I'm really not one for reading Westerns, but the cover of this book really intrigued me and I figured there was no harm in giving this book a try. With that being said, this is a book and a genre that I didn't know I needed in my life, but now I don't know how I ever lived without it! There isn't much about this book that I didn't enjoy. It kept a fast pace throughout and held my attention until the very end and left me anticipating the next book. I also really enjoyed the narrator and thought that his western twang is what really brought the story to life.

Cold as Hell is a fascinating listen. I’m not sure why I requested this book I think honestly the cover was intriguing. I don’t generally get into western books. However, this works feels fresh and captivating the idea that a bad man can find redemption fighting evil as a Blackbadge is a good storyline. I would never have guessed the ending so I’m very interested to see where this series goes.

This was supposed to be an ARC review but due to unforeseen circumstances i’m posting it late, but better late than never.

This was an absolute sleeper, I did not expect it to hit like this. I’m not a big Western reader, The Dark Tower is about as close as I get to Western. So I almost didn’t request this title…

I’m so glad I went ahead and gave it a shot.

Quick plot summary is the main character, James Crowley, lived his life as an outlaw in the old west, and went he was killed instead of going to hell he was recruited to become a Black Badge. Which basically means he now has to take out demons, witches, monsters etc and banish them from the mortal realm. He’s not quite undead but not all the way alive either. and when forces seem to be raising against him craziness ensues.

It’s a really fun adventure, and the plot is laid out well i’ll absolutely check out the sequel, that I assume is coming based on the epilouge…

It gives Dark Tower meets The Witcher vibes.

Not going to lie the first couple of chapters I thought the accent of Roger Clark’s narration was going to drive me nuts, but I quickly realized it just brought me more into the story and really immersed me into the world.

Big thanks to Netgalley and Blackstone Publishing for providing me with a chance to get in on this book early. I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

In life, James Crowley was an outlaw. A bank robbing, train heisting, murdering outlaw. He was not a very good guy. After his own murder, he was brought back to life to serve a higher power. Now controlled by his angelic handler Shargrafein, he is sent to battle against witches, werewolves, demons, and monsters. Armed with his Peacemakers loaded with silver bullets, Crowley is no marshal, nor a bounty hunter. He is a Black Badge, and he works for the White Thrown. His job to bring hell’s evil to justice.

Rhett C. Bruno and Jaimie Castle once again team up to produce another exciting series. Cold as Hell is the first book in “The Black Badge” novels. When Bruno and Castle work together, the results are otherworldly. This new project is an action-packed Western fantasy that can best be described as Sandman Slim meets Josey Wales. With a seriously flawed protagonist and antagonists that run the gamut of evil, this character-driven thriller has a strong Bruno anti-hero feel to it. Bruno excels at integrating everyday fault and weaknesses into a hero who is easy to root for. The west has never been wilder and now it’s Cold as Hell.

Narrated by Roger Clark, Cold as Hell is a fantastical trip into a wild west filled with monsters, demons, werewolves, and more other-worldly creatures. With the gravelly rough voice typical of a cowboy, Clark gives life to James Crowley. Narrated in first person, this Western supernatural fantasy is easy to get lost in.

I listened to 20% of this audiobook and the narrator is not the style I enjoy listening to. The story is very solid but the western style twang is distracting. I will be completing this novel in book form since I do want to find out what happens. Thank you for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook.

I received an advance reader copy of this book to listen to in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

***AUDIO BOOK VERSION***
Cold as Hell is an amazing listen! Western meets paranormal in this urban fantasy and I just loved everything about it from the characters and plot to the narrator who's voice was absolutely perfect for this book. James Crowley ( a resurrected anti-hero), leads us on many different adventures within this book where we meet a host of the good, the bad and the ugly! James is a great character who I can't wait to read more of. His morals are honest and he seeks only true justice for anyone who he meets upon his journey. I devoured this book within the days due to not sleeping very well at night and I can honestly say I can't wait for book two in this exciting new series. This book has many different paranormal and supernatural beings within it: shape shifters, vamps, werewolves as well as James himself being a guardian angel who works for God. The banter in this book was so much fun and very humorous in places!

This book has it all! Westerns, men with a bad past and supernatural events...WOW. I think this book is more interesting and better than the popular Harry Dresden series and I really enjoyed the narrator. Unfortunately, I had difficulty accessing the full book on the app.

Audio review: Excellent narrator. Plenty of nuance to the prose and superior character voices. Really felt like I was there.

Review: I love a good weird western and this was very enjoyable. Quite a linear narrative without much in the way of subplots, and quite a told story too. However, since we're in the MC's pov all the way, the told nature actually fits really well. The world building is great and the story moves at a decent clip. This was a lot of fun. I'll be reading the next one.

