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Must Love Hellhounds
Must Love Hellhounds
Must Love Hellhounds
Audiobook9 hours

Must Love Hellhounds

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

3.5/5

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About this audiobook

Follow paranormal bodyguards Clovache and Batanya into Lucifer's realm, where they encounter his fearsome four-legged pets, in Charlaine Harris's The Britlingens Go to Hell. Seek out a traitor in the midst of a guild of non-lethal vampire trackers, one that intends to eradicate the entire species of bloodsuckers, in Nalini Singh's Angels' Judgment. Find out why the giant three-headed dog that guards the gates of Hades has left the underworld for the real world-and whose scent he's following-in Ilona Andrews's Magic Mourns. Embark on a perilous search for the kidnapped niece of a powerful vampire alongside her blind-and damn sexy-companion and a hellhound in Meljean Brook's Blind Spot.

These four novellas by today's hottest paranormal authors will have hellhound lovers everywhere howling.
LanguageEnglish
Release dateJul 15, 2013
ISBN9781452685212
Must Love Hellhounds
Author

Ilona Andrews

Ilona Andrews is the pseudonym for a husband-and-wife writing team, Gordon and Ilona. They currently reside in Texas with their two children and numerous dogs and cats. The couple are the #1 New York Times and USA Today bestselling authors of the Kate Daniels and Kate Daniels World novels as well as The Edge and Hidden Legacy series. They also write the Innkeeper Chronicles series, which they post as a free weekly serial. For a complete list of their books, fun extras, and Innkeeper installments, please visit their website at http://www.ilona-andrews.com/.

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Reviews for Must Love Hellhounds

Rating: 3.7424241873278237 out of 5 stars
3.5/5

363 ratings28 reviews

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  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Loved the different stories. The narrator did a great job. I can't wait to check out the series I haven't read, and return to those I have. Great collection. You can't go wrong.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I really enjoyed all four stories in the Must Love Hellhounds anthology. Charlaine Harris has been a favorite author of mine for some time, and I was not surprised to really enjoy her story. Clovache and Batanya were an interesting pair, and I enjoyed reading how they outmanuevered Lucifer in his own realm and brought their client home safely. Harris did a good job with her world building, and I wouldn't mind seeing these two characters appear again. Nalini Singh is also an author I have enjoyed before being a fan of her Guild Hunter novels. Having read those novels it was nice to see how Sara got her position and found love with Deacon. This story would also serve as a good starting point for fans unfamiliar with the Guild Hunter series. Ilona Andrews is an author I have just recently discovered. I am reading enjoying Andrews' Kate Daniels series so I really loved getting a short story featuring Andrea and Raphael. This story picks up after events in book three in the Daniels series showing the reader what happened to Andrea and Raphael after he gave her his gift. While I don't think you have to be familiar with the Kate Daniels books, it does add enjoyment to the story. Meljean Brook's story "Blind Spot" is the first that I have read by this author, and I really enjoyed her world and characters. I will definitely be on the lookout to read another Brook's book.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Review for Magic Mourns


    I loved this novella about Andrea and Raphael. It was filled with drama, suspense, action, a little bit sexy times, and plenty of shifting goodness. There is nothing lightweight about it. While I’ve fallen absolutely in love with Kate, I have to admit, Andrea is one tough heroine in her own right. And holy heck...Raphael is the perfect partner for her. I’ve had some warnings regarding characters possibly dying as this series moves forward, lets just say this couple better not be on the chopping block!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Good anthology, I was reading it mostly for the Ilona Andrews story that was next in the Kate Daniels series, but also really enjoyed the Meljean Brooks story, it was an interesting concept.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    The Britlingens Go To Hell by Charlaine Harris
    Batanya and Covache kind of bodyguards who are contracted by a customer to guard him on a way to Hell. He stole something from Lucifer on his last trip but left there while escaping and now goes to collect it.

    There was witches, magic, hellhounds and things happened. Can’t really say anything more about that one. Definitely the weakest one on this book.

