When I began reading I wasn’t sure I would enjoy it. It took me some time to handle the jumps back and forth from past to present. I struggled with getting invested because each chapter took you back out of the story. Once I adapted to the setup, I actually understood why the author chose this format. It was a smooth way of giving us clues about Jack and Ethan’s past right when we needed them. Every time something from ‘then’ shed light on something from ‘now’ I got a little grin on my face.

Plus, Jack and Ethan’s relationship was so slow burning that once everything started rolling I was hooked. I loved the slow, casual, ribbing that Jack wasn’t afraid to give Ethan and I loved how that is what made Ethan really notice him back. I also loved Ethan’s way of communicating. Nothing made sense, and yet it made perfect sense. Ethan was definitely my favorite.

The only negative was that it ended too abruptly. There should have been one last scene, or something that shows where Ethan and Jack were left romantically at the end of When Death Meets the Devil.

Oh boy, I didn't have any clue what I signed up for when I started Where Death Meets the Devil. It's a ride; captivating, edge of your seat page turner that just keeps going even when you're breathless. I don't want to give out too much, because I think this is one of those books reader needs to go without knowing much about it in order to get the full experience.

Where Death Meets the Devil is a romantic suspense set in Australia with perfectly woven timeline: it's back and forth between present day and year ago, when Jack was on undercover mission for the Meta-State intelligence network that he works for. Jack, who's ex-military, was deep undercover for fifteen months until his cover is blown and he finds himself in a torture shack, staring down a notorious assassin Ethan Blade. Jack's sure his time is up, but then Blade helped him escape and their dangerous journey through Australian outback to catch Valadian, a crime lord of sorts, starts. On present day, a year after, Jack's ready to leave the office to celebrate his birthday when Ethan Blade shows up at the top secret Sydney headquarters, asking to see Jack.

There's action, car chases, daring missions, dingoes, shoot outs, interrogations, loyalties and motives questioned, and heated moments. It's brilliant page turner. The writing is splendid, there's details like no other, and the characters are so fleshed out it's almost unreal. Ethan Blade is a puzzle: he's remorseless and lethal assassin, but he also has childlike intrigue and he's adorable when he gets going on his precious cars. His humour is also so funny! Jack, on the other hand, is ex-military and he's always been loyal to his country and tried to make it saver for his family, but he has demons from nine years in the military and various tours. Jack is the type of character who demands respect and gives it back, and he's just so likable guy trying his best to survive.

Now, without going into details or spoiling anything, the story is a romantic suspense, but the romance is not traditional, it's slow burn and complicated. I'm just going to say that I loved it and it was definitely something different. Actually, I need more of it. A sequel would be great!

It's a seamless story, and I loved every moment. I highly recommend Where Death Meets the Devil; it's a journey that needs to be experienced, and oh boy it's a ride like no other.

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.

L.J. Hayward is a new author to me and this is her first M/M book but I'm sure it won't be her last because it was fabulous!

This book goes back and forth between the present day and the events in the past where Jack and Ethan met. Normally this really doesn't work for me but in this case it not only worked but it added to the book and kept me guessing and furiously turning the pages. It's told in Jack's POV but both characters were well defined and I really liked them both (all though truth be told I probably liked Ethan just a bit more - but I love assassin characters who operate in a gray area - not bad guys but not good guys either)

I really enjoyed the way Ethan and Jack met and there were a lot of twists and turns and surprises that I just didn't see coming in both the present time line and the past time line. I don't want to talk to much about the plot because this is a book you should read without knowing too much. The twists are what make this book so enjoyable. I will say that this book is action packed with great characters who have interesting backstories. The romance is a slow burn and a bit of enemies to lovers as well. The sex scenes come late in the book but they are hot and yet have some depth to them as well. There was also some humor along the way in the form of a camel. The suspense takes a front seat in this book with the romance as a back burner and it ends with a HFN that isn't a sure thing but anything else wouldn't be believable since through a big portion of the book they didn't trust each other and there were a lot of secrets and lies between them.

I really hope the author writes another book about these two because I'd love to see where they go from here and well I just really enjoyed this book and would love to read more!

I started this expecting a typical romance with a bit of adventure thrown in to spice it up. How wrong I was! This is a heart-pounding spy story with so many twists and turns that I couldn't put it down. I cannot wait to see what Hayward does next (and I hope it happens soon!).

