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    Widdershins
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    Widdershins
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    Widdershins
    Ebook331 pages5 hours

    Widdershins

    By Jordan L. Hawk

    4/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    ** Over 1,000 5-star reviews on Goodreads! **

    A reclusive scholar. A private detective. And a book of spells that could destroy the world.

    Love is dangerous. Ever since the tragic death of the friend he adored, Percival Endicott Whyborne has ruthlessly suppressed any desire for another man. Instead, he spends his days studying dead languages at the museum where he works. So when handsome ex-Pinkerton Griffin Flaherty approaches him to translate a mysterious book, Whyborne wants to finish the job and get rid of the detective as quickly as possible.

    Griffin left the Pinkertons after the death of his partner. Now in business for himself, he must investigate the murder of a wealthy young man. His only clue: an encrypted book that once belonged to the victim.

    As the investigation draws them closer, Griffin’s rakish charm threatens to shatter Whyborne’s iron control. But when they uncover evidence of a powerful cult determined to rule the world, Whyborne must choose: to remain safely alone, or to risk everything for the man he loves.

    Widdershins is the first novel in the Whyborne & Griffin series, where magic, mystery, and m/m romance collide with Victorian era America. Buy it today and join the adventure.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherJordan L. Hawk
    Release dateDec 3, 2012
    ISBN9781301073405
    Unavailable
    Widdershins
    Author

    Jordan L. Hawk

    Jordan L. Hawk is a trans author from North Carolina. Childhood tales of mountain ghosts and mysterious creatures gave him a life-long love of things that go bump in the night. When he isn’t writing, he brews his own beer and tries to keep the cats from destroying the house. His best-selling Whyborne & Griffin series (beginning with Widdershins) can be found in print, ebook, and audiobook.

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    Reviews for Widdershins

    4/5

    256 ratings19 reviews

    What did you think?

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    • 4/5
      I have mixed feelings about this one. At first I was slightly bored, but the story grew on me.Whyborne is an unusual character in my eyes. He is very insecure in social situations - not unusual - but he really shows it. Very great case of show don't tell and very refreshing. His melodramaticness was a little bit funny to me.Sadly there is a case of insta-love between him and Griffin. I still enjoyed their relationship, so okay. Not perfect, but okay.Speaking of perfect: Christine! She is such an amazing character. I wouldn't have minded if there were a whole book about her and her adventures in showing opinionated men who's boss.Somehow this novel reminded me of the Sherlock Holmes movie starring Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law. Maybe it is the atmosphere? Although Widdershins is way more creepier. At times I thought of adding horror to the genres.
    • 5/5
      Book description:Some things should stay buried.Repressed scholar Percival Endicott Whyborne has two skills: reading dead languages and hiding in his office at the Ladysmith Museum. After the tragic death of the friend he secretly loved, he's ruthlessly suppressed any desire for another man.So when handsome ex-Pinkerton Griffin Flaherty approaches him to translate a mysterious book, Whyborne wants to finish the job and get rid of the detective as quickly as possible. Griffin left the Pinkertons following the death of his partner, hoping to start a new life. But the powerful cult which murdered Glenn has taken root in Widdershins, and only the spells in the book can stop them. Spells the intellectual Whyborne doesn't believe are real.As the investigation draws the two men closer, Griffin's rakish charm threatens to shatter Whyborne's iron control. When the cult resurrects an evil sorcerer who commands terrifying monsters, can Whyborne overcome his fear and learn to trust? Will Griffin let go of his past and risk falling in love? Or will Griffin's secrets cost Whyborne both his heart and his life?REVIEW:This is a terrific Mystery, set in 19th Century New England, with two finely drawm character's.The Author combines Gothic Mystery and the Paranormal elements woven within a compelling romance.Whyborne is clearly the one this reader took to heart. He is repressed, sad, lonely and hides in his heart his sexual preference, for fear of being more an outcast then he already is.In walks, Handsome, confident Griffin who literally opens Whybourne's heart to new feelings and emotions.Aside from this M/M romance, there is an excellent Mystery to be solved.And clearly one hopes that these two Men become the Holmes and Watson of this series.Highly recommended. Looking forward to this Series.
    • 5/5
      I found this novel hugely entertaining. It was a big melting pot of elements. At times it reminded me of The Mummy movies, Sherlock without the analysis, Hell Boy and maybe just a bit of Gail Carridger without the steampunk. Magical stuff and very visual. The romance was a delight and way more smutty than I had anticipated for a paranormal historical. No fade to black thanks very much! I've been a bit tired while I've been reading, so at times I wondered a little at the slow pacing, but could this have been my own knackeredness and lack of sleep? I'm not sure. Overall, this was a great introduction to a new author and I'll definitely be checking out her backlist.
    • 5/5
      Bought it for the cover and because I like the word "widdershins," then it sat sadly neglected in my kindle. I am hard-pressed to choose my favorite part: the wonderful characters, the flowing narrative, or the extremely interesting story. Or the steamy bits. ;-)
    • 3/5
      This book features a pretty well developed mystery with fun, interesting characters which is really all you want in a book. Add in some romance and steamy scenes and it's right up my alley. The writing wasn't the most interesting or well-developed of the genre I've read lately which means, unfortunately, I can't see myself devouring all (currently) 11 books unless some twist in the next book really catches my interest, but I will definitely try.
    • 4/5
      I connected with these characters kind of slowly, but the story held my interest and by the end I was very fond of them. I especially liked the ending. This book reminded me of The Magpie Lord by K.J. Charles which I also quite enjoyed.

