Hard Wired
Megan Erickson & Santino Hassell
OUR REVIEW:
Excuse my gross over the top flailing enthusiasm for this series but I'm just minutes off of reading Hard Wired and I'm all *heart eyes* emoji for this series and these characters and especially Megan and Santino (I hope it's not rude to call you by your first names?).
Okay. So. You know what? Ian and Jesse are kinda a hot mess. Both of them. They're both this interesting mix of confidence and insecurity and longing and it totally works. Having these characters show us, immediately, who they are was comforting and relatable. They both have things they're working on or working through and they both have things they're almost scared to hope for and I love that Megan and Santino let them be flawed and stay flawed. There were no magic fixes and no perfect answers; these characters moved through each rough patch in moments of honesty and awkwardness and tension and funny conversations and through these they grew to know, understand, love, and support each other. None of this happened without the growing pains every relationship has and that's why I loved this novel so much--I could imagine each of these moments playing out in real life and I know that many people have experienced similar growing pains.
Other things I loved? I enjoyed that in this book (and the series) Megan and Santino give us a chance to explore the cyber world and all of its glory and nastiness. The segments of the online community that are toxic as well as the ones that are supportive seemed, in my limited perspective, to be accurately reflected and while it's only a taste of the vastness that is the online world, it gives this novel (and series) that much more relevance. I know that I'm not the most widely read person in the world, but I read a lot and I feel like we don't see nearly enough of how relationships of all sorts are formed and evolve online; I love that each book in this series shows us different aspects of that part of our world. I also love that each book in this series gives us characters that represent diverse backgrounds. I very much appreciated how Ian was depicted--his need to be who he needed to be--and how Jesse responded. It wasn't always pretty or easy but it was real. I've felt exactly how they've both felt--the hesitation to respond and wondering if I'm saying or doing the right thing, and the anxiety of waiting to hear back once I've hit send on something that I hope I said right. And not to be overlooked in all of this is how sexy these two are together; Ian and Jesse are hotness personified *fans self*. Also having Kai and Garrett sneak in there every once in a while is just the icing on the cake...it's fun to go back to the two who first started this series.
Okay. So. You know what? Ian and Jesse are kinda a hot mess. Both of them. They're both this interesting mix of confidence and insecurity and longing and it totally works. Having these characters show us, immediately, who they are was comforting and relatable. They both have things they're working on or working through and they both have things they're almost scared to hope for and I love that Megan and Santino let them be flawed and stay flawed. There were no magic fixes and no perfect answers; these characters moved through each rough patch in moments of honesty and awkwardness and tension and funny conversations and through these they grew to know, understand, love, and support each other. None of this happened without the growing pains every relationship has and that's why I loved this novel so much--I could imagine each of these moments playing out in real life and I know that many people have experienced similar growing pains.
Other things I loved? I enjoyed that in this book (and the series) Megan and Santino give us a chance to explore the cyber world and all of its glory and nastiness. The segments of the online community that are toxic as well as the ones that are supportive seemed, in my limited perspective, to be accurately reflected and while it's only a taste of the vastness that is the online world, it gives this novel (and series) that much more relevance. I know that I'm not the most widely read person in the world, but I read a lot and I feel like we don't see nearly enough of how relationships of all sorts are formed and evolve online; I love that each book in this series shows us different aspects of that part of our world. I also love that each book in this series gives us characters that represent diverse backgrounds. I very much appreciated how Ian was depicted--his need to be who he needed to be--and how Jesse responded. It wasn't always pretty or easy but it was real. I've felt exactly how they've both felt--the hesitation to respond and wondering if I'm saying or doing the right thing, and the anxiety of waiting to hear back once I've hit send on something that I hope I said right. And not to be overlooked in all of this is how sexy these two are together; Ian and Jesse are hotness personified *fans self*. Also having Kai and Garrett sneak in there every once in a while is just the icing on the cake...it's fun to go back to the two who first started this series.
Maybe not the most important thing I have to say, but something I feel is important, is that I love that Jesse and Ian get to have the HEA that is perfect for them--that their being together is a blending of who they are and who they want to be; that it's supportive and not erasing. Megan and Santino, you guys are such a good team and I love what you've done in each novel in this series. I selfishly want more. I'd love to see Beau, among some of the other personalities you've introduced, have a shot at some CyberLove but if that's not in the cards, I hope to see more of your collaborations because I've loved everything you've done.
Title: Hard Wired
Series: Cyberlove, #3
Authors: Megan Erickson & Santino Hassell
Publisher: Megtino Press
Release Date: February 13, 2017
Genre: M/M Contemporary Romance / Gaymers
Purchase Links
Universal Global Link: books2read.com/hardwired
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Check out All the Books in the Cyberlove Series
Strong Signal
Fast Connection
About the Authors
Megan Erickson
About Jay Crownover:
Jay Crownover is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Marked Men, The Point, and the Saints of Denver series. Like her characters, she is a big fan of tattoos. She loves music and wishes she could be a rock star, but since she has no aptitude for singing or instrument playing, she'll settle for writing stories with interesting characters that make the reader feel something. She lives in Colorado with her three dogs.
