They Told Me I Was Everything

The First Quarto, Book 1

By: Gregory Ashe

Narrated by: J.F. Harding

Length: 9 hrs and 53 mins

Publisher's Summary

Auggie is starting his first year at Wroxall College. It’s a punishment, and he’s determined to make his way through the year, prove himself, and earn the right to go back home. 

Theo is a grad student recovering from a terrible car accident. He’s lost his husband and their daughter, and he’s trying to figure out how to keep going. 

When both are tangled up in a murder, though, they have to set their personal problems aside and work together — first to clear their names, and then, when the killer turns his attention on them, to survive. 

But what might really kill them is finishing a seminar together on King Lear.

©2020 Gregory Ashe (P)2020 Gregory Ashe

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I couldn’t have been more surprised and excited when I saw JF Harding was narrating a Gregory Ashe book. I one clicked this book so fast. One thing that I appreciate about Gregory Ashe’s book is his broken imperfect men. Theo who is grieving over the loss of his husband and daughter by drinking the pain away. Auggie who is trying to find who he really is when he’s not acting his social media personality. This was a new take on investigation, they are not police or private detectives. Just student & grad student solving crime through deductive reasoning. It was really exciting to see one familiar face and another side of the Wahredua (nefarious) Police Department. This book is a set up for (hopefully) Auggie and Theo’s relationship. If you are hoping for a quick romance and relationship you will be disappointed. Gregory Ashe keeps his crown and title of King of the Slow Burn. I feel like we’ll have to tuck in and wait to see how long Gregory will tease us with their relationship. I cannot wait for the next. JF Harding has to be one of my favorite narrators. He has such great voice. Between Gregory’s words and JF’s voice I could not turn it off.

A great start to an amazing series!!😍

Wow! This book was absolutely brilliant!!

J.F Harding performed an amazing and authentic audio delivery and narration. He really captured the essence of the story and gave the characters their own voices.

Auggie and Theo couldn't be more different. Yet they are put in a situation where they have to work together to clear their names for a crime they didn't commit.

I loved the parallel slow burn romance. Which was definitely a welcome delight.

The characters were engaging, likeable, real, relatable and well fleshed out.

The plot was gripping and compelling.
Overall I definitely enjoyed listening to this book and will definitely be revisiting it for a relisten.

Promising series

I am a big fan of this author and his Hazard and Somerset series. This series takes place in the same universe, meaning that it is the same town and the main character attends college at the local university the two detectives spent a lot of time at. The First Quatro series seems to take place a few years before Hazard returned to town and a young officer Somerset visits Auggie at one point to question him. I love the tie-in, but on the whole the story is very different.

Auggie is a young college student looking to get famous through Social Media. He tries to keep a squeaky clean personality, but Auggie has a slightly self-destructive side that has him driving while intoxicated with a young man who is about to be murdered. His joy ride is cut short when he nearly runs into Theo who has his own self-destructive tendencies. Both of these characters are imperfect which makes them pretty relatable.

After the accident, the mystery man with Auggie runs away and isn’t heard from again. But a mysterious social media post seems to suggesting that Auggie and Theo are connected to a murder. The two men work together, mostly, to try and figure out who posted the video and what they are trying to gain from it. A corrupt officer who makes appearances in the other series threatens them unless they can find a thumb drive that the guy had apparently been carrying the night of their run-in.

The mystery in this story is really good, though it’s not particularly urgent. The two characters spend weeks in between incidents with the dirty cop. And though the killer isn’t obvious in any way, it isn’t shocking when it’s revealed. In a way, it seems like the mystery is filler as the two characters deal with their personal issues, and reconsider what they want from life. This also goes for the romance. A Gregory Ashe series usually contains a slow burn romance for the main characters. With Auggie being a former student, and Theo being a dad to a child with special health needs, there is no urgency in their romance. There is chemistry, but I suspect that they won’t be getting together until later in the series.

J.F. Harding is a really good narrator and I thought he did a great job with the audio for this book. I definitely recommend this audiobook. Since it takes place before the Hazard and Somerset series, you don’t have to read those books to appreciate this one, but if you already have read it, you will like seeing the cameos.

Back in Wahredua

Before I made it through the first 30 minutes of this audio, I knew Gregory Ashe was going to do it to me again, in the "why the hell do I keep doing this to myself?" kind of way. I guess because I'm addicted to fantastically plotted, well written, brutal crime fiction with complicated, broken men who frustates me equally much as they make me love them? 🤷‍♀️ *considers* Nope, not my fault, I'm still blaming Ashe.

