Reviewed by Sadonna
TITLE: Love for the Reaper
SERIES: The Elite
AUTHORS: Charlie Cochet
NARRATOR: Gary Furlong
PUBLISHER: Self-published
LENGTH: 2 hours and 6 minutes
RELEASE DATE: August 30, 2024
BLURB:
Devlin “Dev” Espinosa lives in the shadows of the criminal underworld. As a Ferryman, his job is to safely transport “the dead” to their new lives, no questions asked. With no one to answer to, lots of cash, and access to The Anonymous–an exclusive club for the elite–Dev is loving life.
Until Remy Corbin gets into his car.
Remy is just a regular guy working a regular bartending job. At least, that’s what he thought before walking in on his boss taking someone out. Witnessing the assassination paints a target on Remy’s back, and when the bullets fly, he jumps into a stranger’s car.
Dev has no intention of getting involved in Remy’s problems, but something about the guy brings out protective instincts Dev didn’t know he had. Going against his better judgment, Dev vows to keep Remy alive.
Can wild nights fueled by danger and explosive passion lead to more? Or will the hitman on their tail cut their romance–and lives–short?
Love for the Reaper is a part of the multi-author series The Elite. Each book can be listened to as a standalone and in any order. What links these books together is The Anonymous, a club beneath the gritty city where only the elite are welcome.
REVIEW:
This story starts off with an interesting scenario. Dev is picking up a “package” and transporting them as agreed. He loves his car and he’s happy with his job. He’s a free agent and that’s the best he’s hoped for. He has money, he can take the jobs he wants and he’s part of The Elite and has access to a have at The Anonymous, a hotel/club that is sort of a “neutral” ground for all characters of a certain caliber in the city of Old Defiance.
Remy had a bad breakup and decided to start over. He ends up in Old Defiance working at a bar/restaurant. He thinks it’s just a regular bartender/server gig. His boss is kind to him and so are his coworkers. Until one night, he leaves, forgetting his paycheck on the boss’s desk. He goes back and hears a noise and decides to investigate. Unfortunately he follows the noise and witnesses an execution and gives himself away. He tries to escape by jumping into Dev’s car in the alley. This is bad. Very very very bad, especially as now someone is shooting at the car! Dev is NOT happy.
Protecting his baby (i.e. his car), Dev speeds away. And for the first time does not complete the contract. He doesn’t know what to do with Remy, but he drives out of town and tells Remy to get out. Remy is desolate. He has no money, no friends, he’s new in town and has gotten himself into a real pickle. But something about the guy calls to Dev and he can’t just leave him by the side of the road. So he takes him to The Anonymous – the neutral zone in the city for the Elite. Meanwhile his partner and his client are calling and threatening him and Remy. Dev doesn’t really get why he feels so protective of Remy, but he does. And he doesn’t want Remy to be killed. He’s actually a good guy and he doesn’t deserve the end the mob has planned for him. But what choice do they have? Reason certainly isn’t going to work. Even money doesn’t seem to be the answer. Can they just run away together? Is there any other solution that doesn’t leave them looking over their shoulder for the rest of their lives? And what bout Sergio and Gabriele? What’s going on beneath the surrface? 😉 Good questions! You’ll have to listen to find out.
Gary Furlong is just the consummate professional and his narration of this helter skelter tale is riveting. There is a lot of action going on here – with chases and violence and plotting and bizarre alliances aplenty. Mr. Furlong is a favorite narrator for many reasons, but his performance of these characters is one great reason. The voices are distinct, but so is the energy around each character. The malevolence of the bad guys? Spot on. The sarcasm and straight up malice? Perfectly performed. This is a quick listen as it’s a novella, but worth the time. I haven’t read the other stories in this multi-author series, but I enjoyed this one and may pick some of them up to peruse as well. This author and narrator continue to be a winner pair. If you’re in the mood for a fast-paced story that bring together an unlikely match, this might be the book for you! Given the short form of this story, there is a certain insta vibe here, but I think that’s to be expected and it’s really a HFN and that seems like a reasonable outcome. Recommended.
RATING: 
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