Reviews

Zero Hour by Megan Erickson

kaitlin_durante's review

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4.0

Great intro to a news series!!

ktcasa87's review

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2.0

Felt really eh about this one, especially after all the author drama that preceded it. Don't think I'm going to continue with this series.

bookish_notes's review

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5.0

I LOVED THIS BOOK. I love suspense books, guys. LOVE. I also don't read enough suspense books, but this book manages to fulfill everything I could possibly hope for. We have hilarious banter! Sexual tension! Broody men! Kickass women! A Korean American love interest! And my favorite...hackers making techie jokes during sexually charged moments. I love everything about this book and will do my best to review this when all I want to do is fangirl over it.

Zero Hour starts off introducing a lot of characters right from chapter one. We have Roarke Brennan and he is putting together a team to avenge his brother's murder. What he needs is a team of hackers, but hackers aren't exactly known to work in groups and are much more prone to do solitary work. But Roarke can't do this type of work by himself and he calls in the help of his childhood best friend - Erick Lee, and meets up with Dade Kelly, who is one mysterious guy. There's also Marisol, who works as the group's social engineer and can get answers from anyone, and Jock, the quiet, a hacker of few words. On the way to setting up his team, Roarke meets his childhood crush for the first time in 10 years, Wren Lee.
He'd practiced his scowling in the mirror, as if it could ward off everything he was feeling for her, but it never worked.

Wren is Erick's younger sister and has had a crush on Roarke for years. There is so much unresolved sexual tension between Roarke and Wren, that all their meetings are more than a little charged. By the end of chapter two I was already rooting for these two to get their happy ending.

This is a revenge plot seeping in sexual tension. There is also a whole cast of characters to get to know and love. Roarke's brother, Flynn, died, but in no way did Roarke believe it was an accident. In order to seek Flynn's killer, he assembles the best of the best and we learn pretty quickly that this book means business.

Wren has an "in" of sorts with the main suspect's son, Darren Saltner. He's...creepy. And not in that hot, evil guy sort of way. This book describes him as a guy who dresses like Patrick Bateman from American Psycho. He's not the redeemable bad guy. He's just a terrible person. I was initially worried about what exactly Wren's undercover job might lead to, but thankfully, it never gets too far, and the team is almost always nearby.

Trigger warnings include mentions of sexual assault and sex trafficking, and definitely for scenes between Wren and Darren that some might find uncomfortable.

There's a lot of spy-type undercover work and it does get action-packed near the end. I could not put this book down, you guys. The book is intense and has a way of drawing you into the story that makes it impossible to stop reading. The ending though? It's not really a cliffhanger, but it sort of is? The relationship is more of a HFN, I think, considering all the stuff that's happening in the plot. The story that leads into the next book though...I need Jock's book immediately. There is a tiny excerpt for book two, but it's not enough! I NEED THE NEXT BOOK. *weeps*

The Wired and Dangerous series might turn into my favorite series by Megan Erickson! Guys. I love how Megan writes in so many different sub-genres within romance because there is something for everyone. Zero Hour is suspenseful with bold characters and action-packed sequences that had me on the edge of my seat.

***Thanks to Forever Romance for providing me an ARC on NetGalley as part of a bookstagram tour***

nicandbooks's review

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5.0

Computer hacking, fast paced action and a fabulous romance to boot

Megan Erickson has been on my radar for a while now but I just hadn’t found the time to read any of her books - except for her fabulous newsletter story, Boots, which is now available to purchase under the title Hidden Truths. So Zero Hour was my proper introduction to the fabulousness that is Megan’s writing and she did not disappoint. A group of hackers is brought together to avenge the death of hero - Roarke’s - brother and this group includes Roarke’s best friends sister, Wren - who manages to weasel her way into the group despite Roarke’s protests. Having been out of each other’s lives for over 10 years - when they both had unrequited crushes on the other - the chemistry between the two is palpable and the need for Roarke to protect Wren is capable of destroying everything he’s planned so hard to achieve.

"Standing there in a ball cap, torn jeans, bloody shirt, and a scowl, Roarke Brennan was a dream. Well, if a girl’s dream was a tattooed tech-head who was now glaring at her like he wanted her to disappear."

I’ve become a recent fan of romantic suspense - after avoiding it for a while - and this storyline does not disappoint. There was plenty of computer based action - this is about a group of hackers after all - but even some real life stuff as well that had me turning pages so fast wanting to know what was going to happen. But the romance, it was there in spades as well. I’m a big fan of friends to lovers (especially ones with childhood crushes involved) and the relationship that begins to develop between Roarke and Wren has the right mix of sexual tension, shared history and a mutual understanding of one another that just makes the romance all the more exciting. For me it was just the right amount of romance to action and suspense, and I was with Roarke and Wren every step of the way!

