Book 1, Strong Signal: Cyberlove Series

Absolutely loved this story! Kai definitely touched my heart, his story is so real. What he deals with each day is something lots of people deal with day in and day out. This story hit close to home for me, having a daughter with the same social anxieties. Very heartfelt book, couldn't put it down!

2.5 stars
I'm sorry to disagree with everyone here, but this book was a disappointment. Santino Hassell is an author I admire and I've read and liked everything he has written up to now. This one had me skipping over pages and pages of overly descriptive and repetitive sex scenes and left me unsatisfied in general terms. The story was rushed and the characters, shallowly drawn.The subject of one of the MC's mental disease, was quickly fixed and thrown away to achieve a swift happy ending. It's a pity because I found the story frame quite interesting and appealing; although I'm not into the world of games at all, I liked to read and learn a bit of it trough the book. Also, in principle, both characters were gripping enough: an agoraphobic gameboy and a deployed soldier, who seems himself as any other than a hero. But then again, shallow plot, instalove. I will read future books from Me. Hassell but I will not follow with this series. Just my opinion.

While on his last deployment Staff Sergeant Garrett Reid is hoping to kill the little bit of spare time that he has playing his favorite video game. He brought the best laptop he could purchase into the desert hoping for some entertainment. What he got instead was an online boyfriend who killed his archer in front of his thousands of gaming fans. I’m not a gamer so I was thankful that the authors used gaming terms in a manner that I always understood what was going on in the book.
Everything Kai does is from the other side of his computer. He lives a very full (or so he believes) and profitable life from a desk chair. Talking to people through cyberspace is nothing new for him. Meeting someone and developing a relationship however is completely uncharted territory for Kai. What starts out as gaming and flirting soon becomes full on webcam sex and sleepless nights. Kai isn’t too shocked when he discovers he has an online Army boyfriend. In fact he kind likes the idea.
For nearly half of Strong Signal Kai and Garrett are worlds apart. Their relationship begins online. It starts of slow and sweet but both men figure out pretty quick that there is something there that they should (and do) keep exploring. It’s fun and sexy. Things get real interesting when Garrett shows up to Kai’s apartment unannounced and fresh off of deployment. The whole in the flesh thing throws their easy online relationship off, way off.
Kai and Garrett have a lot of work to do to make their happily ever after happen. Garrett has to get used to civilian life again after eight years of Army life. Kai has to tell Garrett about his own set of problems that he knows will just send Garrett running. Their struggles make for a great read though. They are both very likable characters for completely different reason. They make you want to cheer them on as they figure out how to get what they both want so desperately.

I truly believe there is a difference between how female romance writers depict M/M relationships and how reality looks like. Most M/M romances I’ve read so far had TWO alpha males falling love, both buff, muscular, and both used to being on top.

Now, here comes Santino Hassel and screws it all up by putting his own spin on it. The more authentic one in my opinion. By teaming up with Megan Erickson the Cyberlove Series has a more authentic feel without loosing the romantic atmosphere.

Strong Signal amazed me by it’s authentic feel. It felt REAL. The main characters had an incredibly deep connection and attraction that was palpable as well as genuine. Because of that the relationship between Kai and Garrett was utterly convincing.

Garrett the buff, scowling soldier. Muscular, strong, protective and undeniable alpha.

Kai the computer nerd, who was artistic, graceful, and elegant but also utterly vulnerable.

Together, they were magical!!!

Their connection was allowed to develop gradually and convincingly. Slowly, the authors, gave both men the chance to get to know each other beyond just the usual immediate attraction. In Garret, Kai found someone that loved him with all his flaws and hangups. Someone that wanted to be with him more than anything else, a person that was willing to give up anything and everything just to be with him.

Garret amazed me. Truly floored me with his willingness to adapt and compromise to make their relationship work. And I thought Kai couldn’t have chosen a more perfect partner. Even though they were such opposites on the outside, inside where it counted they were soulmates.

This book/series should be on everyone’s M/M must read list. Not only because it was beautifully written but also because it felt so incredibly REAL!!! I’m hooked, and can’t wait to read Fast Connection. I won’t stop until I’ve read every single book by this author collaboration.

