Hellhound AU

Because Canon Sucks

by Shannon Mae

Rowan
I'm a hellhound who doesn't love murdering evil people. Well, of course I'd like to see them dead, but I'd rather not deal with talking to them or getting messy. I like a nice, orderly existence. Milo (who I still think may be a chaos demon) is the opposite of orderly, yet I can't seem to stay away from him. If he wants me to come on a few jobs with him, I'm happy to help. After all, he does all the awkward talking and stuff. I just get to be scary looking.

Milo
I'm not sure how I ended up becoming an assassin, but I don't mind the work. When I meet a sexy, redheaded man who may be the worst liar I ever met (he totally burned down that cabin), I decide maybe I'll keep him around. Yeah, his cover stories suck, but he seems to be good at scaring people. Must be those colored contacts he wears, because no one actually has flames in their eyes. Right?

Paranormal M/M Romance; Milo/Rowan; “Because Canon Sucks” multi-author series; burning down a cabin is a great meet-cute; Rowan sucks at cover stories; Milo accidentally became an assassin for people in a retirement community; Rowan loves baked goods; Milo may be trying to kill Rowan with his homemade baked atrocities; retirement homes make the best found family; Rowan doesn’t really like killing people, but Milo does so it’s fine; only very bad people die; Ray needs to find a nice guy to date; Riley will either kill Milo or become his best friend; hellhounds have tails, and they know how to use them.

Hellhound AU is a MM fanfiction style novel, based on the Canon short story written by AM Rose for the multi author series Because Canon Sucks. In Canon, Milo and Rowan miss out on their happy ever after, so this series strives to give them one in every other universe.

Genres: M M Romance, Shapeshifters, Paranormal, Urban Fantasy, Humor, Paranormal Romance, Romance

222 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 5, 2026

Reviews

[labibliofille · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had a blast with this one! This is the dark romance I was hoping for in the Because Canon Sucks AU series! Add in the paranormal twist, and I was a goner. I had a great time with this one; the romance, the side characters, the plot - it was all perfection!

[martina (the life of a chaotic reader) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I need this author to lock in immediately because these past two books have been mediocre at best, terrible at worst.

while her previous novels had that perfect balance of dumb humor and serious situations, these past two had dumb as fuck everything.

no, thank you.

let’s find our way back, okay babes? thank you

[Aleja · Rating 4 out of 5]

MM romance | Paranormal Romance | Hellhound x Assassin | Size Difference | Fated Mates | Kill Together | Opposites Attract | Tails & Knotting


Cada vez que termino un libro de esta serie lo digo, pero es que estoy completamente obsesionada con Milo y Rowan! Sus interacciones y coincidencias en cada nuevo AU solo me hacen temerle al último libro porque no quiero que se termine! 😭😭

Esta versión de #RoLo me ha gustado muchísimo. Es la primera vez que leo algo de esta autora y no puedo esperar a leer más de ella. No tenía mucha idea de qué era un hellhound, pero ahora solo quiero leer más sobre ellos

Milo siempre es mi favorito, pero es que Rowan también se gana mi corazón con cada nueva aparición, así que ya me es imposible elegir a uno solo.

〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️

Every time I finish a book in this series I say the same thing, but I am just completely obsessed with Milo and Rowan! Their interactions and similarities in every new AU only make me dread the final book because I don't want it to end! 😭😭

I absolutely loved this version of #RoLo. This is my first time reading this author and I can't wait to read more from her. I didn't really know what a hellhound was, but now I just want to read more about them!

Milo is always my favorite, but Rowan wins my heart over again with every single appearance, so it’s officially impossible for me to pick just one✨

[Joyfully Jay · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Joyfully Jay review.

4.25 stars

Hellhound AU is a new installment in the multi-author Because Canon Sucks series. Since I already explained the premise in my review for Dark Romance AU, I am just going to repeat it here for you all: The series has a fan-fiction style premise where author A.M. Rose wrote a super cute, but bittersweet, short story called Canon about two men named Milo and Rowan who meet in an airport. Then, each of authors in the series have basically written “fan fiction” about these characters, giving them the happy ending they deserve in various alternative universes (dragons, robots, shifters, etc). (To be clear, Canon was written specifically for this series so that the authors could write their AU versions, so this is not really fan fiction in the traditional sense.)

I think Mae does a great job with the set up here and tying the book to the series canon, while also making it really engaging as it’s own story. I loved her version of Milo and Rowan and had a great time with this story.

Read Jay’s review in its entirety here.

