‘Exploited’ by A. Meredith Walters was an interesting tale of revenge, love and deceit. This is the first part of a duet and is told from dual points of view. It must be known that it ends in a cliffhanger and if you are someone who doesn't like that then you might want to wait until the rest book is out before reading this.

Although this book is a bit of a slow starter I did get engaged with the characters the further I read. Hannah is leading a bit of a double life and in secret spends her time seeking revenge on those people and companies that have done wrong. spurred on by the death of her father and the accident involving her sister Hannah makes it her mission to reek havoc on those who should be made accountable.

Mason is an FBI agent tasked with finding and catching the hacker that although is in some ways is doing good but is doing it by illegal means. After a chance meeting he is introduced to and falls in love with Hannah meaning the man Mason is after is actually the woman right under his nose.

This was suspenseful and intriguing at times with a romance along the way. I am not sure if a full new book is needed to conclude unless there is much more that I am just not seeing but regardless is you are a fan of this author I am sure you will enjoy this and will be looking to get the conclusion of this tale.

I was given a copy of this book by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

4★★★★ stars

Genre: Romantic Suspense
Type: Book 1 of 2 from Zero day duet
POV: First Person – Dual

"Trauma alters a person. Makes her reevaluate what was important. And what wasn't."

Hannah Whelan had a great life until a tragedy happened and she lost her father and her sister basically is now unable to care for herself. All Hannah has ever wanted after this was justice. A roommate in school thought her how to get her justice by becoming a cyber vigilante. It took Hannah time but she finally accepted this new freedom and easily became well known as Freedom Overdrive. I liked that she used her skills to bring down the corrupted corporations.

"It was amazing how easy it was to hide in plain sight."

Mason Kohler wanted a new fresh start. The loss of his brother left him needing to work harder to prove to himself that his work was important. Mason was an FBI agent; he was great looking and super smart. Sometimes he was overly confident and in thinking he was better than anyone he got stuck in a assignment he preferred not to have at his new job. He was in charge of bringing down the hacker well knows as Freedom Overdrive. Their cyber crime has been followed crossly by the FBI and they needed a brake to take them down.

I don't think I've read a story like this before so I found myself enjoying every minute of it. Mason's and Hannah were interesting characters; both strong characters but with internal battles. They both seemed lost in their own with so much sorrow and I was so curious to see how everything will turn out for them.

"It was insanity. She was the perfect combination of coy and shy that had always attracted me. She gave off the right amount of interest without being desperate."

In the beginning I wasn't sure how I was going to like Mason; he came across cocky and arrogant but I am really glad his nice side came out. It made him vulnerable and more likable person. Hannah was smart and even though her heart started winning a little when she started developing feelings for someone she just couldn't have; she still stayed strong to what she believed. She knew what she wanted and what she had to do to get it even if that meant having a broken heart.

I really loved it when Mason and Hannah were both vulnerable with each other. Hannah was conflicted between lies and what she was actually feeling. Mason was desperately in love with Hannah and the lies he was finding were making him insecure but they say love blinds us.

Overall, I enjoyed this story very much. The plot was great; I like the chemistry and the connection between the characters. I liked the fact that the author kept me guessing for most of the story. I am curious to see how the conclusion of this duet will end. This book will be appealing to readers who enjoy romantic suspense reads.

This is a fast-paced suspenseful story and one I hated to end with a cliffhanger. Hannah Whelan lived with some devastating events in her life and since she was so talented with computers, she learned how to hack accounts in a somewhat ‘Robinhood/vigilante’ style.

Then we meet Mason Kohler, who is a cyber-criminologist with the FBI who is looking for Freedom Overdrive, a notorious hacker. Since he is trained to be suspicious, he’s falling for Hannah but some of her stories don’t seem to add up. At times I was quite surprised that he didn’t catch on to Hannah more quickly but assume his feelings for her kept him off balance. Also, his lack of security with his work items didn’t seem to match up with his skills.

I felt the emotions of both characters while they begin a relationship and yet have their own agendas to follow. Both are torn with their duties but especially Hannah, as she knew Mason’s job and didn’t want to get caught. She’s never been in love before and she’s terrified to lose him but believes she needs to complete this particular project.

