest / Bookbub

International bestselling author of over 30 novels, Kelly Collins writes with the intention of keeping the love alive. Always a romantic, she blends real-life events with her vivid imagination to create characters and stories that lovers of contemporary romance, new adult, and romantic suspense will return to again and again.

 

Book Review, Excerpt: Code of Ethics (Cipher Security #3) by April White @ahwhite @SmartyPantsRom

“April White writes the kind of books I love to read: romantic but suspenseful, smart yet so consuming. And you’ll love this cast.” – Amy Harmon, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and New York Times bestselling author

Code of Ethics, an all-new enemy to lovers romantic suspense standalone in the Cipher Security series from April White, is available now!

There are three things you need to know about Oliver Curran:

1) He’s a privileged playboy who happens to be a code-writing genius

2) For once in his life he’s trying to do the right thing

3) Someone wants him dead.

Dallas is a close protection specialist at Cipher Security whose bodyguard skills have already saved Oliver’s life once. But when the assassin gets too close to her uncooperative client, Dallas takes the party boy away from the city where he’s the social king, to the Yukon wilderness where she’s a master of survival.

If Dallas has to put her life on the line for a self-absorbed guy she doesn’t respect, then Oliver has to take orders from the too-serious woman he can’t charm. But living wild brings out their true natures, and suddenly funny is hot, capable is dangerous, and trust is the strongest survival skill of all.

‘Code of Ethics’ is a full-length enemies-to-lovers romantic suspense and can be read as a standalone. Book #3 in the Cipher Security series, Seduction in the City world, Penny Reid Book Universe.

Read Code of Ethics TODAY!

Amazon US: https://amzn.to/2W0kaRm

AppleBooks: https://apple.co/3luYkA7

Nook: https://bit.ly/3inehX3

Kobo: https://bit.ly/3fvld2h

Google Play: https://bit.ly/2TSH1xk

Add to Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3yR8yOP

Start the Cipher Security Series of standalones TODAY!

https://smartypantsromance.com/worlds/seduction-in-the-city/cipher-security/

Excerpt

“Is there something else I can help you with, Mr. Curran?”

“Oliver,” I said automatically, my eyes still looking in the direction Quinn had gone.

“Excuse me?”

“My name is Oliver,” I said, my eyes finally meeting hers, and I dug for my nicest-guy-in-the-room default. “Yours is Dallas, right?”

“Correct.”

She started walking toward the elevators again, and I couldn’t think of a reason not to follow. I assumed it wouldn’t get me anywhere to go after Quinn, and Dallas seemed to be the only one who cared that I was still in the building.

“Proprietary tech is the only game in the marketplace right now. If my code leaks, my program turns into the equivalent of generic drugs—worth pennies instead of millions.”

We’d reached the elevators, and she turned to face me. I was surprised that she wasn’t taller, because her vibe was all ferocity and overbearing disapproval. “You didn’t ask for my opinion, but I’m going to give it to you anyway,” she said.

Of course she would. Women like her couldn’t help themselves. They had to be right—all the time—out loud. I sighed, too exhausted to bother to dig up more charm for her.

“Millions are just zeroes and ones in an account,” she continued. “This is your life, and I think the Russian will do a lot worse than try to knife you if he manages to catch you alone.”

I’d just hit the button, but I whipped around to face her. “The Russian? What are you, partners?”

The woman almost rolled her eyes at me, and I was glad to get a rise out of her. It was way more fun than panicking, which was my other option.

“I heard him swear in Russian,” she said in a voice that was back to ice queen inflection.

“You speak Russian,” I scoffed.

“Enough,” she said. The elevator doors opened behind me, and Dallas reached a hand past me to hold them.

“What did he say, then?” I asked. She took a step forward, crowding me back into the elevator.

Ty moy, suchka.”

“Which means?” I asked, taking a step forward when I realized that she’d managed to make me move with just her body language.

She let go of the elevator doors. “You’re my bitch,” she said, and I had to jump back as the doors closed between us.  

 

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

He also had the kind of manners that Europeans and old-money people had— like they automatically knew which fork to use without getting a raised eyebrow from whichever parent might have been home.

 

It makes him laugh every time I wear it, so I make sure he catches me in it when I’m naked.” Shane burst out laughing. “Naked Baby Yodanna!” Anna flapped her Yoda ears. “When I can make Darius laugh, he looks at me like I’m chocolate and movie night and browned butter all rolled up in one.”

 

His voice is like a thick, creamy salve you put on sunburns when you don’t want to be touched, and when I get sunburny like that, his voice feels like fingers running through my hair—which he does too, by the way.”

 

She wanted me, and being wanted by this woman suddenly felt more than physical. It felt like something that mattered.

 

My Review:

 

Written from a dual POV, this tale had a multiple-layered, slowly paced, and complex plot with uniquely complicated characters, heaping helpings of angst, peril, and a lot of inner dialog and conflict while building to a slow-burn romance. The storylines were intricately woven around the nucleus of a thorny and dangerous threat to a new client with tentacles that spread into family drama, predatory tracking, facial recognition hacking and fraud, and survivalist training and living off the grid in the frozen Canadian Yukon territory.    

It was an interesting twist to use the female main character as the protector and trained survivalist, although I initially found her difficult to fully appreciate, as she was rather rigid, emotionally distant and a cold fish. However, once her background was revealed I was greatly impressed by the author’s thoughtful and perceptive character building. I adored her family yet I was outraged to learn of the past and present discriminatory practices and arrogant attitudes toward Canada’s indigenous tribes, which is as shameful as what occurred and continues to proliferate in the USA towards our own. Then I thought about the similar horrors that occurred in India, Australia, Africa, etc. The arrogance of the British Empire has a lot to answer for.

 

About April White

** Vivian Award Nominee, 2021 **

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. Code of Conduct was an RWA Vivian Award finalist for romantic suspense, a Next Generation Award finalist for romance, and RONE Award finalist for suspense. And Death’s Door is a Grand Prize winner of the Next Generation Award, and a Foreword Reviews Award finalist. More information and her blog can be found at www.aprilwhitebooks.com.

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