      About the audiobook specifically, the reader's voices were generally good, but his version of an Irish accent was pretty terrible. It bounced around with touches of like 7 other accents. The recording's volume should be adjusted as well, periodically it would just jump louder, and all throughout, the general narration and main character would be at full volume, but the secondary main character and the best friend's lines were often much softer. So I would lean in to try to catch those lines and then be shouted at when the main narrator would reply. Overall the audio version is good though.
    • 4/5
      This wasn't what I expected. But in a good way. Sometimes you read a book and it wasn't what you expected and you think, "I can't believe I wasted my time reading this crap!" But this was a pleasant surprise. I expected it to be purely a romance novel with very little plot. However, there was not only a lot of plot, but I very good one. The romance was almost secondary, but it was refreshing.

      This book was well thought out, well written and kept me interested the entire way through. There was action, mystery, adventure, and very interesting characters. I loved Christine and thought she was a delight. It was nice to see a woman portrayed as strong and independent without her being turned into a man-hater or a shrew. Also, the supernatural element added to the time period was a first for me, but it was very exciting! I am very happy that I decided to give this book a chance. I am looking forward to reading the next in the series.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 4/5
      Fun read/world, totally satisfied and not sure I'll continue series
    • 3/5
      Well paced story telling with a bit of humor doesn't entirely make up for being a) world at peril (in the first book too!), b) Lovecraft-lite, c) more than a single tab a in slot b sex scene. If any of those are positive qualities for you, add up to half a star for each to the rating.
    • 4/5
      This is the first book of a fabulous series. Jordan Hawk manages to maintain her characters' identity throughout the series while allowing the characters and their relationship to grow and develop. And on top of it all, each book has an interesting and complex plot, and she has subplots running through the series. It is really, really a must read for m/m romantic fantasy (or fantastic romance) fans! Plus they have terrific covers.
    • 3/5
      Percival Endicott Whyborne: scholar of dead languages and museum employee, somewhat repressed, and definitely a bit awkward. Griffin Flaherty: private investigator, and currently embroiled in a rather curious case. Griffin approaches Whyborne to translate the text of an old book, and Whyborne wants nothing more than to make quick work of it and be on his way. But when the two of them are caught up in forces beyond their control -- both paranormal and romantic in nature -- their hearts and lives may very well be in danger.

