The HellBeast's Fight

The HellBeast King #2

by Stephanie Hudson

It started the moment I woke up in hospital,
I naively believed I would find myself alone.
I was wrong.
Because the HellBeast King wasn’t done with me.
Far from it in fact, as he told me he had made a vow.
A vow to keep me safe.
But as my fate started to unravel,
revealing more and more pieces of him at the core,
I couldn’t help but question…
Was his vow to keep me safe or was it simply…
A HellBeast’s fight…
To Keep Me?

Genres: Fantasy, Paranormal Romance, Paranormal, Shapeshifters, Romance, Demons, Fiction

275 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 30, 2021

About the author

Stephanie Hudson is a #1 Amazon bestselling Author. She had dreamed of being a writer ever since her obsession with reading books at an early age. What first became a quest to overcome the boundaries set against her in the form of dyslexia, has turned into a life's dream.

Afterlife is the first book in the series of 12 books, with the story of Keira and Draven becoming ever more complicated in a world that sets them miles apart. The Transfusion Saga will also be a 12 book series once book 12 is released in May 2021. Other spin -off books and series are also available with lots more planned.

When not writing, Stephanie enjoys chatting with her fans and spending time with her friends. Being with her loving family as much as she can including her wonderful daughter Ava, sons Jack and Halen and supportive husband and personal muse Blake, who is there for her no matter what.

Reviews

[Vickie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Disappointing

I’m normally a massive fan of Ms Hudson’s work,but this left me feeling a bit “m’eh”,if I’m honest!
Don’t get me wrong,I read it in a few hours,but there were a few things that irked me in the book. I fee a lot of the chapters are taken up with descriptions of rooms/clothing/background,and while I understand this is there to paint a picture and set the scene,it just got a bit too much for me,so much so I ended up flicking through pages to get to the action!
The main FC..I just wanted to shake her and tell her to find a backbone..just thought she was a bit weak and got walked over by the MC an awful lot. He keeps denigrating humans,she just seems to ignore that,or forget about it as soon as he lays a finger on her,or kisses her! Then Jared just got on my nerves with going from one moment saying how he won’t get involved with humans,to declaring she’s how “woman” and she drives him mad and he can’t let her go..I mean,he gave me whiplash with his changing emotions!!!
And then the book ends,rather abruptly,having previously suddenly been told of the dreams she’s been having about this Garmr character,and suddenly being possessed by some spirit and taken off somewhere,and with no mention of when the next instalment is out I feel slightly off kilter..not sure I’d bother with the next book in this series sadly.

[Rebecca Dixon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just finished reading ‘The Hellbeast’s Fight,” which is Book 2 of ‘The Hellbeast King’ series by Stephanie Hudson! AND HOLY BEASTMAN 😲😲😲! Stephanie strikes again 🙌🏻! (This gushing praise is spoiler-free FYI!)

Warning ⚠️ ! If you have not read the other books in the Afterlife world that take place chronologically before this book (Afterlife saga, Transfusion saga, Afterlife Academy series, Hellbeast King Book 1) you may want to stop reading this right now as there may be spoilers for earlier books!!

OK! So there were SO MANY things I LOVED 🥰 about this book! First off! It basically starts RIGHT where we left off at the end of Book 1! I’m a HUGE fan of that folks 👏🏻! This literally feels like you finished the final chapter in Book 1 and then you turned the page and started with the next chapter in Book 2. Which is super awesome 🤩. Perfect for reading Book 1 and Book 2 back-to-back! But at the same time… it had been two months since I read Book 1 and I was able to pick it right back up with no problems. It was the perfect combo of reminding me of what happened (without being too redundant) and keeping my interest in the new plotline 🙌🏻!

