Inside

Wow She did it again

Great book could not put it down Can't wait for the next one to come out. Keep up the good work Thank you Brenda

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

This Bulletproof suspense novel is an action-packed tale

Virgil Skinner spent fourteen years in California's Pelican Bay Maximum Security Prison for a murder he did not commit. While behind bars he joined the ruthless gang The Crew in order to survive. His former gang mates warn Skinner to watch his step outside as they will come after his family if he points a finger at them.

Meanwhile California Department of Corrections needs someone to go inside undercover to penetrate the Hell's Fury gang that runs Pelican Bay and has allegedly killed officials including a judge on the outside. The authorities select Virgil who knows how to act as a convict and has the scars to prove it. Only Deputy Warden Peyton Adams objects, but is overruled. Virgil acquiesces to returning to hell only if his sister and her kids are placed in the witness protection program. As they work together, Peyton and Virgil fall for one another but both understand the mission and the risk.

This Bulletproof suspense novel is an action-packed tale that grips readers throughout the exhilarating story line. The cast is solid especially the lead protagonists. However, the key to what makes this a superb thriller is that the romance is secondary to the undercover prison scenario. Although the concept of a tough guy going undercover in a prison is not new (see Steven Seagal in Half Past Dead), none are as strong as Virgil inside hell with seemingly only administration help.

Harriet Klausner

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Fantastic Read

The stakes are high. To protect his family, Virgil makes a deal with the cops to help bring down a dangerous gang. He has everything to lose, and nothing to gain. He knows very well the dangers of this operation, and that he could very well not come out of this alive. He's got one shot to get this right.

Enter Peyton Adams, a stubborn, strong willed woman -- and the chief deputy Warden. Her first reaction to Virgil wasn't a good one, though she can't figure out her attraction to the ex-con, either. Though innocent, the man spent the adult part of his life behind bars and in a gang. It wasn't right to want to be with him. And he knew exactly how to push her buttons, but at the same time, she managed to push his buttons as well. Now Peyton has to keep this man safe and come out of this alive. He has a sister and two kids who need him, and in time, Peyton realizes she needs Virgil, too. The sexual tension sizzles between the two and I couldn't wait to see how Peyton and Virgil were going to react to the feelings they had for one another. How would they make this work, if they choose to accept what their heart felt?

Virgil doesn't want to have feelings for Peyton. He's got a job to do. He has Laurel and the kids to think about. Trying to get out of a gang isn't going to be easy, especially when he has information that the dangerous men don't want the police knowing. Turning his back on people that he's been around for years, despite the fact that they aren't all good people, will put many lives in jeopardy. Who can he trust? Who's on the inside?

Full of intense emotion, suspense and action, Brenda Novak delivers another suspense novel that shines. The characters in her stories are always full of surprises and you can't help but love the good guys and hate the bad guys. With plenty of twists in the plot, I was fully engaged in this book. There are even a few surprises that I never expected.

If you like a romance with plenty of suspense, heroes that would do anything to protect those they love, a strong-minded heroine that can fend for herself, and a happily ever after despite the odds stacked agaist them, then get on the inside with this story.

Originally posted at The Long and Short of It Romance Reviews

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Wow.

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 household sensation ever since. Other titles include: Trust Me, Watch Me, Stop Me, Dead Silence, Dead Giveaway, Dead Right, The Perfect Couple, The Perfect Murder, The Perfect Liar, and Mother, Please. She also heads an annual fundraiser for diabetes research every May. Brenda resides in Sacramento, California with her husband and five children.

This is book one in the Bulletproof trilogy, with In Seconds and In Close coming later this year. Though part of a trilogy, these are stand alone reads.

Virgil Skinner served fourteen years for a murder he didn't commit, but now, he's going back in. The California Department of Corrections needs someone to infiltrate a gang that's taking control of its most notorious supermax. He has no choice but to help. The gang he joined in order to survive prison the first time is threatening his only family-- his sister and her two kids. Authorities offer to protect them, so if he doesn't do it, they'll be dead. Chief Deputy Warden Peyton Adams is not happy about her superiors plans to bring Virgil in her prison. Though something has to be done about the gang, this reeks of failure. Failure that could kill the man she's suddenly having feelings for. A man who has already suffered enough.

Just when I thought Brenda Novak couldn't get any better, she does. This book breaks ground on a premise that is beyond unique. I wondered how she was going to pull this off in a romantic suspense, but she did, and made it plausible. The amount of detail and research it took to write a book about being "inside" must have been staggering. I'm left haunted and pained by prison life after reading this. The conflict was impenetrable, the romance hot, and the characters' stories heart-breaking. This isn't highly recommended, it's a must read!

Kelly Moran,
author of Summer's Road.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Highly Recommend

This is a terrific book I loved the trilogy.

