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Hector Acosta
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Hardway Kindle Edition

by Hector Acosta (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 14 ratings
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Fifteen-year old Spencer loves professional wrestling. It’s the reason why he, along with his older brother Billy, started their very own wrestling promotion in their Dallas apartment complex. The fact it puts Spencer closer to Tori, Billy’s girlfriend and the only girl either boy knows who can take a chair shot to the head, doesn’t hurt.

It isn’t long before RBWL—The Royal Brooks Wrestling League—have a rival in Woodland Terrace, a nearby apartment complex with their own wrestling promotion run by Eddie Tornado, an unhinged teenager with a connection to Tori and a hard-on to see Spencer and Billy fail.

When Spencer breaks into Eddie’s home and steals a gym bag he believes holds Woodland Terrace’s championship belt, the feud between teenagers and promotions escalates. Before long, Spencer will find the world of professional wrestling can be more real and dangerous than anything seen on television.

What folks are saying...

“Hardway hits like a chair to the back of the head, but underneath all the bone-cracking action there’s also a surprisingly sweet story about a boy trying to make his way in the world. If you’re a fan of noir or wrestling – or both – this is one show you’ll want to buy a ticket to.”

—Nick Kolakowski, author of A Brutal Bunch of Heartbroken Saps

“Witty, touching, and as melodramatic as any classic pro wrestling story, Hardway stands as an excellent debut from Hector Acosta.”

—Angel Luis Colón, author of No Happy Endings and The Fury of Blacky Jaguar

“Hector Acosta delivers a fitting tribute to the passion of pro wrestling. Parts coming-of-age, crime, and nostalgia – with a bit of an 80’s vibe to boot – Hardway hits all the right notes.”

—Christopher Irvin, author of Burn Cards and Safe Inside the Violence

“A novella that hits you where it hurts, forces you to grapple with your desires and defeat, but ultimately leaves you panting and begging for more.”

—D.G. Sutter, author of La Maquina Oscura

Previous page
  1. Print length
    102 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publication date
    February 23, 2024
  5. Reading age
    16 - 18 years
  6. File size
    2369 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  10. See all details
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Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0CW19ZW8K
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Shotgun Honey Books; 2nd edition (February 23, 2024)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ February 23, 2024
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 2369 KB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 102 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 14 ratings

About the author

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Hector Acosta

Hector Acosta

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Hector Acosta was born in Mexico City and moved to the United States. He spent time in El Paso and Dallas before moving with his understanding wife and dog to New York. His time living on the border left an impression on him, and much of his writing revolves around that area and its people. In his free time he enjoys watching wrestling and satisfying a crippling Lego addiction.

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
14 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Casey Stegman
5.0 out of 5 stars A Coming-Of-Age Tale You’ll Want To Read More Than Once
Reviewed in the United States on March 23, 2023
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This novella has so much heart and so many great characters. If you grew up loving wrestling, this story is most definitely for you. I finished this in two sittings, and will be revisiting it again in the near future.
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Bobby Mathews
5.0 out of 5 stars Getting it done the Hardway
Reviewed in the United States on July 26, 2022
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Hector Acosta's HARDWAY is an absolute gem of a novella that uses backyard wrestling to expose the emotions, frailties, triumphs and flat-out humanity of the characters. Much more than a "wrestling book," it satisfies on multiple levels, like eating tacos or building a Gundam.
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John Weagly
3.0 out of 5 stars Three Stars
Reviewed in the United States on March 25, 2017
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A tight little gem of a novella that doesn't go to expected places.
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Anon
4.0 out of 5 stars A Remarkably True Book About Growing Up
Reviewed in the United States on March 2, 2017
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Supposedly the best time of your life is when you were a teenager, the reality is that being a teenager sucks — I speak from living through these years twice, once myself and once with my son. A teenager lives through seemingly unbearable disappointment, unfulfilled dreams, and an inexplicable horneyness. In Hardway (Shotgun Honey / Down & Out Books), Hector Acosta nails the psychological landmines of the teen years in a crime novel no less!

Too often in crime fiction, we are inundated by the similar cover art over and over again. Hardway is different and Bad Fido has done a fantastic job creating something different.

One of the big drawbacks of writing coming of age novel is that writer needs to know when to include and exclude the parents. For example, Stranger Things did that extremely well with Winona Rider’s character but blew it with the cluelessness of the parents who unknowingly had a young girl living in their basement. Even though Hardway is about a group of teenagers spending the summer trying to fight off boredom, Acosta knows when to leave out the parents and when to bring them into the story.