There were sooooo many great scenes in this book!! The book is LOADED with tender, goosebump 😍 moments. I MEAN TONS. If you didn’t love our Beastman 🐺 before (ok seriously I’m sure that didn’t happen 😆,) your gonna LOVE ❤️ him now!! Honestly, I usually wait for the final paragraph of my reviews to talk about the MMC. I literally CANNOT wait with this one 🤩🤩🤩!!! This guy IS Jason Momoa to a “T” 🙌🏻 (appearance wise, because believe it or not, I actually don’t know Jason Momoa 😂.) I mean, heck! Look 👀 at the book cover and google the guy & you’ll see what I mean! But forget the 🔥🔥🔥 appearance, this guy IS Draven MEETS Lucius 👏🏻! He’s got that whole possessive 😍, angry 😠, obsession 💘 thing going on that Draven has… AND… he’s got the cheeky 😜, snarky 😏, dirty-mouth that 😍 Lucius has! Really, he’s the BEST of both worlds and I am HERE FOR IT 🙋🏻‍♀️!!!

Now ELLA…. I LOVE THIS GIRL 💜💜💜. She is my FAVORITE 🤩 FMC in the Afterlife universe! I don’t know how Steph does it, but she makes me nuts about each of her FMC’s more & more as we meet each one 👏🏻! And I am SUPER interested in Ella’s story!! There are hints here & there about her medical 🏥 background and I CANNOT WAIT to find out her past 🙌🏻. I love the mystery 🔎 around her and her snow globe (❄️ + 🐺 !) Speaking of her snow globe, I remember reading that bit in Afterlife and thinking… man, I hope Steph takes this somewhere when we get to Jared’s story 🤞🏻! And boy did she ever 🥳!!! This lady is a GENIUS 💡 . I seriously can’t believe all of the characters and plotlines she has imagined and BLESSED US WITH 😇😇😇. I am OBSESSED 😍 with what I’m definitely going to refer to as the ‘Snow Globe’ plotline and I sort of feel like it’s a ‘Lucius in Afterlife 2.0’ plotline and that is A-OK with me!!! I LOVE IT ❤️❤️❤️!!!!!!! I was CRAZY 🥵 about Lucius in Afterlife …and I am SO EXCITED 🤩 to see where this story goes!! 🥰🥰🥰

Speaking of where it goes and the TWIST 🌪… I was totally mind blown 🤯 towards the end of the book! A certain bathtub 🛁 scene and I was like OH MY GOSH 😯. WHAT THE HECK IS HAPPENING 😮 . THIS IS NUTS 😲. And then I was like… OH MY GOODNESS 😲😲😲… there is gonna be one heck of Cliffhanger !!!!!!! 😵😵😵 AHHHHHHH 😩😩😩! But then again, super bonus 💰 because during this twist I found out Ella is 5’2’’ and helllooo… so am I 🙋🏻‍♀️😅… so that makes me super happy 😃!

Oh! The guys 🔥!!! I have to talk about the guys 🔥! So we always knew Kiera was super protected right? And Amelia really was too. BUT! ELLA! Man, Jared has a biker 🏍 gang posse and I’m LOVING ❤️ how they are all up in there ready to smack down 👊🏻 for Ella! I LOVE IT 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻! I also LOVE how we meet SO many great new characters and I’m super intrigued by the dude that is like poison ☠️ ivy. Spin-off anyone!? And speaking of spin-offs, I don’t know about you, but I’m loving that 40-something-year-old Doc at the beginning! I NEED a book on her! I’m always saying Steph is basically Oprah when it comes to her characters… “And you get your own book 📕 ! And you get your own book 📕 ! And you get your own book 📕 !” So Steph girl, if you are reading this, let’s get that Doc in there! Let’s just say THIS 🙋🏻‍♀️ 40 something-year-old would totally love a sassy 40-something-year-old FMC in the Afterlife universe 🌎 ! I would definitely be down for that 🤟🏻!

Honestly, I could go on and on! I loved 💜 this book. I love 💜 this series. And I love 💜 the world Steph is building. And I CANNOT WAIT FOR BOOK 3 👏🏻. This really was a FABULOUS book and could very well turn into being my favorite of the Afterlife world sagas! So if you haven’t read Hellbeast yet or even tried Afterlife, they are free on KU! Go ahead and give it a shot! The Hellbeast King may just be the Beastman 🐺 for you!

