How to Hack a Hacker

Unholy Trifecta #3

by A.J. Sherwood

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 •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. It's not stalking (totally stalking), sleep is for the weak, coffee IS food, running-from-the-mob meet cute, Brannigan does stupid stuff to make Kyou call him, Kyou is utterly done, pansexual character, band of brothers, anxiety, family of choice, emotional growth, so simple a ten-year-old can do it, no really it’s not that hard, Kyou peopled last week, meddling, so much meddling, Irish Mobsters were hurt in the making of this book, Ivan’s actually serious for once, yes the world almost ended

Genres: M M Romance, Romance, Contemporary, Crime, LGBT, Mystery, Humor

227 pages, Paperback

First published July 26, 2020

About the author

AJ Sherwood believes in happily ever afters, magic, dragons, good men, and dark chocolate. She often dreams at night of delectable men doing sexy things with each other. In between writing multiple books (often at the same time) she pets her cats, plays with her dogs, and attempts insane things like aerial yoga.

She currently resides in Tennessee with aforementioned cats, dogs, and her editor/best friend/sister/partner in crime.

Reviews

[Ronie Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Left not a one plot thread. Main crew established while introduction of two unknowns and Trixie our bodacious info broker and thief. Well done on solving the mafia issue. Didn't think a crater would solve so many issues.

[Santy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my favourite of the series and unfortunately the last book *wails*

I just enjoyed the writing, the banter and the fact that though we had a long wait for Kyou's book that it was more than with it.

We finally got to meet the man Kyou had been stalking *ahem* "protecting" all this while and it was so funny the circumstances surrounding that meeting. I enjoyed Brannigan as a character and what he brought to the group of these dynamic men.I also enjoyed his chemistry with Kyou and how effortless it was for them.

Note again that you'll have to suspend belief for this book as with the previous 2 books but for me that was part of the fun of this entire trilogy of books. I just loved it.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The man inspires my inner serial killer sometimes. He really does."

AJ Sherwood is such a master at creating casts of characters that I never want to stop reading about. I was was so excited for K and his obsession to finally meet and it did not disappoint. K was everything and Bran brought a nice balance to his high anxiety personality . And it was great seeing all members of the crew. Ivan made chuckle every time he opened his mouth. I'm sad to see the trilogy come to an end but I look forward to whatever short stories Sherwood gives us.


“Eidolon,” K sighed, sounding resigned, like he already knew the answer. “Did you break into the Irish Mob’s headquarters?”
“Am I in trouble if I did?”
“Yes, you’re fucking in trouble if you did.”
“Then I didn’t.”

[Kaity · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars

Pretty good but didn’t love. Idk I am in a mood.. a slumpy mood sooo this was a casualty of said mood.

I love hacker books soo this was a good one but I have definitely read better.

Overall a good end to the series but wanted something more…

[Dani · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this whole series, Ivan is most definitely my favourite!

Love the found family aspect of this group and even though every couple is very insta-love, it just worked for me.

[S.R. Harris · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great MM series.

We finally get Kyou, the hacker of the group and the guy he has been protecting/stalking for the past 12 years.

I loved how all the characters from the first two books are still major players in this book and of course there is Remi, how can you not love her!!!

What I loved the most was how Bran's family not only accepted Kyou but the rest of the gang as well and the guys were able to fully find the family that not only accepted them but loved them.

Great series.

[Eesh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Last book in the trilogy, and the one I was most looking forward to. Kyou and his stalkee were mentioned in the first book, and I've wanted to know how that story would go ever since.

Though I don't think stalking is the right word for it. For one, Brannigan knows about it, and he seems to enjoy it. They share email, texts and phone calls. He just doesn't know who K is, even after six years of their strange relationship, in which Kyou has saved Bran's life multiple times. That's all Kyou wants, you know, to look out for Bran. It's his way of repaying Bran's father, who saved K's life once. Besides, he wouldn't need to keep such a close eye on Bran if the guy would just stop getting in trouble.