[Shrike · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love when Milo leans chaotic and he definitely does in this AU. He rolls with wild revelations that would send other men reeling. I also enjoyed how the author's notes parallel his nonchalance when confronted with the supernatural. Seems like everyone knows a hellhound but me and I'm feeling a bit left out.

Thanks for the chance to check out an advance copy. I'm leaving this review of my own accord.

[Kazza · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quirky, Cute and Crazy Fun!

I’ve read some of the Hellhounds of Paradise Falls books, my favourite being Toby and Dex, so this was awesome in respects of who’s writing the book within a book. I also needed something fluffy and what’s fluffier than a human chaos demon and a sweet strawberry milkshake of a hellhound? Not too much.
Review at-

[Demian Grimm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hellhound AU is part of the multi-author project Because Canon Sucks, which is inspired by fanfiction.

This was a sweet, funny, and wonderfully chaotic story. I loved how this story expanded the Hellhound universe, and I think it’s a really good addition to the series. I especially loved the “role reversal” between Rowan and Milo. Rowan being a hellhound, you would expect him to be terrifying, but he is a big, shy sweetheart who worries about keeping things neat and tidy. He really doesn’t like to get messy. Then there’s Milo, who is pure chaos in human form. There is no situation he can’t somehow make even more chaotic. 😆

The contrast between Rowan and Milo’s personalities worked great, and they really balanced each other out. Rowan is the cautious, awkward one, while Milo is the fearless troublemaker. The fact that the intimidating hellhound is the more sensible one, while the human is the true source of chaos, was such a fun twist. Their relationship is sweet, and their affection for each other comes through in all the little acts of kindness and protectiveness. ❤️

I also enjoyed seeing their found families come together. There is a lot of humour and ridiculousness, but there is also a lot of warmth and genuine affection between the characters...which is always a plus for me. The side characters were a great addition to the story, and I’m definitely hoping we get to see more of them in the future. I would especially love to read a story about Ruben and Ray.
*hint, hint, nudge, nudge* 😉😉

You don’t need to have read the Hellhounds of Paradise Falls series or Because Canon Sucks to enjoy this book, although IMO having the background makes the author notes and references more enjoyable. 😊

I received a copy of this book from the author, and this is my unbiased review.

[Anisha Choudhury | A Literary Autopsy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Disclosure: I received a complimentary eARC of Hellhound AU by Shannon Mae in exchange for an honest review.

Hellhound AU by Shannon Mae is a delightful MM novel born from the brilliant Because Canon Sucks multi-author series, which is dedicated to giving Rowan and Milo the happy-ever-after they missed out on in A.M. Rose's original short story. In this universe, Rowan is an orderly hellhound who prefers not to deal with awkward conversations and messy torture, while Milo is a chaotic, unhinged human assassin who stumbles upon (literally) a very scary-looking redhead with "flaming" eyes he assumes are just contacts.

When Milo ropes Rowan into a few jobs, they form an accidental partnership where Milo handles the messy torture of the target and Rowan brings the intimidation factor. Fast-paced, witty, and packed with fantastic banter, the dynamic between the orderly death-dog (as Milo would say) and the chaotic human is pure comedic gold from start to finish.

Shannon Mae leans fully into the joyous spirit of fandom culture, delivering a lighthearted and fast-moving narrative that will have you laughing out loud. The humor is sharp, the character dynamics are instantly endearing, and the affectionate care Rowan has for Milo’s well-being anchors the absurdity of their assassination side-gigs with real heart.

Hellhound AU is an absolute blast to read. If you love fanfiction-inspired tropes, laugh-out-loud humor, and delightfully unhinged couples, this is a must-read addition to your TBR.

[Bookstagramtea (MM Romance Addict) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really enjoyed the beginning. The "it wasn't me"s and assumptive "I'm gonna keep him"s are hilarious and I love the way the couple stick together for each others own good.

Unfortunately, for me, this got too silly. Not in the imaginary world - strangely, I have no problem with clawed sisters or even the old people crew - but in the action and reactions. Romance gave way for silliness to take over and rather than looking out for his friends, he was now tracking down a student he just assumed had been kidnapped and then was targeting Nazis?

I wish this had stayed local, helping out friends and family with more relatable problems. And then the granny and the D's? Sigh. It really took away from the whole story, including the romance. Everyone just became stupid and thoughtless. Those who were clever enough to hack and track were now leaving trails for the sake of glitter?

What started as two slightly eccentric souls finding each other and blending like ice-cream and milk, became a shaken mess with everything random dumped inside.

[DLB2572 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm rounding this up from 4.5. I had so much fun reading this version of Milo and Rowan. It had me laughing many times. I just couldn't wait to see what happened next with them.

