Blog Tour - Hard Wired by Megan Erickson & Santino Hassell + Giveaway

Title: Hard Wired (Cyberlove #3)

Author: Megan Erickson & Santino Hassell

Publisher: Self-Published

Release Date: February 13, 2017

Source: ARC from Publicist

Buy the Book: Amazon / Other Retailers

My FallenCon agenda is simple: sit on a couple of panels and let people meet the real me. Jesse Garvy—mod of a famous Twitch channel and, if I ever come out of my shell, future vlogger. I definitely didn’t plan to sleep with a moody tattooed fan-artist, but he’s gorgeous and can’t keep his hands off me. There’s a first time for everything, and my first time with a guy turns out to be the hottest experience of my life.

But the next day, I find out my moody fan-artist is Ian Larsen AKA Cherry—someone I’ve known online for years. And he’d known exactly who I was while shoving me up against that wall. Before I figure out whether to be pissed or flattered, the con ends.

Now we’re back online, and he’s acting like nothing happened. But despite the distance between us, and the way he clings to the safety of his online persona, we made a real connection that night. I don’t plan to let him forget.

The second I see that Megan Erickson and Santino Hassell have a new book coming out, I get excited. It can't be helped. They just have this way of making me care for characters with just a few sentences and sucking me in to those characters' stories with nothing more than a few paragraphs. Obviously that was no different with their latest, Hard Wired. 

One of my favourite things about Megan Erickson and Santino Hassell's books is how relatable their stories are, especially for people who've made connections line (romantic or otherwise). If you're someone who's ever met anyone online and then taken that relationship offline, you'll find something to relate to in these stories. Whether it's the fear that whatever you had online won't possibly translate to IRL. Or the fear that people around you won't be able to understand how you could possibly have made such a strong connection with someone you've never met face to face. Or maybe it's that you're afraid the person you met online won't think you measure up when you meet in person. Hard Wired is about all of that and so much more. And I loved the story for that. I loved seeing the changing dynamic of Jesse and Ian's relationship based on whether they were online or in person. How, eventually, the online and the offline came together and made their relationship that much greater to read about and to root for. But of course that also had a lot to do with Ian and Jesse themselves.

I think I would have had to try really hard to be completely charmed by Jesse and Ian. Seriously. I was maybe three pages into the story and already I was all about these two getting together and living happily ever after. Never mind that they had barely exchanged nothing more than a fleeting look. Obviously some things needed to happen before they could get to that happily ever after I was all about and I was more than happy to read all about them getting there. I loved seeing them hesitantly take small steps to making their online relationship and offline was. It wasn't easy but I was rooting for them all the way. Because Ian and Jesse were pretty much perfect for each other. Granted it took them a little longer than it did me to figure that out. But it's okay because they got there. And I loved watching them get there.

I may be starting to sound like a broken record by now, but do yourself a favour and pick up Megan Erickson and Santino Hassell's book. I have yet to be disappointed and I hope they'll continue to collaborate on stories forever. 

Giveaway!

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Fast Connection by Megan Erickson & Santino Hassell

Title: Fast Connection (Cyberlove #2)

Author: Megan Erickson & Santino Hassell

Publisher: Self-Published

Release Date: July 11, 2016

Source: ARC from authors

Buy the Book: Amazon / B&N / Kobo

After a decade of serving in the Army, everyone still expects me to be Dominic “Nicky” Costigan—the skirt-chasing player. They don’t know I’ve been spending my days trying to figure out my post-military life. Including how to pick up guys.

When I meet Luke on a hookup app, he makes it clear it’s for one-night only. That’s fine with me, because I’m down to see what this silver fox can do. But after I arrive at his doorstep, it doesn’t take long to realize we have serious chemistry, and we end up meeting again.

He’s got more walls around his heart than a military base, but I think he’s as addicted to me as I am to him. He can’t resist me for long. I mean, who can? Except Luke’s rules exist for a reason, and when I test his limits, things get complicated. Maybe too complicated.

