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L.J. Hayward

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When Death Frees the Devil (Death and the Devil Book 3) Kindle Edition

by L.J. Hayward (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

4.6 242 ratings

Book 3 of 3: Death and the Devil

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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 means 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.

CW - teen suicide, suicidal thoughts, child abuse, graphic violence.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B082Z76MNR
Publisher ‏ : ‎ L.J. Hayward (January 17, 2020)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ January 17, 2020
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 3298 KB
Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 374 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #245,043 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #7,237 in Gay Romance
- #10,394 in LGBTQ+ Romance (Books)
- #14,232 in Romantic Suspense (Books)

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4.6 242 ratings

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L.J. Hayward

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L.J. Hayward has been telling stories for most of her life. Granted, a good deal of them have been of the tall variety, but who’s counting? Parents and teachers notwithstanding, of course. These days, the vast majority of her story telling has been in an honest attempt to create fun and exciting ways of entertaining others (and making money).

As such, she is still a mad (always provoked!) scientist in a dungeon laboratory (it has no windows. Seriously, the zombie apocalypse could be going on outside and she’d have nary a clue) who, on the rare occasions she emerges into the light, does so under extreme protest and with the potential hazard of bursting into flames under the southeast Queensland sun.

Website http://www.ljhayward.com/

Twitter @lj_hayward

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Sahi

Absolutely stunning finale.

Reviewed in the United States on March 13, 2020

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I don’t follow the author on social media and this is also not a very popular series, so as usual I didn’t even know until a month ago that the final book in this beloved series of mine was coming out in the new year. I was so so excited and immediately preordered it because there was no way I was gonna wait to read it. And wow am I happy that I did on release day itself.

One of the signature writing style of the author has been the then/now multiple timeline alternate chapters, with almost every chapter ending on a cliffhanger making my blood pressure high and just at the edge of my seat right from page 1. Thankfully, the author takes a bit of a step back from that - mind you, we still have multiple timelines and many cliffhangers but it’s a tad bit less anxiety inducing this time around and I actually enjoyed it. We also get both Ethan and Jack’s POVs in the same book and that was a riveting experience. As a finale, I would have expected this book to be more action packed and exciting, and while it had its fair share of thrills, this was a very introspective book in some ways and I thought that was a brilliant choice. But that never affects the pacing of the book, with something unexpected happening all the time and me left wondering who is gonna survive and who is the traitor. If I had to nitpick, my only complaint would be that quite a few things happened outside of the pages and we are told after the fact, and I thought I would have enjoyed reading about them while they happened.

But the best part for me was finally seeing a good portion of the story take place in India and watching Jack navigate this side of his heritage. I also particularly loved the chases through the streets of Mumbai, the descriptions of Dharavi, the road trip to Goa and the nostalgia inducing overnight train ride to Kerala. Though the author decided not to include the actual words, even knowing that Jack was communicating in both Hindi and Malayalam delighted me a lot.

As I mentioned before, we get both POVs here and it was awesome. Just reading about Jack and Ethan being vulnerable towards each other, fighting through their intense traumatic pasts (particularly horrifying in Ethan’s case) and just doing whatever they can to protect each other - it was beautiful to watch. They have changed so much over the course of three books, becoming more trusting, open and loving, and Ethan particularly trying his best to live a normal healthy life is such great character development and kudos to the author for making us care for them so much. And just like their first kiss, the first time the “three magic words” are said between them was a special moment and made me all kinds of emotional.

We got to know many side characters more personally in this book and I thoroughly loved that. Getting to finally see Jack with his family, Ethan becoming friendlier with their neighbors and also Jack’s best friend and family, and even exploring his unique but frustrating dynamic with his remaining siblings and the Doctor was fascinating to read about.

To conclude, this book was everything I wanted it to be and more. It’s full of action packed thrills, car chases and helicopter crashes, great character development and lots of love. If you’ve already read the previous books in the series, then what are you waiting for....??? And if you’ve never read this series but love spy thrillers with an epic romance which will make your heart race and terrify you with cliffhangers, then this series is perfect for you. I was actually hedging on giving this book a 4 or 4.5 star but then the author gave me that amazing epilogue with a killer last line and I just had to make it a 5. I’m just sad thinking this is the end, and hoping that maybe the author will gift us with a short story in the future. I’m gonna miss you Jack and Ethan.

