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The Lamb and the Lion: Wolves Among Us #1
The Same Bones
Predator. Prey. Pack.
When Teancum Leon’s ex-lover confesses to murder, Tean doesn’t believe it. Sure, Ammon has a dark side, but he’s not capable of killing someone.
Except Tean seems to be the only one who feels this way. Tean’s boyfriend, Jem, is more than willing to take Ammon’s word for it. The police are thrilled to bring the official investigation to a close. And Ammon’s wife, Lucy, is afraid of what he might have done in a fit of rage.
With the police no longer looking for answers, it’s up to Tean and Jem to find the truth. Their investigation leads them to more victims—and to the realization that a serial killer is at work, and he’s targeting gay men.
But someone else is stirring on the high steppe. Someone even more dangerous. Someone who has been content, until now, to watch. And wait.
Until Tean and Jem wake them up.
The Same Bones begins a follow-up series and should not be read as a standalone. Jem and Tean’s story starts in The Lamb and the Lion book one, The Same Breath.
When Teancum Leon’s ex-lover confesses to murder, Tean doesn’t believe it. Sure, Ammon has a dark side, but he’s not capable of killing someone.
Except Tean seems to be the only one who feels this way. Tean’s boyfriend, Jem, is more than willing to take Ammon’s word for it. The police are thrilled to bring the official investigation to a close. And Ammon’s wife, Lucy, is afraid of what he might have done in a fit of rage.
With the police no longer looking for answers, it’s up to Tean and Jem to find the truth. Their investigation leads them to more victims—and to the realization that a serial killer is at work, and he’s targeting gay men.
But someone else is stirring on the high steppe. Someone even more dangerous. Someone who has been content, until now, to watch. And wait.
Until Tean and Jem wake them up.
The Same Bones begins a follow-up series and should not be read as a standalone. Jem and Tean’s story starts in The Lamb and the Lion book one, The Same Breath.
386 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 16, 2026
23 people are currently reading
125 people want to read
About the author
Gregory Ashe
139 books1,826 followersI'm a long-time Midwesterner. I've lived in Chicago, Bloomington (IN), and Saint Louis, my current home. Aside from reading and writing (which take up a lot of my time), I'm an educator.
While I enjoy reading across many genres, my two main loves are mystery and speculative fiction. I used to keep a list of favorite books, but it changes so frequently that I've given up. I'm always looking for recommendations, though, so please drop me a line if you have something in mind!
My big goal right now is one day to be responsible enough to get a dog.
While I enjoy reading across many genres, my two main loves are mystery and speculative fiction. I used to keep a list of favorite books, but it changes so frequently that I've given up. I'm always looking for recommendations, though, so please drop me a line if you have something in mind!
My big goal right now is one day to be responsible enough to get a dog.
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Review of advance copy received from Author
Now that I've devoured pretty much every Gregory Ashe book ever published, it's amusing to go back to my old reviews of the earlier books to see where I was on the sane-to-feral spectrum when I first read them. Because in my head, I was feral about Jem and Tean from the drop. Yet reading those old reviews, they evince some shred of sanity. Huh.
Spoiler alert, friends: I am feral about this book.
No offense to Emery and J-H, or Shaw and North, or Theo and Auggie, or even my new blorbos, Gray and Sam, but Jem and Tean will always be my favorites. Jem is an absolute, well, gem: equal parts cynical survivor and kind-hearted, only partially housebroken puppy, he is intensely loyal, extremely devoted, and able to roll with the punches to an admirable -- and at times, self-destructive -- degree. Tean is more reserved and self-effacing, a natural catastrophizer, someone with a strong moral compass and a great deal of empathy but also, like Jem, a survivor -- though he doesn't really think of himself in those terms. While GA's other couples tend to have a lot of sharp edges in their relationship, Jem and Tean have always, even in moments of crisis and conflict, been softer with each other. There is real compassion, love, and tenderness in their interactions, and that was true even when their relationship was "only" platonic. Both men are funny, smart, and quick, but for the most part, their jabs are meant to amuse, not wound. They are each other's biggest fans and allies.
But that doesn't mean everything's perfect. The first series -- which you really should read before starting this one; rest assured, it's brilliant -- uses a string of unrelated crimes as the vehicle for exploring their evolving relationship: either Tean or Jem had a personal connection to each of the crimes, and the process of investigation reveals their backstories and how the traumas of their past play out and ramify in the present. It's all about trust -- how hard it its to earn, how easily it can be broken -- and communication, especially when it feels most terrifying. And the Big Bad -- in the emotional, if not criminal -- sense is Ammon, the most universally despised (with Tucker) piece of vile shit in the Hazardverse, the one fans would happily shove in front of a moving bus. Ammon, whom we all, at the end of book 3, assured ourselves would not haunt our pages again with his manipulative, emotionally abusive ways. I suspect you all know where I'm going with this.
Speaking of the end of book 3: it left our men in a tentatively hopeful place, finally together as a couple and starting to make plans for the future, even while Tean, in particular, struggled with the after-effects of what he was forced to do in order to save Jem's life. The post-book 3 short story, set a month afterwards, moves us more from HFN to HEA-territory; by the time we get to the crossover series Iron on Iron, they are much more solid, married, and with two foster kids.* Jem and Tean's installment in Iron on Iron was welcome reassurance that GA hasn't missed a beat in how he writes these two; even while they were thrown headlong into the Hazardverse-craziness, they still felt recognizably themselves, teasing and good-humored and at ease with each other.
That's maybe why this book, which picks up almost exactly a year after the end of book 3 (so, before Iron on Iron), at first feels like a slap in the face. Tean is in a way, way darker place emotionally than he was the last time we saw him, in I-on-I; while Jem, struggling to connect with and support his partner, is additionally feeling his sense of self and identity being chipped away by his job as car salesman, surrounded by ass-kissing colleagues and a particularly obnoxious boss. Into this already-tenuous situation comes an Ammon-shaped bomb: his arrest for, and confession to, the murder of a fellow Mormon, Brennon, who was preying sexually on Ammon's 15-year-old son, Daniel. At Ammon's request, Tean is dragged in; and Tean, though having gone no-contact with Ammon after the events of book 3, can't help but investigate the circumstances behind what both he, and Jem, find a suspicious confession.
Getting the big concern out of the way first: while Ammon is the catalyst for Tean and Jem's involvement, he is, for the most part, absent from the story. He definitely haunts it, in terms of the many ways he fucked up, manipulated, and mistreated Tean, his children, and his wife, and the legacy that his lying, narcissism, and homophobia has wrought. But this is not a re-tread of the twisted love triangle from the first series, and Ammon, while a presence in the background, is mostly off-page.
Another thing here, that I suspect could be divisive for some readers, is the way Tean and Jem differently talk about Brennon's crimes. That Daniel is a victim is stated clearly and unequivocally throughout. (For clarity, Brennon is a 40-something man with a wife and children of his own. We meet one of his other victims on-page, now legally an adult, and it is suggested that there may have been more. There is no indication that Brennon was victimizing his own children.) But while Tean can only understand Daniel as a groomed, abused child -- which, again, he very clearly is -- Jem tries to put himself in Daniel's headspace: as a kid who believed himself in requited love, as someone who feels more mature than he is told he is, as a closeted and unsupported gay boy who has certain ideas about queer love and relationships that don't fit the straight mold and that, in his mind, further legitimize the relationship. Tean feels despair for Daniel; Jem tries to understand him. Daniel reads the former as judgement, the latter as -- not affirmation, per se, but some kind of acceptance. It's a fascinating contrast in how the two men situate themselves against the world's evils -- in how they wrap their minds around what these depredations do to people, how people deal with them, and how they recover (or not). How much agency do victims have? When does sympathy feel like dismissal, or worse, condemnation? But what if acceptance is taken as approval?
