This post was originally published at Novelicious.com and is now at WritingTipsOasis.com. WritingTipsOasis.com acquired Novelicious.com in June 2022.
Reviewed by Jenny Banks
Hardwired is the first book in the Hacker series by Meredith Wild. The novel follows Erica Hathaway, a recent Harvard graduate living in Boston who has started up her own fashion social network. While attempting to get funding from a panel of wealthy investors, Erica comes face to face with Blake Landon, a billionaire and reputed hacker. Blake is soon pursuing Erica as she tries to get her business off the ground. In the process, Blake has to let go of some of the control he is accustomed to having, while Erica is desperately trying to guard a dark secret from her past.
When I came to read Hardwired, I admit that I was slightly dubious about what to expect. Erotic romance has had a lot of press of late, but it hasn’t all been good. I started reading this book having never read the genre before, and it soon became apparent that my uncertainty and doubt could both be considered unfair.
Erica Hathaway is a great protagonist; she is incredibly intelligent, strong-willed and determined. She is fighting to make a success of her career, and she is also very assertive in her relationship with Blake. She makes him work for her love and trust and demands that he respect her and her wishes. There is a battle between Erica and Blake for who has control in both their personal and professional lives: a battle Blake finds slipping away from him. There is a brilliant moment when Blake mentions their need for safe words, and Erica replies that her safeword is ‘no’, and when she says it, she means it. She constantly challenges him and calls him out on behaviour she finds unacceptable or unreasonable.
I was particularly intrigued as to what Blake Landon would be like. I was hoping against the wounded hero type, and, so far in the series, that scenario hasn’t transpired. Blake was in some trouble as a teenager, but comes from a relatively stable family and has built up the Landon Group using his intellect and business acumen. It’s very possible that more will be revealed in the rest of the series about the control issues he has so far exhibited. The need to have control is certainly one of Blake’s flaws and his actions at important moments for Erica weren’t always easy to accept. It would be fair to say I preferred aspects of Blake, rather than Blake as a whole. However, as much as he is pervasive and unrelenting in trying to get Erica to trust in him, it’s evident he cares about Erica and is willing to show his emotions.
As the first book in the series, Meredith Wild has brilliantly planted various subplots to take root. In Hardwired, a conflict of interest has been created as the boundaries between Erica and Blake’s personal and professional lives start to slip. There is also possible conflict from Blake’s brother, Heath, who is dating Erica’s best friend, Alli, Blake’s business acquaintance, Max, and lawyer and politician, Daniel. The different strands between the characters have been weaved with deftness and the technological backdrop to the book is very appealing. Meredith Wild’s writing is astute and engaging, and I was compelled to keep reading.As can be expected, the book features many intense scenes between Erica and Blake from their first meeting, and the tension between them is tangible. Thankfully, instances of lip biting and weak knees are few. The author has created a very strong connection between the two characters and this made it all the more interesting to see how Wild handled the intimate scenes. The result is pure emotion; it diversifies the sensuality in the book to create something far more genuine and memorable for the reader.
Hardwired was certainly a surprise; the novel is a seductive and emotional story that leaves an imprint in the reader’s memory long after the last page has been turned.
8/10