    Angel’s Judgment by Nalini Singh
    Deacon is a Slayer who works for the Guild and his job is a secret and only few people know about it. There were angels, vampires and hellhound…

    I’ve never read any of her books before but I think this was a prequel to her Guild Hunter Series. I liked this but I think it would have given more if I had read the series. But I liked Deacon and Sara together and I’ll definitely keep this series in mind. And I think I have the first book somewhere…

    Magic Mourns by Ilona Andrews
    This takes place after Magic Strikes and Kate is still recovering and Andrea is covering for her at the Order. There’s three-headed Cerberus, Hades’ hellhound, on the loose and Andrea promises to help catch it. Unfortunately for her, she has to do it with Raphael…

    This was the reason why I read this book and it didn’t disappointed. It was great to learn more about them and how they become a pair. And you see softer and more vulnerable side of Aunt B too.

    Blind Spot by Meljean Brook
    Maggie is former CIA operative who must protect Geoff and save his sister Katherine. There’s family secret involved and Maggie’s innocence to prove.

    This was another author I haven’t read before but I was surprised how much I liked this. I think this is part of a series but it was easy to follow even though I haven’t read the series. I’m curious to know how Geoff’ and Maggie’s relationship grows from this and to learn more about Geoff’s uncle.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Fantastic all four authors/stories really fantastic. I loved Charlaine Harris's story, I hope writes more on these new characters. Ilona Andrews Andrea tale, great, sexy and fun. Nalini Singh Angel vamp story tied in well with the one book I read. Meljean Brook.. never read her work before, love the story/characters so this is one author I will look into.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Only read 'Magic Mourns". It was a great way to get deeper into characters other than Kate.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Only read the Ilona Andrews story and the Nalini Singh story.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This review is only for Angels' Judgment. I'm not caught up with the Magic and Guardian series and the Sookieverse and I parted ways a while ago.

    Loved this story. It was too short! I wanted more of Sara and Deacon out there kicking ass. It was great to see how they met. Their chemistry was immediate and undeniable. The mystery included enough twists to keep me glued to the pages. A lovely addition to the Guild Hunter collection.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I didn't read the Harris entry because she isn't an author I normally read. I tried, but didn't get into the story. The other 3 entries were wonderful, though.

