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layla87's review against another edition
4.0
Loved this!
This was highly entertaining. I loved that I didn't know when the next betrayal would happen lol.
These two men have great chemistry, bith in and outside the bedroom.
And even though it's a slow burn which I HATE if not done right, I was thoroughly invested and haooy with their relationship..
Also, I love Ethan. That is all.
This was highly entertaining. I loved that I didn't know when the next betrayal would happen lol.
These two men have great chemistry, bith in and outside the bedroom.
And even though it's a slow burn which I HATE if not done right, I was thoroughly invested and haooy with their relationship..
Also, I love Ethan. That is all.
kaitlin_durante's review against another edition
4.0
4 stars for excellent characters and a story that keeps you on your toes as information is revealed in unique and unexpected ways.
I would not recommend this book to anyone who doesn't care for time jumps because this is an every other chapter time jump between "now/then".
Ethan is a sweet muffin whose moral grayness only made him more loveable for me.
I would not recommend this book to anyone who doesn't care for time jumps because this is an every other chapter time jump between "now/then".
Ethan is a sweet muffin whose moral grayness only made him more loveable for me.
nevclue's review against another edition
3.0
Extremely fast, action packed read. This is an action movie (with m/m romance) in book form, and that is a compliment! I'll definitely read the next book. I have two minor quibbles. The first is that the political structure of this "near-future" world was not very developed. The second is that there wasn't much emotional depth to the romance. Hopefully both of these will be fleshed out in the next one.
haruhazard's review against another edition
5.0
“Here’s a suggestion, though. This time, when you aim a gun at me, make sure you mean to kill me.”
wow wow wow
maybe the best of the year
jaxtongray's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
bookish_notes's review against another edition
5.0
This review is also posted on my blog.
I love this book so much. This book is absolutely brilliant and I don't think I appreciated the story as much the first time I read this. The story is told from one POV, but in alternating chapters of "Now" and "Then". The two timelines are only a year apart, so there is a sense that everything's going to turn out okay eventually when you're reading the chapters set in the past, but there's a thrilling mystery that makes you question HOW. This book is full of intrigue and murder, love and betrayal. There are luxury cars, a camel named Sheila, a half-Indian MC, and a cinnamon roll assassin. WHAT MORE COULD YOU WANT.
Trigger warnings for violence, mentions of sex trafficking, mentions of child abuse, mentions of drug use, and a fight scene where dingoes are shot and killed.
This book keeps you on your toes. There's a lot of moving parts but I really love how the two timelines play off one another. There's stuff that happens in the past that shows up in the next chapter in the present. There isn't really a huge clue to the whodunit mystery reveal at the end, but there is a lot of mystery surrounding who the main character can trust. And that leaves you guessing throughout the story.
This book is told solely from one POV - Jack Reardon. He's former SAS (Special Air Service Regiment in Australia) and was recruited into a top-secret intelligence organization, simply known as "the Office". Jack got sent last-minute, and with a hasty debrief, into an assignment. At the start of this book, the chapters set in the past are on his 35th birthday and he's been working undercover for 15 months for a Mr. Valadian. Everything about his mission has come apart and this is when he first meets world renown assassin Ethan Blade.
Present-day, Jack's boss questions his loyalty after his last mission, but at least he's back home. Just when Jack thinks he'll never see Ethan again, Ethan shows up in the lobby of the Office asking for Jack, a place no one should know about and certainly not that Jack works there.
This is m/m romantic suspense at its best and I loved every second of this book. Ethan is intense, but strangely soft. I like that this story questions Jack and Ethan's morals and their job. Sure, Jack works for the government and kills who he's told to kill, but does that give him the moral high ground to Ethan, a man who chooses who he kills and gets paid very handsomely to do so? This is enemies-to-lovers, in a way. The two men have their own agendas, and trust is something that must be earned.
As intense as some scenes are in this story, and not knowing if Ethan is trustworthy or not, there's levity between the characters that really helps ease the tension. Some of my favorite tropes are in this book and I am weak for all of it:
-soft cinnamon roll badass who love animals and just wants to be complimented and praised
-sick character needs looking after
-forced proximity
-character who has a death wish by arguing with someone who could very well kill him and argues with said character anyway
This book is fun and there's a LOT packed into this story. The ending is rather abrupt, but the author has written an epilogue of sorts (the "Coda") that's available for free and picks up immediately after this book ends. It does leave this first book in the series with a much more satisfying ending. I do wish there was an audiobook for this story, because I would buy it in a heartbeat so I can re-read this over-and-over again. <3
I love this book so much. This book is absolutely brilliant and I don't think I appreciated the story as much the first time I read this. The story is told from one POV, but in alternating chapters of "Now" and "Then". The two timelines are only a year apart, so there is a sense that everything's going to turn out okay eventually when you're reading the chapters set in the past, but there's a thrilling mystery that makes you question HOW. This book is full of intrigue and murder, love and betrayal. There are luxury cars, a camel named Sheila, a half-Indian MC, and a cinnamon roll assassin. WHAT MORE COULD YOU WANT.
