Fast Connection (Ele’s Review)

Title: Fast Connection (Cyberlove #2)
Author: Santino Hassell, Megan Erickson
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: July 11th 2016
Pages: 235
Genre(s): Contemporary
Reviewed by: Ele
Heat Level: 4 flames out of 5
Rating: 5+ stars out of 5
Blurb:

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*

Five stars are not enough for this book!

Santino Hassell and Megan Erickson can do no wrong in my eyes, and I am a huge fan of their work, but when they write together they create magic. I am utterly and irrevocably in love with Fast Connection.

For the imperfectly amazing characters and the realistic portrayal of family. For the fact that it touched sensitive subjects with so much respect and understanding. For the amazing sex. For the hilarious banter. For the Grindr chats and the peanut butter sandwitches. For everything!

Luke: Hey, nice pic.

Luke: Do you have one of your face and ass?

StaffSgt: In the same pic? Dude that’s hard. I don’t do yoga.

Dominic Costigan stole my heart. Because he was selfless and forgiving. Because he’s unaffected by Luke’s grumpiness and isn’t too proud to pursue sex with him, even when Luke shuts him down. He’s loyal and protective even when people let him down (yes, it’s the same Costigan you met in the first book). A good son even when his parents didn’t deserve him. An amazing brother! Oh, and he makes Luke laugh….

I loved Luke too, but in a different way. I was able to identify more with him, and I understood his need to keep each part of his life in seperate boxes. Luke was a lot of things in this story. There was grumpy Luke, hard-working Luke, jealous, protective and caring Luke, amazing father Luke. In love with Dominic Luke. I loved them all.

I’m in awe of how realistically Dominic’s family was portrayed. Family relationships, much like romantic ones, are complex and flawed, and I felt that the authors really captured this. The dynamics of a dysfunctional family, the “why bother with a parent that doesn’t treat you well?”, the fact that there can still be love and support among family members that have lost all respect for each other…it was all handled perfectly.

Fast Connection also touches other subjects , not in a preachy-“in your face” way, but subtly, respectfully and organically to the plot: veterans trying to readjust to life back home, how online relationships can be very real but they ‘re not to be treated naively, how money or the lack of it can afffect family relationships and that teenagers, albeit young, form relationships that matter.

But in the forefront there is always Luke and Dominic. They have amazing chemistry from the start, and soon feelings start to get in the way. Luke’s boxes start to merge, and there’s nothing he can do to stop it. And lets take a minute to talk about the sex. Too hot to handle, everyone! It’s dirty, desperate and uninhibited…It’s sex on a bed, on the floor, against a wall, in the shower….it’s sex everywhere!

Needless to say, I absolutely loved every word of this book and it goes straight to my 2106-favorites shelf. You can read it as a standalone, but you ‘ll be missing out if you skip Strong Signal.

Very highly recommended! I can’t wait to read more from Megtino Press!