  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I wasn't familiar with any of the series' these shorts were related to. Having said that, it didn't detract from them as individual stories, but it also didn't make me want to run out pick up a new series either. It was an average anthology that was quick to read and an interesting way to pass a couple of hours.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    A more than ordinarily well-rounded paranormal romance anthology.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Fine as these things go. Nothing exceptional, but the stories did all make sense by themselves without having read other books in some of these worlds.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Have only read the Ilona Andrews story so far - 4 starsThis is the story of how Andrea and Raphael finally got together and explains a little more about Teddy Jo and apples of immortality. A fun story for fans of the series. The sharpie scene was funny and Raphael's reaction was just perfectly him. I do love Raphael!
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    In this anthology, I loved two of the stories and liked the other two. Charlaine Harris wrote a story that was very different from her Sookie Stackhouse stories. Ilona Andrews once again does a great job. I love her books and she did not disappoint me here. I have never read a Meljean Brook book or story, but after this short story I will be looking her up.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Enjoyable, popcorn.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I only read this for the Kate Daniels story (I loved that it was more backstory on Andrea!) Unfortunately that was the only story that I really liked from it. Magic Mourns was the Kate Daniels story by Ilona Andrews.The Charlaine Harris story was kind of interesting and I might have liked it better if I were more familiar with her work.Angels' Judgement was just too romance novely for my tastes.Blind Spot was alright but unmemorable for me.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Actually only read 3 out of 4 of the stories. Charlaine's part expands the character background in Sookie's universe a bit. Fun to read considering the Britlingens future exploits. I really liked the Magic Mourns short story. This was the first time reading anything in Ilona Andrews' Magic series. Definitely will read more after that one. Also, first time reading something about Nalini Singh's Angels and I felt the same about that one. Would definitely read more of her stuff. Unfortunately, the beginning of Meljean Brook's portion of the book just did not grab my attention at all and so I did not bother finishing to read it.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I bought this book for "Magic Mourns," the short story written by Ilona Andrews. While part of the Kate Daniels "Magic" series, the novella concentrates upon Kate's best friend. As always, Ilona Andrews writing is gorgeous, the world is well filled out, and the characters interesting and vivid. Charlaine Harris's novella "The Britlingens Go to Hell" was great fun, too -- complete with giant slugs! I would love to hear more about the Britlingens, who are body guards and travel across universes. All in all, well worth the investment.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I adored Nalini Singh's "Angel's Judgement," and was quite surprised and pleased it explained some of the backstory of her Guild Hunter's series! Ilona Andrews' "Magic Mourns" was also intriguing, and I've got a note-to-self to find out more about her bouda characters. Meljean Brook's "Blind Spot" wasn't bad, but I've got to say, Charlaine Harris' "The Britlingers Go to Hell" was too odd for my tastes, and I wasn't able to finish it.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Four stars overall. Charlaine Harris story by far the best. Ilona Andrews story interesting enough I would be interesting in finding more of the couple's work. Others very so-so.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Review courtesy of AllThingsUrbanFantasy.blogspot.com“The Britlingens Go To Hell” by Charlaine Harris. This story is a bit hard to classify. The story involves two female members of an elite Britlingens guard (who appeared briefly as bodyguards in All Together Dead, Sookie Stackhouse book 7) for hire who accept a contract with a thief on a recovery mission to Hell. The setting is a planet in a futuristic alternate dimension. Translation: hovercrafts and time travel portals. There are a couple historical cameos that pop up inexplicably in an attempt at comic relief; attempt being the operative word there. And Lucifer himself as the villain is more interested in sadomasochism then anything else. The obligatory hellhounds serve as prison guard dogs.If I hadn't read Charlaine Harris before, this story would probably have kept me from seeking out her other books. This just feels like she phoned it in. The writing is not good, the characters underdeveloped (even for a novella), and the world convoluted and poorly explained. Since I know that Charlaine Harris is a good author, I'm going to dismiss this effort as a fluke. Sexual Content: references to sadomasochism and male rape. Anatomical sexual incompatibilities. 