When starting this book, I had in my mind it would be like discovering the Aussie version of Ty & Zane. Well, it wasn't. But, to be fair, expect that any book would have the impact Ty & Zane had, is not fair, not to the book, not to the characters and specially, not to me.

So, did I enjoyed the book?

A lot.

The writing is amazing. After the initial irritation of now and then, and more important of getting used to the past and present narration, I fell in love with the characters, and the story.

The only reason I'm still holding onto jumping to book #2 is because I usually prefer federal agents to spies. And because I loved how the book ended.

Eventually I will, and I'm pretty sure I'll love every line.

What a thrilling ride.

I love a good MM spy thriller. 'Where Death Meets the Devil' delivers on all counts - two complex characters, a frenemies-to-lovers theme, some hot sexin', an ambiguous relationship, and a great action plot.

The book is told through two timelines - the past and the present - with each chapter alternating. I'm not always a fan of this format, but in this case it worked great. It was interesting to see how events in the two timelines overlapped, and how the characters' actions changed from past to present.

The story is told through the POV of Jack Reardon, a spy for the Meta-State, a collective agency of Australia, New Zealand, and a number of Southeast Asian countries.

When Jack's undercover mission is interrupted by Ethan Blade, the world's 7th most deadly assassin, the two are thrown on a collision course, but the attraction between them is undeniable.

Jack is a classic hero. Strong, silent, and with an unshakable sense of duty.

Ethan is something else entirely. I wouldn't say he's amoral exactly, just that his sense of wrong and right is a lot less narrow than average. And despite his actions, his murky backstory tugged at my heartstrings.

I may have fallen a teeny bit in love with Ethan. I can't help it - bad boys just do it for me.

Jack and Ethan's relationship is rocky from the start. What they feel for each other is less about romance, and more about adrenaline, power plays, and a sizzling sexual tension that's palpable.

These two are hot.

But there's also mutual respect between two seasoned players in the game - though they're on opposite sides. And, veeeery slowly, a growing affection.

Ethan and Jack's not-so-romance plays out against an action plot full of firearms, fast cars, shady secondary characters, and lots of intrigue. I'm not going to give anything away, other than to say that I was thoroughly entertained!

Overall, this was a great read, and I'm thrilled that it's book 1 in a series. Jack and Ethan have won me over, and I can't wait to see where these two dysfunctional badasses go next!

4.5 stars! Fab-U-Lous! It was with the greatest of effort that I put this book down to sleep. It draws you in and won't let you go. The characters are well drawn. The plot is nicely twisty and the action well described. Recommended! I'm off to buy this author's other series.

DNF at Chapter 5 but may give it another shot in future.

I am having a difficult time connecting with this one. There isn’t anything particularly wrong with the storyline. In fact, the premise is a grabber. Tension from spy world perspective spiked and resolved but was lacking continuity and driving pressure that makes an action/adventure tale memorable. The MC was both good at his job and relatively apathetic about it—which made it hard to empathize. The LI/frienemy was more obtuse. Mostly, I am just finding myself with reasons to close the book rather than keeping it open.

Maybe I’ll be more primed for it in future???

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Sarah – ☆☆☆☆☆
This book is a complete mindfuck in the best possible way! In a world of spies, assassins, and bad guys with personal armies, Jack Reardon has to use all his SAS skills to survive. But when the assassin meant to kill him ends up saving his life, Jack no longer knows who to trust in his very dangerous world.

The writer flips back and forth between two narratives in this book. Both are told from Jack’s perspective but set exactly one year apart. The first narrative tells the story of Jack and Ethan’s first meeting and harrowing escape while the second narrative tells the story of Jack and Ethan’s second encounter a year later. I love the way the structure made me work to figure out what actually happened in the past and the present while the author never quite let me trust any of the characters.

This is an action-packed thriller. When the former SAS officer and current spy gets together with the famous assassin, there isn’t much that doesn’t get shot or blown up. In the second narrative, Jack relies more on brains than brawn as he chooses his allegiances and carefully plans his actions. It all works perfectly together, and I couldn't put it down.

This is marketed as an m/m romance, but it is definitely more of a spy/action story and while there are a couple of steamy scenes and moments of great chemistry between Ethan and Jack, I’m not sure there is ever any actual romance. And I think the book is better for it.

I loved this. I’m excited to find a new author to love and I hope this turns into a series I can get properly obsessed with.


Veronica – ☆☆☆☆
This is an action-packed story from start to finish – I was so engrossed that I read it in less than a day. Told entirely from Jack’s point of view, the story switches between the past where Jack Reardon and Ethan Blade first meet and the present where, a year later they cross each other’s paths again.

