A Bookish Escape: Blog Tour: Code Red by Amy Noelle

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Code Red
By: Amy Noelle
Published: April 11, 2013
The Writer's Coffee Shop
Source: Publisher

GR's Summary:

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?

The story begins with a college girl Nicole Magette, being devastated when she catches her boyfriend in such a state, that she comes to the realization that he was cheating on her. To make matters worse, he tells he that she can share him, and they can still have fun together. Nicole is devastated, as is the girl that he was cheating on Nicole with, Mandy, because she also thought that he was her boyfriend. This seals Nicole, and Mandy's friendship, along with Mandy's roommate, Ashley, Nicole's roommate, and best friend Jen, and Nicole's other friend Kim. The five girls become inseparable, and develop a close-knit friendship from this point on. Nicole was so heart broken by being cheated on by her two-timing boyfriend (or more actually, she finds out that he was cheating on her with half of the girls in the dorm,) that she develops a way to never get fooled or heart broken by another guy ever again. "So what does this Code Red entail? Kim asked. I grinned. Finally, a good question. Simple. It's a support system. Any time one of us encounters a guy who's dangerous, one who could tempt us and make us forget what jerks they are, we call in the others for reinforcement, who will come running and make sure we don't give in to temptation." (EARC LOC. 86) Years later, three of the friends are married, and all that are still single is Nicole, and Jen. Nicole believes that she is happy living alone, with her two cats, her vibrator that she lovingly refers to as, "BOB" and her frequent one night stands. However, fate has a way of changing things when the gorgeous, charming, flirty, and fun Josh Daniels enters the picture. He comes into her life when he is needed to collaborate with Nicole on a work project, and the two are set sharing a small office space day after day. Nicole immediately calls a "Code Red," because she knows that she is in over her head, and could get hurt, and get her heart broken with the amazing full package Josh represents!

I loved Code Red. It was an entertaining and fast-paced read. I loved the fun dynamic between the 5 best girl friends, thought their conversations were hilarious, authentic, and reminded me of how me and my girlfriends act, and talk when we get together. I also loved the chemistry between Nicole and Josh. They were fun, flirty, and very playful with one another. The "Code Red," really never had a chance, because Josh was the amazing full-package. He had the looks, personality, intelligence, humor, ambition, was playful, and cherished Nicole by treating her like a Queen. I fell in love with Josh, and I think that all of the ladies that read "Code Red," will fall in love with him too! I enjoyed how Nicole wasn't the cliche' naive, pure, virgin, that got seduced by the bad boy. She was sexually experienced, independent, ambitious, self-sufficient, and intelligent. Nicole didn't need a man in her life, and she was a good looking, and independent woman. Men were attracted to her, she just didn't want to get her heart broken again, so she had a huge wall up in order to protect herself.

I recommend Code Read, for a fun, light, fast-paced, feel good read! If you are a fan of Alyssa Rose Ivy's, Clayton Falls Series, than Code Red is a great read for you! It doesn't have a bunch of angst or drama, but it also doesn't need it! You will be entertained, laughing, consumed with the delicious Josh, and swept away in the great story! I can't believe that this is Amy Noelle's first novel. Most debuts that I have read this year have not impressed me, with the exception of The Collector, by Victoria Scott. Code Red was a pleasant surprise! I especially loved how well Amy Noelle incorporated humor into her story! I can't remember the last time a book really made me laugh, and made me have so much fun connecting to the secondary characters! Read this one! It's a great read, and I'm so excited to add another author to my reading list!

I give Code Red, by Amy Noelle a Fun, Flirty, and Fab 4 Stars!!! This was an excellent debut novel, that had my attention from start to finish! If you love New Adult Contemporary Romance, that includes lots of laughs, close-knit friendships, and a swoon-worthy male lead that will melt all of your defenses, and take your heart hostage right along with the main character, then Code Red is the perfect choice for a light, and feel good bookish escape!

"I wasn't going to waste my tears on him. Or on any man. Not ever. Love was just a fairy tale and I hated fairy tales." (EARC LOC. 66)

"Oh, no, was he trying to get away from me and I was holding on to him like a little kid with an ice cream cone? Then again, I did want to lick him." (EARC LOC. 283)

"You can invite me in when you invite me all the way in. He smiled. Good night Nicole." (EARC LOC. 2147)

"That's as far as he got before I kissed the hell out of him right in the middle of the street. He laughed breathlessly when we broke apart. What was that for? For being my knight in shinning armor. For being the sexiest guy I've ever laid eyes on, and for making me feel amazing right after someone else made me feel like sh*t." (EARC LOC. 2361)

"He sucked on my earlobe. I know, but I wanted this. He moved his hand over my heart. I wanted more. And you're finally giving it to me, aren't you?" (EARC LOC. 2521)

INTERVIEW QUESTIONS:

How old were you when you first started writing, and what or who inspired you to begin your writing journey?