I received an ARC and this is my unbiased opinion

[Laina Gruver · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5-4.75 stars

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! You do not have to have read Canon to enjoy this book (although it was a decent quick read).

Rowan is a Hellhound who doesn’t like to get messy and Milo is a human who helps his friends in the retirement home solve problems (AKA hitman). Rowan feels that Milo is an accident waiting to happen. Unlike Rowan, Milo doesn’t mind getting dirty (even if most of the time it’s not intentional).

Milo finds Rowan adorable and loves that he can make the big, strong hulk of a man blush. Rowan calls Milo his Chaos Demon.

This book was written as ‘fan fiction’ by Toby, one of the MCs in the author’s Hellhound series. You do NOT need to have read that series to enjoy this book but, you will find Toby’s author’s notes at the beginning of each chapter to be funnier.

*****
POV… multi first person

Standalone or series… part of multi author series and pseudo spinoff novella from Hellhound series but, CAN be read as a standalone

Hangover… slight

Recommend… yes

Reread… yes

[Eileen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute, I loove Shannon's storys 🥰❤️

P. S. Maybe it's a me thing, but I thought it was mega uncool how Milo just adopted Beauty without consulting Rowan... In my opinion, it would be soo shitty if I were attacked by a dog 24/7..., my partner doesn't even take the situation seriously and tries to gaslight me into thinking the snapping dog loves me soo much... Not... 🙄😅🙈

[Julie Underhill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hellhound AU by Shannon Mae is part of the Because Canon Sucks series by various authors. It is a fun version of Fanfiction and this one is about a hellhound that doesn’t like to get messy when doing his job, a young man who became an assassin by accident and now takes down those who deserve it, and how they discovered they were right for each other and fell in love. Rowan is a hellhound and comes from a family that includes his parents, two sisters who are furies, and a brother and brother-in-law that are hellhounds like him. He did his job finding and sending those who were truly evil to hell but he really didn’t like to kill or torture because it was so messy and the screaming bothered him. He was out in the forest at a cabin taking care of some hell bound souls and had just set everything on fire when he heard a noise and saw a young man pulling a suitcase noisily through the woods. He smelled delicious so he went to investigate and found Milo. They sit and watch the fire, which Rowan finds interesting because Milo isn’t afraid and they have a somewhat normal conversation. He wonders if he’s a chaos demon but he smells human. He also can’t cook which Rowan finds out when he’s given a brownie that tastes horrible. Milo was raised by his Aunt Anabelle and her friend Ethel and after Anabelle died, Ethel went to live in a retirement home. It was there that he became an accidental assassin for the crew who lived there and he was fearless about finding and killing bad people and he didn’t mind getting messy about it. He was at the cabin to get rid of some bad guys but Rowan got there first. They ended up back at the diner in town where they find out one of the waitress’s husband was hitting her but she didn’t want him killed. So Rowan and Milo go together to threaten him and they find they are a great team, especially since Rowan is so big and powerful and unbeknownst to Milo uses his flaming eyes and hell fire to get his way. This leads them to take on more jobs together like stopping a dog fighting ring, and finding a girl that has been kidnapped. They also feel an attraction to each other that eventually leads to a kiss and then some hot love scenes. When Rowan’s sister, Riley, a harpy comes to see what is happening, she also gets involved and it is then that Milo realizes that Rowan isn’t human but a hellhound, which he thinks is pretty hot. Rowan has seen Milo in action and he knows he’s somewhat clumsy so he makes sure he is with him as much as possible. He is also sensing that Milo is his mate and that comes in handy when Milo and Ethel are kidnapped while doing a job. Milo has complete faith in Rowan finding them and is not surprised when he does, along with his family’s help, and once again they take care of the bad guys together. They then declare their love for each other and are going to be very happy as they work to locate more evil people the crew finds for them and take care of them. I really enjoyed this story. Rowan is so cute for a hellhound with not liking to be messy and Milo is the opposite in being a fearless assassin when it seems like it should be the other way around. Rowan is intrigued by Milo when they first meet and senses that he is important to him so he follows him around. Ethel and the crew at the retirement home are lots of fun and intent on taking out bad people so they give Milo lots of work. Rowan’s family also make an appearance from time to time and help them and Riley is the reason that Milo finds out Rowan is a hellhound, which he thinks is pretty cool. There are lots of bad guys to take down and after some planning they go full force into getting the jobs done and Rowan cleans up afterward with his hell fire. In the end his family and the crew all get together, get along, and have a great time and you know Rowan and Milo are going to be very happy as they work and live together. There was lots of hilarious banter and fun happenings as they go about their business and some very tender love scenes between them. And the fanfiction beginnings to each chapter were also funny because the “author and his boyfriend” were actually characters from another of Ms. Mae’s books. I highly recommend this book, especially if you like stories about a hellhound and a human who meet under dubious circumstances, discover they both like getting rid of bad guys, and find out they are mates and in love along the way.