      I first met these two when I read Remnant, the short crossover with K.J. Charles' Caldwell & Feximal. So I was definitely excited to dive in and see where it all began for these guys. And I did enjoy this very much. It is, after all, a historical paranormal mystery romance, and I'm definitely a fan of that. I certainly look forward to seeing how things develop throughout the series.
    • 4/5
      I heard about this series from a friend and knew I had to check it out right away. Queer romance in a setting with both worldy and otherworldy horrors? Sounds like extremely my thing.And it is really good! Whyborne and Griffin are perfect, and Christine is awesome. The setting is intriguing, with lots of weird corners to explore. There were rather more graphic sex scenes than I was expecting, but they're well written. I look forward to reading more in this series!
    • 5/5
      Reread this in 2018 as I wanted to finish the series. I think my perspective towards historical romance has changed somewhat over the years, as I don't seem to have quite the same misgivings this time around. I absolutely adored it this time, and all the others in the series that I have read since. I'm not saying I'm a convert, but for this series, and any linked to it, however nebulous, I'm more than happy to recommend them :D So, as a result, I've also upgraded my rating from 4 to a solid 5 star now.

      So, I'm struggling to rate the book. Historicals are just not my thing, although this one was made easier due to the paranormal feel to it. But it's still a historical setting with all that entails.

      It was exceedingly well written. The characters were so vibrant and alive, I almost expected them to walk off the page. The settings were well described, and made me feel as if I was living in that time with them. And the storyline was interesting and flowed beautifully.

      But, and yes there's a but...I think, because it's a historical, it didn't hold my attention. I found myself doing other things rather then sit down and devour the book. And that is the only thing that is stopping me from giving it 5 stars. I will keep the next of the series in mind though and could very likely be persuaded to read it as well lol. This is the second book of this author that I have read, and I'm definitely sitting up and paying attention!
    • 3/5
      Percival Whybourne is a mild-mannered philologist haunted by the death of his first love. Griffin is an ex-Pinkerton with his own demons. When a murder leads Griffin to seek the translation of an ancient book, the sparks fly between them, but Lovecraftian horror (Whybourne went to Miskatonic for college) might prevent the course of true love from running smooth. It was fine, though I’m not much in the mood for “illegality is the reason we have to hide our gay love.”
    • 2/5
      This rating isn't really fair. This book would be great for people that like the action/adventure fantasy novel with a twist of gay sexy sex. Unfortunately, I'm not a fan of action/adventure or first person, and rarely a big fan of most fantasy novels. So the rating is how much I personally enjoyed it. In terms of how good the book likely was, I would venture more toward a 3.5.
    • 5/5
      4.5* Some mild spoilers below!



      This was a fresh, very enjoyable read, which except for one or two niggles really warmed my heart.

      I absolutely adored the balance of plot and character development, it was perfect. I sat on the edge of my chair even though I'm not (anymore) into paranormal or horror tales, still I was quite invested in the PNR plot of this and wanted things to be unravelled and come to closure. It wasn't that dime a dozen a plot either, there were several twists the results of which I never saw coming.

      All three main characters, shy Percival, broken Griffin and beard Christine, were absolutely completely delicious. I loved and love them and this is a book I definitely will reread. I adored that on the romantic side of the plot there was like 80% less sex than your average m/m.

      Not just that, this time the author fairly managed to keep in character and have the sexual experience build comparatively slowly, concentrating on practices and mannerisms geared to set a total and also repressed virgin like Percival at ease. I could have done without the episode of anal sex there, because it felt put on, as if the author thought she had to have anal to have this count as "full" m/m romance. However, their relationship would have supported staying with the other practices.

      I adored how the author played for once really and truly with UST and allowed the intimacy to unfold slowly.

      By the way: nice cover! Fitting that there are no headless chunks of meat on a slab.

      While I'd say that some of the language and locations and a few expressions were slightly wrong or anachronistic for the era, it was never truly taking me out of the story. I loved reading an author who acknowledged that "cock" was considered an unspeakable word at the time, at least by a well-mannered person and who used "member" instead in most of Percival's inner dialogue. Not just that it was fully in character, it is also delightful to be spared the usually hopelessly vulgar prose of many m/m stories for once. The spare uses of "cock" when they happened were perfectly picked to show how Percy was approaching sexuality at last.

