First Hunt

The Assembly #3.5

by Steve McHugh

Miles Watson had been a vampire for centuries when he found a small, scared puppy. He named her Church and took her home with him. Her original owner had been the kind of monster who Miles hunted to ensure vampire and humans were safe. He’d done the job alone for decades, until the night he’d found Church, and had set about training her to be his partner.
When Miles is asked to find a newly turned vampire who is on the run from human hunters, he knows that he has to find her first, before the body count starts to increase.
After months of training, it’s time for Church to get thrown in at the deep end of her new life. It’s time for her first hunt.

Genres: Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Fiction

102 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 28, 2025

About the author

Steve is a bestselling author of Urban Fantasy. His book, Scorched Shadows, was shortlisted for a Gemmell Award for best novel.

Steve was born in a small village called Mexborough, South Yorkshire, but now lives with his wife and three young daughters in Southampton

Reviews

[Montzalee Wittmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Church!

First Hunt
By Steve McHugh
I have read most of his other books, especially the ones with Church in them. I either didn't see this book or he wrote this after but I have loved it!

[Stacey Markle · Rating 5 out of 5]

my rating 4.5
What a fun novella to read as a prequel to The Assembly series. 
I'm just going to say it now...I LOVE Church. She IS the best girl. Miles is ok too lol
This story tells of the origins of the fabulous duo...when Church came to be with Miles and their first case together. 
Super interesting vampire lore and powers. I loved everything about this novella. 
I'm excited to read the rest of the series. 

[The Reading Ruru (Kerry) · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you've read Steve McHugh's Vampire series about Miles the Arbiter, then you'll already be acquainted with his "best girl" Church and how together they are a formidable fighting force. This novella is a prequel to the series with Miles & Church on their very first job as a team.
Set in the early 2000s, it has some great moments regarding technology, which shows what it was like for some of us who are pre "millennials." Miles wishing "If they ever managed to get the internet running consistently on phones, it might blow my mind." & "...if anyone ever devised a way for that map to give me directions as I drove, I would be one happy vampire." made me laugh (& feel old at the same time).
This novella would be a great starting point to the series if you haven't read them, but if you have, then its a wonderful addition to the series (& if you’re a dog person then you're going to absolutely adore Church)

[Antoinette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the book

If you love dogs and vampires this book is for you. If you already did read the first 3 books in the Assembly series you will know Miles and Church, this book is when Miles took Church for the first hunt and how they became partners.
Steve knows how to write paranormal fantasy. Can't wait to read more about Miles and Church in the future.

[Todd · Rating 4 out of 5]

l was a bit disappointed that it was short. But that's on me, I didn't notice when I bought it that it's a novella.

Not a prequel exactly, but more of a side adventure featuring Church's first mission at Milo's side. Milo is sent to retrieve a missing new vampire.

[Will Dorey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Miles the vampire and his best dog friend, Church are always a pleasure to spend time with. they solve crimes, right wrongs, kick ass and in Church's case be goddamn adorable while they do it.

The only downside of this story is not being long enough. Can't wait for more stories from the assembly series and hopefully more time from the POV of Church as this was a highlight of the previous book.

[JILL Stock · Rating 4 out of 5]

New author to read, I totally enjoyed it looking forward to more books.

[Dee Keyes · Rating 5 out of 5]

church and Miles

Excellent book. Wish it was a little longer and went a little deeper into Churches’ beginning. Makes me wish Church was my dog. Can’t wait for the audiobook.

[Andy Venn · Rating 5 out of 5]

another typical Steve McHugh book. A novella starring Church, the massive Rottweiler, and Miles the Arbiter. Steve has turned into my 'go to' author when my reading mojo is a little low.
Loved this one. Church's first mission with Miles, proving that she is a perfect sidekick.

