Brought to you by OBS Reviewer Daniele

Readers will lose track of time while reading this engrossing, entertaining third book in the Clock Shop Mystery Series.

It was Ruth Clagan’s grandfather’s dream to restore the clock tower in Orchard, Massachusetts. Now Ruth has made it her mission to fulfill his, and now her, dream. All of her hard work is about to pay off, and the Signing Ceremony for the donors goes well despite the fact that town manager Kim Gray is MIA. That is, until she is found crushed under the bell that is supposed to go in the tower. Now the town hall is off limits, which has the potential to put Ruth and company behind schedule, so Ruth puts her observation skills to the test and solve Kim’s murder.

Chime and Punishment is the first book in the series that I have had the pleasure of reading, but I had no trouble jumping right in to the story without feeling lost. I like the small town New England setting, the clock making slant (although, I confess that I was a little worried about the subject keeping my attention), and the cast of characters. Even though Ruth is a bit of a daydreamer, and startles way too easily, she is a highly organized person and looks at the clues in a far different way than the police. Her enduring love for her grandparents makes her quite endearing. The supporting cast of characters is mostly quirky, but not in a nonrealistic or stereotypical way. Her love interest Ben is likable, and the Reed family is a group I would like to hang out with over a holiday weekend. My least favorite character, other than Kim, is Freddie. She wears my patience and gets on my last nerve. And, of course, Bezel the cat and Blue the dog are nice inclusions. Every cozy needs a pet, right?

The mystery within these pages is well plotted and the story moves along at a quick pace. Since Kim is disliked by pretty much every resident of Orchard, the pool of suspects is large. Ruth’s close relationship with most of the suspects makes the outcome of the investigation all the more important. The deadline of the completion of the clock tower’s refurbishment adds some urgency to the tale. I appreciate that Ruth and Jeff, the police chief, are good friends and that they work together. Too many times in cozy mysteries the police come across as incompetent, but that is not the case here. Ruth and Jeff bring their own skills to the investigation. I also like that Ruth never finds herself personally in danger because of her sleuthing. I admit that I guessed whodunit relatively early, but, as so often is the case, I did not have the “why” of it all put together until right before the reveal. Holmes adds enough twists to the mystery to make me second guess myself more than once.

I greatly enjoyed my time with Ruth and will definitely seek out more books by Julianne Holmes. I recommend Chime and Punishment to any cozy fan.

*OBS would like to thank the publisher for supplying a free copy of this title in exchange for an honest review as part of their ongoing blog tour*

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

I had heard nothing but fantastic things from my friends about Illegal Contact for weeks, and now I totally get the hype! This was my first Santino Hassell book, and I will totally pick more up in the future. While I read a lot of f/f romance (because it’s nice to see myself represented once in a while), I need to do better at picking up m/m romance (especially those written by queer men). Illegal Contact is a cute hate-to-love romance between an NFL football player on house arrest and his personal assistant. Gavin Brawley is your typical love interest with a douchebag exterior and a heart of gold. And Noah was relatable and so easy to root for. I love that this book addressed the inherent power imbalance in Gavin and Noah’s relationship, since Gavin is Noah’s boss. This was handled in such a thoughtful way. I’m not usually into sports romances, but the sports aspect of this one was relatively small. I still loved getting to know Gavin’s friends and teammates on the Barons, though! Simeon and Marcus were both so lovable, and I can’t wait for book two, which focuses on Simeon. I also loved how the “coming out” narrative was handled in this book. As far as representation goes, Gavin is bisexual, and Noah is gay. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a good sports romance and/or m/m romance!