[Maddie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Content Warnings (Including Spoilers!) at end of review.

Very Minor Spoilers in review

Okay let me start off by saying I LOVE Shannon Mae’s books. I’ve read all of the Hellhounds in Paradise and the “Beginners Guide to…” series. I love the universe she has created.

Which is why I loved that this book was written by her character Toby. It’s such a fun idea for the readers to be able to read the “character’s” writing. And of course get vague updates on the Hellhound gang through the Author notes.

With that being said, this one wasn’t my favorite😭

I have read the first book in the Canon AU series and really enjoyed it. However, I have not been able to get into the other books in the series for some reason. I was really hoping I’d love this one but it was just okay. I do love Milo and Rowan. I love Milo’s chaos and how much Rowan loves that chaos. Their meet cute was fun too. I loved that Rowan didn’t care for killing even though he was a hellhound and Milo had 0 issues with it.

I also loved how much Milo loved animals. He really just wanted to help anyone he could and I enjoyed that about him. The doggos were a sweet touch to the story.

I guess my biggest thing was that there wasn’t a story or reasoning behind some things. Ex: Why is Ethel a hacker? How did she come into this skill? And the rest of the crew were also good at finding information? Like I hate to be that person but my nana can’t figure out how to turn on her phone on a good day😭

I guess I just wanted a reason why they were all so good with technology. It’s obviously not impossible for an older person to be good with technology but specifically why are they? It just felt like the author needed a hacker so the older folks had to be one.

The sisters being harpy’s didn’t make a ton of sense to me? This isn’t a creature I’ve read about in Mae’s universe (I don’t think) so it just felt random. I can of course respect her choice to choose the creatures in her books and if she felt this was how the story should go then that’s great. I was just a little confused.

My biggest question was what happened with Rowan and Milo saying they loved each other? We see this happen originally when Milo overheard Rowan telling his sister on the phone. But then all the sudden when Rowan is rescuing Milo he says he’s never said it before? And they both act like it’s the first time. I was just beyond confused. Wasn’t sure if I was just missing something?

I did like that there were several different enemies Milo and Rowan fought but wish each enemy could have been a little more fleshed out. I know it was just a short book but I love Shannon Mae so I would have gladly read more.

Once again I do love this author but this one wasn’t my favorite. I will of course read her next book and am already anxiously awaiting her upcoming book “How to Catch a Hellhound.”

Some Content Warnings (‼️SPOILERS‼️)
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Kidnapping (not of MC or by MC)
Murder (only of bad people, not super gory)
Stalking & threatening (not by MC)
MC does lightly stalk other MC
Mentions of previous ex hating on MCs body
Sexual content (obviously)
Loss of parents (MC)
Loss of Aunt (MC)
Minor themes of grief relating to family loss
White supremacists (they get what they deserve)
Animals harmed (not killed and not gory)
Dog fighting ring

[Zoe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic Story

I loved this book! It is definitely one of my favourites in the series and I had to add it to my shelf immediately! As a fan of Shannon Mae’s hellhound series I was delighted by the references to them in the author notes and I loved that the notes were just as chaotic as the book itself. This story was the perfect amount of Rowan and Milo chaos for me and I had the best time going on this journey with them. I loved how completely accepting they were of each other from the beginning even though they were both giving off major red flags and also terrible at hiding the crimes they were committing. Their cute meet was also on point for how I’d expect them to meet and I loved how they both immediately latched on to one another and never let go. It was so much fun seeing Milo drag Rowan around to help people because Rowan seemed like he was a good backup and because Rowan was just there and that was enough. I was also extremely delighted by Rowan constantly comparing Milo to a stray cat and deciding that Milo needed a keeper and he would be it. Rowan following along on Milo’s adventures and making sure Milo doesn’t accidentally hurt himself with his chaos was hilarious.

