Hard Count
Book One of The Piper Ashton Saga
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Pub Date Jul 9 2026 | Archive Date Jan 15 2027
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Description
Football consumed Piper Ashton.
Every snap, every route, every victory was a masterclass in control.
Until Noah Reyes.
Piper’s rival quarterback, who smiled like sin and threw like a freight train.
Noah was the one player who could make Piper’s perfect world crack wide open with nothing but a wink across the line of scrimmage.
An obsession, so all-consuming, that two of the league’s most watched men began making the kind of mess that could end careers, reputations and their lives.
The truth is, Piper’s life was never really his to begin with. It belongs to a powerful billionaire who has spent years pulling every string in his life, and that man doesn’t share.
One championship.
One forbidden, toxic obsession.
One secret that could burn the entire league to the ground.
LET THE GAY FOOTBALL SEX OPERA BEGIN.
But first… a warning.
Hard Count is an unapologetically dark MM romance. It contains explicit sexual content, psychological abuse, coercive control, alcoholism, homophobia, eating disorders, trauma, gun violence, corse language, and other disturbing themes. If you’re looking for a lighthearted sports romance, this isn’t it.
Advance Praise
“Dark, gutting and addictive.”
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
-Netgalley
“This book consumed me. I could not sleep. i could not stop thinking about it.”
-Goodreads
“Perfect book. No notes. Cannot freaking wait for the next one.”
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
-Goodreads
Available Editions
| EDITION | Ebook |
| ISBN | 9798186456414 |
| PRICE | $4.99 (USD) |
| PAGES | 284 |
Links
Available on NetGalley
Average rating from 30 members
Featured Reviews
Timothy S, Librarian
This book is hot hot hot! Fans of MM sports romance won’t want to miss this football entry! I thoroughly enjoyed it!
Reviewer 2107228
Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced reading copy!
This book sucked me in right from the first page. It really is a dark romance that reminded me of my fave sports MM books combined with my fave mafia / dark MM books. Mind blown no one has done this cross over before.. and I want more!
Although the writing style sometimes felt a bit clunky, I liked the voice and characterization and I think I will be following Lucas as he continues to write MM. I really had loved both Piper and Noah, although Piper had such a special place in my heart as their lives unravelled on the page.
Counting down for book 2 (note this is a HFN ending!) ✨
Allison W, Reviewer
Dark MM romance is a subject my brain and heart adore yet so few authors write in a way I enjoy. I can count on one hand the number of dark MM books I have genuinely loved and this book has now joined that tiny list. To say this booked absolutely fucking wrecked me is an understatement.
Let’s gooooo - right away I was hooked and intrigued by this book. It had everything I wanted and I went in hoping it would succeed. Holy shit did it succeed. The tension between Noah and Piper was thick and steamy 🥵
It was dark and gutting and at times was extremely difficult to read. There was so much to mentally unpack while reading this but I would expect no less from a dark romance. God, my heart hurt so much for Piper.
So many things about this book that I loved. Honestly, probably too many to list, but here are a few:
- How much music was interwoven into the writing, the playlist told its own part of the story🎵
- The Friendship between Piper and Tank 🥹
- The inner dialogue to Joan from Piper 🧠
- The writing style ✍️
- Uncrustables 🥜🍓
- Vivienne & Carmen 😍💁🏻♀️🪽
- “Bitch” 🤌
Perfect book. No notes. Cannot freaking wait for the next one.
Thank you to NetGalley & Lucas Malone for the chance to read this book in advance. Lucas, you just earned yourself a lifetime fan ❤️
Title - Hard Count
Author - Lucas Malone
Star rating - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spicy Rating - 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Overall - Autistic Allie Approved✅
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