Hell Bent

Redneck Apocalypse #2

by Eden Hudson

Alternate cover edition of ASIN B00YFVLRFM


Finally free of his sadistic captor, the holy champion is now trapped in a much darker hell—his own mind.

His only hope is a vampire he can't even remember.

She loves him, but can she save him?

Genres: Urban Fantasy, Fantasy, Paranormal, Horror

208 pages, ebook

First published May 27, 2015

About the author

I am invincible. I am a mutant. I have 3 hearts and was born with no eyes. I had eyes implanted later. I didn't have hands, either, just stumps. When my eyes were implanted they asked if I would like hands as well and I said, "Yes, I'll take those," and pointed with my stump. But sometimes I'm a hellbender peeking out from under a rock. When it rains, I live in a music box.

But I'm also a tattoo addict, coffee junkie, drummer, and aspiring skateboarder. Jesus actually is my homeboy.

Reviews

[Viking Jam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Publishing Date: May 2015

Publisher:The River Pirate Alliance

ISBN: (ASIN:B00YFVLRFM)

Genre: Fantasy

Rating: 4.9/5

Publisher’s Description: Finally free of his sadistic captor, the holy champion is now trapped in a much darker hell—his own mind. His only hope is a vampire he can’t even remember. She loves him, but can she save him?

Review: This is the second installment of the “Redneck Apocalypse” series. This novel largely follows that paths of Tiffani and Colt with a dash of Desty and Tough. The novel seesaws back and forth through their pasts while creating a cogent whole.

As I have read the whole box set, I can say that Halo, Shannon in the Lion’s Den and God Killer run a close second to Hell Bent. Why? I guess the way the story line weaves in and out of the past to create this depth of characterization that is seldom visited in the genre. This flow of deep darkness, hope and redemption in the face of dire circumstances that transcends death via faith and loyalty is, to say the least, compelling.

So far I am having a lot of fun, and that has got to be the point, right?

You can check out all of my reviews,HERE.

[Tim McBain · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another hell ride. More laughs. More sex. More violence. More twists that stab you in the heart and keep turning the blade. This is pretty much everything you could want out of a sequel to Halo Bound.

The Whitney family saga continues. Most of the main players from the first book are back, though Colt and Tiffani take center stage more than last time. Colt and Tiffani are a little more serious and reserved than Tough and Desty, the sort of stars of the first book. Though there's still plenty of humor in the C & T chapters, this book comes off a little more sincere and almost touches a solemn spot at times. It makes for an awesome contrast from all of the dramatic and exciting moments. It's hard to comment much here without spoiling, but out of everything going on, I really can't wait to see what happens to Colt and Tiffani next.

As for the aforementioned characters that seemed to form the heart of Halo Bound: Tough's mask of cockiness and humor is barely (or rarely) concealing the tragic figure underneath now, but maybe there's a still a glimmer of redemption on the horizon for him... or something like redemption, at least. Desty seems to have gained some form of confidence, and I realized that I like her quite a bit more than I thought, but her current course of actions is making me nervous as hell.

Maybe that's one of the best compliments I can give here: I do think about these characters as real people. I forget that I'm reading a book and go, "NO! IDIOT! DON'T DO THAT!" or "Yikes. Not good. Hope this works out somehow." Lots of stuff like that.

This one pretty much starts out at a dead sprint and speeds up from there. There's a lot of story packed into a few pages. The action is pretty much non-stop. Excitement and stimulation abound, but I think what makes it all work is the way the characters feel just complex enough, just flawed enough to keep their grip on our hearts. To me, each of the characters has a truly tragic flaw. Something that makes them repeatedly choose a life path that often hurts them and humiliates them; a path of despair where redemption often looks impossible but they keep grasping after it anyway. As far as stories with tragic streaks go, the best of them hurt in a way that somehow makes you feel less alone. Hell Bent did that for me.

I want more, of course. More, more, more.

[Silvia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am in such complete awe of this author, this series: Redneck Apocalypse, this book: Hell Bent, the characters, the plot.....words aren't enough. Nail biter. Page turner. Heart stopper. Lump in my throat. Like I said. Words. Are. Not. Enough.

Hell Bent continues with my favorite duo of protagonists: the Whitney brothers, Colt (be still my heart!) and Tough (oh I love this boy!) battling the evil Kathan who I hate!! I was pleasantly surprised by Tiffani who had a larger role in this sequel. The depth of her love and her willingness to lay it all out on the line had me sobbing like a baby. And Desty, what's up with her? I tell you, I am so firmly entrenched in this cast its like I know each one personally.

