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SPECTR #1-6
SPECTR: The Complete First Series
Alternate cover edition for ISBN 9781941230091
For previous cover edition see here
From best-selling author Jordan L. Hawk, Series 1 is now in a box set!
The Complete First Series
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 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.
205,734 words
For previous cover edition see here
From best-selling author Jordan L. Hawk, Series 1 is now in a box set!
The Complete First Series
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 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.
205,734 words
928 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 30, 2014
77 people are currently reading
326 people want to read
About the author
Jordan L. Hawk
84 books2,642 followersJordan L. Hawk is a trans author from North Carolina. Childhood tales of mountain ghosts and mysterious creatures gave him a life-long love of things that go bump in the night. When he isn’t writing, he brews his own beer and tries to keep the cats from destroying the house. His best-selling Whyborne & Griffin series (beginning with Widdershins) can be found in print, ebook, and audiobook.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 129 reviews
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June 21, 2017
Audible
I'm not going to rate it. It was again the wrong book for me. And in spite of the fact that I really enjoyed the voice of Brad Langer and his narrating (He is NICK NOWAK! How could I NOT like him?!), his presence didn't help.
I just wasn't able to focus on the story line and got bored with this paranormal-demon-hunting-whatever-energy-stuff very quickly. And when it came at last to long awaited sex, I realized that it was time to move on.
Life is too short to waste it for books I don't like.
I hope that Audible will be accommodating(like the last time) and I'll be able to give it back and pick up something more suitable for me.
June 24, 2015
4.5 Stormy stars!
JFC This was FANTASTIC!
Ok, I need to start by saying that I read the whole series in less than three days. That would be 6 books (about 800 pages or so), now, if that doesn´t spell THIS-IS-FUCKING-AMAZING then I don't know what will.
Ok, now, on to the book.. Series. Ok, you get what I mean.
In the first book we're introduced to John. John is an exorcist who works for a corporation that is dedicated to kind of sanitize the world from demons and other NHE (Non Human Entities). The name of said corporation is SPECTR. They also are in charge of people who have psychic abilities. What they do is that they have them registered so they can have some sort of control over the population that displays any kind of psychic stuff. I really, truly hope I'm making sense.
Anyhow.
While working on a possession case John ends up meeting Caleb. Caleb is the possessed guy, whose brother had been possessed first, but when his brother's body turned out to be of no use for the NHE, this, jumped into Caleb's body thinking he was dead. Turns out this particular entity does not possess people who are alive, but instead goes for corpses that are inhabitable, meaning, in good conditions. Only Caleb wasn't totally dead... Or rather, is brought back to life, and now the entity is trapped in Caleb's body until Caleb dies. Can't he be exorcised, you say? Well, yes. If someone knew how. From that day on is John's job to find a way to exorcise the entity out of Caleb's body before the 40 days mark. Once an entity has lived in a body for forty days, the possession becomes permanent.
No, really, am I making sense? I swear to you that the series is not as confusing as I am making it sound.
When the entity in Caleb's body realizes he's trapped into a body of a living person he starts seeing colos, detecting smells, and feeling emotions. The first word he spats out is "Gray". So, our demon here will go by the name of Gray from now on. Gray is a drakul. He doesn't identify himself as a demon. He doesn't feed of people, he feeds of... demons.
What evolves from here (I'm really trying hard not to spoil you) is a very strange yet wonderful sort of threesome... Or throuple... Or whatever you wanna call three people (or two people and a demon HA!) falling for each other. It goes rather slow. Not snail slow, but a nice pace. It gives you the chance to enjoy their dynamic and see how good they are for each other. How STRONG they can be if they stick together. How strong the love they have for each other make them. This is something that you read all through the books. It's not like, bam! They are in love. No, it brews slow. I loved that.
There's a lot of action in this book. LOTS. Lots of demon hunting, kick ass fighthing, and blood. There is also betrayal and loss. And lots of love. And lots of hot. Yes. Hot. I had to bring it up, cuz darn. *fans self* Here's to me, that now I find a demon hot. Thanks, Mrs. Hawk. Thanks a lot. :P
Ok, focus, Gaby, focus. So, yes demon hunting. Blood, and other stuff. At some point our three heroes find themselves in a very particular mission. There is lots of danger, and the risk of losing their loved ones and each other. But decisions have to made, and so they get all brave and make them. They take risks, because you take risks for those you love. Because giving up means closing the door to a possibility, but if everything goes bonkers in the end, at least you can't say you didn't try.