But Bran wants to make the world a better place, and that's bound to make you some enemies. The latest enemy is part of the Irish mob. And because of that, and a clever 10-year-old, it's not just K looking out for Brannigan, but the entire team. And they're very determined that Bran finally meet K.

And let's be honest, it needed to happen already. I mean, six years. At this point, no one was buying that K's only concern was repaying Bran's father. Not to mention that the two have been flirting for a while now, and the only thing really standing between them and a happily ever after, is Kyou insistence on not telling Bran who he is, or meeting him in person. And no, his concerns aren't unfounded. His workaholic nature has come between relationships before, and it makes sense that he doesn't want to risk losing Bran for good. But six years.

Anyway, we have trouble with a mob family, Ivan being... Ivan, Ari who needs to spend less time with Ivan, ol' reliable Carter, an unusually smart ten-year-old, Brannigan trying to make K see that they could work, and Kyou, who needs to sleep more. It makes for quite the team-up. And it's a lot of fun.

Also, I think that this book being shorter than the others works in its favour because we don't get drops in fun/action/excitement, which is something that happened in both the previous book. This is a very mellow series. And mellowness can sometimes be boring if it goes on too long. By making the book shorter, the author reduced the chance of that. Not that I didn't like the other two books, I just found this one to be more consistent throughout.

Overall, this was a great series, and I will definitely be reading more books by the author. Past and future ones.

[Janet (iamltr) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did not want this series to end, even with the massive wish fulfillment of the entire thing. Everyone was the best, everyone loved everyone else, money no issue, random people just loving the entire group...

Kyou was always the coolest one, I'm glad he got his HEA with Bran, the dude he stalked for 12 years.

The romance started at the beginning and the rest of it was just basically this group doing what they do.

If I could change one thing, it would be Remy. Omg, I understand why the kid was in the series but I was getting tired of how everyone instantly loved and adored her. No kid is that adorable.

I can't wait for the audiobook .

[Natalie H · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jan 2025

Re-read for a group challenge week 2. Remains the best out of the three, with Kyou actually giving it a go at resisting. Was ill this time around so couldn't fully enjoy it.

September 2023
Kindle edition

Kyou and Brannigan messing with each other is still the best.

Jan 2021

Re-read. It’s a close call if I prefer the first book or this one. I really liked the family coming together and this one is adding the final members and doing what they do best. I liked the chemistry between K and Bran before they’d even met, it was entertaining and I liked how Gideon just went along with it. The one line I remembered from this book was Kyou needs vegetables. One of my favourites.

August 2020

Sweet, fun and I really hope it’s not the end. Poor Aiden, guy really needs some sleep. Kyou and Bran were adorable, I liked how Bran deliberately kept getting into trouble just so they could talk. The group banter was fun and I’m looking forward to the wedding. Favourite part was meeting the parents and the initial killings.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

So this is K's story of how he gets together with Brannigan the guy he has been stalking for 12 years.
I like that although the story is featured on 2 guys, there are plenty of appearances from the other members of the gang.
I am sad that this was the last book as I enjoyed reading about these guys and the family they made for themselves.

[Verdelite · Rating 4 out of 5]

K's story is here! Woop-woop!

I've been waiting for K's story since him cyberstalking someone was first mentioned. I might be biased since I have a lot similarities to him (minus the super-hacker thing and the OP heist team friends and the K-Pop star looks... cries).

I think my biggest gripe with this book was that Bran and Kyou's relationship wasn't all that interesting anymore after their first face-to-face meeting. They did have to work through issues but that happened very quickly - which is probably a good thing as most don't like unnecessary drama but for me, who likes a good slowburn even if it involves a bit of drama, it wasn't ideal.

