Widdershins

Whyborne & Griffin, Book 1

By: Jordan L. Hawk

Narrated by: Julian G. Simmons

Length: 9 hrs and 15 mins

Publisher's summary

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 that 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?

©2012-2013 Jordan L. Hawk (P)2013 Jordan L. Hawk

it's fine so far

the narrator needs practice and a better microphone. Kinda unhappy with the quality but I already paid for it, so I'll try to endure.

Exciting story with great narration!

What made the experience of listening to Widdershins the most enjoyable?

The story is set in the late 1800s. The period details and manner of personal behavior and speech really brought the story to life.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Widdershins?

The events of the evening that brought Griffin and Whyborne together are the most memorable for me.

Which character – as performed by Julian G. Simmons – was your favorite?

Definitely Whyborne. The narration fit the character of Whyborne perfectly.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Unimaginable horrors create unlikely heroes.

Any additional comments?

The lead characters have weaknesses they must overcome. Whyborne and Griffin must take charge of their lives in ways they never imagined. They have to fight personal and real demons under the burdens of Victorian-period decorum.

A dark gay adventure with a pleasant protagonist

This was a great experience. I originally got it for the gay romance side but was ecstatic to find an entertaining story within!

The main character is a great perspective whose growth was realistic. And while the love interest was a bit of a plank of wood at times, there was a huge amount of set up for the future books with his character.

Before I started the book I was worried about one aspect, the sex. I was even thrilled to see that the sex scenes were there to convey the main characters growth in confidence and not just to be gratuitous!

While the baseline story was not ultimately very original, I still enjoyed the ride and am looking forwards to reading/listening to the other books! Severely recommend if you’re even slightly interested!!!

My main (and very small) gripe was the narrator, not bad by any means but at times the voices blended together. I could find myself loosing track of who was talking or thinking.

GET THIS SERIES!

This is a wonderfully written series. I read the whole thing and then was delighted to find the audiobooks. Get it. She brings all the feels in a period piece that gives you wonderfully drawn characters and imaginative world building in an alternate 19th century New England.

A little paranormal, historical and unique

Percival Whyborne “Ival” is the master of 13 plus languages, he’s a shy, retiring, gay, virgin who is asked to translate some important documents for Griffin, an ex Pinkerton agent on the case of a murder.

The story unfolds with bits of the paranormal being involved in the case: curses, the occult, monsters and more. The mystery is absolutely the biggest part of this story, but it is closely entwined with the blossoming romance between Griffin and Ival.

In the end, the mystery wraps up and we have a HEA for our heroes, but the series continues undoubtedly putting our lovers into hot water, once again.

**

So, I read this to challenge myself and because it has gotten so many rave reviews. I will tell you this: it is an amazing story, rich with characters, world building, romance and even some horror/monster elements. There is no doubt that Jordan L Hawk is a master writer and story creator.

As for me… it wasn’t really my cup of tea. I got distracted by the language. Griffin calls Whyborne “my dear” all the time and it caught me out of the story each time. I am not one who cares for mysteries much and the mystery definitely occupies a lot of the story.

I didn’t mind the historical aspect – per se- but it’s not my favorite setting and so I kept being distracted by the “truths” of that time period and wondering just how this would all really play out… which is silly because it’s clearly fantasy… but that’s just how my brain works.

I liked the audiobook version though the narrator wouldn’t be my favorite. He doesn’t do a lot to make each voice unique though he tries hard to infuse some emotion and “acting” in with the story telling and certainly doesn’t detract from the overall experience.

I guess, for me, I won’t be reading more (or listening) to this series, not because of the characters – they were amazing and the love story they shared was really touching and sweet and at times very, very hot! – but because the historical parts and the mystery parts are just not my preference.

I have to give it excellent marks for writing and creativity and overall entertainment 4 of 5 stars.

More than a M/M Romance

If you could sum up Widdershins in three words, what would they be?

A pleasant surprise

What did you like best about this story?

There was so much to like. It was a tender M/M romance. It was a coming of age story. It was a great paranormal thriller/mystery.

What I liked best was Percival finding his inner strength and courage.

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

Yes I do. The narration was the downside of the book. Basically the narrator did a truly bad imitation Irish accent. That in and of its self ruined the narration.

Griffin a PI went undercover using an Irish brogue as part of his cover. The narrator did the most terrible imitation accent that can be imagined. It would of been better to of slightly changed Griffin's legend to one that didn't require an Irish brogue with this narrator.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

When Percival's bullying father came to his aid and asked him why he didn't trust him.

Any additional comments?

Percival is a gay antiquities scholar in the late 1800's early 1900's. He is a lone wolf, secretive and hiding his nature from his family and colleagues. He is bullied and not respected by either his father nor older brother who are both aggressive, successful business tycoons At this time in history homosexuality is a crime.

Percival lacks confidence and is insecure. He is a genius at ciphers and knows over 13 ancient languages.

Griffin is a disgraced former Pinkerton who now is a self employed PI investigating a death and in need of a ancient translation of a cipher. Griffin is also battling his own personal demons. Christine is a female scholar fighting for acceptance and recognition in a male dominated world. She is able to discern Percival's nature, and accept and support him.

This book has something for most every one. It is a tender M/M love story. It is an exciting historical paranormal mystery/thriller. It is a coming of age story. It is a story about courage and acceptance. I am eager to get into the rest of the series.


“I was provided this audiobook at no charge by the author, publisher and/or narrator in exchange for an unbiased review via AudiobookBlast dot come”

Listening at 1.4x speed fixes issue with narrator

Theres a lot of complaints with the narrator that i agreed with.
Don't let that distract you from this book. I think the primary issue is how slow the narrator is that made the book a sorta slog.
Turning the speed up and adjusting it to around 1.35x or 1.4x fixed this completely and feel like it brought the narration up to a standard that we all are used to.

Overall i really like this book, its a great introduction to the world that feels like parts are constantly moving on and doesn't linger.

I'm definitely going to be reading the rest of this series and wanting to see where the rest of this story goes. =)

Sorcery. Suspense science fiction at it's best!

Love this story. It's character. It's plot.
All good 😊 my favorite character is Christine.

Good story, but . . .

I enjoyed the story and the characters. The narrator was a bit dry and monotone at times but ok. The plot was a good paranormal mystery and I had no problem with the M/M romance aspect. But I was not expecting the explicit details of the physical side of the romance and it was a bit startling. Other M/M romance books I have read did not have that level of detail and it made me not want to listen to the other books in the series.

Get it on paper (or Kindle)

I'd already read the book and enjoyed it a lot.
I like re-reading my books, and audiobooks allow me to do other things at the same time, so this sounded like a good choice.
But the narration is terrible. It ruins it.
The quality of the recording is really bad, and the narrator sounds quite amateurish... He tries, but often there is a lack of emotions, it sounds flat...Or in tense scenes (the protagonist hears a noise in the night and goes to see.....for example) to convey the atmosphere the narrator simply starts whispering. And that is not enough to convey the sense of anxiety or suspence intended....
It's a real pity, but if you have never read the story before, just get it in print (or Kindle) format.