Man, this book was a huge letdown for me. I had high hopes since I’m a coder and I thought a coding/FBI/romance/thriller book just sounded AMAZING. But it wasn’t what I hoped it would be. :(

It sounded like it was written someone who didn’t know code.

I don’t expect all authors to be experts in what they write about, but a certain amount of research would be nice. To be blunt, I felt like the author just threw around the same words over and over again and hoped that would be good enough for a book about a “coder”. They all sounded like this though:

“she and Jordan had plenty of time to sit and talk about languages and codes, and writing programs, and bugs, and hackers.”

We never got any details into what they were actually talking about. Just, “Oh then we talked about codes and bugs and hackers.” Those same phrases were all that were repeated over and over again.

Two things:

1. Something about that word and “codes” (plural) felt really unnatural. I’ve just never heard coders talk like that.

2. This was literally the extend of the coding and technical stuff in the book. Even when the character was doing actual coding there still wasn’t any other technical descriptions or explanation of how things got done. It was just, “I threw on my headphones, hunched over my laptop, and chased the puzzle.” The author could have at least thrown in ever-so-slightly more advanced technical words like “SQL injection” or “traceroute”. It didn’t feel like it was read by anyone technical at all.

And here’s another quote:

“there are some people who have sold various bugs and viruses for a lot of money.”

You can’t “sell a bug”. You can sell knowledge of a bug (or exploit), but you wouldn’t sell the bug itself. It doesn’t really make sense.

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I saw zero chemistry in the romance.

The romance was a huge part of the book. In fact, given the lack of depth in the coding part, the romance was arguably the whole point of the story. So it was a huge bummer that I didn’t connect with it AT ALL.

I just couldn’t see any chemistry there. From my perspective, there was nothing drawing the characters together. Honestly I started skimming through the romancey bits.

Plus, it turned into major insta-love. Allison and love interest didn’t really spend all that much time together. In fact, Allison spend half the book complaining that Liam was never there and never calling or texting her. Even when they were together, a lot of the time was purely businessy stuff. Then, in the last 5% of the book, Liam comes back after an absence, rescues Allison, then tells her he quit his job because he wants to marry her, and they literally sit there talking about what they’ll do when they’re “old and gray”. WHAT???

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The plot seemed unfocused.

There were four major plot points:

1. Finding a leak in the FBI.
2. Dealing with a testy person in the FBI who’s upset about Allison finding said leak.
3. Someone stealing Allison’s computer program.
4. Allison dealing with her horrible family issues.

I don’t know if there were four big plot points to keep us guessing or what, but to me it just felt unfocused more than anything. My brain didn’t know which event to focus on or which was supposed to be the main part of the story (and #2 ended up being pretty pointless if you ask me).

Parts of the plot were actually quite fun to read, despite the lack of actual technical stuff. I do think there was some potential there, but it could have been much stronger and more interesting if they just picked ONE (two tops) event and really focused in on it.

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The format was kind of jarring.

The book has two main points of view:

1. Allison’s
2. Liam’s

But there aren’t neatly organized chapters where it switches between the two. Nope. Instead, it just switches randomly from paragraph to paragraph. I hate this format in general; I prefer neatly organized chapters that swap back and forth. But it was made even worse in this case because the voices between the two characters weren’t distinct at all. The book often switched points of view and I didn’t even realize, then I’d get confused and have to backtrack a little to find out when it switched.

Also, the book sticks to those two points of view for 90% of the story, then randomly switches to a different character’s point of view for like one useless page. That REALLY confused me. I had to reread the first paragraph of that chapter like three times before my brain realized what had happened and who’s point of view I was reading from. Then it did this again with a different character a few chapters later. I thought these two chapters were unnecessary and just made the book weirdly inconsistent.

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After all that, two stars probably feels like a generous rating… and maybe it is. But to be honest, until the last 10% of the book I did kind of enjoy reading Wired. I was unsatisfied with it—sure—but I was actually fully intending to give it three stars until the ending. Allison became annoyingly sympathetic to EVERYONE who did horrible things. “Oh I feel so awful for my cousin who keeps beating people up and robbing stores. I really want to keep him out of prison.” and “That poor guy who stole my computer program and tried to sell it and then held me at gunpoint. I feel bad for him because he’s in with some bad people now.” Maybe I’m just not that nice of a person, but damn… Allison was way too nice to people who didn’t deserve it. At least Liam kept calling her out on that. Then there was that whole ridiculous thing with Allison and Liam deciding to get married at the end… totally randomly.

So much potential in the plot, but turns out it wasn’t for me… *sigh*

I Love this book Ms Garwood wrote a wonderful story. I enjoy Liam story and also seeing how the other couple are doing.