I feel like I've always gravitated to writing. English was always a favorite in school and I got a degree in Journalism so that shows my love for the written word. But I didn't really start writing for pleasure until 6 years ago or so. I started a blog where I jotted down thoughts on TV shows and sports, primarily, and from there I got into fanfiction and started trying my hand at creative writing nearly 4 years ago. I haven't looked back since.

Where is your favorite place to write? How often do you write?

Either on my couch in the recliner with a bottle of water by my side, with the TV on as background noise, or on my bed with the laptop on a pillow on my lap. I write every Saturday and Sunday and some weekdays depending on my mood after the day job.

Are any of your characters in Code Red based on someone you currently know or have met?

I'd say that several of the characters have bits and pieces of people I've known mixed in, but none are an exact duplicate. I wish my characters were real though!

What is most important to you in your life?

Family is #1, always. I'm lucky that my brother got married this summer to a wonderful woman who has two great kids, making me an instant auntie. I see them once a week at least and it's really great.

What are your top 5 goals for 2013?

To complete my second novel, which is nearly done so I think I'll cover that one! To get on a diet and exercise plan and stick to it (way harder than writing). A dream would be to have my book hit the best seller's list, but I won't call that a goal per se, nothing I can do about that but hope you all like it and it has that magic that some books do. To add to one of my fanfics and write another. And hopefully to start book #3, gotta figure out what I want to do there though.

What are some of your interests/ hobbies?

Reading and writing, of course. Football is my passion, I'm a sports nut really, but football is my number one. TV and movie junkie. I love animals, the beach, thunderstorms, 80's music (tho I listen to lots from today too). I'm a sucker for jewelry too.

Who are some of your favorite authors, and favorite books written by them?

Oh wow, so many! Old school Stephen King, Patricia Cornwell, Iris Johansen, JD Robb. Favorites? I love the whole In Death series by Robb, the first five or so Scarpetta books by Cornwell, the Eve Duncan series by Johansen. My favorite Stephen King is probably The Stand, but I used to devour all of them.

What were some of your inspirations behind the writing of Code Red?

Honestly, I just woke up with a voice in my head one day that became Nicole's. She seemed like such a fun character that I had to bring her to life.

Did you have a version of "Code Red" in college?

No, but I wish I had! I tended to just hide from guys that I needed to avoid, rather than call in reinforcements! Though I do remember my roommate changing our answering machine to say that whomever the guy was that was calling me every night leaving drunk messages, we didn't know who he was so he needed to leave a name and number. Not surprisingly, he failed to do so. I guess he was offended that I forgot him. Oops!

Do you have any information or teasers you'd like to share with your fans?

Just that I think they'll have fun with Nic, Josh and their friends. At least that's what I was shooting for and hope I achieved.

WHICH DO YOU PREFER?

Coffee or Tea?
Neither. I'm one of those weirdos that can't stand either one. Water for me!

Sweet, Sour or Salty?
Sweet, all the way.

Mountains or Beach?
Beach, but if someone wanted to take me on a mountain getaway, I wouldn't say no!

Bookstore or Library?
Bookstore

Mac or PC?
PC

eBook or Printed copy?
Printed copy, though my bookshelves say eBook please!

SHORT ANSWER:

Out of all of the places you have visited, which is your favorite? Why?

It's still Southern California for me. I lived there for four years as a kid and there's never been any place better. The beaches, the weather, Disney, the people were all so chilled out and relaxed where we were...I loved it. Also, no humidity. I live in FL now and yeah...I miss Cali's weather the most!

If you could visit any place in the world, where would you go? Why?

Australia. I've always wanted to go explore Sydney and then the Outback. Of course I ridiculously want to cuddle a koala or a kangaroo, which would probably earn me several wounds, but I can't shake the fantasy.

Best gift you've ever received? Why?

My parents gave me a car when I transferred to an instate school. I think that's probably never going to be topped as far as gifts go! I felt free when I got it, ya know? I had a way to go anywhere anytime I wanted.

Best gift you've ever given? Why?

Tough, I'm a decent gift-giver. I'll say this stuffed lion that I gave to my first boyfriend, though, for Valentine's day. It had a special meaning for us and I thought it was pretty cute.

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Amy Noelle is a thirty-something single woman with two cats, Lily and Logan. Though she contends that she is not a crazy cat lady, she freely admits to being a crazy football fan. You can find her glued to the couch every fall weekend, cheering on her Seminoles and Buccaneers.

After attending Florida State University for two years, she transferred to Northern Illinois University and graduated in 1997 with degrees in Journalism and Political Science.

She was born in the Azores Islands, Portugal, and lived as a military brat from the west coast to the east coast of the United States, though she's found her permanent home in Tampa, Florida, for the last decade. Besides football and writing, her other loves are television, movies, the beach, thunderstorms, and her family and friends.

Amy Noelle's: