This is the second book in The Barons series and we get to see Simeon, who, is a hot damn mess when it comes to his personal life, but is absolutely adorable and amazing. At the end of the last book, he went public with being gay and was pleasantly surprised to find that there wasn't as much backlash as he had thought. During a game against his rival team, an old teammate got in a dirty hit and a fight broke out causing him and Adrian to do community service for The Center in hopes they could figure out the tension between them.

After spending some time together, it's clear Adrian has been obsessed with Simeon for quite some time and hasn't understood why. Surprise (but not really) it's because Adrian is totally into him. They start this game, which is really just a way for Adrian to allow himself to give into his temptation and do things he would never do.

I liked Simeon and Adrian as characters, but in the beginning I was very uncomfortable with how things happened and it wasn't until the end that I understood why. It didn't start out as flowers and roses and the first few times they fool around it really broke my heart, not just for Simeon, but for Andrian too. Once I found myself able to smile and breath in their love for each other I was able to reflect on why I was so uncomfortable with the previous situations. It's because it was heartbreaking and so damn REAL.

Just because I believe people should be able to love and be who they are with no qualms doesn't mean that's how our world works. Adrian had some things to work out for himself and it hurt. I have a feeling Rocky's story is next and I am so damn terrified because I already know it will break my heart.

These series has been good. I love football and sexy men falling in love. Hot dirty talk is just the bonus. I did wish that there was a bit more of their developing relationship. I know they have history, but I wanted more of the why and how they fall for each other.

Brought to you by OBS reviewer Omar

Down by Contract takes place a few months after the events of Illegal Contract, but this time is centered around Gavin’s friend and teammate, Simeon Boudreaux. We meet Simeon during the scandal of the last book, where Gavin punched a man while trying to keep a sex-tape of Simeon from being sold to the media. Now that Simeon has come out the public and his team, things are starting to go back to normal, but there is still hostility between the Barons and their #1 adversary, the Predators. Most of this hostility is aimed at Simeon by Adrián Bravo from the Predators, who for some reason is angry with Simeon and tends to antagonize him. Before playing for the Barons, Simeon was drafted by the Predators at the same time that Adrián was, while they had some type of friendship, it all went south when Simeon decided to change teams as he didn’t see a future moving up the ranks within the Predators, and wasn’t happy with the way the team expressed about LGBT people.

During their first practice game before the season starts, the Baron play against the Predators. The day before, given that Adrián is still angry with Simeon for leaving the Predators and thinking he betrayed the team, he makes a sexist comment about Simeon during an interview, and Simeon calls him out through his social media. During the game both Adrián and Simeon get into a fight and are suspended for two months. In a way to save face and extinguish the fires, both of their managers send them to do community work at a Youth Center.

The more time they spend together and come clean about why they are mad with each other, the friendship that they had in the past comes back, and Adrián starts to understand the real reason he has been angry with all of the sextape scandal that Simeon was part of in the past. A spark of lust and need starts to fire up, and their time together is coming to an end. As they have to go back to their respective team, both of them have to make a decision about what they truly want, and if they are willing to take the final step and face the world together.

I liked Down by Contract, it was a different type of story compared to the first book in the Barons series. In this case, one of the main characters doesn’t understand yet that what he feels for the other man is sexual attraction and has had feelings for him for some time. It was interesting to read the realization of a character when he understands the feelings and the true reason behind his actions.

In this story, we get to see Gavin and Marcus again, the best friends of Simeon and his team members. We also get a small glimpse of Noah and the future life that he has with Gavin. Marcus seems to be getting serious with his girlfriend Jasmine, Noah’s friend. It was also nice to meet the Simeon’s mother and see her interact with the other characters in the series.

Adrián is a very different type of person compared to Simeon, but he does resemble a little to Gavin. He is cocky and arrogant, and seems to have a handle of his life. After the incident that causes him and Simeon to be suspended, he starts to take a different approach to his normal behavior and notices that locker jokes that were once funny are not anymore. A thing that I liked about Adrián is his friendly neighborhood person that he has with every person he meets, given that he doesn’t like to live in a big mansion like other football players, but prefers his modern condo in the neighborhood.

Parents have a little more of a presence in this book. Adrián’s parents have each their own opinion regarding their son’s future and the relationship that spring to life in this story. Both of them want the best for their son, and soon come to an understanding. I would love to see Adrián’s parents and Simeon’s mother meet and talk about their sons’ careers.

It seems that a specific location is the third character in the Barons series. In the case of the previous book, Illegal Contract, Gavin’s mansion was the center place where most of the things happened. For Down by Contract, the Youth Center where Simeon and Adrián spend their community service teaching and training kids to play football, is the location of his story. Even the storm was a perfect element to help the story move forward.