[Luv2read · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ella….28 or 8?

As much as I loved the first book and as much as I love the HellBeast King opening up to love in this book, I cannot rate it better. Seriously, after all Ella has seen and the multiple times someone has had to save her life, one would think she would use some common sense and listen to the ones trying to keep her alive. And all these nightmares of another king from hell laying claim to her for 10 or more years. And she doesn’t breathe one word of it to anyone. I don’t know. I just found her bait and switch from scared out of her mind to the point of passing out, to I’m a badass woman and can do what I want a little immature. And now she wants to watch the HellBeast fight in all his glory…SMH.

It pains me terribly to say this because I love Ms. Hudson’s writing so very much. But I truly thought Ella would grow up to match her age in this book & it’s really annoyed me that she hasn’t yet. IDK. Maybe I am expecting too much too soon!! I will continue to read the series though as I am invested in it.

3.5 Stars!

[Tina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow!!! What a read, I was hooked and honestly can’t wait to see where this series goes. Ella is literally waking up to find Jared at her side, their relationship is so confusing for her and he seems off and on but there is no mistaking his ‘she’s my woman’ tone. Will she finally let go of the past to make way for her future?
Loved this story, plot and the characters are amazing. Some grammatical errors but nothing big. Loads of angst good and bad, the innuendo is off the charts and the love scenes so far are smoking. I absolutely loved the banter between not only Ella and Jared but all his crew, it makes the story so much more realistic. We are getting more storyline for Ella’s character but the end was nuts so I’m looking forward to the next book so we can find out what happens to our characters. Loved it!!!!

[Mrs Lynne Mills · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not sure

This is the 2nd book in the series , I have read book one as well, to be honest I'm not sure whether to continue with the series. I know it has 5 star reviews but for me it was not a compelling read. I wanted to shake the fh and shout get a backbone. I know this is my personal opinion and will look at other titles the author has released to see if they will grab my attention better.

[Audry Wichelns · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loveof the HellBeast

One thing I hate is partial books. In my opinion a book should have a definite beginning, middle and end. Having said that, I loved the story. Again Stephanie Hudson has written another great series. I just hate waiting to find out what is coming.

[Serena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rollercoaster

There is no stop to the events that happened in this book. An again it leaves on a cliffhanger! I love the banter between Jared and Ella and hope that the next one sees them get closer than they are.

[Swathi · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Punkin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hmm

Monsters be monstering. Odd mystery. Lots of miscommunication, sigh. Interesting enough but glad it's free. On to the next. .

[Jana Miesuk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good book that had me hooked.

[Sheena Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

Omg awesome need book 3 asap

[JenMcJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 Stars. Cliffhanger!!!! and no info on when book 3 will be out. I assumed that this would get us somewhere after book 1 didn't really move us too far towards a romance with Jared and Elle. This one didn't move us any closer really.

I like that Elle is actually afraid of these demons. She isn't a typical badass, "nothing fazes me" type of heroine although she fakes it till she makes it at times, her panic attacks over past trauma makes her a bit relatable in this type of situation. However, her "my body betrays me" syndrome is so out of control as to leave her senseless too often when she needs her backbone the most.

This book moves forward after some of the most ridiculous plot drivers. The whole thing with the black shadow tentacle guy and that Elle TELLS NO ONE what he was capable of is just effing stupid. Also, I'm confused because I thought Orson, from book 1, was known to Jarod but in book 2, it doesn't appear that is the case. Additionally, all of the physical injuries Elle has during book 2 are conveniently ignored or highlighted depending. She also has an unnamed illness that was implied she had to have some type of infusion/transfusion therapy at least weekly yet, that has not been a problem for her in the time she's been away from Oregon since she was attacked. I'm thinking this is probably at least a month.

This book is probably twice as long as it should be because of the extremely detailed descriptions of EVERYTHING.

On the plus side, Elle is pretty funny with the quips.