Hannah, as Freedom Overdrive, is working with Toxicwrath on the hacking and I found it hard to believe that she would trust this person. I can think of three people who could be Toxicwrath so there’s not a clear cut villain.

I felt for Hannah with her revenge but was not happy with the way she had to betray Mason or mislead him. Her lies were beginning to catch up with her and she is torn between her feelings and her mission. The dual POV helped to understand the characters and increase the suspense.

I loved the relationship between Mason and Hannah and hey had some heartbreak in common. I don’t see it ending well but believe that Ms. Walters will find a way!

I didn’t realize this was a cliffhanger until the end of the book, so am anxiously awaiting the sequel. It’s frustrating when a sequel is months away and it’s easy to forget many of the details from the first book. The story seemed so close to being complete that I wonder how much can be added in a second book. There’s been twists and turns so far, so maybe the cat and mouse chase, along with handling a duplicitous mentor, will provide enough suspense for an exciting conclusion.

Ms. Walters writes complex characters and ones with which you can empathize. There were certain things I didn’t care for with both characters but I was so caught up in the intrigue, I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough.

Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for giving me this early review opportunity.

A. Meredith is one of my favorite Authors. How lucky I am to have received a copy of Exploited.
The first page had me intrigued. I loved all the words. All the things about this book and cannot wait for more.

It’s inevitable, every reader's journey is lined with books they treasure, others they don’t and those that fall somewhere in-between. For me, that’s exactly where Exploited ended up—floating in the ether between love and disdain.

Let me start with the positives—this book had major potential. Case in point, the compelling preface the author employed to grab the reader’s attention and set somewhat of a suspenseful tone (romantic-suspense . . . my favorite!). The whole idea behind the story promised something exciting and fresh; it was simply the execution that left a bit much to be desired.

When we meet Hannah, she’s a woman on a mission in more ways than one. She’s gone out of her way to initiate a relationship with a guy, and not just any guy, but an FBI agent named Mason. Inserting herself in Mason’s daily routine and getting him to notice her proves to be quite easy—it isn’t long before he's eating out of her hand. Getting an inside look at her conniving ways made this aspect of the story quite enjoyable. You have to wonder though, why would she be so reckless to start a relationship with an FBI agent?

Hannah spends her nights hiding behind a computer screen and hacking her way to revenge. She has a burning desire to right the wrongs her family has faced and while it’s clouded her judgment somewhat, it's easy to sympathize with her. Launching cyber-attacks on corporations that hurt innocent people has garnered her quite a reputation in the hacking world, along with a new partner in crime, and subsequently a spot on the FBI’s wanted list.

What didn’t quite come across for me was why Hannah specifically targeted Mason. She initiates contact with him before he’s assigned as the agent charged with identifying the person behind the hacker’s elusive signature; so, what gives? Maybe this is something that will be explored further in the next book?

Interesting storyline or not, I had a serious contention with the lack of distinct voices. A. Meredith Walters tells the story by flip-flopping between Mason and Hannah’s perspective and in my opinion, without the character's name notated at the start of each chapter, it would have been easy to confuse the two. Mason is touted as being an alpha-male; so, stereotypical or not, you would expect him to be a tough-guy or a complete badass, right? Wrong. He's a walking contradiction instead—a man prone to blushing, tears after sex (the first time?!) and an overwhelming amount of emotional diarrhea spewing from his mouth. Which again, gender stereotype or not, his mindset and emotions more closely resembled a woman, rather than a man. With that said, it's probably not the easiest thing, being a writer and a woman, to capture the nuances of a man's perspective.

I can’t hide the fact that I was further disappointed with Mason when he failed to pick up on the obvious clues. I’m talking simple little things that a seasoned agent should have honed in on. He was supposed to be an FBI agent with a track record for cracking huge cases, so why did it take him so long to wise up to Hannah?

At the end of the day, I think this was a valiant effort on the author’s part and I applaud her for coming up with such a rousing idea, but for this reader, Hannah and Mason’s story ends here. The issues I’m clinging to simply outweigh any lingering intrigue the ginormous cliffhanger left me with.

