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liz7kathleen's review against another edition
5.0
Absolutely phenomenal. I'm obsessed with this author and this couple. I would ready 100+ books about Hazard and Somerset.
thatstormygeek's review against another edition
5.0
Reading this just days after our entire school district shut down due to a mass shooting threat--and not the first this year--was occasionally difficult. But I appreciate the way the topic was handled in the book. And I'm thankful for the ray of hope for a better world at the end. It is sorely needed in a time when queer folks are under attack, from having our books banned in schools to state legislatures passing laws against trans kids to Pride celebrations being terrorized.
As a fellow queer Missourian, I, too, hope this is just the dark before the dawn. Here's to more families like the Boones and fewer like the Sturgises.
As a fellow queer Missourian, I, too, hope this is just the dark before the dawn. Here's to more families like the Boones and fewer like the Sturgises.
natureofreading's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
5.0
Such a wonderful end to an amazing 16 book series.
claudia_is_reading's review against another edition
5.0
This is the final book in this arc, and I'm somehow grateful for it because, as much as I found these stories thrilling and wonderfully written, I also felt deeply perturbed by them. All of them portray children who are put in danger by adults, children who should be loved and cherished, and yet, they are abused and humiliated by those who they trust. Add to that that neither Hazard nor Somers were having the best of times, and yes, they were hard.
This one is no different, but before I dig more into it, let me just say this: GO, NICO!!!! That is, I won't say more, but once you read the book, you'll understand.
So, onto the rest of the book! Beware, there will be spoilers from here!bigoted concerned parents wanted to be banned and to do so, they didn't shy away from calling Theo Stratford a perverted pornographer who is grooming the kids for paedophiles. So, when she was killed there was no lack of suspects. And some of them? Some of them are kids.
Meanwhile, Colt got arrested (TWICE!), and Hazard got arrested, too, but thanks to his usual restraint (laughs madly) only once. Ashley has a girlfriend, which, obviously, doesn't sit well with Colt. Aaaaaaaand although Dulac and Palomo's partnership is working well now, he is still having problems with alcohol, and therefore, with Darnell.
The events in this book have Somers struggling with his past; seeing one of the kids being bullied by his sexuality brought back memories from his less than stellar actions toward Hazard during high school and he can't really talk about it (yeah, try to act surprised, I'll wait here). And, TBH, Hazard was distracted by Ramona telling him that there are 'concerns' about Colt's situation and that he should, and probably would be separated from them.
All of this is happening while they are trying to find who killed Loretta Ames and going nowhere. But then, Ashley gets kidnapped and Dulac gets badly hurt and the case is, apparently, solved with the suicide of Derrik Sturgis. And yet... Hazard is still dubious.
As you can see, this is yet another very complicated case, with a lot of hate and many people carrying a heavy emotional baggage. There are a lot of moments that are so filled with hate speech and bigotry that it's really difficult to not want to hit something, preferably some of those awful people.
But I didn't want to hit any of the Hazard-Somerset clan, not once! so I think that's progress :P
And then, we also had those moments of pure, undiluted love, when you know that whatever life throws them, they will survive and come off from it stronger and closer and... better.
And at the end, during the party, that scene! You know which one, with Ashley's parents. After Somers says: “I thought we were past this,” I was thinking while reading: But it is better! Yes, Ashley's parents are uncomfortable, but they are there, and they are not screaming, nor talking about conversion therapy... and then... and then... OMG! I think I cried a little at Brendon's speech *watery smile*
And then, of course, we have the sex. Now, see? This is exactly what I mean when I ask for meaningful sex scenes! These scenes tell so much about John's state of mind, it advances the plot AND they are hot as hell. Perfect!
In short: a fabulous mystery, intricate and psychological driven; main characters that never stop surprising you with their growth; secondary characters who are full-fledged and so interesting that you can't help to care about them; and gorgeous, enticing writing. Need I say more?
And with this arc finished, the time has come! I'll indulge myself and will go back to [b:Pretty Pretty Boys|36623175|Pretty Pretty Boys (Hazard and Somerset, #1)|Gregory Ashe|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1511094676l/36623175._SY75_.jpg|58383961] and read all the 17 books again.