I quite like it when stories switch from the past to the present and the consistency with which it is done here works, as the stories are connected. The more I learned about what happened in the past, the more it shaped how I thought about what was going on in the here and now.

I loved the way the relationship between the two men was written. It wasn’t over the top or rushed. They are temporary allies and even when things between them get physical I wasn’t sure it meant or if it would change anything.

Where Death Meets the Devil was a great action/romance to get lost in. I’m not sure if this book will be a standalone but I for one would like more from this pair.

I was blown away and will just say you must read this book. I hope there is more to come.

Where Death Meets the Devil quite simply encompassed everything I could ever want in a romantic suspense novel. It had style, it had substance, and best of all, it had a battle-ready pet camel named Sheila. Like I said, everything I could ever want in a romantic suspense novel.

The story was fast-paced, action-packed and brilliantly plotted. In a word, it was intense. It was chock full of intrigue and kept me guessing till the very end. Even when I knew something was coming, the storytelling kept me fully engaged as each new layer was peeled - scratch that - ripped away. If it hasn’t been made clear yet, I really, really loved this book.

But that’s not all. What could I possibly enjoy more than a fantastic romantic suspense?

A fantastic enemies to lovers romantic suspense.

The book was set in Australia with an Aussie MC and a British nemesis-slash-love interest. Jack and Ethan were a sublime pairing. Both highly skilled and equally as dangerous, they were quite evenly matched yet at complete odds from the word go. As a loyal soldier and a hired assassin respectively, Jack and Ethan were total opposites in all the ways that mattered – or so it would seem.

Using Jack’s third person POV, the author fed us delicate bits of insight into both characters a little at a time – enough to entice but not to the point of giving too much away. I lived for the crackling dynamic between Jack and Ethan – from the raging distrust to grudging dependency to simmering desire. The slow burn between them was exquisite and it didn’t even feel a long time coming because of how much action there was otherwise. The ending was a pitch perfect HFN – with just a hint of their future together – that left me daydreaming about our heroes many days later.

The book was a surprisingly quick read despite the high page count. It’s probably also worth mentioning that there wasn’t much in the way of Aussie colloquialisms to trip up a foreign reader (or at least not that I noticed). Hayward is a new-to-me author but you can be sure I will be on the lookout for more of her work. If you like romantic suspense – even a little bit – Where Death Meets the Devil is for you.

The first thing you need to know about this book is that nothing happens for no reason.

I think that if I read the story a second time, even especially right after the first time, I would find so much more information in it. There are layers upon layers of diception here. Nothing is as it seems. There are so many secrets and hidden agentas that you never know what's going to be revealed next.

At first I wasn't very happy with the way the book was structured. The chapters alternate between past and present and, in the beginning, I felt that it pulled me out of the story. Just when I was getting into the story and enjoying the plot, the chapter ended and I was dropped at another place and time where something else was happening. As I kept reading though I got used to it and I realised that the story couldn't have been told any other way and still have the same impact. So, if you are like me and are frustrated with the back and forth in time, just be a bit patient. You will get used to it and see the importance of this writing style and how fitting it is for this story.

I don't want to give anything away about the plot because, as I said, this story is filled with secrets and mirages so just to be safe I'll avoid any mention about what happens. The important thing is that this was a great story with a lot of fast paced scenes, perfect for those who like action, some mystery thown in the mix and some romance on the side.

This is just the first book out of three, so this is just the beginning of the story and the romance is practically non existent here. The characters are amazing though and very very interesting with strong back stories and entirely seperate voices. There is a sci-fi element, which I normally don't like, but here it is woven very well into the story and doesn't distract from the plot. It's not the main element, just something here and there to make the story flow more easily and to make some impossible things a bit more possible.

The ending leaves you hungry for more from this couple but it isn't a cliffhanger. I'm glad that I knew there will be sequels when I started this story because I can't even imagine how frustrated with the ending I would have felt otherwise. As it is now, I'm excited for the rest of their story.




*An ARC of this book was kindly provided to me by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. *

I’m a sucker for romantic suspense novels, so Where Death Meets the Devil was an automatic read for me…and that was before I saw all the high ratings and praise pouring in from other readers and even some authors. As this was the first book I’ve read by the author, I wasn’t sure what to expect from her writing style, but I enjoyed it a lot. The pacing is brisk, the action scenes intense, the descriptions complete but not lingering enough to slow the speed of the scene, and the characters incredibly intriguing. And yet, I kept waiting for that special something to grip me so hard it wouldn’t let go and it never really happened. Perhaps it was a case of too much build-up from outside sources, but as much as I liked this book and appreciated that it is different from most romantic suspense novels I read- with the suspense and story being the prime focus and the romance playing more of a second fiddle- it never quite swept me off my feet like I expected.

