Code of Ethics: An Enemies to Lovers Romantic Suspense

Written from a dual POV, this tale had a multiple-layered, slowly paced, and complex plot with uniquely complicated characters, heaping helpings of angst, peril, and a lot of inner dialog and conflict while building to a slow-burn romance. The storylines were intricately woven around the nucleus of a thorny and dangerous threat to a new client with tentacles that spread into family drama, predatory tracking, facial recognition hacking and fraud, and survivalist training and living off the grid in the frozen Canadian Yukon territory. It was an interesting twist to use the female main character as the protector and trained survivalist, although I initially found her difficult to fully appreciate, as she was rather rigid, emotionally distant and a cold fish. However, once her background was revealed I was greatly impressed by the author’s thoughtful and perceptive character building. I adored her family yet I was outraged to learn of the past and present discriminatory practices and arrogant attitudes toward Canada’s indigenous tribes, which is as shameful as what occurred and continues to proliferate in the USA towards our own. Then I thought about the similar horrors that occurred in India, Australia, Africa, etc. The arrogance of the British Empire has a lot to answer for.

Dallas is a Close Protection Specialist (bodyguard to you and me) at Cipher Security, a former Yukon tracker she now spends her free time in Chicago trailing people for fun. One night she is trailing a hipster in a ridiculous Canada Goose bomber jacket that probably cost $1,000 when she realises he is being trailed by someone else, a Russian guy who tries to rob him. Our hipster turns out to be Oliver, a potential new client of Cipher Security, who has developed various face-recognition/swap software programs which he has sold for millions. He is developing a program that will expose fake footage (eg where someone's face has been spliced over someone else's body) but someone is trying to stop him from selling the program, by any means necessary. Oliver has got by in life by charming everyone, he's always the nicest guy in the room, heck he'd flirt with a mop if there was no-one else there, but for some reason his charm doesn't work on Dallas and for some reason he doesn't feel the need to try. Can Dallas keep this fake charmer alive? I have to be honest at first I thought Dallas was a bit odd, trailing people around the city for no good reason, but she certainly won me over. I also loved that protecting Oliver didn't mean wearing a slinky dress and high heels to a cocktail party but taking Oliver out to her family's compound in the Yukon, complete with communal outhouse (which BTW I found hysterical) and an irascible grandfather. Overall, I really enjoyed this addition to the series, enough to start re-reading the previous two.

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 freaking 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 stuff 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.