Similar questions recur in Tean's despairing discussion of ghost nets, a tangent that, at first, feels like one of his patented catastrophe spirals, but which deepens into a meditation on his own pain and agency in an unforgiving world. Another extremely revealing insight comes when Jem deals with the fact that the murderer may be visiting onto his victims an even more twisted, extreme version of the horrors visited on him, and how this ties into issues around sexuality and free will. Something Jem has long been plagued by is his own teenaged victimization -- rape -- at the hands of fellow inmates in juvie, and the confusion this created in terms of his own sexuality. The moment when Tean grasps Jem's unspoken struggle is quietly powerful.
And rare, because the sad fact is, Tean isn't doing a great job of grasping things this book. Feel free to insert a sex joke; that's pretty much the only thing being inserted at the moment. Tean is something of a frustrating figure for long stretches of the book: obviously stuck, obviously struggling, and obviously -- to the reader, at least -- unable to give Jem what he needs in a partner, or to accept what Jem is giving him. And at a certain point, it almost feels like he's unwilling to do anything about any of it. This is unfair, given Tean's emotional state, but not necessarily untrue; it's only when Tean really sees how hurtful his actions are to Jem, and how much they feed into Jem's own insecurities and fears, that he feels equipped to take baby steps towards getting better.
While the mystery here is very solid -- and gross -- it's the quiet moments and honest conversations between Jem and Tean that are the payoff. Jem so desperately wants to connect with and be good for Tean that he hides his own discomfort and disgust with his job; Tean is so focused on his own pain and shame that he can't deal with anything beyond that. But their relationship, while under strain, is strong enough now that they manage to find these small points of connection and fellowship and hope, those moments that they can hold onto and build on while they pull their way out of the darkness. This is a very human, compassionate book, but also grounded in the reality that recovery from trauma is neither a short nor a one-way street. It's a gorgeous portrait of a love story that is still young, still vulnerable, but growing ever more rooted and strong each day.
I'm already on pins and needles for book 2, and that's only partly because, unlike the last series (but more in keeping with the other Hazardverse books), the crime arc in this one carries over. Crime, schmime -- we're in this for Tean and Jem (and Scipio, our beloved), and I can't wait for the next chapter in their story.
* Obligatory pedantic mention that the timeline established textually in book 1 of Iron on Iron, where Tean tells J-H that at that point they had "known each other almost three years" -- not been together, but "known each other" -- is a very tight fit with this timeline: they knew each other roughly a year before getting together at the end of book 3, this book is set a year later, and at this point they are neither married nor even thinking about fostering. I suppose that in less than a year, they could get married, get certified as foster parents, get a placement, and have the kids established enough in the family that they can leave them with Hannah while their weekend jaunt to Missouri turns into weeks away, but -- ugh to the foster kids storyline, is all I can say. I'm not anti-foster kids for these two, per se, it's the timing that bugs me: I want Jem and Tean to NOT rush shit, and have time together as a happy, functioning couple first. (Indeed, Jem notes in this book about how Scipio's presence covered up how little he and Tean were actually communicating, because they always had Scipio to talk about -- that is, they were conversing, but they weren't really saying anything. And then he further notes that this is probably what kids do for the straights. EXACTLY, JEM!!!!! Listen to your own smart self!!!!)
Anyway, I've always thought the foster-kids storyline was suss, precisely because it felt WAY too rushed in terms of their actual relationship. I can see wanting Jem and Tean to be parenting eventually -- not just because they are both caregivers, but also, specifically in the context of Iron on Iron, because parenting is a means of bonding with (most of) the other couples (e.g. the Emery-Tean convo). Selfishly, though, I would like them to have time to settle in as a couple first, without immediately piling on the stresses (and -- because it's relevant here -- financial burdens) of parenthood. And especially given where they are in this book, it just seems way too premature to think of imminently adding foster kids to the mix, even if you look beyond the "how the hell will Jem ever get approved to foster" issue. Although maybe the timeline has changed; it's noted in this book that it's 2019, and I don't know/ remember when Iron on Iron starts. (ETA: it starts August 2020, i.e. less than a year after this book. Le sigh. All right, decision made, I'm jossing these kids in my mind, and they will stay jossed until they appear on-page again in this or future series. Sorry, kids! You were very poorly thought-through!)
Disclosure: I'm on the author's ARC team, and I am also a Kickstarter backer of this series. I think these two facts cancel each other out monetarily, but [disclaimer, disclaimer].
Spoiler alert, friends: I am feral about this book.
No offense to Emery and J-H, or Shaw and North, or Theo and Auggie, or even my new blorbos, Gray and Sam, but Jem and Tean will always be my favorites. Jem is an absolute, well, gem: equal parts cynical survivor and kind-hearted, only partially housebroken puppy, he is intensely loyal, extremely devoted, and able to roll with the punches to an admirable -- and at times, self-destructive -- degree. Tean is more reserved and self-effacing, a natural catastrophizer, someone with a strong moral compass and a great deal of empathy but also, like Jem, a survivor -- though he doesn't really think of himself in those terms. While GA's other couples tend to have a lot of sharp edges in their relationship, Jem and Tean have always, even in moments of crisis and conflict, been softer with each other. There is real compassion, love, and tenderness in their interactions, and that was true even when their relationship was "only" platonic. Both men are funny, smart, and quick, but for the most part, their jabs are meant to amuse, not wound. They are each other's biggest fans and allies.
But that doesn't mean everything's perfect. The first series -- which you really should read before starting this one; rest assured, it's brilliant -- uses a string of unrelated crimes as the vehicle for exploring their evolving relationship: either Tean or Jem had a personal connection to each of the crimes, and the process of investigation reveals their backstories and how the traumas of their past play out and ramify in the present. It's all about trust -- how hard it its to earn, how easily it can be broken -- and communication, especially when it feels most terrifying. And the Big Bad -- in the emotional, if not criminal -- sense is Ammon, the most universally despised (with Tucker) piece of vile shit in the Hazardverse, the one fans would happily shove in front of a moving bus. Ammon, whom we all, at the end of book 3, assured ourselves would not haunt our pages again with his manipulative, emotionally abusive ways. I suspect you all know where I'm going with this.
Speaking of the end of book 3: it left our men in a tentatively hopeful place, finally together as a couple and starting to make plans for the future, even while Tean, in particular, struggled with the after-effects of what he was forced to do in order to save Jem's life. The post-book 3 short story, set a month afterwards, moves us more from HFN to HEA-territory; by the time we get to the crossover series Iron on Iron, they are much more solid, married, and with two foster kids.* Jem and Tean's installment in Iron on Iron was welcome reassurance that GA hasn't missed a beat in how he writes these two; even while they were thrown headlong into the Hazardverse-craziness, they still felt recognizably themselves, teasing and good-humored and at ease with each other.
That's maybe why this book, which picks up almost exactly a year after the end of book 3 (so, before Iron on Iron), at first feels like a slap in the face. Tean is in a way, way darker place emotionally than he was the last time we saw him, in I-on-I; while Jem, struggling to connect with and support his partner, is additionally feeling his sense of self and identity being chipped away by his job as car salesman, surrounded by ass-kissing colleagues and a particularly obnoxious boss. Into this already-tenuous situation comes an Ammon-shaped bomb: his arrest for, and confession to, the murder of a fellow Mormon, Brennon, who was preying sexually on Ammon's 15-year-old son, Daniel. At Ammon's request, Tean is dragged in; and Tean, though having gone no-contact with Ammon after the events of book 3, can't help but investigate the circumstances behind what both he, and Jem, find a suspicious confession.
Getting the big concern out of the way first: while Ammon is the catalyst for Tean and Jem's involvement, he is, for the most part, absent from the story. He definitely haunts it, in terms of the many ways he fucked up, manipulated, and mistreated Tean, his children, and his wife, and the legacy that his lying, narcissism, and homophobia has wrought. But this is not a re-tread of the twisted love triangle from the first series, and Ammon, while a presence in the background, is mostly off-page.
