Good romantic story with a twist of suspense. I wish Leland had been given more of a voice. How does a desk jockey get as fit as he was if his workouts are limited to swimming. The steamy scenes were hot. I think if that sexual tension had been incorporated into the rest of the book, it would have made for a four star read.

4 stars

This story was interesting and went in a different direction than I was expecting. The storyline while intriguing was at times a bit disjointed to me. There was a sense of disconnect for me between the actual story that was happening and the characters. I am not sure why that was considering I did enjoy Dawn and Leland.

The story was rich in detail and with the addition of steamy moments and interesting characters it was overall a good book. I am glad that I did go back and read the first book, The Money Man because it helped me understand some previous characters and their backstory. Technically, this could be standalone but I don't think that I would have enjoyed it as much. I'll look for more in the future from this author.

The guys of KRG are back in Cofferwood, New Jersey when Dawn finds something weird going on at the gym’s Wi-Fi. With Leland insisting on helping, it’s no time at all before the two are drawn together. I love the exchange between Dawn and Leland and how they quickly learn to rely on each other, each with a past. As the suspense mounts, you may think you have everything figured out, but surprises are around the corner (or on the next page).
Nancy is writing a great series and can’t wait for Tully’s story!

I'm a sucker for a good mystery-romance story and this one kept me intrigued from start to finish. The chemistry between Leland and Dawn is evident from the very beginning and it was nice to see their interest in one another go from physical to something deeper - especially when the story of Dawn's past trauma is shared . The big reveal for the bad guys wasn't a huge surprise, but I didn't mind because it wasn't the point of the story. I would definitely more from this series and author.

The Hacker, book 2 in the consultants series re introduces the previous characters but can quite easily be read as a stand-alone.
Leland one of the three partners that own KRG is the computer genius. Dawn a personal trainer is best friend of one of the other partners, so when there seems to be some weird wi if glitches at the gym she works at she asks for Lelands advice. Intrigued he poses as one of Dawns clients to obtain access to the gyms computer, here he discovers much to investigate and finds that the computer has access to the dark web involving a large criminal network.
This is a good romance/thriller, it’s romps along with plenty of action and a steamy relationship developing between Dawn and Leland.
An entertaining read, I look forward to the next book.
My thanks to net galley and publishers Montlake for the opportunity to review this book honestly.

This is billed as a romantic thriller but it's for a lot more sex than romance and hardly any thrills at all. A personal trainer hears so many complaints about the wifi in her gym that she asks the handsome, rich techie friend of a friend to look into it After several breathless couplings, he discovers that someone is using the gym's internet access as a node on the dark web and using it for nefarious dealings involving the head of a drug cartel and a gun running enterprise.
There's not much here here and it's both boring and predictable.

I received a copy of this in exchange for an honest review. I loved this book. It was a quick read, the characters were like able, and the plot was definitely interesting. I finished it in a couple of hours and could not put it down. I cannot wait to read the other books.

This appears to be the 2nd book in a series and I had not read the first book. It still works as a stand alone, but you can tell the characters had some history. The story line was pretty solid for a romance novel and the characters were likable. Some of the plot was a bit out of the realm of reality, but again, for a romance novel it flowed. I would read another book by this author..

I also read the first book in this series and liked them both. In this book, I liked the characters. The struggles they were both going through made them a good match. However, it was a predictable scenario if you read the first one. For that I gave it four stars. I will read the next one if Natalie gets a book.

This was a good fast read. This is the second book in the series but totally standalone (I haven’t read the first book and while there was reference to what happened in the first book, those events didn’t impact the events of this book.. Dawn is a personal trainer who asks Leland to help uncover why her gym’s WiFi is acting up. There is some intrigue as they try to figure out the whys and then tackle the issues to get to their HEA. I liked both characters a lot, especially Leland. They both have backstories that make them sympathetic characters. This book was steamy but in a way, building the characters would likely have been better to make readers more invested. Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy!

This was such an exciting book. Lots of mystery and suspense. Leland is one sexy and intense computer geek. Dawn is a physical trainer goddess. This book is an easy and enjoyable read that had me reading as fast as I could turn the pages. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

I thought there would be more in this book, I’ll explain what I mean. Dawn never got to even see his penthouse or get to go on a NYC date with him. Dawn never got to fly on the private jet to somewhere to investigate what was going on. Dawn got to work at the gym and take him to dinner in her neighborhood and it was never mentioned if she got to eat the lasagna, it only mentioned he ate it on the ride back to NYC. There was a very predictable plot line and the most interesting part was when they jumped into the pool to dodge bullets. It was a rather bland story to read, no action, adventure or even storytelling in this book. Overall I was quite disappointed because I love this author and her previous book in this series was amazing!! This one could use a little more adventure and more getting to know each other other than sex. I was just waiting and waiting for something to exciting to happen in this book but it never came.

