Everything in Emery Hazard’s life is finally going well: his boyfriend, Nico, is crazy about him; he has a loyal partner at work; and he has successfully closed a series of difficult murders. By all accounts, he should be happy. What he can’t figure out, then, is why he’s so damn miserable.After a fight with Nico, Hazard needs work to take his mind off his relationship. And someone in town is … town is happy to oblige by murdering the sheriff. The job won’t be easy; the sheriff had enemies, lots of them, and narrowing down the list of suspects will be difficult. Difficult, but routine.
The arrival of a special prosecutor, however, throws the case into turmoil, and Hazard and Somers find themselves sidelined. With an agenda of his own, the prosecutor forces the case toward his favorite suspect, while Hazard and Somers scramble to find the real killer. As the people they care about are drawn into the chaos, Hazard and Somers have to fight to keep what they love–and to keep each other. To find the killer, they will have to reveal what each has kept buried for years: their feelings for each other.
And for Hazard, that’s a hell of a lot scarier than murder.
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I finally got to this book where they get together. As always the case was good even though Hazard and Somerset got sidelined and missed much of it. I really liked the second part when they finally got involved and everything took a sharp turn. The twist in the end was rather good.
I do not normally go for this type of humor that is more mean natured but in this case it sort of worked for me. I guess it was because both men have such a long lasting bond that even a lot of sarcastic humor will not make a dent in their mutual feelings for each other.
Nico, well, behaved in a way that Somerset predicted and I am glad that he is out of the picture. Hazard deserves much more than he can offer. Plus I think they are not on the same page or in the same place in life to want the same but Somerset is.
I was happy for them to get together and the chemistry between Emery and John was electrifying. This author does not write sm*t but what he does write in regards to intimate moments is always with tenderness and a sort of sparkle to it. That said I felt a bit underwhelmed with their reunion. It was too matter of fact in some part. After such a long tense built up I expected more flair. After all it’s Somerset we are talking about here – he is always a little over the top but never in the wrong way. I am looking forward to the next one.
If Gregory Ashe’s long-term plan was to keep me so deeply invested in these books I’d forget to write my own, then bravo, sir. Mission accomplished. Guilt by Association was absolutely the title in the series that, until now, every reader has been holding their breath for. Me included. The slow burn, twists and turns, ups and downs, hope and heartbreak, all came together into this—this extremely fragile, tender, raw, and real romance that I just want to carefully wrap up for safekeeping because I know Hazard and Somers have more roller-coasters ahead of them. But my God. They made it. We made it. And the payoff has never been so satisfying.
The opening line of the book sets the whole stage for where Hazard is mentally and emotionally, and further explains his reactions and decisions down the road: ‘Emery Hazard needed to break up with his boyfriend.’ Ho boy. Now, I know a lot of folks probably didn’t like Nico’s character. We know as readers, even from the beginning, he’s all kinds of wrong for Hazard. Somers knows it. Hell, Hazard does, on some level. But I loved everything about Nico in this book, because he was a representation of Hazard making another bad decision. Hazard staying with someone because it was safe and he was afraid. But like Alec and Billy, Nico had power over Hazard and finally, finally, in a beautifully crafted scene that just about tore my heart in two, Ashe was able to convey Hazard’s epiphany to us. I think I’ve said this in every review, but I can’t get enough of how Hazard acts and what he says, or doesn’t, because he’s such a profoundly real character. He’s human. And humans screw up. A lot. By laying that all out for the reader, everything that makes Hazard who he is, Ashe has turned him into an extremely relatable piece of fiction, and relatable means strength, and strength keeps a long-running series going.
The mystery of this book was likely my favorite so far, too. Ashe does really well at rocking back and forth between heavy-hitting material, to ‘still really screwed up but doesn’t quite make you as sick as the previous title,’ content. And a bit like Transposition, we’re given a dead body, a handful of suspects, and no one saw a thing. Oh, I love that kind of mystery. Because by now I know Ashe has sprinkled the clues in right from the beginning and I have to be smart enough to ping on them. Plus, we’re getting deeper into the local personalities, the scandals, dirt, and returning to previously established dangers while upping the chaos one dead body at a time.
Guilt by Association was marvelous. The series is marvelous. I’ll re-read these books for the rest of my life.
It happened!!! This is not a drill:):) Gah, this is probably my favorite of the lot so far for the happenings between Ree & Somers (John). Swoon central by the end, my god those men can be so stubborn, but finally, finally they have pulled their heads out. Nico to me was super annoying this one, but it is part of the story. Hazard still ended up the hospital this time around, and Somers was of course there while he was. The murder mystery was really good as always. A lot of stuff happens in this installment. There are a ton of moving parts. I did not see what happened coming. Tristan James did a great job on the narration. Loved everything about this book. Now onto the next!!
Guilt by Association is the fourth book in the Hazard and Somerset series – a series that has an overarching plot and really needs to be read in order to fully understand and enjoy. This series is amazing and each book is better than the last, so I really recommend investing the time to read it.
I love Somers and Hazard more and more in every book. Their partnership is strong with an intense bond, and the chemistry between them is simmering beneath the surface, just waiting to burst into flames. The sexual tension between these men is so thick that it can’t be hidden away or pushed aside. The mystery is exciting, and I enjoyed the twists and turns of it. I love watching Hazard and Somers work together – it’s enthralling. However, at the end of the book I no longer cared who killed who, because it FINALLY HAPPENED! Finally! Finally! Finally! The slow burn romance FINALLY paid off! I was more on the edge of my seat for the big romantic moment than I was over the apprehension of the killer.
Overall, this is a great series and I am so ready to start to book five and dive back into the Hazard and Somerset world.
Another fine addition to the Hazard and Somerset mystery series; the push/pull relationship between Hazard and Somerset is clearly the anchor in this awesome mystery series; driven not only by well-rounded, developed characters (even the secondary-third ones!), but within the pages is layer upon layer of a twisty–yet entertaining–solid mystery! And, for those who’ve been holding your breath throughout the series thus far waiting, hoping….waiting, and hoping even more…the final chapters alone are worth the wait, and then some…!