I wasn't sure what to expect with this book. Generally, Santino Hassell's books are gritty, dark and quite unlike any other author in this genre (in my estimation). So, having him write a football series seemed-well-out of character from what I would expect of his books. However, I was more than pleasantly surprised with it.
Gavin needed Noah in ways that he couldn't even comprehend. Meanwhile, Noah did not put up with any of Gavin's cr@p. He would push back, and Gavin, although he didn't like it, could appreciate that Noah didn't care who he was, he wasn't going to be dismissed lightly.
Gavin had a true journey here to discovering himself, not simply as a bisexual man, but as a human being capable of caring. He'd really only connected with his two best friends, having not had any real childhood to speak of, and so he only showed loyalty for those two. Yet, through his time at home, and his time with Noah, he began a journey to finding what being a part of a productive and caring society, and a part of a caring (and let's be honest-HOT!) relationship really meant. It was interesting to see that he learned this, all while not being allowed to leave the grounds of his home.
I liked the fact that these two men didn't just fall into bed two days after meeting. The author could have easily threw them together into the same house from day one, and taken the quick road to love. But he didn't, he held these two apart, making Noah commute every day to Gavin's house. It not only grew the tension, it allowed Noah a bit of the upper hand, something Gavin wasn't used to. It also gave Noah some challenges during the weekends away when he knew Gavin was having a difficult time dealing with his house arrest.
The implosion of their relationship had me crying, simply because I could see it happening easily, especially in the situation they were in.
Very satisfying ending, and it has me dying for book 2, Simon's story. January is a long way away!

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.

As is well documented on this blog, sports romances are definitely my thing. Even though I basically follow no sports aside from hockey in real life, in books, I really enjoy them. Even when they aren’t romances honestly. I was super glad to be able to get to read Illegal Contact by Santino Hassell a bit early and people, you are in for a treat.

Gavin Brawley lives up to his last name. He is a bit of a brawler both on and off the football field, where he plays tight end for the New York Barons. Unfortunately, a recent off the field brawl has left him under house arrest and suspended for several football games. He is going stir crazy and unfortunately, his personality is already a bit rough. Add in his anger with being away from the field and his boredom, and well, Gavin is a very volatile personality. Unfortunately, his personal business is also falling apart while he is on house arrest since he doesn’t worry about paying the bills. Enter Noah, a recent college graduate looking for some easy money. This job should be easy, even if being around Gavin is not easy. He is hot as heck but his personality leaves much to be desired.

As the old saying goes though, time does help and in this case, the more time Noah and Gavin spend together, the more Noah comes to understand Gavin a bit more. He becomes a lot more sympathetic to Gavin’s house arrest when he learns the real reason behind it too. And frankly, it helped me as a reader too because I hadn’t been too sympathetic to Gavin.

Santino Hassell does a good job of really digging into Gavin’s character though. There are the moments one expects, like learning Gavin has a rough background, but is doing what he can to help kids in the same situation. There are also surprises in the story, enough so to keep the pace of the book moving forward and to prevent either character from becoming cliches.

I was a bit uncertain of Noah honestly. He seemed quite judgmental about Gavin but the more I read, the more I understood that Noah was carrying a lot of baggage into this new job. His last job ended badly, really badly in fact. Noah’s passion is social work and helping others but unfortunately, his last job didn’t quite pan out when his relationship with the boss ended. Noah was heartbroken on many levels and that I could relate to. So to say he is wary of getting involved with Gavin, his employer, is putting it mildly.

There is a great tension between these characters. I liked watching Noah become part of Gavin’s world, starting to understand and appreciate football and the hard work Gavin puts in every day. This was a slow starter of a story for me but in the end, I quite enjoyed it.

Santino Hassell definitely has a way with words when it comes to dirty talk and phew, the love scenes are striking. There is a very, very palpable chemistry between Gavin and Noah. One of my favorite scenes in the book actually isn’t a love scene but is rather when Gavin is playing a game of football at his house during a party that Noah organized. Gavin cannot take his eyes off Noah and I just felt… WOW. This is it. This is the chemistry I look for in a romance.

Illegal Contact is a great start to The Barons series and I am excited to read more from Santino Hassell.

Some books just hold me under their spell. This one does..
I eagerly read and read and read if I was running a marathon....between work and a few bites and even lesser sleep I run through this read heading finish....

Stumbling over the finish line totally breathless and content....

Not spoiling but...hoping for the hurt/comfort moment i was so utterly satisfied by the way they....so totally out of the blue it was raw and real and i fucking loved it!!

Beautiful massive lines everywhere through this read and always with just the right weight.
My shortest review ever but with this I want to make a point!

