The Keeper of Bees

Hazard and Somerset: A Union of Swords, Book 5

By: Gregory Ashe

Narrated by: Tristan James

Length: 10 hrs and 48 mins

Publisher's summary

Emery Hazard has pretty much everything under control. He and his fiancé, John-Henry Somerset, are more in love than ever, despite the stress of wedding preparations hanging over them. His business as a private investigator is growing. He’s even enjoying time with his growing circle of friends. The only major problem on the horizon is whether or not he and Somers will be dancing at the wedding reception.

When Mitchell Martin shows up in his office, though, everything changes. The year before, Mitchell was abducted and tortured by a sadistic killer known only as the Keeper of Bees. Now Mitchell is convinced that the Keeper has come back, and he wants to hire Hazard to protect him.

While Hazard works to keep Mitchell safe, Somers must adjust to changes at work. A spate of new hires has disrupted the Wahredua Police Department, and Somers finds himself locked in a struggle to determine how the department will grow and evolve, with long-term consequences that will affect the town for years to come.

Then a woman is found murdered, and she has been staged and posed in a way that is eerily similar to the Keeper of Bee’s former victims. As Hazard and Somers race to prevent more deaths, Hazard fears they are already too late; the Keeper of Bees has been ahead of them the whole time.

©2020 Gregory Ashe (P)2020 Gregory Ashe

Reveal of The Keeper with a HEA

Well you could just tell this entire series was leading up to something big, and it did not disappoint. This installment was jammed packed from start to finish with everything. There was so much happening in this book that it could have been 200 pages longer and not felt like it at all. I thoroughly enjoyed the conclusion the the elusive Keeper of Bees, and did not see it coming at all, which only the last couple books have I felt like I could solve the mystery, but not this one, it was tough, but very good and satisfying. Not only was the mystery so good, you got contact with almost all the side characters and everyone played a role in one way or another, and Hazard and Somers's relationship was the most stable it has been in quite some time and they actually communicated in this one! Ended on such a sweet note too. I cannot wait for more, and I cannot wait for Tristan James to bring it to life on the audio again.

I think if I had to list 5 series...

that have kept me riveted from start to finish, that have taken me on the most amazing emotional roller coaster ride that this series would be at the top of that list.

My husband actually breathed a sigh of relief when I told him this was the last book... translation no more rage, rants about characters in the book and by characters in the book I mostly mean Dulac but not exclusively.

I can honestly say there are more characters in this series that I have absolutely come to abhor than any other series that I remember reading, but it also goes without saying that the ones I loved I loved without reservation. Oh, I might have occasionally become frustrated with them but that's ok. I get frustrated with my son and anyone who knows me, knows that I loved him without reservation so it's all good. And without fail they've all come together to give me the most incredible stories.

Without reservation I have no love left for Dulac...none, zip, zero, zilch, nada...NONE! I think I actually like Somerset's father more than Dulac and I don't like him at all. The other person who made me crazy in this one was the new chief of police...the man's a pig...that's it as police go he's the example that explains why so many people fear/despise and hate the police.

Surprisingly one of the characters who shone brightly for me was the lawyer...Aniya Thompson. She was to say the least marvelous. I loved her.

Evie was a piece of child perfection. We got wonderful glimpses of her in all her adorable little girlness but she never stole the story...just added to it.

When it comes to the last book of a series 'The Keeper of Bees' was a piece of perfection. There was a lot going on in this one. Questions were answered but those answers weren't given without people having to fight for them (figuratively speaking and a little bit of the literal) Hazard and Somerset have found their way to each other and they're solid. They're also not afraid of letting the banter flow. These men are solid and they trust each other without hesitation.

As for who the Keeper of Bees was...well, I knew that as soon as Hazard told me because honest I gave up after the first 2 or 3 failed guesses. The mystery and suspense was rock solid on this and I was gripping the edge of my seat until the bitter ending...as for the ending...it was perfect. Not what I would have imagined for this two but perfect none the less.

