4.5 out of 5 stars
E-book. Kindle Unlimited. 264 pages. Published March 5th 2019
Blurb:
As a hellhound beta, Solomon has no complaints. Life is fine. His pack and his goddess-given duties as a protector of the human realm are enough. So what if he’s a little bored and a smidge lonely? Not a big deal in the grand scheme of things. When his alpha’s mate suggests he pull his head out of his ass where one of their human pack mates is concerned, Sol cooks up a scheme to break through the wall between him and Cody, but it comes at the worst possible time.
Cody is convinced the bar he works in is run by a group of elite mob enforcers. Nothing else makes sense. The funny thing is: he doesn’t care. They treat him well and he’s come to consider them family, but like any family, there’s always someone who stirs up trouble. For Cody, that’s Solomon, the bouncer who is constantly glaring at him from the back of the bar. Something is going on, but Cody has a new distraction in the form of an anonymous online lover who knows how to push all the right buttons.
A magical attack causes havoc for their pack, dragging Cody into a world he didn’t know existed. His new family is involved in a much more dangerous life than he could ever have imagined. Hellhounds and humans must join together to stop a terrifying creature hell bent on raining destruction down on them. Solomon and Cody must step up and fulfill their destinies, or risk losing the one thing they desire most: each other.
Likes:
- Knew the couple from the previous book.
- Cody and Solomon, together and separately.
- The side characters.
- Hot smut.
- The non-romantic plot.
- Cody’s reactions to finding out about the supernatural world were believable.
- Solomon really got the chance to shine.
Dislikes:
- All the secrets.
- Drew not being pregnant.
- Solomon searching for Cody on the dating site.
- Didn’t do a good job of setting up the next book.
- Wish there was more backstory for Cody and Solomon.
I like when a romance series sets things up so that I’m excited about the next couple. Both Solomon and Cody were present in Hell on Earth, and I was looking forward to their story, especially since Cody didn’t think Solomon liked him.
Solomon has been in a fair number of the Chosen Universe books, and is a familiar figure. He gives off a similar vibe to Meshaq – a strong, talented warrior dedicated to those in his pack. I loved that Solomon got the chance to really shine in this book, since Meshaq and Drew are gone for a significant chunk. As Meshaq’s second, Solomon is leader material, and he got to prove that when the bar was attacked.
Cody was also easy to like. It’s clear that he’s had romantic trouble in the past, though we don’t get to learn much about his (or Solomon’s) backstory. It’s equally clear that Cody wants someone to love. He’s jealous of what Meshaq and Drew have, and not just because he had the hots for Meshaq. Thankfully, Cody shows early on that he’s not going to let guys push him around. I cheered when he blocked a jerk who was trying to be all alpha asshole towards him on a dating site.
I don’t love that Solomon intentionally found Cody on the dating site and began flirting and sexting without Cody being aware that he was dealing with someone he knew. It was definitely sexy, and I guess it was consensual since Cody was fine without knowing the name of the guy he was flirting with. Still, Cody would likely have acted differently if he’d known it was Solomon, so the situation was a little suspect. At least Solomon knew it too, and wanted to tell Cody the truth.
Aside from the anonymous flirting, I liked the progression of Cody and Solomon’s relationship. Solomon had liked Cody from the start, but hid it when he saw that Cody liked Meshaq. It took Solomon a while to figure out how to interact with Cody in a way that Cody would appreciate, and I liked that Solomon was willing to change how he acted to make Cody more comfortable.
The attack on the bar and Cody subsequently finding out about the supernatural world was interesting and kept me hooked. I thought Cody’s response to finding out the truth was realistic. I also loved that he thought the hellhounds were either mob or a former military troop.
The side characters were fantastic, especially Walt and Shelly. Like Cody, Izzy’s reaction to finding out about the supernatural world was realistic, even if her response was different than Cody’s. It was clear that the pack cared as much for their human members as the hellhounds, despite all of the secrets kept from them.
I was sad to find out that Drew wasn’t pregnant. I did expect Drew and Meshaq to be in the book more, but I’m not mad that they weren’t, considering how things ended. I do wish that the next main character got more page time. I know next to nothing about Jedrek, but I’m still looking forward to reading his story.
Be sure to check out the rest of the series – Sweet Nothings (The Chosen One #0.5), The Trouble with Love (The Chosen One #0.75), Santa Trouble (The Chosen One #0.76), All or Nothing (The Chosen One #1), Nothing Ventured (The Chosen One #2), Hell on Earth (Hellhound Champions #1), Double or Nothing (The Chosen One #2.5), Next to Nothing (The Chosen One #3)
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