3.5 STARS

*** ARC PROVIDED BY NETGALLEY FOR AN HONEST REVIEW ***

This is the second part in the series and it can be read as a standalone. Mostly. I didn't read the first book but I was able to get the hang of what was going on and what happened to the other couple in the previous book.

Fiona has been running from the people who abused and violated her ten years ago. She is always on the run and that has become her new normal. They don't leave her alone and keep reminding her what would happen if she told people about what was done to her.

Josh has been keeping an eye on Fiona, mostly since the last book. He has been assigned to protect her. He is like a robot. He gives one-word answers, doesn't talk if not asked a question and has no facial expressions.

These two start a friendship once Fiona discovers that Josh has been protecting her. I had a great time seeing them getting to know each other, and Fiona trying to make Josh talk. Josh was such a sweet man, trying to make Fiona feel good and give her the power to make her own choices when so much of it has been stolen from her. Once Josh gets to know Fiona, things become way personal for him.

This book was written very well. I do expect that from the author. I have read a lot of her MM books, and I have enjoyed them all. This was my first MF book by her and it did not disappoint. I loved the romance scenes and I loved how each of the character's personalities were well developed. The book was funny in many instances and it added a light to the dark story. Fiona has not lost her spunk, and she is a very strong character.

The only issues I had was that there was a little too much happening in the book. It wasn't difficult to grasp all the dramas and the fights, but I think the book was a little too long and while some parts were very fast, some parts dragged too much. There was also some little chemistry that was lacking between these two characters. At some point I felt that these two were better of as friends, while sometimes the lust was too instant.

But overall, I truly enjoyed reading the book and I am actually very very excited for the next book. I think it's going to be MM book for the next one, and I love the author's MM books..!!!

Give me a moment for my pulse to stop racing.

Yeesh.

I don't know why I didn't expect this going in. I think I felt a little bit nervous because I couldn't exactly remember how the first book in this series unfolded, and I was afraid I might not connect with the second book. That was just silly. Where there is a surly, damaged hero - there you will find my heart. And my heart wrapped its sappy self tightly around Jock and Fiona - no hesitation.

I loved this story of two broken people finding safe harbor in each other. There was so much sweetness there. But also? So much suspense, action, drama. And I felt like it was balanced pretty perfectly. There were moments where I felt my mind wander. There was a time where I was pretty sure I had figured out exactly the way this was going to go. Then came twists and turns I didn't see coming and my pulse started racing and my heart seized and holy moly, y'all, that was ~awesome~!

I don't know that I would recommend this as a standalone. I suppose that technically it works, but it's going to mean a lot more to you if you read the first book. For instance, I loved catching up with the whole crew, and the introduction of new secondary characters who I hope to see a lot more of (I never could resist a mysterious ginger).

In all, Darkest Night was so good! It kept me on my toes, and it made my heart happy. This is a completely solid second book in the series, and I absolutely cannot wait for more!

I enjoyed this romantic suspense book, the second in the Wired and Dangerous series, much more than I did the first book. I had a lot of trouble connecting with the characters in the first book, but I felt an immediate connection with the characters in this one. I really like the premise of this series, and I liked the author's writing style in the first book, which is why I gave this one a shot, hoping I would feel more of a connection with different characters. I'm so glad I gave the author another chance because this book pulled me right in and never let go. I thought J and Fiona were great characters, individually and together. I stayed riveted to this story from beginning to end, and I'll be anxious to see how it continues in the next book in the series.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever Publishing for providing an ARC for review.

Not what I usually read and I don't believe it works as a standalone, you do need to read book one to get the full appreciation of where the series is at.

I had no intention of carrying on this series but I got sent this NetGalley link to review and clicked it without realising it was book two in the Wired & Dangerous series and if I don't send feedback, my overall % rating on NG drops.

So, I gave book one in this series 3.5 out of 5 and this one wouldn't score any higher. It's a bodyguard trope and it's executed with the competency I'd expect from this author, it wasn't particularly new or different. Jock and Fiona work as a pairing, there's drama and angst but it's in keeping with the overall feel of the series,

People who haven't read book one will be confused as this one launches right into the action without much of an explanation of the timescale - is it a few days after the events of book one, a month, a year? It's not really made clear.

It touches on a difficult subject - victims of sexual crimes - but it's handled without any salacious content and the PTSD aspect is also treated with care.

The book was a little hard to get into, as a person who has been through a very slightly similar situation to Fiona I think that was why I was able to get into the book. Jock was kind of a non dimensional character but in some aspects I also understand where he came from. Being hurt having those you love hurt makes you not want to have someone who can be hurt. But beyond that he didn’t have much shape to him. Their relationship came almost out of nowhere. I read this book really quickly. Although a lot of this book gets to be extremely unrealistic. I did enjoy bits and pieces of it.

Wow! I am not sure where to start. I didn't love this book in the beginning, I thought it was a little slow. It defiantly picked up. I really liked Jock. He was not your typical hero. He is taciturn and moody and didn't talk much, but let his actions speak for him. The ending was quite a surprise, just when you think it is winding up Bam. I thought this was a well written story that showed new insight into the ever growing problem of the sex trade.

