I'm also learning how weave the science into the story-line better. The Quantum Rose have almost no science exposition compared to, say, Primary Inversion . Same for The Veiled Web . The ideas are there, but not the exposition. I did them that way because it fit the style of those books.
Some readers expect a certain feel with hard science fiction.
However, it's more important to me that the style of the book match the story. I'm also a bit leery about being labeled a hard SF writer, because it might turn off some readers who would like my work. Hard SF tends to be looked down on, so if you have that reputation, readers may make assumptions about the book that don't apply, e.g., that it lacks good prose, characterization, emotional content, and so on. However, a wide range of hard SF exists, much of it very good. I don't try to avoid references to popular culture either, though.