Review and Giveaway: White Heat by Brenda Novak

First line: “This guy is dangerous?”

From the back cover: A dangerous cult has recently taken over the desert ghost town of Paradise, Arizona. Members worship at the feet- and in the bed – of its charismatic leader, Ethan Wycliff, and obey his orders blindly. They’ve already tried to murder one woman and they’re implicated in the disappearance of another.

Nate Ferrentino, who works for private security contractor Department 6, has been assigned to infiltrate this group. It’s a challenge he welcomes – until he learns that colleague Rachel Jessop will be going undercover with him. Thanks to their shared history, he’d much rather go alone…

The problem is, only married couples can participate in cult rituals. So, like it or not – and they don’t – Rachel and Nate must pretend to be husband and wife. There’s no choice. Because if Wycliff isn’t exposed, if he isn’t stopped, more people will die. And Rachel might be one of them.

My thoughts: This is the first of Brenda Novak’s new Heat trilogy, to be released July 27th, which all revolve around Department 6, a private security company. In White Heat, we have a gripping romantic thriller with a twist. Nate and Rachel are operatives for Department 6 and they’re going undercover to expose a new and dangerous cult. The problem is that they have to pose as a married couple – even though a past one-night stand hangs between them. What’s interesting about Brenda Novak’s writing is that she allows readers into not only the good guys’ heads, but also the bad guys. We are able to see what Ethan is thinking and how he came to be who he is. It really makes for a well-balanced read, where at times you actually sympathize with the bad guys. This action-packed read will keep you on the edge of your seat, not only to see what will happen to this cult and all the followers, but also to see if Nate and Rachel can get past that one night and move on, and whether they will move on together or separately. I enjoyed this book and look forward to reading the rest of the trilogy, Body Heat, which comes out in August and Killer Heat, which comes out in September.

About the author:  Brenda readily admits that it took her five years to teach herself to write and finish her first book when she decided to become a novelist.  “I learned how to write by reading what others have written.  The best advice for any would-be author:  read, read, read….,” says Novak.

Brenda sold her first book, and the rest is history.  She’s hit various national bestseller lists, including Borders/Waldenbooks and The New York Times, and many of her novels have won or placed in contests such as the National Reader’s Choice and the Bookseller’s Best.

Brenda and her husband, Ted, live in Sacramento and are the proud parents of five children—three girls and two boys. Brenda also runs an annual fund-raiser for diabetes research, dedicated to her youngest son, Thad, who has the disease. 

Thank you to the author for sending me this book to review – I thoroughly enjoyed it!

GIVEAWAY RULES:

Brenda Novak has provided a great giveaway for readers of this blog: an autographed copy of White Heat, a lip gloss made especially for the release of this book, also called White Heat, and a cute tote to store it all in.

Rules:

• US  or Canada only
• No PO Boxes please
• Must include email address to enter
• Book, lip gloss,and tote will be mailed out by the author

To enter (required entry):  Leave me a comment letting me know why you want to win White Heat. Please include your e-mail address in your comment, so that I have a way to contact you if you win. No e-mail= no entry!

• Bonus Entry (+1)  Become a follower of this blog on Google Friend Connect. Please leave me a separate comment letting me know that you follow. Current followers are eligible as well – just leave a separate comment letting me know that you already do! Not a separate entry = no entry!

Thanks to everyone for entering! Good luck!

GIVEAWAY ENDS

AT 6 PM, EST, AUGUST 4th