It’s official, I will read everything and anything that Megan Erickson and Santino Hassell collaborate on because, if you ask me, they can do no wrong. Fast Connection was an amazing follow-up to their first collaboration, Strong Signal, and I loved every single moment of it.

Megan Erickson and Santino Hassell’s first collaboration, Strong Signal, is definitely in the running for my favourite book of 2016 (at least, so far). It was a book that took me completely by surprise and one I didn’t know I would love as much as I did. I mean, it’s been months since I’ve read it and I still think about it and find myself wanting to reread it on an almost-weekly basis. So Fast Connection, their second collaboration? I DEVOURED it. I couldn’t put the book down. I mean, I mean I put my own safety at risk and read while walking home one night because I just had to finish the book (there were a couple close calls with lampposts but I survived). It was a completely addicting story that hit all the right notes for me. And that was especially true for the romance. I can’t even begin to explain how much I loved the romance in Fast Connection. There was something about Dominic and Luke that just did it for me and I could have kept reading about them forever. I was so sad when I reached the end of the book because it meant no more reading about them. Just like they fell in love with each other, I pretty much fell in love with them.

Let me be real here for a second: I didn’t exactly have a very high opinion of Dominic Costigan after reading Strong Signal. I mean, he was a bit (okay, more than a bit) of a jerk to Garrett. But even then, I was curious to see if there was more to him. And guys, there was so much more to Dominic Costigan than I could have ever thought and I absolutely love him now. There was something so endearing about him, despite the fact that sometimes I wanted to slap him because he was being stupid. And if the way Luke felt is anything to go by, I’m not the only one who thought so. And Luke. I so did not expect to be as charmed by him as I was. Much like Garrett in Strong Signal, Luke was the strong, silent gruff type. Which apparently is something I go for. Or at least it is in books. But for real though, I totally loved Luke despite my initial reservations about him. And Luke and Dominic together? It shouldn’t have made much sense, and yet it totally did. As completely different as they were, they were also absolutely perfect for each other. And I loved reading about them. 

If you’re even the least bit curious about Fast Connection (or Strong Signal for that matter), drop whatever you’re doing and go read it. Trust me when I say that you won’t regret. And when you’re done, you’ll be counting down the days until Megan Erickson and Santino Hassell’s next book. Because that’s what I’ve been doing since finishing Fast Connection.

Out of Frame by Megan Erickson

Title: Out of Frame (In Focus #3)

Author: Megan Erickson

Publisher: InterMix

Release Date: March 15, 2016

Source: ARC from Publisher

Buy the Book: Amazon / B&N / Indigo

Romance trades the open road for the high seas in the latest from the author of Focus on Me and Trust the Focus…

Perpetually shy, Quinn Mathers is content to remain in the shadow of his brash best friend Jess Hartman. But before their college graduation, he and Jess have planned one last hurrah: a spring break Caribbean cruise.

And it won’t be just any cruise. On board are members of the reality show Trip League, which follows young twenty-somethings on adventures around the world. Since the show’s beginning, Quinn has been fascinated by J.R. Butler, with his amazing body, warm eyes, and killer grin. Unfortunately, he’s straight--or so the world thinks.

At nineteen, J.R. signed a contract to play straight for the show, and there’s no way to get out of it now. Yet with each passing day, Quinn and J.R. find it harder to keep their hands off each other and to keep out of the camera’s frame. But when the lens finally focuses on them, J.R. must decide if he’s willing to risk his career by admitting his bisexuality, and Quinn must determine if he’s bold enough to stand in the spotlight with the man of his dreams.

If you know me, then you probably know of my love for Megan Erickson and her books. Every single one I’ve read, I’ve absolutely loved. Every time I hear about a new book from this author, my excitement levels sky-rocket. And as excited as I was about Out of Frame, I loved it even more.