Another thing here, that I suspect could be divisive for some readers, is the way Tean and Jem differently talk about Brennon's crimes. That Daniel is a victim is stated clearly and unequivocally throughout. (For clarity, Brennon is a 40-something man with a wife and children of his own. We meet one of his other victims on-page, now legally an adult, and it is suggested that there may have been more. There is no indication that Brennon was victimizing his own children.) But while Tean can only understand Daniel as a groomed, abused child -- which, again, he very clearly is -- Jem tries to put himself in Daniel's headspace: as a kid who believed himself in requited love, as someone who feels more mature than he is told he is, as a closeted and unsupported gay boy who has certain ideas about queer love and relationships that don't fit the straight mold and that, in his mind, further legitimize the relationship. Tean feels despair for Daniel; Jem tries to understand him. Daniel reads the former as judgement, the latter as -- not affirmation, per se, but some kind of acceptance. It's a fascinating contrast in how the two men situate themselves against the world's evils -- in how they wrap their minds around what these depredations do to people, how people deal with them, and how they recover (or not). How much agency do victims have? When does sympathy feel like dismissal, or worse, condemnation? But what if acceptance is taken as approval?
Similar questions recur in Tean's despairing discussion of ghost nets, a tangent that, at first, feels like one of his patented catastrophe spirals, but which deepens into a meditation on his own pain and agency in an unforgiving world. Another extremely revealing insight comes when Jem deals with the fact that the murderer may be visiting onto his victims an even more twisted, extreme version of the horrors visited on him, and how this ties into issues around sexuality and free will. Something Jem has long been plagued by is his own teenaged victimization -- rape -- at the hands of fellow inmates in juvie, and the confusion this created in terms of his own sexuality. The moment when Tean grasps Jem's unspoken struggle is quietly powerful.
And rare, because the sad fact is, Tean isn't doing a great job of grasping things this book. Feel free to insert a sex joke; that's pretty much the only thing being inserted at the moment. Tean is something of a frustrating figure for long stretches of the book: obviously stuck, obviously struggling, and obviously -- to the reader, at least -- unable to give Jem what he needs in a partner, or to accept what Jem is giving him. And at a certain point, it almost feels like he's unwilling to do anything about any of it. This is unfair, given Tean's emotional state, but not necessarily untrue; it's only when Tean really sees how hurtful his actions are to Jem, and how much they feed into Jem's own insecurities and fears, that he feels equipped to take baby steps towards getting better.
While the mystery here is very solid -- and gross -- it's the quiet moments and honest conversations between Jem and Tean that are the payoff. Jem so desperately wants to connect with and be good for Tean that he hides his own discomfort and disgust with his job; Tean is so focused on his own pain and shame that he can't deal with anything beyond that. But their relationship, while under strain, is strong enough now that they manage to find these small points of connection and fellowship and hope, those moments that they can hold onto and build on while they pull their way out of the darkness. This is a very human, compassionate book, but also grounded in the reality that recovery from trauma is neither a short nor a one-way street. It's a gorgeous portrait of a love story that is still young, still vulnerable, but growing ever more rooted and strong each day.
I'm already on pins and needles for book 2, and that's only partly because, unlike the last series (but more in keeping with the other Hazardverse books), the crime arc in this one carries over. Crime, schmime -- we're in this for Tean and Jem (and Scipio, our beloved), and I can't wait for the next chapter in their story.
* Obligatory pedantic mention that the timeline established textually in book 1 of Iron on Iron, where Tean tells J-H that at that point they had "known each other almost three years" -- not been together, but "known each other" -- is a very tight fit with this timeline: they knew each other roughly a year before getting together at the end of book 3, this book is set a year later, and at this point they are neither married nor even thinking about fostering. I suppose that in less than a year, they could get married, get certified as foster parents, get a placement, and have the kids established enough in the family that they can leave them with Hannah while their weekend jaunt to Missouri turns into weeks away, but -- ugh to the foster kids storyline, is all I can say. I'm not anti-foster kids for these two, per se, it's the timing that bugs me: I want Jem and Tean to NOT rush shit, and have time together as a happy, functioning couple first. (Indeed, Jem notes in this book about how Scipio's presence covered up how little he and Tean were actually communicating, because they always had Scipio to talk about -- that is, they were conversing, but they weren't really saying anything. And then he further notes that this is probably what kids do for the straights. EXACTLY, JEM!!!!! Listen to your own smart self!!!!)
Anyway, I've always thought the foster-kids storyline was suss, precisely because it felt WAY too rushed in terms of their actual relationship. I can see wanting Jem and Tean to be parenting eventually -- not just because they are both caregivers, but also, specifically in the context of Iron on Iron, because parenting is a means of bonding with (most of) the other couples (e.g. the Emery-Tean convo). Selfishly, though, I would like them to have time to settle in as a couple first, without immediately piling on the stresses (and -- because it's relevant here -- financial burdens) of parenthood. And especially given where they are in this book, it just seems way too premature to think of imminently adding foster kids to the mix, even if you look beyond the "how the hell will Jem ever get approved to foster" issue. Although maybe the timeline has changed; it's noted in this book that it's 2019, and I don't know/ remember when Iron on Iron starts. (ETA: it starts August 2020, i.e. less than a year after this book. Le sigh. All right, decision made, I'm jossing these kids in my mind, and they will stay jossed until they appear on-page again in this or future series. Sorry, kids! You were very poorly thought-through!)
Disclosure: I'm on the author's ARC team, and I am also a Kickstarter backer of this series. I think these two facts cancel each other out monetarily, but [disclaimer, disclaimer].
February 15, 2026
Jem and Tean are back and they have fully cemented themselves as my favorite couple in the entire Hazardverse! Jem is my favorite character of Ashe’s and Tean is so sweet I just fell more in love with him.
This book takes place a year after the last book in the first arc of their stories. You have to read all of these books in order, you will not know any of the backstory of how these two met and all the hell they have already been through. This book also takes place before the Iron on Iron books. I am so happy because we will hopefully see how Jem and Tean evolved before The Face In The Water.
Since we last saw these two they now live together in a house and Jem is working as a car salesman while Tean is still at his job with the Department of Wildlife. They are both miserable, Jem hates his boss and Tean also hates his boss and the politics that he brings with him. I think it was so clever to have Jem be a car salesman since he is a con artist. What better job is there for him than selling cars? Except he’s gone and grown a conscience plus his boss, Little Dick (I love it), is, well, a dick. But he has a mortgage and he doesn’t want to let Tean down.
Tean is a mess after the last book. He feels so guilty for taking someone’s life even though he had no choice. He isn’t sleeping so he takes long walks at night and he is just not himself. When he gets a call from Ammon’s (ugh) wife that Ammon has been arrested and he told her to call Tean he immediately drops everything and runs to help. This doesn’t go over well with Jem but he also knows Tean so well and he understands why he felt the need to help.
This story deals with child sexual abuse but it doesn’t get graphic. That may still be a trigger for some. What I was happy about is that we never actually see Ammon in the story even though his presence is felt. His 15 year old son Daniel is involved and when he runs off and then is taken Tean cannot let this go.
Tean nearly broke my heart, he is drowning in guilt and he is so lost. Jem tries so hard to help him but he is also at a loss. Their communication was awesome, which is kind of rare in a GA book. These two just seem to have the healthiest relationship out of all Ashe’s couples. And Jem is amazing, he deals with so much from his past but he is always there for Tean and his relationship with Scipio is the cutest thing ever.
Thank you Gregory Ashe for writing more of these two. I tried to read this as slowly as possible but now I have to wait for the next book. I loved where this ended for Tean and Jem. I felt like this book was more about them than the case and the parallels were excellent.
I received an ARC for review
All thoughts and opinions are my own
This book takes place a year after the last book in the first arc of their stories. You have to read all of these books in order, you will not know any of the backstory of how these two met and all the hell they have already been through. This book also takes place before the Iron on Iron books. I am so happy because we will hopefully see how Jem and Tean evolved before The Face In The Water.
Since we last saw these two they now live together in a house and Jem is working as a car salesman while Tean is still at his job with the Department of Wildlife. They are both miserable, Jem hates his boss and Tean also hates his boss and the politics that he brings with him. I think it was so clever to have Jem be a car salesman since he is a con artist. What better job is there for him than selling cars? Except he’s gone and grown a conscience plus his boss, Little Dick (I love it), is, well, a dick. But he has a mortgage and he doesn’t want to let Tean down.
