Death and the Devil: The Novellas by L.J. Hayward

Narrated by Rowan Scott

Novellas are generally hit and miss for me. So often they’re a bit flimsy, the shorter page count/run time contributing to a feeling that the story and/or characters are underdeveloped, and that there isn’t enough of a story to sustain a full-length novel. There are exceptions to that rule, however, and the novellas that span the gap between books one and two of L.J. Hayward’s fabulous Death and the Devil series are three of them. Unlike many novellas in series, however, you can’t skip them, because if you do you’ll miss out on a lot of really important relationship and character development that takes Jack and Ethan’s relationship to a very different place at the beginning of book two (Why the Devil Stalks Death) to where it was when we left them at the end of Where Death Meets the Devil. Taken all together, the novellas are a mini-series of action-packed ‘episodes’ boasting interesting, fast-paced plots that form a single story arc (linked back to that of WDMtD) which also start to peel away the layers of these two complex characters and show them forging an even deeper connection.

Note: The books in this series must be listened to in order, so if you haven’t listened to Where Death Meets the Devil first, you’ll probably be a bit lost. There are spoilers for that book in this review.

Bargaining With the Devil

This audiobook includes the Coda to book one, as well as the short stories Bargaining With the Devil, Devil on his Shoulder and Death of the Party.

Coda picks up where WDMtD ends, with Jack waking up to the scent of freshly-brewed tea and the sight of Ethan’s neatly folded clothes in his bedroom. At this point, he’s not sure if Ethan’s there to fuck him or kill him after Jack betrayed him to The Office when they were working together to expose a traitor. Thankfully, it’s not the latter option *wink*, and once the slate is wiped clean, Ethan proposes that they should continue hooking up whenever they’re in the same vicinity. Jack knows it’s an utterly ridiculous idea, but there’s something about Ethan, a strange mix of ruthlessness and innocence combined with the glimpses of vulnerability he’d shown Jack on their trek through the desert, that is so utterly captivating that Jack is prepared to risk it. Plus – Ethan is hot as all hell, which isn’t exactly a deterrent. The stories in Bargaining With the Devil highlight a number of different issues, such as Ethan’s need for security and Jack’s problems with intimacy while also addressing the theme of the boundaries of their relationship when Ethan starts interfering in Jack’s missions.

When the Devil Drives

Includes: When the Devil Drives and At Death’s Door

The stories in When the Devil Drives are a couple of slices of life, a look into Jack and Ethan’s relationship when they’re off the clock, that shows the degree to which their whole “just sex” thing has jumped the tracks and is turning into something else. In the first, Ethan asks Jack to accompany him to the charity race he’s been invited to drive in and Jack is helpless in the face of Ethan’s adorkable geekery about high-performance cars. Of course, this is Jack and Ethan we’re talking about, so a simple weekend away turns out to be anything but simple and it’s Jack who ends up in a high-speed chase at the wheel of a hot-pink Ferrari.

Ethan’s next visit coincides with Jack being laid low with the flu; and all the while Jack is thinking what a disappointment it must be for Ethan, turning up expecting some hot sex and instead getting a hot, sweaty mess of Jack high on meds and running his mouth off, Ethan is there, making sure Jack has enough medication and looking after him. Awww.

To call Devil in the Details a novella is a bit of a misnomer; it clocks in at five and a half hours, which is as long as some books which call themselves novels!

Includes: La Petite Mort, Devil in the Details and Death Takes a Holiday

La Petite Mort is the first time we’ve heard directly from Ethan (in first person narrative – Jack’s PoV is in third), and it’s really just one long scene in which we get to hear just how much Jack and what’s happening between them means to Ethan, and how little be believes he deserves it. He arrives at Jack’s place to plant some vital information relating to the case Jack is working on, knowing Jack will be angry at his interference but needing to do it anyway. He hadn’t banked on Jack coming home from work early, though…

Devil in the Details: Jack doesn’t have time to feel angry and hurt about the fact that Ethan lied to him on his most recent visit as he and his work partner Harry travel to Canberra to follow up on the information Ethan supplied. The stakes are raised considerably when Jack and Harry find themselves in the middle of a hostage situation at the hands of a terrorist group with no back-up – other than one rogue assassin. After all hell breaks loose, Ethan is forced to scramble, meaning he can’t be there for Jack after tragedy strikes and Jack needs him more than ever.