I thought this story was interesting and really well written but just not a favourite of mine.

I think the author created a gritty suspense story in a really clever way, managing to hold the movement of the story between the past and the present really well. I dont really like stories with flashbacks in them so this was a bit too much for me but it was done well.

If you enjoy stories with suspense and spies and clandestine investigations, then this is definitely a good one for you.

I did enjoy the way the story slowly reveals Blade. I dont think we ever fully get to really know him. At the end we think we know him, but truly we have no idea. I am not sure that Jack even knows him and so the end of the story could actually be another beginning.

So over all it was a good story but just not one that reallly grabbed me.

Copy provided by Riptide Publishing via netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

This is my first book by LJ Hayward and I do believe I'll be stalking the fook out of the rest of her books.

This book is fast paced and so full of twists and turns, you're not sure if you're up or down. Who's the bad guy and who isn't? A moral assassin who loves cars and animals? whaaaaat? (Sheila the camel was of my favorite characters!)

The book starts out present day, then the next chapter jumps a year. The following chapter goes back a year then the next back to present. I absolutely loved this. Things that were being said in the present didn't quite make sense until the next chapter in the past cleared it all up. The layers in this book are just unbelievable. I'm super impressed with the smart writing.

Ethan was a charming sociopath (even though I don't believe that's what he was).

"You're half right, Jack"

If you've ever read DarkSoul by Aleksandr...picture Silvio, but witty and a bit charming and a touch of some weird innocence.

This book is loads of excitement and I can't wait for it to release. I hope people love it as much as I did! Another fave for the year

This was a fast paced adventure story about two spies on opposite sides of a case. Maybe. Or maybe they're on the same side but they don't know it. All they know is they can't stand each other. Maybe. Or maybe they actually love each other........

The story goes back and forth, from chapter to chapter, from past to present. The author keeps you guessing from about what happened then and what's happening now. All you know for sure is that these two are great together and their sexual tension jumps off the pages.

This was a new author for me and I'm really glad I tried this book. It was super good and super entertaining. The story is filled with car chases, shoot outs, blowing up bad guys, some sexy times and the best camel a boy could ever have (Sheila!!). This would make a great movie. As it is, it made a great book. It's different and really has a bit of everything in it. Good plot that's not too confusing, great MC's, some action and adventure and lot's of feelz. I highly recommend this for those of you who like romantic suspense stories.

**ARC received by publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review**

3.5*. If you're not expecting a full-on romance, but more a James Bond type of slightly futuristic tale, this works.

This tale is told in a mix of past and present, with the past being a year ago, when Jack Reardon, undercover government asset, is 'rescued' by assassin Ethan Blade.

It is a little confusing until you get used to the back-forth, as the chapters aren't headed up as past or present, and if you're expecting a full-on romance, you may be disappointed. If, on the other hand, you want a not-your-everyday-tale, this delivers. There's stuff hinted at in Jack's past, but it never really came to much in this book, which makes me wonder if it's the first in a series...

It's a hard book to review, as the leads had unfinished business a year ago, and it's hard to tell if Jack has been compromised, and if Ethan is shades of grey on the good/bad scale - and tbh, at the very end, I was still unsure, though it didn't entirely feel as if there would be another tale in the series (there very easily could be, however). The book feels a little low key until about 2/3 of the way in and we get to see what Ethan has 'taught' Jack, and then you see that a tangled web has been woven as a means to an end.

It ends in a rather open fashion, and by that, I mean that you're left wondering if there's more than just the baddie that's been revealed. And if the good guys really are the good guys, and how bad the possibly-not-that-good guy is. You could spin this either way, tbh, but the tale ends with a hint of possible future collabs between the leads. But, their romance, if it can be called that, takes a back seat because of the tale, and because of what their jobs demand of them. Think James Bond and the lengths he'll go to for the mission, and you won't be far off.

Weirdly, the thing that was in my mind at the very end of the book is 'What happened to Sheila, the wandering camel?' She was used as a bit of comic relief and was last seen wandering a desert, sent on her way as a decoy - animal lover here, so I'd have liked to know that she ended up OK.

ARC courtesy of Riptide Publishing and NetGalley, for my reading pleasure.

MIND. OFFICIALLY. BLOWN.

"It is entirely possible to miss something you've never had."

