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gkrebssp's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
albro__'s review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
kate_and_books's review against another edition
5.0
4.5 „Busted“ Stars
First of all I frigging love April White and the fantastic tales that she weaves.
Secondly I love the Cipher Security Series and this here was just as good as the first book in the series.
I have one tinny whinny thing to niggle at but that shall come later.
Anna Collins, bounty hunter, adrenaline junkie and a soon to be a one time thief has a plan to get back a painting that once belonged to her mother. However in the execution of the plan she doesn’t realise that she would meet a Disney prince and that she would beat his system.
When I grow up I want to be Anna, she is strong, loyal, has no filter, an imagination that runs wild and she pretends to be nothing other than herself. Sometimes I didn’t like how she perceived herself but it improved throughout the book. Besides we all have our moments where we doubt ourselves.
Darius Masoud is our Disney prince. He also the security design specialist for Cipher and he has been bested when he is called in to see how the painting was taken. He is not impressed. But he gets more than be bargained for. I liked Darius until he became to black and white and even when he did get his head out of his arse for me it was too little too late. Sorry, mate but you screwed up, be lucky that Anna is more forgiving than I am.
Normally we as readers tend to be more critical of the heroine and the choices that she makes. However I must say that I am far more critical of Hero. Once again not cool Darius.
The connection between these two were instant and they complement one another. The chemistry was off the charts be it the emotional and sexual.
This book has everything that I love in a plot. Suspense, a mystery painting, buried secrets and a bloody hilarious heist involving a dinosaur.
Thank you to Ms. White and Smartypants for this wonderful, delightful and uplifting read.
Read it, you won’t regret it.
First of all I frigging love April White and the fantastic tales that she weaves.
Secondly I love the Cipher Security Series and this here was just as good as the first book in the series.
I have one tinny whinny thing to niggle at but that shall come later.
Anna Collins, bounty hunter, adrenaline junkie and a soon to be a one time thief has a plan to get back a painting that once belonged to her mother. However in the execution of the plan she doesn’t realise that she would meet a Disney prince and that she would beat his system.
When I grow up I want to be Anna, she is strong, loyal, has no filter, an imagination that runs wild and she pretends to be nothing other than herself. Sometimes I didn’t like how she perceived herself but it improved throughout the book. Besides we all have our moments where we doubt ourselves.
Darius Masoud is our Disney prince. He also the security design specialist for Cipher and he has been bested when he is called in to see how the painting was taken. He is not impressed. But he gets more than be bargained for. I liked Darius until he became to black and white and even when he did get his head out of his arse for me it was too little too late. Sorry, mate but you screwed up, be lucky that Anna is more forgiving than I am.
Normally we as readers tend to be more critical of the heroine and the choices that she makes. However I must say that I am far more critical of Hero. Once again not cool Darius.
The connection between these two were instant and they complement one another. The chemistry was off the charts be it the emotional and sexual.
This book has everything that I love in a plot. Suspense, a mystery painting, buried secrets and a bloody hilarious heist involving a dinosaur.
Thank you to Ms. White and Smartypants for this wonderful, delightful and uplifting read.
Read it, you won’t regret it.
smalltownbookmom's review against another edition
4.0
I really, really enjoyed this dual perspective love story between a thief and a security expert. I loved the twin aspect of the story and the strong familial connections that motivated Anna to steal her mother's painting from a rich big-wig. The romance between Anna and Darius, a Middle Eastern man whose reputation is on the line. Steamy open door scenes, a great mystery and family secrets. This book had it all and was great on audio. Worked as a standalone but I can't wait to read the other books in the Cipher Security series. Highly recommended!
labraden's review against another edition
4.0
Anna and Colette Collins are on a mission to get back a painting done by their mother and her sister. It was stolen years ago by Markum Gray and now hangs in the house of his son, Sterling, who uses Cipher for security. Anna and Colette develop a plot that involves being twins to set up an alibi for the time when Anna is stealing the painting. Once they are successful, they discover that there is more to the painting than they originally thought. When Anna becomes involved with the man from Cipher that she calls her Disney prince, Darius Masoud, she puts both herself and her sister in danger. Darius left Iran with his parents and brother when he was a child and now designs security systems for Cipher Security, including the one Anna beat in Sterling Gray's home. Now Darius is determined to find out how his system was defeated and learn more about the woman that he suspects of accomplishing it.
Code of Honor is a good second book in the Cipher Security series. Anna has absolutely no filter, so most things that come out of her mouth are inappropriate and often funny. Her quirky personality and the art heist keep the story from getting too bogged down in Darius and his rules for living a clean life. There isn't much mystery or suspense since we know that Anna stole the painting and why, pretty early on in the book. We don't get much about Darius's background and Anna is so eccentric that it is difficult to connect with the characters or their story. Overall, Code of Honor is a good entry in the Cipher Security series, but doesn't bring a lot of excitement to the table. 3 1/2 stars.
