Illegal Contact

I read this book in one sitting while listening to college football on in the background, and it really set the ambiance. People, this book is so good. I don't care if you don't like sports, but if you enjoy M/M romance, this is definitely one to pick up. Unlike Hassell's Five Borough's series, this book has a different kind of pacing. The build-up and tension is excellent, and he does an A+ job of making the premise believable.

Probably my favorite of Hassell's books to date (and that's saying something), so I'm really excited for the next Barons book out in January.

Four and a half stars for 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.