Finally, this is the first book in Megan’s new Wired and Dangerous series and I’m so glad we’re going to revisit this crew. I’m keen to read Jock’s book (coming next) as he definitely has a few secrets that I want to know. But Marisol, Dade and Erick all intrigue me as well so I’m hoping they all get a happy ending?!?! Either way, I’m excited for where Megan will take us next - because she’s got me hacked...sorry, hooked

ria_mhrj's review

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2.0

Damn, I was hoping this would be better, but gosh were Wren and Roarke irritating, both together and apart. Roarke especially is this odd man child who is moody and petulant and very hard to cheer for. The second half was much stronger as the suspense element really kicked in and I am curious about the next book, but I won't hurry to read it.

aboutthatstory's review

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4.0

This was awesome! I loved the build to the romance and the suspense was captivating. I was exciting while and on the edge of my seat!

Wren and Roark were fantastic characters. I liked that push and pull they had on one another. A bit of animosity mixed with simmering chemistry. I liked learning their history and I really enjoyed watching their relationship develop in the midst of their mission and all the drama that was going on. Both Wren and Roark had their own motivations for what they were doing and I was fascinated by their personal stories. It was intense and emotional. I loved everything that I learned and that build those details created as all the pieces connected.

I thought the suspense element was excellent, it added a nice amount of intensity. I loved the hacker element as well, learning the ins and outs of it, and the lingo. It was something new to me and it made it more fun to read since it was fresh. I loved the exceptional cast of characters that was introduced. I am so curious about all the other members of Roark’s crew, they each had such distinct personalities and were so full of secrets. They intrigued the heck out of me and I need more of them!

Writing wise I thought there was a great flow to the story, I liked the depth and details, I was hooked and turning the page because I couldn't wait to learn what would happen next. The world the author created is elaborate and I really enjoyed it.

Excellent way to kick off a series! There's a bit of heat, a lot of passion, and the perfect mix of mystery and drama mixed in leading up to a very action packed ending that had me holding my breath. There was closure but a definite opening for the next book. Sign me up! This was a winner!

Complimentary copy received for honest review.

leahkarge's review

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4.0

This book was amazing! I can’t wait to read the next installment and see what happens next.

Check out the full review on my blog!

bribookish's review

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4.0

I think this was my first time reading a book about computer hackers... Or just characters who are REALLY good with computers. I really enjoyed this book. It was a very quick read despite it taking me over a "month" to read it. I blame it on the fact that I hit a really weird reading slump which caused me to put it down for over a month. I didn't want it to affect my overall feelings for the book. I waited until I was ready to come back to Roarke.

I REALLY liked the fact that our heroine, Wren came from Korean heritage. It made me smile to see a diverse character. I feel diverse characters are starting to pop up more and more and that makes me so happy to see! PLUS! The fact that Wren is such a sassy, independent, bada$$ character, made her THAT much more entertaining.

I felt I didn't fully connect to the story, but that didn't take away from me enjoying the storyline. I loved the added humor, especially when some scenes broke my heart.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and I look forward to reading more of Megan's books!

deannasworld's review

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2.0

Man, I wanted so much to like this book. I really did, but I don't. First off, the revenge theme. Revenge stories tend to be filled with a lot of hate and anger. Not my thing. I should have listened to my instincts but this one was about hackers and I love stories about hackers. I thought it would be exciting and filled with lots of action - keyboard action, that is, with plenty of hacking. I understand hacking is hard to translate into words to get it to seems exciting but dang, I wanted it. I've been watching a lot of CSI Cyber lately and I love that show. That's an exciting show and I wanted this book to be like that. High stakes, edge of the seat hacking. Unfortunately, 24% into the book and it's still all set up and backstory, and people being angry. I kinda understand the angry since it's what drives the revenge but I wanted more action. I'm pretty sure most of it is my fault because I had a certain set of expectations going in and the story didn't meet my expectations. It's kind of unfair on the book but the whole time I was reading it, I wanted more happening and I kept thinking of putting it down because it was not drawing me in. I did not feel invested in Roarke and Wren's mission. This makes me sad because I love the concept of the story. I didn't even get far enough for the sexy bits because Ms Erickson's sexy bits are some seriously hot writing. All this said, I will read the next book in the series if it is not revenge themed because Ms Erickson is a good writer and I like her writing.

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amermaidslibrary's review

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4.0

I'm trash when it comes to familial and friendship bonds, and this book was overflowing with that. This book follows a badass group of hackers, specifically Roarke and Wren. Roarke is on a mission to avenge his brothers death and he puts together this band of misfits to get it done. He's thrown by surprise when his best friend's sister joins the team for her own reasons.

I adored both Wren and Roarke. Roarke was protective and a bit broody, and most importantly, he was never afraid to admit when he was in the wrong. Wren was a goddess in her own way. She never took Roarke's crap, and was never afraid to stand up for herself. Zero Hour was filled with wonderful side characters, who will be getting their own books eventually.

This was a phenomenal start to what I'm sure will be an action-packed series, and I can't wait to see all of these hackers get their story!