Chicago Code Black

Chicago #2

by Diane Portman-Ray

James:

I just can't seem to find the strength to live a Ritaless life anymore.

My name is James Sullivan. Neurosurgeon, devoted father, and member of a well-respected family.

I’ve got through life by keeping everything in order and treating life’s unexpected events with a calm and steady mind. I’m the voice of reason, of rationality.

That was until a black-eyed beauty fell into my arms. My memoryless Rita looks to me for answers, but I should have never told her we were married.

Every time I think about coming clean and setting her free, we end up tangled between the sheets.

I should let her go and find herself, fight her own demons, but I can’t bring myself to do it.

Rita walked through Hell, now all I want to do is lay Heaven at her feet and make her stay with me forever. So, when her past comes back to bite us in the ass, I’ll go as far as taking a bullet for her.

First, do no harm.
I will apply, for the benefit of the sick, all the measures that are required…
...I will respect the privacy of my patients...
...I will remember that I don't treat a fever...but a sick human being, whose illness may affect the person's family...
...Above all I must not play at God…


Rita:

I've been robbed of my past and been dealt more future than I can handle.

I woke up one day to find that all my dreams had turned into reality.

I have a perfect life – a perfect baby daughter, a house that could make the cover of Lifestyle Magazine, and a hot, genius of a husband.

Me? I’m a girl from Cuba, with a pocket full of paint brushes. I have a man by my side who will do everything to make me happy and puts me on a pedestal.

James took care of my every need, body and soul, so why can’t I convince myself it’s all true? Why don’t I feel like I truly belong here?

Genres: Romance, Contemporary

375 pages, ebook

Published January 10, 2021

About the author

I never chose to be a writer... Writing chose me. In Romania, we have a popular tradition for when a child's hair it's cut for the first time. Friends and family gather to celebrate the future of the child and the little one is given a tray full of objects. Now, on this tray, you can place anything from money, car keys to food, and pets. Every object is a symbol and it's said that the first three things the child would pick will determine his or her path in life.

My loves, I picked red lipstick, a pencil, and a glass full of whiskey...I picked the romance writer's starting pack.

I was fortunate enough to put my work out into the world, become an author, and share this incredible and uplifting journey with each and every one of you.

Welcome to my universe, and Thank You for being here!

Get in touch to discover more about my books, writing process, and future endeavors

Reviews

[Mar · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 stars

So.... James Sullivan just ruined men for me... thank you very much. And yes, what he did was wrong and in anyther book i would be like "what a fucking creep! He deserves to be in jail!" Somehow I can't hate on Sullivan. He's loving and caring and so... like you know he's a good guy, not a "nice guy" but a good person that you just have to love and root for him.
I do wish he had come cleaned sooner than when it happened but I guess it was good for the plot.
I also, actually like what the author did with Zach (aka Dr Arsehole from the previous book) because I felt like he grew more as a person in this book than in his own. I ended up even liking him here because he was an important part in Rita and Sulli getting (back) together.
My favorite part of the book was definitely the end. It was so freaking good. Action packed just... amazing.
This book made me really really like DPR's writing style and I can't wait to read more of her work.

TW: kidnapping, blood, shooting/active shooter situations, domestic violence.

[LianaReads blog · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

Suspenseful, darker and steamier, the love story between James and Rita is a must read for any dark romance lovers.

[Stela · Rating 5 out of 5]

I want to be Rita!!!!!!!

Okay, so this is the best read to make you feel amazing! I had such a good time reading it!
Although is beautifully twisted and heartbreaking, this story has one of the best heroines I read about and that is Rita!
The plot, the steamy scenes, the side characters, everything is perfectly done. This story will keep you so entertained, you'll never need anything else, food, sleep or work, trust me!!! :))))
I had some pretty bad days and this book made all the things go away and that is, I guess, one of the best qualities a book can ever have, the capacity to draw you from your darkest hours and make you feel whole again.
I don't make summaries of the books I read in my reviews, not my thing, I just write how they make me feel and this one made me feel amazing.
Rita and James's love story is twisted, but so so beautiful!!!!
Read it and you'll see!