About the audiobook:

Strong Signal was narrated by two great narrators that gave their characters a clear voice that gave each POV another layer of individuality. All in all it was a truly enjoyable experience.

Im at the point in my reading/reviewing life where I have a few solid favorite authors. The ones who are automatic one clicks. You know the ones im talking about. Those who could write their names repeatedly with a dull crayon and you would throw money at them. Megan Erickson is one of those authors for me. I have read a lot of her stuff and never been disappointed. When I read she was pairing up with Santino Hassell for Strong Signal I was super excited because he is a well known author also, but he is brand new to me. SIGN ME UP!

Garrett Reid is a sexy, surly Staff Sergeant in the Army who is deployed for his last tour before coming home. He is a gamer (or gaymer) with a high tech laptop so he can keep his hands and mind occupied while he is away from home.

Kai Bannon is a hermit who doesnt leave his apartment. He is a gaming genius who makes his living beta testing video games for companies and live streaming the results on a Twitch channel. His loyal subscribers pay to watch him play and interact with him while his watchdog moderators protect him from the gay bashers and stalkers.

The story starts with Garrett’s character being killed by Kai’s character in an online game. Garrett is unhappy about the way it goes down so he goes online to research who Kai is and proceeds to do a bit of harmless cyber stalking.

Im not sure what the proper word is to describe the relationship that develops between these two men so im going to go with the one I overuse the most and just say it was beautiful. Garrett.. bless his heart. He TRIED SO HARD. He was so big and manly and tough. But he wanted Kai sooooo much. Garrett was the one that, while reading the book, you would think would fight the feelings. Since even he referred to himself as “closeted”. But nope. He would have chased Kai to the end of the world and back. And im pretty sure he did. Kai, the more… ummm… out (?) of the two, was actually the one who ended up fighting the relationship at first. Until Garrett’s overwhelming cuteness and sexiness and just… perfectness got the best of him. I mean, Im a straight married woman and I fell in love with Garrett.

There are several underlying themes in this book that caught my attention besides the love story. Kai’s social anxiety and how the two of them ultimately had to deal with it. Homophobia and Shawn’s mother’s crazy boyfriend. The dudes in the Army bullying Garrett for his lifestyle. There were a lot of touchy subjects brought up in the story and the authors did not shy away from them. Kudos to both of you for that! In today’s ultra PC world, its nice to see these subjects addressed head on.

I basically loved everything about this book. It was a definite 5 star read all the way around. I want to thank the authors for allowing me the opportunity to be on the tour!

This story had me from the first chapter and refused to let go of its strangehold until the last period in the epilogue. It delved into what made Garrett and Kai tick and why interacting online with written words was their preferred mode of communication for a good portion of their getting-to-know-you period. It was way too easy for me to empathize with these two because I, too, prefer getting my thoughts and feelings across with writing. Maybe it's the ability to read and review what I've written before putting it out there or sharing it with whomever. It could also be the fact that I feel more like myself when I write, not needing to put up a front or have my game face on for the duration. I tell people that I'm an anti-social, and I honestly believe that I am, preferring the company of my dog and best friend when being alone got a wee bit tiresome, so I may be more like Garrett since Kai's social anxieties were of a completely different level altogether, leading to debilitating panic attacks. This is what leads him to be wary when Garrett return to the U.S. becomes inevitable. Will Garrett still want to be with someone who can barely function in the outside world? But the question is: Which Kai is real--online or offline? Will the real Kai please stand up?

I think that we can have the choice to present whatever version we want of ourselves to new people we come across, whether online or offline. I tend to lean toward the idea that being our authentic selves is easier when you aren't face to face with someone. There isn't any immediate judgment because all you get are words. And no, I'm not talking about dating sites because that's a whole different thing. I'm not saying, of course, that there aren't people who troll online to find someone to catfish or mess around with (and not in a good way). But see, that's the thing: there are trolls who do that because they know that more people tend to be honest and open when they're conversing online, thus leading to more possible victims of catfishing and cyberstalking. In the case of Garrett and Kai, meeting via FWO felt like kismet because it wasn't as if they were out looking for the love of their lives. Heck, these two didn't even like each other in the beginning, automatically suspicious and wary of the others actions and whatever information they could gather online. Their relationship developed over time, with them earning each other's trust and respect, not only through words but actions as well. When love came into the picture, it may have done so unconsciously, but choosing to be and stay together would require much forethought and contemplation.