So, yep. I enjoyed this series a lot. But then I like Paranormal Romance, and I like reading about, you know, monsters and stuff like that. So, if you like these stuff too, give this a try! You may totally like it. I promise is fun to read (The things Gray said sometimes had me hawling in laughter), it's entertaining, and sexy as fuck. I tried to keep it vague, so not to spoil you. Please, go read! GO. NOW.
As for me, I'm now starting Mocker Of Ravens, thank you very much.
JFC This was FANTASTIC!
Ok, I need to start by saying that I read the whole series in less than three days. That would be 6 books (about 800 pages or so), now, if that doesn´t spell THIS-IS-FUCKING-AMAZING then I don't know what will.
Ok, now, on to the book.. Series. Ok, you get what I mean.
In the first book we're introduced to John. John is an exorcist who works for a corporation that is dedicated to kind of sanitize the world from demons and other NHE (Non Human Entities). The name of said corporation is SPECTR. They also are in charge of people who have psychic abilities. What they do is that they have them registered so they can have some sort of control over the population that displays any kind of psychic stuff. I really, truly hope I'm making sense.
Anyhow.
While working on a possession case John ends up meeting Caleb. Caleb is the possessed guy, whose brother had been possessed first, but when his brother's body turned out to be of no use for the NHE, this, jumped into Caleb's body thinking he was dead. Turns out this particular entity does not possess people who are alive, but instead goes for corpses that are inhabitable, meaning, in good conditions. Only Caleb wasn't totally dead... Or rather, is brought back to life, and now the entity is trapped in Caleb's body until Caleb dies. Can't he be exorcised, you say? Well, yes. If someone knew how. From that day on is John's job to find a way to exorcise the entity out of Caleb's body before the 40 days mark. Once an entity has lived in a body for forty days, the possession becomes permanent.
No, really, am I making sense? I swear to you that the series is not as confusing as I am making it sound.
When the entity in Caleb's body realizes he's trapped into a body of a living person he starts seeing colos, detecting smells, and feeling emotions. The first word he spats out is "Gray". So, our demon here will go by the name of Gray from now on. Gray is a drakul. He doesn't identify himself as a demon. He doesn't feed of people, he feeds of... demons.
What evolves from here (I'm really trying hard not to spoil you) is a very strange yet wonderful sort of threesome... Or throuple... Or whatever you wanna call three people (or two people and a demon HA!) falling for each other. It goes rather slow. Not snail slow, but a nice pace. It gives you the chance to enjoy their dynamic and see how good they are for each other. How STRONG they can be if they stick together. How strong the love they have for each other make them. This is something that you read all through the books. It's not like, bam! They are in love. No, it brews slow. I loved that.
There's a lot of action in this book. LOTS. Lots of demon hunting, kick ass fighthing, and blood. There is also betrayal and loss. And lots of love. And lots of hot. Yes. Hot. I had to bring it up, cuz darn. *fans self* Here's to me, that now I find a demon hot. Thanks, Mrs. Hawk. Thanks a lot. :P
Ok, focus, Gaby, focus. So, yes demon hunting. Blood, and other stuff. At some point our three heroes find themselves in a very particular mission. There is lots of danger, and the risk of losing their loved ones and each other. But decisions have to made, and so they get all brave and make them. They take risks, because you take risks for those you love. Because giving up means closing the door to a possibility, but if everything goes bonkers in the end, at least you can't say you didn't try.
So, yep. I enjoyed this series a lot. But then I like Paranormal Romance, and I like reading about, you know, monsters and stuff like that. So, if you like these stuff too, give this a try! You may totally like it. I promise is fun to read (The things Gray said sometimes had me hawling in laughter), it's entertaining, and sexy as fuck. I tried to keep it vague, so not to spoil you. Please, go read! GO. NOW.
As for me, I'm now starting Mocker Of Ravens, thank you very much.
September 21, 2018
What an entertaining ride this whole first series was!!!! I absolutely LOVED it! All three of these characters Gray, John and Caleb learned so much from each other 🤗 trust, humanity, love and also skepticism from John relating to spectr.
The banter between Gray and Caleb had me cracking up so much 🤣 and the chemistry between the three of them (John, Caleb and Gray)was off the charts HOT!!!!