      The niggles. There were few: I would like for the author to take greater care to eradicate any anachronisms. I disliked the old hairy trope of the big misunderstanding when it came. I'd have wished for something else to be used in the climax. The slight touch of Mary-Sueishness to Percival in the brothel scene and later during the showdown. A bit less on both these occasions I'd have just as believed and found enough of a character development.

      All of this is not enough to detract more than half a star here. Let me be blunt, of course this book doesn't really compare with some of the masterpieces I gave 5* to. But that's not how I grade. I look at "what the plan is", meaning at what a book wants to be, and I grade within that scope. I do not really compare a book like this with Shakespeare or Mary Renault. So yes, I can and do give it 5* and hope the author keeps writing such fresh stories!

      1 person found this helpful

    • 4/5
      Rating: 3.5* of fiveThe Publisher Says: Some things should stay buried.Repressed scholar Percival Endicott Whyborne has two skills: reading dead languages and hiding in his office at the Ladysmith Museum. After the tragic death of the friend he secretly loved, he’s ruthlessly suppressed any desire for another man.So when handsome ex-Pinkerton Griffin Flaherty approaches him to translate a mysterious book, Whyborne wants to finish the job and get rid of the detective as quickly as possible. Griffin left the Pinkertons following the death of his partner, hoping to start a new life. But the powerful cult which murdered Glenn has taken root in Widdershins, and only the spells in the book can stop them. Spells the intellectual Whyborne doesn’t believe are real.As the investigation draws the two men closer, Griffin’s rakish charm threatens to shatter Whyborne’s iron control. When the cult resurrects an evil sorcerer who commands terrifying monsters, can Whyborne overcome his fear and learn to trust? Will Griffin let go of his past and risk falling in love? Or will Griffin’s secrets cost Whyborne both his heart and his life?My Review: I finally bought this bagatelle for myself, after literally years sitting on my wishlist, this past birthday. I figure at *mumbletymumble* years old I can finally let go of the fear that They Will Not Approve and read whatever the heck I darned well please. Including paranormal romps with scads of gay sex and significantly smaller helpings of logic.Uh huh. Like I can publicly admit how old I am in the context of reading *blush*shame* a, um, y'know, a book like this one is.Y'know.Fine. No really. FINE.It's *deep breath* a smexy silly romance with True Luuuv and Evil Monsters and Supernatural Creatures! It has No Redeeming Social Value! I read it because it was A Good Story!There, are y'all happy now? Whatever tiny scrap of credibility I ever had as a book reviewer is gone.And that, my chick-a-biddies, is how romantic fiction readers of every stripe are made to feel. It's complete crap and it's indicative of a nasty, judgmental streak in the culture of literacy. *What* are you reading, philistine, tut the superiority addicts, don't call that literature, don't sully our ever-so-pure air blathering about your, your, lesser, baser, frankly uninteresting...books (so called) that do nothing but entertain those of, frankly, limited intellectual capacity. I wonder what these reviewers, these Guardians of the Gates, would do if their precious darlings of Literature were subjected to the eighteenth century's test of worthiness in reading matter: "Novels?! Men do not read novels. The weaker sex read novels because they are not capable of processing True and Fine Thinking such as scholars read! Men who write entertainments such as novels are merely pandering to the feeble and inferior baser instincts of the ladies. Shame! Shame on you, sir, for hastening the decline of Our Noble Culture!"This is how it always goes through the generations. So let's stop judging what each other read and be happy that some people enjoy reading more than staring at screens. Although to be fair, I did read this on Kindle, so....Having had my rant about the foolishness of judging others, I continue to the book at hand, first of a series of paranormals set in fictional Widdershins, Massachusetts. This town was settled after its founding father escaped from Salem during the Witch Hunt. He was, unlike the other poor sods tried and judicially murdered for witchcraft, guilty as original sin of the crime. Theron Blackbyrne was a beautiful, hunky blond Sodomite as well as a witch. His reach, sadly, exceeded his grasp, as certain essentials needed for the grand spell he wanted to cast, the one that would buy him immortality, eternal youth, and all the boy booty he could dream of, were simply unavailable