Illegal Contact by Santino Hassell
Series: The Baron, #1
Release Date: 15th August 2017
Buy Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK
The rules of the game don’t apply off the field in this first Barons novel.
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…
Buy Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK
★5 STARS★
There was none of the “new author to me” jitters when it came to diving into this one. When a book comes highly recommended by the ladies at Berkley, and one of your favourite authors, (Sarina Bowen) the only dutiful fangirl thing to do is to dive on in.
Illegal Contact is the first standalone novel in the sports romance Barons series, and the first step to what I’m sure will be an unhealthy addiction to the author, Santino Hassell. Seriously, where have you been all my life? There was none of the getting to know you process that happens with a “new to me author”, from the first page the writing was familiar, fun and engaging yet still managed to be fresh and exciting.
I had a wonderful time drooling over the blond bombshell that is Gavin Brawley. He’s the incredibly talented but unapproachable tight end of the New York Barons. His give no f*cks attitude on and off the field have made him a target for the press and there’s no shortage of column inches documenting his misdemeanours.
His latest PR disaster earns him a team suspension and a stint under house arrest. If my gorgeous grump wasn’t grumpy enough, having to hire an assistant to take care of things he will be unable to leaves a bitter taste in his mouth.
The man for the job is financially hard up Noah Monroe. His nerdy exterior might be give of major Clark Kent vibes, but Noah gives as good as he gets when on the receiving end of one of Gavin’s tongue lashings. Their working relationship is tension fraught, but Gavin enjoys being challenged by Noah more than he would care to admit.
The sexual tension with these two was out of this world, and I absolutely loved the dynamic and progression of their relationship. Illegal Contact was the total package and with secondary characters that also stole the show, the Baron’s series promises to be a game changer.
About Santino Hassell
Santino Hassell was raised by a conservative family but grew up to be a smart-mouthed, school cutting grunge kid, a transient twenty-something, and eventually transformed into a grumpy introvert and unlikely romance author with an affinity for baseball caps. His novels are heavily influenced by the gritty, urban landscape of New York City, and his desire to write relationships fueled by intensity and passion.
He’s been a finalist in both the Bisexual Book Awards and the EPIC Awards, and was nominated for a prestigious RITA award in 2017. His work has been featured in BuzzFeed, Huffington Post, Washington Post, RT Magazine, and Cosmopolitan Magazine.
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