Tiffany annoyed me at first but she grew on me, she was just a big bad ass with an attitude😏😚
I'm so happy I read/listened to this on audio (excellent job to the narrator Brad Langer)and I will look forward to a continuation of this series😍
The banter between Gray and Caleb had me cracking up so much 🤣 and the chemistry between the three of them (John, Caleb and Gray)was off the charts HOT!!!!
Tiffany annoyed me at first but she grew on me, she was just a big bad ass with an attitude😏😚
I'm so happy I read/listened to this on audio (excellent job to the narrator Brad Langer)and I will look forward to a continuation of this series😍
March 25, 2016
SPECTR, the first series
By Jordan L. Hawk
Five stars
ISBN: 9781941230091
600 pages
Published 2014 Smashwords
What if everything in your life and training told you that demons have to be destroyed, and yet you found yourself falling in love with the most dangerous demon of all?
I caught sight of this fantastic Jordan Hawk series when it was marketed as a bundle—the first six volumes, weighing in at 600 pages. Goodreads friends told me to read it. I resisted committing to such a large undertaking (what if I hate volume 1?); but once I started in, I tore through these six novellas in less than a week: Hunter of Demons, Master of Ghouls, Reaper of Souls, Destroyer of Worlds, Eater of Lives, Summoner of Storms.
Jordan Hawk’s work has long appealed to me. Her ability to create a plausible world populated with characters who make you care is exemplified in her “period” paranormal series, “Widdershins.” I note that not everybody likes this sort of thing (my husband, for one), but if paranormal action gay romance holds any appeal, then the tiny epic saga of John Starkweather and Caleb Jansen will ring all your bells.
I say tiny, because the action over the course of these six books happens in about a month and a half. Each book takes place over a few days, but the impact on the main characters’ lives is, well, epic. What makes the entire series so excellent is Hawk’s attention to detail; she keeps all the threads of the plot carefully in control, weaving the story together until its harrowing, cataclysmic finale.
The entire series is, of course, a metaphor. In a contemporary America where gay people seem to be accepted, it is those with any sort of paranormal abilities who are marginalized, discriminated against, and registered by the government. Thus John Starkweather, turned over to the state as an adolescent by his fearful family, has grown up believing in the mission of SPECTR, a government agency that hires paranormals to control the demons summoned by folks who think they can handle it. On the other side of the equation is Caleb Jansen, an aspiring artist who has hidden his minor paranormal skill all his life to avoid the social stigma. Having been raised with total mistrust of authority in general and SPECTR in particular, Caleb gets drawn into a splinter group’s amateur exorcism that turns his world inside out.
But it is the third major character, Gray, who is the real catalyst for the story. A 5000-year-old drakul, or vampire spirit, he has drifted through countless lives, hunting demons and seeing the world in black and white, through the fragmented, meaningless memories of the dead bodies he inhabits. When he wakes up in Caleb’s body, staring into the intensely blue eyes of John Starkweather, it is the first color he has ever seen. The first pain he has ever felt. The first living human emotion he has ever encountered.
For all three characters, John, Caleb and Gray, the journey is earth-shaking. This is a violent, bloody, exciting action story in the contemporary millennial vein; but it is also a love story of grand proportions. It is a tale of heart over mind, of doing what is right over doing what is legal. There is a profound moral foundation to this story, rooted in the intertwined souls of its three protagonists. There is a certain “X-Men” or James Bond cartoonishness that is only to be expected in the genre, but Hawk gives her characters—almost all of them—a palpable humanity that keeps the reader locked into the narrative.
How I wish that all my millennial gay geek friends would stop trying to find a reflection of themselves in Hollywood nonsense like “Batman v. Superman,” where the only winner is the straight movie-going audience. Jordan Hawk gives us gay superheroes. I may be an aging baby-boomer, but I’ll never have enough of this. Can’t wait to start on the second SPECTR series.
By Jordan L. Hawk
Five stars
ISBN: 9781941230091
600 pages
Published 2014 Smashwords
What if everything in your life and training told you that demons have to be destroyed, and yet you found yourself falling in love with the most dangerous demon of all?
