The End of Me

The Downfall of Us, Book 1

By: Claudia Burgoa

Narrated by: Jason Clarke, Maxine Mitchell, Lance Greenfield

Length: 8 hrs and 23 mins

Publisher's summary

One moment destroyed our perfect love.

This is an emotional, angsty, tearjerker, why choose romance duet by USA Today best-selling a author Claudia Burgoa.

I fell in love with Archer St. James long ago. We were children, but our hearts just knew it. We were soulmates. Our love was eternal. But it wasn’t.

My future and my heart shattered the day he died. Well, they say he died, but I still sense him. They call it ghost pains. It’s like my soul can’t live without him. And after seven years, I’m almost ready to let him go....

There are two men who claimed to care for me—even love me. One looks almost like the man I lost. The other is so different, but the invisible link between us pulls me to him. My already shattered heart is torn between the past, the present, and a dangerous future with two men.

The End of Me is the first book of The Downfall of Us Duet. An angst-filled why choose MMF romance about broken hearts, loss, and hope.

©2023 Claudia Burgoa (P)2023 Claudia Burgoa

So Emotional

Listening to the book after reading the ARC made my emotions more heightened and intense. Narrators Jason Clarke, Maxine Mitchell and Lance Greenfield brilliantly brought this book to life.

Glad I have the next book downloaded...

Archer St. James was a person I have heard about in several books; how he went missing in a mission that went wrong and has since been presumed de@d. But seven years later, Piper still holds on to the fact that she can feel his heart beating, so she knows he's alive. This story starts with the events that caused Archer's disappearance, and we see what a toll it has played on Piper's heart, especially as she goes through the letters and videos that he left for her in the event he was k!lled on a mission.

This isn't an easy time for Piper, but she does everything Archer sets out for her in each of his letters, which includes getting help at the practice, which is how she meets Derick. D and Piper have great chemistry, and even though she feels the pull, there is no way she will betray the man she knows is still alive.

I don't want to give too much away about what happened to Archer. Still, he is @live, only he has amnesia and cannot remember anything about his past, heck he can't even remember how to walk or read so he is given a physical therapist that will help him become what he was told he was before the accident...a little hint he wasn't who he is told he is.

This story had a nice flow to it, and I loved that Piper and Derick got close and that Piper had established a working relationship with Finn through texts that at times, became a little flirty.

I listened to the audiobook version, and the narration from Jason Clarke, Maxine Mitchell, and Lance Greenfield brought this story to life. I loved how they went back and forth between one another when there were text messages. Instead of just the narration of whom the chapter was mainly about, it was done in duel narration which was amazing.

This book ended on a cliffhanger, and I am so glad I downloaded WHEN FOREVER FINDS US so I could dive right in.

This book is perfect for readers that enjoy Contemporary Romances, Grumpy/Sunshine Romances, Age Gap Romances, Triad Romances, Second Chance at Love Romances, Workplace Romances, or Romances that include a person with Disabilities (mental trauma, amnesia, etc.)

Childhood friends to lover- amnesia

Okay this book was exhausting in the best way and it’s still not over! This duet crushed me, swooned me, made me so frustrated and mad…

Piper and Archer have been soul mates since kindergarten. Married each other secretly on his 21st birthday and have been inseparable. Archer went on a mission with Piper’s uncle’s security team and is now MIA. Piper knows he’s not gone even though everyone around her is saying he is.

Derek is hired to help a young man after getting hurt and has amnesia in South America. He helps this man even though he knows deep down this man’s “father” is lying about him being his son and is trying to get something from him. He helps train this amnesia man but once a doctor says there’s no need for Derek, Derek takes off before they ki.ll him. This young man goes on a mission for his “dad” to kick a land owner off his land but upon arrival the owner offers him help. Takes him under his wing to Europe and helps him. He becomes Finn.

Derek after leaving goes back to NY and gets hired under Piper. Piper runs a business to help heal people with music and Derek is there as a therapist. Feeling Archer is still out there she keeps Derek at an arms length, even though she knows she could fall for him.

This whole time, Archer left a box of notes and gifts for Piper in case a mission he fails to come back from will help heal her. I absolutely bawled 50% of this book. The commentary of Archer in the box was so sad!

I listened to this book on audio and it made the story come alive that much more!!!! Now I’m off listen to the second part of this duet.

Tropes:
Soulmates
Childhood best friends to Lovers
Amnesia
MFM/MMF
Security Detail
Doctor
Musical
Hidden Identity

Fantastic start to an epic MMF love story!

What a wild start to an emotional rollercoaster ride! The End of Me by Claudia Burgoa is book 1 of The Downfall of Us Duet, filled with hope, angst, and suspense. The intricacies of this plot are so intense! Archer and Piper had the perfect love story, which was taken away from them when Archer disappears. Piper’s continued faith that Archer will return doesn’t falter, however, she does meet a new neighbor, Derek, whom she slowly learns to confide in. I devoured this audiobook in one sitting, and it left my heart pounding, longing, and needing more.

Maxine Mitchell, Jason Clarke, and Lance Greenfield narrate this audiobook, and all three gave powerful performances which left me feeling all the things. Maxine fully embodied Piper’s conflicted, haunted, and assured persona in a performance that had me in tears and admiring her strength and fight. (Yes, lady!) Jason was amazing as always taking on the personas of the dreamy and steadfast, Archer, and the sardonic and determined, Finn. His ability to distinctly perform two complex personalities who are actually the same character was spot on! Lance captured Derek’s frustrations, persistence, and dedication to Piper and Finn perfectly!