Theo is a grad student who is suffering the loss of his husband and daughter in an accident that left him with painful injuries, and not just the physical kind. He spends a lot of his time in an insulated fog of prescription drugs or *and sometimes both* alcohol, and lives with deliberate carelessness. His only saving grace is teaching in his grad program, which he actually enjoys, and gives him his one bright spot of normalcy.

Auggie is an eighteen year old internet personality and has a presence on all the major social media platforms. He has a business plan to grow his brand and make money hand over fist, and he's well on his way to that. His whole life consists of Instagram moments and YouTube videos, at least the ones he scripts and performs. A terrible incident off-script and a bad breakup derails his plans for a while so Auggie decides college at Wroxall in Wahredua, MO will get his image back on track. Nobody, literally nobody, knows the real Auggie, only the image he lets them see. And the real Auggie is really kind of lonely. He gets so tired of the character he's forced to play that the pressure builds up until it pops. And bad things happen.

Auggie ends up in Theo's class and neither is impressed with the other, particularly since they meet before that in less than ideal circumstances. Since this is Wahredua, which we already know is populated with more than its fair share of shady people, those not-ideal circumstances end up pulling them both into a murder investigation. Worse, it makes both of them the focus of really dangerous people who think Auggie and Theo have something they want.

Theo and Auggie have to work together, much against Theo's will. There's an attraction there, but Auggie is an eighteen year old and Theo is not going to go there, even if his head and his heart were in the place to do it. But things get tangled up, and that includes their kind-of friendship. Not gonna lie, sometimes Theo is a real jerk, and both he and Auggie make some of the worst decisions ever. But under all the issues, they're good guys and they need each other, I think. By the time the case is resolved, and both of them come close to not making it out, Auggie and Theo have a bond between them. Not the one Auggie wants, but they care about each other, and friends is what they'll have.

Do I need to suspend belief a little bit? Well yeah. Did I care? Not at all. Auggie's very young and Theo is a twenty-eight year old grad student, neither are detectives. But they are smart *and motivated* and that's part of GA's magic pen, that he makes you believe it. I honestly want to run right to the next one but I already know what Ashe is going to do to me for however many books. *looks sourly at GA* So I need a break.

And can I say how much I enjoyed seeing pre-Hazard Detective John-Henry Somerset? 🥰 Even though his part was small, he's still Somers. *sigh*

On the side of the audiobook, no lie, I actually squeed when I saw the narrator was J.F. Harding, and he did not disappoint! ❤ His performance was part of the reason I loved Theo and Auggie so much and he had the personalities and uncertainties down for both perfectly. I'm crossing my fingers we get him for the whole series. I don't know if I'll be able to wait for the audio on Yet a Stranger *coughI already own the kindlecough* but you best believe that I'll be listening to it whether it's a first read or reread, either way!

Disclaimer: A copy of the audiobook was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.

Well-paced thriller with dynamic characters

I could not stop listening to this one; although, I will admit I am a fan of the author's writing style so keep that in mind.

I grew fond of the main characters and was quickly invested and hooked till the end.

The narrarator was fun and easy to understand. They captured the characters personalities well, expressing a great variety of emotionality and depth.

My favorite part about this story is how naturally the character dynamics between the protaganists unfolded. It felt lovely to feel the characters personalities expand and slowly develop over the course of the book.

The story was thrilling because of the pacing. It had a few perfectly timed moments of suspense that sent my heart racing and tensed my muscles in anticipation. This pacing balanced the plot events, character development and relationship dynamics.

Overall, well done 5/5

Great start of a new series

This is the first book in a new series by GA which is set in Wahredua in the Hazard and Somerset universe. Auggie is attending Wroxall College and is an Instagram personality. He has demons in his past which are hinted at in this book and I presume will be fleshed out in coming books. Theo is his grad-student professor. His challenges are right there in full display. He is “trying” to recover both physically and mentally from a car accident that took his husband and daughter away from him. He is not handling it well. They meet by chance around a murder and are thrust into solving the murder and of course there is a greater mystery that I’m sure will be revealed later. GA maintains his title of King of the Slow Burn, although the kindling relationship does bloom in this book. Although it starts a little slow and I had some “REALLY?” moments when the back and forth emotions got on my nerves, I eventually found myself swept up in the investigation and their relationship. Yes, I wanted to hit both guys in the head many times, but the caring for each other comes through as the situation grows dire. The cameos were also really nice. I look forward to continuing their journey.