3.5 stars

Allison was the genius/hacker/model heroine. She didn't have a lick of sense when it came to her own greedy relatives, however, she could hack her way into a highly secure system in hours. She was introverted, but could walk the catwalk with no hesitation. She was a puzzle to be solved, but unfortunately, one I was hard pressed to finish.

Liam was the broody/protective/ FBI agent hero who talks Allison into working for the FBI to discover an internal hacker. He's the tall, handsome guy who came and went like a shadow. He'd pop up at the right time, right place, and he would say all the right things, but he was superficial. We never got up close and personal with his character on a personal level.

Liam and Allison struck me as friends, or rather friends with benefits. Their chemistry was lacking the zing I normally take away from a Garwood novel. I don't think they reached their full potential as a couple, much less as individuals, and frankly expected more from them.

I love Garwood's writing and have been anticipating this book since it was first announced well over a year ago. Overall, Wired was a good read, but the story didn't work for me. WIRED leaned more towards contemporary romance than it did romantic suspense. I was expecting more "oomph" on suspense and more "sizzle" to Allison and Liam's chemistry and was disappointed when it never materialized. I did, however, enjoy catching up with Jordan, Alec, and Noah. They definitely provided some levity to certain situations!

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced copy of this book that I received from the Berkley via NetGalley.

Julie-Alphas Do It Better Book Blog

Julie Garwood never disappoints! Another book hard to put down. It has it all. Very hunky, strong, sometimes guarded aloof leading man....very smart, savvy woman solving cyber crimes. Family conflicts involving the law. And of course lots of passion!

Allison Trent is a genius when it comes to writing computer code and hacking into supposedly secure systems. In her last year of college, she has become sort of a Robin Hood by taking money from criminal hackers and giving it back as well as diffusing the nefarious bugs and viruses that plaque the computer world. Not only is Allison a genius nerd, but a fashion model as well which makes for an interesting contrast. Through her best friend, Jordan, who has family ties to the FBI, she catches the attention of special agent Liam Scott who is trying to track down a dangerous leak in his department. Allison is reluctantly recruited as temporary help to find the guilty party. The mutual attraction between Allison and Liam adds the romance angle to the plot.

Allison has several problems besides being worried that her illicit hacking might result in jail time including a loathsome aunt and uncle who continually shake her down for money to keep their worthless son out of jail. Others who realize the potential of her brilliant mind want to steal from her as well and some of them are dangerous people.

This is a pleasant enough although sometimes slow, read and while I liked Allison a lot, her tendency to let others steam roll her and take major advantage got a little old. It’s true she is young; however, Allison knew what these people were doing but continued to allow it. The plot and bad guys are predictable so there is not much of a mystery; it’s really almost a coming of age story for Allison. The story line is certainly current with hackers holding the world hostage from one day to the next. This book is part of a series that can be read as a stand-alone.

I'm used to romantic Suspense from Julie Garwood but this is not so much a mystery but a love story and the story of a woman who learns to stand up for herself and see her self worth. Allison is a college student/ and a hacker. Except she hacks for good, she fixes viruses, returns embezzled money and returns it to the FBI. Liam is an FBI agent that talks her into working as consultant for the FBI, to help trace a leak. Allison comes from a rough home life but has a gentle heart and tends to help people but not herself. Her childhood guardians (Aunt and Uncle) treated her and her sister very badly and she has a cousin that is constantly in trouble with the law. There are a few plot lines that add to the suspense of the book but the story of Liam and Allison getting to know each other and fall in love is the main plot line. I enjoyed this book because Allison was fun. She learns to stand up for herself and get things done her own way. She's a strong woman, she just had to figure that out.

Ms Garwood never disappoints regardless of the genre she writes in. This series has been a winner from the beginning...Wired is no exception. From page one I was hooked and couldn't put the book down. This author has a unique way of drawing you into her characters, to the point you hate for the story to end.

Liam and Allison were quite the pair. With their subtle humor and captivating personalities, how could anyone not be pulled towards these two. I enjoyed the different, yet parallel stories running throughout. This kept the story interesting, intriguing and moving rapidly. Allison's quirkiness and Liam's protectiveness was endearing and at times pulled at the heartstrings...especially towards the end.

This ARC book was a complimentary copy provided by the Publisher and Netgally, I am voluntarily providing my honest reviews.

I love Garwood and this series. I liked the story and it was another solid title in the series.

Excellent read! It was a lot of fun, and I enjoyed the characters. There were a few inconsistencies, such as characters having the same conversation twice and one instance where the main character was supposed to graduate in a month, but she was still in school after a two month time jump. Hopefully, these issues will be worked out before publication.

I really liked this book, and was glad to finally read it, after waiting for so long.

I love Julie Garwood, although I haven't read her in years. However this book didn't work for me at all and sadly I didn't even finish it.