This book is special, and I don't think I can sufficiently put into words why it's affected me as deeply as it has. It isn't just one thing either, so please don't ask me to pinpoint what it is exactly that has me in full fangirl mode. What I do know is that Megan Erickson and Santino Hassell have given readers something refreshingly honest and left me feeling hopeful and absurdly sated with all the swoon-worthy moments that had me doing a combination of slow smiles, naughty smirks, and full-blown grins (or so my best friend tells me...though her watching my facial expressions as I read is a tad creepy *cough, cough*). Is it too soon to name Garrett and Kai as my favorite book couple of 2016? I've even come up with hashtags for them: #GarKai, #SamZard, and #CamoCamBoys. I did warn you that I was in full fangirl mode, so don't look at me like I've gone completely nuts (I already get that look way too often from my family). I also never claimed the hashtags would be any good, so give me a break. Glancing upwards, this review is way longer than I imagined it would be, so let me end by saying that I know I've a number of book recommendations since January, but now I'm telling you to bump them all down and move Strong Signal to the top. I promise, this five-plus-starred (times infinity), all-time favorite read will NOT disappoint.

This book - holy smokes. It was one of those books that stays with you for awhile. You know what I mean? Even after I moved on to other books and other characters, I still found myself thinking about Garrett and Kai.

Maybe it was because Garrett and Kai were so different, and yet they just... worked. And, when I say different, I mean DIFFERENT. Garrett is this big, buff stoic military dude currently serving his second tour in Afghanistan. Kai is this slender, cut personable gamer dude who entertains thousands of Twitch feed viewers every night from the safety and security of his apartment in Philly.

Despite their differences, Garrett sees something in Kai that causes him to reach out - something that is completely out of character for Garrett. And, Kai sees something in Garrett's e-mail that causes him to respond - something that is completely out of character for Kai.

One would think that a relationship that starts via the Internet between two drastically different people would never work. But, one of the great things about Garrett and Kai is that, from the very beginning, they are real with one another. There's no games, no lies, no false pretenses. And yet - how real can you get when you only communicate with the assistance of computers?

Garrett and Kai learn the hard way that, in real life, things are harsher, more complicated... and so much better than they imagined. Kai's reluctance to leave his apartment becomes the source of some real problems. Garrett's inability to find work locally is an issue as well. And, Garrett has yet to officially come out of the closet to his family. It seems that the deck is stacked against these to guys who started to fall in love online

Except, when they are together, whether it's electronically or physically, they are incredible. The little things they do for one another are so sweet. The passion they share is ridiculously off the charts. And the depth of their feelings for one another is bigger than either of them had ever bargained for.

Strong Signal was sexy and rugged and so, so good. The journey that Garrett and Kai take together will stay with you - I promise.

*ARC Provided by Publisher*

Oh my god, I loved this book! I grew up with a serious mad love of gaming, so any time I find a book with that theme in it, I’m always giddy as hell about it. Strong Signal takes everything I love about gaming and then takes it a step further by adding in a romance between two male gamers living two very different online and offline lives.

I started this book with the intention of merely taking a quick peek before reading the books I was scheduled to read and review. Then I found myself intrigued with this book, with these characters, and before I knew it, I was in over my head and sinking fast.

This book and its characters are so damn compelling I couldn’t put it down. Garrett and Kai are mesmerizing on the page. The more I read about them, the more I wanted to read. They both fascinated me, for a host of different reasons, from Garrett’s crush and over protectiveness of his loved ones to Kai’s insecurities and self-doubts, and yet, what captivated me most was how these two men found each other and how they became so much more than they originally envisioned.

Garrett brought a much needed sense of safety to Kai and Kai brought out a lightness in Garrett that the man sorely needed. They were perfect together because they are flawed and unique and special and far more alike than either of them know.