I caught sight of this fantastic Jordan Hawk series when it was marketed as a bundle—the first six volumes, weighing in at 600 pages. Goodreads friends told me to read it. I resisted committing to such a large undertaking (what if I hate volume 1?); but once I started in, I tore through these six novellas in less than a week: Hunter of Demons, Master of Ghouls, Reaper of Souls, Destroyer of Worlds, Eater of Lives, Summoner of Storms.
Jordan Hawk’s work has long appealed to me. Her ability to create a plausible world populated with characters who make you care is exemplified in her “period” paranormal series, “Widdershins.” I note that not everybody likes this sort of thing (my husband, for one), but if paranormal action gay romance holds any appeal, then the tiny epic saga of John Starkweather and Caleb Jansen will ring all your bells.
I say tiny, because the action over the course of these six books happens in about a month and a half. Each book takes place over a few days, but the impact on the main characters’ lives is, well, epic. What makes the entire series so excellent is Hawk’s attention to detail; she keeps all the threads of the plot carefully in control, weaving the story together until its harrowing, cataclysmic finale.
The entire series is, of course, a metaphor. In a contemporary America where gay people seem to be accepted, it is those with any sort of paranormal abilities who are marginalized, discriminated against, and registered by the government. Thus John Starkweather, turned over to the state as an adolescent by his fearful family, has grown up believing in the mission of SPECTR, a government agency that hires paranormals to control the demons summoned by folks who think they can handle it. On the other side of the equation is Caleb Jansen, an aspiring artist who has hidden his minor paranormal skill all his life to avoid the social stigma. Having been raised with total mistrust of authority in general and SPECTR in particular, Caleb gets drawn into a splinter group’s amateur exorcism that turns his world inside out.
But it is the third major character, Gray, who is the real catalyst for the story. A 5000-year-old drakul, or vampire spirit, he has drifted through countless lives, hunting demons and seeing the world in black and white, through the fragmented, meaningless memories of the dead bodies he inhabits. When he wakes up in Caleb’s body, staring into the intensely blue eyes of John Starkweather, it is the first color he has ever seen. The first pain he has ever felt. The first living human emotion he has ever encountered.
For all three characters, John, Caleb and Gray, the journey is earth-shaking. This is a violent, bloody, exciting action story in the contemporary millennial vein; but it is also a love story of grand proportions. It is a tale of heart over mind, of doing what is right over doing what is legal. There is a profound moral foundation to this story, rooted in the intertwined souls of its three protagonists. There is a certain “X-Men” or James Bond cartoonishness that is only to be expected in the genre, but Hawk gives her characters—almost all of them—a palpable humanity that keeps the reader locked into the narrative.
How I wish that all my millennial gay geek friends would stop trying to find a reflection of themselves in Hollywood nonsense like “Batman v. Superman,” where the only winner is the straight movie-going audience. Jordan Hawk gives us gay superheroes. I may be an aging baby-boomer, but I’ll never have enough of this. Can’t wait to start on the second SPECTR series.
March 31, 2018
Love, love, love this series!
Wow! Each installment in this series just got better and better. And now I have to wait for series 2? Oh come on, Jordan L. Hawk, lay it on me now. I want more of John, and Caleb, and oh so sexy Gray.
Read the blurb about this series. Then read the series because it doesn't do it justice. I mean, this is really a MMM but with only two bodies. How freaking awesome is that?
I got the audio version along with the Kindle series set and it was way worth it. Hot, sexy, creative, heart-wrenching with an HEA at the very end of the series.
Honestly, if you just love series which follow one couple, love action, love love, then just do yourself the favor and buy this.
Wow! Each installment in this series just got better and better. And now I have to wait for series 2? Oh come on, Jordan L. Hawk, lay it on me now. I want more of John, and Caleb, and oh so sexy Gray.
Read the blurb about this series. Then read the series because it doesn't do it justice. I mean, this is really a MMM but with only two bodies. How freaking awesome is that?
I got the audio version along with the Kindle series set and it was way worth it. Hot, sexy, creative, heart-wrenching with an HEA at the very end of the series.
Honestly, if you just love series which follow one couple, love action, love love, then just do yourself the favor and buy this.
August 4, 2020
It took me a while to warm up to the characters. It wasn't as if they weren't interesting enough but I also liked the world, how the author introduce demons and posession is refreshing, and the cases despite at first they were only ok for me and the "book" didn't really pick up my full interest until book 4, after that, everything gets really interesting.
