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 … 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 book#1 in the Cipher Office series, is a full-length romantic suspense novel, and can be read as a standalone.
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“You could never be normal. Extraordinary is not normal. Stunning is not normal. Brilliant is. Not. Normal.”
This book is one of my favorites of 2019. It checked all the boxes for me: Well-developed, smart characters with undeniable chemistry, an intriguing plot, real world social issues/current events. “Code of Conduct” was everything I hoped it would be.
I am a huge fan of Penny Reid’s Knitting in the City series, so the idea of other authors writing in her world for SmartyPants Romance was both thrilling and nerve-wracking. What if I didn’t like the new stories or characters? What if the established characters didn’t feel genuine? My fears were clearly unfounded. April White is a brilliant writer, and this book felt like coming home to visit old friends.
Shane is a fierce PI who usually catches cheaters. During a case, she accidentally crosses paths with Gabriel and a few others from Cypher Security, and they end up teaming up.
This story is longer than a lot of modern romance novels, but it’s got mystery, action, authentic characters dealing with their own vulnerabilities, issues, and pasts, and I couldn’t put down. Shane and Gabriel are people I want to know in real life.
Heads up, Code of Conduct did make me want to boycott the internet, but here I am, on the internet.
“Search engine is just the term people use to make artificial intelligence sound like it works for us,” -Alex Greene
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
Favorite Quotes:
“You must wonder what attracted me to you,” Dane said with a knowing smile. Actually, I was mentally calculating my billable hours and hoping to be done here in less than thirty minutes because … round numbers. “You read my mind,” I said with a low, breathy voice. To my own ears I sounded asthmatic, but experience had taught me that horny guys dug breathless women.
I looked at his phone. “Can I see your profile? I’ve been trying to decide if I want to join.” … “Go ahead. Just don’t swipe right on any ugly chicks.” Just for that I’d be swiping right on the biggest, most redneck, Deliverance-looking guy I could find.
I cook with wine. Sometimes I even add it to the food.
The women of my family all believed that secrets were just lies waiting to happen, and problems were to be aired out like musty rooms with the dust covers ripped off for everyone to see the state of your furniture.
I crave you. You’re like the air when I’m underwater, or like fire when I’m frostbitten.
My Review:
Before picking up this captivating book, April White was a completely unknown entity to me as I don’t often read paranormal or historical tales, but she has leapt far and away from her typical genres with this cleverly penned Romantic Suspense entry into Penny Reid’s Universe of Smartypants Romance. Ms. White’s volume was a seamless insertion using several of Ms. Reid’s established characters from a previous series, some I was familiar with, many I was not as I haven’t read the Knitting in the City series, although that didn’t seem to matter at all.
Ms. White’s nimble writing quickly drew me into the story and held my interest and curiosity throughout. The storylines and writing style were unfailingly engaging and well-balanced between heart-squeezing insights and cleverly amusing levity. The characters were enticing, charismatic, uncommonly quirky, and highly likable. I do loves me a kickass chick and my new gal-pal Shane pulled that off with breath to spare. Shane was a striking female who deserves Superhero status given her cool bravado and sleek wardrobe of tricked-out prosthetic legs with badass gadgets hidden inside. I adored her and her new partner Gabriel as they stumbled into an intriguing case that kept mushrooming from the cheating husband scenario it started out to be. Their adventure was well-crafted and highly entertaining and sets the bar high for subsequent volumes.
I loved it. It was a great read and the characters were perfect. I definitely recommend this book, this series, and this author.
3 stars. Code of Conduct is book one in the Cipher Security series, which is a spin off of the Penny Reid book universe. This was a pretty good book, but I had a few issues with it. Code of Conduct is Gabriel and Shane’s book. Gabriel is a former UN Peacekeeper and he works for Cipher security, which is Quinn Sullivan’s security company from the Knitting in the City series. Shane is an amputee and a private investigator that mainly catches cheating spouses. She is working on a job and posing as a woman on a date with her client’s husband when she meets Gabriel. His company is employed for security by that husband. Shane does her job and manages to escape, but Gabriel is intrigued by the mystery of her. When Shane’s client disappears, she and Gabriel work together to solve her disappearance. As they spend time together and get to know each other, they fall for each other.