This was such a fantastic and engaging read. I loved and cared about both of these characters right from the start. In fact, there is a scene near the end that made me cry because of how much I loved both Garrett and Kai. Their flaws became my flaws, their doubts became my doubts, and I just loved that the authors were able to take me there.

Don’t miss this read, folks. It’s positively spellbinding.

Rating: 5 Stars

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.

What can I say?, this was simply amazing. There has being a while since a books has made me this happy. I just loved it.

I was, maybe I still am, a little skeptical about the book’s subject. I don’t play games and it was far beyond my knowledge about it, and for the first pages I thought I wasn’t going to like it, but that’s so far from the truth. This books was so beautiful.

The characters were just so adorable, Kai most of it. It was impossible not to fall in love with him. He’s one of the cutest character’s I’ve ever read, and he had so much sex-appeal. Garrett was also nice, I loved his sweet moments, and the way they interact with each-other was the best part of the book. I really liked the secondary characters not everyone, I had my doubts about some, but in general, the characters were all great.

I also liked how easy was to get in touch with their emotions. The way the relationship was developed was fantastic, and contrary to what I’d expected, very believable. I don’t think there was a thing about the book I didn’t liked. I couldn’t recommend it enough. It was absolutely brilliant. It was my first book from Megan Erickson, but the authors made an awesome team, I’ll be looking for more of her work.

Drop everything and read this book immediately! I am a huge fan of both Megan Erickson and Santino Hassell--and together these two are DYNAMITE!! Such a fantastic story about two men who form a bond online while thousands of miles apart. We have Garrett, a gruff alpha protective Army man, who is just trying to get through his last few months of deployment. And then there is Kai, an online gamer celebrity of sorts with social anxiety. They begin a super sexy online relationship consisting of emails, chatting, and skype calls. They've never been able to confide in anyone else before, and they become closer as the months go by. When Garrett is finally home for good he shows up at Kai's door (not knowing the full extent of Kai's anxiety) hoping to continue the relationship. Kai is hesitant at first, but his feelings for Garrett have him opening up and giving the relationship a try.

Their story is just so beautiful. Garrett is very alpha protective of Kai while at the same time being sweet and understanding of Kai's social anxiety issues. The chemistry of these two are off the charts, and it's amazing to see how they help each other through the struggles life can bring. This book gave me all the feels, and I never wanted it to end!!

Freaking. Loved. This. Book. And no I don’t always write like that! But I really loved this book! I read across a wide variety of genres because I just love books and I’ve read quite a few partnered author books. Some just don’t work, just like there are plenty of books that don’t work. Some work really, really well (Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy I’m looking at you!) and I’m happy to say this partnership definitely worked well. I have no idea if one author was writing one character and switching back and forth or just writing different pieces. That’s what made this book so good – I had no idea where Megan Erickson stopped and Santino Hassell began in terms of writing!

I’m a fan of complicated characters. Messy characters with believable issues and complicated lives. These two main characters definitely fit this for me. I hate when a main character is just too perfect. These two are not that at all. Megan and Santino both have a history of writing achingly believable flawed characters in their previous books I’ve read. Garrett came off as the war weary guy who is just over his multiple tours. He has no desire for any connection beyond sex until he meets Kai in an online game which is his only outlet while on active duty. This felt realistic to me – the boredom and apathy that was portrayed just seemed to me as something that would be so easy to fall into after a few tours.

Then to combat that portrayal is Kai. Who seems to be Garrett’s total opposite – upbeat, outgoing on the surface, and ridiculously sweet. But when we get to know Kai there is so much more going on there. He’s got even more issues to deal with than Garrett. Their cyber attraction starts out slowly and completely unexpectedly – okay, not that unexpectedly because this IS a romance but still I enjoyed that it was somewhat unexpected. There was a slow-ish build that I appreciated. I’m not always a fan of the insta-love that can happen in romances.

The issues this couple faces from the distance to overcoming their own demons were handled so well by the writing duo. I was really impressed and when I was finished I immediately looked at the fact that this says #1 and squee’d because that HAS to mean there are more coming, right!? To tide me over I may have to go listen to the Trust the Focus audiobook (written by Megan Erickson) which just came out or Santino Hassell’s Sutphin Boulevard, which is also out in audio! Both are awesome LGBT books and deal with flawed characters as well.