This book's publishing date had been pushed back several time. I made sure to get the ARC just to make sure it really existed. I enjoy this series by Julie Garwood. The characters are well formed. It was great to see a woman coder portrayed. Sometimes it felt like there was too much going on. I think the plot could have been streamlined to be more cohesive. Overall an enjoyable read.

This is such a great story! I loved seeing The Buchanan family again! The concept of the computer nerd and the FBI agent was great. I loved how she was a female Robin Hood too! Her crazy family made you feel for her. Another fabulous Julie Garwood read! Guaranteed hours of pleasurable reading! I totally loved Allison and Liam!

Great book! Adventure, mystery, and romance - what more could I ask?!

DNF

I’ve officially given up on Julie Garwood. I’ve been singing that tune for her past 5-6 books, after each proved to be as big a disappointment as the last... but they’re far enough apart that every time a new ARC comes up for review I always think “maybe this time”. No more. I’m finally breaking up with the author that so wonderfully introduced me to the romance genre many years ago (THE SECRET and RANSOM in middle school).

Admittedly, WIRED is not the worst of her post-FIRE AND ICE work-- that (dis)honour falls to SWEET TALK, in my opinion-- but it is the first of her books that I have put down without finishing. Could I have made the effort and read through the book in a reasonable amount of time? Sure. Would I want to wade through 300+ pages of vapid characters with the personalities of doorknobs and the emotional range of a teaspoon, zero plot, and what feels like the prose a preteen would put in her diary? Not when I have much meatier romantic suspense and thriller tomes that boast knuckle-biting plots, heinous villains, and awe-inspiring displays of craft in my ARC TBR pile. Everything Julie Garwood has written since FIRE AND ICE (or even, arguably, SHADOW DANCE, the 6th book in the Buchanan-Renard series circa 2006) has fallen into a very awkward no-man’s land between romantic suspense and contemporary romance that satisfies neither craving. In RS, I want taut pacing, emotional tension, and an impending sense of urgency… not a tepid attempt at a plot that’s made RS-y simply by having the hero be in law enforcement. In contemporaries, I want humour, wit, sexy banter, and a hero & heroine who give me the warm fuzzies… not an insipid heroine who behaves like an idiot despite being a genius, a cardboard hero, and nothing that approaches realistic human interactions. With WIRED I get… nothing. And I deserve better as a reader. So, as much as it pains me, Julie Garwood officially goes fro the must-buy author of my youth to the never-buy author of adulthood.

Worth the wait for this book to be published. Vintage Garwood. I "sure as certain" laughed and thoroughly enjoyed it.

I loved the newest Garwood. It makes me extremely happy that the main character is a female hacker. The suspense was great and the romance believable. Julie Garwood never disappoints.

Julie Garwood used to be one of my go-to authors back (way back) in the day—a dim, dark time when only historical romances ruled my world—and I must admit that reading ‘Wired’ was part-curiosity, part-RS-driven-motivation to see how Garwood tackles contemporary romance when so much has changed since then. It’s my first Buchanan-Renard book and ‘Wired’ seemed like an appropriate insertion point to see what the hype is all about.

I wish I could say that it was akin to coming back to an old, trusted friend, but ‘Wired’ wasn’t really that experience for me. I do think though, that my changing tastes are responsible for framing the way I read romances these days and because of that, I found Garwood’s story an odd mix of omniscient narration, inexplicable perspective switches and showing-rather-than-telling, along with protagonists that seem be variants of Mary/Marty Sues. In short, Allison and Liam are perfect protagonists with perfect attributes who can do nearly no wrong—they’re elevated ideals to which I can’t relate at all, let alone empathise with.

Not that I have a problem with beautiful, fictionalised characters who are also capable, but Allison bucks even this trend, as she’s gorgeous enough to be a model, and so brilliant a hacker that she tops all the other experts…all before she graduates from college. The rather convenient immunity the FBI grants her after trying her to recruit her for her skills, along with the rather unbelievable dialogue, and the hype about just how good Allison really is, simply got annoying after a while.

In short, I’m afraid that Garwood’s style is just one that I’m not used to anymore. As a result, I had a hard time just getting into the first quarter of the book with scenes that just didn’t seem to further the plot, let alone buy into a romance between two characters who don't seem to have sufficient chemistry together for me to want more.

Julie Garwood has added another great read to her Buchanan series. This book has dealt with some very current issues especially in the world of hackers and electronics. While not as suspenseful as some of her other Buchanan books, this book seems to tackle a great number of things that you see on the news everyday. Sometimes when you read a book like this you wonder if the FBI or other organizations have the kind of power to dig into your private life and information about you that Ms. Garwood talks about in this book. It really gets you thinking!

This story was just ok. It was muddled by too many "bad guys" and the story was a bit dull.