Clara’s Verdict
Book four in Shannon Mae’s Hellhounds of Paradise Falls series, and the fans are, if anything, louder than ever. How to Trust a Hellhound gives us Josh’s story – the quiet human who has been hovering at the edges of the pack since book one – and pairs him with Wilder, the older alpha hellhound whose patience and warmth are everything Josh has been denied. This is the series doing what it does best: taking a character you have been quietly worrying about across three previous instalments and finally giving him everything he deserves.
Mae writes found family and supernatural romance with genuine affection and real structural craft. The result is comfort reading with proper emotional stakes – low-angst in the best possible sense, meaning the tension comes from healing rather than manufactured drama. Josh’s journey from a man who has been gaslit into believing himself boring and unimaginative, to someone who finds his voice and his belonging, is genuinely satisfying. And Wilder, as multiple readers have pointed out with considerable feeling, is a whole vibe.
About the Audiobook
Josh is, by his own admission, the boring one. Controlled, quiet, no imagination – or so his increasingly sinister ex-boyfriend Rick has spent years telling him. As the fourth instalment opens, Josh is slowly realising that Rick’s version of him was a lie, and that the supernatural chaos surrounding Paradise Falls is considerably more relevant to his life than he had assumed.
Wilder is an older alpha with a pack of adopted hellhound sons, a therapeutic instinct, and a hellhound who has identified Josh as his mate. The dynamic between them is rich: Wilder is patient where Josh is guarded, steady where Josh is uncertain. Mae layers the central romance with an ongoing threat from the abusive ex – who turns out to be more dangerous than initially apparent – the interference of a meddling sheriff with his own supernatural complications, and the chaotic warmth of the wider pack, all of whom have opinions about Josh and are not shy about sharing them.
The series tags promise “hellhounds have tails, and they know how to use them” – and Mae delivers on all her promises, including the spicier ones. At seven and a half hours, this is a confident, well-paced instalment that delivers on both the romance and the series-arc promises that have been building since book one.
The Narration
Alexander Cendese narrates the series, and by book four he has the voices and the tonal register exactly right. Wilder’s warmth comes through clearly – you hear the patience and the steadiness that make him so appealing – and Cendese handles the more emotionally raw moments, particularly Josh’s confrontations with his own history, with real sensitivity. He also manages the comedic chaos of pack dynamics, which involves considerable overlapping input from hellhounds with strong opinions, without losing narrative clarity. This is the kind of consistent series narration that keeps listeners coming back.
What Readers Say
The Hellhounds of Paradise Falls fandom is devoted, and book four has delighted them. One listener wrote that she “really do love this series – it’s fun, sweet, low angst, a little violent romance and it always puts me in a good mood.” Another noted, with feeling: “Wilder is a whole vibe. Ugh I love him so much. The books just keep getting better.” Multiple reviewers praised the series’ found-family warmth and the way “characters talk to each other, they care for each other – you don’t just have the MCs but a whole group of people who are a joy to read.” The book holds a 4.6-star rating. One reviewer admitted being “feral to find out about Sebbie” – the next book’s central pairing clearly has the fandom in its grip already.
Who Should Listen?
If you enjoy paranormal romance with warmth, a found-family ensemble, and a hero who needs healing rather than rescuing, this series is exactly what you are looking for. Start at book one if you are new – though Mae recaps enough that book four is navigable independently. Ideal for fans of T.J. Klune’s found-family approach applied to a steamier, supernatural romance framework. This is the series that puts you in a good mood and keeps you there.
Listen on Audible UK: Get How to Trust a Hellhound on Audible UK. Also available on Kobo, Scribd, and Storytel.