The first book, Halo Bound, laid the foundation for me and set the pace of the series. I got to know the characters and familiarized myself with their crazy, bizarre world. The prequel, Shannon in the Lion's Den, took me back to the beginning where it all started with the Whitney clan.

Which brings me back to book 2, Hell Bent. I didn't think the sequel could get any better but.....OMG! This book took me on an unexpected emotional detour at break neck speed...in fact it ripped out my friggin heart and handed it back to me...shredded into pieces! It showed me things I wasn't expecting to see and took me to a place I didn't want to go. I guess like all things in life, to appreciate the good, sometimes you have to go through the crap, or else how would you be able to tell the difference?! Ok, I sound like I'm getting off track being all philosophical, but that's what this book did to me! It made me think!

Bravo to this author on another brilliant piece of work. I'm still reeling from this unbelievable experience and my body is slowly recovering from the rush. What a buzz! I want more please! 5 stars, and I'll throw in the moon and the sun too!

[Lou · Rating 5 out of 5]

This review may not make much sense because once again my brain feels as though it has spun on its axis, I don't quite know how she does it but this author seems to juggle everything round in your brain in a way that wakes it all up and makes you think. It's like brain fertiliser.

The characters crawl into you, you absorb them, you can feel them, in fact I know I will be contemplating them for days.

The story is cleverly told, I am still the loving the flow of these books, you don't have time to stop or relax but once you are in the story you don't want to stop anyway. It's fast paced, it's engaging, it's dark, it's emotional but it has hope and it forces you to keep reading. Your heart races your brain is firing and then ... it ends , a deliciously cruel ending that has left me in a Redneck Apocalypse frenzy with nowhere to get my next fix!

Hell I enjoyed that ride, I want more!

[Flower Child · Rating 5 out of 5]

So, I was messing around on twitter and this person DMed me and was like, "Hey, you should check out my book." I was between books and have no social life to really speak of. You know, other than playing tabletop RPGs once a week. Aaaanywho, I was like, "Sure. I can do that." So, I did. Both books in a week. Overkill? Maybe. But, whatever, they were awesome and frustrating and fantastic. Now I'm just twiddling my thumbs until the next one comes out.

[D.J. Bodden · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you haven't, read Halo Bound first.

More pre-apocalyptic goodness, Hell Bent picks up the second Halo Bound left off, and at the same pace. There aren't pages and pages of explanations about stuff you should already know, which makes the second book fly by if you just finished the first one.

The writing is smooth, the drama is like swallowing broken glass as characters take cases of dynamite to rock bottom. I cringed. I asked why. I sheepishly conceded I might have done the same thing, under the circumstances, and felt just as guilty. The whole book is a tribute to Murphy's law, and if a character escaped something in Halo Bound, they're bathed in it in Hell Bent. It's darker, grittier, and the playful side is gone, but it also digs deeper into the fabric of Halo and the wars past and to come.

As in Halo Bound, the focus is on the characters. They're not noble, they're not omnipotent, and they occasionally make soul-wrecking decisions in a fit of bad temper and short-term thinking, but they're also smart enough to own their mistakes. And when they manage to lift themselves out of their own mess long enough to look around, they're capable of heartbreaking sacrifice. A lot happens in just a few days of "book time", and it sets up the third installment nicely for the end of the world.

[Sadie Forsythe · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

This is an enjoyable second book. The characters are still dealing with some dark issues and it turns out being the chosen of God isn't all holy robes and angelic music. Being his representative in a Holy War is just as dirty and bloody and shit-stained as any other war...more so.

I didn't think this one had quite the depth of book one. A lot more of it is spent in the minds (and spiritual warfare) or two characters. It fills the pages, but the plot didn't progress as far as I'd hoped. Having said that, I plan to read book three.

[Joel Krause · Rating 4 out of 5]

Better then the first. I flew through this one. Hoping that the growth continues through the series.

[Set Sytes · Rating 5 out of 5]

What more can I say, that I haven't already said in my review of Halo Bound? (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...)

Well, I can start with saying how I have no idea how I ever thought this series could be a comedy, even a black one. Maybe there were slight bits of that in the first book, but it seems absurd now to think that wasn't just in my imagination, given the human darkness and tragedy infesting every page of this sequel. This is grim, folks. Grim and hurtful and desperate and sad.