Code of Conduct has a good story. I liked Gabriel and Shane. They were a diverse, interesting couple with lots of layers to their characters. I found the book a little too long, at over 400 pages, and a little too slow at times. I felt it needed some editing down. The relationship is definitely a slow burn, bordering on just slow without a ton of burn or chemistry. I liked the end of the book more than the beginning, because there is more action towards the end. Still, the writing was good and I enjoyed the series set-up. There is an interesting mystery as well. I did feel like the author was trying a bit too hard to be super smart and Penny Reid-like, but lacking the humor of her writing. I also felt like there were some political commentary that was unnecessary. I don’t like it to be included in my romance, since one of the reasons I read is as an escape from reality. I just found the book to be a little too heavy and a little too PC. But I still enjoyed it. At the core was a good romance between two lonely people who deserved to find love and a lasting relationship in each other.
Overall, I enjoyed Code of Conduct. I am definitely curious where the rest of the series will go with the Cipher security company and I look forward to more from the Smartypants romance books in the future.
Code of Conduct is another one in the Smartypants Romance Series. And a first time read from this author for me. This story gripped me from the beginning. So April is definitely on my radar now.
Cipher Security is going to take the cake in the universe for me because I have a thing for bodyguard/undercover books. I can’t wait for the rest of this series to be out! This one has a lot of cameo’s which I am a huge fan of! So Penny fans rejoice!
In Code of Conduct we meet Shane and Gabriel, who were so suited for one another whether they believed it or not. Their meeting was undoubtedly unique to their story. While doing her job, Shane gets into a pickle with her target and inadvertently meets some guys from Cipher Security, who need her assistance. There she meets the hero, Gabriel.
I loved the slow buildup of their relationship. And the fact that Shane is a full throttle take-no-prisoners kind of gal is adds to the book. I hate wimpy heroines. Gabriel was a honest, and family oriented guy, who loves show-tunes. That’s always fun! He’s not the typical hero who sometimes has more brawn than brains.
While it may have taken some time for Shane to open up to Gabriel, but he was a patient as a ox. It took time for her to see herself through Gabriel’s eyes. When they finally came together it was blazing.
I love some suspense with my romance. I get all kinds of crazy doing my own investigation during the chapters, trying to figure out who’s who and what’s what. But one thing is for sure April is a fantastic writer, so I look forward to more of her novels.
I know this book involves Cipher Security but I haven’t read any other books involving this company. But they are on my radar!
Absolutely recommend this series! All of the Smartypants Romance, even the ones I haven’t read yet!
Code of Conduct brilliantly explores love between two independant and strong protagonists, but also loneliness, handicap, unconditional acceptance, bravery, traumas, friendship… And it is spiced up with captivating suspense !
Shane and Gabriel are the kind of characters we’d like to see more. Complex, smart, intriguing, with difficult pasts, with a real sense of humor…
Despite all they went through they keep fighting for them, for others, for justice. They are both awe inspiring survivors, both superheroes with superpowers.
That’s a real pleasure to read about two adults who act their age, who don’t create futile and unnecessary dramas.
They fall in love and want to protect each other but they respect and trust each other enough to work as partners, as equals and finally they work even better together, hand in hand.
They are both full of surprises, the author smartly takes her time to tell us every detail of their histories, layer after layer, chapter after chapter. Sometimes our heart break sometimes we just admire.
The secondary characters are important and unique and are a perfect add to our Pennyverse.
April White doesn’t try to write like Penny Reid, she has her own beautiful and clever writing but she totally blew my mind including characters of the knitting series fully respecting their personality. I was sooooo happy to see more of Alex and Sandra!!!
The suspense plot is perfectly integrated, important but never making us forget the love story. It’s brilliantly orchastred, thrilling and captivating.
Bonus : Gabriel is perfect! (and his family is awesome !!!)
“It’s like i see you in infrared – your head and your heart burn bright, and your whole heat signature draws me like a moth to a flame”.
—> TBR !
My first book by April White, and I’m completely in love with it. Wow. I did not want to stop reading, the adventures of Shane and Gabriel, felt like I was part of the team! I want to be friends with Shane so bad!!! April White
I LOVED this book! It had the perfect amount of romance & mystery! I loved how we got to see Shane & Gabriel both learn to open up and share their pasts. Also, I just really loved Shane & Gabriel. They’re so different! And their pasts made them so freaking STRONG! This book was a wonderful slow burn! This couple had to learn to trust each other (in spite of their instant & odd connection)to be able to be open to a relationship! Such an amazing addition to the SmartyPants Romance world!!
PS- That lighthouse scene was HOTTTT!
PSS- Gabriel & Mika = major swooning !!