Hannah and Mason have what Mason believes to be a chance meeting, but really was choreographed by Hannah to pursue her vigilante ways. Mason is an FBI agent tasked with finding her internet alias and Hannah wants to get close to him to find out what he knows about her alter ego. Mason knows that his subconscious is trying to tell him something throughout this book, but he is so intrigued by Hannah that he doesn't always follow his intuition. A. Meredith Walters does a good job of giving you the mindset of both Hannah and Mason. We find out what makes each of them tick and how similar they are in some ways. Hanna was tough for me to connect with at points and I didn't really care for her all that much. She was arrogant, self-entitled and seemed to sugarcoat her felonious ways. Mason was a bit too clueless at points and I couldn't quite wrap my head around it at points. The story was intriguing and I cannot wait for their conclusion. I am hoping Hannah gets what is coming to her.

The blurb drew me in. The story of the female hacktivist is something that's never been done. However, I just didn't connect with this story of the heroine. I felt like there was drama in the characters' actions and just unnecessary drama in general.
It was, sadly, a disapointment for me.

"Those closest to us are the biggest deceivers."

It pains me to say I didn't love it. I have read other books by A. Meredith Walters and I have enjoyed them far more.

Why didn't I love it?

Mainly because I didn't like the portrayal of Mason Kohler, the male love interest.

What I did like was the idea of the plot.

Hannah Whalen is a young woman seeking revenge on the people who hurt her family. She was in college when tragedy strikes. During those dark times, she was angry and lost until her roommate gave her another choice, to get even with those who were involved in causing her pain. This is how Hannah begins her hacking life. Years later, she is a well-known hacker who goes by the name of Freedom Overdrive. She uses her hacking skills to destroyed corporations who are dishonest or do illegal things. She's considered a cyber-terrorist and is wanted by the FBI.

"My whole life is a web of lies."

Mason Kohler is an FBI agent. He recently relocated to the city but things at work are not great for him. He made the mistake of sleeping with another agent who now is furious with him and his boss seems to hate his guts. He's also assigned a partner that is not very smart. Since his boss hates him, his new assignment is a lost cause. He's to uncover the identity of Freedom Overload and bring him to justice. No one has been able to track him down. Mason believes this could make his career as an FBI agent - very short.

Mason and Hannah meet. Hannah with the purpose of infiltrating Mason's work and protecting herself. Mason because he feels a pull towards her. She's different and interesting.

"I was making out with the man who hunted me."

So you see, a great plot but this is where my problems begin. Mason didn't feel like an alpha to me. He blushes, he permits his family to abuse him, he's not smart enough to piece everything together despite his instincts screaming he CAN'T trust her. He has no sense of protecting his work at home. Really! An FBI agent should know better.

"Don't trust the person who has broken faith once."

Hannah, on the other hand, was smart, sassy and crafty. She was able to manipulate Mason over and over. I felt bad for her. She thought she was doing it all for her family and to help people who were taken advantage of by companies or the government. She was a crusader in her own mind. She was still in a lot of pain and she really didn't have any friends that could help her see how much trouble this could bring her.

Overall, Exploited does have a good suspense in the way that we don't know who's trying to hurt Hannah. Does she have a stalker? Who hates her and why? I thought I knew the answer to my questions but sadly this book ends in a cliffhanger.

Cliffhanger: Yes

3/5 Fangs

A complimentary copy was provided by Loveswept via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

First, let me say I LOVE A. Meredith Walters' books! I love her storytelling and her characters. She creates deliciously angsty books, as well as suspenseful, romantic goodness. So it pains me to say that this book did not work for me. While I loved the premise, it was the execution that fell short. I was not connecting with the story nor characters. The plot was too slow building with flashbacks to the past that were too brief to develop an understanding of the characters. Mason came across as weak and unassured, which was completely at odds with his career. Hannah was at times, wishy-washy as she tried to decide which direction she wanted her life to go.

As you can see, the issues I had with the book are purely a result of personal taste. Don't let this review dissuade you from giving 'Exploited' a try.

I give this read 3.75 stars..........

I was excited to read this book.

I loved the concept and it was filled with angst and edge of your seat moments. But for me it was a little slow and just when it started picking up it ended and I didn't realize there was going to be a cliffhanger (which I don't mind just wish I knew ahead of time) I don't want to give anything away. But some parts I wish were a little more believable.

