Book: Hazard by Eden Finley
Reviewed by Maggie Hayes
Rating: 4.5/5
ARC REVIEW
Hazard by Eden Finley
⭐⭐⭐⭐½ (4.5/5)
I have been so excited for Hazard and Decaf's story, and it absolutely lived up to my expectations. Their romance is definitely taboo on paper since Decaf was Hazard's father's best friend. Thankfully, it never felt sketchy because Hazard's dad died when he was a baby, so Hazard didn't grow up around Decaf. Instead, the relationship is rooted in grief, healing, and two people finding each other after years of carrying the same loss.
I really liked Hazard, the newest member of Mike Bravo Ops. The others compare him to Iris and Zeus, which tells you everything you need to know. He's quick with a joke and always ready with some banter... unless he's around Decaf, who goes out of his way to try to avoid him. But underneath Hazard's easygoing personality is someone who's carried the loss of his father—and Decaf's absence—for his entire life. Of course he wants to know the man he never got to meet through the person who knew him best.
And Decaf absolutely broke my heart. He's spent twenty years blaming himself for Hazard's father's death, letting that guilt shape every part of his life. It's heartbreaking watching him convince himself he doesn't deserve happiness. His first assumption that Hazard has shown up to kill him was honestly low-key hilarious, but once he finally lets himself love Hazard, he does it with his whole heart.
Beyond the romance, the Mike Bravo storyline had me completely hooked. The events of this book threaten to tear the entire team apart, and I genuinely wasn't prepared for how emotional it became. I knew going in that this was the final book in the series, but I still wasn't ready to say goodbye. I definitely shed a few tears by the end.
A fantastic ending to a fantastic series. I'm going to miss Mike Bravo Ops, but I can't wait to see what Eden Finley writes next.
Thank you to the author and Foreword PR for providing an ARC!