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Misanthropic

I want MOAR!

Reviewed in the United States on January 20, 2020

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I think Ethan and Jack have surpassed all other romance/action/suspense book couples for me. What an extraordinary journey it’s been and this final volume was more amazing than I’d hoped. I white knuckled my way through the non-stop action and tension starting with leaving Ethan dangling in terrifying circumstances to then go back and recount all the other terrifying circumstances that led him there. Not nearly as much back and forth time jumps as other volumes though. Unexpected twists and turns added more and different suspense right up until the very last chapter. More details and history flesh out the bit and pieces learned during the prior stories about both characters.

Jack still has Ethan’s back, even when he’s mad at him, ready to take on whatever and whoever threatens them. The author does a fantastic job keeping the romance quotient high too. As I got closer to the end I frequently stopped reading for a while because I didn’t want the story to be over. Except at 80%, I could not figure out how there was enough page time left to explain and wrap up all the convoluted schemes and threats and get Ethan and Jack to safety. The Coda at the end couldn’t have been more perfect. I will miss them so much! I’m going to hope they inspire another adventure or two because there was one small detail I think will need tidying up. Can’t recommend this series more highly.

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Gary Cunningham

Fascinating conclusion to the series

Reviewed in the United States on December 21, 2020

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This third and final book in the series brings the characters to conclusion of perhaps a new phase in their lives. In the process, it takes them on adventures through two countries, Australia and India.

Unlike previous books in the series in which the narrative moves back and forth in time, this one moves in sequence. Nonetheless, many missing items in the past lives of the characters in the previous two books are filled in adding to the depth the author brings in to the conclusion.

The author presents amazing insights into the cultures, politics, and interpersonal dynamics of Australia and India.

The first portion of the story left me wanting to hurry along because it had a seemingly endless often gratuitous violence. Eventually the author came to her true form bringing in deep understanding of human dynamics of family relations, romance, caring, reconciliation, with empathy and sympathy and emotional growth.

Many classify the series as gay books because characters are gay. This is a misclassification because the author very convincingly demonstrates that relationships between homosexuals can be every bit as intense and human as the relationship between heterosexuals. Sexual orientation has no impact on the intense human interactions expressed.

The rating is only four stars, rather than a full five stars because of explicit gratuitous sexual details. Readers do not need explicit details to appreciate the intensity of the moments. Similarly, violence is often gratuitous and not really needed to present a compelling story.

Despite these two flaws, this is a very good book which I highly recommend to those who like action and romance genres blended into an impelling story line.

Will the author bring the characters back to life with a new series in the future?

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Rachel BPG

great end to the series!!

Reviewed in the United States on February 18, 2023

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Love this series! The action is great and the love story between the two MCs was great! The ending was everything I wanted! The audio is also great!!

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L.Sisson

Another fast paced exciting winner!

Reviewed in the United States on February 3, 2023

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Wow! There was alot going on in this book! Its supposed to be a conclusion to the series but...gee, i hope for a couple more novellas???? Please???

Reviewed in the United States on March 20, 2022

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There is no better ending of this series than this. Ethan and Jack got exactly what they deserved. I laughed, I cried, all the while at the edge of my seat, anticipating what’s next. This series has everything, it’s hot, full of action and very emotional. I can’t wait to reread this again, it is absolutely beautiful.

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Chloe

AHH!!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 16, 2020

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That was so, so, so good. I picked the first book of this series up as an audible on Amazon and got lost in it. The whole atmosphere between Jack and Ethan made me swoon. I felt like Sheila had a definite personality.

Then, it ended. So I read the novellas, which made me all squishy inside with love. Then I read book 2, which had me on the edge of my seat the entire time. It consumed me, ate me whole, then spat me out at 4am this morning.

Then, THEN: Two hours later (you read. I didn’t even get coffee, I drink 8 cups a day and I didn’t want to stop reading for that), I read the final book, and have figured out the horrible inevitability, suspense and need to finish this book, I had felt throughout all the books and little novellas:

****SPOILER****

I just missed Sheila the camel. 🐫🐪🐫

😆

Half kidding.

I loved it so much. Romance eat your heart out, this is the bomb. Please keep writing stuff, dear author.