Another strong mustread from this author

Copy received through Netgalley

“Don’t do that to me.”
“What?”
“Don’t be like everyone else…”

We fell in love with this Author recently and couldn’t wait to start Illegal Contact after all the amazing accolades. Whilst we loved the slow burn romance, the sports element and let us not fail to mention- the flawless writing of Santino Hassell, this is not one of our favourites by this Author. Don’t get us wrong –we did enjoy it- however, it’s a story we’ve read many times before which just didn’t wow us or offer us anything new or unique. We would definitely recommend it to lovers of mm romance & sports romance though. It had humour, passion and angst as well as a fabulous character in, Noah, whom we fell in love with. ♥

‘You had to love a sexy-ass geek with an attitude.’

I know I'm in the absolute minority here, but I didn't enjoy this book. I had a very hard time getting into it for reasons I can't exactly pinpoint.. I just did. I did like the time these two spent together as a couple and the moments leading up to it. There were some sweet and lovely moments and some of the Hassell style I love so much and let's face it, it's a sports romance!

But generally the pacing was off. The build up was long – which isn't a bad thing – but except for some freak-out moments of "We really shouldn't so this." - there was way too much telling for my taste once they got together. Fast forward two months, and there are conflicts I could smell from miles away. And to be honest, I don't *like * being able to predict how the last 30% of a book will go and be right about it too. Yes, Gavin and Noah were lovely and hot together, and this wasn't a super trope-y story, but all the rest... didn't work for me at all. I tried to care about them as a couple, to actually feel them together, and absolutely couldn't. The romance in the end, fell flat for me.

And even though I know I'm in the minority with that, I just wish not every sport romance had to end with the "MC is going to be outed/ is forced to come out, needs to lose everything else to be with the love interest, but it might be okay-ish in the end" plot line. I'm just... tired of it. It's been done so often, I wish the closeted guys in sports would be allowed to get some happy too without being forced into anything, or that – in case of Illegal Contact – we would've gotten more of a professional HEA than "We might be okay, but it's too early to tell." In fact the ending fell flat for me in general, because it felt rushed, unfinished and... unsatisfying to me.

Long story short, I enjoyed some parts of this book, I was hoping for a lot more and it just didn't work for me the way I wanted it to.

I love Santino Hassell's writing style and have yet to be disappointed by anything I have read for him. But I absolutely love sports romance stories, so this was one that I couldn't wait to get my hands on! Illegal Contact was everything I had hoped it wold be and more. Definitely one of my favorites from Santino to date, and a fantastic start to this series!

Gavin Brawley is the tight end for the New York Barons, but he finds himself suspended and under house arrest after an incident goes viral. Noah Monroe is a recent college grad needing money, so when the opportunity to be Gavin's PA comes up he jumps at the chance for what should be an easy job. What neither of them are prepared for is the instant attraction between them. But what happens when Gavin is back on the team and no longer in timeout?

I loved these guys. The chemistry between them was so strong and I couldn't get enough. They each had issues, and they were different in a lot of ways. There were also so many things that they were similar in though, and I really loved getting to know them as their layers were revealed. Things between Gavin and Noah were antagonistic at first, but when things heated up between them, they were lava hot! I loved the tension and passion between Noah and Gavin, and I never wanted to leave this world that Santino has created.

Overall, this was a great start to the series and I am already anxious for the next book. Illegal Contact was sexy and emotional, and I thought it was so well written. The pacing was perfect and once I picked this one up I devoured every last page of Gavin and Noah's story, not wanting to stop for anything. Santino is a great writer and this book is one of my favorites from him. I highly recommend checking this one out, but really if it has Santino's name on it you can't go wrong.

**ARC Provided by Publisher**

So the premise of Illegal Contact sounds hopelessly sappy and cliché and normally with a blurb like that I wouldn’t even bother. But it’s Santino Hassell, so it couldn’t possibly be sappy and cliché! And it isn’t, for the most part. For most of the first half of the book Gavin and Noah are just snarling at each other and nobody does snarling better than Hassell, so that’s very, very enjoyable. Then the UST ramps up nicely and when it finally gets resolved, that’s good too. A nice, meaty story with great characters. Neither of them are my all time favorite Hassell characters, but they’re interesting and believable.