Tean is a mess after the last book. He feels so guilty for taking someone’s life even though he had no choice. He isn’t sleeping so he takes long walks at night and he is just not himself. When he gets a call from Ammon’s (ugh) wife that Ammon has been arrested and he told her to call Tean he immediately drops everything and runs to help. This doesn’t go over well with Jem but he also knows Tean so well and he understands why he felt the need to help.
This story deals with child sexual abuse but it doesn’t get graphic. That may still be a trigger for some. What I was happy about is that we never actually see Ammon in the story even though his presence is felt. His 15 year old son Daniel is involved and when he runs off and then is taken Tean cannot let this go.
Tean nearly broke my heart, he is drowning in guilt and he is so lost. Jem tries so hard to help him but he is also at a loss. Their communication was awesome, which is kind of rare in a GA book. These two just seem to have the healthiest relationship out of all Ashe’s couples. And Jem is amazing, he deals with so much from his past but he is always there for Tean and his relationship with Scipio is the cutest thing ever.
Thank you Gregory Ashe for writing more of these two. I tried to read this as slowly as possible but now I have to wait for the next book. I loved where this ended for Tean and Jem. I felt like this book was more about them than the case and the parallels were excellent.
I received an ARC for review
All thoughts and opinions are my own
February 17, 2026
JESUS FUCKING CHRIST FIVE STARS HE’S DONE IT AGAIN.
A new trilogy, set a year after their last book, The Same End, and we get to see the ways they’ve grown and the ways they’ve floundered since then, in moments between the horror and action of the murder mystery and disappearances they are trying to sort out.
The case is thrilling and creepy and fascinating and I cannot wait for book two. As always, I adore how elements of the case and world around them play into and inform character development and insights, and how they each respond to the case is so uniquely them.
I adore these guys and the way they provide safety and space for one another to be vulnerable and to make mistakes and to talk it out (eventually) in a way that feels so authentic and earned and them. Tean’s moments of processing through learning and sharing that knowledge late in the book are pure perfection.
Cannot recommend highly enough. I’ll definitely be returning to this when we get audio some day, but this was well worth picking up ASAP to read on ebook.
*Note: I’m a patron for Gregory Ashe’s Patreon and Kickstarted the book, so I got the chance to start the book a couple days early.
A new trilogy, set a year after their last book, The Same End, and we get to see the ways they’ve grown and the ways they’ve floundered since then, in moments between the horror and action of the murder mystery and disappearances they are trying to sort out.
The case is thrilling and creepy and fascinating and I cannot wait for book two. As always, I adore how elements of the case and world around them play into and inform character development and insights, and how they each respond to the case is so uniquely them.
I adore these guys and the way they provide safety and space for one another to be vulnerable and to make mistakes and to talk it out (eventually) in a way that feels so authentic and earned and them. Tean’s moments of processing through learning and sharing that knowledge late in the book are pure perfection.
Cannot recommend highly enough. I’ll definitely be returning to this when we get audio some day, but this was well worth picking up ASAP to read on ebook.
*Note: I’m a patron for Gregory Ashe’s Patreon and Kickstarted the book, so I got the chance to start the book a couple days early.
March 1, 2026
My babies are back! When it comes to the Hazardverse, I've always been partial to Jem and Tean. Something about them gets me in all the right ways 🥰
Unfortunately, real life has been insanely busy for me recently, and I've barely had time to read, much less write reviews. I read this over two weeks ago and all of the specific thoughts I had at the time have long since left my head 😂 I'll write up a proper review next time around.
I will say that this one was pretty dressing overall 🥲 Things did start looking up toward the end though, and I'm hopeful that the next two books in the series won't be quite so bleak 🤞🏻
Unfortunately, real life has been insanely busy for me recently, and I've barely had time to read, much less write reviews. I read this over two weeks ago and all of the specific thoughts I had at the time have long since left my head 😂 I'll write up a proper review next time around.
I will say that this one was pretty dressing overall 🥲 Things did start looking up toward the end though, and I'm hopeful that the next two books in the series won't be quite so bleak 🤞🏻
Review of advance copy received from Author
Jem and Tean are really having a tough time of it here. They are struggling individually and together about one year after the events in the previous series. And to put the disgusting icing on this sad cake, Ammon - that POS - drags Tean into his life again after he is arrested for confessing to murder. Even though that waste of air isn't on-page in this book, he sets things in motion that once again, Tean can't resist getting involved with.
The mystery is disturbing, dealing with the murder of a child groomer and the harm done to the victims of his crimes. While there is resolution in the storyline, there are also loose threads that will likely continue through the rest of the series.
There is also a path set for Jem and Tean moving forward and dealing with their traumas in a healthier way, especially for Tean dealing with his guilt over taking a life and his inability to completely sever ties with Ammon. Their relationhip is strong and there are some tender moments. I do appreciate that although they hold so much back, they do eventually wind up talking honestly about things. And I agree with Jem about missing Tean's doom spirals that treat us to a stream of horrifying facts.
While I was feeling good at the end, I read the teaser for the next book and
Received early via Author's Kickstarter
*******
If you don't know how much I despise Ammon you haven't been reading my reviews (and yes, for the record, I 100% believe he is capable of murder)! Jem & Tean are second only to Hazard & Somerset as far as my fave GA couples go so obviously I can't wait to read this one.
The mystery is disturbing, dealing with the murder of a child groomer and the harm done to the victims of his crimes. While there is resolution in the storyline, there are also loose threads that will likely continue through the rest of the series.
There is also a path set for Jem and Tean moving forward and dealing with their traumas in a healthier way, especially for Tean dealing with his guilt over taking a life and his inability to completely sever ties with Ammon. Their relationhip is strong and there are some tender moments. I do appreciate that although they hold so much back, they do eventually wind up talking honestly about things. And I agree with Jem about missing Tean's doom spirals that treat us to a stream of horrifying facts.
While I was feeling good at the end, I read the teaser for the next book and
Received early via Author's Kickstarter
*******
If you don't know how much I despise Ammon you haven't been reading my reviews (and yes, for the record, I 100% believe he is capable of murder)! Jem & Tean are second only to Hazard & Somerset as far as my fave GA couples go so obviously I can't wait to read this one.
Read
November 23, 2025Coming February 16, 2026!
Beep beep boop, Jem & Tean are back! (So is a familiar, unwelcome face according to the blurb, but I’ll try my best to forget about them for the time being 😂) A long-awaited follow-up to the final events of The Same End, and the bridge between their first arc and Iron on Iron is on the horizon. I cannot contain my excitement for being launched back into the throes of existential contemplation with the two softest characters known to man.
Beep beep boop, Jem & Tean are back! (So is a familiar, unwelcome face according to the blurb, but I’ll try my best to forget about them for the time being 😂) A long-awaited follow-up to the final events of The Same End, and the bridge between their first arc and Iron on Iron is on the horizon. I cannot contain my excitement for being launched back into the throes of existential contemplation with the two softest characters known to man.
February 28, 2026
4.5. This was tough, as evidenced by how long it took me to read it. Tean is the GA character I find the most frustrating, & he is at an all time high for it in this book. Every action (or inaction, or inability to say something necessary) is completely understandable given all the trauma, both lifelong & more recently, that he has endured, but it makes him so hard to read about, & then I feel bad for being frustrated with him. Jem also does not do the best with dealing with his shit, but he at least tries to connect & fix what is going on. The mystery is also pretty awful, but treated with some interesting nuance that I think is really interesting to ponder. Jem & Tean are not my guys the way the other Hazardverse couples are, but I always love reading about them, & I’m looking forward to where this all goes!
February 16, 2026
A Joyfully Jay review.
4.5 stars
The Same Bones is the first book in Gregory Ashe’s new The Lamb and the Lion: Wolves Among Us series. This series launches a new chapter in the Lamb and the Lion universe, following the original The Lamb and the Lion series where we were introduced to Jem and Tean. This format is common for many of Ashe’s series and this newest installment is definitely meant to be read by those familiar with the original series. This is one of my favorites from Ashe, as I just love the dynamic between Jem and Tean, so I was thrilled to learn the author was launching this new series.
