Really interesting premise, but unfortunately fell flat for me. I had a really hard time getting into the story and then connecting to the characters. Because of this it took me forever to finish the story. Great writing, just not for me.

This book simply throws you right in the middle of action and there is no looking back.

A thrilling ride for sure! Crowley, our MC is a Black Badge. That’s like a supernatural agency with Angels as handlers. Interesting concept and it kept me engaged and entertained.

The ending is not what I expected. I’m looking forward to the next book in this series.

Thank you @netgalley for the ARC.

Cold as Hell was such a fun read. I loved the western/SciFi magic combination. It worked well in keeping the traditional western vibe. A genre I have always been fond of. James Crowely is a great character that you learn to care for, and I am excited for the next book in the series. I give this book 4.5/5 because it was some great world-building.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of Cold as Hell by Rhett C. Bruno and Jaime Castle. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to Netgalley and Blackstone Publishing for providing an ARC to review.

Cold as Hell by Rhett C. Bruno and Jaime Castle is a fun Weird West adventure. I'm probably close to the ideal audience for a book like this, and I enjoyed the writing (aside from the occasional bumpiness, like the narrator taking time to describe himself), and the supernatural element.

Think Jonah Hex but entirely more witty & Clever!

Cold as hell is very entertaining, from the main characters commentary to himself, or snappy banter with his "handler" angel who he answers directly to while eliminating the devils henchman in the old west.

There are many truly creeping creatures encountered throughout the little twists and turns of the story. Its a fun read made enjoyable by snarky characters remniscient of Deadpool in its quality of dark humor.

Done right, this would be an awesome movie to watch. Maybe Dufder Bros. Would do it right.

Much enjoyed

I liked this one quite a bit! I wasn’t sure how I was going to feel about a Weird Western but this was a fun action driven story. If you’re looking for a page turning bit of escapism that doesn’t ask too much from the reader this is a fine choice! I’d read book two eagerly.

DNF at 48%.

This is the case of a book that had started very promisingly and then somehow managed to bog itself down to the point where I completely lost interest around 30%. I tried to power through and see if the pace would pick up, but by almost 50% it was still meandering like a directionally challenged person without a GPS, so I am giving up.

It had so much going for it though, that's such a shame! An interesting take on the Wild West, with demons, skinwalkers, werewolves, and other creatures that go bump in the night and like to snack on humans on occasion. And our protagonist is part of the Black Badges, people somehow resurrected by angles and tasked with the job of hunting these human-snacking nasties down. That's a wonderful premise for a book!

Well, the premise was promising, but the realization is lacking.

First of all, the worldbuilding wobbles like a stool with a lame leg - what are the rules of this world? What can the Black Badges do and what can't they? More importantly, what's the point? No explanation at all.

But the nail on the coffin for me (pun intended) is that our protagonist has a serious case of the Too Stupid To Live syndrome. I mean, seriously, why did the angels pick him for the job? Everyone else who had more than two brain cells to rub together was already taken? All I've seen him do in the half of the book I managed to read is charge into action without thinking, get his ass kicked, and not have the brainpower to realize that maybe a change in tactics is in order. Over and over again... This got old after the second time around.

I really wanted to enjoy this book, but we will be parting ways now.

PS: I received a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

In my review of Dead Acre, I wrote that "I finished it satisfied, but also still wanting more; I'd love to read a sequel or another story set in the same world!" <i>Cold as Hell</i> delivered in spades.

The summary from Dead Acre says it well: "James Crowley met his mortal end in a hail of gunfire. Now, he finds himself in purgatory, serving the White Throne to avoid falling to hell. Not quite undead, though not alive either, the best he can hope for is to work off his servitude and fade away. His not-so-sacred duty as a Hand of God? Use his new abilities to hunt down demonic beings that have infiltrated the mortal realm."

Cold as Hell finds Crowley chasing across the west after a trio of magical bank robbers, but as it turns out, it's not the money they're interested in, but something far more important.

I found this to be an exciting, fast-paced novel, with just enough plot twists to stay interesting without seeming overly twisty. I was a bit critical of the dialogue in <i>Dead Acre</i>, and found this one much better in that regard. This would make a great movie or mini-series.