[Bookworm86 · Rating 5 out of 5]

BLOG TOUR REVIEW

Review for 'First Hunt' by Steve McHugh

This may be the first book I have read by this extremely talented author but there is no way in hell it it is going to be my last!! It is also the first novella in Steve's 'The Assembly' series. What a blooming epic and eerie read!! Seriously, if you are a fan of vampire books, horrors, fantasy, action, tension and suspense you will LOVE this!! If you are looking for a nice, light and sweet read then look the other way as there is nothing sweet about this story!!!

OMFG!!! I ABSOLUTELY LOVE, LOVE, LOVED THIS CHILLING, GRITTY AND ATMOSPHERIC NOVELLA, AN ABSOLUTELY AMAZING, ACTION PACKED. SINISTER AND PAGE TURNING MUST READ!!!

I am very pleased that this is the first novella in Steve's 'The Assembly' series and I cannot wait to sink my teeth in to more! 'What an absolutely brilliant and explosive introduction to an extremely promising series it is! I will start by saying that with this book being fantasy/vampire based it isn't my usual choice of book so I wasn't sure how I was going to feel about the storyline but I was fascinated by the absolutely stunning and eye catching cover and synopsis and was looking forward to trying it out. I also love the fact that the cover included and one of the main characters is a Doberman, a converted one with vampire blood but a Doberman none the less. I am a huge animal lover and even run my own rescue called Golden Oldies Cat Rescue And Hospice, you can find me on social media if you wish. Therefore, any books that include an animals, not limited to cats, is a HUGE bonus for me and one of my favourite dog breeds is the Doberman so this was a huge bonus! I may not be a huge fan of fantasy and vampire books but what I do love is a gripping read and this is definitely one of those! If you are not typically a fan of fantasy/vampire books then do not let that put you off, expand your reading genres and give this book a try!! I am extremely pleased that I did as I thoroughly enjoyed it and it was nothing like any vampire book I have ever read and much, much better than I thought it may have been!! It is so much more than "just" a vampire story. It is filled with danger, betrayal, revenge, lies, secrets, suspense, covers myths about vampires, drama, tension, horror, death, blood, tension and much more! I absolutely loved the unique take on the typical vampire stories that I have read and this definitely gives Steve bonus points! It is getting more and more difficult to find a storyline that is truly unique but Steve truly manages to do just that hook, line and sinker. Even more considering our "partners" are an Assembly Arbiter vampire called Miles and Church the Doberman with Vampire blood running through her veins! Considering this is just a novella with only 111 pages in the physical version and the kindle edition having just 102 pages in Steve manages to pack one heck of a lot in! I am not going to go into any details about the storyline as the publisher has done an incredible job telling you what you need to know in the synopsis. With it being just a novella I also do not want to run the risk of spoiling anything for future readers. Therefore, if you want to find out more about Miles and Church you will just have to grab a copy of this brilliant story yourselves. I can guarantee that you will not regret it and you can thank me later! If that isn't enough to convince you then this is also FREE with Kindle Unlimited so what are you waiting for?! I obviously sunk my teeth in and devoured it in just a couple of hours! Well, it would have been extremely rude not to!! I cannot wait to get stuck into and devour more of Steve's books. If they are even half as good as this read then they are guaranteed to be absolutely brilliant!! Steve's absolutely incredible evocative descriptions will ensure the reader is sucked into the book where they will hear the characters, see the action and characters and feel their heart pounding as they fly through the pages of this incredible page turner! The fact that there is so much going on ensures that there is no chance the reader will be able to put it down so make sure you clear your schedules before starting this book! I loved the fact that there is such a massive range of diverse characters and Steve has done an absolutely incredible job of not only the character building throughout the storyline but also the world building which I was completely intrigued by. His emotive, evocative and fantastic descriptions really does ensure the reader is sucked into this gothic storyline seeing the characters, atmosphere and action come to life right in front of their eyes.

The characters are all complex and multi dimensional with a range of different abilities, personalities, abilities and histories. I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know them all and am looking forward to meeting them along with others in the next books in this promising new series especially Miles and most definitely Church. This may not come as a surprise considering what I have already said but Church was most definitely my favourite and I cannot wait to see more of her!! . It is such a fascinating read and I was completely absorbed throughout. They were all very strong characters with their own unique personalities, flaws, quirks, strengths and weaknesses. The fact that he truly cares about her characters truly shines through the pages in how well he has created each and every single one of them.