I really loved this one and I am so excited that Ashe is bringing us back to this couple and this world. If you haven’t read these books, definitely start with The Same Breath, and fans of the series are going to find a lot to enjoy here.
Read Jay’s review in its entirety here.
4.5 stars
The Same Bones is the first book in Gregory Ashe’s new The Lamb and the Lion: Wolves Among Us series. This series launches a new chapter in the Lamb and the Lion universe, following the original The Lamb and the Lion series where we were introduced to Jem and Tean. This format is common for many of Ashe’s series and this newest installment is definitely meant to be read by those familiar with the original series. This is one of my favorites from Ashe, as I just love the dynamic between Jem and Tean, so I was thrilled to learn the author was launching this new series.
I really loved this one and I am so excited that Ashe is bringing us back to this couple and this world. If you haven’t read these books, definitely start with The Same Breath, and fans of the series are going to find a lot to enjoy here.
Read Jay’s review in its entirety here.
March 10, 2026
So glad to see Jem and Tean still together. This story was deeply moving, and had me on the verge of angry and sad tears. Jem and Tean's relationship issues, the mystery and, the plot involving Daniel all combined to tell an important, powerful and meaningful story.
February 16, 2026
Ah, these two! ♥
This book is set one year later The Same End ends, and, from the very beginning, we can see Tean is struggling with the trauma of killing a man to save Jem. And Jem isn't doing a lot better, although, in his case, it's about a job he despises, a job that is slowly erasing his will to do better; he feels like he's losing himself. And yet, he can't let it go because now he is a responsible adult, he has obligations, he has a mortgage, for Christ's sake!
So things between them are... strained. Jem can't reach Tean, and Tean seems unable to accept any help. He can't sleep, he's not eating, and he's not talking about his burden. Add to that that his job doesn't provide a refuge, either, with a new boss who's the equivalent of Jem's Little Dick boss, and yes, you can imagine life is getting harder and harder for both of them.
And then... Ammon is back in their lives. Tean gets a call from Lucy: Ammon has been arrested for murder, and he has confessed. The victim is a fellow Mormon who was sexually preying on Ammon's 15-year-old son, Daniel. So, yeah... let me tell you: I totally believed that Ammon could have done it. Jem thought Ammon did it. Ammon's wife thought he did it. The police was 100% sure he did it. Tean... didn't *sighs* And now, Daniel is gone, which is the breaking point; they can't leave it alone now.
So they investigate and soon discover that Daniel wasn't the only victim, but in doing so, they end up on the police's radar and become suspects. *bangs head against the desk*
I won't go into more details about the plot except to say that while investigating, they come to think this is not a murder commited by personal reasons. No, a serial killer is prowling the gay community, and he's the one who took Brennon's life.
But aside from the murder plot, we have this current going through the book about trauma, Tean's and Jem's interlaced with the facts they are uncovering. Daniel's and Kazen's (a previous Brennon's victim) view of their relationship with their abuser brings memories from Jem's past. Tean's nocturnal walks awaken Jem's fear of abandonment. Lucy and Daniel's reproaches feed Tean's guilt about his relationship with Ammon. There is such emotional turmoil going on for everyone involved...
And yet, Tean and Jem manage to overcome all their fears and talk about what they are feeling. I love how Tean explains what he's feeling, how deeply he was affected by taking a life, how this has changed (again!) the way he sees himself.
By the end of the book, we know dangerous people are roaming around. Ammon might be free, the serial killer dealt with, but murderous foes are uncaught. I have the feeling we'll be hearing about them in the next books of the series.
Tean has decided to talk to a therapist to deal with all his issues, but I love that his main issue at the moment is how to get rid of Ammon. He refuses to talk to him, has blocked him, but can't truly beat the emotional chains created when he was a teenager and feels bad for setting boundaries. And even worse for feeling bad about it. But he's willing to work on all these issues. Because he loves Jem ♥
And the final chapter is gorgeous. Saving the wolf is more than an act of kindness; it's a symbol of hope, and I love it.
I can hardly wait for the next book to come out.
This book is set one year later The Same End ends, and, from the very beginning, we can see Tean is struggling with the trauma of killing a man to save Jem. And Jem isn't doing a lot better, although, in his case, it's about a job he despises, a job that is slowly erasing his will to do better; he feels like he's losing himself. And yet, he can't let it go because now he is a responsible adult, he has obligations, he has a mortgage, for Christ's sake!
So things between them are... strained. Jem can't reach Tean, and Tean seems unable to accept any help. He can't sleep, he's not eating, and he's not talking about his burden. Add to that that his job doesn't provide a refuge, either, with a new boss who's the equivalent of Jem's Little Dick boss, and yes, you can imagine life is getting harder and harder for both of them.
And then... Ammon is back in their lives. Tean gets a call from Lucy: Ammon has been arrested for murder, and he has confessed. The victim is a fellow Mormon who was sexually preying on Ammon's 15-year-old son, Daniel. So, yeah... let me tell you: I totally believed that Ammon could have done it. Jem thought Ammon did it. Ammon's wife thought he did it. The police was 100% sure he did it. Tean... didn't *sighs* And now, Daniel is gone, which is the breaking point; they can't leave it alone now.
So they investigate and soon discover that Daniel wasn't the only victim, but in doing so, they end up on the police's radar and become suspects. *bangs head against the desk*
I won't go into more details about the plot except to say that while investigating, they come to think this is not a murder commited by personal reasons. No, a serial killer is prowling the gay community, and he's the one who took Brennon's life.
But aside from the murder plot, we have this current going through the book about trauma, Tean's and Jem's interlaced with the facts they are uncovering. Daniel's and Kazen's (a previous Brennon's victim) view of their relationship with their abuser brings memories from Jem's past. Tean's nocturnal walks awaken Jem's fear of abandonment. Lucy and Daniel's reproaches feed Tean's guilt about his relationship with Ammon. There is such emotional turmoil going on for everyone involved...
And yet, Tean and Jem manage to overcome all their fears and talk about what they are feeling. I love how Tean explains what he's feeling, how deeply he was affected by taking a life, how this has changed (again!) the way he sees himself.
"Camus says—well, this character says—that what he can do is be on the side of the victims. Help other people. Work against the suffering and death and meaninglessness of the world.” Tean’s throat tightened. “I can’t change the fact that we live in this world that’s built on death and suffering. I can’t change how people think they’re supposed to live. I can’t even change the fact that I’m part of it. But I can do something different in the future. I can help. I can be better.”
By the end of the book, we know dangerous people are roaming around. Ammon might be free, the serial killer dealt with, but murderous foes are uncaught. I have the feeling we'll be hearing about them in the next books of the series.
Tean has decided to talk to a therapist to deal with all his issues, but I love that his main issue at the moment is how to get rid of Ammon. He refuses to talk to him, has blocked him, but can't truly beat the emotional chains created when he was a teenager and feels bad for setting boundaries. And even worse for feeling bad about it. But he's willing to work on all these issues. Because he loves Jem ♥
And the final chapter is gorgeous. Saving the wolf is more than an act of kindness; it's a symbol of hope, and I love it.
I can hardly wait for the next book to come out.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Nobody following the story of Jem Berger and Teancum Leon in the previous "Lamb and the Lion" books could possibly imagine that Tean would easily come to terms with having killed someone, not even if he did it to save someone else’s life, not even if that someone was Jem. And yet Jem’s closing words in “The Same End” — “But this isn’t the end. It’s the beginning” — left me, at least, believing that Tean would, somehow or other, be doing okay pretty soon.
I should have been listening harder for ambiguity: in the last moment of “The Same End,” Tean isn't at the end of his struggle, but at its beginning. When “The Same Bones” opens, nearly a year has passed, during which Tean has been sleepless, wretched, feeling as if “someone else [is] talking out of his mouth,” as if “someone else [is] piloting his body sometimes.” He’s drawn away from his own life. Not only is Jem unable to help, but also, in one of the most breathtakingly painful and telling moments in this book, Tean does the unimaginable: he snaps at Scipio. (Good thing Jem has, if not gotten over his fear of dogs in general, at least come to trust and love Scipio: they spend a lot of time napping on the couch together.)
