Overall I enjoyed this book. It was a fun take on 21 Jump Street (and they even make a joke about it in the book) with Claire, Cooper and other members of their team going undercover in a high school to find out who is involved in a prostitution ring. I loved the idea of the book and overall, the execution was done well.

The romance was a bit slow though. Cooper really liked Claire years ago but she was only 18 so he left without telling her why. They meet again when he comes back to her team. Well, now she is older so he doesn’t feel bad about wanting her. But can he get over her hurt? I thought that the romance just dragged a bit and was secondary to the mystery. Overall, an enjoyable story and thanks to NetGalley for an early read.

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. Claire and Cooper are on a mission to stop a prostitution ring at a high school. Claire hasn't seen Cooper for six years. I enjoyed the chemistry between Claire and Cooper. This book was well written.

I have read quite a few books by Catherine Bybee and they always leave me feeling warm and satisfied.
This one was no exception! Loved it! It was the perfect summer time (here in Australia) read

Bybee brings back the MacBain Security and Solutions team focusing on the relationship between Claire and Cooper. It was fun catching up with all at MacBain Security. The story adds a new member to the team, Manuel. Perhaps we will see more of him in book two of the new series.

Changing the rules involves high school girls being maneuvered into sex trafficking. Who is feeding the girls into the network? Who is in charge? Team members go undercover at two high schools to find the answers. This is a totally satisfying read.

I am a huge fan of Catherine Bybee. This latest installment with Claire and Cooper as leads did not disappoint. This is an excellent series with many strong personalities and characters. It is rare that an author can cross series successfully, but Bybee never disappoints. Bravo!

What a start to a new series! I have been reading Catherine Bybee for years and I have to say I haven’t read anything like this by her before. I loved going on Claire & Cooper’s journey and finding it to be an adventure unlike others I have taken before.

I can’t see what will happen next in this series!

I voluntarily reviewed this book.

I was given this book to read by NetGalley. Really enjoyed this book, I read it all in one sitting. Catherine Bybee has a nice easy flow. She is a must read!

Changing the Rules by Catherine Bybee a thrilling four-star read. This is number one in the Richter series, but honestly, I felt like I was coming in halfway at the start, that’s why I gave it four-stars as the rest was all five-star reading. Claire really steps up to the plate and plays it so well, she clearly has a past that she can play to her benefit, and I wouldn’t want anything to be in her place, playing a teen and being in high school again, no thank you. This will have you guessing and wondering who is the real baddie, and who is the saviour? It will keep you hooked until the end.

In the first book in this new series by perennially wonderful Catherine Bybee, faces from past books come together to weed out and dismantle a teen prostitution ring.
Claire Kelly, one of MacBain Security and Solutions youngest operatives, a survivor of the Richter School, along with her bestie Jax, go undercover at two local high schools being targeted by a ring of sex traffic-ers. Thrown into the mix if Cooper Lockman, another operative who’s just come back on the scene after a 6 year stint in Europe.

Cooper had a thing for Claire back in the day, but because she was so much younger than him and barely of legal age, he never acted on it. 6 years later and a great deal has changed, but not his feelings.

Working together - he as a substitute teacher and she a student – makes life deliciously miserable for the both of them. It’s a slow burn for these two to get to any kind of intimate relationship, but the wait is sososo worth it.

The plot revolves around the firm discovering who in the high schools is recruiting/kidnapping girls to be sex workers. Unfortunately, this isn’t a far off or hypothetical theme, since its occurrence is a real problem in this country.

Told with her usual attention to details, witty banter, and slow climbing emotional rollercoaster, CHANGING THE RULES is well worth the read. ByBee is a one-click author for me and this start of a new series has proved to be another reason why she is.

I was allowed a sneak peek of the book by Netgalley and Montlake. 5 stars for this read.

I absolutely loved this book! It was great getting to see characters from the weekday novels. There is Some romance but a lot of action and a great story line, I found myself finishing this book I. One day because it was that good. . If you have not read this author this is a great book to start with.

