Must Love Hellhounds -- A Review

[alfreda89]

Must Love Hellhounds by Charlaine Harris

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This anthology was a lot of fun, and once again, I got three good – even great – stories and one so-so. I picked up the anthology because I was enjoying the Kate Daniels stories by Ilona Andrews, and there’s a story from that world in here. Also, I regularly enjoy the many worlds of Charlaine Harris.

Turns out I found two new writers to investigate, but the Harris story was very forgettable. The easiest way to describe it is, it felt like she was under an obligation to come up with something, and did so. But it’s not her best work, and even the theme of a couple of professional paranormal bodyguards/mercenaries would not inspire me to pick up another story about the characters. Even the best writers don’t always click with an audience. Apparently I wasn’t the audience for the Harris novella.

Andrews and Brook used the hellhound theme the best. In the Andrews story, we see little of Kate (though we see something new about her which feels significant) but we finally get to see Andrea the would-be knight mercenary and hidden bouda and Raphael the dominant werehyena (bouda) spar off in a tale of magic, death in many forms, regret, and taking gifts when they are offered for whatever time you get them. Lots of fun and well written.

The Meljean Brook story was a world new to me, but I didn’t feel a great lack of info in getting to the point of the story. The young female former CIA/current butler to a very powerful and scary, if charismatic vampire was interesting and had the depth to deal with a very unusual family member of the vampire, with a very unusual magical trait – one essential for her to help retrieve a kidnapped member of the family. She’s a very competent and lethal butler, and the guy is different, sharp, sexy, and worth trying to work with in multiple ways – and the hellhound who they are accepting on their journey has personality and makes its presence felt. I’d like to see more about the characters.

The Singh story has two very charismatic characters, Sara and Deacon – they’re Guild Hunters, the people who hunt down escaped and rampaging vampire servants of angels and archangels (who may have wings, but are not at all what most people think of when the word angel is used. We’re talking scary “people” with their own agendas.) Sara and Deacon are terrifying in their own right (Deacon is fond of a fellow hunter’s hellhound, and doesn’t hesitate to make sure she’s all right coming out of a tranq!) and also a chemistry pair made in heaven, although once their job together is done, it doesn’t look like they can stay together, even as a secret. Sara has been offered the top slot at the Guild, and she knows she’d be the best of the hunters to take it – and Deacon is not the type of person to handle politics and social maneuvering well. He talks with the deadly weapons he is famous for making. But when both people have choices, surprising things can happen.

I’d like to see more of all three of these couples, and I recommend their stories. Nice attraction levels especially in the Brook and Singh stories; sex is not the main point but used well when used. Have fun!




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