I don’t know what the author has planned for the future of the series, but given the last events in this story, I can imagine with which new character is going to get their own story told and find love.

I liked Down by Contract.

If you are a fan of Santino Hassell or is work such as, the Baron series, then I recommended you Down by Contract. In this story, the air gets clear up, and two men come to understand the pen up feelings and attraction that they have for one another, while trying to figure out what to do with their lives.

*OBS would like to thank the publisher for supplying a free copy of this title in exchange for an honest review*

Two words: Hot Damn!

Simeon of New York Barons and Adrián of New Jersey Predators are rivals – though once they were teammates before Simeon moved to the Barons, their rivalry and social media taunting is legendary, and pretty much fueling the media and fans alike. It all breaks loose when they erupt in a dirty fight on the field. Simeon and Adrián find themselves benched and stuck together doing community service of teaching camp kids.

I will say this again … I am not such a big fan of the enemies-to-lovers trope. Sometimes I find it off putting because I cannot see how two people who hate each other can suddenly fall in love. Give me friends-to-lovers every time; that makes my heart goes pitter patter.

BUT, Hassell really knows how to write a convincing tale and I always end up wanting the ‘enemies’ to start dueling tongue and to christen every single horizontal (or vertical, I don’t care) spaces they can find. *laugh*

I was amused with Simeon and Adrián’s interactions throughout – yes, sure, they fought and seemed to hate each other (well, since this book has dual perspectives, we know that they really, really don’t *lol*) but it only added to the delicious sexual tension which I gobbled up like ice cream for dessert.

Slowly but surely, the two learn things about each other – amidst of teaching the kids, arguing, and having scorching sex. I admit I was more into Adrián’s journey of figuring out his bisexuality rather than Simeon’s – maybe because Simeon was out and proud already. Simeon has no confusion whatsoever. I loved Adrián’s denial, his confusion, his reaching out, and later his acceptance.

This has been a great series so far. Are there more? Will we ever get to see Rocky Swoops and his homophobic ass realize that he is actually into men as well?

And here I thought I loved Illegal Contact…

Simeon and Adrián were once friends. Then Simeon left the Predators for the Barons and Adrián has been a bit bitter—bitter being a euphemism—since.
Between Adrián’s tweets about Simeon’s sexuality and an encounter at a preseason game, they land themselves a six games suspension and some community service.
At first, it is nearly impossible for them to see each other face to face but the more time they spend together, the stronger the attraction between them becomes.

I love Simeon. There’s something about him, an aura or whatever you want to call it, that makes it absolutely impossible for anyone to hate him (even Adrián). He’s sweet, charming, irresistible, observant and did I mention sweet? He’s very patient with Adrian as he comes to terms with his bisexuality and he’s just an amazing parter/friend to Adrián. Sigh. Couldn’t have asked for a better main character.
Adrián drove me crazy and he drove me to tears too. He’d been feeling attracted to Simeon for a while but hadn’t even realized. His way of coping with Simeon’s “betrayal” and with the feelings he couldn’t explain was by teasing and/or saying snarky comments about Simeon’s sexuality. I wasn’t a fan of him when he was acting that way because I thought he was just going to break Simeon’s heart but that wasn’t the case. Once he came to terms with the feelings he had towards Simeon he went all in and he became pretty darn perfect in my eyes.

If you are looking for a steamy, mature, perfectly-paced and beautifully-written M/M romance then Down By Contact is the answer to your prayers. I promise you’ve never read anything like this book, it is truly a breath of fresh air—that ends up burning you inside out from the sexiness.
Santino Hassell deserves all that’s beautiful in the world for giving us such amazing stories about amazing characters. You NEED to read this book!

I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley and have provided an honest and unbiased review.
As much as I liked Illegal Contact, I really loved this book. The transition from enemies to lovers was believable and Adrian’s growth as someone I first disliked to someone I rooted for was well written. There was a good balance of passion and tenderness as Simeon and Adrián came to truly know one another. I look forward to reading more by this author.

DOWN BY CONTACT is the second instalment in Santino Hassell’s contemporary, adult THE BARONS erotic, M/M, football romance series focusing on the professional football players of the New York Barons. This is Barons’ quarterback Simeon Boudreaux, and New Jersey Predators’ linebacker Adrian Bravo’s story line. DOWN BY CONTACT can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story line is revealed where necessary.

