The Hit

Team Zulu Series, Book 1

De: Julie Weaver

Narrado por: Kai Kennicott, Stephen Dexter

Winner of the Romance Writers of Australia Emerald Award

Shep

Being a contract killer for the mafia is easy. Take out the scumbag. Collect the cash. Go back to my uncomplicated life of solitude in the mountains.

What I'm not prepared for is my next target. She's as innocent as I am sullied, and while most men cower in my presence, she stands up to me with enough sass and courage to stop me in my tracks.

I have a decision to make. Carry out the contract and become as ruthless as the men I work for, or defy their orders and live with a target on my back.

Which leaves me with one hell of an inconvenient problem. What do I do with the gorgeous woman tied up in my truck?

Cameron

My brother once kept me safe from every horror in the world. Now, he's betrayed dangerous people and left me to deal with the blowback. The mafia takes no prisoners, and I'm a loose end that needs eliminating.

The mob's lethal hitman comes for me in the night, and even though I fight him tooth and nail, I'm no match for the grumpy wall of muscle.

When he takes me to his isolated cabin and lays out his unexpected plans, I'm forced to accept two disturbing truths.

Sometimes, the villain is the only one who can protect you.

And I'm falling for a hitman.

The Hit is an enemies-to-lovers romance featuring a grumpy mafia hitman hero, the sunshine mechanic he's sworn to protect, touch her and you die vibes, and forced proximity.

Includes The Rescue, a spicy holiday Team Zulu novella.

©2024 Julie Weaver (P)2024 Podium Audio

Kill or Be Killed

The following ratings are out of 5:
Romance: 💚💜💙❤️🤎
Heat/Steam: 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Chemistry: 🧪🧪🧪🧪🧪
Story/Plot: 📕📗📘📙
World building: 🌏🌍🌎🌏
Character development: 😋🙂🤨🤣
Narrator(s): 🎙🎙🎙🎙🎙
Narration type: Dual Narration

🛡️ Audiobook Review:

Series: Team Zulu Series
Genre: Mafia Romance
Narrators: Stephen Dexter and Kai Kennicott

🦸🏼‍♀️ Heroine Spotlight: Cameron Mackenzie

Cameron’s life is all grit, grease, and grit-your-teeth loyalty. As the head (and only) mechanic at a North Philly garage, she’s used to busted hoists, busted knuckles, and—most of all—her brother Justin’s busted promises. With Justin MIA for a week and fresh off a parole stint, Cameron’s gut tells her something’s wrong. When he finally calls, it’s not to reassure her—it’s to tell her to run.

She brushes it off as another drug-fueled spiral until her boss suggests something darker: maybe Justin’s tangled with the wrong people again. Maybe this time, it’s not just his life on the line. Maybe it’s hers.

🦸🏻‍♂️ Hero Spotlight: Shep

Shep is the kind of man who disappears into shadows and reemerges with blood on his hands and a dog named Ranger at his side. A former black ops soldier turned mafia hitman, he’s haunted by his past and hardened by necessity. He doesn’t love his line of work, but it pays the bills—and guys like him don’t exactly thrive in cubicles.

When Shep gets his next assignment from mob boss Frankie, it seems like business as usual. Until he sees the mark: a woman. A mechanic. A sister. And very much not the kind of target he’s used to.

📃 Plot Pulse

Shep’s mission is simple: eliminate Cameron Mackenzie. Her brother stole from the Wolf Street mafia, and now she’s the collateral. But when Shep lays eyes on her—fierce, beautiful, and completely unaware of the danger—his instincts shift.

Instead of pulling the trigger, he pulls her into his world. Captivity becomes protection. Proximity becomes tension. And tension? Well, it combusts.

But Cameron’s not the type to sit quietly in a cabin while someone else fights her battles. Her loyalty to her brother runs deep—even when it puts her and Shep in the crosshairs of a butcher with no conscience and a boss who doesn’t tolerate failure.

💘 What Hit Home

• I’m a sucker for a good captive romance, and this one delivers the goods. The forced proximity crackles with chemistry, and the emotional stakes are high enough to make your heart race.
• The intimate scenes? 🔥🔥🔥 Let’s just say the cabin isn’t the only thing off the grid—so is their self-control.
• The action ramps up beautifully, with a climax that’s as explosive as it is satisfying.

🧐 What Fell Flat

• Shep’s moral compass feels a little too shiny for a man who kills for money. Yes, he targets bad guys, but his soft edges sometimes clash with the hardened assassin persona.
• Cameron, for all her strength, makes a few frustratingly reckless choices. Her determination to protect her brother is admirable, but her escape attempts put both her and Shep in danger—especially when she knows the mafia thinks she’s already dead.

🎧 Narration Notes

Told in dual POV, this audiobook is elevated by the stellar narration of Stephen Dexter and Kai Kennicott. Dexter’s gravelly, grounded delivery is pitch-perfect for Shep—equal parts menace and vulnerability. Kennicott brings warmth and grit to Cameron’s voice, capturing both her resilience and her fear. Together, they make the tension sing.

📝 Final Takeaway

If you love your romance with danger, desire, and a dash of moral ambiguity, this one’s for you. It’s a high-octane ride with a heroine who won’t quit, a hitman with a heart, and a love story forged in fire.

Obsessed with Shep!

I loved this book, and I was so excited to see it coming out as an audio. Shep’s character perfectly came alive. Just wow, that was so spot on. This is def a romantic suspense series to dive into.

Another author who can't create drama without making FMC too stupid to live.

FMC is so stupid she doesn't deserve an HEA. If you like people who shoot themselves in the foot over and over because they are STUPID winning, you'll love this book.

Narrators were fabulous, MMC very likeable, well-written and performed.