Blog Tour: Hard Wired by Megan Erickson & Santino Hassell - Review & Playlist (@MeganErickson_ @santinohassell)

Hard Wired (Cyberlove #3)

Authors: Megan Erickson & Santino Hassell 

Publication Date: February 13, 2017 

Published: Megtino Press 

Genre: M/M Contemporary Romance / Gaymers

My Rating:

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.

Purchase Links

Universal Global Link: books2read.com/hardwired

Every time I pick up a new Megtino book to read, I know that I’m in for a good time. A smutty time. A crying time. And definitely a laughing time. Hard Wired, the third installment of the Cyberlove series, was no difference.

Book Review: Daring Fate by Megan Erickson! (@MeganErickson_)

Daring Fate (Silver Tip Pack #1)
Author: Megan Erickson
Publication Date: November 14, 2016
Source: Author in exchange for a honest review.

My Rating:

We all have tragic backstories in today's world.
I wake up chained to the wall of a dark cell aware of two things: I failed my sister, and I smell my enemy.
When I’m taken to meet Dare, the alpha of the Silver Tip pack, I’m sure I’m about to lose my throat. The last thing I expect is for the Alpha to recognize me as his fated mate. No way is he going to let me go now, and I still have to find a way to rescue my sister.
As I plot my escape to save her, I find that if I leave, Dare could be killed by power-hungry members of his pack. And now he’s more to me than my fated mate—my heart is involved. With time ticking by on my sister’s life, I have to make a choice I never thought I’d face—my sister’s life or my mate’s? That’s if I can survive the undead shifters intent on killing me first...

Holy… I don’t think there are enough words to describe this book. For over a year I have been raving about anything Megan Erickson writes. But when I saw she was stepping out of contemporary and into the paranormal, I didn’t know what to expect. I have never read an adult paranormal book before. Let along an adult paranormal book with a M/M romance between werewolves. I can definitely check that off the list now.

Book Review: Interborough by Santino Hassell! Happy Book Birthday @SantinoHassell!

Interborough (Five Boroughs #4)
Author: Santino Hassell
Publication Date: October 24, 2016
Published: Riptide Publishing
Source: Netgalley

My Rating:

The Raymond Rodriguez from a few years ago wouldn’t recognize the guy he is today. He’s left his slacker ways far behind him and is now juggling two jobs and school. But the balancing act doesn’t allow much time for the man he loves.
David is doing his best to be supportive, but problems at work and his own insecurity leave him frustrated—in more ways than the obvious—whenever he goes to bed before Raymond gets home. The heat and affection between them is still there, but they barely have the time or energy to enjoy it. And it doesn’t help that Raymond is still hiding David from his colleagues.
The stress mounts so high that a vacation in paradise is filled with turmoil instead of harmony, and culminates on their return to the five boroughs with broken promises and heartache. They have to figure out how to stop allowing their differences to overshadow their love. It’s the only way they’ll make it to forever.

New York to the heart, but got love for all

Lie and die in the fire, where I learned to ball

I am a New Yorker through and through. I was born and raised and never really left so when I read a series like Five Boroughs, it does something to my heart. Every character feels like I’ve seen them in my every day. The connection I have to these characters run as deep as the Hudson.

Release Launch & Review: Fast Connection by Megan Erickson & Santino Hassell!!

Fast Connection (Cyberlove #2)
Authors: Megan Erickson & Santino Hassell
Publication Date: July 11, 2016
Published: Megtino
Source: Authors

My Rating:
 

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.

*FAST CONNECTION is a standalone, full-length romance novel with no cliffhanger*

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | iBooks | All Romance 

So the M/M genre is relatively a new one for me. I haven’t branched out from the authors I started it with. Surprisingly, I’m okay with that. Especially if they are producing thinks like Fast Connection. My connection to the new Megtino (Megan Erickson & Santino Hassell) collaboration was definitely faster than any dial-up I ever had.