Whereas the first book had quite a bit of plot and efficient, naturalistic worldbuilding, this leaner affair is interested in one thing above all others: character. Or should I say, characters. Now, I've read a lot of extremely hyped, critically acclaimed books, and whatever else their qualities, I am rarely left caring about the characters. Movies, too. Even if all the rest is great, that special something-something that makes you give a damn is so often missing. You can't quite say how it could be written differently, but you know that these people, ultimately, their fates just don't matter all that much.

Eden - or should I say, eden, because for some reason I haven't quite gathered she prefers her name without a capital letter (maybe she was just born that way) - is different. She HAS that something-something, that je ne sais quoi, in spades. I was suspecting of it in the first book, and all but confirmed in the second - eden is one of the best character writers today. She makes you care about characters you didn't think you would, understand and maybe even redeem in your eyes those you thought were annoying (well, not Tempie, who, despite the justification, is my personal Big Bad), add new layers to those you thought you'd sussed, strengthen those you thought were weak and break down those you thought were strong. These people feel REAL. They're damaged. They make big-ass mistakes. They are their own worst enemy, their own biggest self-critics. And they are so very, very sad. You want to pick them up and give them a slap and a hug at the same time. And yet they're all we have to save the world - a tall order when they don't even believe they can save themselves.

Inner torments, and mental, emotional and spiritual trials assail our characters on every page, but it never feels too much. Partly because the book never overstays its welcome (quite the opposite), partly because it's just so well-written, so engaging. And you know when reading books with multiple POVs, there's always one or two you really like and at least one you can't be bothered with and want to just hurry back to the others? Not so here - each one is equally interesting and affecting, each person you root for, even when you once didn't think you much would (e.g. Colt, for me).

I thought about the series title again while reading this book. While once upon a time it seemed kinda tonally ill-fitting, or too attention-grabbing, like it was just some catchy, cool name, thinking about it now: it's telling the truth. This IS the Apocalypse. It's a small town Apocalypse. It's redneck Revelations. It's the End of Days played out on the small screen, in a tiny handful of locations - like a coffee shop owned by a vampire.

Just like the first one, this is Christian theology-based supernatural drama. But this ain't the theology of your Sunday school teacher that you quit on. S/he wouldn't like this at all, no sir (and might well yell at you for it). No, this is Constantinian theology. This is middle finger at the Devil, we're all fucked up sinners, cursing the world and the unfairness of our lives theology.

Unfairness. That's a big theme of this book. All the characters are conscious of it. It's everywhere. The lives of these characters are unfair. And they don't ignore it, they recognise it with every fibre of their being, until they can't help but call it out. And that is our catharsis as much as it is theirs. The question is, though - what are they gonna do about it?

One way or another, a reckoning is coming.

Let's go to Hell for it.


P.S.
There's still pieces missing in my understanding of what the Sam Hill is going on. I would dearly like to know how this whole mess began. If there's anything that throws me a bit given what I've read, it's the Chosen One stuff. But then not only is there one book remaining, but I missed out on the prequel, as it wasn't available for me to buy :/

P.P.S. The writing, if you're interested, is as effortless and sharp as ever before. Eden is a master of the craft, cinematic character-focused writing where everything feels real and immediate, where you race through like lightning because you're right there, breathing it, experiencing it like a fly on the wall, like you're behind the camera. These aren't books where you can expect to see three paragraphs describing some hills. This is all about the people. Those poor, poor people - still trying, after all they've been through.

P.P.S If this review seems too glowing, I do have one major mark to say against it:

IT'S TOO BLOODY SHORT!

[Bookworm52732 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Strong story, will be reading the third book soon. Four stars because I really don't like flashbacks, particularly when you don't know they're coming and have a WTF moment as you catch up. Ended in a cliffie, too, but I have the next book...

[Tom Schofield · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tomschof@msn.com

[India Adams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Couldn't put this crazy book down!
Okay, I wrote a 4 star review of the first book in this series, Halo Bound, explaining how much I utterly enjoyed it. Hell Bent, however, is a whole other ball game! Not often do I like a second book more, but that is the case here. The characters had one won me over in book one, but now I am completely enthralled! I feel like I'm in this insane battle with them! And I'm willing to jump in the book to help them through this insanity! I can't say more in fear that I may give away some spoilers, but yes, I emailed this author begging her to hand over book three pronto!