First and First
Five Burroughs #3
By: Santino Hassell
Release Date: April 18, 2016
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Caleb Stone was raised on the Upper East Side, where wealth and lineage reigns, and “alternative lifestyles” are hidden. It took him years to come out to his family, but he’s still stuck in the stranglehold of their expectations. Caleb knows he has to build his confidence and shake things up, but he doesn’t know how… until Oliver Buckley enters the picture.
Oli is everything Caleb isn’t—risk-taking, provocative, and fiercely independent. Disowned by his family, Oli has made his own way in the world and is beholden to no one. After a chance encounter on New Year’s Eve, Caleb is smitten.
As Caleb sheds the insecurities that have held him back for years, he makes bold steps toward changing his career and escaping years of sexual repression. But for Caleb to take full control of his life, he has to be brave enough to confront his feelings and trust Oli with his heart.
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I lay back in the mess of the bed, wanting to soak in the bath but unwilling to get up while Oli was pressed to my side and gazing down at me like it was the most natural thing in the world. When he smoothed my hair back from my forehead for the second time, I met his eyes.
“Oliver, what are we doing?”
He searched my face for a moment before smiling. “We’re just having fun.”
“Okay.” I quirked a smile and sat up with a groan. My body was aching in places that required an extended soak in hot water. “I want to clean up, but I don’t think I can move.”
“I’ll give you a sponge bath and you can chill in bed.”
I arched a brow, but Oli looked serious.
“Is that cool?” he asked. “I’ll throw in a massage for going so hard on you.”
I was starting to think Oli’s definition of “just fun” was a lot different from mine. Maybe my ideas of intimacy, beyond animalistic fucking, were his versions of casual trysts. But I didn’t let my confusion show. I didn’t do anything that would send him skittering off. I just nodded, smiled, and enjoyed the attention while I had it.
About the Author
Santino Hassell was raised by a conservative family, but he was anything but traditional. He grew up to be a smart-mouthed, school cutting grunge kid, then a transient twenty-something, and eventually transformed into an unlikely romance author.
Santino writes queer romance that is heavily influenced by the gritty, urban landscape of New York City, his belief that human relationships are complex and flawed, and his own life experiences.
Social Media Links: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Amazon
OTHER BOOKS BY SANTINO HASSELL
Five Boroughs series:
Book 1: SUTPHIN BOULEVARD
Book 2: SUNSET PARK
Book 3: FIRST AND FIRST
Standalone books:
STRONG SIGNAL (with Megan Erickson)
STYGIAN
AFTER MIDNIGHT
Congratulations on the release! I haven’t read this author yet but I do have the first two books waiting for me on my kindle:)
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Go read them NOW!!! I am a huge fan of Santino Hassell. There is so much substance in his work. It’s great to read a male writer in M/M romance who has credibility because he really has been there. He writes his characters’ experiences so well and so very authentically. F&F can be read as a standalone, but you’ll miss some of the context regarding the secondary characters. Best of the series so far!
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