April White is an exceptional writer! This book drew me in with it’s characters, and their banter. I love that the author brought in social and cultural issues that we see and deal with in everyday life, and it fits in perfectly within the Penny-verse. Smart romance is truly a thing, it makes you think, you learn new things, and that why I love it. Can’t wait to read more by this author!!
This such a fab, smart read with interesting, engaging characters that does this new brand justice!
“The fact that I was wildly attracted to this very random Englishman I knew almost nothing about was the most disconcerting thing of all.”
Shane is a six-foot goddess with a mysterious past and a fortress around her heart and life. She’s fearless, clever and snarky. She keeps people at arm’s length but there’s something about Gabriel Eze that rattles her equilibrium.
“It was the flashing eyes that got me. She hadn’t been afraid, she’d been fierce. Fierce women fascinated me.”
Gabriel is nothing short of a dreamboat! He’s lethal, astute and charming. When his path crosses with Shane’s, he is absolutely fascinated by her. Even though she’s standoffish and skittish, it’s impossible to turn off his attraction to her.
“I crave you. You’re like the air when I’m underwater, or like fire when I’m frostbitten.”
I adored this story! Shane and Gabriel were beautiful together. I loved how much Gabriel respected Shane and gave her room to be the strong woman that she is. I loved watching Shane’s defences come down and let Gabriel into her life and her heart. Some of the scenes were heart-melting and tender, and other scenes were high adrenaline. I loved the cameo characters, and delighted to see old friends in Penny Reid’s original characters. This story had a great mystery/thriller element, as well the gorgeous slow burn of romance. What a fantastic read!
Overall Grade:
Code of Conduct, one of the books of the SmartyPants Romance group, is a story of finding one’s place. Disguised as romantic suspense, this book is a reminder that we all need a place to belong no matter our life situation. In the case of this story, it takes being loved to help the heroine open herself up to the possibilities of what it means to live.
Shane is a private investigator tasked with helping spouses confirm their spouses are cheating on them. One night, she meets with a man who is cheating and transfers money from a hidden account to his wife’s account. Unbeknownst to Shane, one of the best security firms, Cipher Security, is protecting this man. Alerted to her transfer, a Cipher Security team shows up to investigate, and Shane notices one of the men, Gabriel. She is drawn to him, in the same way, he is drawn to her. Ensuring she escapes, she leaves into the night. However, Shane is drawn to Gabriel and places herself in his way. On finding out that the wife has disappeared, Gabriel encourages Shane to work with him to investigate the wife’s disappearance and the shady dealings of the husband. As the two scrutinize the case together, they grow closer and more rooted in their attraction to each other. When Shane’s life becomes endangered, Gabriel does everything to keep her safe. But as the two grow closer, the more Shane wants to push Gabriel away. Will Gabriel and Shane discover the betrayal behind the husband’s dealings, and will Shane lower her guard to make room for Gabriel in her solitary life?
If you don’t know, Code of Conduct is one of Penny Reid’s SmartyPants Romance books. This is the third book of this group that I’ve read, and what I love thus far with these books is their social consciousness. Code of Conduct is no different. Wrapped up in a burgeoning, fiery romance is a message, an important one. Our heroine, Shane, is an amputee. She loses her leg in an accident, and it changes her identity. In many ways, she’s incredibly independent, trying on various “legs” to suit her needs. In other ways, her injury acts to keep people at bay. Losing her leg is one of her many traumas, and White shows us through the characterization of Shane how people sometimes empower themselves in ways that distance themselves from others. Sparky, the inventor of her many legs, tells her she needs to let people into her life because she has spent her post-amputee life, distancing herself from others. She doesn’t seek help because living alone is more comfortable. Unfortunately, as White shows us, it also keeps us complacent, never seeking adventure. White crafts Shane in a way where we get a real sense of her before the various traumas in her life. It’s easy to see she has stopped truly living until Gabriel comes into her life. It’s a reality check that we should look to our own lives to determine if we, too, are keeping people at “arm’s length,” effectively stagnating our lives in the pursuit of comfort and ease.
There are also messages in this book about pre-judgment. As an amputee, Shane talks about how people often can only see her loss: “people didn’t usually see me. They saw my face and my height if any prosthetic was out of sight, or they saw the fake leg and only the fake leg if it wasn’t.” White also illustrates this through Gabriel. He’s a black man, albeit one who wears beautiful suits and has a British accent. Yet, throughout the story, we see him struggle against the societal judgment of black men. One such incident occurs the night that Shane is threatened, and her life is endangered. Instead of the police handling the situation correctly, they focus their attention on Gabriel, the one who had saved Shane from danger simply because he is a black man, and the villain of this tale is a white man. Again, in this instance, White shows us the difficulty of people looking beyond the outer package. It causes others to unfairly judge people based on a loss of limb or more melanin in one’s skin. And it’s an important message for readers to consider.