Well done Steve McHugh on an absolutely addictive and action packed vampire novella! Congratulations on an absolutely fantastic success and here is to what is guaranteed to be many more. I cannot wait to sink my teeth into them! 🥂

Overall an absolutely action and blood packed vampire must read starring an epic Doberman called Church!

#FirstHunt #SteveMcHugh #ZooLoosBookTours #ZooLoosBT

@SteveMcHugh @ZooLoosBT @ZooLoosBT


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[Karolyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Here is my review for First Hunt by Steve McHugh

I thoroughly loved this dark horror fantasy story which saw Miles Watson, who had been a vampire for centuries, attempt to save a young puppy he found whilst on assignment. She was part vampire and he spent months training her to work with him. He named her Church as that is where he found her. Miles is an arbiter and he gets to move around more freely than some do but some object to the status. His next assignment takes him to an old acquaintance who has been in trouble in the past and lied to him as well so he's wondering what trouble Harris has got himself into this time. When Harris finally explains his predicament, Miles doesn't trust it's the truth but sets off the next day with Church to find Ella, a newly turned vampire who has disappeared. This will be Church's first mission and she may get to try out her training but Miles was sure Harris was keeping something back from him.

Wow! I just couldn’t put this fantastic vampire horror book down. The book was brilliantly written and everything was vividly described in great detail so I could visualise the story playing in my mind as I was reading it through. I loved the characters Miles Watson and Church, his vampire dog, who I certainly wouldn't want to face in a fight! The fight scenes are lively and memorable. This is a series I really want to get into as this is the start of it. I'd love to read more of this author’s books as I believe he writes the books in genres I love, vampires are definitely right up my street. Also, I love the cover for the book, First Hunt, which depicts Church. She looks so fierce and she hasn't finished growing yet!

Synopsis :

Miles Watson had been a vampire for centuries when he found a small, scared puppy. He named her Church and took her home with him. Her original owner had been the kind of monster who Miles hunted to ensure vampire and humans were safe. He’d done the job alone for decades, until the night he’d found Church, and had set about training her to be his partner.
When Miles is asked to find a newly turned vampire who is on the run from human hunters, he knows that he has to find her first, before the body count starts to increase.
After months of training, it’s time for Church to get thrown in at the deep end of her new life. It’s time for her first hunt.

[Claire Reviews · Rating 3 out of 5]

🐾 A brilliant idea let down by poor execution 🐾

⭐️⭐️⭐️

"Family isn't always born. Sometimes it's found."

First Hunt had so much going for it. Miles is an engaging protagonist, and his partnership with Church—his vampire hybrid Doberman—is easily the highlight of the book. Their bond is wonderfully written, and Church steals every scene she's in. The premise also offers something refreshingly different from the usual vampire fare, making for an entertaining, action-filled read.

Unfortunately, the novella never quite reached its potential. The pacing felt rushed, leaving little time for the characters or world to fully breathe, and the biggest issue for me was the editing. The text is littered with typos, grammatical errors, and awkward phrasing. At one point I genuinely wondered whether I'd been sent the finished edition. Adding to that, Miles occasionally drops a lone Scottish "nae" into otherwise standard dialogue, which felt oddly inconsistent and pulled me out of the story every time.

I genuinely wanted to love this. The ideas are strong, Miles and Church are a fantastic duo, and it's an introduction to a series I'd happily have continued. Sadly, the lack of polish overshadowed the story enough that it's left me reluctant to pick up the next book.

Verdict: A fresh take on vampire fiction with two memorable leads, but rushed pacing and distracting editing issues stopped this from becoming the read I'd hoped for.

[Sonja Charters · Rating 4 out of 5]

What feels like many moons ago (actually 2023!), I read Those Who Dwell In Darkness - the first book in this author's The Assembly series.