NOTE: DOWN BY CONTACT is an 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 perspectives (Simeon and Adrian) DOWN BY CONTACT follows the enemies to lovers relationship between one-time teammates New York Baron’s quarterback Simeon Boudreaux, and New Jersey Predators’ linebacker Adrian Bravo. Following a less than stellar start with the Predators, Simeon Boudreaux was traded to the New York Baron’s where his star power is on the rise, but in the ensuing time rumors and innuendo about betrayal and playbook theft dogged our hero from the opposing team, but none more so than from one-time teammate and friend Adrian Bravo. Simeon’s recent forced ‘coming out’ prompted a firestorm of media sensation including the homophobic diatribes from a man he once call a friend. Enter Adrian Bravo, New Jersey Predator’s linebacker, and the man with whom Simeon would fall in love. A preseason, on-field brawl between our leading couple finds Simeon and Adrian facing suspension with team ordered volunteer work at a local children’s shelter. What ensues is the building relationship between Simeon and Adrian as they are forced to work together for the benefit of a children’s summer camp, and the potential threat to Adrian’s career when their relationship is revealed.

Adrian Bravo always thought he was a heterosexual male until the day he met teammate Simeon Boudreaux but Adrian had to keep up appearances in front of his team fearing rejection and ridicule at the hands of the media and his so-called friends. Social media attacks against Simeon Boudreaux quickly made Adrian an enemy in more ways than one. Simeon Boudreaux was previously ‘outed’ by several jealous fans who posted sensitive images for all to see but discovering that Adrian Bravo, quite possibly, wanted something more than a rekindling friendship brought hope to a man who was potentially looking for a happily ever after.

The relationship between Simeon and Adrian is an enemies to friends to lovers romance; a second chance friendship that continues to build as they must work together towards a common goal. The $ex scenes are intimate, erotic and intense without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text. My only complaint is the lack of condom usage. Although this is a story of fiction, in an era of STDs and AIDS, I believe the author ( or for that matter, everyone) has a responsibility to promote safer $ex.


We are reintroduced to Barons’ tight end Gavin Brawley, and his personal assistant Noah Monroe (Illegal Contact #1); running back Marcus Hendricks and his fiance Jasmine; and second-string quarterback Noah Monroe; Simeon’s agent Mel Hawkins’, and Adrian’s agent Casey Rose; several young teens and counselors at the Grant Street Center, Simeon’s mother Joanne Boudreaux, Adrian’s parents, as well as Adrian’s embattled teammate Rocky Swoops.

DOWN BY CONTACT is a sexy, sassy and spirited story line; an inspiring and heart warming romance about passion, perception, discrimination and love. The premise is encouraging and energetic; the romance is sensual and provocative; the characters are dynamic and realistic.

Copy supplied by the publisher through Netgalley

THE READING CAFÉ: http://www.thereadingcafe.com/down-by-contact-the-barons-2-by-santino-hassell-review-interview-giveaway/


GOODREADS: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2252426961


BOOKBUB: https://www.bookbub.com/reviews/3606509071


AMAZON.COM: https://www.amazon.com/review/RLRP8GBA0PD4W/ref=cm_cr_srp_d_rdp_perm?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B071NCSHHM

B&N ( Sandy_thereadingcafe) posted

CHAPTERS/INDIGO (Sandy_At_the_Reading_Café) posted

I adore Santino Hassell's writing. I've enjoyed every book he has written.

I had a little harder time with Down by Contact. I didn't connect with the characters as well as I wanted to. Their dialogue sounded strange to me. Of course, I don't know any pro football players. :-/ haha

There's no denying the talent this author has. I will continue reading everything he publishes.

All I could imagine about the future was that we would be going through whatever came our way together. And with him by my side, we could take on the entire world.


If you’re a fan of enemies to lovers….this is the book for you! Santino Hassell nailed it.

Simeon and Adrian used to play ball together on the Predators, until Simeon got cut and began playing for the Barons. Adrian was bitter and angry. Locker room rumors accusing Simeon of sharing Predator plays with the Barons weren’t helping Adrian’s animosity.

Acting out in anger lands both guys suspended and forced to work together. Over the course of a few weeks, Adrian realizes where his true hangup with Simeon comes from…and Simeon begins to pick up the clues too. Pushing each other’s boundaries starts as a game, but quickly turns into so much more…something neither man was expecting.

I gotta be honest and say that I struggled with the beginning of this book. Mainly I had a hard time warming up to Adrian. The things that came out of his mouth, whether from ignorance, naiveté or anger…ooooh they were mean. The enemies aspect of this book bordered on becoming irredeemable for a good chunk of the first 25%....