Code of Honor is a good second book in the Cipher Security series. Anna has absolutely no filter, so most things that come out of her mouth are inappropriate and often funny. Her quirky personality and the art heist keep the story from getting too bogged down in Darius and his rules for living a clean life. There isn't much mystery or suspense since we know that Anna stole the painting and why, pretty early on in the book. We don't get much about Darius's background and Anna is so eccentric that it is difficult to connect with the characters or their story. Overall, Code of Honor is a good entry in the Cipher Security series, but doesn't bring a lot of excitement to the table. 3 1/2 stars.
erikoreads's review against another edition
2.0
I don’t know, there was just something… off about this book, I didn’t like it as much as Book 1 of the series.
profromance's review against another edition
5.0
Overall Grade: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Anyone who has, for any length of time, read romance knows that not all romances are created equal. What does that mean? You can read the same trope (enemies-to-lovers tends to be my favorite) by any number of writers, and their voices will be so distinct that you can fall in love with any of them (or the opposite). I am currently obsessed with April White. To be fair, I have just finished reading a second novel by her, Code of Honor, her second SmartyPants Romance book, and I can’t seem to get her writing (and this book) out of my mind. I found her with Code of Conduct, her first book in the SmartyPants Romance world. Her booklist looks fairly small, and honestly, I didn’t rush to read it after reading Code of Conduct. Mostly, that has more to do with my constant reading of ARCs. It isn’t that I didn’t want to read her booklist; I simply find myself indulged in other authors’ ARCs at the moment. Yet, after reading Code of Honor, I’m dying to get my hands on her other books. Like Code of Conduct, this book bowled me over. It would be easy to say that it has everything to do with the story and its connection to Penny Reid’s Cipher Security connection. Who doesn’t want to return to the Knitting in the City folks? Honestly, though, it isn’t that. It’s April White’s prowess at writing romance. Truly. I found myself most intrigued by her story development, prose, and heroine than the connection to the Penny Reid universe. Let me explain further…
It’s hard for me to try and elaborate on this next point without using words that cannot relay my meaning. I’m going to try, so bear with me. This book, according to Amazon, is 337 pages. That’s a good-sized book; I’m not sure how that equates out to total words. Why am I talking about this? Because April White’s story reads deep, “filled in,” so to speak. It reads as though there are so many words that swim on the page, and it’s glorious. Her details woo-ed me. I kept thinking wow…the level of research she did on this story is impressive. What’s more impressive is how seamless her research and details add to the gravity and depth of her story. I’ve recently read stories where the details overwhelmed, where there should have been revision, to bring back the levity of the story. With White’s Code of Honor, these details place you more firmly in Darius and Anna’s story. The story blooms under White’s control, and I was hooked from the first page. I remember feeling the exact same way with her first book in this series, Code of Conduct: so many details, so well-researched, and impressively developed that it pulls the reader into the depths of it. When you buy this book, you’re purchasing something weighted and refined. It is quite a remarkable read.
Add to this depth of soul in her book, April White’s prose. I will get to Anna, White’s heroine in this story, next. However, the words of this story, the way that White strings words into sentences and sentences into paragraphs is impressive. I left this note in my ARC: “April White’s prose is exciting. There are so many witticisms and oddities that it entertains beyond the story.” White’s ability to craft story and character while integrating little facts from history and art compels you through her romance. These words find themselves spoken in the voice of her heroine, Anna, which is probably my favorite part of Code of Honor.
The true beauty of April White’s writing is her ability to create heroines who are created from their own mold that seems broken afterward. I felt these same thoughts during Code of Conduct with her craftsmanship of Shane. White writes heroines who own their idiosyncrasies and originality. Anna isn’t like most people. In fact, if you’ve read Penny Reid’s Knitting in the City series, you know Janie, Quinn’s wife. Like Janie, Anna speaks her thoughts without a filter. She oftentimes begrudges herself of this habit, but it’s these actions that bring the humor and levity to the story which is underpinned by suspense. Additionally, Anna challenges Darius through this habit of unfiltered thinking. Anna doesn’t apologize for herself. It is this truth that is Anna’s power as the heroine. It also sets up the major conflict of the story and White’s play on the idea of honor. In this story, honor is defined in different ways between Anna and Darius, just as “conduct” finds re-definition in White’s first book in the series. Through Anna, we are challenged to consider the gray lines of honor. For Darius, honor is black and white; while for Anna, honor can be re-defined given the situation. As Anna “teaches” Darius this truth, these two struggle. Yet, it’s Anna’s sense of self that eventually bridges their conflict. I cared so much more for Anna as the heroine than Darius because White gives her dimensions in a way that Darius doesn’t quite have. And I loved this. I loved that the heroine was much more interesting than the hero; that, while she tends towards verbal diarrhea of the mouth, she speaks the most truth; that she seems more astute than our hero. I’m not one to pit the hero against the heroine, but Anna represents the feminism of this book, just as Shane did in Code of Conduct. It is Anna’s characterization that illustrates April White’s true genius: the ability to craft interesting, compelling heroines.
You do not need to have read Penny Reid’s universe of books to read a SmartyPants Romance book. You see its colors when you have, but these SmaryPants authors create their own spaces and find their own fans. I had not read April White prior to this series, and I am thankful to the powers that be behind SmartyPants Romance for including her. White is a writer who manufactures her own compelling world of romance that entraps you in her tales. Code of Honor is no different. Anna and Darius’s romantic journey is one full of intrigue, chemistry, hilarity, and happy endings. Through them, April White demonstrates that opposites can attract and find their compromise as they live lives filled with immense love and passion.
