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My Review:Title: Code of Ethics
Author: April White
Series: Cipher Security #3
Published by: Smartypants Romance
Release Date: September 21, 2021
Format: eARC
Pages: 472
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Romantic Suspense
Source: Smartypants Romance
Reading Challenges: Lenoreo's 2021 COYER Summer, Lenoreo's 2021 Diversity Reading Challenge
Find it: Goodreads ✩ Amazon ✩ B&N ✩ Google ✩ Kobo ✩ iBooks ✩ IndieBound ✩ Book Depository
My rating:
Blurb:There are three things you need to know about Oliver:
1) He’s a fabulously wealthy playboy who incidentally happens to be a code-writing genius,
2) For maybe the first time in his life, he’s trying to do the right thing, and
3) Someone wants him dead.Oliver’s life has already been saved once by the gorgeous yet grumpy “close protection specialist” provided by Cipher Security, Dallas. She calls him uncooperative. He’d prefer to think of himself as unpredictable and stimulating.
But when an assassin gets way too close for comfort, the party boy is whisked away from the lively city where he’s the social king, to the desolate Yukon wilderness where Dallas is a master of survival (and grumpiness). Living wild and isolated reveals several illuminating truths, and suddenly they both find themselves in uncharted territory where grumpy can be sexy, sarcasm might be hot, capable is definitely dangerous, and trust is the strongest survival skill of all.
Code of Ethics is book #3 in the Cipher Security Series. It is a full-length enemies-to-lovers romantic suspense novel, and can be read as a standalone.
I received a free copy through Smartypants Romance in exchange for an honest and unbiased review/opinion.
4.5 stars — OK, I’m just going to say it. This is my favourite series in the Smartypants Romance Universe. It never lets me down. It always brings so much more than just a romance (which, there’s nothing wrong with romance — I fucking LOVE romance…it’s all I read). But seriously, it introduces me to things from the past, things happening in our world that I haven’t taken the time to find out about. In this case I have basic overview knowledge of Canada’s shame (which I can say, because I’m Canadian), but through Dallas it became personal. And I think I always avoided looking further into details of our horrible past with First Nations because I didn’t want to know details. And while there’s still SO MUCH to learn about all of that, I actually got a deeper dive in the context of this story, and it was just…I just really appreciated that. It’s like, this is the perfect way to get through in my brain — give me a story, give me a character to love and connect with, make it personal.
Wow, that got off on a tangent. Needless to say I want to recommend it to EVERYONE, especially my fellow Canadian peeps.
The thing I found interesting in this particular story in this series (which can be read as a standalone, it’s just enriched as a series) is that I had a harder time connecting to both Dallas and Oliver in the beginning. We ended up seeing their very rough edges at the start…they didn’t give the best first impression. Oliver was a bit douche canoe-y, and Dallas was standoffish and serious. But in some ways, I feel like it makes it that much more satisfying as you slowly get to know them both, and you peel back their layers to see what makes them who they are. They appear so one-dimensional at first, but there’s SO MUCH going on under the surface, for both of them. And I fell in love. With them individually, and them together.
Dallas is the least like me. Like, I don’t think in any universe I would call myself competent and capable and self-sufficient. But I admired that about her. It made sense for her, and she never made others feel less than — it was just who she was. I loved learning about the things in her past, the elements of being First Nations that shaped her, and how much her family influenced her. She had her own roadblocks to mow through, and it was frustrating to watch at times, but it was so satisfying when she started figuring shit out and making the right choices.
Oliver was so complex in so many ways. Like, I’m not sure I can completely describe all his facets. He was made up of a lot of fear, and that manifested in some intriguing ways. But as we learn about his past, it makes sense. He had his own growing to do, and I was proud of him for breaking out of the walls he’d built around himself. He was so sweet and loving in his gooey center. He had a bit of a beta thing going on, and you know I love me a beta boy. Sensitive guys just get to me…especially when they’re atypical.
I was worried I wouldn’t fall in love with them together, because they really rubbed each other the wrong way for a good portion of the first half of this story. But I did. I loved the way they brought out lightness and trust and safety in one another. I definitely felt their chemistry, and I just loved them together.
LOTS of fantastic secondary characters. Like, it was a buffet of good peeps. Of course we get to see all of the cipher security peeps, from our previous 2 couples, to the characters crossing over from the KITC series…and I feel like I love them more in this setting. Which is weird, but whatevs. And then there’s Dallas’s family. Dude, I’m going to need stories for all of them, kthx. Well, especially Reed and Christi. I loved how hilarious and sassy they were, how capable, how loving, how close.
So yeah. Gush gush gush. Whatever. So I love this series, sue me. I am going to need it to continue indefinitely though. I hope that’s not a problem.
I still need to give this series a chance since you have loved it so much. The only one in this world that has worked for me is Karla Sorensen’s baking series. I loved that one.
See, now I’m going to have to see which ones you’ve tried! I only read the first by Karla Sorensen, and I enjoyed it. It’s a lot of hit and miss, that’s for sure, but I’ve found some AMAZING ones.
All of hers are good.