But then that Hassell magic sparked to life and I was slowly coming around. The sexual buzz began thrumming in the background and I was just waiting…

I fucking hated him. I swear I hated him and the effect he had on my traitorous asshole of a body.


And it kept building and building…

”God I hate you.”

“No, you just hate that you want to fuck me this badly.”


And then that moment comes where the pressure is just too much and the dam breaks. THAT is the moment I love in an enemies to lovers story. And Santino nailed it. There was just no way these two could deny the combustible chemistry they had.

The reality of what may be in store for them could wait because now it was time to indulge…and of course with the combination of that signature snark, honesty and romance that Santino excels at.

”After all this time, why’re you so thirsty for it? Hard up in general, or is all this for little ole me?”

“It’s all you. And it’s happening now because I can finally admit how bad I want it.” I nudged my knee against his bulge and tried not to shiver when he nipped at my earlobe. “To you and myself.”


And just like that, the switch was flipped. A little too easily for my tastes, but I loved seeing this optimistic and romantic side of Santino’s writing.

"We’re gonna be awesome, Simeon. For real.”

“How do you know?”

“Because…” I squeezed him in a bear hug. “Something that feels this good can’t go wrong.”


Adrian ended up winning me over…purely due to his adorable sense of humor and cheesy jokes. And I especially melted at how nervous he was to meet Simeon’s mom and how much he needed Simeon’s quiet support when he came out to his own mother. I do have to say that I was a little surprised at how easily Santino glossed over Adrian’s dad’s reaction to his bisexuality…especially based on how he was portrayed in the beginning of the book.

The little snippets we get of the amazing friendship between Simeon, Gavin and Marcus was perfection. I just love their dynamic.

I also loved how unapologetic Simeon was. He admitted his faults, mainly that he trusted too easily…but he didn’t apologize for who he was or the kind of sex he liked (he liked it dirty and messy and hard and desperate and passionate...and all that was alright by me!)

Overall, I really liked this installment in the Barons series, even if I was sweating a little bit in the beginning. Santino will continue to be an auto buy author for me and this book proves that even if I’m a little skeptical in the beginning….I should just sit back and trust that Hassell magic.

I enjoyed this book but did not love it. It has too many "teaching moments".

I occasionally read M/M romances. Their appeal to me is that the gender roles can be set aside and the characters can come together as equal partners. These books are written mainly by female authors for a female audience so I am not sure how realistic they are. It is really not the point though, a little bit like how pizza is a crowd pleasing comfort food and has gotten so far removed from its origin (chicken tikka masala pizza anyone?). Sometimes, the characters in M/M are just stand in for female characters or don't really behave like guys. Not with Hassell. His characters are gay male - they talk like guys and behave like guys. The writing and dialogues have authenticity and a certain grit to them.

The authenticity is limited to the writing and not the story though. We have the story of two NFL players, Adrian and Simeon, who got suspended for SIX (!!!) games because they started fighting in a preseason game. Not only that, they have to do community service together for the whole time of the suspension. How convenient.

But have you ever had an expert tell you how to make pizza? Well, it is hilarious and a quite annoying because he/she will tell you everything you did wrong and how things <i>should</i> be. And so it is with this book. At the beginning of the book, Adrian makes jokes about Simeon's open gayness and so we are given a run down on homophobic micro-aggression. And this is topped with this comment about violence:

"Think about how we all act on social media. Even at games - how many times have both our teams been flagged for unnecessary roughness? Football is already a fanatical type of sport, but then you add in how much we hate each other? Shit..."

I HATE being educated against my will - especially with such cliches, along with the idea that gay-haters are so vocal because they are secretly attracted to men and sex as a dare game.

It might have been a better book more depth about the issues (gay players in locker rooms, violence, competition...) but it was too short to explore much ambivalence.

4.5 Stars

Simeon and Adrian, like their teams the Barons and the Predators, are rivals in the NFL. In the first preseason game after Adrian makes a late hit on Simeon, they get into a brawl and are suspended for the first six games of the regular season, as well as ordered to volunteer at Brooklyn Community Center teaching kids leadership and teamwork skills. Will they succeed or kill each other?

I loved book one on this series and I couldn’t wait to get my hands on this book. I wasn’t sure what to make of either Simeon or Adrian, especially Adrian. I warmed up to Simeon pretty quickly, but Adrian took a long time for me to even start to like him. He was a major jackass, but I enjoyed watching him come to terms with how his body and later his heart was reacting to Simeon. Adrian has always considered himself straight, but Simeon caught his eye quickly, but Adrian hasn’t ever been attracted to a man before. Although he doesn’t handle it all that well at first, that’s probably an extreme understatement, I loved that when it counted, Adrian had Simeon’s back.