I will read the second book because I need to know how it ends. I didn't hate it but was a little disappointed.

Awesome book! The intrigue, deception and suspense were amazing. It also showed that telling lies is never a good idea as they come back to haunt you in the end. Must read!

Hannah is an IT consultant who has a secret online identity as hacker Freedom Overdrive. She's into hacking companies who have done people wrong in big ways. She has an annoymous partner in crime, who's identity is unknown to Hannah or the reader. Hannah sets things up where she meets Mason, who is a FBI agent who specializes in IT hackers. Unbeknownst to him he's sleeping with the person he's supposed to discover the real identity of. This book kept me on my toes. I loved the reason Hannah was doing the things she was. I felt bad for Mason at the end of the book. I'm not sure how the couple will resolve their issues in the next book, but I sure can't wait to find out.

Hannah is a bad girl with a good cause. She doesn't like to see filthy rich scum living high on the land while the people they screw over get left working twice as hard to make ends meet. She doesn't like that the big guys get away scot free. When they do something bad there are no repercussions. More importantly, she doesn't like watching those she loves fall victim to the insanely unfair and imbalanced system. That leaves only one thing to do, take care of the problems herself.

This is a cat and mouse story. The question, although, is who's the cat and who's the mouse? Who's chasing who? Hannah needs Mason in order to set things in motion and keep herself in the clear. It'll be no big deal to draw him in and keep him close, or so she thinks. But just like that Hannah realizes she's gotten too close and her plans are spinning out of control. What happens when the mark becomes more than a mark? What happens when the game being playing suddenly becomes all too real?

If you're looking for a modern romance with some sex appeal and mystery involved, Exploited may be the way to go. Despite it being the tiniest bit predicable, the characters are interesting and the story has enough going for it to keep you checked in. I found Mason aggravating at times because of how obtuse his character was. He's supposed to be this big, kick-a FBI guy with infallible instincts, yet he can't manage to see the wood for the trees, so to speak.

Depending on their viewpoint, no matter how they felt about Exploited, most readers will feel one of two ways upon finishing the final chapter. Either they'll be delighted to learn this is merely the first book in this new series by Walters, meaning we get another chance to delve back into the lives of Hannah and Mason to see where they go from here. Or they might be less excited by the news of a follow up book if for no other reason than because when the last drop of ink dried on the manuscript, it left readers no closer to having closure than if they'd skipped the whole last chapter. That's right, we're talking CLIFFHANGER. A surefire way to ensure most readers return for book #2 of the Zero Day series when it comes out later this Fall.

Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for giving me this early review opportunity.

Exploited was a very interesting story for me. I don't think I've ever read anything based around this subject before & I really wasn't sure how it was going to go for me. I was soon sucking all the information given from every page. It's taken me a long time since finishing to write even this sad excuse of a review! I honestly don't know if I've enjoyed a book like this for such a long time. The characters are really awesome & very well developed. I seriously can't wait for the next instalment!! Everyone needs to read this book!

I give the book 3.5 stars. The concept was a good one. The characters were interesting and there was definitely intrigued involved. However, Mason's character was very weak for me. He was supposed to be a star FBI agent in another office in Washington DC. He transfers to Virginia and doesn't click with his fellow agents. All that I can understand, but he ignores all of his gut instincts and seems wishwashy and inept at times. This kept me from getting really into it. I loved the intrigue of hacking against the bad guys. Hannah's character for the most part was good.
****I voluntarily reviewed and gave my honest opinion of this Advanced Readers Copy of this
book from NetGalley****

So I liked the idea book. I really wanted to love it but I couldn't. Mason didn't seem smart to me. By the end of the book he had all the answers in his hand but still couldn't figure it out. For being FBI an talking about how he always sees the worst in people, he was far too trusting, so it was a contradiction. Hannah was pretty decent. I liked her and her mission but felt that she went a little overboard. The plot was interesting. The whole hacker aspect and FBI looking for her, but at the same time, I don't feel like it was executed right. Overall, I can only give it 3 stars, because while most of it made me angry and was too predictable, I do want to continue reading the next book to see exactly who is the bad guy.

