Fantasy

Cold as Hell

Cold as Hell

  • Downloads：1941
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2022-05-26 04:19:41
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Rhett C. Bruno
  • ISBN：B09GYJXMF5
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary

In the West， there are worse things to fear than bandits and outlaws。

Demons。 Monsters。 Witches。 James Crowley's sacred duty as a Black Badge is to hunt them down and send them packing， banish them from the mortal realm for good。

He didn't choose this life。 No。 He didn't choose life at all。

Shot dead in a gunfight many years ago， now he's stuck in purgatory， serving the whims of 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 penance and fade away。

This time， the White Throne has sent him to investigate a strange bank robbery in Lonely Hill。 An outlaw with the ability to conjure ice has frozen and shattered open the bank vault and is now on a spree， robbing the region for all it's worth。

In his quest to track down the ice-wielder and suss out which demon is behind granting a mortal such power， Crowley finds himself face-to-face with hellish beasts， shapeshifters， and， worse 。。。 temptation。 But the truth behind the attacks is worse than he ever imagined 。。。

The Witcher meets The Dresden Files in this weird Western series by the Audible number-one bestselling duo behind Dead Acre。

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Reviews

Jenny ，

This book was great fun！ One of those wonderful， unusual books that can't easily be pigeonholed into a specific genre， but brilliant to read。I'm the first to say I'm not a fan of westerns nor paranormal。 This book has both！ Yet I really enjoyed it， as it trod carefully past those genres， absorbing elements but skirting the usual tropes， producing a book that was captivating， unusual， and somewhat mesmerising。 For me， unusual in a book is a big plus， and I can happily say that the only book that This book was great fun！ One of those wonderful， unusual books that can't easily be pigeonholed into a specific genre， but brilliant to read。I'm the first to say I'm not a fan of westerns nor paranormal。 This book has both！ Yet I really enjoyed it， as it trod carefully past those genres， absorbing elements but skirting the usual tropes， producing a book that was captivating， unusual， and somewhat mesmerising。 For me， unusual in a book is a big plus， and I can happily say that the only book that I have ever read before that was like this was Dead Acre， the prequel to this series， which was also a good read。For anyone who likes any forms of fantasy， scifi， or just good books， I am happy to recommend this one！ 。。。more

C。T。 Phipps ，

I am a huge fan of the previous Crowley book， DEAD ACRE， 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 I am a huge fan of the previous Crowley book， DEAD ACRE， 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 Acre 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。 。。。more

Elena Linville ，

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 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。 。。。more

Cmadler ，

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！" Cold as Hell 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-s 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！" Cold as Hell 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 Dead Acre， 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 received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more

Jason ，

Cold as Hell is one of the stories that once you start reading， you just can’t put it down。 It is like the best parts of the Clint Eastwood Westerns， with a bit of X-Files thrown in for fun！For those that have read or listened to Dead Acres， they will be familiar with ‘James Crowley’， and we are re-united with him here as he heads to the town of Lonely Hill， having been sent by his ‘Guardian Angel’ Shargrafein。 There has been a robbery， but it has been carried out by something not of this world， Cold as Hell is one of the stories that once you start reading， you just can’t put it down。 It is like the best parts of the Clint Eastwood Westerns， with a bit of X-Files thrown in for fun！For those that have read or listened to Dead Acres， they will be familiar with ‘James Crowley’， and we are re-united with him here as he heads to the town of Lonely Hill， having been sent by his ‘Guardian Angel’ Shargrafein。 There has been a robbery， but it has been carried out by something not of this world， and it up to our favourite ‘Black Badge’ to discover what has happened and return whatever unholy thing has walked on this Earth to whence it came。I don’t want to give away too many spoilers for this as it is an absolutely brilliant story from two of the best Indie Authors out there。 Bruno and Castle have brought us multiple exceptional stories， but this one is one of their best yet， with some stunning character work， a story that keeps going until the very last page and some outstanding world building。The detail that has been put into the world in which they tell this story is just extraordinary。 The attention to every aspect such as each of the towns and the people within them， the characters， the different things that Crowley comes across， both of this world and not of this world – there is so much stunning detail and depth it really draws you into every part of the story。 As a reader， you really feel like you are there with Crowley as he walks through the town， or experiences one of the visions when he sees the last 30seconds of someone’s life， or even just sitting at a fire。The combat sequences are described with such intricate detail that you can see the bullets whizzing about and feel the fists flying， each of the combat scenes is described with such brilliant detail。 The really wonderful part of this book though has to be the characters （as it is with all of Bruno and Castle’s stories）。 Crowley’s story is utterly captivating， from the very first page， to the very last， you find yourself enthralled by what has happened and what is happening to him， and you just want to know more。 Crowley is a wonderful character， surly， humourous but at the same time， he has a streak of the chivalrous knight in him， and you just know if he had been brought up differently， he could have been a better person。 As it is， he is trying so hard now to make up for the sins of his past。 This is a really great story as we get to learn a lot of the history of Crowley， this is not only the story of him hunting this dangerous group， but in a lot of ways， it is also a bit of an origin story for him。 As the story progresses， we get to meet a lot of different characters （There are literally dozens of characters he interacts with， some good， some bad， some just tragic）， but all of them are just brilliant。One of the things I really liked about this book was that there was an edge of authenticity to the story。 The Authors have not shied away the brutal aspects of the old west， this is a book in which there are some very brutal scenes。 And they are not afraid to kill people， main characters die （so don’t get attached to anyone）， which is something that is always good in a story， especially like this。 Cold as Hell is a story that is something that you really don’t expect， it is full of twists and turns， has a lot of intrigue and mystery as Crowley tries to uncover what is going on。 At the end of the day though， it is a really well told Western with some mystical elements to it， and it is a really great read。 It doesn’t matter what you like to read， whether you like action， adventure， mystery， whatever， you will enjoy this as it is just such a good story， and the character work is exceptional。 This is going to be one of the highlights of the year！！ 。。。more

