Review & Giveaway: Changing the Rules by Catherine Bybee

Changing the Rules (Richter #1) by Catherine Bybee

Publication Date: March 23th 2021 by Montlake

Pages: 335

Rating: ★★★★

Source: Publisher

Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads 

My Thoughts:

Cooper and Claire work for the same security agency, but Cooper left the States six years ago to work for the European branch when he couldn’t get over his attraction to her.  With Claire just eighteen at the time, and Cooper six (?) years older, his attraction didn’t seem appropriate. Now he’s back and they’re both assigned to go undercover and investigate the disappearances of high school girls in a suspected trafficking ring.  Claire poses as a high school senior and Cooper as a coach.

Soon Cooper realizes the attraction he felt for Claire has only intensified, but this time there’s nothing holding him back. Could Claire feel the same about him?

Changing the Rules was easy to get into and entertaining all the way through. At first Claire’s reaction to finding out why Cooper left originally was so juvenile I had to roll my eyes, but she got called out on her ridiculousness quickly and thankfully snapped out of it. I appreciated that the drama came more from the mystery of the case and the dangerous situation Claire and Cooper are in than from their romance. Being undercover does limit the time they can spend together, but that just amped up the sexual tension between them, and I enjoyed every minute!

Richter is a spinoff from Catherine Bybee’s First Wives series, mainly the last book, Say It Again. Sasha and AJ together and both working for MacBain Security System as well, and it was a treat “seeing” them together. Sasha’s still a fun badass character! I look forward to the next book, A Thin Disguise, which features Olivia, a character I don’t remember from the previous series, but her role in this story has me intrigued. 

4 Stars

The lovely people at Montlake have generously provided A Paperback Copy of Changing the Rules to giveaway to one lucky reader! The giveaway is open to US Residents only. Fill out the rafflecopter for a chance to win. Good luck!

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About the book:

As an employee of MacBain Security and Solutions, Claire Kelly can certainly hold her own. Armed with an impressive set of covert skills, she’s more than prepared to tackle any job that comes her way…except one involving Cooper Lockman.

Cooper and Claire used to work together before his feelings for her sent him packing to Europe for six long years. But now he’s back and determined to ignore the still-smoldering heat that lingers between them.

Their current mission: go undercover together at a California high school to root out the mastermind behind a prostitution ring targeting young girls. The closer they get to the truth and the closer they get to each other, however, the deadlier their task becomes. As Claire and Cooper risk their lives to bring down their target, will their hearts be the final casualties?