[Gee Liz Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Hellbeast’s Fight is the 2nd book of The Hellbeast King series by Stephanie Hudson. For me and most of you I bet, the 2nd book or the 2nd film are rarely as good. Think Ghostbusters 2 for example. Am I right? Well, in this case, just like Toy Story 2 (do NOT argue with me here), The Hellbeast’s Fight was better than the Hellbeast King. Now I’ve had this problem before… I gave The Hellbeast King 5 out of 5 stars (obviously, it was incredible) but if the Hellbeast Fight was better then how do I go about rating it?
Anyway, that’s not important. Just to let you know this review does contain spoilers. I’ve been told off so need to make sure I let you all know that before I continue. Got it? Great. Here goes…
Hellbeast’s Fight takes place straight after the end of Hellbeast’s King. As the blurb states, Ella is in hospital and she is not alone. Jared, the sexy Hellbeast is with her. The next few chapters are just a laugh a minute with their constant bickering and flirting. I just loved it. I love how the descriptions bring the story to life so you can see it unfolding in front of you. Like you are a fly on the wall watching the scenes play out in front of you. I believe it definitely takes a talented author to be able to do that.
What else I enjoyed about this book and it’s something that alot of authors are not able to do, is the secondary characters. There are a lot of secondary characters in this book but they are described so well and each have their own personality so it doesn’t become difficult to keep tabs on who is who. My favourite’s are Marcus and Orthurus (deduct 5 points from Ravenclaw if I got the spellings wrong – my bad). These are definitely character’s I want to know more about and would love for them to be a big part of Ella an Jared’s story.
Talking about Jared… Mother may I? Good lord in heaven! Or should I say Bad Devil in Hell please let me have one night with this man. To be honest, I don’t think I could handle it hahahahaa! The man on the covers is exactly how Jared is described and he has a very domineering personality. As a fellow reviewer said on Goodreads (user Rebecca Dixon) he is possessive, angry, obsessive, cheeky, snarky and has a dirty mouth, and I have to agree with her there – he certainly does. Whereas some of those traits my turn you off, when they are part of somebody as godly as Jared, you’ll definitely be turned on.
So with Jared being the Hellbeast, Ella is the human. She may come across as weak sometimes and she may make the wrong decisions but her inner monologue explains her decisions and that’s something I love about these books and the character. Yes, you may not have personally chose the path she chooses in a difficult moment but sometimes when you are put in that position you can’t think straight or your mind is focussed on something else and therefore you don’t make the best decision at the time. Nobody is perfect and I bet there is not one person on this planet that has made every single correct decision in their life. I’m not ranting, promise! I’m just saying that that is what I love about Ella. She’s so damned real! So perfectly imperfect!
The book ended with a cliffhanger but luckily book three is out and I’m going to get right up on that! I really can not wait!

[LWM · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hudson's skill at drama, intrigue and horror are nearly unmatched, but Ella's an idiot.

Why, WHY, wouldn't Amelia, her cousin, or Ella, just TELL Jared what Ella suffered from? Especially Amelia, who knew about the power of blood exchange, and who, with Lucius (Vampire king) there to "guide" her from being too overprotective, and who SHOULD HAVE THOUGHT BETTER OF HER COUSIN! Everyone treated Ella like she was broken and lacking; was it any wonder she grew up compensating for her shortcomings in a completely over-the-top way? If she'd been given better background info and respect instead of being overprotected here entire life, she may not have been so self conscious about her disability/illness, and Jared might have gotten a clue earlier about her being his Chosen. And could Ella have been any more wussy and wimpy about her fears? I doubt a four-year-old could have given a more cringe-worthy, realistic performance of a scardy-cat than Ella did in front of Jared and his club members -- again and again. She didn't seem to possess any logical, reasoning abilities that leaned toward at least a little intelligence either, as she made every wrong choice, move, and decision that landed her into serious trouble, time after time. Her wishy-washy, childish side irritated and grated, at complete odds to glimpses of the warm, loving, passionate, and quick-witted woman she kept hidden most of the time. I found her character confusing as heck, as though the writer couldn't help herself from giving Ella all those different types of qualities and personality. She came across as borderline certifiable, with strong leanings toward being breakable, psychotic and fragile despite having a strong sense of survival and self-preservation. She's really beautiful, though apparently not in her own eyes, and thinks she's alone with her problems and pain while refusing to allow herself to trust anyone, including her family, with her reality of pain and fear because of her health and fragility. I struggled to understand how she processed things, and why she reacted the way she did; however, even someone so damaged and having suffered her level of losses shouldn't have refused to see that NOT informing Jared, who was in charge of her safekeeping, was more detrimental to him being successful at protecting her. Sorry, not sorry for thinking her a moron and douche for keeping him in the dark. Great way to tie his hands, screw him up, making him fail, help his (and her) enemies! Gah! Soooo annoying! I thought about karma when she gets "diverte" in the cliffhanger: yes, definite points/stars off for the cliffhanger!