Exploited by Meredith Walters

Hannah our main heroine is a normal computer girl by day in her boring job but at night shes one of the most untouchable hackers of her time. She calls herself FreedomOverdrive.

Mason is a FBI agent who's job is catching cyber hackers. And his next case is to find this FreedomOverdrive and bring them to justice.

This story begins with Hannah meeting Mason at a coffee shop and they hitting it off and agreeing to meet up again. So now we have a hacker and a FBI CyberUnit Agent spending time together. You quickly learn that both people have family who died and they hold alot of anger and sadness over the unfortunate circumstances that lead to it. Hannah is targeting Mason for a reason you don't know but you keep hearing her internal dialogue of her using him for her plan but falling in love with him and starts to hinder her plans. Will hannah continue her plan or will feelings for Mason get in the way?
This story ends in a huge cliffhanger so be warned!!!

This was a 3 star read for me first off it was very inconsistent the main characters meals would change or hed eaten then not eaten, its small stuff but just bugs me. I also didn't really enjoy the characters themselves I felt no connection.

3.5 stars - It's a wicked hacker ride that ends with a cliffhanger. I dread cliffhangers, and if you do too, beware. It's a tech thriller and does have you paying close attention, but the hero didn't work for me. He's an amazing guy, which I'm all for, but he's a fool. He annoyed me because he constantly had gut feelings that he ignored. I’m pretty sure I know who the villain is and, with reluctance, I’ll likely cave and read the next one just to confirm my suspicions. That being said, if you're not in the mood to be frustrated, you may want to give this one a pass. Or at the very least, wait until part two is available before heading down this rabbit hole.

I received an ARC of this book, from the publisher, via NetGallery, in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Wow. At first I didn't know if I'd like this book. It was slow in the beginning then the attacks started coming fast. Hannah was many different people but when her heart got in the way her life started to crumble. The question is what happens when it gets tough and can she make it out

Exploited is a fast-moving techno romance (is there such thing or did I just make up a genre….lol) that will keep you glued to the book. It is a page turner and you never know where this book will lead you and I loved it.


I am going to say this right up front, I didn’t like Hannah. Did I feel bad for her, sure. What happened to her family was pretty crappy and I can totally get why that pushed her into hacking. But her relationship with Mason took the cake and when it was revealed why she was with him, I was a little upset. That’s when I became “Team Mason” and started cheering on his investigation of Freedom Overdrive. What bothered me also about her was that she didn’t have any friends, work or personal. She explained it as a lack of trust but I wonder, as I do with fictional characters, if her lack of friends was because she had no personal skills. The only “friends” that she has is her fellow online hackers.

I liked Mason, even if he was the equivalent of a human stress ball. He made a mistake by sleeping with one of his fellow agents, who happened to be his superior, and things got a little, how do I phrase this, stressful at the office. He also has major issues with his parents. They are playing the blame game with him. When Mason’s brother, Dylan, was dying of brain cancer, he never got down to see him before he died. So, Mason’s mother and father blame his job and himself for not being there for Dylan. Which is pretty awful and those phone calls with his father just broke my heart.

While I didn’t like Hannah, I did like the romance between them….even if Hannah originally went into it under false pretenses. Their romance gave me major feels. And the sex was hot. Burning hot!!

The hacker plotline was very interesting and I can see the allure in it. I mean, Hannah got pulled into it by a friend because she was going to fail our of college. I am still not sure how she went from small time to big time and I am sure that they will explain it more in book 2.

This book does not have a happy ending and none of the plot lines got wrapped up. I can’t wait to see where this story ends up in book 2.

Now I went ahead and created a playlist for Exploited. These songs are just suggestions and feel free to let me know, if you have read the book, what other songs would fit.

Playlist for Exploited:

Hannah

Believer by Imagine Dragons

Name by The Goo Goo Dolls

Choices by B-Side

Breathe Me by Sia

Mason

Trouble by Coldplay

Brother by Anna Pancaldi

Boombastic by Shaggy

Cry Me A River by by Justin Timberlake

Father of Mine by Everclear

How many stars will I give Exploited: 4

Why: Fast, intense storyline with great, layered characters and great sex scenes

Will I reread: Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes

Age range: Adult

Why: Sex, language

**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**