The Same Breath

The Lamb and the Lion, Book 1

By: Gregory Ashe

Narrated by: J.F. Harding

Length: 11 hrs and 52 mins

Publisher's summary

Teancum Leon, who goes by Tean, is a wildlife veterinarian. His life has settled into a holding pattern: He loves his job, he hates first dates, and he only occasionally has to deal with his neighbor Mrs. Wish’s cat-related disasters.

All of that changes, though, when a man appears in his office, asking for help to find his brother. Jem is convinced that something bad has happened to Benny, and he thinks Tean might be able to help. Tean isn’t sure, but he’s willing to try. After all, Jem is charming and sweet and surprisingly vulnerable. Oh. And hot.

Then things get strange: Phone calls with no one on the other end of the line; surveillance footage that shows what might be an abduction; a truck that tries to run Tean and Jem off the road. As Tean and Jem investigate, they realize that Benny might have stumbled onto a conspiracy and that someone is willing to kill to keep the truth from coming out.

But not everything is as it seems, and Tean suspects that Jem has been keeping secrets of his own.

©2020 Gregory Ashe (P)2021 Gregory Ashe

4.5 Tean and Jem stars

This was amazing and so much fun. JF Harding did an amazing job bringing the characters to life, especially while delivering Tean’s dry sarcastic humor that not many people get. I found myself loling so hard.

“People suck,” Tean said, letting Scipio off the leash. The dog park was busy on Friday afternoon, and Scipio ran off to join Bear, a hundred-and-thirty-pound St. Bernard who dwarfed Tean’s black Lab but had still become a regular playmate.
“Ok,” Hannah said with a sigh.

I agree with you Tean, People suck.

The Same Breath is another amazing series from Gregory Ashe, at this point I am just a stan and with this book my stan level has gone up. This one is set in Utah and I loved the scenery description.

MCs:

Tean – A wildlife geeky veterinarian, who loves his job and animals. I fell in love with Tean. His geeky, weird sense of humor and good heart drew me in. He is so naïve sometimes and very relatable. Damn! Tean got under my skin and is going to stay there permanently. He is just so lovable and adorable.

Jem – Jem! Jem! Where do I start? What a complex, heartbreaking, annoying, lovable character. One-minute I wanted to hug him, the next to strangle him. What a piece of work, but at the same time he is relatable too. Jem is your everyday guy, the one that your mom, sister, brother and everyone in your village warns you about, but you can’t hear them because he is broken and adorable.

The mystery was interesting, and kept me glued to the end. The characters we meet along the way were very interesting.

Tean and Jem are two opposites but they got some mad chemistry and work well together. I am really interested to see how their relationship will develop. Their conversations and trivias were fun and very enjoyable. I love that Jem got Tean’s sense of humor.

Ammom can just go to purgatory, that said, I did get why he was here and his character is not that bad once you understand where he is coming from.

This is a great start to what I hope will be an amazing series.

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

Nature Nerds!

Really glad I gave this audiobook another try - I love Tean!

Can we have more wildlife nature nerds as romantic leads, please? The outdoor elements and science facts sprinkled in were a great addition to the mystery and romance, and I'm very curious how the rest of the series will play out.

Wow another great book!

I just love this author, Every book is just so good! I instantly loved the MCs!! I also loved their chemistry. I felt it from their first interaction. The plot was great and I loved how the mystery concluded. Excited for the next book! Also J.F. Harding was awesome as usual!!

Practically perfect

I love everything about this story. Despite (or probably because of) the way both men are so damaged, Tean and Jem borrowed into my heart. The central mystery is so well laid out and the relationship between them supports it without overshadowing it. This book contains my absolute favorite "make-up" scene ever. Laugh out loud and heart-wrenching at the same time.

The narration was also spot on, with clear and distinct voices and a great performance. As much as I thought I hated a certain character before, actually hearing his words spoken in "his" voice made me want to bash my phone off the table.

Great start of a new series

This is the first book in a new series by Gregory Ashe. I am a big fan of this author’s Somerset & Hazard series. This book is a little different in tone; it is NOT a slow burn!! GA is known for his torture of his readers with the romance happening over multiple books, this is not that. The book still revolves around a really sad murder mystery, but the relationship between Jem and Tean happens, although complicated by a third presence. Jem & Tean are brought together through Jem’s love for his foster brother. Jem has had a very hard childhood and the bond he has with his brother, Benny, is beautiful. The fact that Jem could love despite all he has been through is a big part of his appeal.

Tean is a “fallen” Mormon (this is set in Salt Lake City, UT) who has “issues” of course. He is very dark, but not like Batman dark, like Deadpool dark. He is fond of spouting negative statistics about most things and is definitely a glass half empty guy. However, despite this veneer, he has a heart of gold and his banter with Jem is priceless. It is obvious Jem is what Tean needs, but things happen. Tean thinks he still loves his childhood secret love who is still in the closet Mormon and has a wife and kids. Like I said, it’s complicated. The mystery is very intriguing and I did not guess the killer because GA throughs a bunch of red herrings.

J.F. Harding delivers another fantastic performance and really brought the story and this romance to life. I look forward to the next audiobook in this series.

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

I enjoyed everything about this title and I can’t wait for the sequel.

The story line, the characters, the writing and the narrator made this title an enjoyable addictive listen. I can’t wait for the sequel!

Great listen

I love how real Gregory makes his characters. They are flawed and real. The narration is also on point.

My only issue is that the story moves sooo slow. Plus I'm not a fan of slow burns either. But I can't help listening to his books because they are so well written. I have to ask myself if I want to have to listen to several more books before the real couple actually gets together. Because my only issue with the realness of his stories is that I read to escape.

So all in all this is a great listen. However, if you're looking for HEA in the beginning or even HFN, don't expect it from this book.

They are the best!

Jem and Tean might be my favorite pair of characters I’ve ever read in any book!

Beautifully narrated by J. F. Harding!

What an incredible breath of fresh air Mr. Ashe gives us with this novel that takes place around Salt Lake City, Utah. We encounter Teancum Leon a veterinarian who works for the Division of Wildlife Resources whose staid life has disrupted a series of disturbing events that start shortly before Benny--a crusader for mother earth--is driven away in a dark SUV. Benjamin Guthall's foster brother Jeremiah (Jem) Berger solicits Tean's help to locate him as it appears a conspiracy is behind his abduction. This book combines so many elements incredibly well! We read of the beauty of the Salt Lake City area where Mr. Ashe invests time and words describing the topography, flora, and fauna. We see two very different men come together and grow through their circumstances, especially their relationship with each other. Each man has experienced and processed life very differently. Tean is a gay Mormon with all the baggage that comes with it including the deeply disturbing relationship he has with a married bisexual Mormon police detective. Jem is an illiterate con man that suffered severe emotional, sexual, and physical abuse as a child. Both find each other and hold on desperately as the mystery unfolds and come to a conclusion revealing greed, manipulation, and corruption.

Wow – Really Interesting Story

The Same Breath is the first book in a unique mystery series with a slowburn romance that spans the books. The plot was well crafted with fascinating and interesting characters. Tean and Jem are complicated men with flaws and blindspots which add a level of depth to their characterization. I truly enjoyed this book, and the audiobook was just as enjoyable and entertaining.