Illegal Contact

Santino Hassell

Aug 2017 · The Barons Book 1 · Sold by Penguin

About this ebook

The rules of the game don’t apply off the football field in this steamy slow-burn M/M sports romance—the first book of the Barons series.

New York Barons tight end Gavin Brawley is suspended from the team and on house arrest after a video of him brawling goes viral. Gavin already has a reputation as a jerk with a temper on and off the field—which doesn’t help him once he finds himself on the wrong side of the law. And while he’s been successful professionally, he’s never been lucky when it comes to love. 

Noah Monroe is a recent college grad looking for a job—any job—to pay off his mounting student debt. Working as Gavin’s personal assistant/babysitter seems like easy money. But Noah isn’t prepared for the electrifying tension between him and the football player. He’s not sure if he’d rather argue with Gavin or tackle him to the floor. But both men know the score, and neither is sure what will happen once Gavin's timeout is over…

Ratings and reviews

I absolutely fell for this story. Noah is awesome. I adore him and the way he cares so much, but I'm in love with Gavin, the grump with a heart of gold type. If you're one of his people, he has your back. Gavin has anger issues and is on house arrest because of it. Noah is desperately scrambling for a job. He has no idea who Gavin is and doesn't know much more about football in general. Football is all that Gavin has in his life except for a couple of close friends. Noah becomes Gavin's PA. Both are pretty blunt so things are a bit antagonistic at first. The more they get to know each other, the more the mutual respect and attraction grow. Yes, there is definitely something between them, but there are also so many reasons why they can't go there. I like how the characters don't just hook up, and then everything works out perfectly. They're mature about the facts and know their actions have consequences. The storyline feels realistic. I understood and felt all the emotions with Gavin and Noah. Illegal Contact has a great storyline and plenty of sexy. I definitely recommend.

Aside from a few misspellings and incorrect usage, this book was easy to read. The story and imagery was good. I liked the fact the author used modern vernacular and idioms. The sex scenes were well portrayed. This was a great read.

Couldn't stop reading, had to find out what was going to happen next!

About the author

Santino Hassell was raised in Brooklyn by a strict Catholic family, but he was anything but traditional. He grew up to be a smart-mouthed, school-cutting grunge kid, then a transient twenty-something, and eventually transformed into an unlikely romance author.
 
Santino writes queer romance that is heavily influenced by the gritty, urban landscape of New York City, his belief that human relationships are complex and flawed, and his own life experiences.