ILLEGAL CONTACT (THE BARONS #1)

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…

Release Date: August 15, 2017

Intermix

The Barons #1

M/M Sports Romance/Contemporary Romance

Review copy provided by publisher

Liza's Review:

Illegal Contact is the 1^st book in a new series from Santino Hassell. Illegal Contact is the first book I've read from Santino Hassell, but won't be my last. 

I absolutely loved growly Gavin Brawley from the moment he appeared on the page. What is not to love about a guy who beats up a jerk for threatening to expose his best friend with a video to out him? Even with Gavin's rough background and lack of apology for his actions, that spoke more to his character than anything else could honestly. It showed he was protective of his friends and teammates and made me want to see him find happiness.

Noah Monroe knows pretty much nothing about football, so he has no idea who Gavin Brawley is when he applies to be his personal assistant. Gavin needs live in help while he spends the next 6 months under house arrest and Noah not knowing who he is seems to be a mark in his favor. The mark against Noah, at least where Gavin's people are concerned is the fact that Noah is gay. 

I adored that both Noah and Gavin fought their attraction to each other for so long. The fact that initially Noah didn't realize Gavin was bisexual probably helped in the beginning.  However, once they kissed the first time, all bets were off. OMG one of the sexiest kisses ever! I absolutely loved Noah and Gavin together. Yes they still continued to butt heads some, but there was a happiness about Gavin that wasn't there before. Gavin and Noah were smoking hot together! I loved how they couldn't keep their hands off each other and grew closer the more time they spent together.

Illegal Contact was an amazing start to The Barons series. I loved getting to meet some of the other players besides Gavin, and can't wait to see each player get his own book. I absolutely fell in love with his voice and want to go back and read his entire backlist.

Rating: 5 Stars (A)