Seeing these two work together on getting rid of bad guys made it even more clear that they are meant to be because Milo is great at talking and doesn’t mind all the messy bits, he somehow manages to talk himself in and out of situations while also being weirdly successful at mental games on accident. Rowan on the other hand is great at intimidating people into letting Milo talk and then finishing them off and making sure everything is clean, and also making sure Milo is okay of course! Plus Milo completely accepting the paranormal and only being upset that he couldn’t be magical was very Milo and very fun as well as completely relatable. Milo’s chaos and unpredictability just had a way of making everyone like him and it was sweet seeing him get along with Rowan’s family and seeing Rowan be accepted into Milo’s found family. These two are so perfect for one another in every single universe and they never fail to make me smile with their utter adoration of each other and also because Rowan always makes the mistake of trusting Milo’s baked goods! I am so sad this series is almost over because these two are so comforting and wonderful that I’m going to miss their adventures.

[Caro · Rating 4 out of 5]

A hellhound whose literal job is sending genuinely evil people to hell but who is somehow completely unsuited to the actual murdering part of the job and Milo being an assassin for a retirement community. What could be better?

Rowan and Milo's meet cute might be one of my favourites in this entire series. Rowan has just burned down a cabin full of cultists, Milo shows up dragging a suitcase through the woods because HE was planning to burn down said cabin, and they just... sit together and watch it burn while Milo eats an apple and offers Rowan one of his absolutely atrocious brownies. Romance is alive and well.

And then, because this is Milo we're talking about, approximately five minutes later Rowan does one (1) nice thing for him and Milo basically proposes marriage. The impromptu marriage proposal is so incredibly Milo it hurts. Give him the smallest amount of affection and apparently you're now planning a life together.

I also loved the reversal of expectations with Rowan and Milo. Rowan is a literal hellhound. He has hellfire in his eyes. He sends evil souls to hell. And yet he's standing there worrying about how awkward it is to torture someone, whether he should offer his victims water, and how much of a mess everything is going to make. Meanwhile, human Milo is running around gleefully threatening terrible people and somehow proving over and over again that Rowan may be right about him being a chaos demon. Their relationship is basically acts of service with a side of murder.

But underneath all of that chaos, I really loved how protective they both are. Milo's retirement community and Ray are his family, and there is absolutely nothing he wouldn't do for them. I especially loved seeing their worlds eventually come together. Milo already had this wonderfully chaotic found family at the retirement community, Rowan has his equally unusual supernatural family, and by the end they're all just... one big weird family.

[GiveMeBooksOrGiveMeDeath · Rating 5 out of 5]

I already knew going into this book that I was going to love it, because of my love for Shannon‘s hellhound series. It was a fun surprise to see the “author” of the book writing the notes was Toby from the first book of that series “How To Flirt With A Hellhound”. In this AU, Ronan is a Hellhound who hates getting dirty and disposing of evil souls. Then accidentally meets Milo, an assassin who answers to a gang of elderly bad asses of which Ethel is the ring leader. Ethel is one of the greatest characters and I just love her so so much. Ronan was instantly drawn to this cute chaos demon and decides to aid Milo with his “assignments”. They were quite attracted to each other from the start and Milo makes it very obvious that he is down to get with Ronan. And when Milo started calling Ronan his “strawberry milkshake” it made me so happy because that is the greatest pet name I think I have read so far in my opinion. Between taking out bad guys and saving the day, Ronan and Milo get a lot closer emotionally, and physically. Of course they fall in love and while their confessions didn’t go quite as planned, it was still meaningful and unique. Not only did they fall in love but they adopt two children together… of the furry variety. The best way to describe these two I would say is controlled chaos because they are opposites yet complement each other perfectly. On a side note, the apple thing is freaky lol. Overall, I love this book and highly recommend it as well as Shannon’s Hellhound series, it’s quite good. I would like to thank the author for allowing me to read this in advance.

Tropes: Hellhound x Assassin, Size Difference, Fated Mates, “my little chaos demon”, Elderly Chaos Gremlins,
“my strawberry milkshake”, Dog Rescue

Story 5/5
Spice 3/5

[That One Romance Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Intro:
This book is an MM romance between Milo, a human solving issues the police won't fix (wink) and Rowan, a hellhound enamored by Milo


Tropes/Highlights:
-MM
-Open Door
-Hellhound/Human
-Size Difference
-Kill Together
-Opposites Attract
-Do Anything For Him
-HEA


Likes:
-Hilarious meet cute
-Rowan is the sweetest
-Meeting the family
-Nicknames
-Spice
-"Chaos demon"
-Bad cover stories
-Slight stalking
-Humor
-Protective MC


Quotes:
-"Maybe I needed to go around hugging the little humans, and then less of them would turn out to be horrendous people"
-"I wasn't sure what it did taste like. Pain and suffering, maybe?"
-"I didn't ask where he was going with a gun, and he didn't ask why I was naked. Sounded perfectly fair to me"
-"The man was a menace"
-"Yes, my little chaos demon"