Anyone who has, for any length of time, read romance knows that not all romances are created equal. What does that mean? You can read the same trope (enemies-to-lovers tends to be my favorite) by any number of writers, and their voices will be so distinct that you can fall in love with any of them (or the opposite). I am currently obsessed with April White. To be fair, I have just finished reading a second novel by her, Code of Honor, her second SmartyPants Romance book, and I can’t seem to get her writing (and this book) out of my mind. I found her with Code of Conduct, her first book in the SmartyPants Romance world. Her booklist looks fairly small, and honestly, I didn’t rush to read it after reading Code of Conduct. Mostly, that has more to do with my constant reading of ARCs. It isn’t that I didn’t want to read her booklist; I simply find myself indulged in other authors’ ARCs at the moment. Yet, after reading Code of Honor, I’m dying to get my hands on her other books. Like Code of Conduct, this book bowled me over. It would be easy to say that it has everything to do with the story and its connection to Penny Reid’s Cipher Security connection. Who doesn’t want to return to the Knitting in the City folks? Honestly, though, it isn’t that. It’s April White’s prowess at writing romance. Truly. I found myself most intrigued by her story development, prose, and heroine than the connection to the Penny Reid universe. Let me explain further…
It’s hard for me to try and elaborate on this next point without using words that cannot relay my meaning. I’m going to try, so bear with me. This book, according to Amazon, is 337 pages. That’s a good-sized book; I’m not sure how that equates out to total words. Why am I talking about this? Because April White’s story reads deep, “filled in,” so to speak. It reads as though there are so many words that swim on the page, and it’s glorious. Her details woo-ed me. I kept thinking wow…the level of research she did on this story is impressive. What’s more impressive is how seamless her research and details add to the gravity and depth of her story. I’ve recently read stories where the details overwhelmed, where there should have been revision, to bring back the levity of the story. With White’s Code of Honor, these details place you more firmly in Darius and Anna’s story. The story blooms under White’s control, and I was hooked from the first page. I remember feeling the exact same way with her first book in this series, Code of Conduct: so many details, so well-researched, and impressively developed that it pulls the reader into the depths of it. When you buy this book, you’re purchasing something weighted and refined. It is quite a remarkable read.
Add to this depth of soul in her book, April White’s prose. I will get to Anna, White’s heroine in this story, next. However, the words of this story, the way that White strings words into sentences and sentences into paragraphs is impressive. I left this note in my ARC: “April White’s prose is exciting. There are so many witticisms and oddities that it entertains beyond the story.” White’s ability to craft story and character while integrating little facts from history and art compels you through her romance. These words find themselves spoken in the voice of her heroine, Anna, which is probably my favorite part of Code of Honor.
The true beauty of April White’s writing is her ability to create heroines who are created from their own mold that seems broken afterward. I felt these same thoughts during Code of Conduct with her craftsmanship of Shane. White writes heroines who own their idiosyncrasies and originality. Anna isn’t like most people. In fact, if you’ve read Penny Reid’s Knitting in the City series, you know Janie, Quinn’s wife. Like Janie, Anna speaks her thoughts without a filter. She oftentimes begrudges herself of this habit, but it’s these actions that bring the humor and levity to the story which is underpinned by suspense. Additionally, Anna challenges Darius through this habit of unfiltered thinking. Anna doesn’t apologize for herself. It is this truth that is Anna’s power as the heroine. It also sets up the major conflict of the story and White’s play on the idea of honor. In this story, honor is defined in different ways between Anna and Darius, just as “conduct” finds re-definition in White’s first book in the series. Through Anna, we are challenged to consider the gray lines of honor. For Darius, honor is black and white; while for Anna, honor can be re-defined given the situation. As Anna “teaches” Darius this truth, these two struggle. Yet, it’s Anna’s sense of self that eventually bridges their conflict. I cared so much more for Anna as the heroine than Darius because White gives her dimensions in a way that Darius doesn’t quite have. And I loved this. I loved that the heroine was much more interesting than the hero; that, while she tends towards verbal diarrhea of the mouth, she speaks the most truth; that she seems more astute than our hero. I’m not one to pit the hero against the heroine, but Anna represents the feminism of this book, just as Shane did in Code of Conduct. It is Anna’s characterization that illustrates April White’s true genius: the ability to craft interesting, compelling heroines.
You do not need to have read Penny Reid’s universe of books to read a SmartyPants Romance book. You see its colors when you have, but these SmaryPants authors create their own spaces and find their own fans. I had not read April White prior to this series, and I am thankful to the powers that be behind SmartyPants Romance for including her. White is a writer who manufactures her own compelling world of romance that entraps you in her tales. Code of Honor is no different. Anna and Darius’s romantic journey is one full of intrigue, chemistry, hilarity, and happy endings. Through them, April White demonstrates that opposites can attract and find their compromise as they live lives filled with immense love and passion.