5 Smooches
Synopsis
There are three things you need to know about Sandra Fielding: 1) She makes all her first dates cry, 2) She hasn’t been kissed in over two years, and 3) She knows how to knit.
Sandra has difficulty removing her psychotherapist hat. Of her last 30 dates, 29 have ended the same way: the man sobbing uncontrollably. After one such disaster, Sandra–near desperation and maybe a little tipsy–gives in to a seemingly harmless encounter with her hot waiter, Alex. Argumentative, secretive, and hostile Alex may be the opposite of everything Sandra knows is right for her. But now, the girl who has spent all her life helping others change for the better, must find a way to cope with falling for someone who refuses to change at all.
This is a full-length, 110k word novel and is the third book in the Knitting in the City series. All books in the series can be read as a standalone.
Review
Love Hacked by Penny Reid is the third book in the Knitting in the City Series. It can be read as a standalone but honestly why would you, all of these books are AMAZING and you would be a fool to skip any of them. Love Hacked follows the story of Sandra, a late 20s psychologist, and Alex, who is in his early 20’s and a waiter.
Sandra has a super power . . . she has the ability to turn the well-adjusted, successful and happy men that she goes out with into crying fools on their first date. Sandra meets the men she is going out with on Friday nights at the same Indian restaurant and every time she leaves with a new male “friend”, and they leave with a reference for her friend Thomas a Psychologist. This is why in her late 20s Sandra has not been kissed in 3 years.
Alex is the mysterious sexy waiter who has been watching Sandra turn grown men to crying babies for two years and then one night and one red dress . . . ZING! After one of her dates leaves Alex decided to make his move and sits down and invites himself to dinner with Sandra.
After dinner, when Alex corners Sandra and they Kiss . . . ZING! The chemistry between these two is undeniable but Alex is nothing like the man she has formed in her mind for her future. He is young, mysterious, and doesn’t open up easily. Can these two get past all of their differences and find out where this intense connection will lead?
There are so many things about this story (and series as a whole) that I love. Penny’s writing style is exactly what I love. She knows how to mix just the right amount of humor, action, steam, and love to form a book you just can’t put down! I loved the whole mystery into Alex’s past and trying to figure him out along with Sandra was so much fun. I was constantly surprised as to where the story was taking me and never would I have guessed some of the turns it took!
Love Hacked left me dying, wanting my very own Alex. This man had such a way with words that I was melting the whole way. Reading this story you, could feel how much he loved Sandra even when she didn’t want to acknowledge it. I want an Alex, there is nothing quite like a smart, witty man who knows what to say to make a girls panties fall off!
Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a sweet romance story with a side of intrigue and a huge dose of humor. All of Penny’s books have me laughing so hard and rushing to text one liners to my friends.
~miranda
