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A review by claudia_is_reading
Final Orders by Gregory Ashe
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