The not-perfect score is due to the last 10 or 20 percent of the book. There is only one way a story of having-to-keep-it-a-secret can go, of course, and so, predictably, that is where the story goes (I’m not even considering that a spoiler). It’s also the source of the inevitable temporary separation and the way that plays out is just not as well done as the rest of the book. It doesn’t get sappy, thank god, but it does get a bit cliché. So the ending is kind of weak, as far as I am concerned. I wouldn’t have minded a closer look at the boys having a relationship in the spotlight, after the coming out, with all the tensions that would cause.

All in all, a very good book, but one that could have ended stronger.

I probably should not have waited this long to read a Santino Hassell book, but maybe I was meant to read his football book first. Either way, I absolutely loved this book. I loved these characters and I LOVED this story.

From page one I was completely sucked in. Well written, in depth, complete, believable characters are few and far between, so I was absolutely THRILLED to find two of them in the same book. Noah had me hooked from page one, he was truly just a really great guy stuck in a bad situation and in need of a good break. Gavin was my favorite kind of Alpha jerk...brooding, angry, isolated but secretly hiding a good guy mushy center. Both characters are amazing, engaging and watching them grow, bond and eventually fall is just breathtaking.

This book had me laughing out loud, shedding tears, cheering, swooning and smiling big. The story was a great ride, but what made this book for me was the two guys at the center that had me absolutely falling in love.

If you want a hot m/m story line with a moody football player, who loves to do some dirty talking, then this book is for you! This is the first book I've read from this author and I can say I'm a fan now and looking forward to more.

I had a love/hate relationship with Gavin Brawley. The New York Barons tight end is a jerk (nice way of putting) and never apologized for it. But he did what he wanted and is fiercely protected over this friends and teammates, which made me love him. Gavin maybe one of the hottest NFL stars, but his hot temper has landed him hot water. He's missing the season, because he's under house arrest. And that means he needs to find a personal assistant since he's stuck at home. And having someone up in his business and knowing secrets scares him.

Noah Monroe needs a job. He needs money to help his father and pay off his student loan debt, so when the offer of becoming a PA to an athlete presents itself, Noah doesn't hesitate to interview. Seriously, how hard can it be? But Noah has his work cut out for him. Not only is the Gavin gorgeous, his attitude sucks and has Noah running around for him. But the more they spend time together, both of their walls fall down and when it does--it's nothing but sparks flying.

Illegal Contact is sexy, dirty-talking read that will have you rooting for this bad boy player. Bring on more Barons!

I was already a fan of Santino Hassell before reading Illegal Contact, but this first book in The Barons series has only made me love him that much more. Gavin and Noah’s story is one of my favorite reads of the month – maybe even the year. I stayed up until 1 AM finishing this wonderful book because I literally couldn’t put it down. It’s a crazy sexy, endearing, and overall fantastic read! I highly recommend this for M/M or sports romance fans!

Gavin Brawley, New York Barons tight end, has a temper, and due to recent events, is on house arrest. Which means even though he doesn’t want one, he needs a personal assistant to help him survive being stuck in his million-dollar home. He’s grumpy, a little rude, a lot surly – who could ever put up with him (and his gorgeous looks)?

Enter Noah Monroe. Noah is in need of some money fast to support his laid-off father and pay off his student debt. So despite how he and Gavin didn’t get off to a good start, he accepts the job offer. It shouldn’t be too hard running around and getting things done for a famous athlete whose sport is his life, right?

Gavin doesn’t make his life easy for Noah, but good thing this Clark Kent lookalike gives as good as he gets. After their bad first impression, once they start getting to know one another, things start looking up. But there’s an underlying tension between them that is so hard to ignore. Their chemistry is ON FIRE – I could feel the lust and want coming off the pages. These are two men that revel in challenging the other, so of course the sex would be out of this world!

I loved Gavin and Noah so much. There’s more than meets the eye with both men, and I adored getting to know them better alongside with them. I loved the dynamics of their relationship and the slow but sweet development of their romance. I couldn’t get enough! This book was an incredible start to a series I know I’ll only come to love even more. I can’t wait for the next book!