Overall, I LOVED this book! If you are a fan of a suspenseful MMF romance with a passionate editor and violinists, a hunky writer who works in high stakes security, a retired seal turned therapist, childhood sweethearts, amnesia, love letters, purple eyes, suspense, violin playing in the subway, remembering your dream girl, confiding in family, hanging on the past, friendly neighbors, danger, a heart clinching climax, and a cliffhanger ending that will leave you needing answers and wanting more, then you will love the start of Piper, Archer, and Derek’s story. I am so ready for

Grab The Tissues

Boy was this book an emotional rollercoaster! I went in completely blind and was totally surprised by how emotional this book made me. I was already crying by chapter 3, so grab the tissues!
When the love of Piper’s life, Archer, goes missing she is convinced that he isn’t dead, he is out there somewhere and needs help. After some time has passed her cousins give her a box that Archer had made in the event of his death. To help her grieve and move on and live her life again, but how are you supposed to do that when you know in your heart he isn’t dead yet?
Piper isn’t ready to let go of Archer yet, but she does make room in her life for Derick, her business partner and very close friend. It is clear the two have chemistry and there could be something great between them if Piper would let go of Archer.
The End of Me was my first book by Claudia Burgoa and I look forward to checking out her other books. While there wasn’t much spice, it was made up for in angst and suspense!
The narration was fantastic and done in a unique way. Although the in-person dialogue was dual narrated, anytime a text or letter was being read it was read by the person who wrote the letter or text. So when Piper was reading the letters from Archer they were all read by Jason Clarke and every single time he called her Ladybug I teared up. Maxine Mitchell did a fantastic job giving a voice to Piper, not to mention her kid voices are on point! This was my first time listening to Lance Greenfield and I can’t wait to search for more from him!

Whoa!

Loved the build up - it kept me on my toes! I can’t wait for the next book. This is the first book I’ve listened to by this author. I was really confused by the female MC’s family and extended family, and I started to zone a lot of that out, hoping it wasn’t necessary. It wasn’t, but it’s probably really fun if you’ve listened to other Decker Family books and understand the family dynamics. Also, I’m not really into erotica so I was afraid it would be tons of MMF sex without a lot of character development and chemistry, but it’s a great story.

Emotional Journey!

I thought I was ready for The End Of Me (The Downfall Of Us #1) because I wanted Piper and Archer's story so bad, but I wasn't ready for the emotional torment that it put me through.  The letters and videos that Archer left for Piper undid me.  The narrators did an amazing job and brought this story to life and brought more emotions to the surface. I was relieved that her cousins were there for her through some of it.  Claudia sure does know how to write a book that pulls at your heartstrings, makes you cry, get angry and then laugh at the right times.

This was a complicated love triangle filled with angst and alot of emotions.   Each, in their own way, have suffered heartache, loss, tragedy and pain. But they have also experienced love.  This story will have you crying, yelling and begging for more.  The cliffhanger left me speechless and I can't wait for When Forever Finds Us to find out what happens and if these 3 have a chance at love!

5 stars

I went into this audiobook kind of blind and I'm so glad I did. This was a very emotional, heartbreaking story about loss and grief. Performed in dual narration with text and emails performed in duet by Maxine Mitchell, Jason Clarke and Lance Greenfield. These three were outstanding. Maxine's performance as Piper was amazing. She portrayed the undying love that Piper has for Archer. She showed Piper's emotions so well. Jason's performance as Archer was very memorable. My heart melted and swooned. Lance exuded Derek's ability to help and care for people deeply. The emotional connections Derek made were felt through Lance's performance.

Letters from late lovers

This duet is part of the Decker Family series, the plot coincides with Covert Affairs Duet, which fortunately I have listened to. Though this duet can stand by itself, following the series gives me a deeper understanding of the story.

𝙱𝙾𝙾𝙺 𝟷 𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝙴𝙽𝙳 𝙾𝙵 𝙼𝙴
Piper and Archer are childhood sweethearts, they got married secretly at 21. When Archer went on a secret undercover mission and never returned, she was utterly devastated. This book spans about 8 years, we see the letters that Arch left her, and it gives me P.S. I Love You vibes, my heart is breaking with each letter. We also see what happened to Archer and how he was connected to Derek during this time. Over time, they somehow get reconnected without realizing each other identity, which will lead them to their shocking reunion…

🎧𝐀𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐨𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰🎧
Amazing performance from all narrators, Jason and Maxine are already some of my favorites, and Lance is new to me. I thoroughly enjoyed their performance in this duet, they delivered such a heartfelt performance, I cried on many occasions when I was listening. I especially loved that the audio changed into duet style during text messages and email scenes, really helped me to distinguish each character so it’s not confusing.

✿ 𝙸 𝚛𝚎𝚌𝚎𝚒𝚟𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚊𝚞𝚍𝚒𝚋𝚕𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚍𝚎 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 Forever & Always PR 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚊𝚖 𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚛𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚎𝚠 𝚟𝚘𝚕𝚞𝚗𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚒𝚕𝚢 ✿

Great story

I received this book as a ALC and I loved how three people shared such an emotional connection. One who can remember his life but can remember his love is very powerful. One who just met and has such a powerful connection a love at first sight. The story fell together nicely and the authors just made it better.