A high stakes mission to uncover a seedy crime… two talented people with a past working to achieve a shared goal… and an unexpected but undeniable love that flares between them while they seek to unveil the truth. Changing the Rules is the first book of Catherine Bybee’s new Richter series; an action-packed romantic suspense novel that intertwines the adrenaline of a crime thriller with the passion of an unlikely romance. Prepare to be enthralled in the mystery and invested in the love story!
Claire Kelly is a fiercely strong young woman, an expert in arms training and hand-to-hand combat—as a result of her military-style high school career in Germany. Now, in California, she’s working for MacBain Security Solutions and craves the adrenaline of high-risk situations; something she doesn’t experience quite enough while working security detail for rich cocktail parties. All of that changes, however, when Cooper, a previous love interest, returns to the team after six years in Europe.
After Cooper had spent his time away trying to forget his feelings for Claire, the fire between them returns hotter than ever when the two are given a shared assignment. They are to infiltrate a local high school involved in human trafficking and expose the leader of an operation that recruits young girls into prostitution. As they go undercover and draw nearer to the truth, they also grow closer to one another. Tender feelings are revealed as the sensitive situation they’re investigating begins to unravel. And, the secrets that they’re determined to uncover put them in as much danger as their own vulnerable hearts.
Changing the Rules is more than just a romance. There’s flirtation and the fire of lust, but Bybee doesn’t shy away from harsh realities and true subjects. Human trafficking is a precarious thing to balance atop romantic tension, but Bybee does so masterfully. She tastefully tackles writing about highly sensitive material, and she takes the time to reach into every character’s backstory for a richer understanding of their relationships.
Fans of Bybee’s work will be pleased to see that the Richter series is devoted to Claire; a character that also appeared in Say it Again, the conclusion of Bybee’s First Wives series. Changing the Rules embellishes on what was revealed for Claire’s backstory in Say it Again, connecting the two series with a graceful hand.
Catherine Bybee is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author. She has written over thirty books in a wide variety of subgenres for readers of varying interests. Her collection includes women’s fiction, historical and paranormal romance, and now romantic suspense. Her books have also been translated into more than a dozen languages, and have sold more than 5.5 million copies.
Raised in Washington State, Bybee moved to Southern California with aspirations to become a movie star. She later changed tracks and became a registered nurse. Now, she writes full-time, adding the Richter series to her long list of works. Her other series include the Not Quite series, the Weekday Brides series, the Most Likely To series, and the First Wives series.
This first installment of the Richter series is available for purchase on Amazon, or for free on Kindle Unlimited.