Book Extract: The Code One Club Series By Alison Naomi Holt

Published April 29, 2026 | By Laura

Please join me in welcoming Alison Naomi Holt to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for her The Code One Club series.

Some connections don’t come from wanting them. They come from collision, from timing, from something that refuses to stay buried. The Code One Club series by Alison Naomi Holt leans into sapphic stories where that kind of connection takes hold.

Set within the world of the Code One Club, where identities are reclaimed and connections run deeper than appearances suggest, these stories unfold through contrast at every level. Power and wealth exist alongside survival and instability, while control and chaos collide in relationships where trust is difficult and the stakes are never low.

In The Inheritance, Phyla McGuire is powerful, controlled, and emotionally untouchable, while Ash Redux is a former Army K9 handler barely holding on, navigating life on the streets while battling PTSD. When their lives collide, what begins as circumstance becomes something deeper and far more dangerous. Set against a backdrop of power, wealth, and survival, their connection forces both women to confront who they are beneath the roles they’ve built.

Whiskey-Colored Eyes follows Jude Lorcan, a grieving widow trying to rebuild her life one careful step at a time, and Dr. Noémi Boudon, who is confident, refined, and quietly searching for something real. Their connection is undeniable, but it is far from simple. This slow-burn sapphic story unfolds through grief, desire, and hesitation, asking what it means to open yourself to love again and what it costs to stay closed.

In Melt for Me, Alléandra Alfieri is powerful, feared, and emotionally locked down, while Maren Tempest is bold, unpredictable, and impossible to ignore. When their worlds collide, the connection ignites fast and burns hot. As control is challenged and completely undone, this story brings intensity, tension, and a shift that neither woman can walk away from unchanged.

Alison Naomi Holt has kindly shared an extract from Melt For Me with us today. We hope you enjoy it.

*****beginning of extract*****

Melt for Me

Chapter 1

Mar thanked the driver as he pulled her suitcase from the back of his SUV. The portly, florid-faced man had been friendly and talkative on her ride from the airport, something she appreciated since she needed the distraction from the weeklong gathering that she’d agreed to attend with an old friend, Kelsey, whom she hadn’t seen in several years.

It was precisely because of his affable manner that she tipped him more than she usually would. She hadn’t expected to hire a car, but her plane had landed four hours past the time she was due to arrive, and Kelsey had texted that because of the delay, she had to get dressed for the evening’s dinner party and wouldn’t be able to pick her up at the airport.

As the man pulled away, Mar tilted her head back and counted twenty-three stories rising above the black and gold canopy marking the entrance to the Onyx Meridian Hotel. The building might not have been as tall as the others they’d passed on their way into Manhattan, but she’d read that it was one of the most historic, exclusive, exquisitely furnished hotels in the city.

She stepped to the side as a pair of businesswomen passed by with their heads together as they engaged in what appeared to be a serious discussion. Their pencil skirts and blouses screamed designer, and Mar glanced down at her own slacks and cotton blouse. They hadn’t seemed shabby when she’d boarded the plane, but after seeing the sophisticated attire worn by several other people entering the hotel, her clothing felt completely inappropriate by comparison.

A black-suited doorman dipped his head in respect as the women walked past and entered the revolving door. They were oblivious to his gesture, but it didn’t seem to bother the pleasant-faced man.

A limousine pulled to the curb, and a broad-chested, swarthy man in a dark suit exited the front passenger seat, buttoned his suit coat, and glanced up and down the sidewalk as though expecting trouble. The doorman hurried down the steps to the sidewalk and, after receiving a nod from the guard, pulled open the vehicle’s rear door.

A pair of shapely legs appeared first, followed by the hourglass figure of a stylish sophisticate in her mid-to-late forties, wearing a simple yet elegant sheath dress and three-inch heels that highlighted her strong calves to perfection. It was impossible to define the exact shade of the dress as its reflective surface shifted from deepest black to undulating purple as she moved. The dress hugged shapely hips and flowed in at the waist, accentuating a refined, sculpted figure. A gold and sapphire pendant dipped into the woman’s cleavage, drawing Mar’s gaze to the milky-white skin not covered by the garment’s graceful satin folds.

The woman paused. Something about the angle of her body alerted Mar, who tore her gaze off those perfectly rounded breasts to look up into a pair of dark, smoldering eyes. The woman’s classic beauty stunned her, and she forgot to breathe. She’d known beautiful women before, had even dated quite a few, but this woman’s aquiline nose, high cheekbones, and glistening, sensual lips were beyond compare.

Only…those lips weren’t sensual at the moment. They were pulled into a thin, irritated line that jerked Mar out of her stupor. Blinking several times, she tore her gaze from the red lips and stared into those quietly dangerous eyes. The woman’s head tilted slightly with unmistak‐ able ire before she broke eye contact and glided up the steps to disappear through the revolving door. The security guard and a second man who’d appeared out of nowhere followed her inside.

Mar swallowed hard and mumbled, “Kelsey, what have you gotten me into this time?” Calling upon her inner wild child and the free-spirited joie de vivre she’d inherited from her vivacious and some would say, quirky mother, Mar pulled her shoulders back, lifted her chin, and climbed the six steps laid with a vibrant red carpet that led to the hotel’s door.

*****end of extract*****

About Alison Naomi Holt:

Alison Naomi Holt writes bold, emotionally charged sapphic fiction centered on powerful women who refuse to be diminished. A former police officer, she brings grit, realism, and a sharp sense of humor to stories that explore love, resilience, and identity.

Her books often feature commanding “ice queens,” fiercely independent women, and unexpected connections that challenge both. Whether set in high-powered boardrooms, dangerous streets, or intimate emotional landscapes, her stories blend intensity with vulnerability, creating characters who feel as real as they are unforgettable.

Holt is also an advocate for literacy and believes deeply in the transformative power of stories to inspire confidence, connection, and change—especially for women. When she’s not writing, she’s often riding horses or chasing the next story idea demanding to be told.

Say hello to Alison via her website, Facebook and Instagram. Click to view The Inheritance, Whiskey-Coloured Eyes and Melt For Me on Goodreads.

Click to buy the series on Amazon UK and Amazon US.