Red-Haired Ash Reads

As soon as I saw that Hackett was writing a spin-off series of Hell Squad I got excited. I love the Hell Squad series and was so excited to see what the future of this world would look like, and meet all the couples’ children. Well, this book did not disappoint and I am so excited to read more from this series now. 

While this is a spin-off series, you don’t need to read the Hell Squad series before reading this. Reading Hell Squad will just give you a little bit better understanding of the alien invasion and the previous couples whose children we are meeting in this. There are references to those couples and the invasion in this book, but you don’t need to read that series to understand what is happening. 

Jameson Steel, son of Marcus and Elle (Hell Squad #1), is leader of the Hunter Squad, which is tasked with hunting down the hybrid monsters that were originally created by the Gizzida but have since mutated and bred. When his childhood friend, Greer Baird, calls saying a giant monster is attacking the dam project she is working on, he rushes to help. Working together they defeat the monster, and finally admit their feelings for each other along the way. 

Jameson is a tough, protective, and determined leader who won’t stop until all the hybrid monsters are killed. While Jameson has a lot of his father’s characteristics, he didn’t feel like a copy, which is always good for a spin-off featuring previous couples children. Jameson is a strong leader who will take risks if it means protecting his team and friends. Much like his father, I liked Jameson a lot. 

Greer is an engineer working on rebuilding a dam that is vital to the survivors water supply. She has wanted Jameson since she was young, but always thought she was viewed as a sibling so never pursued it. While Greer was an engineer, she was still her parents’ child. We see she inherited her fathers sniper skills and her mothers determination to survive and defeat the enemy. 

Jameson and Greer had an intense and fast paced relationship. They both have been pining for each other for years and this monster attack made them finally admit it to each other. Once that happened, they wasted no time getting together. I enjoyed their fast paced relationship interspersed with dealing with giant tentacle monsters. 

As someone who read and loved the Hell Squad series though, I loved seeing their future and meeting their children. We get to meet multiple former squad members’ children in this and I am really excited to learn more about them as this series progresses. I am especially curious to see how much like their parents they act and what careers they have chosen. 

While this is a spin-off of Hell Squad and set in the same world, it felt almost like a new world because it’s been years since the invasion and defeat of the Gizzida. The world isn’t the same anymore and the survivors are starting to reclaim the world again. Also the creatures within this series are fascinating because they are mutated creations leftover from the invasion and they are not just brainless monsters. I am really curious to see what happens next in this series and what other kinds of creatures they come across. 

TW: death of coworkers and grief; on page near-drowning; injuries, blood, and gore; 

*ARC provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.*

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