Loved this series and this book when I first read it, but won't be continuing to review or read this author's books.

This book was originally reviewed on Joyfully Jay around the time of release. However, the review has since been removed from the blog, along with all reviews of books by this author.

Sadly after somethings came to light about this author I will not be reading and reviewing this title.

I requested this one before the scandal of Santino Hassell broke. Since then this has been sitting in my queue as I wondered what to do with it. I am currently woking on improving my netgalley ratings and as such I am getting things out of my Feedback queue. I don't plan on reading this book, ever, and so I won't be able to review it either.

Illegal Contact by Santino Hassell scored a touchdown in my playbook. This alpha male sports m/m romance is not to be missed! I can't wait to read about the next Barons player! #datbrawleysmile

Considering the revelations of the actions and behaviour by this author towards Readers and other authors I decided not to add a review here.

Illegal Contact was my first book by Santino Hassell, and while I'm usually not an avid reader of the M/M genre, I really wanted to see what all the fuss was about regarding this author. When I first attempted to read it, I had difficulty connecting to the writing and so I put it down, thinking I'd give it a try a short time later. But once the whole ordeal came out about this author, I realized I was never going to insert myself back into that author's works so sadly I do have to DNF this title.

This was just not for me, and I ended up not finishing this at about 25%. I just didn't connect to the story!

Thank you for the chance to read this one early.

I will no longer be reviewing this title given the revelations about the author. Thank you so much to the publisher for the chance to review it.

Due to recent events, I will not be reading anything from this author. https://www.goodreads.com/user_status/show/164624031

Due to the recent news regarding the author, I have decided not to read and review the author's book. I hope that this is reasonable.

Didn't read it and I have no intention of after recent revelations.

Santino Hassell has sexually harassed readers and manipulated them for his benefit. He should be dropped from publication and needs to learn right from wrong, which most people learned before they turned 10.

I love sports romances, I love Santino Hassell and there was zero chance that I wasn't going to love this book.

There's just something about his writing that grabs you and refuses to let go and I absolutely loved this book. Noah and Gavin are absolutely everything.

Once you meet Noah and you see how he's been wronged before, you understand his hesitation to work for Gavin. Gavin is a tough sell for anyone, everyone besides his two best friends think he's a rude jerk. Somehow, Noah becomes the only person that can make Gavin smile.

I loved the way their relationship built and developed. I love that Noah wasn't aware that Gavin was bi so every time Gavin looked at him, he would convince himself that he wasn't really looking at him, that it wasn't desire he saw in his eyes. I also really enjoyed that these were two characters that were already secure in and aware of their sexuality. Gavin wasn't out, but he knew he was bi and wasn't questioning that at all. I love seeing this perspective of an MM relationship, where both characters are solid in who they are.

I couldn't put this book down. I didn't put this book down. It's 100% a must read!!

Gavin Brawley lives for football. He’s a fast and well known as a great Football player, but his anger-management problems have him under house arrest for punching a guy in the face after chasing him, he needs a personal assistant who do stuff for him while he is in this situation, and Noah just needs this Job. He lost his and is living with his dad. Noah doesn’t like or know anything about football. Or football players. It will be just 6 months and with that money he can pay some of his debt.

The relationship between this characters evolved from a work relationship to a romantic one. The way Santino’s narrated the slow burn that’s goes on in Gavin and Noah’s interactions was an absolutely delight to read, the dialogue is brilliant and fun, the writing in this book is outstanding and the introduction of secondary Characters too! I love everything about their story and I can’t wait to read more about this crew.

No surprise here, by now everybody knows I Love Santino’s writing and his way to tell a love story.

This book is told in an alternating first-person POV

Gavin has been suspended from the NFL and put on house arrest for attacking someone on camera. He needs a PA to do stuff for him whilst he's stuck in his house. He chooses Noah despite Noah's obvious disdain for Gavin and his career. Eventually the tension turns into sexual tension.

I've really fallen down the Santino Hassell hole. I can't stop reading what he's written. Eventually I'll read the Five Bouroughs series, I just don't have the money for it.

I adore the hate to love trope so this was exactly what the doctor ordered when I was in the mood for some erotic romance.

I loved that it had bisexual sports star rep. Kind of reminded me of the story I wrote a few years ago where a rugby star came out, but lets not talk about that. It also tackles a lot of the issues in the sports world with prejudice.

I flew through this and I think that speaks for the quality of it. the characters, though sometimes weren't very likeable, were all very well developed and I can't wait to read some more of them in the rest of the series.

Overall this was a fun, fast, raunchy read that I think everyone should read when they're in the mood. It also helps that this is a m/m book written by a guy, which is super important as a lot of the biggest m/m books are written by women and that's sad.

Absolutely LOVED this and cant wait for the second book!! Santino Hassell is an amazing author!

