Reviewed by Larissa

TITLE:  Hell Breaks Loose

SERIES:  Hellhound Champions, Book Four

AUTHOR:  Macy Blake

NARRATOR: Michael Dean

PUBLISHER:  Self-published

LENGTH:  7 hours and 49 minutes

RELEASE DATE:  December 20, 2022

BLURB:

Safe to say Achim’s life wasn’t going as 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.

Their connection comes in handy, though, when a demon escapes into the human realm and Ozias is sent to track it down. With magic fluctuating wildly around them, the hellhound pack is run ragged trying to keep the supernatural world a secret from the humans…especially since Achim is just a wee bit distracted keeping his mind and hands off the gorgeous-but-cocky prince. But when the strange forces wreaking havoc on the human realm attempt to drive Achim and Ozias apart…well, that’s when things get really messed up.

Because if they think they’re gonna keep a hellhound from the guy who might just be his mate…they’re gonna watch all hell break loose.

REVIEW:

Hell Breaks Loose, the final book in Macy Blake’s Hellhound Champions series, focuses on Achim, one of Meshaq’s pack of hellhound champions of the fire Goddess – a minor character in the stories thus far who (luckily for us) gets an expanded story all about him and his spitfire of a mate Ozias.  He heeds the call of the fire Goddess’ sigil even though it feels off and looks off (WTH a purple flamed portal??)  It lands him in a literal hellscape with none other than Ozias, the Prince of Hell. But within seconds of meeting, the pull between them is undeniable and irresistible, and a smoking hot, carnal relationship with a deeply romantic true love at its core emerges.

Blake continues to weave a complex tapestry of people and events within her gorgeous, detailed Chosen One fictional universe.  You should only read this book if you have at least read the previous books in the Hellhound Champions series. You’ll need that context because, true to its title, hell breaks loose in this story.  Blake is an unapologetic chaos demon at times, and Achim and Ozias, his otherworldly obsession/mate, are addictive creations that channel that energy.  These guys are wild and raw, embracing base instincts and desires.  They aren’t afraid to upset the apple cart, so to speak … although any havoc they wreak is nothing compared to the fabric between the worlds tearing open, leaking true hellhounds and demons into the human world.  Good luck keeping humans from finding out about them if that happens … although to be fair, if the demons run amuck in the human world, humans finding out about supernatural creatures like the hellhounds is the least of their problems.

I couldn’t get enough of this couple.  Their pairing is so unexpected, and they balance each other out perfectly.  They are so different but effortlessly fit together.  Blake really digs deep in this book.  The plot is more complex, more characters are directly engaged in the storyline – it’s high stakes all around.  This book features the best writing I’ve seen from Blake – and her writing at baseline is terrific. We see all of her trademark style here – it’s sexy and funny, full of adventure and overflowing with found family goodness and, of course, lots of love and romance even amidst the chaos.  Blake uses Hell Breaks Loose as a pivot point to send her already extensive Chosen One universe in a new direction.  Her Chosen Champions series – which is also excellent – directly follows the events in this story, so Hell Breaks Loose is crucial for many reasons. 

Michael Dean is the stalwart narrator in Blake’s universe. He has narrated so many of the Chosen One books at this point that his expertly executed voices for these characters are indelible.  I can’t imagine anyone else bringing this fictional universe to life.  True to form, Dean delivers an impressive vocal performance here that takes Blake’s already absorbing, textured, fictional world and immerses us further into the characters and the action.

I highly recommend enjoying Hell Breaks Loose in audiobook form. Great story.  Great vocal performance.  Great beginnings of a new direction for Blake’s Chosen One universe. Read the Chosen Champions series (Logan, Gideon and Aleron) if you haven’t already, and there’s more to come.  I can’t wait to see what Blake has in store for us next.

RATING:

BUY LINKS: 

Audible 

Amazon