[Vero Exposito · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.76 Stars

I liked it but I feel like it lacked drama and the plot was very predictable. I think it could’ve been more unique due to the main part of the plot but it kinda fell. I still enjoyed it though, and ship Rita and James.

I also liked the other side characters, and would like to see if there’s a book about Paris and Seb. Maybe you’ll like this. Toodles!

[Charlotte · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spoiler Free Review
James Sullivan was everything I hoped for and more! After I read the first book (Chicago code blue) yesterday and fell in love with all of the characters I needed James’ story!
James was such a sweetheart, and the relationship both main characters had with James daughter, Chelsea was adorable.
Rita and James love story was really unique, so many plot twists and toward the end the anticipation killed me. Also, the whole hospital action in this book was just as good as (if not better than) the first book! These hot men saving lives is so sexy and makes the story so much more interesting.
This book was steamy! I love a feisty heroine that knows what she wants and Rita was definitely that, their sex was so hot!!!
I also loved how all the OG characters were just as involved in this one as they were in the first. We got lots of Zach & London as I hoped and of course Wendy & Jess, I honestly love their whole friendship group.
Thank you Diane for writing such captivating books & of course for kindly sending me this ARC early so I didn’t have to wait till release day! I cannot wait to see what you come up with for book 3, Chicago amber alert!

[shereads.pang · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ugh. I so love this book. The storyline was totally unique to me. 𝐈 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝𝐧'𝐭 𝐩𝐮𝐭 𝐢𝐭 𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧. ⁣
⁣
James was a neurosurgeon. He was in Boston for a conference, and he saw Rita faint in the middle of the street so he took her to the hospital. When Rita woke up from the hospital, she had forgotten who she was. She only remembered part of her life. She mistaken him for her husband, and he couldn't help it. 𝘏𝘌 𝘛𝘖𝘛𝘈𝘓𝘓𝘠 𝘓𝘐𝘌𝘋 𝘛𝘖 𝘏𝘌𝘙. Like what a jerk. But OMG. I love him so much!!! Lol Ugh. Also, he had a baby girl so Rita's life is totally going to changed. People might think it's so wrong of what James did, but 𝐈𝐓'𝐒 𝐉𝐔𝐒𝐓 𝐅𝐈𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍. 😅 ⁣
⁣
Diane did such a 𝐏𝐇𝐄𝐍𝐎𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐀𝐋 job. I couldn't get enough of them. I 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥. And I kid you not, those surgery scenes, I loved it!!! I get so excited. Lol well researched. 𝘏𝘐𝘎𝘏𝘓𝘠 𝘙𝘌𝘊𝘖𝘔𝘔𝘌𝘕𝘋𝘌𝘋.⁣

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed Rita and James story, it reminded me of The Vow (my favorite movie ever) and had all the hospital drama I totally love. The relationship between them was so sweet (which I didn't expect cause James was so serious in the previous book) and I totally adored how Rita treated Chelsea and how much she cared for her.
The final twist was really good.
p.d: The breadcrumbs of London and Zach?? EVERYTHING.

[ashleigh - ladyofdarkriver · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thankyou Diane for a copy of this eArc in an exchange for my honest review ♥️

This was my first read by Diane and I really enjoyed the writing in Chicago Code Black - the second book in the series (but can be read as a standalone!) I didn’t feel at a loss for not having read the first book however the main characters from that story are featured in this book and I do believe reading the first book would have made the interactions and jokes between James and Zach more enjoyable.

I also really enjoyed the confidence portrayed through the female MC in this story - Rita. In romance land I feel that we rarely read about a dominant female when it comes to the smut scenes so reading a female who was vocal, in charge and confident with herself, was a great experience.

Unfortunately the concept of this book was not for me. James is our male MC - a well renowned neurosurgeon and a divorced father of little Chelsea. James first meets Rita when she collapses in the middle of the road and he takes her to hospital where she then wakes up with no memory of the last years of her life and how she came to be in hospital. It’s here where things didn’t sit well with me. Rita wakes up, asks James if he is her husband to which he confirms he is. He then follows this by taking her back to his home state and moving her in, telling her that she is the mother to his little girl and having his friends go along with the lie.

