Gregory Ashe (1)

Very similar to the first book in the series, the other one I've read. Some of the same characters were involved in the murder investigation, in this small town.

Hazard and Somerset know each other better, so there isn't the suspenseful reacquaintance. Hazard is recovering from a head injury, something that is giving him killer headaches in this book - so he's even more grumpy and wild. Somerset puts up with it all, placates Hazard, is there for him ... and bemoans his cowardice in not being able to tell Hazard what he means to him. Although it must be so obvious, and Hazard is plenty smart when it comes to finding the murderer, he surely must know Somerset's feelings.

So the HEA, so long in coming - 4 novels? - is a drawn out illogical, unsatisfying, tortuous tease. There was no equivalent Nico character to add another thread to the Hazard and Somerset tension; Nico's role in this concerns his place in the murder mystery.

The murder mystery is quite well done, but not enough of a drawcard to plough through the longish book. And the sparks between the detectives are still brilliant but too few and far between.… (mehr)

Haven't heard of this author even though he has 83 books listed on Library Thing! But glad to discover him now.

This has romance strung like lights over a detective suspense novel. I like it, but as I went along and certainly by the end, I questioned whether it was a romance novel? Maybe it is more accurately a romance series, with each book - from what I've read of the synopses - a chapter towards building a HEA.

Found it hard to follow the audiobook at the start, and Tristan James is a fairly good reader, but sometimes I couldn't tell who he was speaking for. He did a great job of doing a deeper voice for the reserved Hazard. And his tone suits a crime story delivery.

Never have I read such a slow burn romance as this book! The old attraction between Emery Hazard and John-Henry Somerset that had briefly sparked in high school, flares to life when they meet many years later as detectives on the same case.

Emery has good reason to distrust and even hate "Somers" but this is hard to maintain as Emery works alongside the optimistic, smart, friendly, deferential, likeable Somers.

Nevertheless, Hazard is determined to hold Somers accountable for past wrongs. It's more scary than the murder investigation, to think that Hazard would set out to destroy the glimmer of happiness in his life at meeting this new version of Somers, in a misguided effort to get justice for the past.

This is a riveting relationship novel, and a fairly good crime story, but unfortunately the laster takes up the bulk of the novel. I can't wait to read more, though I fear that the author is going to string us along a few more books before there's any HEA for these two MCs.

I'm giving this an extra half star simply for the sublime intensity built into the relationship side of the novel. Hazard and Somers' dance an excruciating one step forward and 0.99 steps backwards. This push and pull creates more tension than the race to catch the murderer!

Afterword; I've now read the comments by Claudiereads, terriaminute, and Connorz - spot on - it's always a buzz to find others of like mind about a book.… (mehr)