Kill the Messenger

Wilde Contracts #0.5

by Maz Maddox

Being a human agent on the Demon Human Alliance and Protection team is hard enough without dealing with the sudden reappearance of vampires.
It’s almost as annoying as having a very one sided crush on my partner -- a handsome jinn with the power of persuasion.
The once extinct blight on the city is creeping in the shadows, preying on innocent succubi yoga instructors and causing mayhem. Taleb and I have to break protocol and stay under the radar while ugly things that go bump in the night nip at our heels.
In order to survive, we have to team up with a horny idiot who claims to be an expert on the undead, and travel the city looking for the source of the vampire horde.
All without dying, killing each other or tripping over my feelings for my partner and best friend.

Genres: Urban Fantasy, Romance, Paranormal, M M Romance, Vampires, Fantasy

143 pages, ebook

Published May 1, 2022

About the author

Maz Maddox is the odd lovechild between a unicorn, dinosaur and vampire. The outcome is a human-like figure who inherited aspects of all three. She is a champion of logic and science, adores beauty and whimsy, and has a slight streak of darkness that dances the line of genius and insanity.

Residing in the wild land of cowboy boots and Shiner beer, Maz spends her time with her two dogs and a husband who she adores, and is constantly demanding that science gives her a pocket sized triceratops. The efforts of these demands have yet to be fulfilled.

When she’s not pining over the lack of chihuahua sized ornithischia, she’s a writer who loves crafting adventures tales sprinkled with humor, a hefty helping of romance, and topped with a happy ending.

Reviews

[Reem · Rating 3 out of 5]

You guys have to read this prequel before the first book, it’s great and so much fun. It’s the side characters from book one story!!

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars ...

This was freakin' awesome!! The only reason it's not 5 stars is because it's a 150 page prequel novella for the 'Wilde Contracts' series. But as 150 page prequel novellas go, this was pretty close to perfect! I expect the books will be even better! I'm all over this series now! 👍😁👍 (Btw ... got this as a free download from the author's website. Thank you so much, Maz!😊)

[Dani · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this introduction to the series!

Azerlyn had me laughing every time he was mentioned, he made me picture a male-model type man with a wind machine constantly making his hair flow 😂😂

This is also the first vampire book that I've read where vampires and necromancers are so closely linked to each other, so that was interesting and I'm looking forward to seeing what happens next.

Dallas was also hilarious - I love that he's a 'fish trainer' and that his fish Kevin can do thirty tricks, three aerial flips, understands maths and sign language....yet has severe performance anxiety!!! I was dead 😂😂

[Cat the bookworm (semi hiatus ish) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Must read prequel for the “Wilde Contracts” series.

I actually started listening to the first “regular” book - and felt like I was thrown in the middle of a plot. So many things happening at the same time, and characters that I obviously should know. Good thing I checked if I missed a step, and started reading things one - it really helped a lot.

Yes, we’re kind of thrown in the middle of an urban fantasy universe, but it’s the right amount of info we can digest. Ches, whose POV we get throughout the novel, works for the DHAP, the Demon/Human Alliance and Protection. Together with his partner and best friend Taleb (a jinn), they chase after a suspect imp. Said imp falls off a building and vanishes without a trace, and in a matter of hours, both Taleb and Ches are entangled in a vampire hunt, together with an incubus yoga instructor named Azerlyn.

And because they need help, they end up at Dallas’ doorstep, who’s a contract killer- and obviously knows a lot about vampires, too.

The main series is about Dallas, but I loved the way he and his asexual incubus landlord named Barnaby (who owns “Barnaby’s Erotic Antiquities”) were introduced.

As for Ches and Taleb: apart from their relatively well developed switch from best friends to lovers, I always like it when we have a couple where one is light skinned and the other one is brown, I feel like we’re still not where we should be when it comes to mixed race couples.

[Ken W · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best thing about this is the fact that it’s a unique take on a lot of classic creatures! The characters were all fantastic! I can’t wait to get into the actual series! If the prequel was this good, the main series *should* be even better! 5 stars!