This was incredibly sweet, much sweeter than I anticipated actually. I expected a lot more angst from a grump-faced soldier and an anxiety-ridden gaymer, but I’m not complaining. I have a pretty low threshold for hearts and flowers and rainbows in my romance, but this was just the sort I could handle—hot, dirty and heartfelt without being schmaltzy. Seeing Garrett’s marshmallow center and his legitimate attempts to control his overbearing instincts was really endearing. As was Kai’s much more expressive puppy-like love.

And I have to make a confession here. Everyone has their own kink, right? Something in smexy literature that cranks their shaft just right? Well, for me it’s masturbation scenes. For real, that sh*t is often better than the all out sex scenes for me and here we had two people falling in love over ~9 months while half a world apart. You know my toes were curled in just the right way for much of the book. And that’s before I even get into how inappropriately titillated I am by the idea of what men get up to when there simply are no women about. That whole brotherhood of arms thing added to getting off together is another hot button for me. Totally objectifying, I admit, but there it is.

The book also deals with a lot of the sh*te that LGBTQI+ individuals have to put up with on a regular basis. Every once in a while I felt the agenda in this, more in the language than anything else—when ‘proper’ terms were used instead of slangy words, for example. But it was never enough to put me off more than I was happy to see some of it addressed.

I’ve read books by both Erickson and Hassell before. I’ve enjoyed them both, will again in the future. But as a team, they are one hell of a dynamic duo.

Wow!! Megan and Santino did a fabulous job on this book!

Strong Signal was an epic collaboration between Megan and Santino. They wrote a fabulously cohesive story that left me craving more. Kai and Garrett's story is told in dual POV's.

Garrett is on deployment and confused about where he's headed after this deployment is over and he's back stateside and no longer enlisted. To get through downtime, he plays video games, and after getting smashed one night by a fellow gamer, he finds himself drawn to that gamer's live feed and chat.

Kai's life revolves around his gaming, his Twitch feeds, and he lives in a very closed off world of his own making. After he stomps a player in game, and gets a lashing from that player later in his stream, Kai isn't sure what to think. He asks around and when he discovers that the other player is a deployed serviceman, he feels a little bad about it and also has a few slightly irrational worries.

A few chat posts here and there, and Garrett opens himself up to contacting Kai, asking for a personal chat, and Kai gives in, not something he'd normally do. Though their first chats are awkward they both find themselves compelled to respond, to connect, and they find themselves flirting. As their communication continues, they both begin to develop feelings for the other, but Kai hasn't been as up front as maybe he should have been.

When Garrett makes it home, the first thing he does is head over to Kai's to surprise him in person, only it doesn't go at all like he had imagined. Eventually Garrett is able to help Kai overcome the situation and the two find themselves falling together as if they've known each other forever.

Kai's pretty much alone, minus interactions with a couple neighbors, while Garrett has a pretty involved family. The differences there show us a bit of reasoning for the way each of these two reason within themselves.

Strong Signal delivers us the tale of two guys who met over the internet, who connected on many levels via social media for months before finally meeting in real life. We see these two trying to figure out their relationship, but also watch as Garrett tries to decide what he's going to do with his life now that he's out. It doesn't always go to plan and he's got to make tough decisions, but he wants to do that with Kai by his side. Kai also has his own decisions to make, his own internal struggles to face, before he can move on with Garrett.

Strong Signal isn't your average story, and Kai and Garrett aren't your typical characters. They have real life struggles, they have personal demons that influence who they are. This book pulls you in with emotions, moments that will leave you breathless and others that will make you chuckle. Sexy moments intersperse with serious ones and make it so this story is well rounded and pulls you in completely. This book will give you all of the feels.

*I received a copy for review*

Ohhhh my god. Strong Signal was seriously so much FUN to read about! It’s hot. Sweet. Romantic. Humorous. Emotional. Pretty much all the feels. I’m a huge fan of Megan Erickson but this is my first Santino Hassell read, and I have to say, their writing is just meshed PERFECTLY together. I freaking adored Kai and Garrett’s incredible story – if you’re looking for a story that’s unique and will hook you in from the very start, I highly recommend this book!