Sylvia

Excellente fin

Reviewed in France on January 29, 2020

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Magnifique dernier tome des aventures de Jack et Ethan. Il y a de l'action, du suspense, des rebondissements et des combats. De la tendresse aussi (enfin, quand nos héros ont le temps, parce qu'ils sont quand même surbookés...). L'auteur continue à présenter les chapitres sans respecter l'ordre chronologique, et à nous de les remettre dans l'ordre. C'est toujours surprenant mais on y gagne en suspense et on s'y fait!
Cette fois, Ethan se bat pour son avenir et son bonheur. Tant que la Cabale existera, Jack et lui auront une épée de Damoclès au-dessus de la tête. Alors courageusement, il décide tout simplement d'éliminer le danger pour de bon...
Cette série est passionnante et brillante, nerveuse et super bien écrite. Une grande réussite.

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Simone

U.N.P.U.T.D.O.W.N.A.B.L.E.

Reviewed in Germany on January 18, 2020

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It's official now: Jack Reardon's birthdays are cursed. He seriously needs to have a heart-to-heart with his wayward renegade assassinating boyfriend about his definition of "back soon"... What was supposed to be a lazy day preferably in bed with his lover, ended up in a deserted bedside, a non-convincing note and a wild chase halfway across the world to not only save the love of his life by bringing down the most ruthless of organisations in order to stop them from hunting down his lover's backside. but also to face down some demons of his own past.

Speaking of demons... Ethan Blade has them in spades. And he is tired. Tired of his past having something against his retirement. Tired of that past being a threat to the man he loves. Tired of said past being a threat to their future. There is only one way out. Even if that way might cost him everything.

He should have known that his boyfriend is too stubborn to let him go. Too perceptive when it comes to seeing through his facade. Too savvy to say the right things at the right time and of course too much in love to let him deal with this mess alone.

HOLY NINJA!!! If you listen carefully I bet you can still hear me wheezing. And here I thought the first one has been a wild ride... First page and this book already had me frantically searching for my blood pressure meds. There was not one - not ONE - dull moment in this book, even the tender moments gave me heart palpitations.

Jack and Ethan will always be pretty high at the top of my list of favorite couples and Ethan Blade is my all-time favorite assassin ever. The character- and relationship development is simply top-notch. I love how far they have come in accepting each other with heart and soul, but also themselves and their past. In this book they bared their souls to each other and them showing their vulnerability was equally painful and heart-melting to read.

I would bet that you are dying to know that the layout was different this time. No alternating chapters between now and then, past and present. Did I just hear some deep sighs of relief from the far end of the ranks? ;-) Yep, even if this constituted a big part of the charme of this series for me, I admit that this getup was a bit easier to follow and it all unfolded like a movie in my mind's eye. The story is divided into three parts with changing POV's of Ethan, Jack and Ethan & Jack, with basically more or less one big flashback working its way toward the present and I'm still in awe of the oh-so-clever and well-conceived storyline here. The author tried to set me on the wrong track quite a few times and almost succeeded. It was sooo close... ;-)

Everyone who follows my reviews knows that I loved every single book in this series, but as for me, this has been the highlight and the coda at the end was everything! Especially because of a certain pesky someone making a reappearance here. ;-) I'm bananas enough about these guys to do a reread right away - slower this time to savor all the bits and pieces, mind you! - and I hope from the bottom of my heart that L.J. Hayward decides to continue this series someday. Highly recommended!

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Moe

More please !

Reviewed in Germany on May 16, 2021

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Absolutely loved it. The writing, the characters, the plot and the romance.
I don't want it to end. I need more !

Caz

A fantastic end to a fantastic series!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 24, 2020

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Gah! I'm going to miss Jack and his Crazy Bastard. (Even if that's only half right!)

Another fabulous rollercoaster ride of a story, as Jack and Ethan are forced to fight for the future they so desperately want, while plans are hatched and strings are pulled on both sides which only complicate things even more.

The plots in these books are tight and really well-executed, but the central relationship between Jack and Ethan - two men who are like sides of the same coin in many ways - is at the heart of the series, and the author develops and explores it brilliantly.

I'm trying hard to think of another character quite like Ethan - deadly, ruthless and yet ridiculously endearing - and am coming up with nothing. He's unique :)

A great finish to what's been a fantastic series - if this is the last we see of Jack and Ethan (and how I hope it isn't!) then the author has done them proud.

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When Death Frees the Devil (Death and the Devil Book 3) Kindle Edition

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