As our hero, Gabriel is dreamy. From the outset, I loved him. He’s caring, sensitive, and masculine. These qualities are not mutually exclusive in this story. We find out quickly that he has been raised in a mostly female household. This has given him a sensitivity and respect for women while offering him a place to develop the skill of protection. And we see this is a balancing act in this story. White creates a tense moment between Shane and Gabriel when he fails to find the balance between caring and masculinity. At that moment, White is placing a magnifying glass on how masculinity usurps feminine strength. It’s another moment of reflection in this story. As she does so well with the other messages of her book, White offers a solution to it, one that remedies the tension between our hero and heroine.
Together, Gabriel and Shane are modern-day hero/heroine magic. With her internal strength, Shane challenges Gabriel and his expectations of women, while Gabriel challenges Shane to open her heart to others. To borrow from the movie, Jerry Maquire, they “complete” each other in ways that are mature and heady in our world of social messages. While I’ve spent time focusing on White’s messages in Code of Conduct, it needs to be said that her messages aren’t heavy-handed. They are woven brilliantly amid Shane and Gabriel’s romance and the suspense of this story.
Nonetheless, adding the depth of these messages to her romance gives it an essential place in romance. I think this is what I love the best about it. Yes, it’s easy to see the brilliance of an amputee heroine with the strength of personality to take down the bad guy. It sets Shane apart from your average romantic heroine.
It’s April White’s insistence on focusing us on greater social ills in Code of Conduct that make it a worthy read, a necessary one. This book is deep; it’s wrapped in a package of a comfortable, suspense-filled romantic story. But it’s anything but that. I love what Penny Reid and authors such as April White are doing with the SmartyPants Romance books. They are giving us “smart” romance, romance that uses typical romance tropes to challenge our thinking about life. If your romance manna is romantic suspense, then you need Shane and Gabriel’s story in your Kindle Library. You’ll thank me in the end.
I am a huge fan of Penny Reid, so when the Smartypants Romance line was announced, I was really excited, but a little apprehensive. I should have known that our fearless leader of the KITC and GV worlds would make sure that all of the published books due justice to the world that she created and deliver a top-notch fan experience.
Code of Conduct takes place in the Cipher Security part of the KITC world – Quinn’s area of expertise. April White delivered a romance that is mixed with mystery and intrigue. The female lead, Shane, is our PI. I love that the female lead is a strong woman in a role that is typically reserved for men. And although Shane is an amputee, she is shown as strong and determined and it is well-depicted. Her leading man, Gabriel, is a new employee at Cipher Security and he is attracted to Shane from minute one. April White describes their chemistry so well it’s practically jumping off
the pages.
This is one of those books that you should not start reading at 8 pm or later because it means you won’t sleep at all because you won’t want to put it down. It’s true to the publishing name and Penny Reid’s vision – it’s a smart romance. Plus there are cameos from some of our favorite KITC characters, but the book definitely stands alone if you haven’t read those books yet (trust me, you want to read those books!).
This is my first book from April White, and I’m glad to have a new author to add to my collection of smart, sharp authors that write great books.
I’m a first time reader of April White and I don’t think I could have picked a better book for my first outing. Aside the intrigue of the project, I was very much won over by my enjoyment of her writing and wit.
Code of Conduct a story of espionage, suspense and romance, all wonderfully tied together by two kick ass leading characters.
Gabriel is a security expert for Cipher Security and his path crosses with Our Heroine Shane as they both are investigating a mutual person of interest. There is no reason for them to trust one another but in order to find the answers they are both looking for they have no choice but to combine forces.
Working alongside Gabriel requires trust, which is difficult for Shane. From the outset we are privy to how much and how far she goes to protect her identity. Collaborating with Gabriel and Cipher Security requires a leap of faith, and what’s scarier than the jump is just how much she wants Gabriel to catch her.
Shane was a special character in a number of ways. Her disability did not impede her in the least. In fact, she was superhuman in her strength, intelligence and resources she used in her role as a PI. Gabriel’s sweet and nurturing side was a great compliment to Shane’s toughness. As well as all the on screen action, I couldn’t keep my eyes off of these two.