I'm so happy that we got Claire's story. She made such a huge impression in Sasha's book. I love females who can seriously kick some butt and it was great to see these woman bring more of their skills to entertain us with. I'm hoping we will get more books with these former-Richter students.

While this is a first in the series, it is a spinoff of two other series. You could possibly read this as a standalone but I do think you would enjoy it so much more when you have that background knowledge from at least the First Wives Series. Claire showed up in the last book of that series and you learn where she came from and why she has the skills that she does.

I adored Claire just as much as an adult as I did when she was a fresh faced eighteen year old. It made my cold heart happy to see her find a family in Neil and Gwen, Sasha and the rest of the gang. You really see how much they all care for her in this book.

Cooper was just as great. I really like the decision he made and it was so obvious how much he adores Claire. I love seeing devotion like that. I'm a big fan of a love that just clicks like it did for Cooper when he met Claire. Saying this, I do wish the romance was bit more. The storyline was awesome and exciting with the investigation, I just wish the romance was a bigger part of that as well.

I'm eager for the next book. There were no clues, but I have my guess who is next and I'm looking forward to it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for the ARC of Changing the Rules (Richter, #1) by Catherine Bybee. I have been reading Catherine Bybee books for years and have always enjoyed them. I believe her to be a wonderful storyteller and love how her stories are both drama-filled as well as love stories...a little bit of something for everyone.

Warning: This book deals with human trafficking and prostitution of teenagers.

I really enjoyed this book. I loved how the characters interacted with each other and how characters from other books she has written (Neil) continued to play a part in this series. The chemistry between
Cooper and Claire was great. I loved their banter and to see how their relationship evolved.

The reason why this book was given 4 stars instead of 5 is because there was continual discussion about Richter and about Claire's history yet it wasn't explained what happened to her while she was there. It was very confusing. I thought maybe this was the second book in the series and I had missed the first one but no, this was the first.

There were also a lot of characters and at times, I had a hard time keeping up with who everyone was. This story did keep me guessing as to what would happen next and also who were the "bad guys". Overall, I do recommend the book.

#NetGalley #ARC #CatherineBybee #PrivateInvestigator #HumanTrafficking #Prostitution #Police #HighSchool #Track #Love #FriendsToLovers #Danger #UnderCover #Abuse #ChangingTheRules

More Action, Arguably Less Romance. Still Bybee. This book - arguably a *version* of a take on 21 Jump Street (though admittedly my only exposure to that franchise is the Tatum/ Hill movies) - continues Bybee's recent (2020+) path of moving to less saccharine / comedic romances and to more thriller-ish romances. There is still comedy and sweetness here, but it takes more of a backburner to the thriller elements. Also continuing is Bybee's more recent examination of weighty real-world topics while telling a romance tale, and in this case the topic in question is sex trafficking - particularly of high school/ just after high school age young women. Bybee, at least in my experience with her books, isn't really known for having multiple sex scenes throughout the tale, and this particular book is no exception to that norm. Truly a solid romance, with all of the old RWA standards I am aware of met, and a pretty good (low body count) thriller to boot - particularly when considering that the author is more known in the romance world and has written far more in that genre. This reader, for one, is looking forward to seeing where this series goes. Very much recommended.

SYNOPSIS:
Both members of MacBain Security and Solutions, Claire and Copper are sent undercover in a Southern California high school, to help pinpoint a human trafficking ring. Prior to this assignment, Cooper has been working overseas in Germany in an effort to try and forget his feelings for Claire, who has been none the wiser to how Cooper feels about her. With his return, Cooper is determined to not let Claire know how he feels especially with their respective undercover roles of substitute and student.

REVIEW:
As the heroine of the story, Claire is strong, courageous, and can hang with the guys. She is also compassionate and feminine in a way that makes it clear you don’t have to be masculine to do the work she does. This was a refreshing character, who showed great concern for the task at hand and not the typical dedication that results in the lack of a social life.

While it wasn’t the center of the story, the relationship between Claire and Cooper is a slow burn romance that helped to break up the heaviness of such a difficult topic. Although advertised as a romance, this book is more of a mystery. I actually appreciated that the romance wasn’t front and center of this story, since it allowed me to focus on the seriousness of the trafficking of underage girls.