Oh! And if you are tempted by the excerpt from [b:They Told Me I Was Everything|54913636|They Told Me I Was Everything (The First Quarto, #1)|Gregory Ashe|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1597353600l/54913636._SY75_.jpg|85688126] at the end of this book, this is the moment to do something about it and go to Amazon to get it, because, right now, it's FREE! You're welcome :P
This one is no different, but before I dig more into it, let me just say this: GO, NICO!!!! That is, I won't say more, but once you read the book, you'll understand.
So, onto the rest of the book! Beware, there will be spoilers from here!
Spoiler
We have, of course, a murder. A writer who isn't only a woman but also a black lesbian. Yeah, you can imagine how well that went in Wahredua. She was there to talk about her book, a book thatMeanwhile, Colt got arrested (TWICE!), and Hazard got arrested, too, but thanks to his usual restraint (laughs madly) only once. Ashley has a girlfriend, which, obviously, doesn't sit well with Colt. Aaaaaaaand although Dulac and Palomo's partnership is working well now, he is still having problems with alcohol, and therefore, with Darnell.
The events in this book have Somers struggling with his past; seeing one of the kids being bullied by his sexuality brought back memories from his less than stellar actions toward Hazard during high school and he can't really talk about it (yeah, try to act surprised, I'll wait here). And, TBH, Hazard was distracted by Ramona telling him that there are 'concerns' about Colt's situation and that he should, and probably would be separated from them.
All of this is happening while they are trying to find who killed Loretta Ames and going nowhere. But then, Ashley gets kidnapped and Dulac gets badly hurt and the case is, apparently, solved with the suicide of Derrik Sturgis. And yet... Hazard is still dubious.
As you can see, this is yet another very complicated case, with a lot of hate and many people carrying a heavy emotional baggage. There are a lot of moments that are so filled with hate speech and bigotry that it's really difficult to not want to hit something, preferably some of those awful people.
But I didn't want to hit any of the Hazard-Somerset clan, not once! so I think that's progress :P
And then, we also had those moments of pure, undiluted love, when you know that whatever life throws them, they will survive and come off from it stronger and closer and... better.
And at the end, during the party, that scene! You know which one, with Ashley's parents. After Somers says: “I thought we were past this,” I was thinking while reading: But it is better! Yes, Ashley's parents are uncomfortable, but they are there, and they are not screaming, nor talking about conversion therapy... and then... and then... OMG! I think I cried a little at Brendon's speech *watery smile*
And then, of course, we have the sex. Now, see? This is exactly what I mean when I ask for meaningful sex scenes! These scenes tell so much about John's state of mind, it advances the plot AND they are hot as hell. Perfect!
In short: a fabulous mystery, intricate and psychological driven; main characters that never stop surprising you with their growth; secondary characters who are full-fledged and so interesting that you can't help to care about them; and gorgeous, enticing writing. Need I say more?
And with this arc finished, the time has come! I'll indulge myself and will go back to [b:Pretty Pretty Boys|36623175|Pretty Pretty Boys (Hazard and Somerset, #1)|Gregory Ashe|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1511094676l/36623175._SY75_.jpg|58383961] and read all the 17 books again.
Oh! And if you are tempted by the excerpt from [b:They Told Me I Was Everything|54913636|They Told Me I Was Everything (The First Quarto, #1)|Gregory Ashe|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1597353600l/54913636._SY75_.jpg|85688126] at the end of this book, this is the moment to do something about it and go to Amazon to get it, because, right now, it's FREE! You're welcome :P
parasolcrafter's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
4.5
with this being the final book in the series, it does but also doesnt feel like an ending which is bittersweet and fitting, i feel like. it was nice bc it doesnt feel like i really had to say goodbye to any of the characters, but its sad bc i will miss them. overall though, its a good ending for the books (or maybe not ending, if the off duty is any indication of things to come), even if i do have my issues with the books overall.