Gavin, a NFL superstar and Alpha A$$hole, needs a Personal Assistant when he finds himself under house arrest for 6months.
Noah doesn’t even want this job and if it wasn’t for bills and debt pulling up he wouldn’t even consider working for this jerk.
...
I absolutely loved both Gavin and Noah. Yes, Gavin is a jerk, but he owns up to it and realizes he doesn’t want to be seen as a monster. Noah is hesitant about his feeling for Gavin because he is his boss but the connection that Gavin and Noah have is undeniable. I loved their banter and heat with each other! I read the whole book in one day, couldn’t put it down!

Four and a half stars to this albeit not novel trope of hate-to-love but very well done execution of it
Gavin Brawley isn't exactly liked by the fans of his football team, his most recent action, namely that of hitting a guy, isn't making him more popular exactly. Though Gavin doesn't give a shit about that he doesn't like the other repercussion of his actions, housearrest with an ankle bracelet.

Six months of housearrest without being able to go buy groceries or the like leave him in need of a personal assistant. Enter Noah, a college graduate in need of money who'd really like to punch Gavin in the face most of the time.

The trope featured in the novel is nothing new. Two guys who would rather punch each other in the face than talk or be in each others presence. The slow realization that the other isn't so bad after all. The turn from dislike to like and lust. The inefitable inability to not act on the growing attraction. Yes, it's the from hate-to-love trope. Nothing new, nothing extraordinary here that wasn't done a thousand times by different authors. Well, you can also get a coffee about anywhere that doesn't mean they are all equally good. Some are just lousy and taste about as good as dirty dishwater others are so heavenly you could drown youself in it and die happy.
Illegal Contact is the type of coffee that doesn't have ay fancy shit like vanilla syrup or stuff in it but you know it was made by someone who knows what the fuck they are doing. If you want something of quality but not necessarily anything new or daring this is a book for you. Even if sports isn't your thing, it wasn't Noah's either before he started working for Gavin but it grew on him. The characters will grow on you as well, we don't see an awful lot from the sidecharacters but hey, remember what I said about that good ol' coffee with no extra shit in it? Let's say it's a good black coffee with a spoonfull of sugar in it. It doesn't need anymore than that, it's perfectly fine the way it is. Good to relax and have a nice time with.

Okay, my coffee analogy has gone on long enough I'll stop now. Anyway, it's a good, solid and nice read for in between bigger books or just to have some relaxing quality time. I can recommend this book to anyone who doesn't despise the trope and doesn't say no to some descriptive steamy times.

What to Expect: It’s Santino Hassell. What do you think you’re gonna get? You’re going to get hot, snarky, sarcastic dudes making you wish your AC went up to eleven. Or, maybe fifteen. The variety in this book: Tight End Seeking Same.

Review: Y’all, this book…

Okay, when I started this book, I was sitting upright in 19A with all the lights on. By take-off, I huddled up to the window, surreptitiously angling my e-reader for extra privacy. My tray table came down immediately and when I was asked what I wanted to drink, I ordered coffee, then handed over my card and asked for a whiskey. Two hours and forty minutes later, we landed and I was looking for excuses to stay put so I could finish the last twenty percent even though it was brushing up on midnight.

And while I hesitate to say this is Santino at his best, I couldn’t say where or when he was better.

Noah is an earnest kid who desperately needs a job, doesn’t care at all about football, and ends up at a much coveted interview almost by mistake and then proceeds to lose his shit when the interviewer reminds him of his ex and the guy he’s supposed to work for is a jerk.

Gavin is the jerk, who happens to be one of the most famous football players in the galaxy. Famous? More like infamous and as much for his temper as his talent. He also seriously doesn’t need* a personal assistant.

(*Good lord, does Gavin need a personal assistant. In fact, he probably needs half-a-dozen of them. Never mind. He’s going to get Noah and all will be right with the world).

There is serious tension from the get-go. Combine this with Gavin’s inability to keep from seeking out and finding as many of Noah’s buttons as he can. Then make it so Noah gets a signing bonus to live there rather than going home each night. Toss in Noah’s total defensiveness of Gavin’s privacy and toss out the rest of Gavin’s clothes since all he seems to wear are super tight, super skimpy compression shorts. Shake it all up. Then sit back (angling ever closer to the airplane window) and enjoy the ride.

What you may not like: I have pals who do not like the power dynamic between boss/employee. It’s a bad idea. It’s messy. In theory, I agree. It’s a scenario that crosses boundaries that should really stay in place. But, from personal experience, sometimes it’s gonna happen no matter what. That’s what is happening here and the way this trope worked in Illegal Contact worked for me. No pun intended.

What you will love: The attitude comes off these two in big-ass waves. The pair of them play like they are each so tough but they are such Tootsie Pops (TM)…so hard on the outside, then soft and squishy almost as soon as the licking starts. You remember that ad, right? Yeah. It’s like that.