Sports Romance, Enemies to Lovers, and a New to Me Author I have been over the moon to read were motivation enough if I needed a kick start to pick this one up. Illegal Contact scored with me from page one.
Review

From the opening pages of this book, I was in the moment and stayed right with this story so that I was at the end clicking for more pages that were not there. Gavin Brawley and Noah Monroe were antagonistic, then smoldering, and then red-hot sizzle.

Both were people with flaws, misconceptions, and hidden strengths that was fun to explore.

The pacing was spot on. I enjoyed the movement in the romantic growth of this pair of opposites from hostile to friendly to much more. Whew boy, yeah, they really got down and dirty when the moment arrived.

This is a sports romance, but the setting is away from the game and behind the scenes. It gives a taste that the football lover will savor while providing a character-driven romance that will captivate a more general audience.

I was left wanting more and anticipating more stories from this series. Thankfully, Simeon, a captivating side character in this one goes next.

In summary, its a great launch for a new series. I was well pleased for my first outing with the author. And, for M/M sports romance fans or for those who enjoy a character-driven opposites attract, this one’s for you.

My thanks to Penguin-Random House for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I LOVED LOVED LOVED LOVED THIS BOOK. My friends hyped it up so much for me and it did not disappoint, not one bit, it's so adorable and angsty which makes it so easy to get invested in everyone and everything happening. Warning, this book is all consuming.

I'm seriously trying to gather my thoughts to make this review something other than screaming and key-smashing because that's all I'm tempted to do right now. The writing, is good, simple, but does the job of conveying every emotion the characters feel very easily. Illegal Contact is written in dual POV from both Noah and Gavin's perspectives, which give a wholesome, well-rounded view of the events and how both of them are coping, feeling about them.

THE. ROMANCE. IS. SO. CUTE. It's M/M and one of the best I've ever read. It starts with them despising each other, then tolerating each other, then liking and at then end loving each other. The guys' chemistry is undeniable, natural and effortless, I loved how domestic and cozy they were while still having hella sexy times. The hate to friendship to love type trope gives way to amazing banter, listen sarcasm in my jam, it's the way to my heart, so when I saw how much of it was in Gavin and Noah's banter, I lived for it, they tease each other ALL the time and it's the cutest.

Gavin is a -closeted- bisexual football player with anger management issues. The media portrays him as a first class asshole and he doesn't do much to break out of that mold and doesn't care to, because to be quite honest, he *is* an asshole to some extent. He had a difficult childhood, so as a result of that and as a defense mecanism he doesn't let people close and pushes them away by being mean. Side note: I a not saying that difficult childhoods always result in this but in this case, it did.  But once we start getting to know him, he's the actual sweetest, so caring and has so much love to give. He curses to sound tough when he's actually complimenting and that was weirdly very endearing to me, he has the most huge crush in the history of crushes on Noah, and besides the sex aspect, he just wants to kiss and cuddle him and hold his hand, seeing such a "tough" guy turn into soft mush was the purest thing to read.

Noah on the other side is kind and not scared to show it from the get-go, although being around Gavin unnerves him at first and he ends up snapping at him a lot. He's so protective and just cares a lot about everyone. He's gay and is dedicated to making helping LGBT kids his career. He's also really good at deescalating Gavin and just showing him when he's overreacting, when he needs to pull himself together and I also loved how he called him out on inappropriate behavior. He never fails to remind him of the power imbalance in their employee/employer relationship and there's also this instance where Gavin invades his privacy and he puts him back in his place immediately.

The side characters are as incredible as the main. There's Jasmine, Noah's best friend who is just all around awesome, she keeps his head on his shoulders and tells him when he's overreacting or not making sense anymore and I loved how genuine their friendship was. She gets involved in a side romance with Marcus one of Gavin's best friends. Speaking of which Marcus and Simeon are such amazing characters, they bring out the best in Gavin and would do anything for him.

All in all, this is a book I 1000% recommend. It's so much fluff and angst  and FEELS, SO MaNY FEELS. You'll be so invested in them you wouldn't know what hit you. I'm so excited about book 2 which is a rivals to lovers romance that centers Simeon. I AM READY.

