Widdershins
Ratings30
Average rating3.9
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.
Reread summer 2023 (finished October 2023)
Still loved it. Maybe even more the second time around. The only reason it took me so long to reread was because I felt terrible for about four months and, sometimes, this is not the type of book I want to read before going to bed. (Though it's not really what I consider horror - or if it is, it's the type of ‘horror' I do like, unlike some of the other books I've read more recently that have scared me for like. But that's another subject.)
Anywho, awesome book. Will probably work on rereading the entire series sooner or later.
Original Review
I have what one might call lowbrow taste in movies. I have a tendency to like cheesy horror movies - not ones played for comedy, but...things like SyFy channel original movies. (And The Mummy movies with Brendan Frasier.) And this book? I'd love to see turned into a movie. It would be so awesome and I would totally love it. (Because, this is more my sort of thing in movie form than it is book form.)
I also have to add that Whyborne and Griffin and absolutely delightful together. They both have issues, but they are so good together. There's consent and conversations and relying on each other and it's just lovely. (And Christine is a prize and deserves a series of her own.)
This review is for the audio version. I enjoyed this. The story is told in the first person, set in the late 1800s. I love the main character and can relate to his shyness. As long as the reader remembers the time period and the fact that the main character is shy then the reader shouldn't have an issue with certain words used. I can't comment on editing issues because they're non-existent in the audio version. This has a great storyline with a few sex scenes included. As long as future books in this series follows that formula, I look forward to reading the rest.
Addition: I beyond highly recommend this entire series.
This was all my catnip! Which demands the question: why had it been sitting on my Kindle for so long?!?! I should kick myself, but I'm on a non-violence streak.
The is the first installment of the adventures of Ival & Griffin or to the outside world Flaherty & Whyborne. From the blurb you'll get the what and where but for me suffice it to say that a former Pinkerton, now solo Detective, pairs up with a shy and virginal philologist to solve a case. There's some paranormal which is really irrelevant (at least to me) as what this most closely resembles is one of Wilkie Collins' gothic masterpieces. Griffin & Whyborne are both fantastic characters and complement each other perfectly, however this is truly the story of Whyborne, the shy scholar coming into his own and realizing his worth and strength and Griffin is his witness, support and love but there's never any doubt that our Whyborne is a hero. To add to the joy our men have a stalwart, no nonsense friend in Dr. Christine Putnam, an archeologist who literally has their back when things go haywire.
Rest assured that there are some sexy times and a plausible HEA in the horizon.
Next on my reading list: the rest of the series! JOY.
I did it. I finished. Phew! That was more difficult than it should have been, but that's what I get for choosing a historical, knowing it's a genre I typically dislike. Some books have been able to hook me despite this handicap, and I thought Widdershins had a chance with so many high ratings by my friends, but alas, it bored me terribly. The paranormal aspect was the sort that I don't usually go for either (spell-casting), so the only thing left to grab my attention was the characters and their personalities. Unfortunately, neither caught my fancy, so I was left trudging my way through until things finally got interesting right near the end. I know better than to try to read the rest of the series though. It was not poorly written, so I am giving it 2 stars.
OK I am a little embarrassed to be enjoying these M/M romances so much. Maybe I just needed something new and different. But there's something about the tension that gets ratcheted up when you are dealing with homosexuality in the 19th century - the stakes are so much higher and the conflict is anything but manufactured. Throw in the opportunity to have not one, but two heroes and you're on. Widdershins features a meek intellectual hero who finds his inner strength, and a tough detective hero who reveals his inner vulnerability - who can resist? I've only dipped my toe into the M/M waters a few times but I was impressed with this author and plan to read the other two books in the series.