Where Death Meets the Devil had a different approach to a timeline, with the story and chapters alternating between the heroes first meeting 1 year ago and the present. The back and forth in the storyline successfully built the suspense and reinforced the cat and mouse theme the book revolved around, but for me it also disrupted the tempo enough that I could walk away at the end of every chapter. While I was eager to get back because I found the characters and plot intriguing, I wasn’t pulled in so much that I was desperate for answers. That said, I did like the resolution, I liked the slow unearthing of details and players, and I liked how Ethan was a bit of an enigma right to the very end. I also liked that the ending was a bit open ended. It left room for interpretation and reinforced the unknowing elements that was a hallmark to Ethan and Jack’s relationship. In some ways it made for a perfect happy-for-now ending even though there wasn’t much romance in the traditional sense of the word, and while it left many readers clamoring for more, I’m just fine with this being a standalone book…thought I could definitely see myself eagerly picking up any future books with these two. As it stands now, I quite enjoyed Where Death Meets the Devil and, even though the book didn’t wow me as much as I expected, I won’t hesitate to read more of this author’s suspense novels.

You ever start to read a book at a Zaxby's at 6pm and finish before 11am the next day, even after sleeping for 7 hours? Because that's what happened with Where Death Meets the Devil. I got sucked in so fast and so easily, I didn't even realize how quickly I was reading the book. I love every bit, and I'm not usually into thrillers or spy/assassin novels.
I really enjoyed the way LJ Hayward set the book up, having the story alternate between THEN and NOW, instead of alternating POVs. It was really interesting watching the story evolve and move forward, even while you were looking back. You see the relationship between Ethan and Jack grow closer THEN, while also realizing there's got to be more to the story NOW.
I think I sent a friend at text at 1:30am yelling that I reached the halfway point and that I was so angry that I was too tired to keep going. I'm so excited to see how the story will progress in the planned sequels!

I have this rule that if I get to between pages 50-100 and the book hasn't grabbed me, then it's not the book for me. Unfortunately, this was one of those. It's not that it was a bad book - the writing was, although at times clunky, pretty good - it just wasn't the right kind of book for me, and I don't know if it was the book itself or the fact that it's not quite what I was in the mood for. Either way, it's one of those 'it's not you it's me' books.

Based on the synopsis, I was psyched to read the book. Unfortunately, I only got a few chapters in before giving up. It's solidly written but just didn't hit the spot...this was definitely a case of "it's not you, it's me."

Just a quick FYI - I have one really, really big complaint with Where Death Meets the Devil... I want more... I would most definitely not object to a sequel (or 2 or 3 ;) )

I honestly have no idea where to begin with this review. I have to admit, I wasn't sure how I felt about this book in the beginning. There are a few unique twists to Where Death Meets the Devil, the most notable is the fact that the chapters alternate between "Then" and "Now" and that's exactly how they were titled. At first, I wanted to hurry up and get through the "Then" chapters to get back to where the previous "Now" chapter had left off... then, it got to the point where I didn't want the "Then" chapters to go by quite so quickly. It was like an entire book full of mini cliff hangers and that's not an exaggeration.

Those "Then" and "Now" chapters were more than just a way to give readers a glimpse into the past, they built the suspense. There were times that you thought you were missing something, only to realize that you weren't supposed to know everything. Where Death Meets the Devil wasn't only hard to put down, it kept you on your toes.

Even though I'm a huge fan of books that give readers more than one POV, that wouldn't have worked with Jack and Ethan. Having Ethan remain a mystery throughout the book made it more intense and in many ways brought the reader even further into the story.

Where Death Meets the Devil is one of those books that will stay with you for a while. I've read a couple of really good suspense books in the last few years and this one is pretty close to the top of my list of must reads that I want to recommend to everyone. It's also one that I'm sure I'll probably re-read. Especially since the author recently revealed that we're going to be getting more from Ethan and Jack. <3

Jack Reardon has worked his way into Valadian’s criminal organization, but now he’s caught. Valadian is holding him captive to torture information from him when Jack then also finds himself facing the most dangerous assassin alive, Ethan Blade. So why isn’t Blade trying to kill Jack? Or will he? Why is Jack even taking a chance on teaming up with Blade to escape Valadian and his men?

One year later, Jack has made it back to civilization and the ‘Office’, but he’s not really happy about his situation. He has cooperated fully, passed all the tests and has no problems, so why isn’t he allowed to go back into the field? He’s up against three Sydney office directors who keep his mind spinning: ITA Director Donna McIntosh, Intelligence Director Glen Harraway, and Internal Threat Assessment’s Alex Tan. Each one in their own way has made Jack very suspicious.