If you read anything about Hardway, one of the big takeaways is that the book centers around backyard wrestling. While that might be true, the strongest focus is on the relationship between two teenage brothers who were once close and are now drifting apart.

"Familiar pangs of jealousy and betrayal creep up Spencer’s spine like tiny spiders as he watches his brother open the refrigerator door and pour himself some juice. Last year, right around the time their mother left them, his brother discovered their father’s old weight set. It didn’t take long before Billy was skipping out on their usual Friday nights of eating burgers and playing videogames, preferring instead to spend his time with newfound friends and chasing after girls.

At least they still had wrestling. Spencer can still remember sitting cross-legged next to Billy on the carpet of their parent’s old bedroom, staring in awe at the television and watching giants trek across a blood-stained ring, punching each other for the approval of the crowd. His father would occasionally chime in and name whatever move the wrestlers did, while their mother rolled her eyes and reminded him for the hundredth time how Billy and Spencer were too young to watch so much violence. This was before she became sullen and closed off to the world, long before she packed up and left.

It was also before their father’s company got outsourced to India and he had to start working at the new call center. Before Billy shed sixty pounds, joined the football team, and started to ignore Spencer any time they crossed each other in the school’s hallways."

Spencer’s other antagonist is Eddie Tornado who heads an opposing backyard wrestling show, the Woodlawn Terrace Federation (WTF). In one wrestling scene, Eddie Tornado wears “red and yellow tights and black wrestling boots which add two inches to his height. His mohawk stands at full attention, his chest glowing in the sun …”. He’s everything that Spencer is not. As the teenagers begin to spiral out of control, Hardway becomes something more than a coming of age story, it becomes a crime fiction novel without losing any of its original credence. Acosta has written a remarkably true book about growing up. Don’t miss it.
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John Bartholomew Stevens
5.0 out of 5 stars Great, fast, read
Reviewed in the United States on October 1, 2021
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I enjoyed this novella. It is a fast read. The characters are well written and the story is engrossing. I read it in one sitting. This is a great way to spend a few hours and is worth your money.
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S.W. Lauden
5.0 out of 5 stars This is probably one of the most unique crime stories ...
Reviewed in the United States on April 25, 2017
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This is probably one of the most unique crime stories I've read in recent memory. Blending a coming-of-age story with a passion for amateur wrestling, Hector Acosta has created a novella that blurs the line between hardboiled crime and YA. The writing is solid and the characters are really relatable, especially the dynamic between the two brothers. Looking forward to more from this author.
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ADSB II
5.0 out of 5 stars A charming, heartfelt and memorable debut from Acosta
Reviewed in the United States on April 21, 2017
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A debut that slams into you from the top rope! For fans of wrestling and hardboiled fiction.
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Nathan Turner
4.0 out of 5 stars Short, punchy, and pins you to the page.
Reviewed in the United States on April 18, 2020
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Acosta's coming-of-age novella makes what some may think juvenile (WWE wrestling) have all the drama and danger of a international spy thriller. From the introduction to the end, his protagonist Spencer is driven along by events and affections until he finds the strength to strike out and protect the things and people he loves. It's a fascinating story and a thrilling read. Rest assured, Hector Acosta will be on my reading list going forward.
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Top reviews from other countries

Tummidge
5.0 out of 5 stars Wrestling noir - need I say more?
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 3, 2020
Verified Purchase
This one landed squarely in my wheelhouse as someone who loved and participated in wrestling antics as a teenager (finishing move - The Gore). Spencer runs the RBWL (Royal Bowls Wrestling League) with his brother, Billy, but with his brother growing up and getting a girlfriend and hunting for a job and a rival backyard wrestling promotion stealing "talent" it's getting tough to run things. When Eddie Tornado of the WTF (Woodland Terrace Federation) threatens to expose revealing pictures of Billy's girlfriend, Spencer is reeled into helping Tori find them and they come away with much more than they expected.

This is a coming of age crime story based in a world I'm sorta familiar with and it flows beautifully with our main protagonists well sketched out. I've read a few Acosta stories and particularly enjoyed the Edgar nominated "Turistas". Hoping there is more to come from Hector be it wrestling based or otherwise.
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