Crystal Blogs Books: Code Red by Amy Noelle & a Blog Tour

Code Red
Author: Amy Noelle
Published: April 2013
Format: eBook
Source: Netgalley

After getting hurt in college by a gorgeous man, Nicole Magette vowed never to risk losing her heart again. Now she lives a structured and satisfying life. Her work is easy, her friends are her family, and the only consistent men in her life are her two cats, Winchester and Huntington Peabody the Third. She doesn't date, and she hooks up only with losers—men she has absolutely no risk of falling for. But if she finds herself in danger, she has her old failsafe in place—the Code Red.

In college, she and her four best friends came up with the system as a way to keep away the good-looking bastards that might worm their way past their carefully constructed walls. Seven years later, three of her friends have succumbed to their last Code Reds and are happily married. Now it’s just Nicole and her closest friend, Jen, who are still on their own, and Nic is just fine with that.

That is, until Joshua Daniels is transferred to Nicole’s office from New York and assigned to work with her on a special project. He's everything she's avoided and everything she claims she doesn't want, so why can’t she get him out of her mind? He's persistent, dangerously handsome, and sexy as sin. In other words, he’s her worst nightmare. She turns to her friends to help her resist Josh’s considerable charms and the inescapable draw she feels every time she gets near him. Can the Code Red save her this time, or will Josh send her perfectly balanced life into chaos?

My Thoughts
Loved it. That's all . . .

Ok, just kidding. Although I really did love this book . . .

The story behind "code red" started with 5 college friends after two of them get burned by the same guy. When one of them thinks they've meets a guy they could fall in love with, that person calls the "code red" and the other 4 comes to her rescue. Well, that is how it is supposed to work. One by one, each of the friends used "code red," but three of them lost the battle . . . they got married. Now with just two of them left, the three happily married friends feel that it is time to ditch the "code red" and settle down. This book is the story of Nicole and Jen, the last two of the friends to succumb to the "Happily Ever After."

There was something about Nicole that I absolutely adored. Its probably because she somewhat reminds me of me in high school. I only wish I had the four friends to bring me to my senses as I fell for the "good-looking bastard" that would eventually break my poor little teenage heart. She's also a pretty dedicated Cardinals fan. Her and Josh at the baseball game . . . hysterical! Nicole is a mixed bag of emotions. Part of her is set in her ways and likes life with her two crazy cats. She's happy with the string of one-night stands with guys she know won't hurt her. The other part of her wants someone to love that'll love her back. Then Josh enters the picture. Yep, Nicole is a goner. Josh is a pretty straight forward character. What you see with him is what you get. He falls for Nicole and pushes her to come out of her shell and give into her feelings. Once she does, the sparks that fly between them and they sizzle.

I loved the relationships Nicole had with her friends and with Josh. Her friends only want what is best for Nicole and they spend the book either pushing her towards Josh or plotting his demise when they think he's broken Nicole's heart. Her relationship with Josh is what drew her heart from behind the brickwall she's built to protect it. He slowly gets to know the true Nicole, while she does the same with Josh, and that blossoms into their love.

I'd have to say that the best part of the book was the banter between all of the characters. None of them were afraid to speak their minds and that led to some late night laughing fits for me. Especially when one of Nicole's friends threaten her to jump Josh because if she didn't, they would. Romance wise, not only do we get Nicole and Josh's story, we also get a glimspe into the beginnings of a romance between Jen and Ryan. They seem perfect for one another and I hope they get their own story.

For a debut novel, Amy Noelle hit it out of the park. I can't wait to see what else she has in store for her readers.

***************

If you came here from Amy's blog tour for her debut novel, Code Red, thank you for stoping by. I hope you liked my review and pick up your own copy. I hope you enjoyed your visit and happy reading!

***************

Author Bio

Amy Noelle is a thirty-something single woman with two cats, Lily and Logan. Though she contends that she is not a crazy cat lady, she freely admits to being a crazy football fan. You can find her glued to the couch every fall weekend, cheering on her Seminoles and Buccaneers.

After attending Florida State University for two years, she transferred to Northern Illinois University and graduated in 1997 with degrees in Journalism and Political Science.

She was born in the Azores Islands, Portugal, and lived as a military brat from the west coast to the east coast of the United States, though she's found her permanent home in Tampa, Florida, for the last decade. Besides football and writing, her other loves are television, movies, the beach, thunderstorms, and her family and friends.

Author Links