White Heat (Department 6 Novel)

Rachel knows that things are definitely not going her way. As a strong operative for Department 6, a private security firm, she is used to going undercover to expose scary and dangerous situations. What she doesn't need is to have to pretend that Nate Ferrentino is her husband. She already regrets that she `showed her hand' to Nate in regards to her attraction to him last year, and now still has to work with him. Nate and Rachel have been dispatched as a married couple a little down on their luck to the town of Paradise, Arizona. There, they are going to try and infiltrate the Church of the Covenant, a cult people seem to be disappearing from. The Church also is suspected in handing out other brutal punishments, suck as trying to stone a woman to death. Can they stop the leader of the Church of the Covenant, or will their disguise unravel? Also will Nate see Rachel in a different light during this assignment? Brenda Novak has a strong offering in White Heat for her new series. She is able to meld a budding relationship as well as the effects of a cult expertly into one novel. It is scary to see how easy it would be for some people to be drawn into a lifestyle like that portrayed in The Church of the Covenant. If you are looking for a good book for the beach White Heat will fit the bill, unless you are supposed to be paying attention to something else, as it will pull you in from the start. Tanya Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

It was a horrible experience that jump-started New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Brenda Novak's career-- she caught her daycare teacher drugging her children to get them to sleep. Deciding she needed to work from home, she penned her first novel, and has been a sensation ever since. Other titles include: Trust Me, Watch Me, Stop Me, Dead Silence, Dead Giveaway, Dead Right, The Perfect Couple, The Perfect Murder, and The Perfect Liar. She also heads an annual fundraiser for diabetes research every May. Brenda resides in Sacramento, California with her husband and five children. A dangerous and elusive cult has taken over the ghost town of Paradise, Arizona. Members worship at the feet, and bed, of their leader, Ethan Wycliff. But a woman has escaped, relaying a horrid ordeal of what really goes on inside their gates, worse than what anyone can fathom. Now, another woman has gone missing. A private security contractor known as Department 6 has been assigned to infiltrate the cult and bring them down. Nate Ferrentino and Rachel Jessop aren't too happy about this mission, especially because their shared history could put a wedge in plans or expose them to further danger. Posing as a married couple is their only shot at stopping the madness before more people die. And as more secrets are revealed, it seems as if Rachel might be next. This is book one in this new series, with Body Heat coming in September, and Killer Heat in October of this year. There are many things to love about Brenda Novak's writing-- her characters are always fresh, the danger real, the plot well-paced, the romance hot, the setting ideal, and the action gripping. But what I love most is that readers are inside the heads of the "bad guys" as often as the "good guys." It makes for a well-balanced compelling read, and, at times, feeling for the villains. Setting this book in a desert ghost town couldn't have been more perfect, as it gives the reader a real sense of isolation and aloneness needed for this plot. I also bow down to the stellar array of secondary characters which made this all the more a page-turner. Lastly, though the lead characters were strong, Rachel isn't a hard-core heroine, nor Nate a dominant A-typical hero. A must read book to what's proving to be a must read series! Kelly Moran Author of SUMMER'S ROAD, and Reviewer for Bookpleasures

Several college students from wealthy families formed The Church of the Covenant. Over the years their little sect has grown until there are two hundred members in the flock. Ethan Wycliff is the Holy One leader with twelve Spiritual Guides. The unholy thirteen use their flock for sex and drugs. They are also righteous murderers defending what they believe is their divine right. The Department 6 private security firm assigns Rachel Jessop and her supervisor Nate Ferrentino to go undercover as a married couple in order to infiltrate and expose this deadly cult. The pair, who shared a one night stand both never forgot, travels to Paradise, Arizona home of the Church of the Covenant with Rachel as a weak person seeking solace and Nate as her skeptical husband. This is a fascinating romantic suspense thriller with its intimate look at the Cult's activities especially sexual dominance and torture in the name of the Lord. Nate is euphoric with the assignment because he wanted a second to the nth trysts with the woman who seduced him that one time. On the other hand Rachel is much more complex, but too much so; she remains humiliated by what she did that one time and the Cult brings back better forgotten childhood memories of a strict by the bible rod using father. Readers will enjoy this glimpse into how few charismatic nasties can dictate in every sense over those in need desperate to belong to anyone. Harriet Klausner