Gavin Brawley has a reputation as an arsehole with anger issues. Gavin is tight end for the New York Barons and he is one of the best. He’s on house arrest and off for the season and considering he lives and breaths football, Gavin isn’t happy. And he’s certainly not after a personal assistant.

Noah Monroe, recently out of college, is in need of a job – stat. He’s buried in student loans and his Dad has recently be let go from his own job. If babysitting a jock is what he needs to do to help both himself and his dad, it’s what he’ll do.

Illegal Contact is Santino’s best book yet, hands down. I mean I’ve loved he other work and the series he co-writes with Megan Erickson but this really takes the cake. There’s no denying the sizzle and chemistry between Noah and Gavin. Noah’s weary of ending up in another situation that saw him fired from his first job and Gavin has been keeping his bisexuality a secret, as it has the potential to end his career.

There is a wealth of fleshed-out side characters, some nice some arseholes. Simeon (ho will be the focus of book two) is delightful as one of Gavin’s best friends. He’s delightful and unapologetic, and the one that Gavin got in trouble defending. Joe, Gavin’s manager, a bit of an arsehole but ultimately has Gavin’s best wishes at heart. Jasmine, Noah’s best friend, who’s caught the eye of Marcus. I’m always a fan of books that do justice for side characters and flesh them out.

What I particularly like is how toxic masculinity is called out, especially in the NFL. Its great to see a sports romance do this so well.

I just love Noah and Gavin and their slow coming together. There’s some sweet moments amidst the angst and pining! The romance was organic and wasn’t rushed or instalovely but I also like that miscommunication wasn’t over done and both acted like adults (most of the time!) when it come to difficulties to over come. Illegal Contact is just seriously amazing.

So, this is my first book by this author. His Five Boroughs series comes highly recommended by a very reliable source but my review schedule has been packed and my life a bit hectic so I haven’t read them yet. After reading this, I’m not sure what I was waiting for! And honestly, those covers… all of them!

This book is probably not a 5 star read to some people and I get that but it is for me partially because I’m a true sucker for a sports romance. I’ve been on a mediocre book streak and I needed a really good read. This book was just perfect for me at the right time – fantastic, entertaining writing; exceptional characters and a good story. I think one of my favorite things about it is the way it ended.

I’m not going to lie…Gavin wasn’t exactly likable at the beginning of the book. A horrible childhood led to his lack of trust in people that drove the self-preservation behavior. It took Noah a hot minute to get past that façade but underneath his tough exterior and sharp tongue Gavin has a sweet, romantic heart. He’s never really learned how to interact with people. He’s never learned how to take care of himself. He’s never had someone love him and take care of him just because of him and not who he is and what he can do for them. He just wants to play football and not deal with all the crap that comes with it. Enter Noah…who also has a sarcastic wit; take no BS attitude and cutting vocabulary. He is the perfect person to handle Gavin. I loved their banter. Their sexual tension was OFF.THE.CHARTS. But more than that, in each other they found friendship and true, bone deep love. I’m not sure which I them I like more. While I can’t resist a romantic football player, I’m a sucker for the Clark Kent nerdy bada$$. I really hope we get to see them more throughout the series.

Fair warning - I did get teary toward the end of the book. And I still don’t like Joe even though he seems to care about Gavin in a weird sort of way. Mel, the publicist is awesome. Marcus is fantastic. The jury is still out on Simeon for me…he’s a little over the top but I’m guessing that’s for show and we’ll find out why in his book.

Obviously, this is a must read and I’m heading to Amazon now to get started on the Five Boroughs series while I wait for book 2 in this series!

I found Santino Hassell as a writer through the Cyberlove series he co-writes with Megan Erickson, and while I have gone on to buy the Five Boroughs books, I've yet to dive into a book written solely by this author. Like I expected, though, he didn't disappoint. Santino Hassell brings an authentic and realistic voice to the MM romance world, and I devoured Noah and Gavin's story, not just because of the romance but also because of the personal journey of these characters.

