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    White Heat
    White Heat
    White Heat
    Audiobook11 hours

    White Heat

    Written by Brenda Novak

    Narrated by Cris Dukehart

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    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.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBrilliance Audio
    Release dateNov 27, 2012
    ISBN9781469230566
    White Heat
    Author

    Brenda Novak

    New York Times bestselling author Brenda Novak has written over 60 novels. An eight-time Rita nominee, she's won The National Reader's Choice, The Bookseller's Best and other awards. She runs Brenda Novak for the Cure, a charity that has raised more than $2.5 million for diabetes research (her youngest son has this disease). She considers herself lucky to be a mother of five and married to the love of her life. www.brendanovak.com

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    Reviews for White Heat

    4/5

    59 ratings6 reviews

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    • 4/5
      From My Book Review Blog, Rundpinne:"Undercover agents and a charismatic Ivy League cult leader blend to make White Heat by Brenda Novak, a thrillingly suspenseful first novel in Novak’s new “Heat” trilogy. Novak’s trilogy is being sold in three consecutive months which is rather a delightful change from the typical long waits between books. Body Heat will be released in September and the last novel in the trilogy, Killer Heat, will be released in October. White Heat takes place in Paradise, Arizona, where a dangerous cult run by Ivy League graduate Ethan Wycliff has already grown to 200 plus members. Nate Ferrentino and Rachel Jessop, both part of Department 6, a private security agency, must go undercover as a married couple to infiltrate the cult, unfortunately the history between Ferrentino and Jessop make this a very difficult assignment for them. Novak pens a masterful book, filled with complex emotions and a suspenseful plot. Wycliff’s characters are well thought out, strong, and resilient and while the book moves at a slower pace than other suspense novels I have read, this by no means a dull book; rather it is an intense read. I thoroughly enjoyed reading White Heat and look forward to reading Body Heat in September and Killer Heat in October. I highly recommend White Heat, Brenda Novak’s first book in the Heat trilogy to anyone who enjoys an excellent suspense novel."
    • 3/5
      White Heat
      3 Stars

      Similar premise to Cheyenne McCray's Chosen Prey although the balance between the romance and suspense is slightly off.

      The cult and its leader are suitably creepy and depraved but the only reason they pose a threat is because Nate and Rachel are so woefully unprepared for their assignment. The lack of background on Department 6 and its operatives, the wobbly professionalism of the undercover agents and the heroine's somewhat TSTL actions all undermine the promise of the plot.

      Nate and Rachel's romance is also weak. They have intense chemistry but it remains unfulfilled as they are constantly at each others' throats and their love scenes fizzle out completely. Nate's reasons for initially rejecting Rachel are never sufficiently explained and his transition from holding her at arms length to accepting that he loves her is sudden and lacking foundation.

      This is my first Brenda Novak and it was entertaining enough to continue with the series.
    • 4/5
      Brenda Novak is one of the best writers of romantic suspense that I have read. Her plot lines are believable and have detail that other writers miss. I had read this book in paperback when it first came out but have purchased for my Kindle & decided to re-read it.

      Department 6 is a secretive security agency. This is book 1 in the series and involves a religious cult. Rachel & Nate infiltrate the cult as a married couple to try to find out what all the cult is involved in. This detail on the cult & their practices was well thought out. While Rachel & Nate were forced to stay close together, their chemistry went off the charts.

      Once I picked this book up again, I couldn't stop until I was done. The twists & turns keep you guessing & the romance keeps you hoping they will find a way to stay together. Loved it!
    • 4/5
      Well I ended up really enjoying this one and now I can't wait to read the next one in the trilogy! I enjoyed Brenda's mix of romance and suspense very much but I'll say that there was MORE suspense/thriller to it than romance. It was good though, because there was a ton of tension building between the two main characters which made you want to keep reading. I liked the story line a lot! I've always found cult behavior quite interesting so this book kept my mind racing. Overall, I had no complaints about this one and breathed a sigh of relief at the end since I was so "nervous" for the characters LOL! I can't wait to read the next one!
    • 3/5
      A somewhat disappointing outing from the usually solid Novak. Rachel and Nate are members of a private security firm, sent to investigate a shady cult that has set up shop in a remote corner of Arizona. An unfortunate sexual encounter early in their professional relationship makes their current undercover assignment posing as a married couple quite fraught. And the cult is even worse than imagined.A minor point, but it's pretty obvious that Brenda Novak has never spent any time in a desert. Unlike more humid places, they cool off fast at night. And sweat dries much too fast to roll down one's face.Add half a star if you're not thoroughly bored with evil-cult plots.
    • 4/5
      Brenda Novak isn't kidding with this book. Ethan Wycliff is the dazzling religious leader of the Church of the Covenant which has raised suspicious all over town after the attempted stoning of one of their women – for sleeping with her husband. Another young woman has gone missing and her parents aren't leaving the Covenanters alone until they find her.In steps Department 6 – a group of retired special forces men and women, police officers, and investigators, where both Rachel and Nate work. Rachel has a massive crush on Nate and they've never had to work the same case because of it. And Nate isn't as indifferent to Rachel as he has lead her to believe. Oh, did I mention that Nate is Rachel's boss?They immediately travel to Paradise, AZ, an isolated town in the middle of the desert, where the cult is located and Rachel is brought into the cult. The danger is that this group believes in both drugs and indiscriminate sex, and Rachel may have to participate in both in order to fit in.The people in this cult are C-R-A-Z-Y. I don't know how this book could have been written any better. The descriptions are realistic, the twists and turns are amazing and never what you'd guess, and the way the leaders of the cult are able to attract members just blows my mind. Seriously – there are group out there just like this one, and they have got to prey on some weakness in a person's life in order to assert so much control over them.Consider that the cult was formed by some frat brothers, on a whim, while in the woods one day, and it now has about 200 followers all living inside the compound and following their rules and laws. And that they believe that this is the way to get to heaven. And that they sleep around – because it's sanctioned by God. This is a doozy!BUT, the best part is the on-again off-again relationship between Nate and Rachel. Nate isn't ready for a relationship after the way his last one ended, and Rachel is so over Nate that it doesn't bother her a bit that they're living as man and wife. Or so she says. White Heat was released today, July 27th, and is the first book in the trilogy. Body Heat will be released in September. And Killer Heat will be released in October. I can't wait to read the next two books.