This was a really great read for me! It started out slow and I couldn’t name for sure how I was feeling about it, but a third of the way in it started to pick up. Cooper and Claire’s interactions along with the supporting characters made for a strong plot and engaging storyline. I ended up really enjoying this read for how it highlights such a crucial topic in a way that didn’t completely overwhelm me. I will be recommending this book!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Catherine Bybee has always been a tried and true author for me! Changing the Rules is a fast paced romance/suspense novel that will have you on the hook from the very beginning . When I first saw the cover, I thought this would be a light romance, but I was wrong! Catherine Bybee tackles some heavy subject matter and shed light on topics people shy away from, she also does a great job at educating the reader at the same time. There were several perfectly timed twists and turns and I was truly surprised with the outcome!! As per usual, I am looking forward to diving into whatever Catherine Bybee comes out with next!

WOW! I could not put this book down! I was so engrossed in this story, which is so relevant in today's society but you hear very little about; sex trafficking of underage kids. A special ops team goes undercover and immerses themselves in high school where sex trafficking is suspected. It's a web of who's who and what role do they play in the trafficking ring. The closer they get the more questions they have and answers they need to find. The mystery and drama kept me glued to the pages! Bonus, two members of the special ops team have some pretty incredible chemistry; Cooper and Claire. It warmed my heart and lightened the story a bit to watch these two come together. I would highly recommend this book!

I haven't read anything from this author before, I don't know what I was expecting but I felt a bit let down by it. it waffled on a bit in places and I found it really hard to warm to the characters. This was the first in a new series and based of this book, I doubt I will read the rest

Claire & Cooper are part of the close knit team at MacBain Security and Solutions, providing security to the rich and famous. Cooper has just returned from six years in Europe, where he was self-exiled to get over his feelings for Claire (who was 18 when they first began working together). Guess what? He didn’t get over his feelings. And now they have to go undercover at a high school to take down a sex trafficking ring. How will their burgeoning feelings affect the mission?

So, I thought the book was well written, clear & concise. But...this was sold as a “steamy” romance. It’s not. This is a thriller was a bit of romance thrown into the background. And apparently being undercover affects the main characters too much, as the romance read very YA, very high school level. There is one sex scene, and it’s not “steamy” (honestly, it’s the one poorly written part of the book, it was like the author didn’t want to name any of the body parts). The undercover portions were completely lifted from 21 Jump Street, and I don’t understand why a high price private security agency would be doing this work in the first place.

I’m sorry to sound so harsh, but this book was really a disappointing read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Montlake for this advanced reader copy. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I adored this take on Twenty-One Jump Street so much. This book features a second generation (of a sort) with younger side characters from previous Bybee series - but you do not need to read those first to enjoy the heck out of this book. I know I did (and I hadn't read any of the other books referenced). Claire is the product of a European military school that was the training ground for many people recruited for special forces and spy work. She left that school and never looked back, now living with her chosen family and working for an elite security company. She was 18 the last time she saw Cooper (who is six years older than she is).

When she and Cooper both worked in the same location for McBain security Cooper was very interested in her - but was really too old for her at that time. So Cooper left and worked in Europe for the last six years. When he gets back to California, it is clear that his feelings for Claire haven't changed. Claire never noticed how Cooper felt about her so she has some catching up to do - all of which is complicated by Claire acting as a student and Cooper acting as a long-term substitute teacher and track coach figuring out a human trafficking ring.

I loved the drama and mystery in the story - and Claire and Cooper were just the right combination of sexy and sweet. Cooper in particular was dreamy. He respects Claire and what she can do and never plays the man card or exhibits alpha toxicity that is so rampant in so many romantic suspense books.

I can't wait to read more from this series!

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley, but these opinions are all my own.

Thank you netgalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This was a decent uncover cops romance with an intriguing plot. Cooper and his team go undercover as teenagers and coaches at a high school. Cooper tries to hide his feelings for Claire but they becone more and more obvious as the scenes go on. Although they acted a bit immature even though they are cops, the team made for interesting conversations and promising entertaining scenes.