Garrett and Kai are two of the most unique, unconventional characters I’ve ever read. The authors brought them to life with depth and heart, and I fell so hard for these characters. Garrett is a soldier stationed in Afghanistan who’s just about ready for his deployment to end so he can start his life as a civilian again. Kai is a dancer-turned-Internet gaming star whose anxiety keeps him from ever leaving his home. These two couldn’t be more different, but when Garrett gets his butt kicked by Kai in an online game, the two of them form a virtual connection that eventually leads to so much more.

Slowly, through emails, messages, and Skype sessions, Kai and Garrett form a full-fledged relationship. Their feelings for each other are raw and real, but can their relationship last outside of the Internet and in the real world? God, how I loved these two characters, how I FELT so much for them. Garrett and Kai are so freaking adorable and sweet together (not to mention crazy HOT), I was in awe of how their characters were portrayed. They have so many things going against them, but the one thing that keeps them going is their love and devotion to each other. Their romance is honestly just the sweetest thing!

I also really enjoyed the whole aspect of online relationships and gaming. I rarely ever encounter these two topics in the romances I read, so it was refreshing to read about something different yet so common in the world we live in today. I know next to nothing about online gaming, but the authors did a fantastic job of weaving that topic into the story without leaving me overwhelmed or confused. Really, both of the authors’ writing were brilliant, and I’m definitely going to be reading more of Santino Hassell’s work.

I really, really adored this book. Kai and Garrett were just lovely – even though I was a little iffy at the ending, I still finished this book with a smile on my face. Strong Signal is the first book in the Cyberlove series, and I’m eagerly awaiting the next – I’m seriously dying to read Costigan’s book!

Writing partnerships have always fascinated me and Strong Signal by Megan Erickson and Santino Hassell just proves that sometimes they can be spot on. I've read both these author's before and I have always loved Ms. Erickson's work. Mr. Hassell is a somewhat new to me author and I've read two of his other books one I liked but didn't love and one I loved quite a bit, but I like the way their two styles blended. Erickson's soft and gooey inside cracked open Hassell's hard outer shell and what it left readers with is an outstanding story of two men from very different worlds bonding over gaming, interweb interaction and a mutual respect. That's not to say they didn't have some issues because one character was deployed in the middle of the dessert and the other one suffered from such bad social anxiety that he barely left his home, but together they forged a friendship, followed by an internet relationship followed by so much more.

I love that this story was told from both points of view and through email, webchats, Skype, text messages and eventually in person. Both these men had some issues they were dealing with both personally and professionally and it was interesting watching them confide over time with one another yet still maintaining some distance. I liked that even after meeting in person and enjoying each other fully, their relationship still had some bumps in the road and it took a lot of self reflecting and some hard decisions to make it work.

There is something special about a relationship that starts in an unusual way, builds over time and turns into a love of a lifetime and Megan Erickson and Santino Hassell told this story beautifully and have proven they are one heck of a writing team!

Review copy provided for an honest review.

I'm usually wary of books written by multiple authors, but I love Megan's books so much that I decided to give it a chance even though I had never read anything by Santino Hassell. And this book was actually really, really good. It was slow to start at the beginning and I even considered not finishing it, but I pushed through it and was rewarded with a really memorable romance.

I really loved Kai and Garrett. They were both so different from each other but they were so perfect together. Many interactions between the two of them left me feeling like my heart was going to burst by how cute they were together especially in the scene when they were talking with each other through Kai's apartment door after Garrett came home from overseas. That scene just made me so happy. Also on top of all the perfectness of them just being together, this book also had some really excellent steamy scenes that I really enjoyed.

Aside from the romance, I also really liked the way the gaming aspects that were such a big part of Kai and Garrett's lives was highlighted. I'm not a really big gamer but I enjoyed the chat conversations and getting to see what Kai did for a living instead of having it glossed over. And I also really liked the way the fact that Kai had anxiety over going out in the world was dealt especially with how understanding Garrett was.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It was a really great romance and the perfect example as to why you sometimes have to stick with a book past a slow beginning instead of being quick to giving up on it.