Fiona was kidnapped and raped ten years ago. Every little bit she gets photos, videos and notes saying if she tells, they’ll release everything. Each time she receive one, she moves. Jock was in the Army, a hitman, and now works with his friends to take down human trafficking. He’s a cold man but Fiona heats his blood like no other. He has been watching her and keeping her safe until she catches him and shots him in the ear. When she finds her he knows her friend Wren, she relaxes a little. She’s almost taken in the park and Jock barely saves her in time, they move to a townhouse with good security. They are still hunting the man who had her kidnapped and they find out he plans to get her again. She offers herself as bait but Jock goes ballistic. They put a tracking device under her hair so they can locate her. Once she’s taken, they are other women there so she has one of them to take the device out so the guys can find the women. Fiona is moved somewhere else. Can Jock find her in time to save her?
Great story. Action, sex, and suspense. I loved all the characters and can’t wait to see what happens to the rest of them.

* Voluntarily read and reviewed this for Netgalley *

3 1/2 stars out of 5
While the concept of the story is insetting without reading the first book readers will feel as if they are dropped in the middle of a story.

The author Megan Erickson tries her best to update readers fast in the first few chapters at times readers will be lost.

The story is has a decent flow keeping reader engaged but the time table while leave a few scratching their heads. I still can't tell you if the story is over a few days, weeks, months or years.

Jock Bosh is very boring character and while there are moments of humor and romance he is flat, boring and forgettable.

Fiona is interesting and her past will break readers hearts. Their insta romance is unbelievable as well as parts of the story.


I enjoyed the concept former military\hackers saving the world however it falls flat to deliver with a very flat male lead and a bag guy straight out of a James Bond film. (Mr. White)

Thank you to Netgalley and Forever for the advance copy

Romantic suspense at its best! Fiona suffered through a traumatic event years ago and it left her unable to enjoy life. She is always on the run because the men who abducted her keep finding her, letting her know that they can get to her anytime they want. When Fiona finds out that an old friend of hers has provided her with a bodyguard, Jock, she is stunned and grateful. He brings out feelings in her that she thought were destroyed long ago. Jock has done things in the past that makes him believe he can't have a normal life. Together Jock and Fiona learn to overcome the past and triumph. Excellent!

Full review to come! Great fast paced romantic suspense. Thank you Gallery Books and Forever Romance for the chance to read/review!

This book really surprised me, in a good way. It was a little shocking at first but the romance in the book was top-notch. When I'm reading a romance, I love the backstory of the characters. How did they end up there and what makes them who they are. This book is definitely full of character and story. It starts off with Jock watching and keeping tabs on Fiona. She was in danger but didn't know it. Jock would keep her safe even if it meant dying for her. I really enjoyed the book and I would recommend it to anyone who liked a good romance novel.

I love romantic suspense novels. This one was a very good one similar to its predecessor in the trilogy. . This story focuses more on the bodyguard trope and does it well. I loved that while the female lead had been hurt in the past she still had a sense of self and did not let it take over her life and was in fact a strong female character. The big bad from the previous book does loom over the main mystery here so a bit of knowledge of the previous book in the series is important. This book avoids a common trilogy failing because the main mystery for Darkest Night though is not a repeat of the mystery from the previous novel.

I really think if you're a fan of the authors you'll enjoy this book and if you're a fan of mysteries and strong female characters you'll love this one as well.

There has been drama. There have been words (some very virulent ones) that have been flung around. I’m sort of aware of the drama that has surrounded Megan Erickson in the past few months, but not having any involvement in the debate that had ignited the entire community (and pretty much blew up over the course of a few days) means that I’m still kind of bewildered over the whole thing.

But that really isn’t a disclaimer on my part in any case. I’ve been graciously handed an ARC and that’s what this is going to be about—an assessment of what I felt about the plot, characters and the style. This review is going to be just that: a book review and nothing more as all my reviews have been.

So off we got onto a start that felt somewhat abrupt where ‘Darkest Night’ left me flailing for purchase. With the barest of context alluded to about the history of Fiona Madden and Wren Lee, to the magical and mysterious appearance of a stoic bodyguard named Jock, I struggled for the first quarter for some kind of purchase. With too many questions in mind—how this was related to the previous book being the first and foremost—it was hard not to feel as though I’d come in late to the game where a huge chunk of the back story had been reduced to a few sentences of vague explanation that Jock provided for his presence as well as the danger that Fiona was in. For this reason I’m not entirely sure if ‘Darkest Night’ worked well as a standalone; needing to go back to the first book for details can be tiresome but the appearance of Roarke’s hacker crew and the story arc that seemed to be carried over in this half necessitated it.

There wasn’t the geek-heavy type of plot with hardcore coding and tech-speak that I expected with a first half slowly revolving mostly around Fiona getting used to Jock’s towering presence. With a more traditional take on the bodyguard-type (who also happened to be a hacker) story, Erickson focused on character building that came to a road block when both their pasts were brought into question. Still, Jock remained remote for most of the time, while Fiona trying her best to cut through his walls felt merely like an exercise in futility and this holding pattern (along with wildly vacillating emotions on both sides) made their connection difficult to buy into.

I could certainly appreciate the issues that Erickson wrote about—PTSD being the primary one—as much as I could ‘appreciate’ (is there a better word here?) how ‘Darkest Night’ was written around the problem of sex crimes and its victims. But having been left without solid footing for so long, along with the inability to read the protagonists or feel the depth of horror that these crimes normally elicit, I found myself more disconnected than invested nonetheless.

*~~*ARC kindly provided to me for an honest review *~~*

- Review to come

Review originally posted on my blog with added content on Mikku-chan / A world full of words