This is book 9 in the Because Canon Sucks series and it is my favorite so far! This is the first time I have read this author before and I was hooked from chapter one. Milo and Rowan are hilarious and so sweet, especially together. Milo is such a chaotic mess, but he has a big heart and is determined to protect his loved ones and those in need of less than legal help. Rowan is a sweetie pie of a ginger giant who has an aversion to mess. These polar opposites are perfect for each other and their story was so much fun to read. I recommend reading this book if you love darker books with hellfire, shifted forms, general chaos, protective characters, teasing, some murder with a side of justice and a meet cute for the ages

[Iretsia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was cute! I adore the premise of Toby being the author and how the author notes were from his perspective. He is 100% going to out the hellhounds someday, so I really hope someone in the group checks over his posts first 😂 I also loved how the hellhound was better at passing as human than Milo was; I kept waiting for the reveal that he was actually an alien or something. Eating applies like that is unhinged. I would have liked more development into Milo (like literally why is he like this). I'm not sure if Rowan's brother will get a sequel, but I'd read it if so. That being said, I'm more invested in the main hellhounds series than this storyline.

As a side note, I haven't read the "source material" (?) "Canon," mainly because i didn't know it existed before I started this book, and then when I learned about it, I couldn't find it. I can now report it's available through BookFunnel, and I'll read it next!

A few of my go-to authors are participating in this project, so this should be a fun ride. I will be interested to see how "Canon" impacts my reading of the remaining fics and whether my reading order will make all the others feel like an AU of the hellhounds story instead.

[Marion · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is part of the multi-author series Because Canon Sucks. Each book in the series is a standalone read. This is the story of Milo and Rowan. I have to start with the fact that I absolutely loved this book! It was fun to read and made me smile throughout. I loved the banter between Milo and Rowan. The two of them were a perfect match for each other. Milo is a human and willing to kill anyone who honestly deserves it. His "crew" of retirees keep him informed of any problems arising in and around his town. Rowan is a hellhound and his sisters are actual Harpies. He is happy to do his job of killing those that are hell bound but he doesn't anything messy. He wants it all neat and tidy. Good thing that Milo is not worried about messy. Milo can also handle all the talking, whining and begging. It really is a perfect division of labor. I received a complementary advanced review copy of this book from the author and I am voluntarily leaving a review. While the idea of a murderer can put you in a negative frame of mind, this book is not like that at all. It is very well written and easy to read. The descriptions and interactions are funny. I personally loved Milo defending Rowan's sister when he described her as a "harpy". At that point, Milo had not been introduced to the paranormal side of things. This is really a great book. I loved it from start to finish!

[Jeanette Waters · Rating 5 out of 5]

Of course. Of course! Shannon Mae writing about hellhounds. Who'd a thunk! She made "Hellhound AU" adjacent to her Hellhounds Of Paradise Falls and gave Toby his go ahead with the writing. While the Paradise Falls and Canon Sucks worlds don't completely align, we can put it down to author preference.
All the Canon books have been terrific reads. But sorry, not sorry, I jumped books seven and eight to get to "Hellhounds" first and it was completely worth it. Although she doesn't have any current plans, I hope that Ms Mae will write more books "with" Toby.
Rowan is a "strawberry milkshake" hellhound (Milo's words). He'll do his due diligence in regards to hell bound souls. But he doesn't really enjoy the gore. Or the torture. He calls Milo chaos demon, and that is soooo apt. Milo doesn't mind a bit of a mess. His focus is on protecting innocents, people and animals.
An absolutely perfect match. Lots of "Boo"s, a good deal of blushing (hence strawberry milkshake). Just sharing a meal, or holding hands, the sizzle is there. The intimate scenes, very, very hot. Throw in the retirement home "crew" and Rowan's harpy sisters. What an enjoyable read. Fast paced. Toby gives us a wonderful worldbuild (his boyfriend totally ISN'T a hellhound after all).
Yes, this was my favorite Canon story.
I received an advanced copy of this ebook and this is my review.