[Ashe Hale · Rating 4 out of 5]

action-packed and fun with some really awful jokes that still made me laugh

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75

[DC · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m a fan of this author but I really feel this is not one of her better works. There were too many things that didn’t gel. There was zero world building so I can’t even say what this society was like. All we know is that is is all manner of demons living with humans. Taleb was jinn, but there was no clear indication of Cheslock’s species until about two-thirds into the story. They spend a lot of time travelling across town; sometimes by subway, but there was a lot of walking.
This story presents a very different take on vampires, and quite honestly, I didn’t care for it. Dallas gives a “Vampires 101” to Ches, Taleb and Azerlyn so they understand what they are dealing with. But the whole end sequence was so rushed as, quite literally, everything that Dallas has explained is thrown at us. So when we reach the end, the fate of our MCs made absolutely no sense. I was like “huh?” If any story deserved an epilogue to tie up the loose ends, it is this one. But nope, we’re just left wondering.
As for Dallas Wilde, there was nothing about him that I liked so reading there series is not in my future.

[isthisakink · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.75/5. Well I lied in my review of the first book in this series. I didn’t mean to lie, but I did. This will in no way help with world building, it will kinda make shit worse tbh. It’s hella inconsistent, and the inconsistency really shows up and out when you read on. Just from the prequel to book one shit changed dramatically. Like, Kevin is different. Why you gotta do Kevin like that? Ugh. It was cute for what it was, and it makes you want more if you haven’t read any of the other books first. Since I read book one without knowing this one existed, it just annoyed me and made me have to be on my bullshit about editing/proofing again. It’s not like I enjoy being a dick about it, ya know… Basically, to sum it up, you will never not feel like you just get dropped into the world and story like you’re already supposed to know everything about it whether you read this prequel or not because you’re dropped into the middle of the world and story here with no building to be done in the same manner. I don’t enjoy that vibe.

[Roksy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Preston’s job as a human agent on the Demon Human Alliance and Protection team is challenging enough without the sudden reappearance of vampires. As the once extinct blight threatens the city from the shadows, Preston and his partner and friend, Tabel, must break protocol to investigate the threat—flying under the radar as nightmares nip at their heels and whilst protecting the succubi yoga instructor who almost became a meal. With no one else to turn to, the three men are forced to team up with the mysterious Dallas Wilde, a horny idiot claiming to be an expert on the undead. Together, the ragtag team of four travel to the darkest, most dangerous parts of the city to hunt the vampire horde. To solve the mystery and protect the city, Preston must keep them alive—and avoid tripping over his feelings for his best friend and partner.

It’s no secret that I’m a fan of Maz Maddox. I’ve been working my way though her catalogue over the last few months and having an absolute blast. My latest adventure into the mad world of Maz is the Wilde Contracts series. Featuring a diverse cast of characters and a sweet, passionate friends-to-lovers romance, Kill the Messenger is a prequel novella that compliments the main series. Although not necessarily mandatory reading, it is a great introduction to the series’ urban fantasy setting—one that is brimming with magic and where humans and demons live side by side—and also provides a broader foundation for the overarching plot of the series.

[TeeReads · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars

For a quick prequel novella, this was really good. The world building of this paranormal universe was really interesting. I found Maz's take on vampires to be rather unique and intriguing. The mystery of the story is quite gripping, and the pacing flows really well, which helped move the story along. The budding romance between Ches and Taleb was sweet but not the main focus of the story. Dallas is a super interesting, if slightly ridiculous character, and I was here for it. Overall, this was fun and a good introduction to the world of the Wilde Contracts series.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Note to self that this is a prequel to the Wilde Contracts series. I’m on the fence as to whether it’s better to read this before the first book in the series or not. The first book is so much more entertaining compared to this, but when you read the first book it feels like you’re missing something that already happened.

Oh, and also note that Dallas is not the main character in this one. That threw me off at first.

You can download this short story from the author’s website.

[Xiomara Alexa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un libro cortito con un misterioso, un chico de muy mal humor que está enamorado de su compañero. Ay, ojalá hubiera hablado más desarrollo del romance, los polis tienen una química increíble. Y la verdad que he quedado triste porque el próximo libro no se centra en ellos.

[Zane Kage · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun and exciting prequel novella to a series I love.

Preston and Sayyid were great. So we're the side characters. Love the quintessential Maddox humour and smut.

A good time all around.

[Jai Oni · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Enjoyment: ❤️❤️❤️❤️

[Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this series and it was great to get some background on these two secondary characters. I'd be happy to read more about them.

[Wrinkle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yeah, a cute prequel 💜 that provided some backstory and information. I don't know why it wasn't an MMM, because they could have simply left the Incubus out otherwise, but that's just a small detail.