I'd absolutely loved it but since then, haven't had chance to keep up with the next few books - so when I saw this little novella prequel to the series, I knew it was time to slot this into my reading plan for the month.

 

Being a prequel, this takes up back behind the start of the first book to a time that Miles and Church became acquainted.

I remembered loving both characters and couldn't wait to see where it all began.

 

Although this isn't an origin story for Miles, it certainly takes us on the journey of the partnership and I loved that this shows the meeting and training scenes as well as the first hunt together.

 

If you don't know much about the series already , Miles is a centuries old vampire who basically polices the bad guys of London, whether they be Vampire or Human.....or anything else.

The Assembly keeps the peace between humans and vampires who live alongside each other and this is well laid out through this book, despite only being just over 100 pages.

 

This is so well written and I'm surprised that the author manages to fit so much into this story without it feeling too information heavy or short of plot. 

 

An easy introduction to what was a great series starter, or as I've done, this can easily be read at any point through the series too.

 

A great read and I really must get hold of the second book and continue this exciting series.

[thesmokymountainsreader · Rating 4 out of 5]

First Hunt is a novella, so it’s a quick read. The pace was medium to fast, which I always love, with a lot of action and intriguing twists. The idea of this book was very intriguing, so I was excited to read it. First Hunt is an origin story for the Assembly Series, so it’s meant to set the groundwork for the daring duo, and it does so effectively. We get to learn how the great Miles and Church came to be. This is not the first book in the series, but it can be read as a standalone without any issues. The novella is set in the early 2000s, and I enjoyed all the references to that time period. Church is the best dog! He’s a doberman pinscher, with a little vampire blood thrown in! The novella mostly details their first mission together (and what violence and fun result). I do wish there were more comedic elements. I think this story/series needs a tad more humor to balance out the violence. Other than that (and it not being long enough), I loved it!

Overall, it’s a solid story, and I rated it four out of five stars. If you like vampires, dogs, lots of action, series books, paranormal story lines, and found family, you will love this book! Thank you to @stevemchughauthor and @zooloosbooktours for the gifted ecopy. All opinions are my own.

[L.G. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: 4 stars
Pages: 102

This novella is part of The Assembly series. It takes place prior to the first book in the series (Those Who Dwell in Darkness). For new readers, it's fine to start here since this is part of a backstory for Miles Watson and his new best friend and partner, Church. Even as a puppy, Church is huge and very gifted. IMO she often makes better decisions than her undead partner, Miles.

SUMMARY: Miles Watson had been a vampire for centuries when he found a small, scared puppy. He named her Church and took her home with him. Her original owner had been the kind of monster who Miles hunted to ensure vampire and humans were safe. He’d done the job alone for decades, until the night he’d found Church, and had set about training her to be his partner. When Miles is asked to find a newly turned vampire who is on the run from human hunters, he knows that he has to find her first, before the body count starts to increase. After months of training, it’s time for Church to get thrown in at the deep end of her new life. It’s time for her first hunt.

[Rustic_Reads_ Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

First Hunt is a novella following Book 3 in the Assembly series which focuses on Church’s introduction to Miles and the world of vampires. A thousand year old vampire teaching a new dog old vampire tricks… (or something like that) What’s not to love!

I really enjoyed the structure and vibe of this story. Admittedly Vampires are not usually my go to, but the writing was so well executed that I found myself captivated from the first page with talk of judge, jury, and executioner piquing my interest immediately - and Church obviously swung it for me. Who doesn’t love a cute dog - who just happens to be remarkably disciplined, terrifyingly supernatural, and a fiercely loyal companion to Miles. If vampire lore is your thing then I know you’re going to devour this series.

[Charlotte · Rating 4 out of 5]

'First Hunt' is the first spin off novella from the series 'The Assembly', which I haven't read but am adding to my TBR as this short read reminded me of some off the classic vampire novels that I loved as a teen. Being set in the real world made the story instantly believable, if one believes in vampires that is!

