I have to admit that I've been partial to the CODE RED CONTINUITY SERIES from Harlequin. "Ordinary people, extraordinary circumstances" is the tagline, and each and every book I've read so far lives up to that expectation. With AFTERSHOCKS by Nancy Warren, we gain another glimpse into life in Courage Bay, California, and just like every town around the world, there are good guys and bad guys, strong people and weak people, and boring and not-so-boring circumstances that throw them all together.

AFTERSHOCKS is a little different from some of the other books I've read in the series, in that it's not an action-adventure romance so much as part romance, part political thriller, and part family drama. For Mayor Patrick O'Shea, getting more funding for Courage Bay's Emergency Services department is more important to him than anything-as a former firefighter, he's seen first hand how additional funds will help the citizens of his town in the face of the disasters that seem to hit them on a regular basis. The only thing Patrick desires more is Briana Bliss, but since the woman is his administrative assistant, he knows a relationship with her wouldn't be appropriate.

There's another reason Patrick's wary to act on his desire for Briana, and it has nothing to do with the death of his beloved wife, Janie, three years ago. No, his hesitation comes from the fact that his predecessor, married former-Mayor Herman Carter, met his downfall when explicit video footage showed him in a compromising position with his own assistant. Due to the fallout that ensued, added with Patrick's position as an upstanding citizen of Courage Bay, he knows that anyone who knew of a relationship between him and Briana would use it against him.

Unfortunately, one of the people who could have the chance to do just that is Briana herself. The niece of a councilman who believes Patrick O'Shea was behind Herman Carter's fall from grace, he gets Briana to agree to find out the dirt on the new, so-called free from sin Mayor, and to use it as revenge for his friend's political demise. From the beginning, Briana isn't sure her uncle's idea is a good one, but she does believe that the press lied about the former Mayor, and tarnished his reputation with their biased reporting.

When an earthquake traps Patrick and Briana in an elevator, they know they're at the bottom of the list of people to be attended to by Emergency Services. With tape recorder in hand, Briana seduces her boss, tapes the entire episode, and then is left wondering what she should do about the proof she now holds as to her boss's true character.

The only problem is that Briana knows she's falling for her boss, and Patrick has made it clear that what happened in that elevator was far from a casual fling for him. With Briana's uncle harping for the evidence to get revenge on Patrick, with Patrick himself feeling cheated by Briana, and with Briana wrestling with her true feelings for Patrick and what she's done, a truly intriguing plot follows.

Ms. Warren has done an excellent job of throwing together two people who really care for each other, then mixing it up with a bunch of outside influences that sway their decisions. People in positions of political authority have to be very careful that their personal lives and decisions are done in a way that doesn't hurt their constituency, and Ms. Warren takes great care to make sure the pros and cons of both Patrick's and Briana's decisions reflect that careful balance.

An engaging romance with elements of both mystery and suspense, AFTERSHOCKS is another winner in the CODE RED SERIES. ( )