And that epilogue...wow.... This book certainly stands on its own, but what a lead-in for the next book in this series!

I really wanted to like this book - and to be clear, I think that a lot of people will really like this book... I'm just not one of them. Conceptually I like fantasy westerns, and I think more should be written in that genre, but this one just didn't grab me. I like how the character is written, generally, and the idea of bucking against absolute obedience is something that is generally fun to read. The world building was generally good, though I really didn't like using Coyote as a demon - it feels disrespectful, and unnecessary.

Generally an alright read, but not really one I had an easy time getting through.

Thanks to the authors, publisher and NetGalley.com for allowing me to read this ARC

So, This is book one in the Black Badge series. The Dead Acre mentioned in the plot description above, seems to be in the same story line as this book, but I have no idea where in the series it would go, and I had not read it. Either way, let's get down to the thoughts as I picked this one up.

I didn't really like it. Within the first few pages, it reminded me very much like another book I had read previously called Blood Oath, in that the main character has a superpower that helps him reclaim justice/vengeance on the bad, all directed by a higher power authority. This was just in the first handful of pages. I set this one aside for a week, and tried to pick it back up. Each time, I might make it a few pages further, but just could not stay interested. I admit. I did not finish it.

Overall, I did like the idea of a fantasy western. Over the last few years, I have come across a couple that were good reads, but it is a genre not written in often. I truly believe if there had been more time between my reading the other book and this one, I would have been able to offer a different opinion. I guess I felt that there were just too many similar things, in my memory, of these stories, and I felt that jaded this one a bit.

Thanks to the authors, publisher and NetGalley.com for allowing me to read this ARC and to share my opinion about the story.

#NetGalley #ColdAsHell

I am a huge fan of the previous Crowley book and listened to it on audiobook. I described it as a supernatural RED DEAD REDEMPTION and think that still holds up. Crowley is a fantastic Weird West protagonist, just enough jaded and cold-blooded to be believable while also weary as well as sympathetic. The storyline has him butting heads continually with his angelic patron, Shar, and also struggling to balance his own moral compass with the absolute obedience expected of him as a Hand of God.

The book has some awesome action sequences, some gripping drama, and some judicious use of historical figures that makes it an excellent read. We also get some follow up to the events of Dead Acres that provides a lot of emotional satisfaction. I do not believe this will be the last of this series and am excited to pick up more volumes in it.

The only complaint I have about the story is the use of Coyote as a name for a demon as he holds a very benevolent place among Native American mythology and it seemed a very poor fit to compare him to Loki or other malevolent spirits, if not outright wrong. This is especially odd since the book is otherwise sympathetic to the plight of Native Americans.

Note: It should be noted the ARC is lacking indentation and is thus very hard to read on my Kindle. The paragraphs all sort of run together. Hopefully this will be fixed before its release.

Cold as Hell
(Black Badge #1)
by Rhett C. Bruno. and Jaime Castle

Definitely another winner! This book is fantastic! It's built in the same world but a different time and mostly different characters as Dead Acre. In Dead Acre, Mutt was there a very young man but here he is a kid. We see him only briefly a couple of times but it's our Mutt that will someday be in Dead Acre.

This book has a different main character and he is dead but working for Angels to right wrongs but mostly to stay out of what might happen to him if he doesn't take the job. He is the Hand of God when monsters, demons, and other supernatural forces need tended to.

Set in a Western atmosphere, I could just about taste the dust and smell the filth. Terrific world building! Characters were awesome as well. Love or hate 'em, they were realistic as could be. I loved his poor old horse! Our tough 'ol dead hero can't feel anything when he is shot but he really likes his horse.

The monsters, demons, and people were shown as having many sides to their personalities too. Through action, dialogue, and the creative genius of these writers, the story opened up more and more. Surprises just kept coming up too! There is a satisfying ending although many loved characters were lost.

The ending was not a cliffhanger! I hate those! But it did give a shocking glimpse into the next book! WHAT? Can't wait to see how that works out!
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for letting me read this outstanding book! This book goes in my favorite folder!!!