I like the way you used it here. It looks believable. I have not been a fan of the way others have applied it in the past.
I think most of the time when we're shown "HDR images", they're not true HDR images. They're created using a filter in post. HDR should not be super obvious, in my opinion. It should be used to bring out subtle details, highlight specific aspects of the image, etc., not make it look like a cartoon or graphic design. That's my 2 cents.
You are a true photography afficionado! I'm impressed.
Agreed I much prefer a more natural looking HDR such as this as opposed to the overprocessed ones that tend be done by many. Lot's of cameras even have the ability to do them internally now and can spit out a merged raw file for you to edit later.
Anyone here ever dabble in HDR photography? This is my very first successful HDR image, taken in 2011. It was created using five bracketed images of varying exposures. They were then blended together using a Lightroom plugin called 'Enfuse'. The plugin creates a somewhat flat, dull looking TIFF file that can then be manipulated to bring out your desired details, highlights, shadows, etc. It's quite fun to play with.