Former SAS soldier Jack Reardon, now working for a secret counterterrorism government agency called The Office, has already seen better days in his life. Granted, some more on the worse side, too, but meeting his Waterloo in a torture shack in the middle of nowhere, aka the Australian Outback, after months of a deep cover op to infiltrate the organization of a mob boss in order to find out more about his possible ties to certain terrorist groups gone awry was not at the top of his bucket list. There are definitely better ways to celebrate one's birthday than to stare death in the face.

In this case, death goes by the name of Ethan Blade, one of the deadliest and most ruthless killers in the world. As it is with everything in everyday life, though, his persona is anything but a case of 'black and white', and this living enigma of a man seems to have an agenda of his own.

Suddenly things take an unexpected turn and what follows is an absorbing tale about mind games, half-truths, doubts and lies, but also about an uncommon alliance, when both men find themselves side by side in a race against time, external circumstances and the Australian wildlife. What happens next requires not only trust and mutual respect, but also forms a bond between them that goes way beyond regulating their objectives. The latter forces them apart, though, only to see them being back to square one, one year later. Yep, you've got it! Birthday-time again. In a sense of déjà vu they are once more suddenly eyeball to eyeball as opponents, only to discover that they might just be pawns in some kind of terroristic chess game that plays for high stakes. And it is entirely possible that once again it is their lives what is at stake here.

Boy, that's how it's done!!! This is what I call romantic suspense at its best and this enemies-to-lovers story had my name written all over it. Let me give you a word of advice: better buckle up for a ride that warrants only the best drugs against high blood pressure and a pile of chocolate that threatens to put you in a diabetic coma when not rationed accordingly. Yeah, good luck with that! Once picked up it will be hard to put down again. Well, unless your name is Simone and real life forces you to, that is.

You think you are prepared now? Hmm, I would not be so sure if I were you. What you get here is an unusual love story wrapped up in an action suspense plot with a slight feeling of sci-fi to it and full of twists and turns that will keep you on your toes the entire time. Not just because the writing is enthralling from the get-go and never slows its momentum. It is also the setup of the story that only adds to the enhancement of pace and suspense. I have said it before and I will say it again: I'm not a fan of flashbacks. At. All. But in this story they make perfect sense. The chapters take turns between 'Now' and 'Then' and because they are labelled accordingly, I had absolutely no trouble to keep my mind on the story. There are hints in the present that indicate to events in the past and this guessing game made me clutch my Kindle and snarl at everything and everyone who tried to disturb me.

Was it OTT at times? Uh-huh. Was suspension of disbelief required? Sometimes, yes. Did it bother me? Hell, no, because despite this OTT-ness Ms. Hayward managed to convey depth, both in her characters as well as in the story itself. Opposites attract, but are Jack and Ethan really so different? Dealing with Ethan rattles not only Jack's world view of right and wrong and forces him to contemplate his life choices, it also makes the reader see that there always two sides to every question.

Sometimes it's funny how your perspective can change during a story. At the beginning I was completely rooting for Jack and with his painful past he fits my type to a T. Once Ethan appeared on the scene I was a goner, though, and I was Team Ethan all the way. What the hell is wrong with me that I have a penchant for psychotic, deliciously shrewd assassins??? ;-) Well, maybe it is the fact that Ethan is made of dozens of layers. His display of vulnerability and innocence, his sometimes childish glee when it comes to his hobby - umm, no not the killing thing, it's cars, mind you - his dry sense of humor and his interaction with Sheila, the pesky, attention-seeking camel made me want to hug him in a full body tackle.

As for the romance: you just have to be patient. The relationship development is very slow, but I promise you it is worth the wait and everything else would have made no sense, not to say it would have been implausible.

Letting the story end on a HFN is the only realistic way possible in my opinion. THAT DOES NOT MEAN THAT I DON'T WANT MORE!!! I can already tell that this story will stick with me for a long time and it goes straight onto my best-ever-epic shelf.

Highly recommended to all romantic suspense lovers!

4,5 stars

Honestly, there are only two different ways you can feel about this book: either you LOVE it or you LIKE it.

But one thing seems clear: if you won't LIKE it, you have to stay away from MM Romance suspense books.





Wish you were here?..