It also felt much shorter than the first Trifecta book (and I think it was? though I don't remember the length of book 2).
I suppose it can't be helped though since both relationship and external plot issues can be resolved super fast since K is part of such an OP and supportive team.
I often encounter this kind of issue in later books of a series (since the MC's friends should have their shit together by then and are thus able to give the MC the kick in the butt that they need).

Despite my criticism, I enjoyed this book very much and I am very glad to see Kyou find his HEA with Bran.

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Mirjam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Buddy read with the gals from Turning Pages At Midnight



Each book in the Unholy Trifecta Series can be read as a standalone but, to prevent previous plots and storylines to get spoiled, they are best enjoyed when read in order:

[Traslan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Audiobook narrated by
Iggy Toma
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Antonio Amato
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Kyou is not my favourite character, but all the others make up for it.
Ivan is worth it!

[Sam · Rating 5 out of 5]

GRAWRG!!!

I cannot begin to describe how much I've loved this series. This book was an awesome wrap up to the trilogy and it was almost every little thing that I've hoped and dreamed it would be since Assassin first came out.

My biggest complaint: no one compared Kyou to old, moldy bread in this book. I was extremely disappointed by that because I enjoyed it so much in the first two. I had NEVER heard that as a description of someone before and loved it so much I'm not ashamed to say I stole it and have tried to use it when applicable.

I also felt it was a bit more rushed through than the last two. It was still complete and thoroughly satisfying, don't get me wrong; but a bit less involved than the others.

Brannigan turned out to be amazing and epic. Getting inside Kyou's head was a real treat. The depth of his devotion was as heartwarming as his anxiety was heartbreaking. They just fit together so well and I was so excited to see them interacting together and with the rest of the team.

The plot itself was a bit simpler than we are used to seeing from Sherwood, but it was wildly entertaining and kept me on the edge of my seat from page one.

I'm sad this is over. I really loved these characters and I'll honestly miss them. AJ Sherwood has this amazing way of making characters that you can TRULY believe with so many layers you almost think you can call them up personally. I want 6 more books in this series. Like, immediately.

[Ali · Rating 5 out of 5]

The final book in the trilogy and I say again another ingenious story, loved it. As with the other two books this was lacking again in the romance and sexual department. I have given them all a 5* rating for the overlying story arc, but it could have been worth a lot more with deeper connections. Apparently there will be a short coming out at Christmas I’m not giving out spoilers. I do hope AJ writes one last book about all the couples giving incite into all their futures perhaps five, ten, fifteen years down the line. By then Remi will be a young adult who knows what she will have grown into. Brilliant author, the series well worth a read.

[Alisha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pure lovely!

I’ve been looking forward to How to Hack a Hacker since I tore through the first two books in the Unholy Trifecta. It was just as lovely as I hoped it would be!

[Marion · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 Stars!

[Maggie · Rating 5 out of 5]

AJ saved the sassiest for last! Full review to follow.

[Badh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kyou

Kyou is so stubborn and endearing at the same time. I'm not sure how that works, but it does. He's spent so much time taking care of Brannigan, it's no surprise that he already had feelings. Bran is so good for him.

[Joy (joyous reads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

As I’ve expected, the third book to the Unholy Trifecta was better than the first two books. I think it’s because K and Brannigan has a long history even though they have not met. K stalked him online for years, not for nefarious purposes but so he could watch over him – which sounds exactly what a stalker would say! Anyway, K has always kept his reasons hidden for putting Brannigan’s safety a priority, so we find out in this instalment.

For Brannigan, while his reasons for invading the Irish mob’s territory was all for enriching bad neighborhoods and giving small businesses a fighting chance, he also has an ulterior motive: it will give his online stalker an aneurysm because more than anything, he wants to meet K (understatement of the century). But the elusive hacker refuses to even tell him his real name. Things will come to a head when K finds out Brannigan has a price on his head.

Listen, regardless of how I felt for the milquetoast that were the first two books in this series, this book more than made up for it. I love the dynamics between the criminal trio and the bandwagon that was their family. I also loved finding out why K was so insistent on protecting Brannigan and his sister religiously throughout the years.