2 out 5"Magic Mourns" by Ilona Andrews takes place in the same world as the Kate Daniels series. While Kate is in a few scenes, “Magic Mourns” focuses on Kate’s best friend and fellow Knight in the Order of Merciful Aid, Andrea Nash. If you want to read the series chronologically, the order would be:Magic BitesMagic BurnsMagic StrikesMagic Mourns (novella in Must Love Hellhounds Anthology) I’ll admit it up front: I bought this anthology solely to read this story. The Kate Daniels series is hands down one of the best urban fantasy series today. I was a little disappointed when I realized that Kate (and Curran) wouldn’t be front and center in this story, but my disappointment didn’t make it past the first page.Of all the stories in this anthology, “Magic Mourns” makes the best use of the hellhound concept using Greek mythology and the most famous hellhound of all: Cerberus. Familiar characters abound here, most notably the werehyena Rafael. He had been pursing Andrea since the previous Kate Daniels book and I loved getting to focus more on that relationship. I also loved how thoroughly and quickly the complex world of this series and those that inhabit it (Masters of the Dead, The Pack etc) were explained and incorporated into the narrative. Longtime fans and new readers alike should love this edgy, and deeply magical story. And a BIG thank you to Gordon and Ilona for the pretty significant reveal regarding Curran at the end. Magic Bleeds (Kate Daniels, book 5) is due May 25, 2010, and for me, the wait just got worse.*”Magic Mourns” is my pick for best story of the anthology*Sexual Content: References to rape. Implied sex.4/5"Angels' Judgment" by Nalini Singh continues her Guild Hunter Series following Angels’ Blood. If your interested in reading this series chronologically the order would be:Angels' Pawn (e-release, early 2009; this novella is written to stand alone, so it can be read at any stage in the series. Angels' Blood is the first book in the series.) Angels' Blood"Angels' Judgment" in the Must Love Hell Hounds anthology Archangel's KissIn her Guild Hunter Series, Nalini Singh capitalizes on the two hottest trends in the urban fantasy genre today: vampires and angels. I know I don’t normally associate the two, but Nalini makes it work.Sara wasn’t used to feeling sorry for vampires. Her job, after all, was to bag, tag and transport them back to their masters, the angels. –Angels’ JudgmentIf you’re new to this series, the world building here spins traditional angel mythology completely on its head. Forget everything you learned in Sunday school, these angels are lethal beings of unimaginable power as well as the creators (and masters) of vampires. When a vampire tries to buck the system and go AWOL, Guild Hunters are called in to bag & tag them and drag them back to their angelic masters. “Angels’ Judgment” is a prequel to Angel’s Blood and focuses on Elena’s best friend, Sara. While on the hunt for a rogue Hunter who has been butchering vampires, Sara teams up with smokin’ hot Deacon (aka The Slayer) to stop the killer and survive the ‘angel sanctioned tests’ long enough to become the new Guild Director. I loved the original angels in this world and the strong, yet still feminine, character of Sara. I’m not usually a fan of a lot of romance in short stories or novellas simply because there aren’t a lot of pages available to develop a love story with any credibility. That being said, I thought the relationship between Sara and Deacon had more substance than most. I especially liked the scene where she ‘protected’ him at the club. For me, anthologies are a great way to try out new authors and possibly get hooked on their writing style. From there, good characters and unique world building will always reel me in, and with “Angels’ Judgment,” Nalini Singh has caught herself another happy reader. Sexual Content: One brief non-graphic sex scene, one long semi-graphic sex scene, a scene takes place in a gay club without any description. 3/5"Blind Spot” by Meljean Brook takes place in the world of her Guardian Series. It is not necessary to have read all the previous books in this series to enjoy “Blind Spot” as each story focuses primarily on a different couple. However, if you want to read the series chronologically, the order would be:HOT SPELL (anthology) – The Guardians, Prequel Novella DEMON ANGEL – The Guardians, Book 1 WILD THING (anthology) – The Guardians, Book 1.5 DEMON MOON – The Guardians, Book 2 DEMON NIGHT – The Guardians, Book 3 FIRST BLOOD (anthology) – The Guardians, Book 3.5 DEMON BOUND – The Guardians, Book 4 DEMON FORGED – The Guardians, Book 5 MUST LOVE HELLHOUNDS (anthology) – The Guardians, Book 5.5 Note to my readers: Although MUST LOVE HELLHOUNDS will be published a month before DEMON FORGED, the story in the anthology takes place after the events of DEMON FORGED, and “Blind Spot” contains minor spoilers for Irena and Alejandro’s story. I have done my best to keep those spoilers to a minimum, however… –Meljean BrookEx CIA operative Maggie Wren (who appeared briefly in Demon Forged) has been working as a ‘butler’ for the vampire Colin Ames-Beaumont (from Demon Moon) when she is sent to rescue his kidnapped niece, Katherine, along with the aid of his nephew, Blake. While not a vampire like his uncle, Blake, though blind, has his own talents that include being able to see through anyone else's eyes. Given the title of this anthology, I’ll give you one guess what kind of breed his seeing eye dog is.Despite having roughly the same amount of pages as the other authors in this anthology, Meljean delivers the best romance of the bunch in “Blind Spot.” It drives me nuts in a story when character’s stop for ‘sex breaks’ during life or death situations (for example rescuing your sister from her demon kidnapper). Fortunately, while there is a satisfying amount of romantic tension here, both characters have enough self control to put Katherine’s life ahead of their own attraction.I really only had one problem with this story. I would imagine that growing up together, Katherine and Blake would have learned the most effective ways of communicating with each other, given their unique abilities. And I have to think that sign language would have occurred to someone by now. I mean how hard would it be to look at your own hands and even just spell out a message alphabetically? This was my first time reading Meljean Brooks and I’m now going to have to add myself to her throngs of fans. Her writing, pacing, characters, and world are simply delicious. The next Guardian book, Demon Blood is due out July 6, 2010.Sexual Content: References to sex.4/5
