Reviewed by Valerie

TITLE:  How to Hack a Hacker

AUTHOR:  AJ Sherwood

SERIES:  Unholy Trifecta

PUBLISHER:  Self-Published

LENGTH:  193 pages

RELEASE DATE:  July 25, 2020

BLURB:

Staying away is Kyou’s number one rule when it comes to protecting the sexy real-estate developer.

Kyou has a routine. A system. He guards Brannigan Genovese, hacks for his family of choice, and drinks far too much caffeine for any living being. Only a few things can completely disrupt his routine to cause him trouble:

•Brannigan buying up real estate from the Irish Mob
•Kyou’s band of brothers figuring out who Brannigan actually is
•Ivan
•Feelings for one Brannigan Genovese

Oddly enough, it’s the feelings that get Kyou in the most trouble. Because when Brannigan is in danger, Kyou ignores all his brain’s protestations and breaks every rule he has to save the man, including his number one.

And damn the consequences.

REVIEW:

Nooooo! The Unholy Trifecta series is over. Oh, how I’m going to miss this lovable, entertaining band of brothers – and one precious little girl. How to Hack a Hacker is a fantastic finish to the series, full of familial love and affection, great capers of the deadly kind, silliness and a heartwarming romance to top it all off. But first and foremost, this is Kyou’s story. Finally, we get to know him in depth, and his backstory is a fascinating discovery. Kyou, the last unattached member of the clan, has been hacking/stalking/protecting Brannigan for twelve years (only six of which Brannigan is aware), and while they’ve never met – K’s choice – they text and occasionally talk on the phone. Brannigan has feelings for K and badly wants to meet, but K has his reasons, even though he has similar feelings. Brannigan is crushing hard in what he says is an “extremely drawn-out, long-term online relationship.”  

I started feeling unresolved tension by chapter three and they hadn’t even met yet. Heck, the UHEMYT – Unresolved Haven’t Even Met Yet Tension – is thick and spurs Ari, Ivan, Carter, and Remi into Operation Matchmaker mode for some entertaining (unwanted) meddling in K’s love life. That’s what happens when the gang’s between jobs and bored. 

Kyou was ready to just call this year quits. He was to the point of building a blanket fort, stocking some snacks and a Switch, and he’d just game and snack until this year was over. Being a responsible adult was too much … Yeah. Blanket fort. Blanket fort was the only sane answer.  

As in books one and two, the characters are what drive the story here. Many books contain a found family trope, but the Unholy Trifecta (how great is that name?) family is arguably the best in the genre. What was once a band of three brothers grew to seven with the addition of Remi, Carter, Aiden, and Brannigan. Each and every character is richly developed and multi-layered so we see vulnerability as well as strength. Their relationships and interactions with each other, and their humorous banter, are everything. Now, the chosen family continues to expand with the inclusion of a much-needed female presence in Remi’s life, and new grandparents to dote on her and all of the uncles and dads. 

The plot is solid and well-thought out, if a little OTT. But this is Kyou and crew – it’s supposed to be crazy. I found the actual crimes committed by the men to be less exciting and detailed than in the other books, however, especially How to Shield an Assassin where I felt like I was along for the ride every step of the way for the preparations and heist. Too much was off-page in this book, for my taste. 

By the end, Brannigan succeeds in doing something no one else has been able to do – he gets K to promise to find balance, to work and live and love. The book has a very satisfying epilogue and the promise of a follow-up short story this Christmas with Ari and Carter. I whole-heartedly recommend How to Hack a Hacker. For now, I’ll have to content myself with starting at the beginning of it all: 

He was being tailed.
Ari walked steadily, easily, not letting on he knew he was being followed. Badly being followed at that … 

RATING: 

BUY LINKS: 

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