Quinn has always been shy and has never been one to take chances, preferring to stay in the shadow of his best friend. That’s until they set sail on a spring break cruise featuring the members of the reality TV show Trip League. Even though he would never admit it to his best friend, Quinn is fascinated by J.R. Butler, one of the cast members. And now is his chance to find out more about him. Too bad for him, J.R. is straight. Or so everyone thinks. J.R. didn’t think it was a big deal when he signed the contract that said he had to play straight. But now he’s tired of hiding half of himself. And when Quinn catches his eye on board the ship, J.R. can’t help but want to explore the side of his sexuality he’s been hiding. With Quinn, J.R. wants see where things could go. But being with Quinn would mean risking his career, and that’s assuming Quinn is willing to stand in the spotlight for the first time in his life.  

I have yet to meet a Megan Erickson book that I haven’t loved, and her In Focus series is one of my absolute favourites. I have loved every single one I’ve read and I start flailing excitedly every time I am able to get my hands on a new one. I just can’t help myself. I mean, Trust the Focus and Focus On Me were some of my favourite books of 2015 and already Out of Frame is close to the top of my list of favourite books I’ve read this year (so far). There’s just something about those Megan Erickson romances. They get me every single time. And it was no different with Out of Frame. Even though it didn’t quite pack the emotional punch as the first two books in this series (at least for me), I still got completely caught up in this story. I would sneak in a few pages on my phone, every time I had a chance while at the same time never wanting this story to end. I wanted to keep reading about Quinn and J.R. and see what kind of trouble they were going to get up to next on the cruise ship. Despite everything that was happening around them, they were just fun to read about. And I loved seeing their relationship develop. It took them both by surprise, but it was sweet and heartwarming and just made me so freaking happy to read about. And like is often the case with Megan Erickson’s books, what made me absolutely love Out of Frame was J.R. and Quinn.

It really should go without saying that I loved J.R. and Quinn. You can’t really love this story without loving them. Quinn was just trying to be comfortable with himself and stop hiding all the time. But at the same time he was struggling with actually doing what he wanted as opposed to what was expected of him or what he thought other people thought he should do. There were so many times while I was reading that I wanted to tell him to just go for it and stop overthinking everything, but at the same time I totally understood where he was coming from because I can be the exact same way. But when he started going for it? I was all in favour of that, especially when it involved going for it with J.R. And I felt for J.R. So much. He just wanted to be himself but he fully believed he couldn’t because of the contract he was under. Seeing the pain this caused him hurt me, too. I was more than happy to see him decide to say screw it and spend time with Quinn. These two boys just needed each other, whether they realized it or not. And seeing them together just made me so freaking happy. And as always, I was more than happy to be getting glimpses of the boys from the other books. I will never tire of reading about this group of guys.

I wasn’t surprised at all when I found myself loving Megan Erickson’s Out of Frame. How could I not? One of my favourite authors writing a book in one of my favourite series. It’s a no brainer, really. If you love romance, in particular m/m romance, and haven’t read any of the books in the In Focus series, you are seriously missing out. 

Strong Signal by Megan Erickson & Santino Hassell

Title: Strong Signal (Cyberlove #1)

Author: Megan Erickson & Santino Hassell

Publisher: Self-Published

Release Date: February 15, 2016

Source: ARC from Author

Buy the Book: Amazon / B&N / Kobo

I was counting down the months until the end of my deployment. My days were spent working on military vehicles, and I spent my nights playing video games that would distract me until I could leave Staff Sergeant Garrett Reid behind.

That was when I met him: Kai Bannon, a fellow gamer with a famous stream channel.

I never expected to become fixated on someone who’d initially been a rival. And I’d never expected someone who oozed charm to notice me—a guy known for his brutal honesty and scowl. I hadn’t planned for our online friendship to turn into something that kept me up at night—hours of chatting evolving into filthy webcam sessions. 

