A thrilling, action-packed, sexy romance.

Jarrett Evans is tasked with protecting ATF special agent and witness, Thayne Wolf, from a hitman while waiting for the trial of an arms dealer he’d help capture. These two alpha males are just perfect for each other. There’s attraction from the start and, although they try to resist getting involved, there’s chemistry and sexual tension between them for much of the first half of the book. When they finally make out their sex scenes are smoking hot.

Instead of going into protective custody the two men go undercover in a hairdressing salon of all places as a way of ‘hiding’ from the hitman. An unusual choice, but it adds interest and brings in a host of other characters along with some humour and light relief to mix with the anticipation and suspense. If you can accept these two 'hard' men would fit into such an environment and that one of them could train to be a ladies’ hairdresser in two days (even with some previous barber experience!) and that they are ‘hiding’ in plain sight from a killer then you'll probably enjoy the plot. To keep the story moving they workout, go to a bar and the beach, and ride on Jarrett’s motorbike, so they’re not stuck in the apartment in their down time.

We are given a couple of other character points of view so the suspense builds because the reader/listener gets to see what’s happening in the background. There’s plenty of excitement as our guys try to stay one step ahead of the hitman, culminating in an action-packed climax.

I was a little surprised by the ending, though, in that the story wasn’t really truly resolved. Without giving away spoilers, surely Thayne is still in danger and yet he’s going back at work.

It’s a long audiobook of over ten hours. The writing is descriptive and detailed, sometimes unnecessarily so and could have been more concise. Some information is occasionally repeated by the other POV character, but overall the picture painted of the scenes and characters are clear. The backgrounds to the MCs are steadily revealed over the course of the story, although some of the details seemed to be inconsistent with the character at times.

Despite these seemingly negative points I enjoyed listening to this story. What I liked best was the romance and the relationship that slowly built between Thayne and Jarrett. I just adored these guys. It’s not insta-love and Jarrett especially is trying to convince himself that this is just a temporary fling when we know it’s not.

It took me a few chapters to attune to the narrator’s voice and his rather robotic style of narration. But as with the story I grew to like it and enjoyed the performance and his range of distinctive voices with the various accents. When emotion and passion were needed he was spot on every time and I particularly loved his voice for Jarrett and the way he said darlin’.

4 people found this helpful

Interesting characters, easy to listen to.

Thane had a harrowing 2 years undercover. Jarret, is an ex marine with issues of his own. They come together when Thane needs protection while waiting to testify against his nasty undercover assignment. They wind up working in a hair salon, Cut the Crap. Throw in a hit man and friends with guns and the two falling for each other and it's an entertaining read.
Haven't listened to a lot of audible books so voice characterization took some getting used to. I enjoyed this book (ebook and audible) a lot and highly recommend it. I did receive the audible copy from the author.

3 people found this helpful

Death & Destruction

Copy provided to me by the author for my listening please in hopes of an unbiased opinion, a review was not a requirement.*

Death and Destruction is the first book in Patricia Logan's Death and Destruction series. I've read (and loved) the entire series, and was excited to listen to this audiobook. I have to tell you, I had a completely different reaction to experiencing this book the second time around, knowing everything I do about Thayne and Jarrett. When I first read this book, it was around the time it was released and it was the first book I had read by this author. I didn't realize that this was just the start of Thayne and Jarrett's story so I felt really cheated with the ending. So, let me just tell you, if you have not read this series, or if you just read book one and was frustrated and refused to continue. Please, please, please continue because you're going to love watching Thayne and Jarrett's love story continue!

Thayne works for the ATF and has spent two years undercover with the horrible Mils Lang (sadly you'll become way too familiar with this guy) for two years. Lang has finally been arrested and Thayne will testify, which should guarantee Lang will never get out of prison. But, Lang hasn't become a bad guy by just sitting around waiting on his fate. When all the agencies become aware of the price on Thayne's head, drastic measures are taken to keep him safe for the trial. Knowing how he's going to react to WITSEC, this SAC comes up with another suggestion and hires Jarrett to become his personal bodyguard. Thayne isn't happy with this option either but he knows it's the best one available to him. Thayne and Jarrett are given new names, a place to live and jobs in a beauty parlor. The men have settled in when the hitman catches up with them and they have to go on the run again. But Lang has come up with a new plan to guarantee he doesn't have to go to prison, and his lawyer is just as vile as he is and carries out his plan. Thayne and Jarrett have found a safe place, but that will end and a crazy gun battle will ensue and no one is walking away without injuries.