theyre definitely enjoyable to read and experience, and it does take you on a journey, but there are some aspects that...arent my favourite things. like, hazards panic attacks that seem to miraculously stop after he starts therapy (literally not how things work) how his physical therapy is only something in the first series (not that he'll always need to undergo it, but its almost like he was never doing it. its never mentioned again) and how some of the relationship issues seemed to resolve, become problems again, resolve, become problems again...you know? it got a bit tedious, though i do understand some relationships are like that
another thing i wasnt a Super Big Fan of was a lot of the characters being absent...again =_= i missed them in this book!!! i really did!!! and i get why the focus shifted to hazard, somers, and colt bc colt really was just making problems for everyone and their dynamic as a family Needed to be written, but it almost felt like everything else got shoved to the wayside these last couple of books, and this book only furthered that. which isnt necessarily bad, just...it made the book feel a little bit lonely, i guess. like i NEED to know whats going on with dulac bc that man is def going through something and i adore nico. give me more of that more of that man or so help me GOD im going to go crazy
i do also appreciate how this book in particular brought back how somers is <i>still</i> grappling with the guilt of the way he treated hazard in high school. it brought everything around in a nice little circle which is something ive always liked!
but, in the end, this is a good series and this ending it on par with the rest of the books, for the most part! itll be interesting to see if these two come back at some point bc i think theres a lot to them and their family that would be fun to read about as now theyve adopted colt! it would be nice to see how their family changes
theyre definitely enjoyable to read and experience, and it does take you on a journey, but there are some aspects that...arent my favourite things. like, hazards panic attacks that seem to miraculously stop after he starts therapy (literally not how things work) how his physical therapy is only something in the first series (not that he'll always need to undergo it, but its almost like he was never doing it. its never mentioned again) and how some of the relationship issues seemed to resolve, become problems again, resolve, become problems again...you know? it got a bit tedious, though i do understand some relationships are like that
another thing i wasnt a Super Big Fan of was a lot of the characters being absent...again =_= i missed them in this book!!! i really did!!! and i get why the focus shifted to hazard, somers, and colt bc colt really was just making problems for everyone and their dynamic as a family Needed to be written, but it almost felt like everything else got shoved to the wayside these last couple of books, and this book only furthered that. which isnt necessarily bad, just...it made the book feel a little bit lonely, i guess. like i NEED to know whats going on with dulac bc that man is def going through something and i adore nico. give me more of that more of that man or so help me GOD im going to go crazy
i do also appreciate how this book in particular brought back how somers is <i>still</i> grappling with the guilt of the way he treated hazard in high school. it brought everything around in a nice little circle which is something ive always liked!
but, in the end, this is a good series and this ending it on par with the rest of the books, for the most part! itll be interesting to see if these two come back at some point bc i think theres a lot to them and their family that would be fun to read about as now theyve adopted colt! it would be nice to see how their family changes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Lesbophobia, Outing, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
cbonner0711's review against another edition
5.0
As usual, another amazing installment to the Hazard and Somerset series! That last line from Colt, gah! Final Orders had a great mystery, very grounded in reality and recent culture war headlines. Gregory Ashe also explores more depths in the relationship between Colt, Hazard and Somerset, this time focusing more on Colt’s friendship with Ash and their role as parents and figuring out what to do when Colt makes some “big” mistakes.
This installment also focused more on John-Henry and how he grapples with his past bullying of Hazard once again. This time triggered by the events of the mystery. I can’t wait to see what Gregory Ashe does next in this series, another “season”? - I’m not sure if he has more in store for Hazard and Somerset but I will gladly read more. I also would love to see more of Nico and Dulac. Both seem to have very unfinished stories, especially Dulac, that I could see some more books dedicated to their characters. If so, I can’t wait! Definitely recommend!
* I received a free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review
This installment also focused more on John-Henry and how he grapples with his past bullying of Hazard once again. This time triggered by the events of the mystery. I can’t wait to see what Gregory Ashe does next in this series, another “season”? - I’m not sure if he has more in store for Hazard and Somerset but I will gladly read more. I also would love to see more of Nico and Dulac. Both seem to have very unfinished stories, especially Dulac, that I could see some more books dedicated to their characters. If so, I can’t wait! Definitely recommend!
* I received a free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review