SPECTR 1 Series by Jordan L. Hawk #SeriesReview #Audiobook #Review #LGBT #Halloween #Paranormal

Eloreen reviews SPECTR 1 Series (Books 1 – 6) by Jordan L. Hawk in audible. Narrated by Brad Langer. Published April 17, 2015 by Widdershins Press LLC.

SPECTR: The Complete First Series contains:

Hunter of Demons
Master of Ghouls
Reaper of Souls
Eater of Lives
Destroyer of Worlds
Summoner of Storms

What happens when an exorcist falls in love with the demon he’s supposed to destroy? Unregistered paranormal Caleb Jansen only wants a normal life. But when the demon-hunting spirit Gray accidentally possesses him, Caleb finds himself in a countdown for his very existence.

Hotshot federal agent John Starkweather thinks he’s seen it all. But when he’s called to exorcise Caleb, he finds a creature that isn’t supposed to exist outside of stories. For Gray is a drakul: a vampire who drinks the blood of the demon-possessed.

If Gray can’t be exorcised within 40 days, the possession will become permanent. In the meantime, the three must find a way to work together. As they hunt down demons and save the innocent, the heat between John and Caleb explodes into passion. But when divided loyalties threaten his last chance at exorcism, Caleb discovers love may come at a price higher than he’d ever imagined.

Novel: 205,734 words

Audible: 24 hours 57 minutes

Individual Blurbs

Book 1

Unregistered paranormal Caleb Jansen only wants a normal life. But when a demon murders his brother, Caleb knows he has to avenge Ben’s death, no matter what the cost. Unfortunately, his only allies belong to an extremist group who would kill Caleb if they found out about his talent.

Gray is a wandering spirit, summoned to hunt and destroy demons by drinking their blood. This hunt goes horribly wrong, and for the first time in his existence Gray is trapped in a living, human body. Caleb’s body…and Caleb is still in it.

Hotshot federal agent John Starkweather thinks he’s seen it all. But when he’s called to exorcise Caleb, he finds a creature which isn’t supposed to exist outside of stories. For Gray is a drakul: a vampire.

Having spent his life avoiding the government as an unregistered ‘mal, Caleb can’t let himself trust a federal exorcist, no matter how sexy. And he certainly isn’t going to give into the heat growing between them and sleep with Starkweather.

Can Starkweather win Caleb’s trust and convince him he isn’t the enemy? Can Caleb keep Gray under control, as the drakul experiences the temptation of a living body for the first time?

Because if he fails and Gray gives in to bloodlust, Starkweather will have no choice but to kill them both.

Book 2

Caleb Jansen’s old life is in ruins after being possessed by the vampire spirit Gray. Now all Caleb wants is for Gray to be exorcised so he can adjust to living as a registered paranormal. Instead, District Chief Kaniyar of SPECTR offers him a new choice: be locked away for public safety, or come work for the very agency he’s spent years trying to avoid. The only good thing to come from Caleb’s possession is his relationship with federal exorcist John Starkweather, but even that seems doomed to end before it can really begin.

John’s newest case is a nightmare: someone is summoning demons and forcing them to possess women and boys snatched from the streets of Charleston. If his team can’t find the summoner soon enough, the possessions will become permanent, transforming the victims into ghouls. To make matters worse, he barely prevents Gray from feeding on their only lead.

Can John shield his heart from Caleb, who only seems interested in a temporary hook-up? Can Caleb keep Gray under control while they hunt for the summoner? Or will the cost of solving the case be higher than any of them could have guessed?

Because the master of ghouls has set his sights on a new target: Gray.

Book 3

When an incubus murders the powerful ally of an anti-paranormal senator, it’s up to hotshot Federal agent John Starkweather to catch the demon before it can kill again. Fortunately, he has backup, in the form of his boyfriend Caleb, a telekinetic possessed by the vampire spirit Gray.

As the political pressure mounts and bodies pile up, John discovers an old enemy protecting the incubus: the Fist of God, a group that believes all paranormals are evil. But why would the Fist work with a demon? And why would they let it kill one of their own allies?

John and Caleb need to find out fast. Because the incubus lurks at the intersection of love and longing, and it’s willing to turn their deepest desires against them.

Book 4

When a supernatural killer is implicated in a string of cannibalistic murders, federal exorcist John Starkweather must track the demon down with the help of his live-in lover, Caleb Jansen. Caleb is possessed by Gray, a vampire spirit who is a natural demon hunter.

Caleb’s desire to find the killer is tempered by the knowledge his own time is running out. If John can’t successfully figure out how to exorcise Gray before forty days are up, the possession becomes permanent.

When John’s ex shows up, looking for a place to stay while visiting the city on business, tensions mount even higher. Lines are drawn, and Caleb learns that some decisions, once made, can never be changed.