[Xanthe · Rating 5 out of 5]

**4.5**
Of course Shannon's book in some way is related to their Hellhound series! I love how that has been worked into this book, really different but I don't want to give away the surprise.
Rowan as a hellhound who doesn't really like killing, or mess, is so perfect up against Milo's human assassin who has possibly, maybe killed by accident.
I love this version of Milo's Found family. Ethel, whose partner was Milo's Aunt Annabelle, now lives in a retirement home that turns out to have some people who are only too happy to help out a guy with cases of people in need of being 'dealt with'. Some surprising computer skills in the older generation!
Rowan's family is made up of hellhounds and harpy's, which actually fits Riley's character (as I've come to know her in the series so far) very well! Bless his heart, he wants to deal with the hellbound people but does not enjoy the actual act. How lucky that he and Milo stumble across each other in the woods, both with the same plan of dealing with a cult. Milo is hilarious throughout and Rowan is just as sweet. Very much an opposites attract match up but so perfect for each other.
This book was a lot of fun to read, just like Mae's Hellhound series and the rest of the Canon series. Can't believe there's only a couple more to go!
I received an ARC and am happily giving a review.

[Fiona Tewson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my goodness, I couldn't stop laughing! This incarnation of Rowan and Milo is one of the best!

It took me FAR too long to get the authors notes, but once I realised it was Toby and Dexter from How to Flirt with a Hellhound, I was hooked!

Rowan is a Hellhound and spends his time sending hellbound souls to hell. But, he doesn't like torture as it makes a mess, he gags his prisoners as he doesn't like their pleading and never knows whether to offer them water or not! Seriously, he's a big softy (and shy about his feelings for Milo). Milo, on the other hand, is a chaos demon - though he's human. Ethel and her friends at the retirement home ask Milo to look into certain people and Milo does this. Milo just wants to be needed and loved.

We first find Rowan in a cabin in the woods, which he has just set on fire, when Milo comes strolling up, pulling a suitcase on wheels behind him. Milo doesn't show any surprise about the fire, and just starts to eat an apple. (Much to Rowan's surprise). Once they move away, Rowan realises that he wants to find out more about Milo and starts to stalk him. What happens after is hilarious!

The book is written so well, I love Shannon Mae's writing. There is so much fun in this book that I can't help but say everyone needs to read it.

Thanks to the author for a copy in return for an honest opinion.

[Susan Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I first read about the premise of the AU series, I was sold! There have been several books that I did not like the ending, some of which still annoy me years after I read them. In Hellhound AU by Shannon Mae we are presented with two MCs who fall under the rubric of morally gray, which I usually don’t care for, but Rowan and Milo are so cheerful and helping out retirees seems the right thing to do. While I’ve not read fanfic, the author’s comments were hilarious. Being sent on assignments by the retirees means Rowan and Milo encounter a variety of bad guys (used in its gender-neutral sense), most of whom are easy to dislike. The MCs are so different in their approaches to life that it is clear they are meant for each other, even if the series blurb did not make it clear. It was entertaining to see Milo’s reaction to the world of the paranormal. If you need some fun fiction with a guaranteed extravagant HEA, this is the book and series for you! I’m reading most of the books myself. Somehow I’d not read other books by this author, which is hard to believe given how many MM books I read in a year (over 200), but that’s the point of multi-author series or anthologies. I will correct that lapse going forward. I received a copy of the book from the author, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Lois · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm a massive fan of the Hellhounds of Paradise Falls series, so when I heard that this AU was written by one of the characters from those stories, I absolutely had to read it.

In this AU Milo is a hellhound who sends hellhound souls early to the afterlife, except he's not really very good at it. He finds torture awkward and he really hates mess. Milo is an accidental assassin, but he only hurts bad people. He absolutely loves torture and gore. A match made in heaven (or is that hell?).

These guys were so cute together and definitely brought out the best in each other. I loved their relationship and they were definitely very hot and steamy in the bedroom - hellhounds have tails and they know how to use them 😉

This was a fantastic world to set Milo and Rowan's story in and I loved that the crew in the old people's home were all included and that Ray made an appearance too. No sighting of Andrew in this one, he was NOT missed!

I think this story works well as a standalone, but if you've read the original series, then you'll love the Author notes at the beginning of each chapter - I was laughing so hard my ribs hurt. So many easter eggs to enjoy 😍. If I could give this more than 5*, I really would

[Twilight · Rating 5 out of 5]

𝑨𝑹𝑪 𝑹𝑬𝑨𝑫

𝑩𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝑵𝒂𝒎𝒆: Because Canon Sucks: HellHound AU

𝑻𝒓𝒐𝒑𝒆𝒔: hellhoundxhuman,
fated mates, instalove, grumpyxsunshine

𝑹𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈: 5/5 ⭐️ | 𝑺𝒑𝒊𝒄𝒆 𝑹𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈: 4/5 🌶️

𝑹𝒆𝒂𝒅 𝑻𝒉𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉: 📲 — > Arc Read

𝑭𝒂𝒗𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒆 𝑸𝒖𝒐𝒕𝒆𝒔:
“I sighed. ‘I meant for you to shut him up.’ ‘He isn’t talking anymore’ Rowan said, scratching his beard”

“Milo was mine. My mate. My perfect match. I loved him, and maybe I would tell him tonight.”



