Death and the Devil (Books 1-3 + novellas) – L.J. Hayward Free Audiobook

Written by L.J. Hayward
Read by Rowan Scott
Format: M4B
Bitrate: Mixed
Unabridged

1 – Where Death meets the Devil

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.
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1.4 – Bargaining with the Devil

Listener note: This audiobook follows on from the end of Where Death Meets the Devil.

Meta-State spy Jack Reardon believes that after the showdown, everything has been taken care of. He has a verbal agreement with his boss to keep Blade happy, and Jack is more than willing to do his best in that regard. He also has his bargain with Ethan to keep seeing each other.

Small victories, interspersed with exploding bombs, smashed cars, and miffed co-workers, all while consorting with an international assassin. Contract killer Ethan Blade values his security, and with Jack, it’s the first time he’s found safety with another person. Wiring a warehouse or an outback shelter for security, no problem. Keeping safe a prickly ex-soldier-turned-spy who’s a magnet for trouble, not so easy.

Instead of faceless, nameless jobs, Ethan keeps poking his fingers into Jack’s cases—a car bomb gone awry, a Hen party gone wild; much to Jack’s mounting dismay. They have a deal and neither one of them can seem to stick to it. It’s Jack versus Ethan as the two men learn to navigate their ever-evolving not-a-relationship without losing the benefit of the bargain.
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1.6 – When the Devil Drives

Death and the Devil 1.6 – When the Devil Drives – L.J. Hayward
Category: Adults, Gay, LGBT, Romance
Language: EnglishKeywords: Crime M/M Mystery

Shared by:MLL

L.J. Hayward Death and the Devil 1.6 – When the Devil Drives

Written by L.J. Hayward
Read by Rowan Scott
Format: M4B
Bitrate: 128 Kbps
Unabridged

Listener note: This audiobook follows on from the novel Where Death Meets the Devil and the novella Bargaining with the Devil. It contains the stories When the Devil Drives and At Death’s Door.

Work-life balance for a spy may be an oxymoron, but Jack Reardon likes a good challenge, and he’s almost bested this one! He’s settled into his Meta-State promotion as a field leader and into his new team with a second he can trust. Shop in order, Jack can take a day or two off when Ethan blows into town, their bargain finally starting to pay off.

Assassin Ethan Blade has few pleasures in his life—a decent cup of tea, a job well done, racing his fleet of supercars, and Jack. With plans to combine the last two into one thrilling weekend, Ethan’s attempt at having a normal, happy life may deliver everything he’s ever desired; or backfire spectacularly. Jack and Ethan made a bargain, but the deal is thrown into jeopardy when the expectations and identities of the dealmakers shift; stoking the fires of doubt and jealousy. Not to mention a contract killer out for revenge and an illness that threatens to reveal closely guarded secrets.

Rewards are on the table for both men, maybe bigger than they even realize, if only they can renegotiate and survive.
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1.8 – Devil in the Details

Listener note: This audiobook follows on from the novel Where Death Meets the Devil and the subsequent novellas Bargaining with the Devil and When the Devil Drives.

If there’s one thing assassin Ethan Blade knows, it’s how to plan a job. How to study a target, find the weak spot, and strike. He keeps his guns clean, his knives sharp, and his heart sealed away behind more locks than his precious cars. Alone but safe.

Until Jack Reardon burrowed his way into Ethan’s life, his car, and his heart. This may just be the deadliest mess he can’t plan his way out of. Jack wasn’t sure he’d see Ethan again; not after the less-than-stellar ends to their previous hookups. Even finding the assassin skulking about his apartment isn’t as reassuring as it should be, especially when he works out Ethan’s motive for being there might not be personal. That said, Jack will take any chance he can to salvage their relationship, assuming he survives whatever plan Ethan is cooking up. Ethan and Jack had a bargain, but the parameters changed and neither is certain how to move forward; together or apart.