I just couldn’t get past this concept of how two people came to be together and fall in love. And whilst the book ends with a HEA, the timeline and reasoning for which forgiveness is granted is also something that didn’t sit well with me.

I have no doubt that there will be many people who enjoy this and I definitely liked the writing style Diane has. Here’s hoping to read more female dominant characters in the future!

[Vea · Rating 5 out of 5]

First thing that came to mind while I was reading was Overboard movie meets Grays Anatomy. Both my favorites so what’s not to like.

Rita was in an accident that caused her to have selective memory loss. When she wakes up after the accident, James is there by her side as her “husband”, except that she can’t remember him or any parts of her previous life with him. Rita has no reason not to trust James and he can’t help but lie about who he is in order to keep her. From there the story gets more and more complex as Rita tries to recover her memories and James falls deeper into his lie.

I loved Rita from the first page. Even with the memory loss, this woman was confident in herself and when she sets her mind on something, that was it. Really loved that about her plus she had a great sense or humor.

James, boy do I have some words for this man. He made me feel all kinds of angry, especially at the beginning of the story. Theres a part that I still can’t forgive him for but I won’t mention it to avoid spoilers. Let’s just say he wasn’t using his head to think but maybe other part of his body. He did grow on me... probably after calling himself all the names I kept calling him myself. At least we agreed on that. 😉

It’s a captivating story from beginning to the end. I loved the appearances of some of the characters from the first book, especially Dr. Ford. You can never get enough of Dr. Ford’s banter. Great story, and loved all the twists towards the end. 🖤

[Avery · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book surprised me in more ways than many, and all in a good way! I really loved James and Rita's story, it was really unique, and unpredictable and absolutely amazing if I'm summimg it up in a few words without spoilers.

James despite his faults (believe me he had some) was a very devoted father to baby Chelsea, and that was really heartwarming to see, and Rita's relationship with Chelsea was so soft, it was beautiful😭 I acctually loved their family moments together.

Rita grew into such a beautiful woman too, her strength was amazing to witness especially with her past. Her and James's chemistry was so perfect, and their relationship was almost perfect (except that she didn't have her memory oops) and I will say while there were a few cringy moments in the book, I found myself enjoying it a lot.

𝐀𝐫𝐜 𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐥𝐲 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐧 𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰

[Hayley Richell · Rating 3 out of 5]

I must say, I didn’t love this one as much as the first (Chicago Code Blue). I remember reading about James in that one and decided then I didn’t like him as he was so serious but weird, so reading a book about him as the main character I knew would be tough!
I didn’t really like the story line, and a few times wondered if that really happened in as often in real life? Taking a random person from the hospital pretending she is his wife & Chelsea’s mum!

I also didn’t get how the friends could keep up the lie? And fully support him, like how?

However, I did love the plot climax (trigger warning: hospital shooting) and reminded back to the Greys episode- if you know the one comment 😉

I did also like meeting James brother at the end, and wondering will there be a book where he’s the mc? Diane, you gotta let me know!

[Nineette · Rating 5 out of 5]

The two leads saved each other from their pasts. Rita’s past is sad and dark and she doesn’t remember it. Sullivan becomes a single dad, because his ex wife didn’t want to be a mom and then by chance he meets Rita in the most unconventional way. I love this couple and their relationship.

[Katie (readingaboutlove) · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a unique and interesting idea for a book! I don’t think I have ever read a book quite like this one and the dynamics of it were so different! I found myself feeling all kinds of emotions throughout this book because it felt like I was in on a secret throughout most of the book. This had me super anxious but it definitely made me want to keep reading! Chicago Code Black is a unique take on a strangers to lovers book with a bit of suspense and secrecy that will leave you wanting more!

