Marc gives 9/10 pots of gold for Jordan L. Hawk´s Widdershins (Whyborne & Griffin 1) [audiobook review]

Why I read this book: I won the audio version of this book in the MM Romance group on Goodreads and was super excited. I love audio books, I love paranormal aspects and though I hadn’t read a lot of historical stories, the whole package looked intriguing! 😉 I now own ever audiobook in this series!!!

Also check out MtSnow’s review of this book for a second opinion. While we agree on many points about the story, our opinions stray when it comes to the narration of the book 🙂

Widdershins bookcover. Young man in historical clothing.

A paranormal historical romance

Blurb: 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?

Publication Date: December 4, 2012

Caution: This is a very graphic story, and more along the lines of a horror with a touch of romance.

Cover: The cover looks beautiful. A gorgeous model that is not stripped to garner attention and a kind of mysterious retro look that works perfectly for this series :).

Title: At first I wasn’t sure what to make of the tile, though it seemed intriguing. Widdershins! While it is the town name where everything takes place, it isn’t randomly chosen as I recently found out. It means “counter-clockwise” like in satanic rituals. Perfect fit!

Story: I was very excited about this book, but I must admit it started very slowly for me as well and I wasn’t quite sure if I would enjoy it in the very beginning. I haven’t read a lot of historical romances, though I am a big paranormal fan.

The chemistry between Griffin and Whyborne is amazing, even if they are not sure whether they can trust the other. After a slow start, events pick up fast and I spent much of the rest of the story at the edge of my seat. I truly love paranormal twists in a story as long as they are true to the rules of the world the author creates. Paranormal stories give the freedom to change the rules, but if an author breaks the rules he/she created in their own story it takes me out of what is happening. This story however. feels very realistic in it’s own rules. Jordan L. Hawk creates a very detailed world that stays true to it’s historical setting and slowly introduces more and more paranormal aspects to it that made the world even more fascinating for me.

She balances humor and aspects of horror very well and keeps the reader entertained throughout the story. I especially loved that both characters are flawed. They doubt, make mistakes, have fear – they are very human and feel real. It doesn’t take long to close them into one’s heart and readers won’t soon forget their unique voices. I have to subtract some points for the slow beginning, especially as it might make some people less inclined to get to the fast-paced action – but the introduction to the characters was important so that when one gets there, the reader already knows them well and can anticipate what will happen next. I HIGHLY recommend this awesome book and the whole series. ❤

Narration: Okay, so here is where my opinion really differs from MtSnow, who previously reviewed this book. Our overall ratings might only be slightly different, but that was because she counted the story more heavily than the narration. While she didn’t enjoy the audio narration, I LOVED it. True, at first I was very hesitant. I didn’t get into the narration right from the beginning and wasn’t sure if I should just stop and read the book instead. However, I waited and gave it a chance and when the story began to pick up steam, so did the narration. Now, having listened to the first 3 book on audio, I feel like the narrator owns them. When I read book 4, “Necropolis”, I heard his voice in my head. Especially Whyborne gets a truly unique voice that fits so perfectly and is so uniquely him that I would recognize the character’s voice anywhere. Griffin has a really masculine but gentle voice that does him justice as well. This new narrator does a great job for me and I’m happy there is new talent in the M/M narration buiz 🙂

Even more than story, audiobook narration is very subjective – which is why we rate it less heavily than the rest. We don’t take cover and title into our ratings at all, but sometimes want to share our thoughts on them. For me this book is a wonderful and strongly recommended 9/10 pots of gold read (5/5 Goodreads stars).