Book Review: First and First by Santino Hassell! (@SantinoHassell)

First and First (Five Boroughs #3)
Author: Santino Hassell
Publication Date: April 18, 2016
Published: Dreamspinner Press
Source: Author in exchange for honest review

My Rating:

Caleb Stone was raised on the Upper East Side, where wealth and lineage reigns, and “alternative lifestyles” are hidden. It took him years to come out to his family, but he’s still stuck in the stranglehold of their expectations. Caleb knows he has to build his confidence and shake things up, but he doesn’t know how… until Oliver Buckley enters the picture.
Oli is everything Caleb isn’t—risk-taking, provocative, and fiercely independent. Disowned by his family, Oli has made his own way in the world and is beholden to no one. After a chance encounter on New Year’s Eve, Caleb is smitten.
As Caleb sheds the insecurities that have held him back for years, he makes bold steps toward changing his career and escaping years of sexual repression. But for Caleb to take full control of his life, he has to be brave enough to confront his feelings and trust Oli with his heart.

When I first read about David’s boyfriend, Caleb, in Sutphin Boulevard, I paid him no attention. In Sunset Park, I wanted him gone. He was the worst coming between Raymond and David. So, when I found out that the third book was going to center around him, my annoyance was at an all-time high. There was no way I would enjoy a book with a stiff asshole like Caleb! Of course, when I finished reading First and First, I had a healthy dose of crow to eat.

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Book Review: Sunset Park by Santino Hassell! (@SantinoHassell)

Sunset Park (Five Boroughs #2)
Author: Santino Hassell
Publication Date: December 11, 2015
Published: Dreamspinner Press

My Rating:

Raymond Rodriguez's days of shoving responsibility to the wayside are over. His older brother wants to live with his boyfriend so Raymond has to get his act together and find a place of his own. But when out-and-proud David Butler offers to be his roommate, Raymond agrees for reasons other than needing a place to crash.
David is Raymond’s opposite in almost every way—he’s Connecticut prim and proper while Raymond is a sarcastic longshoreman from Queens—but their friendship is solid. Their closeness surprises everyone as does their not-so-playful flirtation since Raymond has always kept his bicurious side a secret.
Once they’re under the same roof, flirting turns physical, and soon their easy camaraderie is in danger of being lost to frustrating sexual tension and the stark cultural differences that set them apart. Now Raymond not only has to commit to his new independence—he has to commit to his feelings for David or risk losing him for good.

I didn’t think it was possible to love something as much as I loved Sutphin Boulevard. I told anyone who would listen that they needed to read it. I guess I have to add Sunset Park to the list. Or basically anything he writes. I’m officially a groupie.

Book Review: Strong Signal by Megan Erickson & Santino Hassell! (@SantinoHassell @MeganErickson_)

Strong Signal (Cyberlove #1)
Authors: Megan Erickson & Santino Hassell
Publication Date: February 15, 2016
Published: Megtino Press

My Rating:

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.

Strong Signal is a standalone, full-length novel with no cliffhanger

Long time ago, maybe 2 years, I had a character on Secondlife. It was all I did when I came home from work and on the weekends. I guess that’s what drew me to Strong Signal. Maybe it was the idea of two people connecting online. Or it could have been the hotness that is Garrett and Kai. But what sold it was the fact that two of my favorite authors came together and made an awesome bookbaby.

Book Review: Sutphin Boulevard by Santino Hassell! (@santinohassell)

Sutphin Boulevard (Five Boroughs #1)
Author: Santino Hassell
Publication Date: July 31, 2015
Published: Dreamspinner Press

My Review:

Michael Rodriguez and Nunzio Medici have been friends for two decades. From escaping their dysfunctional families in the working-class neighborhood of South Jamaica, Queens to teaching in one of the city’s most queer friendly schools in Brooklyn, the two men have shared everything. Or so they thought until a sweltering night of dancing leads to an unexpected encounter that forever changes their friendship.
Now, casual touches and lingering looks are packed with sexual tension, and Michael can’t forget the feel of his best friend’s hands on him. Once problems rear up at work and home, Michael finds himself seeking constant escape in the effortless intimacy and mind-blowing sex he has with Nunzio. But things don’t stay easy for long.
When Michael’s world begins to crumble in a sea of tragedy and complications, he knows he has to make a choice: find solace in a path of self-destruction or accept the love of the man who has been by his side for twenty years.

It’s been over a month since I’ve finished Sutphin Boulevard. Slacking on writing this review has nothing to do with being busy or anything. It is because it has taken that long for me to sort through the amount of emotions that this book left me with. When I picked this book up, I expected lots of smutty boy time. What I didn’t expect was glimpse of how addiction, grief and hiding true feelings can affect a person’s wellbeing. Is this a friends to lovers story? Yes. Is it more than that? Hell yes!