Penny Reid 

There are three things you need to know about Sandra Fielding: 1) She makes all her first dates cry, 2) She hasn't been kissed in over two years, and 3) She knows how to knit. Sandra has difficulty removing her psychotherapist hat. Of her last 30 dates, 29 have ended the same way: the man sobbing uncontrollably. After one such disaster, Sandra gives in to a seemingly harmless encounter with her hot waiter, Alex. Argumentative, secretive, and hostile Alex may be the opposite of everything Sandra knows is right for her. But now, the girl who has spent all her life helping others change for the better, must find a way to cope with falling for someone who refuses to change at all. Love Hacked is book #3 in the Knitting in the City series. Each book is a standalone, full length (110k words), contemporary romantic comedy novel, and follows the misadventures and exploits of seven friends in Chicago, all members of the same knitting group.

A May / December Romance

Love Hacked

Penny Reid

Nicole Cousin 

Absolutely loved this book. Sandra has been a favourite character of mine from the past books and I couldn't wait to know her love story. Honestly,it was incredibly interesting with Alex I loved him!! And the pair that they made was just perfection!! Sandra was such a down to Earth, funny heartwarming MC. Her humor was just so on point as alway and I was so happy to see her fall in love with the man with so many secrets and out of her comfort zone. That gets me all the time.

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I'd heard some pretty mixed reviews about Love Hacked before I started reading it and I'm afraid they might've served to make me like this book a little less than the others. I can't pinpoint why, because there was nothing WRONG with the book, but I had a little tougher time getting totally invested in this one. I mean, waiter Alex was totally sexy and swoony and Sandra was an interesting heroine. I liked both of them. I enjoyed the book. I just didn't feel that all-consuming love for it and it bothers me that I can't figure out exactly why. (I really do think it was a case of letting someone else's opinions standing in the way of my complete and total enjoyment, which probably isn't fair.) I still think I'm gonna need to go back and reread this one to get a real feel for it. Sitting it down partway through and going back a week or so later probably didn't help my cause any either. 

While I really liked the romance between Alex and Sandra, I wasn't quite as into the secondary technology storyline in this book. It was interesting, but it just didn't grab me the same way the other books did. Which is strange, because I'm a nerd at heart. This should've been right up my alley. Sandra was strong and I loved her inner dialogue. I found her career interesting and the way it impacted her love life funny, if awkward. Alex was adorable. Hot and sexy and, let me tell you, he can "serve me" any time. I liked the pace at which things developed between the two of them. There were definitely some complications, but nothing this pair couldn't get past. As with all of Penny's books, I loved the humor and the romance. And, of course, seeing the other characters in the series again. I love these ladies and their men. I can't get enough of them. 

All in all, I think my experience with this book served to remind me to not let other people's opinions of a book I'm interested in keep me from reading it OR allow it to color my opinion of it. I didn't do a very good job of that this time. I truthfully think I didn't connect with the characters as much because I was afraid of what might be to come, based solely on a couple friends' reactions to this title. This is why I often don't read reviews before starting a book. I like to stay open-minded about a title. I failed to do so here. That's the only real explanation I have for not enjoying this book as much as the others in this series. I'm still giving it four stars because as I look back over some of the quotes I highlighted, I loved the words. There were great things about this book. I'm planning to reread it in a couple months to see how I feel about it after a second go round. 

FAVORITE QUOTES:

  Alex the waiter was on my Spank Naughty list in third place, right after Henry Cavill the actor, then Henry Cavill as Superman. He was proof that God existed, and that God loved straight women. 


  I wanted to fall into stupid love. I wanted to give myself without fear.


  I hated longing. I hated it almost as much as I hated pining. It sapped the mind of good judgment, filled the heart with achiness, and distracted the vagina from other potential conquests. 


  Thoughts of you will keep me warm. Thoughts of you keep me too warm. Right now, I feel close to spontaneous incineration. I burn. I hurt.


  "I am stupid in love with you. What I mean is that I have been made stupid by how much I want, need, and love you."


  I wanted to be the one to make her shine. I wanted her to need me, to want me. I wanted to be the one to make her feel valued, to challenge her and force her to see how exquisite she is.

Love Hacked A May / December Romance

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