But before they can start to renegotiate, lives, trust, and hearts are endangered by ghosts from the past. Even if they dodge their enemies; bullets, there’s a risk of friendly fire, and when you let someone get too close, even small knives can cut deep.
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2 – Why the Devil Stalks Death

Publishers Note: Listening order. To heighten your enjoyment of Jack and Ethan’s developing relationship, please listen to the novellas Bargaining with the Devil, When the Devil Drives, and Devil in the Details before this audiobook. Thank you.

Jack Reardon uncovers secrets for a living, and the Meta-State spy is pretty good at it. Or rather he thought so until he met Ethan Blade—assassin, warrior, enigma. The unlikely pair have decided to give living together a shot, but Jack’s not entirely certain what he’s gotten himself into—or exactly who he’s in it with. Jack’s worries are compounded when he’s assigned to a police strike force hunting a serial killer. With each new puzzle piece, Jack considers the true nature of a serial killer—and how similar it is to an assassin…one particular assassin who’s having trouble adjusting to retirement. Jack’s unsure how to help Ethan; or if he even can.

When the killer strikes close to home, Jack must race against the clock to stop another murder, despite the price someone has put on his head. Could the matters be connected? Is a certain assassin at the center of both? Surrounded by killers, the only one Jack wants near disappears, leaving Jack drowning in secrets. He’ll have to do what he does best—unravel the secrets, including Ethan’s—to stop the killer and save the life he and Ethan have only just begun to build.

Content warning: Child abuse and child sexual abuse in a character’s history but not depicted directly.
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2.5 – Dealing in Death

This audiobook is narrated from the point of view of Ethan Blade—assassin extraordinaire, cold-blooded killer, heartless monster, and . . . retiree?

I’ve spent my whole life dealing in death, efficiently eliminating targets while fighting to preserve a sense of self and morality, to avoid becoming as detached and ruthless as my siblings. I thought I had succeeded. Then I met Jack Reardon—contrary, handsome, forgiving, and far too good for the likes of me—and my life was tipped upside down. When he asked me to move in with him, he didn’t specify that I had to quit my job, but I wanted to—for myself, not for him. I should have known it wouldn’t be that easy.

My old instincts—“Ethan Blade”—are soon tempted out of retirement by a job offer I can’t afford to refuse and by an old hook-up of Jack’s he’d be a fool to refuse. While falling prey to my own temptation, Jack struggles with his. Which is precisely when the true danger exposes itself—one of my siblings with no such sense of self or morality. Only pain. And he is prepared to rain it down on me and Jack, unless I can square the Ethan Blade I want to be with the one I need to be, in time to save us both.
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3 – When Death Frees the Devil

The final book in the thrilling Death and the Devil series. Ethan is finally free. He’s left the Cabal behind and embraced a civilian life with Jack, the man he loves. The only problem is that the Cabal isn’t willing to let him go. A call in the middle of the night and a threat to Jack’s family, and Ethan is back in the game. The only way out is to take on the organization that spent years warping his life.

Jack’s boyfriend has a way of vanishing on him, but this time Ethan’s disappearance is more frightening than ever. A trail of mysterious clues, a hit against his family, and the handprint of the Cabal on everything mean the greatest test of love and determination Jack has ever endured.

Torn apart by forces greater than they are, Jack and Ethan must fight harrowing battles to get back to each other. The Cabal is the greatest foe either of them has had to face. Ethan is willing to throw away everything to bring an end to the Cabal’s evil. And Jack is willing to do the same to make sure Ethan comes out the other side alive.
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Death and the Devil – The Novellas

A collection of six novellas that follow on from where we left Jack and Ethan at the end of Where Death Meets the Devil. This audiobook should be listened to before audiobook two Why Death Stalks the Devil.

The novellas collection contains the following stories:

Where Death Meets the Devil: Coda
Bargaining with the Devil
When the Devil Drives
At Deaths Door
Devil in the Details
Devil takes a Holiday