These two together are great. The bantering, the sexual tension, and the aggression between them sets up an epic build to an eventual emotional and sexual release. This rising action has more purpose then to build of the physical aspect of their relationship; it is also serves to expose what motivates and drives these characters. Readers get to see what is behind Gavin's surliness, and they get to witness what holds Noah back. Readers also get to see what truly caring for others looks like not only with Gavin and Noah but also their friends. The logic and maturity they show when facing their future is one that is heartbreaking and sad (it will make readers want to scream over how ugly the world is), but once again exemplifies how much these two care for one another. The people these two evolve into as a result of their time together just serves to exemplify how love and companionship makes a person better, more complete and more fulfilled in his/ her life.

One of the reasons I am an avid Santino Hassell fan is the voice her delivers with each story. The dialect he uses for the characters rings with realism, the integration of current trends and allusions to current events connects readers to the characters and worlds he creates, and his books bring to light real issues that plague the LGQBT community. He doesn't shy away from the ugly or the hurtful, but his books also show incredibly strong characters with the fortitude to face the ugly for the person he/she loves. There is no truer example of this than Illegal Contact. The added celebrity of Gavin only serves to magnify the issue since the public feels the need to weigh in on his life and choices. Even with the realistic aspect of his stories, I have always found that his endings not only give the characters an HEA they deserve, but it leaves readers with a hope for the future, for a better day where we can all be supportive and accepting of each other and focus on the aspects of a person that actually matter.

I'm in love with this new series from Santino Hassell. The entire cast of characters are fantastic, and Gavin and Noah (especially Gavin) stole my heart! I cannot wait to come back to this new world he has created.

ILLEGAL CONTACT is the first installment in Santino Hassell’s contemporary, adult THE BARONS erotic, M/M romance series focusing on the professional football players of the New York Barons. This is Barons’ tight end Gavin Brawley, and his personal assistant Noah Monroe’s story line.

NOTE: ILLEGAL CONTACT is a M/M romance story line with sexually graphic language, text and situations that may not be suitable for all readers.

Told from dual first person points of view (Gavin and Noah) ILLEGAL CONTACT follows the building but forbidden relationship between the New York Barons’ tight end Gavin Brawley, and his new PA Noah Monroe. With a six month suspension and house arrest on the horizon bad boy Gavin Brawley finds himself struggling to keep up in both his personal and private life. A reputation as a jerk with a temper Gavin’s circle of friends is small, and the only people he considers family are the team members he has left behind. Enter recent college grad Noah Monroe, Gavin’s new PA, and a man who struggles to keep secret his attraction to his boss. What ensues is the building romance and relationship between Gavin and Noah, and Noah’s battle to make life easier for the man that calls to his heart.

Gavin Brawley is a bisexual male who has yet to come out to the public or his team. When a recent video of our hero brawling went viral Gavin found himself facing jail time or house arrest but Gavin keeps more than his own sexuality a secret and refuses to reveal his reasons for losing his temper. Temper aside, Gavin’s reputation as a hot head both on and off the field is well known to the public but if his sexuality is revealed Gavin knows his professional career could come to a screeching halt. Gavin’s entire life revolves around the sport of professional football, and in this, Gavin’s sexuality could be a detriment to both his future and his career. Noah Monroe is in debt, and with his father’s recent lay off Noah is desperate to find any job that will put food on the table, and pay down his student debt. Working for Gavin Brawley finds Noah on the outside looking in with no concept of who or what is Gavin Brawley, and to add to the already tempestuous relationship, Noah’s history with powerful men is darkened by betrayal in the past.

The relationship between Noah and Gavin is one of immediate attraction but Noah struggles with Gavin’s attitude and emotional outbursts, as well as Gavin’s inability to see beyond his current problems. Gavin tries desperately to hide his attraction to Noah but fails miserably in spite of the possibility of future betrayal and blackmail. The $ex scenes are intimate, erotic and intense. The sexual chemistry was palpable but saying that I did have an issue with the lack of condom usage in this M/M romance story line. Fiction and the possibility of no unwanted pregnancies aside, I do believe that romance authors, including those who write M/M story lines, have an obligation to present safe (safer) $ex scenarios. There was no mention of STD or AIDs testing, or clean blood work-this was very disheartening under the circumstances especially when one of the leading characters was sexually active with another partner on more than one occasion.

