Monday, September 18, 2023

Monday's Mysterious Mayhem: Love for the Reaper by Charlie Cochet



Summary:

The Elite #8
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 read 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.



Generally multi-author series isn't really my thing(I don't avoid them I just don't go looking for them) simply because the tendril that connects them is minimal, a town, a holiday, an event or in the case of The Elite, a club called The Anonymous.

The Elite is definitely worth looking for.

Love for the Reaper, Charlie Cochet's entry is definitely worth taking a chance on.  Talk about wrong place, wrong time or perhaps right place, perfect time . . . depends on what side of the coin you look at.  Remy has found himself falling head first into the pickle jar when he goes back for his paycheck and Dev holds the tongs to pull him out.  Remy is certainly not what Dev was sent there to transport but when bullets start pinging off his car, he finds his plans changed, like it or not he's got to go.

That is the extent of plot points I'm going to touch on so as not to spoil Reaper.  Just know that the author throws in a bad guy or two(some badder than others), high danger, a friend or two(both obvious and unexpected) and what you have is a twisty tale of "HOLY HANNAH BATMAN! I NEED MORE!!!"  The characters are well defined, well scripted, and completely likeable(or hateable depending on your bad guy viewsπŸ˜‰).

Once again Charlie Cochet hasn't let me down, topnotch reading.  Friendship, danger, humor, enemies, lust, mayhem, and of course heart.  Love for the Reaper is the whole package. 

With the month of all things spooky nearing closer and closer, it's probably a safe bet that this is the last of The Elite series entries I'll get read in 2023 as the last 3 months of the year are my most "theme oriented" reading blocks. Trust me when I say I will return to The Elite because if the remaining entries are only half as good as the 3 I've read, then the probability they will all be grab-my-attention, hold-on-to-my-seat, and never-let-my-heart-go reads is off the charts high.  And I look forward to every word of them.

RATING:



Logically, this was not a sound decision, but Remy was short on options right now. Running for the car, he grabbed the handle of the backseat and said a little thank you when it opened. He jumped inside, slammed the door shut, and locked it.

“Go!”

The driver slowly panned to stare at him. “Does this look like a fucking taxi to you?”

“Please, you need to go! Now!” Remy carefully craned his neck around the front passenger side seat to peek out the front windshield.

“Get out of my car,” the guy growled.

“You don’t understand; I just saw my boss kill someone and—”

“Congratulations. It’s a day that ends in ‘y’. Get. Out. Of. My. Fucking. Car.”

Was he serious? Did he not see the distress Remy was in? It’s not like he was asking for a free ride. He was asking for help not dying! “I need help.”

The guy paused for a second as if he was thinking about it. Then he shook his head. “Not my problem. Get out. Don’t make me—”

A shot pinged against the wall somewhere to the left of the car, and with a loud curse, the guy put the car in Reverse and hit the accelerator, the screeching of wheels was followed by the vehicle lurching backward and reversing out of the alley at full speed.

“Son of a bitch. Did that asshole just shoot at my car?”

“That’s what you’re concerned about?” Remy asked incredulously.

The car reached the street, skidding to a halt only long enough for the man to put her in Drive and shoot forward. Thank goodness he seemed to be a really good driver.

They sped through the city streets, a sharp turn throwing Remy across the backseat and slamming into the door.

“Seatbelt!” The driver snarled. “Put on your fucking seatbelt!”

Remy scrambled back and quickly fastened his seatbelt, just in time. The car made another sharp turn, bystanders diving out of the way as they sped down a side street.

The sound of rapid gunfire filled the air, and Remy threw his hands over his head. “They’re firing at us with a machine gun!”

“No shit! Keep your head down. If they shoot out my windows, I’ll kick your ass!”

Remy supposed an ass-kicking was a better alternative to being dead. How the hell had this happened? Why was this happening? All he wanted was a quiet life, a fresh start, yet somehow he’d walked into…who the hell knew what?

Now his boss wanted him dead. He obviously couldn’t go home, and the only chance he had was the grumpy stranger driving the getaway car. Remy knew the man hadn’t been in that alley for any good reason. For all he knew, this guy would try to kill him too.

“Please don’t kill me,” Remy blurted.

“What? Are you serious right now? Someone’s shooting at you, you jump into my car, and you think I’m the dangerous one here?”

He had a point. The car’s engine roared. As they took an on-ramp to the highway, Remy had to ask. “Who are you?”

“I’m a Ferryman.”

Remy shook his head. “I don’t know what that is.”

“A Ferryman. Like in Greek mythology. The guy who transports the dead.”

Oh. Fuck.

Well, that couldn’t be good.



The Elite is multi-author series.
Each book can be read 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.




Author Bio:

Charlie Cochet is the international bestselling author of the THIRDS series. Born in Cuba and raised in the US, Charlie enjoys the best of both worlds, from her daily Cuban latte to her passion for classic rock.

Currently residing in Central Florida, Charlie is at the beck and call of a rascally Doxiepoo bent on world domination. When she isn’t writing, she can usually be found devouring a book, releasing her creativity through art, or binge watching a new TV series. She runs on coffee, thrives on music, and loves to hear from readers.

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Love for the Reaper #8

The Elite Series