In Chicago Code Blue we got to see James' life prior to this book and I was super intrigued to see how his story would go forward. To say this book surprised me is a complete understatement! I didn’t expect him to put himself so willingly back into a relationship because of his past. But y’all he definitely got himself into a pickle and had me pulling at my hair at times! I did enjoy the sweet moments between him and Rita or him and Chelsea so much though!

Rita was a great heroine! She is very headstrong and confident! I felt like I was betraying her most of the book because I had grown to love her so much! She fit so well with these characters and sweet baby Chelsea!

If you didn’t know that James and Rita weren’t husband and wife you definitely would think they were! They work so well together and they have so much chemistry! I was keeping my fingers crossed that everything would work out for them as the story unfolded and I wasn’t disappointed!

I loved getting to see our favorite characters from book 1! Zach and London are my favorite and I was so happy to see them again! And I got all the same Grey's Anatomy feelings from book 1 in this book too! Diane definitely has a way of submerging you into the hospital environment and making you feel like you are there! I can’t wait to read more books by Diane and hopefully more books in this great series!

[Lizzie H · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story captivated me. It is something else, soooo amazing! I dont think I've ever read anything like it yet. Everything that's happening in the beginning just has me in shock 😯😯😯. At first I was so scared for James. Then stuff got really good and I wanted more, and now I'm losing sleep over it 🔥🔥🔥. James is seriously amazing so sweet n other stuff, Rita is feisty af, gotta love when she speaks in Spanish. The other characters had me laughing so hard it was amazing. I seriously can't wait to read more.

[Aishwarya Sinha · Rating 5 out of 5]

god...
where do i start. i just loved this book. i am a doctor, ok fine a dentist but i just love everything medical related. i just loved it that author put so much thought in making everything seems so real. our hero is such a sweetheart. he is dream husband and father. i love it when Heroin's is no pushover. our heroine owns her sexuality. she is no shy and quiet type. she is a strong character. but suffered pain too.
i can't explain without giving you spoilers but i will tell you guys this. this book is a must try.

[MyDogAteMyBookReview · Rating 4 out of 5]

DPR asked me to read and review this, I’m glad she did. I’m new to the author and I can’t wait to go read the first book.

This book is like overboard meets general hospital and I love it.

James is the kind of man I want to slap, kiss, shove and hug. He brings out all the feels.

Rita is a survivor, a strong heroine with a backbone. Those are my favourite kind.

[BookedByHaf ♡︎ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved reading Rita and James story! I'm not going to lie, I enjoyed CC Black more than code blue. Both of the characters were so distinct yet clicked and mended so well with each other. Rita was, without a doubt my personal favourite! Gosh, her fire like attitude had me 😌 James was also a very exceptional character, I can't with the father baby moments omg, adorable as heck 😢🥰

[Jazzy_D · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dr. James Sullivan is HOTTTTTTTT. My first read by this author and I enjoyed it. I loved the friendships that they all hand the banter they all had especially with Dr. Zack Ford was amazing. This book had the perfect balance of steam and angst. Not too much of either, just enough of both and the ending!!!! Woah.

[Aline Maciel · Rating 5 out of 5]

O primeiro é bom, envolvente, mas o segundo é maravilhoso, viciante, quero o terceiro já.

[Elise · Rating 4 out of 5]

James Sullivan is best friends with Zac, a neurosurgeon and a single dad. Though he loves his daughter Chelsea more than life, he still wants a to fulfill his family dream.

Rita is a fierce and strong latina that is going through a rough time. She loves to paint, she loves life, but above all, she just wants her memory back.

The relationship between James and Rita in a very unique and unexpected way. James lied to her about them being married and now Rita, though goes along with it, still feels like she doesn’t belong.

Aside from this, their chemistry is insanely hot! The relationship between Chelsea and Rita was so so beautiful me the family moments were heartwarming. The whole crew Zac London, Wendy and Jess appears a lot throughout he book and I just loved it!

I honestly couldn’t put this book down wanting to know what will happen next, how will Rita react and how everything will turn out. And after reading this one, I can’t wait for Chicago Amber Alert (book 3) to release!

[armi11ia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the book very much. A strong 3 stars