Death Takes a Holiday: Jack doesn’t hear from Ethan for over a month and is beginning to wonder if he’ll ever see him again when he receives a plane ticket in the mail. Still angry at being left hanging for so long, resentful and hurt that Ethan wasn’t there when he needed him, Jack considers not going, but then decides it’s time to define exactly what he and Ethan are doing. This is the final novella before book two, and not only does the author give Jack and Ethan the opportunity to clear the air and talk about where they stand and what they want, she also does a really impressive job of pulling together the various plot threads she’s laid down to reveal the big picture and wrap up this story arc. Plus – bonus Star Wars quotes and THAT moment with Jack and the rocket launcher!

I read this series when it was first published and it’s one of my favourites. Jack and Ethan are such compelling, complicated, damaged characters and I love the way their romantic relationship develops from wary but intense attraction to a much deeper emotional connection. L.J. Hayward does an absolutely brilliant job of actually showing Jack falling in love with Ethan across these stories; so often in romances, we’re told that X is in love with Y and see nothing to back that up, but that’s not the case here, and even when Jack doesn’t realise (or admit) what’s happening or he’s misreading Ethan’s cues, it’s very clear to the listener just how far he’s falling. And for Ethan, something as normal as having a relationship is so far out of his realm of experience that he’s struggling with how to handle all these new emotions and is constantly fighting his instinct to run, but we witness him becoming more comfortable in Jack’s space and the author does an incredible job of portraying Ethan’s feelings for Jack even though we’re very rarely in his head. They get things wrong, they don’t always communicate well (they live at a breakneck pace that doesn’t allow a lot of time to talk!) but the moments of intimacy and tenderness between them are utterly swoonworthy and perfectly in character.

Even though Jack and Ethan end this phase of their story knowing what they want from each other, it’s clear that they still have a long way to go to get there – not only because they’re still working out how to be in a relationship, but also because there are still dastardly plots to foil and bad guys to be dealt with – and when you’ve been one of the world’s top assassins, the people you worked for aren’t going to let go of you without a fight.

Rowan Scott delivered a really strong performance in Where Death Meets the Devil, so I was delighted to see he’d been brought back to complete the series. It’s been three years since book one came out so I re-listened to it before I started the novellas to refresh my memory and was pleased to hear Jack and Ethan portrayed so consistently despite the gap. Mr. Scott’s characterisations are absolutely spot on and he does a great job of fleshing them out – Jack’s lively, force-of-nature personality comes through very strongly as does Ethan’s more reticent one – and in the more tender moments, their growing emotional connection is superbly conveyed. Ethan’s English accent is accurate throughout, and Mr. Scott is really comfortable with his formal way of speaking so it never sounds stilted or awkward – and at times, it’s ridiculously endearing. I like the way he manages to convey so many emotions in just one word – “Jack”. The fairly large secondary cast is portrayed appropriately and clearly differentiated; my only reservation, as before, is that sometimes there’s not enough difference between male and female voices, but given there are so few female characters here it’s not a big problem. Well paced and well acted, it’s another terrific performance that enhances these already gripping stories.

I honestly can’t find enough positive things to say about this series. It’s clever and tightly-plotted, there’s plenty of action, plenty of steam and the two leads are characters who will stay with you long after you’ve finished it. In short, it’s got everything you could possibly want from really good romantic suspense, and the intelligent and engaged performance by Rowan Scott is the cherry on top. Highly recommended.

Caz

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Buy Bargaining with the Devil by L.J. Hayward on Amazon Buy When the Devil Drives by L.J. Hayward on Amazon Buy Devil in the Details by L.J. Hayward on Amazon