Book 5

After becoming possessed by the vampire spirit Gray, telekinetic Caleb Jansen thought his situation couldn’t get any worse. But that was before Graham Forsyth, head of SPECTR’s sinister Research Division, took him into custody.

Forsyth claims he can exorcise Gray before the forty-day time limit runs out. But once at RD, Caleb and Gray find themselves ensnared in a web of lies. What is the truth behind the tests Forsyth is performing on them? What does the agency really plan to do with Gray? And most worrisome of all, why does Gray sense demons within the walls of RD’s compound?

Caleb’s boyfriend, SPECTR agent John Starkweather, has suspicions of his own. With the help of his friend Sean and a shadowy organization known only by their symbol of a moth, John intends to save Caleb and Gray at any cost.

But when divided loyalties threaten his last chance at exorcism, Caleb discovers love may come at a price higher than he’d ever imagined.

Book 6

Federal exorcist John Starkweather’s life is in tatters. His best friend Sean betrayed him. SPECTR, the agency he viewed more as a surrogate family than an employer, wants him dead. His only allies are members of the mysterious organization called the Vigilant, whose motives remain in question.

The only thing keeping John together is the presence of his lovers: Caleb Jansen, a powerful telekinetic, and Gray, the vampire spirit possessing Caleb.

Together, they must not only evade capture, but somehow stop SPECTR from building an army of demon possessed soldiers. If they are to succeed, John must question everything he’s ever believed about SPECTR and spirits. And Caleb and Gray must decide how far they’re willing to go—not just for John’s love, but for his very life.

Why I read these books: Our very own MT Snow, Dana, and Marc recommended it to me shortly after the full series audible came out. I was looking for something MMM and I wanted to give this Audible thing a try. I had only listened to one other book and wasn’t really sure on this audio/listening thing. I liked reading it off a page. It took me a bit to change from paper to electronic ebooks too. 1 credit for 6 books!? Sold! I finished all 24 hrs and 57 mins of it over the course of several months. After this one, I was sold on listening to audio books. I still don’t do it very often, and I take awhile to finish a standard audio book, but I really do get listening to your book instead of reading. Then again, I sometimes do if I want to finish a book quickly. Not this one.

This was indeed a great listen. Brad Langer did a great job with the voices for Gray, John, and Caleb. Even the secondary characters had their own voice. I could “see” the place they were in, imagine the co-workers and friends that Caleb and John had, and you could almost feel when Grey manifested. It definitively sent shivers up my spine, in a good way. Even the sex scenes were written well for three souls in two bodies.

It’s a slow build with an overall plot line (What does happens when 40 days are up?) and a separate plot for each individual book (various monsters that Gray likes to eat). I like having the multiple plots going. For the most part, they deserved to be eaten and you cheer Gray and Caleb on. The romance and relationship between Caleb, Grey, and John builds slowly as well. It’s very well done with plot twists and funny lines that Grey says. I chuckle every time he says or thinks mortals are foolish. There are other zingers and Gray doesn’t speak in contractions. I like that touch. It helps to know who’s “talking”. It has it’s dark moments especially since Gray has to “feed” off the spectral energy of other NHEs, short for Non-Human Entities. It’s not a horror by any means, and definitely a paranormal romance with action and adventure thrown in for good measure. It makes things interesting. Gray possessing Caleb provides other abilities and you discover them as the series goes on. It definitely does enhance Caleb’s body and psychic abilities. I’m not going to go too much into anything else because I like not providing spoilers. Needless to say, you should listen to this book.

It never occurred to me to go find the ebook. The voices are that good. I just got the ebook version of the set with the $10 gift card to Amazon I won at GRL as I like to have all electronic formats at least. This is a must “listen” when they come out and an automatic credit purchase. This is the only series I listen to instead of read– the voices are that good. 🙂 Oh, and I just checked out the page on Audible the day of this post. It’s whispersynced and currently has a special price of $7.49 if you own the ebook. Buy it instead of using a credit. It’s worth it.

Luckily, Jordan did a 2nd series for SPECTR with three books that are out now. See my next post for the series review on them here. A little birdie told me at GRL that Jordan is working on the next book in the SPECTR 2 series. I can’t wait!

With this, I give the SPECTR 1 Series 10 out of 10 pots of gold. This equates to 5 out of 5 stars.

Eloreen

Jordan L. Hawk grew up in the wilds of North Carolina, where she was raised on stories of haints and mountain magic by her bootlegging granny and single mother. After using a silver knife in the light of a full moon to summon her true love, she turned her talents to spinning tales. She weaves together couples who need to fall in love, then throws in some evil sorcerers and undead just to make sure they want it bad enough. In Jordan’s world, love might conquer all, but it just as easily could end up in the grave.