Cannot open

Just bought this and cannot open it.

Sooo Hoot!!!

Very good read, totally recommend n its so worth it!

A blockbuster, heat um up summer must read

Vrigil Skinner spent 14 yrs in prison for a crime he didn't commit, now thanks to the efforts of his sister he's out but far from free because to survive "INSIDE" you need more than determination, you need friends but they come with a high price in prison, they come with a gang tag and Virgil entwined himself with one of the most notorious The Crew. Now that he's out his ex-brothers think he's going to turn on them so they want to get him and all those he loves before he gets them. The Feds want to get the lowdown on another gang so they send Virgil undercover to flush out the truth by infiltrating the gang, his reward he and his family will go into WITSEC, the witness protection program.
Deputy Warden Peyton Adams has a very personal reason for choosing her career path and she gives it her whole heart, so when she learns that the Feds want to put a plant inside she fears for his safety but ultimately agrees to using him. They only have a few days to prepare, but what they weren't prepared for was the way they feel about each other and it's more than just lust. Now Virgil has more incentive to stay alive and Peyton to keep him that way, but the odds are stacked against them in love and in living.
Brenda Novak is an awesome mom, a champion of causes and an award winning author and in this first of her Bulletproof trilogy with In Seconds coming in September and In Close coming in October you'll see why. Inside is a runaway train that won't let you breath until it finally comes in for a smooth landing at the end of a treacherous trail. You get amazing good guys masquerading as bad guys, you get bad guys wearing white hats and pretty soon you don't know who to trust, well trust your heart. Her dialogue keeps the frenzy going and your heart beating double time while the narrative shows you despicable crimes and heartwarming romance. The characters are incredibly true to life, depicted so accurately that you can see the gang tattoos, feel the sea breeze in your face and feel the heat in the presence of our hero and heroine. The romance is doomed from the start, but that doesn't stop these two from wanting what they know they shouldn't, do they get it, for that you'll have to read yourself. The love scenes are as explosive as it gets and yet you can feel the innocence in the Virgil character and the tenderness in Peyton towards him. It's just a have to have it now read.

Amazing as always

All of Novaks books are awesome. Great romantic suspense. Could not put down! Can not wait for next book in series.

Page turr Page turner

Could not put this book down thank u brenda i give this book 10 stars

nook needs to be a little quicker

Really upset that I can buy this in my kindle now, but not until July 1st on my 259 dollar nook color!

0 out of 5 people found this review helpful.

Will draw readers in and keep them perched precariously on the edge of their seats

A new concept is born as bestselling author Brenda Novak writes the words that will have millions of fans once again clamoring for this title - the first in the new Bulletproof trilogy. The heroine, Peyton Adams, is a Deputy Warden at a maximum security prison in California called Pelican Bay. In this first offering, Virgil Skinner has been released from prison after serving fourteen years for a murder he did not commit. While in prison, he became a member of a gang referred to as, 'The Crew,' just so he would be able to survive the horrific place. However, when Virgil is finally set free, he soon finds that he can't get away from the gang he joined; they are like the proverbial albatross around his neck. Members of 'The Crew' will commit all sorts of mayhem, including harming his sister and her children to keep Virgil from divulging all that he knows about the gang and their activities. Enter The California Department of Corrections, who need someone to go inside the Pelican Bay Prison and join up with another gang called, 'Hell's Fury,' who have slowly taken over the state's most notorious prison and are responsible for the killing of a judge. Through various events that include Warden Fischer and our heroine, Deputy Warden Peyton Adams, and members of the Department of Corrections, Virgil is soon picked to be the 'mole' that's necessary to solve this problem. Of course, if Virgil is put into the high security prison, Peyton knows that it will be next to impossible to protect him, and she doesn't want him harmed on her watch. But Virgil is ready and he certainly looks the part. With bruises and scars that speak of many brutal battles, and the tattoos of love and hate on his knuckles, his appearance already screams out...CONVICT! As you might expect, Peyton is voted down and Virgil goes into the prison under an assumed name (Simeon Bennett) in exchange for witness protection for himself and his sister. Peyton is worried about how she can protect him if he gets himself into trouble. But, the worst part? She also feels an attraction to Virgil that makes her all the more nervous about having him there. Being classified as romantic suspense is a bit odd, seeing as there is far too little romance and far too much testosterone floating around. But, these two people definitely find themselves getting closer, and there are many thrills and chills included along with the prison gang plot. The story is definitely a nail-biting, white knuckle book, that will keep you on your toes until the very last page. Fast-paced and filled with a ton of action sequences, readers will follow closely as Peyton and Virgil attempt to become an odd yet, sensual team. Quill Says: This new trilogy by Brenda Novak - an extremely high-caliber author - will draw readers in and keep them perched precariously on the edge of their seats.

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