in the New World. So he left some explicit instructions with his acolytes on what they needed to procure and when they needed to use it to resurrect him in order that he be able to complete his spell.Several centuries elapse. The acolytes, surprise!, weren't at all eager to resurrect the master in whose service they'd become rich...poor followers are useless, ask any politician...in order to hand over all their worldly acquisitions. Um, no thanks, I'm good. He molders in the grave, they use the bits and bobs they got from Blackbyrne to acquire more bits and bobs, time passes and the town of Widdershins grows in prosperity as a port city, the local worthies open themselves a museum with an Egyptian antiquities focus...the items needed for Blackbyrne's resurrection accumulate, almost in spite of the great and good...and then a tragedy occurs that properly starts our story.Percival Endicott Whyborne, wimpy bookish kid turned scholarly shirt-lifting introvert, introduces himself to us as the second son of an overbearing Widdershins magnate. He is also, in his own mind at least, the murderer of his childhood crush object who also happens to be his father's best friend's son. His unnatural lust for this friend is bound up in his survivor's guilt based on his inability to rescue the boy who drowned in a lake.It is Whyborne's fate to act as the catalyst for Blackbyrne's resurrection. It is his good fortune to have the esoteric knowledge, the robust support systems, and the steely moral center to offer resistance to the terrible forces Blackbyrne would like to harness in his quest for immortality...including Yog-Sothoth, mentioned by name! Luck is on Earth's side, since Whyborne went to Miskatonic University in Arkham and learned all sorts of useful philological tricks.H.P. Lovecraft's Mythos has long, long, long tentacles.Whyborne, who detests being called Percy, has the excellent fortune to meet and fall in lust, in love, then into the arms of, strong, capable, experienced Griffin Flaherty. Another lad of the time whose Sodomitical tendencies were the catalyst for his exile from his only home and then his worst nightmare coming true, Griffin likes cats (an entire star off my rating of the book for that horrible lapse in authorial judgment) and goofy, gawky men, which makes him the best possible partner for Whyborne. The worst nightmare part is the bit that's most important. Griffin, you see, has experienced the dark and terrifying reach of the Mythos into ordinary life first hand. Its indelible mark on his soul means he will go to any length to combat the entry of those from Outside into our safe little home. Whyborne is embroiled with the Blackbyrne followers by virtue of birth and constitutionally unable to tolerate their wickedness by nature. He and Griffin must combat the actual demons and face their personal ones simultaneously and together.The remaining half-star was lost to this book by the sheer improbability of a multi-century evil cabal surviving in Puritanical Massachusetts, the improbably used facets of Lovecraft's Mythos with Egyptian mythology, and assorted anachronistic speech patterns. My standards for entertaining fiction aren't all that high, but Griffin's invented nickname for Whyborne (since he understandably dislikes Percy) flew straight into my craw and stuck there."Ival"? How is that even pronounced?!The next entry in the series is a short work called Eidolon. I'll be reviewing it soon..
    • 4/5
      My rating for this book fluctuated a little during my time with it. I wasn't that crazy about some of the romance part, but the action and mystery were extremely great. Yes, I recommend it. It has a bit of everything including magic, the supernatural, historical settings, a secret society and lots of clue finding. I'm interested in seeing where the series goes for sure.
    • 4/5
      This wasn't what I expected. But in a good way. Sometimes you read a book and it wasn't what you expected and you think, "I can't believe I wasted my time reading this crap!" But this was a pleasant surprise. I expected it to be purely a romance novel with very little plot. However, there was not only a lot of plot, but I very good one. The romance was almost secondary, but it was refreshing.

      This book was well thought out, well written and kept me interested the entire way through. There was action, mystery, adventure, and very interesting characters. I loved Christine and thought she was a delight. It was nice to see a woman portrayed as strong and independent without her being turned into a man-hater or a shrew. Also, the supernatural element added to the time period was a first for me, but it was very exciting! I am very happy that I decided to give this book a chance. I am looking forward to reading the next in the series.