The story:

Jack Reardon, former SAS soldier, and a current Australian ITA asset (Internal Threat Assesment) hasn’t yet fully recovered from his last undercover work. Or at least it is what ITA Director thinks and it is why Jack is not completely cleared for field work. Some things went pretty much wrong THEN, one year ago, and though Jack managed to escape, breaking free of the torture shack and the desert, he hasn’t yet convinced his bosses and shrinks that he is back and whole and ready.

NOW, exactly a year later after his fifteen-months-long undercover mission was discovered, Ethan Blade, his personal nightmare and currently number seven on the JSL (an assassins world best list -let me believe something like this really exists!), the one who betrayed Jack's undercover but nevertheless mystifying saved his life helped him to escape after<, marches into the main Office of ITA in Sidney, the most secure building in Australia and asks for Jack. FUCKING UNBELIEVABLE! Is he totally crazy?! Didn’t Jack tell him when they departed in the desert, that he would kill him if their paths ever cross?!




Wish you were here?..





That is actually the start of the story and we are totally in the dark at the beginning craving to find out WHAT really happened one year in the desert and WHY this attractive but extremely dangerous cold-blooded killer turns himself in?! Or does he have some other plans?

The story is clever done, we won’t get the whole picture at once, but the author gives up bit by bit the missing puzzles - the story swings between NOW and THEN – and every chapter brings us a little bit closer to understanding WHAT happened in the past and…at the same time - mixes up all our possible theories.



Wish you were here?..




THAT is a delicious something of this book: You never knows WHO tells the truth at the very moment, whom can you trust and who plays the wrong game. The moment you think you get it, all your soooo nicely built speculations suddenly fly apart. This delightful cat-and-mouse game is EXACTLY what makes this story to such an entertaining and unputdownable read. Add a great sexual tension, good humor and a solid writing and you have a highly recommended contemporary MM Suspense Romance of first-class quality. Be ready for a lot of FUN!

Some thoughts at the close:

I have to disagree with the readers who already scream for a sequel. Honestly, why can’t we just leave it a stand alone? For me, the most interesting thing in this book was a mysterious “interlude” between the MCs, an unawareness of what was going on and WHO changed the sides (if it was the fact at all, and and if, then WHY and HOW the person is going to get out of THIS situaltion). You simply CAN'T go on with THIS plot-structure for an eternity.


So let us leave it here, and enjoy the journey!

Strap in, kids, cuz this one goes by fast!

I took a chance since Hayward was an unknown to me and I believe this is her first foray into MM, though I would never know it had I not snooped. I am beyond pleased that I clicked that request button because this is a Cupcake book! A blistering pace is set from the start that carries through to the finish.

Where Death Meets the Devil flip flops between events that took place a year ago and present day between Jack and Ethan. It's told entirely though Jack but I still got a great sense of Ethan, who is a strange brew of childlike exuberance, especially when it comes to his beloved cars, a dry sense of humor that oddly makes him seem very approachable and a cold lethality that makes him very dangerous indeed.

Jack works for a government agency called the Meta-State which is a collective and secret spy network between Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, Singapore and other Southeast Asian countries who share intelligence in an effort to combat terrorism. He's ex-military and has some demons from his missions that crop up in organic ways. I like him. I don't know if I like him as much as a like Ethan but I'm a weirdo who digs assassins. *shrugs* Sue me.

One year ago Jack was undercover working for Valadian in an effort to gain intel on his involvement with terror groups when he wound up bound to a chair in a torture shack. In walks Ethan Blade, number 7 on the list of most notable assassins, and he figures his time is up. That would make for a short story and not nearly as interesting as the unholy alliance they form to get through the Australian outback relatively unscathed after Ethan helps him escape.

Skip forward a year and Mr. Ethan Blade strolls right into the super secret headquarters of the Sydney Meta-State offices and asks to speak to Jack.

This gif sums up my feels about this book around this time succinctly.



I'm not going to sum up the plot because it's best experienced firsthand but I will tell you some things to expect.

Expect lots of action-fight scenes, car chases, gun fights, dingoes...
Expect sophisticated writing with gloriously fleshed out characters, complete with backstories.
Expect a fresh voice when it comes to MM romance.
Expect sex scenes that are sensual, lush and build intimacy.
Expect numerous acronyms.
Expect to be kept guessing by the players involved and the plot.
Expect a rude and somewhat needy camel.
Expect to be amused...