Simeon and Adrian had amazing chemistry and the sexual tension between them was so thick you could cut it with a knife and dear god, when they gave in to it, it was explosive and hot!!

As is always the case with Mr. Hassell, the story was well-written and flowed well. It was filled with unique and interesting characters, both main and secondary. While I liked both Simeon and Adrian, there were some amazing secondary characters here as well, especially the children and the workers at the center. I loved Simeon and Adrian’s interactions with them. This was an enjoyable and very recommendable read!!

*copy provided by author/publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

Down by Contact is a sports romance done in the most engaging, heartwarming way. I've always loved sports romance, but it's rare that you find any that give you an amazing helping of the sport, the inner workings, and incredible character development.

Santino Hassell has an effortless style that keeps you flipping the page and eager for more. But it's his characters who truly make his stories exceptional.

Simeon Boudreaux was introduced in the first book and when I heard this would be his story, I was thrilled. But while I love a hate to love story, I was hesitant about the introduction of Adrián Bravo as the other hero. The idea of him suddenly being a great guy...yeah, that would have irritated me to no end. Instead, I was pleasantly surprised to see him slowly learn to change his ignorant beliefs, rather than do an abrupt 180. As the story continues and you see him grow, you begin to cheer for him and believe he just might be good enough for Simeon. But you wonder if the other challenges tearing the two apart might be too much.

Definitely a 5 Star read and I'm eagerly awaiting future books in this series.

I loved this book. This is the next in the Barons series by Santino Hassell and Illegal Contact was a hard act to follow but Simeon and Adrian were up for it I’d say. I don’t know where this author finds the time to sleep, much less write his 5 bazillion books he seems to have coming out every year. You’d think the work would suffer but in my opinion it definitely has not!

Simeon and Adrian used to play for the same team and were what you might consider friendly, although not quite close. Then Simeon left the Predators and wound up playing for the Barons and they ended up the furthest thing from friendly.Adrian antagonizes Simeon every chance he can get and they find themselves thrown together as a punishment from their teams for their bad behavior.

I’m not always a fan of contrivances in romance books. Objectively I understand *something* has to make the story and plot progress but many times it’s just so over dramatic that I can’t get into it or believe what is going on. That did not happen here and I was so happy! While I’m not a sports fan in real life it seemed completely believable to me that for appearance sake teams would have opponents do community service together and I really appreciated that kind of touch that I can buy into without any effort.

“You’re killing me, Adrián,” he whispered. “You’re dangerous.”

“I’m not apologizing for it. I like making your heart beat faster.”

“It does. Trust me.”

I loved this couple and their banter. They turned from kinda friends to enemies to lovers. Apparently that’s a trope I enjoy! Who knew? Another thing I liked was Adrian coming to terms with his bisexuality. He slowly realizes that he’s been attracted to Simeon all along and that there’s nothing wrong with that. Yes, he has conflicting feelings about it and it’s a plot point but it wasn’t the end of the world for him. I loved seeing him embrace his feelings and eventually say screw the world – this is who I am.

So 5 stars to this one and I can’t wait for the next!

I didn't love this book as much as everyone else. And that is okay :)

This is the 4th Hassell book I've read in the last few weeks and it is possible that I am suffering from a little bit of overload. But I felt like the relationship was a little underdeveloped and a lot of focus on just the sex and them being mean to each other.
I did like the way that once Adrian came to terms with his bisexuality, he wasn't overly tortured about it. All the things just came together for him.
Simeon was a super sweet guy and deserved someone to love him for all that sweetness that he has to offer.
One of the things that really dragged this down for me was the slangy speech and terms used, like "laying pipe" and "thirstbucket". It is hard for me to believe in an adult love story where the main characters talk in such a juvenile manner.

Wow. I’ve read an enemies to lovers stories before but Santino Hassell took it to a whole new level with this novel. To say that these two hate each other would be an understatement. When Simeon was first drafted into the NFL he was a player for the Predators. While the other guys on the team were hostile, Adrián was always nice to Simeon. He looked up to Adrián and considered him a mentor. However, when Simeon was traded to the Barons, Adrián started talking a bunch of trash about him. Even worse, when Simeon came out as gay, Adrián went full-blown aggressively homophobic on him, verbally attacking him both during interviews and on social media. So, to saw these two hate each other is just barely scratching the surface. Needless to say, when these two get suspended for an on-the-field brawl and find themselves paired up for community service, neither of them are thrilled at the prospect of spending the next couple of months with the other.

