My review is definitely going to be in the minority here. I didn't dislike the story, but I didn't love it. At all. There are some spoilers in this review, but I have hidden them. But, if you are like me and can't help but read spoilers, then I want to give you advance warning that they are there.
I read this after seeing one of my favorite review blogs rave about it. I liked the blurb and was really excited to read it.
I liked the story. The plot was unique (at least for me) and it was very fast paced. However, it didn't really live up to the hype for me.
Here is the summary: " When Kate Watts abandoned her law career to open a food pantry in Northeast Minneapolis, she never dreamed it would be this difficult. Facing the heartbreaking prospect of turning hungry people away, she is grateful for the anonymous donations that begin appearing at the end of each month. Determined to identify and thank her secret benefactor, she launches a plan and catches Ian —a charismatic hacker with a Robin Hood complex—in the act.
Ian intrigues Kate in a way no man ever has. But after learning he’s snooped around on her personal computer, she demands retribution. Impressed with her tolerance and captivated by her spirit, he complies and begins to slowly charm his way past her defenses. Time spent with Ian is never boring, and Kate soon finds herself falling for the mysterious hacker.
But Ian has enemies and they’re growing restless. In the hacking world, exploiting a target’s weakness is paramount, and no price is too high to stop an attack. And when Kate learns exactly how much Ian has paid, she’ll discover just how strong her love is for the man who has hacked his way into her heart."
Ian and Kate meet he sees her televised appeal for funds and donations to her food pantry. He starts making anonymous donations to the the pantry and they eventually meet. From their first meeting Ian is very direct about his physical attraction to Kate. He also reveals that he is a hacker who has invaded her email, her online shopping accounts and even her online dating profiles. He begins intruding into her life by scaring off potential daters and making it obvious that he wants Kate for himself. Kate is also attracted to Ian who is drop dead gorgeous. As they spend time together, she also finds that she really enjoys his company. Kate is recently out of a 5 year relationship that she ended because she was bored with the man she was with.
They fall in love, Ian demonstrating through action and words how he feels about Kate-- he basically just wants her to be happy and to be with him-- and after some twists and turns, they cruise towards their HEA.
Now, I know this was meant to be a lighthearted read. I didn't expect major dramatics. However, the books is full of some pretty heavy subjects: (view spoiler)[ 1) Ian is basically cyber stalking Kate - I found it creepy. I also found it crazy how quickly Kate got over that. She basically decided it was okay that this man had invaded her privacy because he bought her some nice sweaters and was a good kisser 2) Ian refused to tell Kate his last name for a long time. But yet, she still slept with him, fell in love with him and introduced him to her friends. 3) Ian watched her every move. He even commandeered a jumbotron at a basketball game to stop some guy from putting the moves on her. She thought that was awesome! I thought it was crazy. 4) Ian fakes his death and sends her through a crazy emotional ringer, but in the bat of an eye, all is forgiven. Her family didn't seem to think it was that big of deal either. My parents and siblings would SHIT BRICKS if someone did that to me! (hide spoiler)]. And the author handles them with such a light dismissive touch that I felt like I was missing something. If you are writing a comedy, that is awesome - but I didn't find it all that amusing. I wanted more meat on the bones of the drama. It was all too neat Ian, IMHO was very one dimensional. He was kind and noble and gorgeous and rich. He was incredibly thoughtful and perceptive and generous. Even the secretive parts of his life were not that exciting. He had some emotional traumas in his life, but apparently they slid right off his back like water on duck. His character is obviously meant to be a strong, good and selfless person. No one like him even exists. Besides his attraction and adoration of Kate, it didn't seem that he cared about anything else. And Kate was basically his doormat. She just went along with everything he did (legal or not) for some reason that I couldn't really decipher. Also, as mentioned in the blurb- Kate is an attorney (no longer practicing) and it boggled my mind a bit that she was so blithe about some of his behavior. I'm an attorney too (also, no longer practicing) but there are somethings that I couldn't overlook or participate in. But I KNOW this is fiction and so I really tried to put those feelings away and just read the story.
There were some LOL moments in the book it was pretty entertaining from start to finish. But, I found it lacking in substance in a way that made both of these characters forgettable. Although this a standalone, there is a sequel being written that will catch up with Ian and Kate as they begin a new life in North Carolina. I am not sure I will be buying that book, but I would read it if it was loaned to me.
