Book Review — Heart-Shaped Hack & White-Hot Hack by Tracey Garvis-Graves

He pulled her close and held her tight.
“I love you. I will never stop loving you.”

• Buy HEART-SHAPED HACK (Kindle)
• Buy HEART-SHAPED HACK (Paperback)

I LOVED THIS BOOK!! It kept me laughing, smiling, and swooning from start to finish! Between the hilarious and witty banter, the sweet and sexy romance, the totally mysterious twist, and that delightfully heart-warming feeling you were left with, this really was the perfect feel-good romance!

One of this author’s other books “On The Island” is literally one of my favorite books ever so as soon as I heard that she’d written another romance, I absolutely couldn’t wait to read it!

And can I just say how much I appreciated that there was literally no stupid drama at all in the whole book. It was just this really gorgeous romance about two people who fell madly in love and did everything they could to stay together. There were certainly still some heart-stopping moments (omg that thing at 70%!!!) but it was done in a way that just kept me cheering them on and loving every moment of the ride!

So… what’s it about?

Well, this story has a cool twist to it because the hero had this whole “secret identity” that the heroine actually didn’t really know much about for quite a while…

Desperate to keep her food pantry afloat, Kate went on TV making an appeal for donations to help in the coming winter months. The people who received food from her establishment depended on it to make ends meet and with it being so new, she was struggling. What she didn’t expect though was a gorgeous and mysterious man who began to drop off large donations each month. When she finally caught him in the act, he claimed to be a Robin Hood of sort — a hacker who stole from the rich to give to the poor — and while she wasn’t sure she was fully ok with what was doing, his charming nature soon won her over…

“Trust me,” she whispered. “You are THE man. A six-foot-four-inch, gorgeous, strapping man with muscles everywhere and a big you-know-what.”

This book was all kinds of fun!! And Ian was so mysterious!! This witty, charming, hilarious guy who took care of her when she had a fever, had zero shame, and more than a few boundary issues, wooed Kate like a pro and yet kept his last name, phone number, and address all secret. So… who was he??

You’ll have to read to find out but I’ll just say that I LOVED their story!!

If you’re a fan of banter, you’re gonna love this book. I have pages and pages and pages of it highlighted. Here’s just a tiny taste…

She was horrified. “How do you know my bra size?”
“I scrolled through your order history at Victoria’s Secret.”
“Well, that’s not at all creepy,” she deadpanned.
“Did you know there are items in your shopping cart? Sweaters. Lots of thick, long, skin-covering sweaters. Frankly, it confused me.”
”Maybe I already own plenty of lingerie. Considering I walk to work, sweaters are more practical. Plus, they’re awfully cute.”
“I added a few things to your cart and checked out for you. I paid for it with my credit card. Expedited the shipping too…”
“You ADDED a few thing?”
“One hint: not sweaters.”
“How wildly inappropriate.”
“Kid in a candy store. Couldn’t help myself.”
“How?”
“Excuse me?”
“You obviously hacked into my computer. How did you do it?”
“I came in your backdoor.”
“I’m certain you did not.”
“I assure you that I did.”
“Without even discussing it with me first? No preparation? No warning? Don’t you think that’s incredibly bad form?”
He grinned. “Are we still talking about your computer?”
…
“Get out of my computer immediately, I’m willing to move past the fact that you hacked me, but it ends now.”
“No more backdoor?”
“No more backdoor.”
He appeared crestfallen. “Ever?”
“Never,” she said firmly.
“Not even on my birthday or like a special occasion?”
“Are we still talking about my computer?” she asked.
“You probably are.”

Teeheeeeee!!!! 😀

One of the best things about this book is the fact that the entire thing kept me glued to the page and totally wrapped up in the story but both Ian and Kate were strong, smart people with good hearts and rational minds and never once was the story driven forward by miscommunication. The author never went there and I was so grateful! It was a total breath of fresh air! All the drama was generated from things external to the relationship which is my favorite thing to read so really this book was just exactly what I wanted!

This was the perfect fun, flirty, sexy, feel-good romance with just enough of an edge to keep your heart racing. The writing was fantastic, the story was original, and I loved everything about it! It’s definitely a new top favorite and I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a gorgeous new book to fall in love with!

Oh, and Ian calls Kate ‘sweetness’.
Be still my heart.
*swoons*

Rating: 4.5+ stars. Contemporary Adult romance.
Can be read as a standalone.

• Buy HEART-SHAPED HACK (Kindle)
• Buy HEART-SHAPED HACK (Paperback)

PS: I’ve also read the sequel White Hot Hack and while I don’t have  a review for it, I really enjoyed it! It’s a direct continuation of Ian and Kate’s story and basically, if you loved the first book and wanted more of the same couple, you’ll enjoy the second book too. It’s rare for me to review sequels but I did really enjoy the book and would definitely recommend it to anyone wanting more of Ian and Kate. It’s the final book and I admire that the author kept their story true to their characters — there is no stupid drama or break ups etc. Rather, the book is solely focused on wonderful couple in love tackling the next stage in their lives together. There’s some great banter, swoony romance, and even a bit of suspense. A wonderful sequel and great finale to their story!

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*** FULL SERIES ***
First book can be read as a standalone.
Second book is a continuation about the same couple.

#1 HEART-SHAPED HACK
Buy for Kindle| Buy in Paperback

#2 WHITE-HOT HACK
Buy for Kindle| Buy in Paperback