This book very much has a Dean Winchester vibes. The mc reminds me of what Dean would be like if he was a lone hunter. The mc was gritty and angry as he goes about his missions but he also has a side that wants to seek real justice as he takes the time to actually help people even when it takes him away from his mission.
This books world building wasn't anything we haven't seen before in shows like Supernaturally and Charmed or even Buffy but things definitely get darker in this story then those could go.
I think overall if you are into those sort or "outlaw" vs some kind of big bad this book is probably for you. This book has a very target audience and it knows it so if you part of that audience definitely check this out.

Bruno and Castle took a cowboys and outlaws western and put a fantasy twist to it. They populated this world with some archetypes: the irreverent bad guy turned good lawman, the bumbling sidekick, the super evil villain, and the misunderstood outlaws. Throw in some angels and demons and you have “Cold as Hell.”

The story was both fun and funny. The plot was interesting though not unusual. I would have liked for the protagonist to grow some by the end, but this wasn’t that kind of book. The best part of this story was the narration. Roger Clark did a stellar job of bringing the characters to life.

Four stars for “Cold as Hell.” While I was disappointed in the lack of character growth, and the characters were somewhat one dimensional, I still enjoyed all 13 hours of it. Kudos to Clark for putting his voice acting skills on display. My gratitude to Blackstone Publishing via Netgalley.

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Wow. Just wow. Cold as Hell by Rhett C. Bruno and Jaime Castle has been one of my favorite reads of the year so far. It kicks off a Weird West story about a bad guy who died trying to do the right thing, and is now sworn in service to the throne of heaven. This doesn’t mean our protagonist, James Crowley is a “good” guy. He still struggles with morality, but is trying to put some good back into the world least he freeze forever in the cold winter of hell.

This was an exciting ride from start to finish. From the first words of the narrator, Roger Clark, I was hooked. The action and excitement gripped me from the start, and did not let up until the end. I can’t tell you how excited I am for the next book in this series! There does seem to be a short story prequel out there – I have not yet read it, but there’s enough in the story referencing the events of it that I did not feel lost.

I was generously given a review copy by Blackstone Publishing and NetGallery in exchange for my honest opinion.

A strange western … narrator is perfect.

It felt like an old western. The lingo & gravely voice was great. Good world building and fallible well-defined characters.

James Crowley is a bit of an outlaw who does a good thing right before being shot dead. He’s awakened from death by the White Throne & declared the hand of god. He remains mostly human in limbo between hell & earth as long as he does what he’s told, righting wrongs.

His first task is to hunt down bank robbers who are using supernatural powers to freeze vaults open.

There are many unnatural beings & just horrible human beings for him to deal with along the way.

Fun story! I just noticed there’s a novella before this one in Audible so I’ll try that book also.

Thank you NetGalley & Blackstone Audio. Great immersive read that doesn’t leave you hanging but does indicate there’ll be a book 2!

Well Then, That Was Awesome

The VERY first thing that jumped out to me about this book, and it was hard to miss, was the narration. Specifically the narrator. If any of you have spent the amount of time I have playing Red Dead Redemption 2 – you’ll know the voice jumps out at you right away. I’m not saying this is like an RDR2 continuation or anything, but it definitely helps that Roger Clark – aka Arthur Morgan is narrating the story. He’s obviously done way more than just RDR2 in his career, but to hear him narrate this weird western really helped it jump off of the page.

Now, this is not my first book by Bruno and Castle. I’ve been a fan of theirs for some time and I always seem to enjoy the grittiness and well-told stories that they are able to release. I think they are able to play off of each other’s strengths. I also like that you cannot tell that it’s written by two authors. They write so well together that their books, including Cold As Hell, come off as one cohesive piece.

It’s going to be hard to talk much about the plot points in this since it’s a series and I don’t like to spoil things – but just know you’re in for it when you pick this one up. This one blew my socks off. I expected it to be one thing but it was MUCH more than that. I was surprised in the best way possible.

Bruno and Castle really left it all on the table with this one. Cold As Hell is their best work yet. Really blowing my expectations, which were already sky-high, away like I was in a dual and forgot my gun.

Overall, Bruno and Castle did it again. Writing a gritty, noir-esque, weird western that jumped off of the pages with Clark’s narration. A book I won’t soon forget and one that I can’t wait to find out more about what happens within the series.

I requested this one because it might be an upcoming title I would like to review on my Youtube Channel. However, after reading the first several chapters I have determined that this book does not suit my tastes. So I decided to DNF this one.