Casee‘s review of White Heat
by Brenda Novak.
Nate Ferrentino and Rachel Jessop are operatives for Department 6, a private security company, and they’re going undercover to expose a new and dangerous cult.
This group has taken up residence in the Arizona desert, in a ghost town called Paradise. Members worship at the feet—and in the bed–of its charismatic leader, Ethan Wycliff. On his orders, they tried to stone a woman to death. And they’re implicated in the disappearance of a teenage girl.
To expose the Church of the Covenant, with its arcane rituals and debauched practices, Nate and Rachel must pretend to be married. That’s the only way they can get in—but being Nate’s “wife” is the last thing Rachel wants. She and Nate have a one-night history that’s just an embarrassment to her now. But they don’t have a choice. Wycliff has to be stopped.
I love Brenda Novak. I started reading her when she was still writing Harlequin’s. Her first few romance suspense books didn’t impress me, but I’ve always liked her writing style. Sticking with her was a good choice. She is now an auto-buy author for me. The characters she writes are simply amazing. Some of the things that they have gone through and still must go through makes you want to keep reading.
This is the first book in her new Dept. 6 Hired Gun series. It’s a weird name. Quite a mouthful. The book opens when Nate Ferrentino tells Rachel Jessop that they are going undercover together to bring down a cult that call themselves the Church of the Covenant. The plan is to go in as husband and wife, which is the very last thing that Rachel wants. After a night six months ago where Rachel offered Nate everything of herself and was consequently rejected, the last thing she wants to do is pretend to be married to Nate.
Nate hasn’t forgotten the night that Rachel surprised him by showing up naked in his bed. When she declared her love for him, it spooked Nate like nothing else could. Since then, Rachel has played it cool with him and Nate has played along. Going undercover as a married couple means that he can’t pretend nothing happened nor can he deny that he still thinks about that night with Rachel.
Rachel grew up in a religious cult that her father ran. She left when she was seventeen and never looked back. Growing up the way she did changed her perception of everything. Thanks to her father, Rachel has virtually no life experience. Maybe if she did, she wouldn’t have blurted out her feelings of lurve to Nate.
The cult. Holy Mother. I felt like I was inside the walls, that’s how well it was written. There were sex, drugs, praying, and sacrificing. Ethan Wycliff has a magnetism about him that Rachel can see the moment she lays eyes on him. Even all of her hang-ups with religion can’ t stop her from responding to Ethan. It’s only when she’s removed from him that she can see what a manipulative man he is.
They first go in to find a missing girl that went into the compound and was never seen again. By the end, they’re looking for three missing women. Rachel has to get inside the walls without Nate, who hates the idea of Rachel anywhere near Ethan Wycliff. Nate tries to tell himself that he would feel the same about any operative going in, but he knows it’s not the truth. After living with Rachel and being in close contact with her for days, he knows that he feels more than friendship for her. By the time Nate realizes how he feels about Rachel, it might be too late.
Getting into the mind of Ethan Wycliff really made this book better than it would have been without his pov. I found his lack of compassion and narcissism hard to stomach, but it was undeniable that he had absolute power over the entire cult. It really was chilling.
Read it.
4.25 out of 5.
This book is available from Mira. You can buy it here
The series:
We are giving away two copies of White Heat. Leave a comment here telling us your favorite romantic suspense storyline!
I don’t have a single favorite, but nobody does romantic suspense better than Linda Howard.
Hello,
My favorite storyline is usually reunited lovers / a couple that has a past together. Show No Mercy by Cindy Gerard comes to mind, which is cool because the author introduced the characters in a previous book and then used that history to create their own book. I actually really like the sub-plot of this book, when the couple has to go undercover and pretend to be married. I’m a big romantic suspense fan, so I’m usually open to most themes. Some of my fave authors are: Suz Brockmann, Cindy Gerard, Christy Reece, Pamela Clare and Laura Griffin.
Handsome Body Guard watching over the heroine.
Helen L.
Hero trying to get heroine out of jungle away from the bad guys.
My previous comment on other post was stupid – how can you hide in a desert – I guess I was thinking on an island or jungle. DUH.
I dont really have a specific favorite storyline. The protection ones are the most common that I have read though. I really love the genre though so Ill pick up almost anything in it.
I like a romantic suspense where the heroine is in law enforcement.
Well, as long as the story is written well anything really would work for me. However, i love law enforcement/detective heroes. Well even military. WTH as long as its written well most storylines are okay with me.
I don’t have a favorite–I enjoy them all.
I like the ones where everyday people are confronted by things like stalkers that threaten their family or their lives and they find themselves on the front lines battling alone because no one else other than the H/h believes them.
Well-written characters are key for me; lots of storylines will work. Off-hand, I like when the main characters have a previous relationship–as friends, ex-lovers, family acquaintences, etc.
I like romantic suspense set in the west with a hot cowboy
msboatgal at aol.com
hmmm i like a lot of the diff suspenses scenarios?
some of my favs that come to mind are the stalker/killer types, the Criminal Minds/CSI types… and the undercover ones.
Pam S
pams00@aol.com
great review casee! i was interested in reading this book because it’s a reunion romance but you got me more excited for it. it sounds like a fantastic suspense/detective story.
I don’t really have a favorite….Though stalkers always creep me out!
I love detective heroes, and anything with law involve and a touch of mysteries and romance in that 🙂
my favorite storyline is… it is… argh, I don’t know – I love them all (ok, some I like more than others) but I’ve no favorite one… but I’ve favorite authors like Cindy Gerard and Christy Reece 🙂
greetings, Ina
My favorite storyline is long-lost lovers who reunite after awhile with a good mystery and romance.