Friday, April 19, 2013 | By: Kris Thompson

Code Red by Amy Noelle

When I first heard of Code Red, and what the story entailed, I was very excited to read what I knew was going to be a wonderful story. And let me tell you, it did not disappoint.

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 fail-safe 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?

When Nicole is fighting her feeling for Josh, who incidentally is one of the sexiest characters I have read, her group of friends are the ones that come to the rescue. I think of all her friends my favorite would have to be Mandy. Though their friendship didn’t start off exactly on “normal” terms, the comradery between them is quickly solidified and adds that needed comedic factor to the story.

Two characters that are impossible not to fall in love with are Win and Hunt, Nicole’s feline companions. The way they are written is so well, that the author makes you feel like they are just as important, if not more so than the human ones. It’s almost impossible not to see their personalities and importance in Nicole’s life.

Finally, we arrive to Josh - my favorite of all. As I mentioned before, he is one sexy and patient character. His willingness to fight, but also wait for Nicole, just makes you fall in love with him.

Amy Noelle, has done a fantastic job of bringing us a romance, that we can all relate to.

Happy reading.

(review written by One of Eddie's Girls)











Thursday, April 18, 2013 | By: Kris Thompson

Vacant by Evelyn R. Baldwin

Vacant (Adult Version) is a short novella with a lot going on...


Ethan Parker gets up every day, surviving the only way he knows how—alone. Orphaned as a child and forced into the child welfare system, he knows better than to depend on anyone but himself. He’s learned trust is a word used all too often, but rarely earned. 

Ethan believes that his best chance for maintaining a simple and solitary existence is to live by a simple mantra: Don’t get involved. Keep things simple. Take care of yourself!

When a young woman moves in next door, Ethan is forced to reevaluate his beliefs. He tries to keep his distance, but his new neighbor’s infectious smile and outlook on life leave him struggling with the decision of living the life he knows, or taking a chance on the unexpected.

As Ethan develops a relationship with his new neighbor, Emily, he realizes nothing is simple and learns that life is about more than just surviving… it’s about living.


Baldwin does an incredible job at setting the tone and making you realize that this isn't going to be some happy fluffy bunny story. This novella touches on realistic events, and situations, where you find yourself rooting for the characters throughout the entire process. I liked that it wasn't a story that obsessed with sex, and had a true storyline behind it. It was very well written and quick.

But, with that being said, that was my biggest issue - it was a little too quick. Now I do understand that it is a novella - they're supposed to be quick - but there was a lot of questions that I wish were answered. The novella was also quick paced due to the constant leaps in time. Instead of expanding more into a situation, the author leaped 2 to 10+ years into the future, and then gave brief cliff notes on what happened in that time. I felt the ending was very abrupt, and I was honestly shocked it was left that way. If the author decided to write a full novel on this I probably would have given it 4 1/2 stars (flowers), but with how it is right now I can't help but only give it 3. 





Window by T.M. Franklin

Window may be a short story, but it is a short story that I recommend everyone should read. 

Chloe Blake has a unique gift, an odd connection to her house that results in glimpses of the past, present, and future via the picture window in her living room. Unfortunately, it’s a gift that sometimes proves to be more of a curse. Especially when she tries to help out Ethan Reynolds, the gorgeous boy who lives across the street – an endeavor that, for some reason, always seems to backfire.


Or leave her covered in mud.


But the house is convinced Ethan’s life is in danger and Chloe’s the only one who can save him. The problem is, he thinks she’s more than a little crazy.

From the beginning to the end I found myself absolutely in love with Chloe and could relate with her on so many levels. It has been ::cough:: many years since I've been in school, but I felt myself slipping into Chloe's friendships, excitements, crushes, and fears with ease. T.M. Franklin has done a marvelous job, in a short period of time, drawing in the reader and taking them on a gripping ride filled with mystery, hope, suspense, and laughter. I can't wait for all my friends to finish reading this story so we can all talk about it together. And for some of you who have daughters between the ages 13 to 18, I genuinely think they'd love this story.