𝑹𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘: Firstly, I want to thank the author for providing me with an ARC copy — With that being said all opinions are my own.

Have you ever wanted an MC’s that reminded you of Drax from Guardians of the Galaxy, because I swear that was the vibe I got from Rowan this entire book and I completely ate it up. I never laughed so hard reading a book in quite a long time. Milo and Rowan’s entire relationship throughout this book is the most adorable, chaotic, and funny thing I have read in quite a while.
Out of all the books in the series that I have read so far, I feel like this one does the best job in my opinion of really capturing that fan fiction vibe to which these books are based on/supposed to resemble!

[angie_bookrecs · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was pure chaos, and I simply couldn't get enough!!

Rowan is an absolute sweetheart trapped in the body of a terrifying hellhound whose job is literally sending evil people to hell. The fact that he hates killing because it's messy and awkward had me laughing from page one. Meanwhile, Milo is an assassin with approximately ZERO self-preservation instincts, a heart of gold, and enough chaos to make everyone around him question if he's secretly a demon. Especially Rowan.

Their relationship is everything. Rowan is immediately protective, constantly trying to feed his disaster human, and once he realises Milo is his mate? That's it. Decision made. Forever. Watching these two idiots fall hopelessly in love while stumbling through explosions, kidnappings, supernatural chaos, and some absolutely unhinged author notes was an absolute joy.

The humor is top-tier, the found family is everything I love in a romance, and the emotional moments hit just as hard as the laughs. The ending left me with the biggest smile on my face, surrounded by a family that chooses each other, and the chaos every single day.

Also...hellhound tails. That's all I'm saying 👀🔥

[SNik · Rating 5 out of 5]

Part of a multi-author series (Because Canon Sucks), but can be read as a standalone. Paranormal. Mates. Size difference. Found family. Dual POV. Heed content warnings.

Take one chaotic assassin working for a group of elderly dogooders and mix with a golden retriever hellhound who doesn’t like gore. When Milo stumbles across Rowan already having taken care of some bad guys he then meanders away, not realizing he has caught the attention of Rowan, and once they become friendly, Rowan begins to tag along to all of Milo’s vigilante jobs.

This was a real humorous foray into the author’s Hellhounds of Paradise Falls universe with two main characters that happily share a mission to do away with evil, are equally as accomplished, and easily fall into a relationship that includes both work and play. There are supportive characters that surround both Milo and Rowan, and the fact that no one bats an eye at discovering supernatural beings was so fun to read. Rowan is sweetly enamoured and Milo is fiercely committed to keeping Rowan, the fact that they are mates is just the cherry on top. A really entertaining Fanfiction that gives a more than satisfying HEA.

[Manlove · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just want to start off saying, I'm in no way morally opposed to fanfiction - I read a ton of it and I fully understand there is a broad spectrum in the quality of fanfiction works out there (i.e. sure, some of it (a lot?) is terribly written, but there are some veritable genius fanfic works out there). But this series compels me to give it the very strong side eye.

I did love the conventions of the author notes at the start of each chapter. Fun! But when a story is this well written, I'm not sure how to take it. I mean, in this book the word fazed was spelled and used correctly - I don't think that could possibly be true in about 98% of fanfics out there. And I didn't happen to note if the word naive was used - but if it was I'm sure it would have been correctly spelled, unlike 100% of fanfics I've read.

Anyway, this review is going to read like a poorly thought out fanfic comment. Which is to say this was a fun, if somewhat confusing endeavor of a series. I read this one because I like the author and I was 1000% here for Toby being the in-universe fanfic author. That was the most fun aspect of it all!

[Katriana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my gosh, I'm in love with this book!!! I'm not super familiar with Shannon Mae's writing, but after reading this AMAZING book, I will definitely be looking into more of their books!

From the very first page I was immediately transported into this world full of humor, destruction, chaos, fire, and for some reason, apples?? The writing of the story was exceptional, there was a comedic undertone to the writing that made reading this so much fun! I loved how quirky both Rowan and Milo were in this version, and I thought it was super clever of Shannon to have ond of their characters from one of their other books be the 'writer' of this one. I thought that was really smart and that added an extra fun element to the overall story.

I've enjoyed all of the AU books, but this one is definitely in my top 2, I loved the characters, the writing, the world building, the snark, the animals, and yews, even the destruction. Everything was just incredible!!

You have to read this book yourself, you won't regret it!