[Laura Henman · Rating 5 out of 5]

The beast is in the details 😂😂

The second book continues on from the end of book one and it's a typical sort for Stephanie!! That meaning that you can't stop from that first page right up to the last and even then it's just not enough!!

In this one there's so much more going on. We already know about Garmr The Great, but we learn so much more about him in this book. But there's still an awful lot that we haven't learned and it's something that will continue on throughout all the books.

I want to say so much about this book, but then my title would have to be...Spoiler Alert: No Need To Read This Book, As I'm About To Tell You All About It!!

I hate people that do loads of spoilers and if I'm honest, it's the whole reason I don't read other people's reviews. Well, you can't deny that there's a lot out there who don't mind giving out spoilers.

So instead what I'll do is tell you the following. It is without a doubt another series from Stephanie that you really want in your library!! Completely recommended.

Now let's talk audio. Again it's narrated by Alyssa Avery and it's disappointing this time.

For a start, the accent for Ella is almost like a Cornish accent, with some American thrown in.

Second, she never says mattered, but ma''ered, latter is la''er and so on and so forth, each time she's doing the monologue for Ella!! Again reflecting back on that Cornish feeling.

Third is the name Icarius. To begin with she pronounces it as I-car-ee-us and then later in the book so pronounces it as I-care-us as in the famed Icarus, who flew too close to the sun!!

Fourth is Marcus suddenly having a different voice compared to book one, whereas all the other prior characters stilled had the exact same vocal as book one.

So personally I won't be recommending the audio, unless such things won't bother you, in which case, hey it's your money!!

As for myself, I'm too late as I bought all the books and available audios at the same time, which admittedly was well over a year ago for a couple. Then I bought the rest as soon as I remembered I had these books and still hadn't read and listened to them as yet which was precisely three days ago!! Damn!!

Well let's hope audio for book three will be better fingers crossed 😉😉

[Bex · Rating 2 out of 5]

enjoyed but on the fence

Whilst I did enjoy this book at the time of reading - looking back I am definitely on the fence at the end …..

loads to like BUT just felt it was a bit flat and never really went anywhere - not enough twists and turns to keep it really moving for me. There weren’t many locations either, which made it feel a bit like the whole book never really went anywhere?

This leads on to Garmr / Dickerson - I just don’t feel intrigued about them, fed up of hearing about them and don’t really want to know more …. Nothing makes sense - This whole part of the story has been skipped over (or deliberately left out / not talked about to try and add some mystique) but I feel it’s done the story a disservice as it feels like there’s a big key part of the story development missing AND NOT in a good way

I do like the idea - Cerberus, guardian of a gateway / carnival before hell -think nightmare before Christmas, Halloween 365 days of the year…but this isn’t something that’s really a part of the story - Jared and his men (yes please!) Shame we don’t have much of their back story by the end of book 2…maybe we will in book 3. My fave is Marcus, he could have his own book!

Ella - I’m not sure how I feel about her, I feel I don’t know her very well by the end of book two (or I don’t really get her)- for example she is weak and Likes to run away (weak in body and mind)- the sassy banter she has with the boys just feels wrong for the image I have of her for some reason, but I couldn’t put my finger on why - it just feels out of character / forced - I don’t know….