I really liked Thayne and Jarrett. Thayne is the serious, healthy, far in the closet man and Jarrett is the balls to the walls, in your face out of the closet man. Though they're opposites, they fit together like puzzle pieces and develop a good working relationship, friendship and eventually more. The men learn to trust and count on the other. When the story ends, they have accepted wanting more from the other, and have been given the chance to be partners in the ATF. This is a great start to the series and gives you a real feel for the author's writing. The story is fast-paced and action packed, but I never felt that overwhelmed the developing relationship of Thayne and Jarrett, it just enhanced it.

The narrator of this story is Michael Pauley and I thought he did a great job with a lot of characters and voices. He was able to give them distinctive voice, had a good pace, was easy to listen to and had no weird pauses. He brought the emotions of the book out and brought the book and characters to life. There are some really sizzling scenes between Thayne and Jarrett and I thought the narrator did a terrific job with them.

I would strong recommend listening to the audio version of this book! The combination of this author's story and the narrator were a great match!

Overall: 5 stars
Performance: 5 stars
Story: 5 stars

2 people found this helpful

A new action series!

Would you listen to Death and Destruction again? Why?

Yes! The story kept me engaged from the beginning. I love a good agent story, add in good narration and I'm happy.
I tried to listen in one sitting, but adulting got in the way :)

What did you like best about this story?

Hard to say - the suspense from the undercover work, the attraction between Jarrett and Thayne, the narration.

Which character – as performed by Michael Pauley – was your favorite?

All the characters were well done, even the secondary ones. Each character was distinct and almost as I imagined.

Any additional comments?

This is a very good start to the series, I loved every minute of the narration. looking forward to the others being turned into audiobooks.

2 people found this helpful

Action packed!

Would you consider the audio edition of Death and Destruction to be better than the print version?

I haven't read the print version, but I really enjoyed the audiobook.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Death and Destruction?

The scene with the lawyer and the grandmother made me so angry, I wanted to hit someone. The most exciting scene was the shootout.

Which scene was your favorite?

The times when Jarrett comforted Thayne after a nightmare were especially touching. I enjoyed watching their relationship blossom. I also loved their snarky conversations.

Any additional comments?

I really enjoyed this story and look forward to the next book in the series. I hope to learn more about Jarrett's past. I also hope the loose ends from this one are tied up. I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

2 people found this helpful

Great book!!

I’m happy to find another series with great characters and plot with just the right amount of heat. Can’t wait to see what the two main characters get into next and how the relationship develops. Michael Pauley did and awesome job narrating as usual.

1 person found this helpful

Great action and bodyguard to lover

Thayne Wolfe has been undercover for two years. Now he is out and finds a price on his head, being the only witness to the dangerous gun dealer and murderer Mills Lang. Instead of WITSEC, he is placed under the care of Jarret Evans a sniper, assassin, and bodyguard. Both men are not into relationships and very different from each other. They are also perfect for each other though they resist that pull.

I absolutely loved this story. It's not love at first sight. These guys bicker and fight like two roosters in a henhouse. It's fun. And the job Thayne is given while hidden? A hairstylist at Cut the Crap? Oh yes, this book is fun, and yet the storyline is full of drama, mystery, and intrigue. It kept me wanting more. The ending was perfect, and I want the next book now!

Michael Pauley did a great job narrating the book. Jared's southern accent was perfect and Thayne's voice was more put together which suited his personality. Pauley added his own flair to an already great story making it even better.
If you like drama, suspense, a touch of humor, some hot man-sex I highly recommend this.

1 person found this helpful

Enjoyable listen

It was a well written and engaging story with two strong MCs that were believable, and maintained a touch of tenderness and compassion whilst still being gruff and gritty. The dialogue in the audio was really great, with both Thayne's and Jarrett's voices being clearly differentiated so it was easy to follow which character was speaking. The rest of the narration however had a tendency to be a bit robotic, and whilst this worked well to bring the dialogue to life the backstory elements fell a bit flat at times.

That said, I enjoyed listening to this instalment, and although it's part one in an ongoing series, it works really well in its own right and I didn't feel like anything was missing. Thayne ans Jarrett work well as a duo so I'll be looking for the rest of the series.

1 person found this helpful

Hold on to your Seat!

Would you consider the audio edition of Death and Destruction to be better than the print version?

Have only listened to the audio - and it was great! Did not read print version.

What did you like best about this story?

Action packed, great characters and smoking chemistry between Jared and Thane.

What does Michael Pauley bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Michael brings the characters to life - his voice make you feel like you are there.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The whole book was great.

Any additional comments?

Highly recommend this book! It is the first book that I have read by this author and I will definitely read(listen to) the next book in this series. Great storyteller!

1 person found this helpful

Edge of your seat!

I really liked this book and the way the author brought the characters together. Once I got use to the way the narrator read through the book, I couldn't stop listening. Extremely hot!! I will definitely grab the next in the series to see what happens next!!

1 person found this helpful