Pretty Pretty Boys (Hazard and Somerset Book 1)

I was listening to the audio book and switched to the kindle version. Hazard and Somerset are complex characters with a difficult past. Gregory Ashe develops them slowly for us, revealing little by little who they are and what their flaws are. It is also a well-paced mystery. Something I appreciate in this series is the way Hazard grows to understand his weaknesses and how they hold him back. This is done very thoughtfully. It is relatable. Particularly in the second book we see how he perceives himself as off, queer, unloveable. The relationship between the two is realistic in a lot of ways. I like that the timing is always off, they’re not sure if the other likes him enough to try anything serious. They also have to come to terms with the legacy of their adolescence—Somers acted really badly, and it left Hazard scarred. Hazard hasn’t really recovered from that and lacks Somers’ social abilities. The book seems to have been billed as a romance, which it’s not. It’s a traditional mystery where the detectives happen to be gay and bi, and that represents the love story we are watching. It’s one of the best I’ve read and I also love Marshall Thornton’s mysteries and his noir Boystown series. I am on book 3 of this series and recommend it. A side note—I also like seeing Somers’ struggles with alcohol depicted. This is an unusual but realistic depiction of someone who may or may not be alcoholic but is definitely dependent on alcohol. Ashe is a gifted writer who touches me with…

I bought this book for my 82-year-old mother who likes mysteries→and she bounced it back to me (the language was too vulgar for her tastes). What a treat! I read the novel in one sitting. I experienced this book as a hot gay romance with a side of mystery, though the romance doesn't turn out the way you might expect. The characters are the heart of this novel and they’re three-dimensional and compelling. The main character, Emery, returns to his hometown in the Missouri Ozarks after losing his job with the St. Louis Police. He was brutalized by a group of bullies as a teen, so his decision to join the hometown police force is fraught with conflicting emotions. Especially when he discovers he'll be partnered with one of his former bullies, the golden-boy Somers, who is hoping to make amends for his part in torturing Emery. Both men are described in evocative terms: Emery is muscular (stacked) and brooding, with dark hair and amber eyes. Somers is a handsome, charming, blue-eyed blond with a drinking problem. Both men are harboring secrets that complicate their lives and their relationship with each other. The two main characters are white, however the police captain is a black woman, and a gorgeous hispanic man plays a critical role in the story. I enjoyed the author’s craftsmanship--the way he linked the chapters so I couldn’t stop reading. The characters are flawed, yet compliment each other. I wasn't surprised by the identity of the villain, but the last four chapters…