We are introduced to several of Gavin’s teammates including quarterback Simeon Boudreaux and running back Marcus Hendricks, Gavin’s agent Mel Hawkins, publicist Joe Carmichael, and Noah’s best friend Jasmine. Simeon’s story line is next in Down by Contact-January 2018.

ILLEGAL CONTACT is a heartwarming, optimistic and encouraging story line. The premise is engaging and inspiring; the characters are charismatic and energetic: the romance is passionate and provocative. ILLEGAL CONTACT is a fantastic start to a new series.

Copy supplied by the publisher through Netgalley

THE READING CAFÉ: http://www.thereadingcafe.com/illegal-contact-the-barons-1-by-santino-hassell-review-and-excerpt/


GOODREADS: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2085623967


AMAZON.COM: https://www.amazon.com/review/R2I64M6T9JQGZZ/ref=cm_cr_rdp_perm?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B06W2P5N55


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When Santino Hassell announced he was doing a football romance, I couldn’t wait to get my hands all over it. I’m a giant sports romance fan, and a huge fan of Hassell, so I figured it was gonna kick ass. Verdict: It totally does. There’s action, snark, beautiful football players, a sexy PA, great romance, and, of course, tons of heat. Illegal Contact is one of my fave reads of 2017, so far. I basically read it in two sittings; it was impossible to put down. The premise, the characters, the story—every element is a total win.

As I said, I’m a lover of sports romances, but this one had a unique premise. The fact that one of the MCs is suspended and on house arrest for the entire book might make one wonder how Hassell was going to get the sports in there… Don’t worry. It’s in there. Illegal Contact is packed with plenty of testosterone. There are tons of football references, which I loved, since training camp just started, and I’m a huge football fan—Go Hawks!—lots of gym time, and an unforgettable and amazing scrimmage scene. We also get lots of time with Gavin’s teammates and best friends, Simeon Boudreaux and Marcus Hendricks, who are both fabulous. And, Gavin’s character is so well developed and well written that at the end of the day, I really did feel like I’d been in the head of an NFL athlete.

Gavin Brawley—how awesome is that name?—is SO fantastic. I loved him from the moment I met him, and more and more as the story went on. As the starting tight end for the New York Barons, Gavin’s is pretty much a household name. Unfortunately, though, it’s not really because he’s a fan favorite. People have unfairly labeled Brawley as an asshole, mainly because he doesn’t like talking to the press or ‘playing the game’ that other popular athletes play. He loves playing football, with every fiber of his being. The game he doesn’t want to play is all the bullshit his agent and manager want him to do to improve his image. Gavin could give a fuck about his image. At least, that was the case before Noah Monroe came into his life.

Desperate for a job, but unable to find a social work position, Noah applies for the job as Gavin Brawley’s personal assistant. It’s not what he went to school for, and definitely not something he would have typically chosen, but he has a mountain of debt, and his dad needs his help, so he sucks it up and takes the position. Noah is also amazing, you guys. And, he’s SO good for Gavin. They may dislike each other for the first month or so, and maybe Noah wasn’t excited about the gig, but the fact is, he’s very good at the job. When the sparks start to fly between the two of them, Noah has to decide if he can trust his own judgement, as this is not the first time he’s gotten involved with someone at work.

I love, love, love these guys together. The tension is fabulous. And, when they finally break down and go for it…. Oh. My. God. They’re on fire. But, it’s not just that their sexual chemistry is off the charts…they’re also just so much fun together. The snark and attitude early on, and the fact that they’re both completely unapologetic about who they are. Like all of Santino Hassell’s characters, they are so real and relatable. Noah shows Gavin the fiery Queens boy beneath the Clark Kent exterior, and Gavin shows Noah his vulnerability and his capability for caring. And, no one can resist #DatBrawleySmile.

Do not miss this book, guys. The writing is so fantastic and engaging. It’s everything you would hope for and more. I’m still a 5B girl, I don’t know what it will take to unseat Sutphin Boulevard as my all-time fave, but Illegal Contact is definitely some of Santino Hassell’s best work. Go grab this one! It should absolutely be on your steamy summer reads list.