As for Jem, Tean’s emotional absence and his solitary middle-of-the-night walks have brought up all his terror of abandonment. He’s trying to keep it together in his job selling used cars — he would have been happier making an honest living as a conman — reminding himself of their mortgage, believing he has to be the perfect patient responsible partner because the one whom he loves and depends on will otherwise, inevitably, leave him.
Oh yeah. Also, Tean has a new boss, who’s completely unqualified for anything except emitting faux bonhomie and sucking up to bigtime ranchers. That is, to a particular bigtime rancher who wants to go a-huntin’ and so is pressuring Tean to declare that a cow dead of natural causes has actually been killed by a lone wolf. A wolf who kills cattle may be killed despite being a member of an endangered species, so come on, Dr. Leon, make nice!
Spoiler alert: Dr. Leon does not make nice.
Wait, there’s more. To wit, a sexual abuser of adolescent boys has been murdered, and who has confessed but none other than Ammon Young. Detective Young is known to us of old as the man who sexually and emotionally exploited Tean for years; he has a gay son, Daniel, who’s among the dead abuser’s victims. Plenty of motive there.
Tean, being Tean, wants to help Ammon, and even Jem, who righteously and correctly detests the man, can see that the case against him stinks. “I want to help Ammon,” Jem admits, “which is honestly a sentence I never thought I’d say unless it ended with ‘into a wood chipper.’” Same, Jem, same.
As usual in a Gregory Ashe mystery plot, it turns out that there’s much more going on than a single murder, and that “much more” is also much, much uglier. On the up side, their shared danger, and the emotions brought to the surface by the facts of the case, get Tean and Jem to talk honestly about their suffering over the past year. Nothing can easily be fixed, but “The Same Bones” ends on a moment of transcendent beauty and hope.
... Though there are monsters remaining to be caught. Can't wait for the next book? Yep, me either.
Thanks to GA for the ARC; this review reflects my honest opinions.
I should have been listening harder for ambiguity: in the last moment of “The Same End,” Tean isn't at the end of his struggle, but at its beginning. When “The Same Bones” opens, nearly a year has passed, during which Tean has been sleepless, wretched, feeling as if “someone else [is] talking out of his mouth,” as if “someone else [is] piloting his body sometimes.” He’s drawn away from his own life. Not only is Jem unable to help, but also, in one of the most breathtakingly painful and telling moments in this book, Tean does the unimaginable: he snaps at Scipio. (Good thing Jem has, if not gotten over his fear of dogs in general, at least come to trust and love Scipio: they spend a lot of time napping on the couch together.)
As for Jem, Tean’s emotional absence and his solitary middle-of-the-night walks have brought up all his terror of abandonment. He’s trying to keep it together in his job selling used cars — he would have been happier making an honest living as a conman — reminding himself of their mortgage, believing he has to be the perfect patient responsible partner because the one whom he loves and depends on will otherwise, inevitably, leave him.
Oh yeah. Also, Tean has a new boss, who’s completely unqualified for anything except emitting faux bonhomie and sucking up to bigtime ranchers. That is, to a particular bigtime rancher who wants to go a-huntin’ and so is pressuring Tean to declare that a cow dead of natural causes has actually been killed by a lone wolf. A wolf who kills cattle may be killed despite being a member of an endangered species, so come on, Dr. Leon, make nice!
Spoiler alert: Dr. Leon does not make nice.
Wait, there’s more. To wit, a sexual abuser of adolescent boys has been murdered, and who has confessed but none other than Ammon Young. Detective Young is known to us of old as the man who sexually and emotionally exploited Tean for years; he has a gay son, Daniel, who’s among the dead abuser’s victims. Plenty of motive there.
Tean, being Tean, wants to help Ammon, and even Jem, who righteously and correctly detests the man, can see that the case against him stinks. “I want to help Ammon,” Jem admits, “which is honestly a sentence I never thought I’d say unless it ended with ‘into a wood chipper.’” Same, Jem, same.
As usual in a Gregory Ashe mystery plot, it turns out that there’s much more going on than a single murder, and that “much more” is also much, much uglier. On the up side, their shared danger, and the emotions brought to the surface by the facts of the case, get Tean and Jem to talk honestly about their suffering over the past year. Nothing can easily be fixed, but “The Same Bones” ends on a moment of transcendent beauty and hope.
... Though there are monsters remaining to be caught. Can't wait for the next book? Yep, me either.
Thanks to GA for the ARC; this review reflects my honest opinions.
February 24, 2026
I was so excited for this book’s release. Jem and Tean are my fav of Ashe’s core couples and the ones we’ve seen the least of, so I was thrilled when he announced there’d be more. And, after the cozy-sweet Last Picks (which I also loved – Dash, never change), I was ready to return to some patented GA angst. Which I got. In spades.
The Same Bones picks up a year after The Same End. As others have noted, it was a bit jarring to get thrown back after reading the Iron on Iron series (set a couple years ahead of The Same Bones) in which both men are in a relatively good place. Because in The Same Bones they are decidedly not in a good place. Tean is struggling with the guilt and horror of having killed a man and Jem is trying his best to support Tean and to fit into a conventional life the way he believes is necessary if he wants to be with Tean.
Tean is heart-breaking, consumed by guilt and trauma, wandering outside at night because he’s tormented by dreams and thoughts of what happened, and unable to talk about any of it. He’s numbed out, full of shame, and has largely gone somewhere where Jem can’t reach him.
And Jem, my sweet baby Jem, is trying so hard. He keeps reaching out but hitting the wall of Tean’s trauma. And he keeps trying to fit the mould of everyman - getting a job, doing things on the up-and-up, being consistent so he can pay the mortgage – without completely losing his soul. But his struggles with this and Tean’s distance have all his own issues flaring up and Jem’s fears of abandonment are pushing on him hard.
Seriously, my heart nearly didn’t survive.
There is a mystery. Ammon is involved (NO!!!!) but only tangentially and isn’t really on page at all (YES!!!!!). His son, Daniel, is at the heart of it though. There is sexual abuse (off-page) in this one and significant discussion about a predatory sexual relationship between a man and a minor. There is also a scene towards the end that is brief but somewhat gory and though it fit the plot well and wasn’t overdone, it threw me for a bit of a loop.
Overall, this book was exactly what I wanted. Tean and Jem with all their trauma but also all their softness (oh, these men!), struggling with the hurt but finding their way back to each other, always. And Scipio. Honestly, I think Scipio might be my fav side character of all time. Can’t wait for book two!
Disclosure: I received an ARC of ths book to review.
The Same Bones picks up a year after The Same End. As others have noted, it was a bit jarring to get thrown back after reading the Iron on Iron series (set a couple years ahead of The Same Bones) in which both men are in a relatively good place. Because in The Same Bones they are decidedly not in a good place. Tean is struggling with the guilt and horror of having killed a man and Jem is trying his best to support Tean and to fit into a conventional life the way he believes is necessary if he wants to be with Tean.
Tean is heart-breaking, consumed by guilt and trauma, wandering outside at night because he’s tormented by dreams and thoughts of what happened, and unable to talk about any of it. He’s numbed out, full of shame, and has largely gone somewhere where Jem can’t reach him.
And Jem, my sweet baby Jem, is trying so hard. He keeps reaching out but hitting the wall of Tean’s trauma. And he keeps trying to fit the mould of everyman - getting a job, doing things on the up-and-up, being consistent so he can pay the mortgage – without completely losing his soul. But his struggles with this and Tean’s distance have all his own issues flaring up and Jem’s fears of abandonment are pushing on him hard.
Seriously, my heart nearly didn’t survive.