One thing I loved about this novel is that Adrián is a major douche bag. Now, you’re probably wondering why I liked that. Mainly it’s because he was so over the top in his blatant disrespect for Simeon while trying to play innocent… and yet by the middle of the book I found him endearing. The author was able to take a character that was less than likeable and found a way to flip it into making you care about him. He made you wonder why Adrián disliked Simeon so much. He made you root for Adrián when he starts to realize that his extreme feelings for Simeon weren’t hate, but rather lust.

This is a nice slow burn romance. Mainly because Adrián has no idea he’s bisexual until it hits him square in the face. Once he realizes he’s attracted to Simeon, he doesn’t go all “I’m not gay!”, instead, he accepts it. Maybe he’s not ready to come out yet to the public, but he’s not in full-blown denial. Once it clicks for him, he’s all in. Even though it took him a little bit to figure out his feelings, once he realizes he likes Simeon in that way, boy do the pages start to steam up. I mean, we got some scenes between these two before Adrián is fully on board with his sexuality, and while that was sexy, nothing beat when the two were on the same page.

I really enjoyed Down By Contact. Maybe even more so than Illegal Contact. I loved that Simeon was completely comfortable with who he was. I also liked that he recognized the conflict within Adrián and tried to push him to that realization. Their romance was not an easy or smooth road, but it was definitely up there on the sweetest romances list. Once these two were on the same page they were just down right adorable.

Man ! I did love this book. It was easy to love since Simeon had stolen my heart on book 1 when Gavin was flirting with Noah. What I didn't expect is to fall for Adriàn as well.

Simeon and Adriàn used to be friends when they where parteners. When Simeon left ThePredators, the friendship shifted on war via social media and what looks like hatered.

When the two of them get into trouble on the field they're forced to spend time together working for a charity, where they both learn they have more in commun than small talk through Tweeter.

Once again, Santino did a great job with the boys. They were both amazing. Simeon by being lovable and kind and Adriàn by being friendly and cute with the kids at charity. I have enjoyed every single word...unless the last football game where I wanted to stab someone in the face.

The same someone I can't wait to read the about about.

As a conclusion a could say that it was a real plerasure to meet the boys and take the journey with them. It was absolutely delicious. Good job Mr Hassell ! Can't wait for the next one.

This book was even better than the first in this series! The romance between Adrian and Simeon was slowly built up, and it was so good, I read it in one sitting. Highly recommended!

Do you like contemporary romance? Do you love novels with compelling (and endearing) principals, witty dialogue and steamy love scenes? Love a great opposites attract pairing? Then you should be reading Santino Hassell. If you haven’t picked up one of his novels, you’re missing out. Mr. Hassell regularly delivers the kind of contemporary romances I want to read. He’s not afraid to switch up genres, and Down by Contact, his newest sports romance, proves he understands exactly what sports romance fans (me!) love best about these novels: a little bit of the sport (more if it’s hockey), super fit and talented athletes, and compelling principals with terrific chemistry. Down by Contact has it all; it’s feel good sports romance at its best. Romantic, funny – and also smart – Down by Contact is a terrific follow-up to Illegal Contact, and much like that novel, gets more enjoyable each time I read it. Oh, and those covers? Yowsers.

Simeon Boudreaux is a star quarterback for the New York Barons. Handsome, funny, charming and a standout NFL player, Simeon has it all. Even the surprising revelation that he’s gay (after a leaked video of him with another man went viral), hasn’t adversely affected his popularity with fans. But when Down by Contact begins, he’s frustrated and annoyed – again – by rival player Adrián Bravo of the New Jersey Predators. Bravo seems to delight in tormenting Simeon with subtle homophobic digs over social media and in TV interviews. The two were once friends – Simeon played on the Predators practice squad before getting picked up the by Barons – but since his departure, the relationship has grown increasingly antagonistic. Simeon’s friends urge him to ignore Bravo’s taunts, but Simeon can’t. Something about Bravo gets to him – and he can’t get him off his mind.

The rising animosity between Bravo and Simeon comes to a head when the two teams meet in a pre-season game. When Adrián delivers a late hit on Simeon and Simeon taunts him while they’re pressed close together, a dirty fight ensues. The fight quickly escalates into an all-out brawl between the teams and fans in the stadium and Simeon winds up at the bottom of a Predator pile-up – injured – with Adrián fearfully protecting him from further damage from hateful teammates. Afterwards, the penalty for their fight is stiff. Both men receive six-game suspensions and have to undertake a period of community service. They’re paired up with a community center in Brooklyn to organize a summer football program. Simeon, who suspects Adrián’s homophobic comments mask a bi-curious attraction to him, sets out to prove Adrián isn’t quite as straight as he thinks he is, and Adrián, confused by his feelings about Simeon, predictably does his best to prove him wrong.

