Day: June 25, 2021

Review: Hell Freezes Over (Hellhound Champions #3.5) by Macy Blake

A teaser novella that’s no longer available or listed as part of the series.

3.5 out of 5 stars

Blurb:

Safe to say Achim’s day wasn’t what he planned. First, his mission for the fire goddess ended up with him—a hellhound who’d never actually been to hell—being sent precisely there. Worse, he found himself stuck in the strange hellscape with Ozias, a guy who’s a) hotter than the fire of both suns in the hell-realm, b) really, really likable, despite his arrogance, and c) oh yeah, the actual prince of hell. Now, Achim needs to keep them alive until he can figure out how to get home… which isn’t as easy as it sounds, since Ozias’s magic isn’t working and Achim is just a wee bit distracted keeping his hands off the gorgeous-but-cocky prince. Achim will do whatever it takes to complete his mission, but getting involved with Ozias? Ha. Maybe when hell freezes over.

Likes:

  • A new realm.
  • Hot smut.

Dislikes:

  • Insta-love.
  • More of a prequel/teaser than a full story.
  • The novella isn’t listed as part of the series anymore.
  • Left me with more questions than answers.

I’ll admit, I’m not the biggest fan of teaser stories in general. I get that they’re a great way for an author to give out something free to attract new readers to try their series. And honestly, this one worked, because getting this novella for free from Prolific Works was what made me start the Chosen One series to begin with, since I hate reading series in the wrong order.

So I’ve been sitting on this novella for months. And when I went back to get the info on it, including the Prolific Works link, I couldn’t find it. It’s not listed on Goodreads anymore either. Which seemed strange until I realized that the actual novel this story was teasing came out about a month ago. I’m guessing that the events of this novella have been incorporated into the novel, since this story is about how Achim and Ozias first meet.

While I think it’s a little strange to completely remove the novella to prevent new people from reading it, that might be for the best. Ozias and Achim needed a longer story. This novella was just about their first meeting, their insta-lust, and insta-love. Neither man was well fleshed out, and I was left with more questions than answers.

As per the Chosen One series, the smut was hot. And I was excited about a new realm, especially one the hellhound champions aren’t familiar with. As a teaser to the novel Hell Breaks Loose, it did its job. I’m curious to see what’s in the full novel.

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), Give Him Hell (Hellhound Champions #3), Nothing Gained (The Chosen One #4),  Stop at Nothing (The Chosen One #5), Sweet Spot (Paranormal Sugar Daddy #1), All Kidding Aside (Magical Mates #1), Stop Kidding Around (Magical Mates #2)