At just over 100 pages, this was an incredibly quick read for me, but despite it's short length the story was engaging and I felt I got a good sense of who the main characters were.

The more I read books like this, the more I realise I have a secret bloodthirsty side, thankfully it's fly satisfied by fiction, but this book certainly spoke to that dark part of my soul. I'll be making time in my schedule to read more by this author.

[Faith Davies · Rating 5 out of 5]

Take me to the church!

What a fantastic prequel! It conveyed everything you needed to know about both of these brilliant characters, in a short, punchy story. It even laid out the basic structure of both the assembly & the vampire houses. This is how you write a short story & I've never seen it done better. I'm now going to embark on the full series (pun intended). If Steve McHugh's long form is as good as his short form then I'm going to be a very happy bunny for the foreseeable future!

[Glen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Miles Watson and Church are two of my fave characters, and this story gives their fans a little more info about how and why they found each other, and how Church started to develop into the awesome partner for Miles that she is now. If you've read any of Steve McHugh's earlier books about Miles and Church, then you owe it to yourself to read this one, too! I hope we get more "early days" stories about these two!

[Sally Antoinette · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great insight into Church puppy

This was so good to see the first time Church worked in a field operation. And she did so well in helping to protect him. But she also showed how good she was with an injured person. We have the foundation of this great friendship. And it shows in all the other stories later in the series.

[Michael Bozimowski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not only man’s best friend

A preamble to the other stories it was an interesting, well thought out piece. The pace was fluid with enough depth and fluctuations to foster continuity and interest. Although a novella the work never gave the impression of a rushed or truncated story. A very satisfying read.

[Mr D · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Brilliant Introduction

After a little searching I found this as a prequel to the series so it actually is my first look at this series. For a novella it packs quite a punch. Lots of details on the House structure of the different vampire groups.

A very impressive read. Made me keen to read more.

[Riette Beling · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my goodness I loved this so much!

This is my first book in the series and let me tell you, just incredible! I want to read the whole series now!

Miles and Church - what a terrifying combination! Church very quickly crawled into my heart, I mean vampire dog ... hell yeah!!

Miles is kind of bad boy as well! He seemed to be a caring vampire well at least as caring as you can imagine a vampire to be.

There was so much happening in this Novella - lot of information to process and a lot of gore and dead bodies! Fast paced, there was never a dull moment and just enough to have me hooked on this series and wanting to start from the beginning.

This is a great fantasy read and would highly recommend

[Sue Wallace · Rating 5 out of 5]

Definitely recommend.

First Hunt by Steve McHugh.
The assembly book #3.5.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I read this book in one sitting. I couldn't put it down. I loved Miles and Church. Lots of action in a short read. Ella grew on me. I do love vampires reads. I most definitely recommend this book.

[Grundle · Rating 5 out of 5]

An Interlude

A nice story between story’s, normally I don’t like prequel related story’s but I make an exception for this one. I enjoyed reading about Church’s first field op. Can’t wait for more stories set in this universe

[R R Evans · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an enjoyable read but something about it didn’t quite work. Possibly because I was expecting to see the beginning of the relationship but in truth it felt like the relationship we already knew. There is no growing pains or missteps.

[Orlando Sanchez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Too short but excellent!

As always, Steve does a fantastic job of telling a great story! This was way too short but very enjoyable. Thank you for the short look into Church's first hunt!

[Kathy Wortham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love Church

I had hoped this told more of Church's first days with Miles as a puppy. It details their first mission together. Exceptionally smart, strong and fast Church is the perfect companion for Miles.

[adam · Rating 3 out of 5]

as always, a fun ride

Never disappointed in these stories, though I do wish there were more humor to counter the darkness- McHugh's wit is up to the challenge and needs to be flexed a bit more.

[Lisa reads alot Hamer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a quick read, a novella of around 100 pages but what it does it set the groundwork for the series, we get to see the beginning of this partnership and more about the characters.
So whether you read this before the series during or after you will love it.