Trigger warnings for violence, mentions of sex trafficking, mentions of child abuse, mentions of drug use, and a fight scene where dingoes are shot and killed.
This book keeps you on your toes. There's a lot of moving parts but I really love how the two timelines play off one another. There's stuff that happens in the past that shows up in the next chapter in the present. There isn't really a huge clue to the whodunit mystery reveal at the end, but there is a lot of mystery surrounding who the main character can trust. And that leaves you guessing throughout the story.
This book is told solely from one POV - Jack Reardon. He's former SAS (Special Air Service Regiment in Australia) and was recruited into a top-secret intelligence organization, simply known as "the Office". Jack got sent last-minute, and with a hasty debrief, into an assignment. At the start of this book, the chapters set in the past are on his 35th birthday and he's been working undercover for 15 months for a Mr. Valadian. Everything about his mission has come apart and this is when he first meets world renown assassin Ethan Blade.
Present-day, Jack's boss questions his loyalty after his last mission, but at least he's back home. Just when Jack thinks he'll never see Ethan again, Ethan shows up in the lobby of the Office asking for Jack, a place no one should know about and certainly not that Jack works there.
This is m/m romantic suspense at its best and I loved every second of this book. Ethan is intense, but strangely soft. I like that this story questions Jack and Ethan's morals and their job. Sure, Jack works for the government and kills who he's told to kill, but does that give him the moral high ground to Ethan, a man who chooses who he kills and gets paid very handsomely to do so? This is enemies-to-lovers, in a way. The two men have their own agendas, and trust is something that must be earned.
As intense as some scenes are in this story, and not knowing if Ethan is trustworthy or not, there's levity between the characters that really helps ease the tension. Some of my favorite tropes are in this book and I am weak for all of it:
-soft cinnamon roll badass who love animals and just wants to be complimented and praised
-sick character needs looking after
-forced proximity
-character who has a death wish by arguing with someone who could very well kill him and argues with said character anyway
This book is fun and there's a LOT packed into this story. The ending is rather abrupt, but the author has written an epilogue of sorts (the "Coda") that's available for free and picks up immediately after this book ends. It does leave this first book in the series with a much more satisfying ending. I do wish there was an audiobook for this story, because I would buy it in a heartbeat so I can re-read this over-and-over again. <3
jolie1883's review against another edition
5.0
4.5 Stunning Stars for this Bad Boy
A former soldier, now undercover Operative-Jack, and a hitman-Blade, walks into a bar, what could possibly go right?
Jack and Blade (☺☺
A former soldier, now undercover Operative-Jack, and a hitman-Blade, walks into a bar, what could possibly go right?
Jack and Blade (☺☺
books_and_cha's review against another edition
3.0
Where Death Meets the Devil was an entertaining, action-packed read with a good bit of romance. I loved that Jack is half-Indian, and I liked how L.J. Hayward threaded in anti-war sentiment into the story and discussed the difference between a soldier and an assassin: virtually none - both get paid to kill, regardless of worldviews that propose otherwise (see: nationalism, patriotism). However, that only takes up a sliver of the story. The rest is dedicated to a lot of running, shooting, the occasional explosion, and a discussion on weaponry preferences (am I the only one that doesn't know about different kinds of guns? Because I couldn't tell you what they were talking about).
The story is told in a non-linear fashion, with chapters alternating between past and present. I feel like non-linear storytelling, while creative, only works for certain kinds of plots. Fortunately for Hayward, this style did wonders for the book: it added to the suspense and made the plot more exciting.
The romance - if you can call it that at this point - develops over time, and really picks up towards the last quarter of the book. There's mutual attraction from the start, but it isn't acted upon immediately. I liked the pacing of it, but I wasn't very invested in what happened to the relationship, simply because it was hard for me to connect to the characters.
Overall, this was an enjoyable read, but there was nothing that urged me to keep on with the series.
The story is told in a non-linear fashion, with chapters alternating between past and present. I feel like non-linear storytelling, while creative, only works for certain kinds of plots. Fortunately for Hayward, this style did wonders for the book: it added to the suspense and made the plot more exciting.
The romance - if you can call it that at this point - develops over time, and really picks up towards the last quarter of the book. There's mutual attraction from the start, but it isn't acted upon immediately. I liked the pacing of it, but I wasn't very invested in what happened to the relationship, simply because it was hard for me to connect to the characters.
Overall, this was an enjoyable read, but there was nothing that urged me to keep on with the series.
jacqueleenthereadingqueen's review against another edition
5.0
Well damn... I, well I'm a little razzled. Why did it take me so long to read this one on my TBR list? It was chock full of surprises, fast paced never leading to boredom, and held just the right amount of steam. I gobbled up this book in less than a day. I loved the fact that I kept bouncing back and forth from my ideas about what I thought would happen next. And the MCs Jack and Ethan were well developed. I felt a strong pull to root for them, praying the multiple lies and betrayals would still end with them together. Although I would definitely not categorize this book as a HFN/HEA I am quite happy with that ending because it means I get more. Book 2 I am so ready for you! 4.5 stars