There is a mystery. Ammon is involved (NO!!!!) but only tangentially and isn’t really on page at all (YES!!!!!). His son, Daniel, is at the heart of it though. There is sexual abuse (off-page) in this one and significant discussion about a predatory sexual relationship between a man and a minor. There is also a scene towards the end that is brief but somewhat gory and though it fit the plot well and wasn’t overdone, it threw me for a bit of a loop.
Overall, this book was exactly what I wanted. Tean and Jem with all their trauma but also all their softness (oh, these men!), struggling with the hurt but finding their way back to each other, always. And Scipio. Honestly, I think Scipio might be my fav side character of all time. Can’t wait for book two!
Disclosure: I received an ARC of ths book to review.
Review of advance copy received from Author
I have been pretty much feral waiting for this series ever since we got to see future Tean and Jem in the Iron series. Somehow, I forgot that things were not settled in a meaningful way and there is a LOT these two still have to go through to get to that point. And I am sat. I am here ready to devour every single word.
If you're looking for a book with nice mature conversation...please look further. These two would rather do just about anything else than confront and discuss their feelings. BUT, it would not make sense for them to be any different. We're still deeply dealing with both their traumas, and they don't want to do anything that will scare the other off. It's a deeply relatable feeling, even if at times I just wanted them to talk it out so they know how much they were there for each other!! Still, trust the process, because we end in SUCH a better place for both of them and I'm so ready to watch them grow and evolve together.
Now the mystery. I'm ALWAYS down for an Ashe mystery. Sure, this one brought Ammon back into my life (blech), but it was still interesting and sets up a through line that I'm so interested to explore. There are some super dark themes here, but that's very typical for Ashe, so I was not surprised.
Another great start, and I'm so eager for what comes next.
If you're looking for a book with nice mature conversation...please look further. These two would rather do just about anything else than confront and discuss their feelings. BUT, it would not make sense for them to be any different. We're still deeply dealing with both their traumas, and they don't want to do anything that will scare the other off. It's a deeply relatable feeling, even if at times I just wanted them to talk it out so they know how much they were there for each other!! Still, trust the process, because we end in SUCH a better place for both of them and I'm so ready to watch them grow and evolve together.
Now the mystery. I'm ALWAYS down for an Ashe mystery. Sure, this one brought Ammon back into my life (blech), but it was still interesting and sets up a through line that I'm so interested to explore. There are some super dark themes here, but that's very typical for Ashe, so I was not surprised.
Another great start, and I'm so eager for what comes next.
March 14, 2026
I'm new to Gregory Ashe, and when I started The Lamb and the Lion series two weeks ago, I didn't know what I was in for. Immediately I was hooked and have devoured everything Jem and Tean related I can get my hands on. When I saw a new book had just dropped, I was beside myself with joy.
This is, in my opinion, the best one so far. I've loved everything that came before it (I had a few issues with the third book, but not enough to stop me). Jem and Tean are characters I've come to care about so much, even when I want to grab them by the shoulders and shake them out of frustration. There came a moment in the latter half of the book when the two finally had the confrontation about their feelings I'd been dying for. I read those two chapters twice because it was so beautifully handled. The mystery is also probably the strongest in the series as well, although I do find myself stopping to wonder why the two don't just step back from the crime and take a vacation. I mean, it's just Ammon in jail after all. He can stay there…
But I digress.
I can be a bit of a cynic. I do not swoon. I do not ship fictional characters. When I put down a book, I can separate my emotions about the book with the real world. But this thing- these two characters Gregory Ashe has created, they got me. And I'm absolutely delighted.
This is, in my opinion, the best one so far. I've loved everything that came before it (I had a few issues with the third book, but not enough to stop me). Jem and Tean are characters I've come to care about so much, even when I want to grab them by the shoulders and shake them out of frustration. There came a moment in the latter half of the book when the two finally had the confrontation about their feelings I'd been dying for. I read those two chapters twice because it was so beautifully handled. The mystery is also probably the strongest in the series as well, although I do find myself stopping to wonder why the two don't just step back from the crime and take a vacation. I mean, it's just Ammon in jail after all. He can stay there…
But I digress.
I can be a bit of a cynic. I do not swoon. I do not ship fictional characters. When I put down a book, I can separate my emotions about the book with the real world. But this thing- these two characters Gregory Ashe has created, they got me. And I'm absolutely delighted.
February 16, 2026
This is the sequel that Tean and Jem deserve
This is everything that T&J's fans hoped, wished, dreamed it could be.
I wasn't sure it would be possible to match the excellence of the first series. It was my first GA read and it's always stayed special to me. On reread I saw that I hadn't painted an ideal version of the books in my head : they were "that good". So much care in the building of the story, so much love for the characters, so much beauty in the writing.
This second season takes all the elements that made J&T standout as (unofficial) favourites to the next level. I've read this book 3 times by now and I'm still appreciating new angles, new meanings. I'm still hit by waves of emotion. And I still stop to marvel at some of the sentences.
If you've never read one of Gregory's books, I'd advise you to start with Tean and Jem's first series The Lamb and the Lion and to follow them here. You won't regret it.
PS : if this review sounds weirdly sedate and "normal" compared to my usual GA reviews, it's because I have pneumonia and can barely stand but I didn't want to miss publishing day. Thank you to the author for another wonderful book
This is everything that T&J's fans hoped, wished, dreamed it could be.
I wasn't sure it would be possible to match the excellence of the first series. It was my first GA read and it's always stayed special to me. On reread I saw that I hadn't painted an ideal version of the books in my head : they were "that good". So much care in the building of the story, so much love for the characters, so much beauty in the writing.
This second season takes all the elements that made J&T standout as (unofficial) favourites to the next level. I've read this book 3 times by now and I'm still appreciating new angles, new meanings. I'm still hit by waves of emotion. And I still stop to marvel at some of the sentences.
If you've never read one of Gregory's books, I'd advise you to start with Tean and Jem's first series The Lamb and the Lion and to follow them here. You won't regret it.
PS : if this review sounds weirdly sedate and "normal" compared to my usual GA reviews, it's because I have pneumonia and can barely stand but I didn't want to miss publishing day. Thank you to the author for another wonderful book
March 18, 2026
Jem and Tean are back, only this series is set before the Iron on Iron series.
Classic Gregory Ashe, his sweet characters are put through the Angst-Of-Life wringer (yes, it is capitalized!)
This is not a romantic story where everything is roses, and both characters are happy and smiling at each other with hearts in their eyes. Life is tough, and sometimes it throws us a curve ball that you never see coming.
Due to the amazing storytelling, character development, long arcing story lines, Jem and Tean are able to be grown ups, and talk through their concerns. Scipio is the shining star side character in their story, and the love Jem shares with him makes me laugh, and swoon (Jem had to rush through the evening welcome home routine, giving Scipio only one million kisses, instead of the usual 10 million).
There are so many laugh out loud moments (the fish cannon, Scipio wanting to go McDonalds because he wanted a "good breakfast", Jem calling Tean the various made up versions of his full name, Tean's doom spiraling and the hilarious fast food choices from Jem).
There is a HFN ending, but it leads into the next book, and I cannot WAIT to get my hands on it!
Classic Gregory Ashe, his sweet characters are put through the Angst-Of-Life wringer (yes, it is capitalized!)
This is not a romantic story where everything is roses, and both characters are happy and smiling at each other with hearts in their eyes. Life is tough, and sometimes it throws us a curve ball that you never see coming.
Due to the amazing storytelling, character development, long arcing story lines, Jem and Tean are able to be grown ups, and talk through their concerns. Scipio is the shining star side character in their story, and the love Jem shares with him makes me laugh, and swoon (Jem had to rush through the evening welcome home routine, giving Scipio only one million kisses, instead of the usual 10 million).
There are so many laugh out loud moments (the fish cannon, Scipio wanting to go McDonalds because he wanted a "good breakfast", Jem calling Tean the various made up versions of his full name, Tean's doom spiraling and the hilarious fast food choices from Jem).
There is a HFN ending, but it leads into the next book, and I cannot WAIT to get my hands on it!