The other piece of perfection that made this series just a jewel from start to finish was the narrator. I'm a longtime fan of Tristan James and to have the consistency of not just the same narrator but of one of my favorites was definitely a bit of audio book heaven.

I'm not sure what this author has in story for us but I have little doubt it'll be an adventure that leaves me breathless and anticipation what comes next every bit as much as this Hazard and Somerset have.

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An audio book of "The Keeper of Bees" was graciously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.

Great story. Great narration.

This book had everything on my checklist for all time favorites!

1. Characters I want to know in real life.
2. A plot that I am not certain of till the end
3. The perfect ratio of action, humor, romance, and mystery.
4. Part of a series that just keeps getting better.
5. A vivid setting
6. A story that makes me see the work around me from a new perspective.

There's more, but I will run out of space. The writing was amazing, and the narration was spectacular.


I am enamored with this series. This is an amazing end, but I secretly hope there will be more.

The End of This Adventure

The relationship consolidated, Hazard and Somers move to build themselves a community of friends, while planning their wedding. But Hazard’s Nemesis, the Keeper of Bees, is back and with him, trouble. A closer look is needed at everybody in the small familiar circle, because it becomes obvious quickly that the enemy is posing as friend.
In the background the reader finds the details that make an Ashe book a rewarding read: Midwest American small town, the challenges brought by a change in leadership, what it means to be on the run, and finally finding a good therapist. As all books in the series, the reader has ahead of him/her a world of adventure. And quirks. Enjoy.
A word must be said about the narrator’s splendid interpretation.

Just about everything I could ask for in a finale

I'm hesitant to give five-star reviews, because almost any book could be better. But this book gave me pretty much exactly what I wanted to wrap up this series. I don't want to spoil any plot points, so I'll just say I was on the edge of my seat much of the time, and the resolution was satisfying and made me want to go back and listen again from the beginning. Highly recommended.

My thanks to the author for a complimentary copy.

Worth the wait

OMG. I loved this book. After listening to Wayward I didn't know if I could wait for The Keeper of Bees to come out on audio. I was really tempted to read book 5, I even read a few pages but I'm an audiobook purist so after quenching my need for more John-Henry and Emery I stopped. The 4 month wait was well worth it. Gregory Ashe did not disappoint. The Keeper of Bees had everything you'd want and love in a Hazard and Somerset book. The mystery kept you on your toes. Everyone is a suspect. Just when you start thinking it's one person it stops and changes to another person and it keeps going back and forth that you can't tell up from down. I loved seeing John-Henry and Emery's relationship grow. Finally. Emery's love and protection over Evie made my ovaries explode. I hope that we'll get more Hazard and Somerset books. I know I need more. Tristian James's voice is just soooo good. When I listen to his voice in other audiobooks it always make me think of Hazard and Somerset.

Excellent conclusion to the arc

Suspenseful and gripping right to the end. Even though I read the book so I knew who the Keeper of Bees was, I was still caught up in every twist and turn. I cried during the final scenes while reading it, but the audio performance by Tristan James made it 100x more emotional. Absolutely worth it!

FINALLY!!!!

It's finally here! I have been waiting for this book. I was disappointed that there wasn't much about the Keeper in the previous book, but this one made up for it in spades. I already had to listen to it a second time just in case I missed something the first time around.

Now that I know who the Keeper of Bees is, it makes me want to go back and start A Union of Swords all over again to find all the little details that I overlooked. Ugh! The whole series is just so good. I love all of Gregory Ashe's books, but there is truly something special about Hazard and Somerset. I hope there will be more of them yet to come.

I think at this point, in my mind, Tristan James and Hazard and Somerset are synonymous with one another. I can't think about these characters without hearing his voice in my head. If you haven't gotten this book yet, it's worth it.

FANTASTIC AND EPIC

Story – Infinity Stars

Audiobook – 4 stars. I have gotten used to TJ’S voice. It took a while but now that I am here, let’s just say he represents them well.