From the opening chapters of Down by Contact, the attraction between Simeon and Adrián is obvious and Mr. Hassell, to his credit, never tries to convince readers it’s anything else. Instead, via a rather clever plot device, he positions Simeon as Adrián’s irresistible siren and conscience. Simeon doesn’t allow his attraction to blind him to Adrián’s ignorance about his hurtful homophobia – or give him a pass when he missteps (frequently). Instead, he slowly – patiently – shows Adrián (and this reader) the effect of his hurtful behavior and seemingly insignificant microaggressions. As the novel unfolds, the truth is a painful reckoning for Adrián.

Meanwhile, as the romantic relationship between Adrián and Simeon heats up, the two find themselves developing a strong rapport with their players at the community center. Simeon provides a nurturing coaching presence, while Adrián provides planning and logistics. Their working partnership brings out the best in both men and what starts as a punishment for misbehavior on the field, transitions into a fulfilling and purposeful one off of it. The author frequently incorporates community service into his storylines, and in this case, the setting and assignment are a perfect complement to the evolving relationship between Simeon and Adrián. Everything about how and why they find themselves working at the community center feels authentic, and the setting reads almost like a secondary character as the story progresses.

Obviously, there’s nothing simple about two NFL players falling in love, and the secret romantic relationship between Simeon and Adrián complicates their lives. Simeon knows what Adrián will face by going public with their relationship – and he’s scared of what could happen to him once he returns to the toxic and homophobic Predator locker room. He tries to make it easy for Adrián to walk away, but Adrián – after he commits to Simeon – is all in. He presses Simeon to continue their relationship in secret even after their community service ends, and his love and desire prove irresistible (to us and Simeon). Although his sexual identity is mostly tied up in his feelings for Simeon, he doesn’t shy away from identifying as a bisexual. Despite the obvious appeal of Simeon (he’s the best), Adrián’s commitment to his lover, and dedication to becoming a better person with his help, stole my heart.

Down by Contact is a much better than average sports romance and I’ve already added it to my favorites shelf for 2018. Deliciously sexy and surprisingly sweet, I loved everything about it – especially the ending (which I won’t spoil) and I can’t wait for the next book in the series. Touchdown, Mr. Hassell.

Enemies to lovers can be written in capital letters here in this book. Right from the start, Simeon and Adrián doesn’t show mercy in their hate for each other, fueled mostly from Adrián’s side & with this football team, the Predators, behind.

When I started this book it was sure I’d love both, but I wasn’t ready how much I loved these guys. It’s not just that I adore Simeon’s easy, funny attitude, no, even Adrián is someone who stole my heart right from the start. Although I wanted to slap his head several times. 😀

People might hate him, despise him for his behaviour and for his – and there’s no other way to call it – homophobic comments. Adrián is set to be “the hateful” guy, (at the beginning) but as all of Santino’s heroes, it’s mostly just for show, in fact he has more layers than expected -and what’s revealed breaks your heart tbh.
It’s soon pretty clear what lies behind the aggressive attitude, where this comes from, what ignites it. In fact, Adrián is a sweet guy, with a childish, boyish charme. Something Simeon can’t resist. He captures not only Simeon with his funny, flamboyant jokes but the reader and after he is – literally – seperated from this team, the toxic environment, he seems like a different guy. And it’s the moment the book switches.

After a while the hard shell cracks, and Simeon is exploring why Adrián is this hateful,. Of course, even if Simeon seems lay back, he has a lot of own things on his plate and his scandal with the video tape & the exposure left him hestiant in trusting other people. He is creating a barrier against others without being rude, distance instead of aggression. With Adrián on the other hand, he has found his nemesis, and for a short time in the book, he was actually acting cruel, something what Adrián, I hate to say it, deserves, but with the switching POVs, you felt the impact as hard as Adrián. But got also why Simeon did it.

You really can say Santino Hassell is able to balance the hate and the upcoming infaturation, the tension. The sparks are heavy, the fire is burning between them, and after a while both strip themself – literally and metaphorically – bare & this dynamics, the power behind leads to an unexpected honesty. They show each other their fears, share secrets no other person knows about. And it creates a bond which is different from that what Simeon has with his team members and best friends Gavin & Marcus, and it’s something Adrián never had experienced in his own team – as sad this fact is.