J.F. Harding is a tried-and-true performer and does a great job. His voice is so soothing, and he gives each character a personality. He really made this book come alive.

I was given a free copy of this audiobook in return for an honest review.

This was everything!!

Every story Gregory Ashe writes is so good!! This is another great one. I get so invested in each character. I’m hooked and can’t wait for book two. JF Harding was awesome, he voiced Theo and Auggie perfect!!!

exceptional

What an absolute perfect narrator for this story. In my head, when I read the book, I didn't have a gruff voice for Theo, but it fits, and honestly gives the story more oomph. A new favorite of mine for sure.

Loved it! "Theo and Auggie rock.. 😍

Audiobook - 5+++stars

Story - 4.5 stars

I saw it was J.F Harding narrating this book and all my Gaaaahhz came out. His voice is so good. 🤗 Please let him be the voice of Theo and Auggie until the end.

Starting this story I didn't know what to expect and I was blown away. This was really good and enjoyable from the first chapter. The writing is so good as usual. I love Greg's characters, they feel so real, warm and raw. It's like meeting new friends and coming home.

Our Mcs:
Theo the Professor- Gaaah I have found another book boyfriend, he is such an amazing character, well written, fleshed out and so real. I felt his pain, the way he is hanging on just trying to survive picking up himself after the death of his husband. 😭 I loved that he is a nerd too. Clearly my kind of guy.

Auggie the Influencer - Auggie is your typical 18 year old. I freaking loved him too. He is adorable and annoying at the same time. I loved the way he interacted with Theo, he is funny, jumpy and makes some good vlogs.

I guess this is going to be a slow burn. Good thing the chemistry between these two is off the charts. Their banter and conversations are engaging and interesting, I am looking forward to many more.

The mystery part was scary and interesting. I was afraid on behalf of Theo and Auggie. Those Ozark volunteers are scary. Detective Somerset. 😍Whoop.. Whoop.😍 I am so excited this is set in the same town as Hazard and Somerset series. I hope to see Hazard in the near future. 🤞🏾

The side characters are well written and compliment the MCs nicely, even weird Orlando. Yaap, I kinda liked him.

I had a good time with this book. My last book of 2020 and it didn't disappoint.

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

Fantastic!

I love all things Gregory Ashe so I had no doubt I would enjoy this book. And, of course I did! It’s fun being in the same world as Hazard and Somerset and even have a Somerset cameo! Great story that kept me interested the whole way. I’m excited to start the next one and see their lives develop.

JF Harding is one of those narrators that’s almost an auto-buy for me. To combine him with Gregory Ashe made this dumpster fire of a year, well, a bit lighter!

Same storyline as 'Orientation'

"Two broken men get tied up in an investigation to find a flash drive that contains compromising material that leads to murder... " Sounds familiar eh! That's because it's the same storyline as 'Orientation', book 1 in the Boriealis Investigation series by the same author.
The narration for this book was great. But Augie was completely immature and unlikable as a character. I was really put off by a sulky self consumed college student who crashes cars when he feels sorry for himself. He treated his lovesick room mate like trash and as a grown ass adult, I have no idea what Theo saw in Augie- apart from his Twinkiness. Not convinced by this couple. Theo's cop buddy would have made a more believeable love interest.

Read the book to understand the clever title

Hands up I received this audible book as an advanced listener.
Now this was an interesting listen for me and initially I wasn't sure if I was going to like it. Meeting Auggie as a college freshman and his interest with social media made me wary as these are not some of my favourite tropes. However, I should not have feared as Gregory Ashe always gives you well developed characters and key people you want to get to know better. In this case Auggie and Theo who become entangled in a crazy crime caper whilst they are both trying to sort out who they are in this new phase in both of their lives. The book title captures this period perfectly.
If you have read some of Gregory's other books you will recognise the university town and a few of the other characters. This is a nice touch point.
The selection of Jeff Harding as narrator was inspirational as he captures the two central characters and those around them very well; adapting to moments of humour, pathos and terror very well. I equally, laughing, sadden and terrified along with and for Auggie and Theo.
There is much to build on with these guys that i couldn't wait for the audible book so I have already started on e-book two.