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Cover of The Grumpy Alpha Hellhound's Reluctant Mate

The Grumpy Alpha Hellhound's Reluctant Mate

by Avery Adams

🌶️🌶️🌶️moderate·spoiler·Hellhounds of Haven #7·Ongoing Series

Why Read This?

You'll ugly cry when Marcus finally believes he deserves love, and Dante's grumpy devotion will ruin you for lesser book boyfriends

Synopsis

Marcus Holloway never expected to survive the demon battle that destroyed everything he believed in. Recruited into a fanatical cult that hunted hellhounds, he learned too late that he'd been lied to— the "demons" they hunted were actually guardians protecting humanity. When Marcus threw himself in front of a killing strike to save a hellhound's life, demon essence contaminated him, sealing his fate as a supernatural liability requiring constant supervision. Enter Dante, the grumpy alpha from Alabama who volunteers to take over Marcus's guardianship. Moving to Harbor means escaping the guilt-soaked streets of Haven, but it also means living under the watchful eye of a hellhound alpha who looks at Marcus like he's something precious instead of broken. As Marcus struggles to unlearn a lifetime of conditioning, he discovers feelings he was taught were sinful— and realizes that the enemy he was raised to fear might be exactly what his damaged heart needs. But when a power-hungry practitioner petitions the Supernatural Council for access to Marcus as a research subject, their fragile new beginning faces an impossible submit to forced experimentation that could end up killing him, or risk everything by completing a hellhound bond that might just eliminate the demon essence entirely. Sometimes the most dangerous thing isn't the demon inside you, it's learning to believe you deserve to be loved anyway. A slow-burn M/M paranormal romance featuring religious trauma recovery, grumpy/sunshine dynamics, found family, and a hellhound alpha who will burn down the world to protect his mate. Guaranteed HEA.

At a Glance

4.60 ★ Goodreads
Spice Level🌶️🌶️🌶️moderate
Endingspoiler
PairingM/M
Romance Pacingslow burn

Top Tropes

caretaking romancedemon romancefated mates

Mood

angstyatmospheric']catharticdarkhealing

Book Details

Goodreads Rating

4.60 ★

Page Count

208 pages

Published

2026

Primary Genre

Paranormal Romance

Pairing

M/M

POV

Dual POV

Romance Pacing

Slow Burn

Cliffhanger

spoiler

Tropes

RomanceMagicActionAngstWorld
Theme Constellation

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Characters

FMC: N/A (M/M romance), protector / guardian sign in to unlock

Spice Details 🌶️

possessive / claiming style sign in to unlock

PTSDchildhood traumadeathemotional abuse']traumaviolence['religious traumaemotional abusereligious traumaabandonmentcult themesgaslightinggriefguilthomophobia/transphobiamental illnessanxietypanic attacks

World & Setting

paranormal sign in to unlock

Reading Context

Watching a trauma survivor learn he deserves love while a grumpy alpha melts for him - the healing is the reward sign in to unlock

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