But it did. And now I can’t stop thinking about him. In my mind, our real life meeting is perfect. We kiss, we fall into bed, and it’s love at first sight.

Except, like most things in my life, it doesn’t go as planned.

Megan Erickson and Santino Hassell’s Strong Signal was a complete surprise in so many ways. It was that book that I absolutely didn’t expect. I loved this story, and I loved this romance, and I loved these two men. There was nothing about Strong Signal that I didn’t adore.

Garrett Reid is counting down the days until the end of his deployment. Until he can go back to Pennsylvania and leave everything about the army behind him. To pass the time until he can go back home, Garrett spends all his free time playing video games. But when someone attacks him in the game, Garrett is determined to find out who that person is and give them a piece of his mind. That’s when Garrett finds Kai Bannon’s Twitch channel. Kai spends his days streaming video of himself playing video games, making money from subscriptions and donations. Despite his appreciation for his subscribers and viewers, Kai has always kept a certain degree of separation between himself and his online following. But when Garrett reaches out to him, something compels Kai to respond. Neither one expected a few emails and instant messages to grow into a relationship. But what’s going to happen when they’re no longer on opposite sides of the world? What happens when they take their online relationship offline?

When one of your favourite romance authors has a new book coming out, you get excited. That’s just how it works. Even if that book was co-written with an author whose books you’ve never read before. And after reading Strong Signal, I will definitely go pick up some of Santino Hassell’s other books. And I’ll obviously also be not so patiently waiting for Megan Erickson’s next book. But back to Strong Signal. Here’s the thing: I wasn’t sure what exactly to expect when I first started reading the book. I mean, I love all of Megan Erickson’s books, especially her m/m romances, but I wasn’t sure how that was going to work with another author involved. But my worries were absolutely unnecessary. From the moment I started reading, I just couldn’t put the book down. I couldn’t stop reading. Work that day was basically spent counting down until the moment I could dive back in and see what was happening with Kai and Garrett. That day pretty much felt like it would never end. But when it did? I dove head first back into Strong Signal and didn’t come back up until I was done with the book. Even if I didn’t want to be done. Because I would have gladly kept reading about these two guys forever. I ADORED this romance. It was unexpected and I loved the way that romance played out. It was unexpected, it was touching, it was heartbreaking and it was heartwarming all at once. I don’t think I possibly could have loved Garrett and Kai any more than I did.

Who knew that a gruff military man and a professional gamer could capture my heart the way they did? I honestly did not expect to love Kai and Garrett as much as I did. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not like I expected to dislike or hate them. I just didn’t think I would fall for them as hard as I did. Because I totally fell hard for them. I loved seeing their relationship develop. I loved seeing their initial online interactions, the way that they opened up to each other in a way they didn’t think they could open up to another person. I loved seeing their excitement over finding someone they could really talk to. I loved seeing their hesitation about going forward with this relationship. I just loved the way these two people who on paper were complete opposites work so absolutely perfectly together. As weird as it sounds to say, I loved seeing them struggle because it made them stronger when they came through it. Bottom line, I loved Garrett and Kai. Together and as individuals. One of the things I loved most about Strong Signal and its two protagonists is the realistic depiction of anxiety it offers. Not just the way it affects the person who suffers from the disorder, but how it affects all those around that person. It was something that both Kai and Garrett had to deal with and at the end of the day, their struggles with it just made them stronger. And have I mentioned that I loved them?

You should all do yourselves a favour and read Strong Signal when it comes out. Prepare to fall completely in love with this story and these characters because there’s no way that’s not going to happen. In the meantime, I’ll just be counting down the days until I can read Megan Erickson and Santino Hassell’s next collaboration.

Him by Sarina Bowen & Elle Kennedy

Title: Him

Author: Sarina Bowen & Elle Kennedy

Publisher: Self-Published

Release Date: July 28, 2015

Source: Purchased

Buy the Book: Amazon / B&N / Indigo

They don’t play for the same team. Or do they?