Review of advance copy received from Author
I’ve been excited for this series, and The Same Bones absolutely delivers. This is one of Gregory Ashe’s strongest plots in a while, and it's paired with the emotional depth that keeps me coming back to his books. Tean and Jem are true couple goals: completely different personalities, but always showing up for each other—even when both of them are struggling individually and pulling away is their first instinct.
This story follows the events of The Lamb and the Lion trilogy, so new readers should start with The Same Breath. While that trilogy featured mostly standalone cases, The Wolves Among Us looks to have a more continuous, overarching plot, which I’m really enjoying so far. This doesn't end in a cliffhanger, but it has plenty of unanswered questions and lingering tension to keep me counting down to the next book.
This story follows the events of The Lamb and the Lion trilogy, so new readers should start with The Same Breath. While that trilogy featured mostly standalone cases, The Wolves Among Us looks to have a more continuous, overarching plot, which I’m really enjoying so far. This doesn't end in a cliffhanger, but it has plenty of unanswered questions and lingering tension to keep me counting down to the next book.
March 30, 2026
After the traumatizing events in “The Same End”, Tean and Jem are trying to make things work, pretending everything is good... But some things, once broken, are really difficult to mend, and Tean’s soul seems one of those things...
Tean and Jem are back! I love these two so much! I decided to re-read the Lion and the Lamb before starting this new chapter in their relationship. I think that’s why it was so difficult watching them struggling with their relationship in this book. The easy banter, the humour, the “teanness” that makes him so special... they are all gone, in their place there are silences, absences, and a lot of despair... And yet, their love for each other transpires in every single line...
So it was painful, it was difficult to read, it was despairing… and yet, I loved it. The mystery is solid, as always, narrative enjoyable, the pace steady and relentless, it keeps you hooked from the start... But it is Tean and Jem and their relationship what makes it worth it.
I’m looking forward to the next chapter!
Tean and Jem are back! I love these two so much! I decided to re-read the Lion and the Lamb before starting this new chapter in their relationship. I think that’s why it was so difficult watching them struggling with their relationship in this book. The easy banter, the humour, the “teanness” that makes him so special... they are all gone, in their place there are silences, absences, and a lot of despair... And yet, their love for each other transpires in every single line...
So it was painful, it was difficult to read, it was despairing… and yet, I loved it. The mystery is solid, as always, narrative enjoyable, the pace steady and relentless, it keeps you hooked from the start... But it is Tean and Jem and their relationship what makes it worth it.
I’m looking forward to the next chapter!
Review of advance copy received from Author
Same Bones is much darker than Gregory Ashe’s more recent Last Picks series, and it leans fully into the kind of story he does best.
This may be some of his darkest work yet, particularly when it comes to the crime element.
I loved being back with Jem and Tean, especially seeing the aftereffects of where the previous series left them. We know Greg doesn’t shy away from consequences, and I really appreciated how he addressed long- standing issues like Teans ‘affair’ with Ammon and the toll it’s taken on Ammons wife and family.
What stood out most to me, though, was the handling of depression and PTSD.
Reading Tean’s struggles was hard, but what stayed with me even more was Jem’s perspective, the loneliness of loving someone who is suffering so deeply and being unable to fix it.( Needless to say , a tear or two were shed)
This was an excellent read, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Bring on the next one.
This may be some of his darkest work yet, particularly when it comes to the crime element.
I loved being back with Jem and Tean, especially seeing the aftereffects of where the previous series left them. We know Greg doesn’t shy away from consequences, and I really appreciated how he addressed long- standing issues like Teans ‘affair’ with Ammon and the toll it’s taken on Ammons wife and family.
What stood out most to me, though, was the handling of depression and PTSD.
Reading Tean’s struggles was hard, but what stayed with me even more was Jem’s perspective, the loneliness of loving someone who is suffering so deeply and being unable to fix it.( Needless to say , a tear or two were shed)
This was an excellent read, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Bring on the next one.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Missed Tean and Jem so much-lovely to have them back, at least in shadow form. No spoilers, but the weight of their previous adventures weighs heavy in this book, lifted only by the love and respect they have for each other. And that is beautiful.
This series is off to a powerful start…sinister external forces, complex relationship dynamics, generations of families destroyed by hate and betrayal, and a series of disturbing crimes. All told with rich dialogue, stunning settings, and over more than one fast food meal. Oh yeah, love. At its core, this crime thriller is a poignant love story. Another incredible novel from Gregory Ashe.
This series is off to a powerful start…sinister external forces, complex relationship dynamics, generations of families destroyed by hate and betrayal, and a series of disturbing crimes. All told with rich dialogue, stunning settings, and over more than one fast food meal. Oh yeah, love. At its core, this crime thriller is a poignant love story. Another incredible novel from Gregory Ashe.
February 19, 2026
The Iron on Iron series was the first time I met these characters and I loved them. I think I’m definitely a little confused on overall timelines (children?) and where we are here, but I am sure I could find it somewhere if I put more effort into it so this is a me issue. Fortunately for me, I am just along for the ride and assume it’ll come together at some point.
4 stars—I enjoyed but I think the beginning of a new series is always a hard one for me because there is so much to set up and I am impatient and don’t like sad characters who are just at the beginning of their character arc. I’m excited for the next one to come out!
4 stars—I enjoyed but I think the beginning of a new series is always a hard one for me because there is so much to set up and I am impatient and don’t like sad characters who are just at the beginning of their character arc. I’m excited for the next one to come out!
February 21, 2026
Otro fabuloso libro de Gregory Ashe (con su buena dosis de infartos).
Estoy tan feliz de volver con Jem y Tean (quienes son mi segunda pareja favorita del Hazardverse), más aún sabiendo las cosas que pasan en Iron on Iron. Ya quiero ver cuánto avanza la historia para ponerse al día con la línea temporal actual del Hazardverse.
Ya debería estar acostumbrada al estres de estos libros, pero nope. Sigo estresada y con el cuerpo tenso mientras leo esto. Solo tengo que confiar en el proceso.
Además del horror del caso en sí, no esperaba quedar TAN enojada con todo el tema laboral. Entiendo esode tener jefes malditos aprovechadores, así que fuerza Jem y Tean.
Estoy tan feliz de volver con Jem y Tean (quienes son mi segunda pareja favorita del Hazardverse), más aún sabiendo las cosas que pasan en Iron on Iron. Ya quiero ver cuánto avanza la historia para ponerse al día con la línea temporal actual del Hazardverse.
Ya debería estar acostumbrada al estres de estos libros, pero nope. Sigo estresada y con el cuerpo tenso mientras leo esto. Solo tengo que confiar en el proceso.
Además del horror del caso en sí, no esperaba quedar TAN enojada con todo el tema laboral. Entiendo esode tener jefes malditos aprovechadores, así que fuerza Jem y Tean.
February 22, 2026
Back again!
Jem and Tean are back again in this exciting new series by Gregory Ashe. When Ammon is arrested for murder, Tean and Jem
Investigate to clear his name. Don't know who any of these people are? That's because this is a follow-up to the original The Lamb and The Lion series. It's not a stand-alone book. These characters have so much history from the original series, it's I possible to condense it to a few short lines. But don't worry, it's such a a great group of mysteries, you'll be happy for all the "book friends" you'll meet, and you'll understand the complicated dynamics that fuel this great read
Jem and Tean are back again in this exciting new series by Gregory Ashe. When Ammon is arrested for murder, Tean and Jem
Investigate to clear his name. Don't know who any of these people are? That's because this is a follow-up to the original The Lamb and The Lion series. It's not a stand-alone book. These characters have so much history from the original series, it's I possible to condense it to a few short lines. But don't worry, it's such a a great group of mysteries, you'll be happy for all the "book friends" you'll meet, and you'll understand the complicated dynamics that fuel this great read
Review of advance copy received from Author
Love being back with Tean and Jem, but of course here comes Ammon to mess things up. Can't wait for the next one - although looks like Ammon is back in that one too?! This dude is like herpes. Still can't wait.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 16, 2026
Such a welcome return for Jem & Tean...loved it! Full review to follow.
March 9, 2026
I'm so happy to have Tean and Jem back!
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