Such a great idea (I absolutely loved AFTERLIFE - it’s one of my fave books, this one just didn’t quite go there for me …..

I would still like to find out what happens next, I will probably read the next one as I have kindle unlimited - but probably wouldn’t buy it if I didn’t have kindle unlimited….

[Karen Voitik · Rating 4 out of 5]

>Book Review – The Hellbeast King box set

>I am an independent reviewer. This box set contains books 1-3 in the Hellbeast King series and ends in a cliffhanger. In this fantasy, demons and angels, along with all of the “others” in Heaven and Hell, exist in hiding from humans. The author introduces 2 characters, cousins Ella and Amelia. The author also refers to prior adventures that Amelia and her family have gone through. I felt a bit confused as this is a new series, so where did the Amelia adventures happen? The book starts off with 18-year-old Ella following Amelia into a sketchy bar in London and catching the attention of Jared, The Hellbeast King. The author has a lot of interesting locations and paranormal touches that she describes. Her imagination is quite interesting, and the descriptions are unique. However, I felt there was too much description. I started to skim over the long descriptions of the demons, what they were wearing and the strange locations. The phrase “show, don’t tell” comes to mind.

>Ella ages 10 years before she runs in to Jared again, she thinks. Jared saves her from an assault but wipes her memory of the viciousness of the attack. What really happened during the attack is shown to the reader in what I thought was a memory of Ella’s. Ella, however, doesn’t react to the memory. I felt like the author stuck this scene in the wrong book, or part of the book. Ella also dreams of Jared a lot. Ella states that most of her dreams are of Jared. When another demon’s name is mentioned in the story, Ella thinks about how often she dreams about that demon. The author never mentioned those dreams, though, so I felt confused.

>This book is appropriate for an adult audience. I am giving this book 4 stars. Jared’s hot/cold act gets old, as does Ella’s habit of not informing Jared of all of the facts when something happens to her. I am enjoying protective, Alpha Jared, but there is a lot of descriptive “fill” making the story drag a lot.

[Mable · Rating 5 out of 5]

Could not put it down!!!

If you love supernatural sexy beasts and non stop action, this book has it all. The attention to detail is great. I can visualize the rooms, clothes and people so clearly. I really love the steamy romance between Red and J. It is a strong connection between the two and both fights it but in the end they both know there is no use. They are both fighting a bigger force and they can't fight the force that's brought them together whilst fighting against what's tearing them apart. It is one of my best reads in a long time. My only criticism is how clueless Red comes off. Her being so..... naive . She is almost 30 years old and should not come off as ignorant as she does because of what she knows to be true. From book 1, after following Fae, her cousin into the club at 18 years old. She did in fact believe what she experienced and believed what her cousin told her about the world of demons. Red had dreams or nightmares even as a very young child about demons so when she started dreaming of J it should have been something that triggered more questions within the 11 years after the night at the demon club. And so many other times within the book that just didn't make sense why any rational grown woman would not have stopped in her tracks and put 2 & 2 together. It kinda took a little something away from me while reading but not so much that I could stop reading. I can't wait for book 3!!!

[ForTheLoveOfBooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Should of known ‼️I am going to spoil end‼️

So firstly I really want to know what condition Ella has. It seems to make her so weak and fragile. And I want to know how long it will take for Jared to figure out that there other things going on with Ella. But also I want to know how long it’s going to take him to figure out that Ella is missing. Like literally nothing the fake Ella said even remotely sounded like something Ella. Fake Ella was just too polite in how she talked to Jared.

I would also really like to know why Jared keeps treating Ella like garbage. I mean it’s not like she just sits and takes it but we’re only two books in and it’s already getting old. I need him to just be blunt and clear with Ella so she stops worrying about Jared’s true mate rolling along. Every time he says something messed to up her I want punch him. And the. Want Orthrus to do something sweet to Ella to piss Jared off. Which he usually does.