Much like the first two books, the action sequences in this one is also a bit benign. More often, the reader only gets a second-hand account of what’s going on. Like listening to a tapped conversation. So, if you’re one of those readers whose heart can’t handle the high octane action sequences, then you’ll enjoy these books.

[Darcy · Rating 3 out of 5]

More fun with the guys and Remi in this one. I really liked how Kyou was at the center of things and that we finally learned my he was so obsessed with Brannigan. Learning that really made me like Kyou more and see why this was so important to him.

It was fun to see how Kyou ended up meeting Brannigan in person and how Brannigan reacted to Kyou's family and them all working together. I loved that Remi surprised him the most and how he quickly accepted her competence. Bran even seemed amused by the guys and their way of working, a great thing as things developed between him and Kyou very quickly. Kyou needed someone like Bran to pull him away from working all the time.

As the team went after the bad guys and things got a bit more complicated, it was fun to see them use their names and reputations as a weapon of sorts. So many were scared and fled, more will do so in the future after their actions at the end.

As much fun as it was to see the team working together and for Kyou and Bran to get together, the best thing about this one was how Bran's family totally accepted everyone, but especially Remi. They welcomed them with open arms and a place a their house always.

[Kiko · Rating 3 out of 5]

~ 3,5☆

I really loved the first half of this book. It made me think that the K/Brannigan dynamic would wind-up being my favourite one of the trilogy. It had many of the tropes I like : long distance~ish relationship, an anonymous and mysterious friend, a pansexual protagonist and a good level of sarcasm qnd banter courtesy of Sassy K. In short it had all the ingredients to make me SWOON and swoon I did ! At least at the beginning.

Then the same thing that happened in the first two books and that made me end my reading with mixed feelings happened AGAIN. The "rushed relationship" issue that seems to plague those books.

I would have liked it ten times more if it was more slow burnish. As it is, I smiled, I laughed -mostly thanks to Ivan, because, let's be honest, even in this book he stole the light more than once- and I swooned a bit, but there wasn't any real suspense and action to get me hooked, to leave me waiting with bathed breath at the edge of my seat. The predictability of it all prevented me from experiencing them.

It still made for a nice light reading and I rather liked getting a sneak peek on how the other couples (Ari/Carter and Ivan/Aiden) were doing.
Also, I can now say confidently that Ivan is my favourite madman out of the lot. He's just too adorable to resist. K is a close second.

[Cindee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great ending to an amazing book series

I loved this book so much it puts together the other bits of the story along with tying up every loose end and giving the best possible ending. I still love the characters so much but I especially loved the focus on Kyou and Brannigan their romance had so much heat to it I just loved how well they fit together. I also loved reading about the other characters they are still such entertaining characters I also loved the other characters that were introduced there were so many great characters to read about. I loved the plot it starts with Kyou looking out for Brannigan and fighting with actually meeting him face to face it moves on to Brannigan getting a hit out on him which forces Kyou to meet him everything really gets going from there this book was so good to will read more by this author for me sure.

[Natalie H · Rating 5 out of 5]

Has Amazon taken away whispersync? Ah well buying books only works on the audible site for me, try again later failure on the main site. This one was just what I needed today. Kyou and Bran are great, I liked Kyou rushing to the park and the way the guys push him to the limit. Great fun.

[Ilse Marijke · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story was nice, like more of the same as the previous two, with a twist. Reason why I gave it 4 stars. It was well written and the world-building consistently done. I had to laugh at the speed with which the bad guys were eliminated. Alas, I had fun. 🩷

[— lily]

DNF

[Candice · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked both K and Bran.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

That was the perfect trilogy to read on a rainy weekend. Sweet but sassy loved it

[Carrie Crozier · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m so sad this story is over. I want to know how Remi turns out at the very least.
Ivan is still my favorite. The man is hilarious.