July 26, 2016
I have read the reviews and feel the review by Sean Norris is much better than anything I can do.
Seans review is at this link: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Every sort of non-human being and people with paranormal gifts can be found in this series. If you like mystery/adventure/M-M Romance/paranormal/paramilitary/daring deeds and misdeeds with non-human beings plus everything fantasy and paranormal from shifters to mages this is the book for you.
The most amazing character(s) is the MC's lover who you will find has a bit of a split personality but both faces of the M/C's boyfriend are beauteous bodies, loving, and devoted. I don't mean to throw you off: this is bond between two people as a M/M romance not a triple m romance. These two human mates with an extra paranormal twist are definitely life long lovers with absolutely faithful fidelity. This is a not a series that you will soon forget.
I listened to the audiobook which was 24 hours and 53 minutes long and narrated by Brad Langer who did a valiant yeoman's job with much effort over the course of the six books. You can get this book which is over a day long for only the price of a member's credit, $13.96. People who are not Audible members get the first month free so you can get over 24 hours of audiobook 'reading' as your first free book and then quit Audible if you do not want to listen to any other audiobooks and pay Audible's monthly fee. So it can be read for a member's credit or read for free which is a magnificent bargain.
Every sort of non-human being and people with paranormal gifts can be found in this series. If you like mystery/adventure/M-M Romance/paranormal/paramilitary/daring deeds and misdeeds with non-human beings plus everything fantasy and paranormal from shifters to mages this is the book for you.
Seans review is at this link: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Every sort of non-human being and people with paranormal gifts can be found in this series. If you like mystery/adventure/M-M Romance/paranormal/paramilitary/daring deeds and misdeeds with non-human beings plus everything fantasy and paranormal from shifters to mages this is the book for you.
The most amazing character(s) is the MC's lover who you will find has a bit of a split personality but both faces of the M/C's boyfriend are beauteous bodies, loving, and devoted. I don't mean to throw you off: this is bond between two people as a M/M romance not a triple m romance. These two human mates with an extra paranormal twist are definitely life long lovers with absolutely faithful fidelity. This is a not a series that you will soon forget.
I listened to the audiobook which was 24 hours and 53 minutes long and narrated by Brad Langer who did a valiant yeoman's job with much effort over the course of the six books. You can get this book which is over a day long for only the price of a member's credit, $13.96. People who are not Audible members get the first month free so you can get over 24 hours of audiobook 'reading' as your first free book and then quit Audible if you do not want to listen to any other audiobooks and pay Audible's monthly fee. So it can be read for a member's credit or read for free which is a magnificent bargain.
Every sort of non-human being and people with paranormal gifts can be found in this series. If you like mystery/adventure/M-M Romance/paranormal/paramilitary/daring deeds and misdeeds with non-human beings plus everything fantasy and paranormal from shifters to mages this is the book for you.
lurking-in-kindleland
October 23, 201611.2.2016 bundle on sale for 99p on Amazon
It's taken me over 6 weeks to read the first part of book one ... I am not sure if this is just my frame of mind or whether this is just one of those books/series that isn't going to work for me. I am going to chuck it back onto the kindle for now and try again later
It's taken me over 6 weeks to read the first part of book one ... I am not sure if this is just my frame of mind or whether this is just one of those books/series that isn't going to work for me. I am going to chuck it back onto the kindle for now and try again later
September 17, 2015
I had listened to all of these individually, but enjoyed the series immensely. Imagine The Host by Stephanie Meyers, but with M/M characters.
March 13, 2017
To sum it all based on how I think and feel about the novel in one word: Prodigious.
Of course, I wouldn't end my review like that. I intended to write a good lengthy review since this novel contained six books in one. It was probably one of the best series I had read in a long while. It was original and different. It was really cool to see how humans became demons such as werewolves. There were so many books that talked about werewolves, which always had a definition of them being werewolf was by birth or bitten by other werewolf. This one was far from it. You had to be possessed by one to be a werewolf. That wasn't the main plot of the novel, though, just an original I wanted to share.
Book 1 - Hunter of Demons
It was a great opening to the series. It introduced a really simple but well informed background and how the series begun. It was a book where we got to understand what SPECTR mean, which was Strategic Paranormal Entity ConTRol. It didn't exactly describe that much but it was enough for me to understand what and who SPECTR were.