Jamie Canning has never been able to figure out how he lost his closest friend. Four years ago, his tattooed, wise-cracking, rule-breaking roommate cut him off without an explanation. So what if things got a little weird on the last night of hockey camp the summer they were eighteen? It was just a little drunken foolishness. Nobody died.

Ryan Wesley’s biggest regret is coaxing his very straight friend into a bet that pushed the boundaries of their relationship. Now, with their college teams set to face off at the national championship, he’ll finally get a chance to apologize. But all it takes is one look at his longtime crush, and the ache is stronger than ever.

Jamie has waiting a long time for answers, but walks away with only more questions—can one night of sex ruin a friendship? If not, how about six more weeks of it? When Wesley turns up to coach alongside Jamie for one more hot summer at camp, Jamie has a few things to discover about his old friend…and a big one to learn about himself. 

I love sports romance something fierce, especially the NA variety. And I love a good m/m romance. When I heard that two authors whose romance books I love were writing an m/m sports NA? I was all over that. It should go without saying that I absolutely adored Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy’s Him.

Four years ago, Ryan Wesley pushed the boundaries of his relationship with his best friend. On their last night at hockey camp, things got heated and one night changed their friendship completely. After that night, Wes cut Jamie off completely. Fast forward four years and Jamie and Wes are about to face off in the college hockey championship. When they see each other for the first time since that last night of camp, things quickly go back to the way they were before. But when Wes shows up at camp to join Jamie on the coaching staff, things are going to be heating up in ways neither one of them ever expected. Both Wes and Jamie have discoveries to make about each other. But more importantly, about themselves.

2015 has apparently been the year where I read all the awesome m/m romances. To be completely honest, they’re not really something I’d really read before this year. It’s not that I was opposed to them, there just weren’t really any on my radar. But I seem to be on a roll with the m/m romance this year, and the latest in that streak is Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy’s Him. Elle Kennedy and Sarina Bowen are two romance authors whose individual books I have loved (I’ve gushed plenty about Elle’s Off-Campus series, and gushing about Sarina’s Ivy Years series is coming soon) so when they announced they were writing a romance about gay hockey players, I was beyond excited. And when Him landed on my Kindle, I pretty much dropped everything and started reading it right away. And I read it all in less than a day. Because once I started, I couldn’t bring myself to stop. This story was fun. It was touching. It was sweet. At times it was downright hilarious. And at others it was heartbreaking. But I loved every single page of it. Him is absolutely one of my favourite books I’ve read this year and is quite possibly one of the sweetest and most touching romances I’ve ever read. It was just THAT GOOD. And I fully plan to talk people’s ears off about it and recommend it to everyone I know. Because anyone who loves romance is pretty much guaranteed to love Him. At least that’s my opinion on the subject.

One of the reasons I loved Him so much is because I pretty much adored Wes and Jamie. I don’t really know how to put either one of them into words other than to say I loved them. But I’ll try even if  I won’t even come close to doing them justice. One of my favourite things about Wes and Jamie were that they had a history. They’d known each other since they were thirteen years old and you could just tell. They were so comfortable around each other and it made their relationship feel real and genuine. The back and forth between them was always so fun and the more quiet moments could be incredibly touching. Wes and Jamie just worked together even though they were pretty different. Sure they both played hockey, but where Jamie was the definition of laidback, Wes was always on the go, likely getting himself in trouble. I loved how easygoing Jamie was, how he was always willing to go with along with whatever potentially crazy idea Wes had. And so often my heart broke for Wes, because he felt like he had to hide his feelings. I just wanted to give him a hug. So I loved Jamie. And I loved Wes. And most of all, I loved Jamie and Wes together. 

If you are a fun of either Sarina Bowen’s or Elle Kennedy’s books, I can guarantee you will love Him. The story was sweet, it was hilarious, it was touching, it was everything I could have ever wanted it to be. Him is the kind of book that reminds me why I love romance stories as much as I do.