Orthrus has become my favorite secondary character. He is funny and sweet to Ella when Jared is a class one ahole. He also has no problem telling Jared where he messes up. Or speaking reason to him. Which helps in a lot of situations.

I am hoping in book 3 Jared has figured out that fake Ella was just that, a fake. But if that is the case then I feel like the story will get wrapped up faster than we would like. Sooo I don’t know. But I do know Jared better get it together and get his head out of is 🍑.

[Nole4Life · Rating 3 out of 5]

First half gets a 2 star. The second half gets a 3.5 star.

PROS
- not as much action and adventure in the first book but the second half brings more.
- even though this book was slower I’m still intrigued by Master Grmr and what Ella is to him.

CONS
- nothing happens in the first half of the book. Ella wakes in a hospital and Jared tells her that she will be returning to the Devil’s Ring with him. They fly on a private jet and she meets his entourage. Then arrive at his place in the Devil’s Ring. The only conversations during this time is flirting and sexual innuendos. It never stops and is annoying. Literally, nothin happens that is relevant to the story. You could start halfway through the book and not be lost at all
- Ella was all over the place. One minute she wants to try and run away from Jared but then the next she is screaming for him to save her. She so wishy washy on what she wants that seems kind of ditzy.
- I hate insta-love. Ella and Jared had a heated introduction before going separate ways. Apparently after eleven years of no contact Ella has continued to fall in love with him.
- Between Jared, Ortho and all his men, Smidge and Marcus they were constantly winking at her. It was creepy after awhile.
- lack of communication. He refused to tell her why she was being hunted and she would not tell him anything about the oddities of her past. It’s frustrating how much could be resolved if everyone just laid out all their cards on.

[Ashante Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

Freaking cliffhangers.... Ugh...

(Jared & Ella): Well shit…. just when the story starts getting good… freaking CLIFFHANGER. For the love of HELL, WHY? So this book is flowing a lot better. Picking up right where we ended in the last book, Ella is now in the hospital and being watched over by Jared and his brother Orthrus. The plan is still to get her back to club Hell in order to keep her safe. The temperature of the relationship between Ella and Jared is pretty much cold to lukewarm to cold again. He is holding back but there's no real reason why, except the one he keeps throwing out, he doesn't like humans. The book becomes a cat and mouse chase with Ella constantly being the mouse. She talks a good game but when it comes down to it, she is a damsel. Not that you can blame her in a world full of demons, vampires and the like. The author continues to hint that there's something more to the connection between Jared and Ella but he's not talking and he shuts down anyone else who tries. Plus there's another out there who wants her badly and it's sending out all the big guns to go and claim her. The story is getting good but secrets are still not revealed and then you realize…. There's another freaking book. Damn. Now I have to wait for the next one.

[Terri Cooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Freaking Speechless

Great addition to the Afterlife Series. I absolutely loved book 1 The HellBeast King I love the all worlds of Afterlife come together. To have read about Ella as a baby in the first half of Afterlife books and to have a clue said then and to see it come to life is a amazing to me. I love the story of Ella and Jared because of how Jared is no nonsense but she brings him go his knees. I have to give this book a 5 star because I have a huge crush on Jared and I love seeing his sweet vulnerable side. I will say these books are not sync alone book so for the reviews stating that they couldn't into them let's me they haven't invested into the afterlife life and believe me its worth the ride and some. Stephanie Hudson has done it again can't wait for the book 3.

[Tequoyah Blackman-Wright · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sitting on the edge, Teaser, Cliffhanger

This book in infuriatingly good. It is NOT a standalone. You will not understand the book without reading the first one. Furthermore it will almost seem pointless as much doesn't happen besides the last few chapters. Introductions into new characters really had me excited about what role they would play. Unfortunately, this book is more of a teaser. Definitely has me excited about the next book.


Main thing I didn't like is the fluff details. A lot of this book was spent in describing people places and things. Felt more like author was just trying to fill up the pages.

I'm hopeful for what's next. Please don't make me wait another month or worse till next year. There were many story points touched on here, I hope part 3 really brings to life all these new characters

[Sarah Leather · Rating 4 out of 5]

CLIFFHANGER is my first thought, my second thought is when is the next book out?? I don't know, it doesn't say.