Caleb was such a likable character even though; he was a jerk in the first book. It wasn't his fault either. He joined a group to hunt for his brother since it was possessed by a demon and his brother was already dead. No one would like to see a love one that died and suddenly got back up running around being possessed. At the house was when Caleb got possessed by a demon or so he thought it was.
Gray was a confused person since he always possessed in a dead body and he hunted demons. This time he woke up in a living body, in Caleb. For the first time, he experienced a raw emotion and everything he saw was in color. Through a dead body, there were neither emotions nor color for him to see. It was awesome way to get to know Gray in the first book.
John was an exorcist. He got an assignment to attend to exorcise a demon out of a human, but to his surprise, he couldn't succeed the task. It was when he got to know Caleb more and he was forced to have Caleb live with him temporary against his job's policy. But it was ordered by his boss.
The action scenes in the first book were what got me hooked and couldn't stop at first book. It was the moment where I was so glad I bought the complete first series rather than just one book at a time. This book was also a re-read for me since I already read it a year or so ago. It was better this time since I was able to enjoy my time to read the book and saw certain scene I realized I missed. It was really a great way to start the series.
Book Two - Master of Ghouls
Book two had gotten better after the first book. It was filled with actions and gave us the moment to see Gray in action. The bickering between Gray and Caleb was hilarious. It was also the book where John and Caleb finally did something toward each other on a passionate level. A moment where Gray felt the rawness horny emotion. I loved it. It was also the best part for me to learn more about ghouls. It was also scary if the ghouls were actually real. Real as in possessing someone without us realizing it. It also taught us that once the possession had been in human's body for more than 40 days; it was over for the human. The possession would have taken a full control whether the human liked it or not. It was really interesting how the author chose to describe the "monster" in the book.
Book Three - Reaper of Souls
It kept on getting better! This time it involved the political. It showed more of how many humans were aware of paranormal-able people. Like Caleb was a telekinesis and John was an exorcist. It involved a protest where they wanted paranormal-able people to be gone or however they wanted them to be secured away from the humans without power. It reminded me from one of X-Men films where the politician tried to ended the mutants. It was cool to see that type of story to be included in the series. To found out who was an incubus caught me off guard because I didn't see it coming, but in some way, I did. I supposed I was really enjoying the story of relationship development between John and Caleb (and Gray).
Book Four - Eater of Lives
I think this one is one of my favorite out of six because of the monster the author introduced was terrifying. I had seen a couple of films about cannibalistic creatures. It was scary. This book had a bit more horror than the first three books. No one was safe and the human who had the monster inside her had no idea about the expiration date. It was the first book that showed her POV, which helped us understand how the possession worked. When it ended, it really did show the human had no control when she actually didn't want it to happen. She just had another desire that caused her blind to a real issue. Really amazing book!
Book Five - Destroyer of Worlds
I also liked this book a lot. I was able to see Gray learned a lot about humans' emotions. How he should feel toward John. How confused he felt. So many emotions going on through Gray and he still didn't understand. He was trapped at another facility for some kind of testing. Caleb was promised by them that they would exorcise Gray out of him before the forty days was up. As story went on, Caleb and Gray formed a strong friendship, a love perhaps, to realize that the exorcism wouldn't happen. Until the very near-ending, I was shock to see what happened to Caleb and how John felt. Just a mouth-dropping moment, I tell you.
Book Six - Summoner of Storms
Absolutely amazing ending of the series for this novel. We all got to learn who Gray really was. How powerful he was. And the love John, Caleb, and Gray have for each other were well defined. It was a true love toward each other. It was really odd how the three-way relationship worked in this relationship. Caleb and Gray are as one person but they can switch each other depending on the situations. I really adored Gray the most. Toward the ending, I was fearful for Gray and was thrilled with how the book ended. I really didn't want the book to be over. But, good news, the author continued onto new series, which was SPECTR 2.
I highly recommended you to check this book out. One of my favorite series for sure. The romance between John, Caleb, and Gray were fantastic. The paranormal parts in the series were original and awesome. Don't wait too long like I did!
Of course, I wouldn't end my review like that. I intended to write a good lengthy review since this novel contained six books in one. It was probably one of the best series I had read in a long while. It was original and different. It was really cool to see how humans became demons such as werewolves. There were so many books that talked about werewolves, which always had a definition of them being werewolf was by birth or bitten by other werewolf. This one was far from it. You had to be possessed by one to be a werewolf. That wasn't the main plot of the novel, though, just an original I wanted to share.