Tendrils of barely contained tension fight to escape the pages as Novak--an expert in romantic suspense--introduces readers to her newest trilogy in "White Heat". Building on the delicate balance of pressure, the layers seem to effortlessly slide into place creating the intricate balance required for excellence in suspense. The stage is set as Rachel Jessop and Nate Ferrentino--private security contractors with Department 6--receive their risky assignment. Tasked with infiltrating a secretive and remote religious cult where one escapee claims to have been stoned and another is missing, the clear drawback for both is that they must go undercover as husband and wife. With their intimate past, the proposal is almost physically painful. With limited communication to the outside world, Paradise, Arizona is the ideal base of operations for the Church of the Covenant and its imposing leader, Ethan Wycliff. Leading his sheep of more than two hundred strong, his charismatic convictions coupled with sharp good looks have allowed him to present himself as the messiah and his followers don't dare question him. No deviance is out of bounds as long as the Alpha and Omega has commanded. Not fully prepared, Nate and Rachel don't realize that they are soon slated for the highest honor in Ethan's twisted world. Infusing her creation with distinctive characters and a nail biting plot, Novak's "White Heat" is flawless and easily a Best of 2010 contender. Reviewed by Suspense Magazine [...]

I loved the slow, intense buildup of the relationship between lead characters, Nate Ferrentino and Rachel Jessop in Brenda Novak, novel, White Heat...that's out TODAY! It is also the first in a new trilogy, with the next two books coming out in the next two months! Cool scheduling, Brenda! All I have to say is that Rachel Jessop has a lot of guts--to be able to face Nate Ferrentino after what she did and work with him on a special assignment for Department 6, a private security contractor. Like the fool that women can be, Rachel loved Nate and thought it was reciprocated...so she made plans to meet him one night--in his bed... Men! That's all I'm going to say about Nate, even if he is gorgeous and not as bad as it sounds from Rachel's point of view... Nate had been assigned the task of going undercover among members of a cult, which was considered dangerous. It wasn't too much different than many such groups--you know, lots of orders to be obeyed blindly and lots of sex, especially for the leader, Ethan Wycliff. Wycliff had formed the Church of the Covenant, one who taught that the world was coming to an end and if you wanted to be movin' on with the approximately 200 at the appropriate time, you had to be branded... on the forehead... The group had been formed during college days and meant to be a joke so that all the no-nos of religion could be permitted, including drugs for instance. But then word spread, and the power that comes along for a leader was, perhaps, the most addictive for Wycliff. So after college, he set out to find a place for his group to continue and had bought an old ghost town--Paradise, Arizona. The problem was that there was at least one of the original group dead, supposedly in an accident. And, now it had been reported that a woman was almost killed when she was stoned! Another young girl had disappeared and her parents were sure she had been involved with the cult... Nate was ready to move in, but the group only accepted married couples, thus Rachel was assigned as Nate's partner, over both of their objections! It was fun to watch these two as they began to "play house" as a couple. Nate found an old trailer for them to live in, along with the lack of electricity, running water, and a wonderful "outhouse." In fact, moving into Paradise would seem like a dream... Of course, Wycliff was quite taken with Rachel and interested in her more so than Nate...so, an argument was staged and Rachel went into the town on her own! Readers will enjoy how Nate reacts, even getting several people from the outside town community involved! But no way around it...Nate was jealous of the "wife" he had to live with. OK, Rachel got a little steamed once in awhile too! What they found there was unbelievable! Action, romantic suspense at its hottest! White Heat sizzles with white heat between Nate and Rachel while the black heat in the hearts of Wycliff and his leaders will keep readers up all night if necessary to find out how the