This book is full of amazing moments, there is the sports aspect, scenes where they are playing, of course, full of action, steam and heavy movements. Then there is the coaching aspect, and it’s a part of the book which helps not only Simeon but Adrián to see some things clearer, the punishment is in fact a godsent gift for both of them, and with their connection, their intimacy, the unexpected twist in events, they gain so much more.

This book is in parts similar to the first book, Illegal Contact, both books are fueled with characters who hate or heavy emotions for each other, but this book goes deeper. There is a lot more on the plate for both guys and the rivality is just a coping mechanism for something different. I love that Santino is able to hook the reader from the first to the last page, to include feelings and emotions, playful scenes and hot, smokey ones without overdoing it. The remarable balance between all these different scenes is connected to a great character development mostly on Adrián’s side but of course Simeon is changing – or let me say, we see a different side from him – and the almost flawless way of writing, the honest, raw description of events, the rough tone in the character’s words make it a great read.
5 out of 5 stars for this superb entertaining book. :3

I'd been looking forward to reading Down by Contact since shortly after finishing Illegal Contact last year. I really enjoyed the world Santino built with The Barons and y'all know I'm a sucker for a good sports romance book. Gritty M/M football romance? Just give it to me now. 
I wasn't sure how Simeon and Adrián would work out for me, but hate-to-love is one of my favorite tropes so I was more than willing to give it a go. Oh, who am I kidding? I was basically salivating for this book. I already had a soft spot for Simeon after the first book in the series, so I needed/wanted his story. It was Adrián I was a little uncertain about, if I'm being honest. It did take a little time for him to grow on me, but he totally did. There was more to this guy than met the eye. 

One of my favorite parts about the hate-to-love trope is watching the characters come to know and understand each other better. (And the sexual tension, naturally.) Down by Contact gave me both. I really enjoyed seeing Simeon and Adrián working together and getting to know each other, realizing each of them was more than they originally thought. It gave me a chance to learn more about the characters, too, and I loved spending time in each of their heads. This slow change in their relationship from enemies to friends and friends to more gave an amazing sloooow burn that had me flipping pages as quickly as I could. (While still enjoying Santino's AMAZING gritty — and downright filthy at times — writing.)

I'm a big fan of The Barons series. I can't wait to see what comes next. 

FAVORITE QUOTES
Fox News was everything that was wrong with America, balled up in a single network that managed to be offensive as fuck when they weren't being ignorant as fuck.

There was a hardness and a sweetness to Simeon that intoxicated me with every touch. It made me pant for him, salivate for him, and think of nothing but my aching need to feel his body completely bared against my own.

"I need you to tell me I won't ruin your career by being in your life. Because no matter how hard I try to be discreet, I know somehow... I'll screw it up. 'Cause that's me, boo. I'm a mess. A lovable mess, but still a goddamn mess.

Down by Contact is the second novel in The Barons series by Santino Hassell. It follows the POV’s of Adrián Bravo, Linebreaker for the New Jersey predators and Simeon Boudreaux, Quaterback for The New York Barons.

Going into this book I already knew I was going to love it. We’re first introduced to Simeon as the best friend of, Gavin Brawley, in book one, Illegal contact. From that first meeting Simeon became my favorite character. After finishing Down by Contact I can tell you: Simeon’s mother stole the spot but Simeon is defiantly a close second.

Adrián and Simeon had chemistry from the beginning. Even when they hated each other. Unlike Gavin and Noah their relationship wasn’t cute and fluffy. Adrián was an asshole to begin with. It took most of the book for me to warm up to him. However he grows so much throughout this novel and by the end I have to admit I was proud of him. Simeon isn’t afraid to put Adrián in his place when he needs to and honestly they worked so well together.

“It was perfect. He was perfect. They were perfect together.”

There is a lot more homomisa in this book than book one. Illegal Contact ended with both Gavin and Simeon coming out publicly and Down by Contact deals with the aftermath. Hassell does a great job highlighting the homomisa within the NFL. While most of The Barons were accepting of their teammates not every team or person is. Especially The New York Predators. Coming from such a toxic environment it was easy to understand the way Adrián acted in the beginning. It didn’t stop you from wanting to throttle him but you got it.

Down by Contact was such an amazing book. The plot was fast paced and the characters were well defined and realistic. They’re not perfect and make mistakes but that makes them human. Apart from our main characters we also have a great cast of side characters. Some I’m even hoping might get a book.

Overall I loved Down by Contact just as much as book one and I’m eagerly awaiting book three. The plot was fast paced and the diverse range of characters made the novel all the more wonderful. However this book like most wasn’t without its flaws. The use of the f-slur prevented me from giving it five stars. It’s used three times too many and I could have done without.