Shane is as unique as her many legs, as tall as the tallest supermodels and as secretive as they come. She holds all her cards to her vest, so deep you will have to pry them out. Which is exactly what Gabriel wants to do. From the first moment her saw the stunning woman outside the restaurant he had thought of nothing else. Obsessed comes to mind! Shane kind of feels the same about the tall, dark, mysterious Brit that seems to pop up everywhere. But she does kind of have enough on her plate, what with the wife who stiffed her bill and the husband who is more than a little pissed off and is gunning for her. The job was supposed to be easy, in and out. She certainly got a lot more than she bargained for, with the job and the man. Suspenseful. Intense attraction. A lot of beloved characters pop in and I enjoyed every minute of it!
***5 ‘I Find Ridiculous Amounts of Comfort in Proof-of-Life Emojis’ Stars***
This was an awesome read!
Great slow burn romance goodness, amazing characters and an interesting little mystery that brought them all together and kept me turning the pages until the very end.
I ADORED Shane and Gabriel…and I kinda want to be Shane when I grow up. I loved the way her mind worked and how she was equal parts strong and vulnerable on the outside and inside. Gabriel is all kinds of goodness. Observant, compassionate and determined. When these two first collided there was no doubt that there would be more going on between them, because sparks flew. I loved their bantering and how much they truly respected each other. The slow burn worked real well for me because both have their own demons riding them and they needed the time to learn to trust the other, but regardless of the things they didn’t say, I loved how they communicated with each other and where they were at in the end.
This is my first read by the author and I thoroughly enjoyed getting lost in her words. I will also admit that this is my first experience with the crew at Cipher Security *shrugs and points at the extremely long TBR list* but it wasn’t an issue (though I do feel the need to attempt to get the books higher up on the list now) If you’ve read the Knitting in the City series you will have a great time catching up with everyone, if you haven’t you’ll be like me and be intrigued enough to want to dive into it. The mystery aspect of the story was well woven in and I enjoyed watching it unravel and find out just what the heck was going on. Overall, this was a fun read and I’m definitely looking forward to hanging out more with this cast of characters as the series progresses!
~ Copy provided by Social Butterfly PR & voluntarily reviewed ~
Shane is in the business of finding cheater and keeping to herself. Her latest case has her bumping into Gabriel. Gabriel is instantly captivated by the beautiful woman leaving the Cafe. These two soon find themselves working together. Now can Gabriel convince the gun shy Shane he is the real deal?
So much fun getting more from Dan, Alex, Quinn, Sandra and Fiona! Such an added bonus!
Everything you expect in a romance, and a few things you never knew you wanted.
Shane is a private investigator who is tough and smart enough to hang out with hard-boiled legends like Philip Marlow and Sam Spade. But she’s independent enough not to let them treat her like the damsels in distress they preferred. That independence gets a big challenge when Shane meets Gabriel, one of the agents tasked with guarding the assets of Shane’s latest client’s husband. Shane has to deal with an attraction she doesn’t understand and work alongside Gabriel to try to track down her client and to hide from the vindictive husband.
White’s writing crackles with life. It’s steamy and hot in all the right places, and laugh out loud funny in many others that may catch you off guard. You can tell that even the background characters lead rich and vibrant lives and see how these lives intersect with and influence the main characters. An absolute must-read that will brighten any mood, no matter how high or low you are feeling.
I loved this engaging book, and I highly recommend it. I was very excited to read this Smartypants Romance book based in Penny Reid’s Cipher Security world, because I loved the characters and world Penny Reid created. I was also intrigued because I had read April White’s Marking Time, and enjoyed it so much that I looked forward to reading more of her work. I was intrigued because the setting for Marking Time was so different than the Cipher world.
I was not disappointed. April White did an amazing job of expanding the Cipher Security world that Penny Reid had created. She created not one, but two, wonderfully diverse characters, then let us slowly get to know and love them over the course of this book. Her main characters, Shane and Gabriel, while both determined and independent, had experienced trauma in their pasts. Even though they were immediately drawn to each other, their mutual histories resulted in a reluctance to commit, especially on Shane’s part, creating a wonderful slow burn romance. I loved watching Gabriel and Shane interact with Penny Reid’s many characters from her Knitting in the City series. April White’s secondary characters were also well-written, resulting in my curiosity to learn more about them. The story was easy and fun to read.
I hope to read more stories in April White’s Cipher World, especially her new characters.
What a fantastic read. Shane and Gabriel leap off the page and their attraction sizzles. This story has great characters, and intriguing plot and a wonder dog. When you find the one that gives you “falling kisses” you know you have found your mate.