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Novellas that are, from what I know, fairly representative, though Harris is writing in some freaky multiverse where mercenaries escort thieves to Hell, which is a planet, on which Amelia Earheart has accidentally been imprisoned, along with Narcissus—it seemed actually much more my style than Sookie Stackhouse. Singh writes about angels with what seemed like a fairly standard strong-woman-meets-strong-man-and-attraction-is-immediate plot; Brook had a similar structure, though in her case the mythology was different (vampires and mystic weapons) and the male protagonist was blind, except that he could see through other people’s eyes. I bought the book for Andrews and wasn’t disappointed: this is a side romance from the Magic series between one of Kate’s friends and the were who’s courting her, and Andrews made the woman’s skittishness completely credible without making her either weak or dumb. Whetted my appetite for the next book in the series nicely.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Sexy and tough, the women in these stories kick major ass. Whether they're hunting or protecting, they get to spar with some damn sexy men. Harris' story, The Britlingers Go to Hell is a bit unsettling - one of the male characters is...doubly endowed and has spent time as Lucifer's sexy-time plaything.I read this mainly for "Magic Mourns," which follows a character from Andrews' Magic series involving Kate Daniels, which I love. This was a fun and sexy (and appreciated!) look into Kate's friend Andrea's personal life.Recommended for those not of faint heart!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This was a pretty good selection of writings. Despite the title not all of the stories featured Hellhounds; but all of them did include Hellhounds a little bit. My favorite stories were "Magic Mourns" by Ilona Andrews and "Blind Spot" by Meljean Brook. I am a big Ilona Andrews fan and this story doesn't disappoint. Meljean Brook's story was a surprise for me. I though Harris's story was written in kind of an amateurish style and was my least favorite. Singh's story was a bit too much of a romance for my taste but was set in a very interesting world. For synopsis and comments on each story see below.- The Britlingens Go to Hell by Charlaine Harris (3/5 stars)Two Britlingen body guards are hired to go to hell and help a client steal back something he tried to take from Lucifer. The story tone is very light and somewhat humorous. There is some action but I thought the writing was kind of amateurish. Overall I thought the story was okay.- Angels' Judgement by Nalini Singh (4/5 stars)Story about guild huntress Sara. She ends up as part of an investigation into a rogue guild member who is wrongly slaying vampires. Along the way she gets paired up with the Slayer, a super sexy hunter named Deacon. There was quite a bit of action but this story was definitely romance heavy. The world building was pretty good and overall it was interesting; although I didn't enjoy all the romance scenes that much.- Magic Mourns by Ilona Andrews (5/5 stars)The story is told from Kate Daniel's friend's (Andrea's) point of view. Andrea gets a call from a distressed shapeshifter; it ends up being Raphael. She finds him being chased by a Cerebus. Raphael has had the hots for Andrea for a long time. They end up investigating the presence of the Cerebus and find that one of the People are involved. Just a warning about this story if you haven't read "Magic Strikes" yet (the third Kate Daniels book) this story gives away some of the stuff that happened in that book. I was a little irritated about that because I am in the middle of listening to "Magic Strikes" and this story kind of gave away the ending of the book. Overall though it was an excellent story, with great action scenes, and it filled in some of Andrea's history. 5/5- Blind Spot by Meljean Brook (4/5 stars)Maggie goes to rescue a blind man and his sister. She has a Hellhound with a strange sense of humor along for help. Lots of action and investigation. I actually really enjoyed this story and it made me want to look into more of Meljean Brook's books. The writing style and character personalities actually reminded me a lot of Ilona Andrews.
  • Rating: 1 out of 5 stars
    1/5
    I only read the Charlaine Harris story from this book. It was OK. It was about the Britlingens which are secondary characters in one of her Sookie books.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I loved Andrews's story, and "Blind Spot" was fun- and the only one in the book where people actually DID love a hellhound! Harris's was fun, too, though it was a pretty straightforward fantasy with only incidental hellhounds.I wasn't too fond of Singh's story; that sort of "erotic tension" where people can hardly keep their hands off each other after first glimpsing the other usually seems silly and overdone to me, especially when there's no time to get to know them at all. Also, totally incidental hellhound here.So, I did favor the stories where the hellhounds were actually vital to the plot- which I honestly would have expected from all the stories in an anthology with this name. Both Harris and Singh could have easily removed the hellhounds without a trace, and that disappointed me.I was also a bit disappointed to note that all the hellhounds were black with red eyes; I was rather hoping for at least 1 white one with red ears, since I have a white dog with pale orange ears, and call her a "heckhound." :)
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Overall, this wasn't bad--but I must admit I enjoyed the Ilona Andrews story in this collection much more than the others. If you've read any of her Kate Daniels series, this will really be a treat! The attraction/obsession between Raphael and Andrea has been of long interest, and is more fully explored in this story. I found it a great 'icing on the cake' treat to the series...but still very satisfying, and had me smirking throughout (that darn underwear tree! hilarious!). I found the other three stories in this anthology readable, but not as satisfying. Probably not one that I will read again, but I did enjoy it the first go round.