Marc gives 9.5/10 pots of gold for Jordan L. Hawk´s Threshold (Whyborne & Griffin 2)

Why I read this book: After winning the first book of this series, I really wanted to continue with the next audio book, but limited funds and limited time meant I didn’t get to it for a while. It was in my MUST READ list on goodreads, though (since my TBR list has about 2000 books by now :P) and it was picked for me in a reading challenge 🙂 And boy, am I glad for that. I enjoyed it EVEN MORE than book one 😉 I should mention there is less sex in this story, which made sense for me, though. In that time, their relationship is as criminal as it is still in some regions of the world today and a lot of it wouldn’t have felt right in the context of the story. Before you look at me with sad eyes, because you want more of that Whyborne & Griffin sexyness – be assured, it’s still hot, there IS some smoking hot action BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY we get to learn more about Griffin and that is TOTALLY worth it. Believe me 😉 Also check out my review & MtSnow’s review of book one for this series. While we agree on many points about the story, our opinions stray when it comes to the narration of the book 🙂 Blurb: Introverted scholar Percival Endicott Whyborne wants nothing more than to live quietly with his lover, ex-Pinkerton detective Griffin Flaherty. Unfortunately, Whyborne’s railroad tycoon father has other ideas, namely hiring Griffin to investigate mysterious events at a coal mine.

Whyborne, Griffin, and their friend Christine travel to Threshold Mountain, a place of dark legend even before the mine burrowed into its heart. A contingent of Pinkertons–including Griffin’s ex-lover Elliot–already guard the mine. But Griffin knows better than anyone just how unprepared the detectives are to face the otherworldly forces threatening them.

Soon, Whyborne and Griffin are on the trail of mysterious disappearances, deadly accidents, and whispered secrets. Is Elliot an ally, or does he only want to rekindle his relationship with Griffin? And if so, how can Whyborne possibly hope to compete with the stunningly handsome Pinkerton–especially when Griffin is hiding secrets about his past?

For in a town where friends become enemies and horror lurks behind a human mask, Whyborne can’t afford to trust anything–including his own heart.

Publication Date: July 20, 2013

Cover: This second cover looks beautiful as well. Another gorgeous model to show Griffin and a kind of mysterious retro look that works perfectly for this series and makes the books of this series easily identifiable :).

Title: Threshold is the town where Whyborne and Griffin’s story leads them next, similarly to WIddershins, the town they live in and title of book one. Like with WIddershins, there is also a second meaning to the word however. A threshold is ‘the magnitude or intensity that must be exceeded for a certain reaction’. And it did for me. Even better than book one 😉

Story:

This is book two of the Whyborn & Griffin series, one that keep getting better for me with every book. This one delves more into Griffin’s past and we learn where he comes from and a bit about what happened with him. It continues with the changing dynamic between Whyborn and his father and takes them into a new setting with an dangerous and creepy enemy. Soon they aren’t able to tell friend from foe and there is betrayal, angst and heartache, some really bad-ass action and some of the best moments of the series.

I’m so glad I finally continued with the series and Griffin is such an fascinating character to study. As more of his weaknesses surface, he becomes ever more interesting! However <I feel at home in Whyborne’s head. His unique voice is entertaining and fun, his continued practice of magic very intriguing and I love the historical aspect of the nophel that for me adds to the mystery as I discover a new world. If you haven’t started the series, go buy Widdershins now. If you need to read this book next, don’t wait, do it. It’s awesome and you should continue the journey. If you already read all four, well – then u know what I’m talking about 😉 ❤

Narration: Having listened to the first 3 book on audio, I feel like the narrator owns the character voices. 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 count it less heavily than the story. 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). 9.5/10 pots of gold