When Ethan Blade shows up at the Office, Jack is befuddled but knows for sure this will lead to trouble. Ethan is thrown into a room and is now being held prisoner, but Jack isn’t in any better shape; he has guards wherever he goes. When he makes his superiors believe that he could get info from Blade, he once again finds himself taking a chance with Ethan. But little are the others aware that Blade and Jack have a secret code. And Jack is surprised by what Ethan tells him. Someone in the Office is a traitor, but who? It becomes clear that Jack can no longer trust his superiors. When his handler is found dead, Jack is accused and placed under house arrest, and as things start to get crazier, Jack knows, once again, there’s only one person he’s willing to take a chance with—Ethan Blade.

This was my first time reading L.J. Hayward. Where Death Meets the Devil is excellent, and it will keep you guessing! The title alone was intriguing enough for me to select it, and I was not disappointed. There’s high espionage, a great deal of fast-paced action and danger and suspense and mystery, with a touch of futuristic technology too. I just can’t say enough about how very well-written this novel is, down to the fight scenes and the environment being so descriptive. I also like how the plot is set up in a Then and Now way, each Now chapter coinciding with the flashback Then chapters. I couldn’t see this story being told any other way.

Both Jack’s and Ethan’s personal stories are heartfelt. They each have their quirks and issues, and their banter brings the humor—their sincerity is just so pure. The chemistry between them is explosive, and they are a force to be reckoned with. I also have to mention Sophia, who is definitely a star in her own right!

The ending for me is a definite ‘I want more!’ There has got to be a sequel! Where Death Meets the Devil was a page-turner for me and worth reading again!

I have to say that Where Death Meets the Devil is one of my top reads of 2018 so far. It has the suspense and action that I crave and while it cannot really be placed in the romance category it has enough romantic elements to satisfy the hopeless romantic that lives deep deep inside.
Jack is an works for a Government agency and is one of the top agents, however, after spending months undercover he's suddenly compromised by one of the best assassins in the world. Jack shouldn't trust Ethan, but he does. He has a tendency to feel sympathy for the bad guys he's set in to capture, something that is very telling about his character. Jack is a good person, straight to the core. He has morals, but working for Meta-State, being undercover, sometimes those morals are very black and white and sometimes they hit the edge of gray.

When Ethan crashes into his life everything Jack knows and thought he knew is turned on it's head-in every way possible.
This book flips between the past and present and I love that way of storytelling. It's hard to pull off, even for the most polished of writers, you have to make sure your timelines are perfect, however L.J. Hayward does it perfectly. It's a unique way to tell the story, but in order to understand the book you have to know everything.
Jack is drawn to Ethan, despite his best intentions. There's something about the assassin that is hard to resist. I loved Ethan, he was different that other gray area types. He wasn't a complete bad guy, but he wasn't a good guy either. His morals were more skewed than Jack's but that's why they worked. Even though Jack would never admit it-even to himself-Ethan is and does the things Jack wishes he could.
Ethan is something else. I loved him but it was hard to. Not because he killed people for a living. Not because of all the things he did and said. But because he didn't want us-both the reader and Jack-to love him. He both tried hard to push him away and pull him closer. It was a twisting game of right and wrong. And I loved every single second.
I want more. I need more. I really hope that there's a sequel planned for these two. This book doesn't need one, really, all loose ends get tied up and the story-line works perfectly, however, it would make for an amazing sequel. I feel like there is still so much to tell and I so hope that L.J Hayward tells it.

This is a fast complicated spy thriller that is told symontaniously in the present and the past. Set in Australia, Jack Reardon, former SAS now Meta State agent, finds himself up against one of the most dangerous men alive, Ethan Blade-killer for hire, during a mission. When his cover blown purposely by Ethan, Jack has to depend on him if he wants to make it out alive. One year and lots of therapy later, his nemesis is back and needs his help, promising to uncover a mole in the agency in return. Hayward’s latest is an action-packed adventure with a new twist and betrayal at every turn, leaving the reader gleefully unsure whom to trust. Hayward cleverly builds the intrigue and suspense along with the tension-filled romance, leading us to a climactic ending and the possibility of more stories.

This is going to be a quick review because I’ve got to get to work, but I wanted to put my thoughts down before I headed out. This is a new to me author, but the blurb was so intriguing I couldn’t help but hit the request button when I saw it up for review.

Blurb from Goodreads:

Jack Reardon, former SAS soldier and current Australian Meta-State asset, has seen some messy battles. But “messy” takes on a whole new meaning when he finds himself tied to a chair in a torture shack, his cover blown wide open, all thanks to notorious killer-for-hire Ethan Blade.