As with the first book there are typos and incorrect words used in places and again rooms, backgrounds, clothes, people are massively over described. I understand that it helps create a bigger picture, but for me its not necessary, I found myself skimming past these parts so I could get back to the actual story. However, if book 3 was out now I would dive straight in to find out what happens next, when will Jared realise? How did he not know? Red seems to have no interest in her own safety, why didn't she tell Jared what happened in the tent, why did she follow him into the tent in the first place even though she knew she shouldn't and people warned her. Silly girl.

[MaD · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'll still give it 4 stars but I am so frustrated with the female lead, Ella. I mean show some toughness and stand up for yourself.! Is this the same girl who followed her younger cousin into a shady, eerie underground bar to protect her? It's ok to be spooked. Heck, she just found out about this scary world of monsters among men. But shes keeps breaking down and seems to have lost the charcater strenth we previous saw peeking undeer her shy exterior.

For Jared's part...his charcater pulls me into the story more. He hates humans (for some reason) but he is careful with and tender toward Ella. Still, he is holding something back, and that is definitely affecting the relationship development. Always with the secrets!

Does Ella have it in her to tame the Beast?

[Merry One Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good story with a disappointing female lead

I like the storyline and the whole shifter and vampire world. I am not a fan of the female lead character. Honestly, she is worst in this book from book one. You just want to scream at her because how many times can she be gullible? Where are her guards? Time and time again she walks willingly into danger. By the end of this book, I am not pleased with either lead character because they seem to be overlooking the danger from the car scene to the tent scene. Neither character ever completes their story so that they can examine the danger facing them. I am reading to complete the series now that I am two books in, but skipping the sections that are unbelievable even in this fantasy world.

[Shannon Turbeville · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just finished the hellbeast's fight, this book is better than the second I couldn't put it don't. an if I did I had to pick it right back up and read it, as some suspense and will have you hang on and make you yell that there being very much stupid lmao, while for me anyway, the only sad part about it is that it leaves you hanging at the end wondering what is going to happen next does she find out what she truly is and who the hellbeast is to her, your while she be forever int he dark, while he save her and if so how long will it take? sigh I cannot waite for book 3 the hellbeast's mistakes to come out.

[Christina · Rating 2 out of 5]

Uggggh

I really wanted to like this series. I mean, I liked everyone but the MC! I had the same issues with the 1st book. The chick was TSTL. I also got tired of wading through the rambling inner dialogue and endless, unnecessary descriptions. She had so much to say, but hasn't mentioned poor Orsen at all! Like, did Jared send him to watch Ella? How did he get away from the deputy? I know that you can't get all of the answers up front, but this 'mysterious' illness is so annoying. But I am frustrated to the point where I don't even care to keep reading to find out what it is. I got about 50% in to this book...I'm pretty done...

[Heather Bobrick · Rating 2 out of 5]

Drags on and on...

The heroine constantly makes stupid mistakes, then admits just how crazy stupid her thinking was after the fact. And, my god, but do I have to read, "but this... but that" over and over again.

Then there was the never-ending details, every thought process of the heroine broken down into minute detail. Those details literally had me skipping a quarter of the book to get to actual necessary info and plot formation.

I tried giving this series a chance, I really did. But there's not enough action, and dedicated not enough sexual growth with the two main characters. Hell, it's book 2 and we finally get some kissing and at the very end some oral.

[pinky pinky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice Level: 4/5


Another 4 starts again!

I love Jared! I'm still on the fence wit Ella as she seems a bit lack of personality or maybe I just don't really know her that well yet? But so far I'm really excited to see where the book goes and can't wait to know more about Jared's world!

I have to say when I was reading Afterlife and Transfusion, after finish each book I loved it and want to continue but i don't know why but so far Hellbeast isn't giving me those vibes. But I'm hoping the next couple books will prove me wrong!


✔️ fantasy romance
✔️ fight club
✔️ hellbeast

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