Started off strong but about halfway in I was bored and skipped chapters. The ending was a little farfetched and the dialogue was not genuine. The epilogue was cute

Received as an ARC from Netgalley in return for an honest review.

This is a perfectly good read with nice characters who deserve their HEA. The attempt to move into the Romantic Thriller market - doesn't quite make it in my opinion. This is no JJ Robb series and I'm afraid the h/H are no Eva and Roarke.

Perhaps the Coronavirus lockdown and thus the amount I am reading just now - is making me hypercritical but I just found this an OK read but nothing special.

The Hacker is book two in Nancy Herkness' series: The Consultants. I think it could be read as a stand alone with no problem, but there are references to characters and situations that took place in the first book, so if you're anything like me you'll probably want to read that one first.

Dawn likes her job and her boss. So when the gym where Dawn works starts getting a lot of complaints about their faulty internet signal from their members who like to listen to music, watch videos, etc while they work out she she wants to help her boss. Dawn's friend Alice suggests she contact her fiance's company KRG consulting as they have an outreach program to help small businesses.

Dawn reaches out to Leland Rockwell, the firm's IT guru who is intrigued by the problem and by Dawn, and offers to help. Before you know it they're tangled up with all sorts of trouble including the dark web, drug cartels and gunrunners.

A fast paced story that combines romance, with a bit of mystery and suspense.

I'm a big fan of Nancy Herkness. The Hacker did not disappoint. I would recommend it.

This is the first book I've read by this author, and I realy enjoyed it.
This is a romance with a suspence aspect, Dawn is a trainer at a gym where theres been internet problems and when leeland a hacker she contacts to hepl solve the problem, gets involved, the stumble with criminal activity.

I liked the dynamic between the main characters and the depth the author gave them, how the relationship progressed and the attatchemt they developed towards each other without feeling like they were obsessed with as usually happens in romance.
There are some sex scenes which i found well written and well thought out.
I will definitely read more of the authors books.

There are a lot of flavors to romantic suspense - but this one is a really really good one! Dawn is a really amazing person. She has a kind of quiet strength that is really admirable. After dropping out of college she has truly reinvented herself as a personal trainer and self-defense expert. When something goes wonky with the Wi-Fi at the gym she works at, she calls in a favor with her bff's fiance's company to get some high level tech support.

Enter Leland - Leland is a sexy nerd. He's been struggling with his mother's recent death. He's become even more of a workaholic than usual. He's met Dawn before - but the wi-fi issue brings them together in a very real way. It turns out Dawn is everything Leland needs, and Leland really helps to heal Dawn's trauma.

I adored them together and thought they had great chemistry. Leland is extremely protective of Dawn - but doesn't try (to hard) to stop her from making her own choices and supports her in a very real way. He is very serious about her safety and comfort levels at all times.

Overall - this is a great read and although the villains are never much in the dark - it is still very suspenseful.

Content Warning - <spoiler> sexual assault description and subsequent cover-up, plus the sudden death of a parent.</spoiler>

I received this as an ARC from NetGalley, but these opinions are all my own,

****The Hacker. Dawn, a trainer at a gym that has been experiencing Internet problems also is a survivor of a situation that has left her wary and suspicious. Leland is the computer expert trying to find out who is commandeering gym clients’ cellphone service for nefarious purposes. Working together reveals the attraction both feel, but what Leland learns could put Dawn’s life in danger again. Ms. Harkness has created a suspenseful, well written story that keeps the reader on edge until the end. I voluntarily reviewed an advance copy of this book from NetGalley.

This was only okay for me. The plot was too unbelievable even for a romantic suspense. The steamy scenes were good but there wasn't enough of the romace to keep me sustained. I usually try to write longer reviews but this book was just so bland I have nothing left to say.

Blog name: Storytellers by Marlou
Expected posting date: I don't know yet, as I'm currently on hiatus from blogging.

Well, well, well... That was a steamy and quirky romance story. I do think The Money Man was a little better, The Hacker felt a little more rushed and unfinished, but it was still a good book.

Writing style: Herkness writing is fun, quirky, not too detailed, and just makes for a quick read. So when Consultants book two came by on Netgalley I knew I had to request it and I read it immediately when I got approved.

Characters: Most romance novels don't have properly fleshed out characters, but Herkness' characters have a little more personality and they all have a solid backstory that you can't wait to unravel. Their actions are also driven by their problematic past and throughout the story they find out that together, their past might not have to be so overwhelming. Together they can conquer all.

Story: There was a lot of steamy sex, which you won't hear me complain about. I love me a sexy snutty romance. BUT. And yes, there's definitely a but. The plot suffered because they were having so much sex. All the other parts of the plot were way too rushed and that was disappointing.

I'm still giving this book three stars, because it was fun, it had great characters and Herkness knows how to write and keep things interesting even with a faulty plot. I will definitely be reading Consultants #3 when it releases.