Hard Count
An MM Tight End and the Governor Bi-Awakening Romance (The San Diego Storm MM Football Series, Book 1)
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Buy Now for £14.99
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Narrated by:
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Michael Dean
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By:
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Emerson Beckett
About this listen
A feel good, low angst, steamy mm sports romance that will make you smile, laugh, and swoon.
Evan Ellis
Evidently, I’m a rule breaker.
The rule I broke? Falling for the straight man with two kids. Didn’t help that he is the Governor of California.
As the starting tight end for the San Diego Storm, you’d think I had better self-control. But there was no avoiding it when our unlikely friendship blossomed, and he unknowingly started flirting back. It was out of my control.
Yes, I want him. But I’m probably the last complication he needs in his life. I was fine being just friends until the tension between us broke, and our lips found one another.
From that point on, I knew one thing. I wanted him more than my next breath, and I’d take him any way I could get him. Even if it meant we were just friends.
Governor Hudson Gatlin
If anyone were to ask me how to fall in love with the most unlikely human and staring tight end for the Storm, the answer would be simple.
Sling your drink all over him at a black-tie fundraiser. And if he just smiles and sends you flirty texts, then he’s yours.
Problem was, as much as I enjoyed his friendship, I found myself wanting more from him. But he didn’t seem to care. He saw the hot mess who needed a friend. And that’s what I thought we were, until we both wanted so much more.
This is our love story and how he found a missing piece of me I didn’t know I’d lost.
Content Warning: death of a spouse
Hard Count is book one in the San Diego Storm Football Series. Tropes include: age gap, opposites attract, single dad, long distance love affair, finding love after loss.
©2025 Emerson Beckett (P)2026 Emerson BeckettListener received this title free
Evan Ellis is a Super Bowl winning football star, and Hudson Gatlin is the straight, widowed Governor of California. The pair has a hilarious meet-cute at a gala where Evan and his team are being honoured for their achievements. I loved the instant connection between them; Evan flustered Hudson in a way he had never been before, and Hudson made Evan see visions of a future and a family life he hadn't dared to dream of.
I loved how adoring they were of each other, and how they accepted their relationship and proudly showed their love to the world.
Evan was so good with Hudson's children, and it was lovely to see how Jack, especially, opened up to Evan. I hope we'll see Jack in a future book!
I did tear up over Hudson's late wife's message to him. That was such a beautiful and emotional moment, and it was delivered perfectly by the narrator, Michael Dean, who produced a fantastic audio performance throughout the book. I'll definitely be listening to more of these audiobooks in future - I want to explore the previous books from Emerson, but also the next book featuring the quarterback, Lennox - I imagine he'll have quite the story to tell being such a funny character!! I can't wait for more.
I highly recommend this audiobook to anyone looking for a sweet romance with great characters and a fantastic narrator.
Loved this book! Evan and Hudson are so sweet together
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