Gushing! And more Gushing!

I promise to watch documentaries with you, listen to NPR with you, read statistical analyses of zip codes with you,
and just about anything else you want me to do with you, because I want to do everything together.

GAAAAAHH!

This was fantastic in every single way. Book 5 in the second series of the adventures of Hazard and Somers, and I freaking loved every second of it. We have been through downs, downs and more downs. Ups, Ups and freaking fantastic Ups. Please let this not be the end of Hazard and Somers, I am not ready to say goodbye.

The Keeper of Bees was intense and interesting to listen to and read. Finally, the creep that has been haunting Hazard, Somers and Police department got what he deserved. The Investigation process was very engaging, my first guesses were wrong, Ugh! Clearly, not a I am really good detective, but I can always count on Hazard to guide me. Kudos Greg, you fooled me three times.

The best part of this series is the relationship. GAAAAAH! What a refreshing, loving relationship. These two have come so far. The growth in their relationship is so realistic and amazing to follow. They complement each other, support each other and more so, love each other to the scorching sun and back. I love Hazard so much. I love Somers too, but Hazard tops my book boyfriend list and I have a feeling he is going to be there for a very long time.

Hazard is finally working on his PTSD and let’s just say the therapy sessions are hilarious. The thing here is that it took a while to get here but finally we did. A journey that was difficult to watch but also realistic, none of the Bam! Boom! stuff here, everything at its own time. I don’t know why but I really love this approach.

Evie, Gaaaah! I love this kid, she is so well written and acts her toddler age. So sweet and her relationship with Hazard is GAAAAAAHH!!! Hazard is the best Dee Dee ever. I love that Somers and Cora let the relationship between Evie and Hazard develop naturally, without them suffocating and controlling everything. I have to acknowledge the rest of the kids too; they are kids not adults in kids’ bodies.

The humor and the banter was so on point. There were some very hard Loling moments. Especially a doped up Hazard.
Riggles can go to hell. Ugh!

The side characters are amazing and I love that they do understand and complement our MCs. Nico has come a long way. Dulac! Dulac! Ugh! I still don’t know.

The ending. Swooooon. GAAAAAHH! I am a sappy happy being.

Overall, this was a great conclusion to series two of Hazard and Somers and I loved it so much.

A copy of the Audiobook was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.

Disappointing.

I wanted to know who the Keeper of Bees was, kept chugging along, listening to Tristan James' not so great narration, and was left feeling unsatisfied as heck, and also uncomfortable as hell.

Again, as said in a past review, why is the n-word (hard R) used in this book and in this series? In audio, it's jarring as hell, and how was this not sensitivity read/taken out? The amount of times slurs and h*te speech is used in this series got really old for me and felt like it was just a way to show how H&S were white knights not letting the b*gots say the t-slur, the r-slur, the f-slur, the list goes on. While the b*gots still continued to say every slur under the sun.

The trans rep in this is again, not great. If the main reason for including a trans side character is to write out horrendous s*it that happens to them in the town and by the police, it just feels like they're added in for the ~trauma drama. Also, so tired of trying to make the trans character the villain.

The Keeper of Bees reveal and reason was so. dumb. and. so. weak. Still annoyed and not surprised.

If Hazard is this documentary loving, nonfiction reading, fountain of ethics and knowledge on all kinds of subjects.... how on earth is he not also aware of how not good the police actually are? Where's the little factoids on why the police were created? Where's the statistics on police brutality? If we're going to get statistics and info dumps on everything under the sun, it feels kind of silly that acknowledging the police stuff wasn't also included?

Fat shaming and body shaming, even if said in a cutesy way, is still sh*tty? Why is Hazards body a constant topic of conversation for Somers to criticize (jokingly).

There are some good elements in this story - read every single 5 and 4 star review posted. I'm happy that they get their wedding, there's growth on both ends between them, some good Evie + Hazard content, and there's some general happiness. However, I'm probably done with the series here.