*Review originally posted on my book blog The Rambling Book Junkie on Feb. 12, 2016.

I stopped everything Saturday night when I received this book. Everything. I was reading something else and had to stop to dive into this one. I needed to clean and do laundry, but to heck with that. Sleep??? Screw that too!

First, this book was very, very sweet. I mean it, it was a sweet love story.

Second...Garrett....G....be still my heart. This military man who gets his ego seriously crushed in a video game, seeks out Kai then becomes slightly obsessed/stalker but more along the lines of concerned. Like, little Kai needs big and military Garrett to protect him, so he gets all alpha bear like and then, it is on.

The relationship, for the first half of this book is online so the feelings they develop are based on that. Friends first, they learn all about each other via email, chat and emails. Then, throw in the sex capades via video's and Skype....sheeeesh.

Poor Kai. I was worried the reason he was a hermit was due to bullying or another traumatic experience as a child or teenager however, he just had a very very bad case of social anxiety. Honestly, I just wanted to hug the kid, my heart ached for him. He has never had any intentions of moving, or going out, but then Garrett comes crashing in, turning his world upside down and Kai has never had a better reason to try.

The love story of these two, again, was very very sweet. And these two were so perfectly matched, IMO.

Thank You Megan and Santino, for writing this book. I cannot wait for the next in the series.

ARC received in exchange for an honest review.

This book is phenomenal!

Strong Signal is about the connections we make, and about the way video games and gaming culture play into forming friendships and building relationships. The point of view alternates between Garrett-- a deployed soldier who relies on games to keep him sane while on his final tour overseas-- and Kai-- a professional gamer whose primary interaction with the outside world comes through his computer.

I love how the relationship between Garrett and Kai sparks and builds. I think there's a stigma attached to internet relationships, but Megan and Santino show the slow, organic build of friendship, physical attraction, and eventual emotional connection that forms a romance as real and genuine as any "face to face" interaction.

This is a romance for the twenty-first century, and a look into the way relationships are changing as technology helps to bridge distances and bring people together. Garrett and Kai are fantastic characters, and their romance is absolutely gorgeous!

* I received a copy of this novel from the authors in exchange for a fair and honest review. *

Megan Erickson and Santino Hassell alone are excellent writers. Put these two together and you get Outstanding! Strong Signal is a touching, beautiful, emotional story. We have rough, tough, protective army man Garrett and twinkish, beautiful, video game celebrity Kai who come together because one destroyed the other in a game. YUP! Quite creative. Fate is an interesting thing. I LOVED the dialog with these 2. Complete opposites coming together and fitting perfectly. Kai was precious. Funny, smart, and full of hidden little secrets. Garrett is harsh, gritty, manly man, and dirrrrrrrrrrrrrrty! When these 2 got it on woooo! You need a cigarette afterwards.
Megan and Santino perfectly complement each other in writing styles. They are the perfect mixture and their creativity works flawlessly together.
Strong Signal is witty, smart, and wildly entertaining. It’s absolutely a must read!

Strong Signal was perfect! I love love love romances and this fit the bill! But it's not the run of the mill romances.

Garrett is a military man serving in Afghanistan who likes to play online games during his off time. Kai is an online gamer extraordinaire who has his own stream with a huge following.
When Kai and Garrett face off against each other, Kai makes a move that has Garrett crying foul. Garrett decides to find out just who the heck Kai is and finds out there is more than meets the eye when it comes to this whiz kid......much much more.
Garrett ends up contacting Kai and....well....sigh....let me just say...just buy the book and find out because it's worth it. It's also worth 5 stars!

These characters were so real, I want to invite them.to dinner! Kai & Garrett we're cool enough, but it was their humaness that I fell in love with! The cyber loving was hot, but when they finally meet face to face, the sparks flrw off the page! Totally rec this one!

These two authors work really well together. I think Erickson brought the smooth to Hassell's rough and it just works. Different trope from what I've seen out there. And even though I know next to nothing about this world, I didn't feel lost one time reading it.