Katie Mercer ，

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 f 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 。。。more

Karl Hakimian ，

Very engaging。 This enjoyable premise， an outlaw resurrected to do good and serve the White Throne， made for a promising story that was well executed by Rhett and Jaime。 Some fun surprises along the way and an Epilogue that will have you impatiently waiting for the next book。Having heroic heroes makes a story for me。 While James has his issues， he is easy to relate to and root for。

Ziggy Nixon ，

Actual rating 4 1/2 stars。 And believe me: them stars is as black as they can be - itchy， too - tattooed on the chest of a man seeking righteousness in a world gone mad！ Oh yeah， while we're confessin' sins， I need to proclaim that I received an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review。 And this is。 Honest I mean！OK， whereas I won't be doing this review in the same 'voice' I used in my review of the original novella， "Dead Acre" （see https://www。goodreads。com/review/show。。。 if you wa Actual rating 4 1/2 stars。 And believe me: them stars is as black as they can be - itchy， too - tattooed on the chest of a man seeking righteousness in a world gone mad！ Oh yeah， while we're confessin' sins， I need to proclaim that I received an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review。 And this is。 Honest I mean！OK， whereas I won't be doing this review in the same 'voice' I used in my review of the original novella， "Dead Acre" （see https://www。goodreads。com/review/show。。。 if you want to struggle through that！）， I will definitely NOT be any less enthusiastic than I was back when I read that amazing teaser to this newest Universe in the RCB collection！ He and co-author Jaime Castle have really developed what I think is a winner of a premise， namely， hard-hitting， character-driven urban fantasy that is displaced from the usual take on same only in that it takes place in what has to still be called the untamed Wild West （for now）。 So expect a heap of all the usual baddies you see in books in this genre - vampires， werewolves， shape-shifters and more - but add in a lot of the raw energy from which many of these legends first gained traction as well as some of the lesser known legends of that era！Just digressing for a moment: ever since I read Bruno's "Children of Titan" series， I have been nothing short of addicted to anything and everything he has written！ And whoa nelly， did "Cold As Hell" just feed that fire！ But from the equally stunning "Circuit" space opera to the emotionally charged "The Roach"， "Vicarious" and "Operation Brushfire" single offers， everything he touches seems to turn to literary gold！ And this pending book - expected for release later in May of 2022 - is definitely going to be a fine addition to this collection！ Start with whichever series trips your trigger but just do yourself a favor and start already！In "Cold As Hell" - a title which will become clear as you progress， trust me - our rugged and resurrected anti-hero James Crowley is back and the stage is set for action and adventure galore！ Like the main protagonist of the earlier mentioned "Titan" books， it's hard not to take a liking to this man no matter how many faults others - or even the reader - may find in him。 But just as with "Dead Acre"， we'll see only too quickly how deep down he has an honest set of morals and a need to do good that will help drive him to seek TRUE justice for all who cross his path。 And in that regard， we get to meet a lot of new folks as well as get reacquainted with some previous players， all of whom will test poor Crowley to his limits！If I had to compare this particular book to any author active in the same genre， I'd have to give a nod to Martin Shannon's "Tales of Weird Florida" series。 Now a lot of you probably aren't familiar with that series - which is your loss， trust me on this！ - but there's a lot of parallels you can draw between the two approaches， even if Shannon's series takes place more or less in modern day Florida！ Still， end of the world and all that， you can't really ignore such things when they come crashing through your front door！ It's just sort of a tone thing or perhaps even that delicious feeling of pending Armaggedon that really gets you！ And maybe the protagonists have different methods from staving off Hell finding its way onto our mortal plane， but there's no less thrills to find because of it！Anyway， you definitely need to get on THIS particular wagon train while there's still time！ Get a copy of the introductory novella - which I think is only available to the general public via the Audible form （not sure at all about that， sorry） - read or listen to that and then get ready for the release of this book！ Oh and while we're on the subject of Audible， I will say this AGAIN: if there have been any books that I wish I had listened to in that format， it would definitely be from this world of "Black Badge"！ Anyone for "Gunsmoke" meets "Stranger Things"？ Oh yeah。。。Y'all be good now， y'hear？ 。。。more

Ralph Smith ，

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 ju 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。 。。。more

Kyle ，

Great combination of horror and western genres。 There is a natural grittiness that compliments both genres and greatly enhances the mood and horror。 Very gripping read。

Montzalee Wittmann ，

Cold as Hell（Black Badge #1）by Rhett C。 Bruno。 and Jaime CastleDefinitely 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 m Cold as Hell（Black Badge #1）by Rhett C。 Bruno。 and Jaime CastleDefinitely 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！！！ 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Cold as Hell

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Cold as Hell&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Cold as Hell&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0