"I miss food." Jack moaned. "Like the thick, juicy steak I had last night. So good."
"For the right price, I can make it your last meal."



This book is hard to classify. It's set in contemporary Australia but there are elements that are almost sci-fi or maybe cyberpunk? It's a little bit opposites attract with a sprinkling of enemies to lovers and heaping of slow burn or whatever you get when you stir those all together. Enemies attract burning? New category! I WIN! Whatever it is, I liked it and I want more of it.

Now for the question I know you're all waiting for, the romance. I would call this romantic suspense. There is a romance between these two, but it's non-traditional. They're not entirely enemies but they are at opposite ends of the legal and moral spectrum, so to speak. They do not trust each other. There are secrets and lies and omissions of truths galore between them and though they make great partners, I think it would've been disingenuous to these characters to bridge that divide and give them a big fluffy HEA. They have something and they both know it but will it stand the test of time? Who knows.

However, I'd be more than happy to take one for the team and read another of their stories to see them get a leeettttllllleeee bit closer to their own version of an HEA, because I'm a giver. 😬



My only quibble is something involving the case but I can't seem to muster up enough care to lower my rating over it.

Recommend to action, suspense, thriller and fans of gritty romance.





An ARC was provided by NetGalley.

Where Death Meets the Devil is Pure Escapism
Jack Reardon’s 35th birthday is not going as planned when he comes to tied to a chair in the torture shack owned by the same criminal Jack was sent deep undercover to infiltrate over a year ago. And when Ethan Blade, world renowned assassin and ruthless killer, enters the shack, Reardon doubts he’ll be making it to his 36th birthday.

L.J. Hayward’s story of a former SAS soldier on an assignment gone terribly wrong and the world’s 7th deadliest assassin is total entertainment from the get-go. The story shifts each chapter from Then, when Reardon first encounters Blade, to Now, one year after the pair met and had to fight their way through an army and a desert together to survive. These shifts enhance the suspense, dropping hints in the present about what happened between the two in the past and then returning to the Then to expand on those hints and set the story for what is happening in the Now and why. It created an excellent pace for the story and a momentum that would not have been present had the story been told in a linear fashion.

And while events near the end require some Fast-and-Furious-level suspension of belief, Jack is well developed and complicated, having doubts about himself, his mission, and Blade. He’s a former Special Forces soldier whose mind still carries the scars and trauma of all that he has been through, and it shows in the doubts he has in his current agency and the decisions he makes.

I enjoyed the characters, the action, and the non-linear story telling. I look forward to more works by Hayward and hope she’ll bring Jack and Ethan back in a sequel.

You guys, this book was so good! Seriously, so clever - I haven’t read anything like it, and nothing as exciting in forever.

Where Death Meets the Devil wasn’t what I expected it but it was a positive surprise. It's action-filled, sexy and full of suspense. I didn’t think I’d come to love it as much as I do! It's one of those books you NEED to savor.

Not sure what I can tell you without giving anything away… it's probably best to put on your big-boy pants and dive right into the unknown! I didn't even read the blurb. The title sold it, add to that the word 'assassin' (which I picked up somehow) - I'm glad I read it when I did :)

The story was brilliant and Jack and Blade were truly entertaining. I loved their dynamic, their banter.
Man, Ethan Blade is one of those guys you just HAVE TO LOVE, the seemingly merciless killer who isn’t quite so stony-hearted.

Jack's just as fun, not as damaged but he's got his demons to fight. I enjoyed his voice A LOT. There’s no way they’re not on my Favorite Characters list!!! Absolutely loved them.

While I’m not a huge fan of the constant back and forth, where each chapter is either THEN or NOW, but I have to admit this only added to the mystery of who is who and what is their motive. The scene cutting and timeline switches sometimes slowed down the overall pace but it was fun to keep guessing! Just when you think you have them all figured out they’ll surprise you yet again.

I'm okay with the HFN ending, but only if there'll be more Ethan and Jack in the (very near) future!

We need to learn more about them, their pasts and be part of their future.

PLEASE. Make it happen.

▽

Highly recommended :)

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Many, many thanks to the publisher who kindly provided a free copy for an honest and impartial review.

Wish you were here?

I really liked this book. I really like Ethan Blade.
I really like assassins.

And I really wish (view spoiler)

Wish you were here?

Mare~Slitsread