Blade is everything Jack doesn’t believe in: remorseless, detached, lawless. Yet, Jack’s only chance to survive is to strike a bargain with the devil and join forces with Blade. As they trek across a hostile desert, Jack learns that Blade is much more than a dead-eyed killer—and harder to resist than he should be.

A year later, Jack is home and finally getting his life on track. Then Ethan Blade reappears and throws it all into chaos once more. It’s impossible to trust the assassin, especially when his presence casts doubts on Jack’s loyalty to his country, but Jack cannot ignore what Blade’s return means: the mess that brought them together is far from over, and Ethan might just bring back the piece of Jack’s soul he thought he’d lost forever.


This romantic suspense starts off with a bang and then is nothing but action and intrigue until the very last page. I never knew what to expect or what was going on. I’m not familiar with Australian military/covert agencies, but this author guides the reader along well enough that I was able to figure out the players and what their roles were pretty easily. I liked how the story was told in alternating time frames. The book starts off a year before, when Jack and Ethan make first contact, with the second chapter featuring Jack in present day. And that continues throughout the entire book, alternating chapters from then and now with Jack being the sole POV. There is a symmetry to how the author laid out the chapters that keeps the readers engaged, while slowly guiding them through the development of the relationship between Jack and Ethan.

Jack makes a wonderful narrator. He’s a tough guy, stuck in the middle of a mission gone wrong, and forced to trust a man he knows very little about other than by brutal, bloody reputation. Ethan is his natural enemy, but he has to stick by his side in order to survive the mess he finds himself in. In the process he gets to know him as more than an emotionless assassin, and that brings about a sort of intimacy that results in an odd, but strangely right for this story, relationship. I wasn’t sure the romance would be believable until around about the 70% mark when certain plot threads fell into place and then I was like… huh, okay, yeah. Ethan remains an enigma until the very end, but it works.

Even though the author did a good job setting up the world-building and letting some of the character’s backstories unfold on the page, I still feel like there is so much more depth that can be explored. I want to know more about where Ethan comes from and about his past as a paid killer with a personal code of conduct. I want to know more about this mysterious group of people he works with. Are they all Sugar Babies? I want to see him and Jack work together for The Office. I feel like this book just wetted my appetite for more from this author. I’m really hoping she decides to release more books featuring these characters.

L.J. Hayward is a new to me author, but I enjoyed this book so much I intend on picking up her backlist. If you are a Cut & Run fangirl like me and miss your adventures with Ty and Zane, I recommend that you give this book and author a try. It had the same addictive, can’t stop reading quality. Final Grade- B

Favorite Quote:

Ethan was so damn tempting, like a deadly sin offered free with a bottle of good bourbon– all but impossible to resist.

This was really great! I thought there was a good balance between the main espionage plot and the relationship between the two main characters. The relationship was definitely a large part of the book but there were plenty of twists and turns in the rest of the plot to make it interesting, and also the relationship developed over time which is great because I hate when characters in these kind of books just meet and immediately have sex. But speaking of the sex - it is there, just later on in the book - it was surprisingly good and I actually don't think I had any of those horrible cringey moments that happen so often when authors use weird words or overly flowery language so A+ job on that. Overall a really enjoyable read.

Stunning, brilliant and totally captivating!!! I was pulled in and stayed under the entire time I read this story. Jack and Ethan (Mission Impossible and Jack Reacher hints, though different last names, Lol) were perfect together. I loved every bit of this! The action, betrayal, lies, and emotion were very poignant and if I could give this a 10 star rating, I would. I really can't divulge too much as it would really take away from anyone appreciating and finding out the nuances and delightful humour at times, between Jack and Ethan This is my first read into an m/m contemporary read and by this author and I thoroughly devoured every delectable part of it! I hope and pray that we get more of Jack Reardon and Ethan Blade! Bravo, Ms.Hayward, a job well done! I look forward to reading more by this author. 5 Rip-Roaring "wish you were here" stars!!!! (though it should be 10), Lol. Loved it!!!

4.5 stars

Yay! This was amazing!
Action, fun, mystery, and sexy times.
The chemistry - both in and out of bed - between Jack and Blade was out of this world and the characterization, Ethan's in particular, was outstanding. I loved the frequent fighting and action scenes aswell as the banter and overall storyline.

What made me withdraw half a star was that the story was told alternating between past and present day, which I'm just not a fan of. Personal preference and all.

It may be just my hopes speaking, but this felt like the perfect set-up for a new series. I would definitely read a sequel!