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Hard Count

Book One of The Piper Ashton Saga

By: Lucas Malone

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Paperback | 30 July 2026

At a Glance

Paperback
380 Pages

Dimensions(cm)
20.32 x 12.7 x 2.16

Paperback

RRP $31.89

$31.75

or 4 interest-free payments of $7.94 with

Ships in 5 to 7 business days

Meet Piper Ashton.

Football consumed Piper.

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.

Industry Reviews

2026 NYC BIG BOOK AWARD -

Distinguished Favorite: LGBTQ Fiction

KIRKUS REVIEWS - GET IT â

"A charged sports romance that skillfully tackles such heavy themes as abuse, the misuse of power, and antigay bigotry."

BOOKLIFE REVIEW by Publishers Weekly -

"Dark, funny, explicit football romance and melodrama."

ONLINE BOOK CLUB - 5/5 âï¸�

"Hard Count by Lucas Malone is a book I struggled to put down once I started reading."

NEXT PAGE REVIEWS -

"Malone's writing style is both engaging and evocative, capturing the raw energy of football games and the simmering tension between the characters."

GOODREADS - 5/5 âï¸�

"Dark, gutting and addictive."

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