Book 1 - Hunter of Demons
It was a great opening to the series. It introduced a really simple but well informed background and how the series begun. It was a book where we got to understand what SPECTR mean, which was Strategic Paranormal Entity ConTRol. It didn't exactly describe that much but it was enough for me to understand what and who SPECTR were.
Caleb was such a likable character even though; he was a jerk in the first book. It wasn't his fault either. He joined a group to hunt for his brother since it was possessed by a demon and his brother was already dead. No one would like to see a love one that died and suddenly got back up running around being possessed. At the house was when Caleb got possessed by a demon or so he thought it was.
Gray was a confused person since he always possessed in a dead body and he hunted demons. This time he woke up in a living body, in Caleb. For the first time, he experienced a raw emotion and everything he saw was in color. Through a dead body, there were neither emotions nor color for him to see. It was awesome way to get to know Gray in the first book.
John was an exorcist. He got an assignment to attend to exorcise a demon out of a human, but to his surprise, he couldn't succeed the task. It was when he got to know Caleb more and he was forced to have Caleb live with him temporary against his job's policy. But it was ordered by his boss.
The action scenes in the first book were what got me hooked and couldn't stop at first book. It was the moment where I was so glad I bought the complete first series rather than just one book at a time. This book was also a re-read for me since I already read it a year or so ago. It was better this time since I was able to enjoy my time to read the book and saw certain scene I realized I missed. It was really a great way to start the series.
Book Two - Master of Ghouls
Book two had gotten better after the first book. It was filled with actions and gave us the moment to see Gray in action. The bickering between Gray and Caleb was hilarious. It was also the book where John and Caleb finally did something toward each other on a passionate level. A moment where Gray felt the rawness horny emotion. I loved it. It was also the best part for me to learn more about ghouls. It was also scary if the ghouls were actually real. Real as in possessing someone without us realizing it. It also taught us that once the possession had been in human's body for more than 40 days; it was over for the human. The possession would have taken a full control whether the human liked it or not. It was really interesting how the author chose to describe the "monster" in the book.
Book Three - Reaper of Souls
It kept on getting better! This time it involved the political. It showed more of how many humans were aware of paranormal-able people. Like Caleb was a telekinesis and John was an exorcist. It involved a protest where they wanted paranormal-able people to be gone or however they wanted them to be secured away from the humans without power. It reminded me from one of X-Men films where the politician tried to ended the mutants. It was cool to see that type of story to be included in the series. To found out who was an incubus caught me off guard because I didn't see it coming, but in some way, I did. I supposed I was really enjoying the story of relationship development between John and Caleb (and Gray).
Book Four - Eater of Lives
I think this one is one of my favorite out of six because of the monster the author introduced was terrifying. I had seen a couple of films about cannibalistic creatures. It was scary. This book had a bit more horror than the first three books. No one was safe and the human who had the monster inside her had no idea about the expiration date. It was the first book that showed her POV, which helped us understand how the possession worked. When it ended, it really did show the human had no control when she actually didn't want it to happen. She just had another desire that caused her blind to a real issue. Really amazing book!
Book Five - Destroyer of Worlds
I also liked this book a lot. I was able to see Gray learned a lot about humans' emotions. How he should feel toward John. How confused he felt. So many emotions going on through Gray and he still didn't understand. He was trapped at another facility for some kind of testing. Caleb was promised by them that they would exorcise Gray out of him before the forty days was up. As story went on, Caleb and Gray formed a strong friendship, a love perhaps, to realize that the exorcism wouldn't happen. Until the very near-ending, I was shock to see what happened to Caleb and how John felt. Just a mouth-dropping moment, I tell you.
Book Six - Summoner of Storms
Absolutely amazing ending of the series for this novel. We all got to learn who Gray really was. How powerful he was. And the love John, Caleb, and Gray have for each other were well defined. It was a true love toward each other. It was really odd how the three-way relationship worked in this relationship. Caleb and Gray are as one person but they can switch each other depending on the situations. I really adored Gray the most. Toward the ending, I was fearful for Gray and was thrilled with how the book ended. I really didn't want the book to be over. But, good news, the author continued onto new series, which was SPECTR 2.
I highly recommended you to check this book out. One of my favorite series for sure. The romance between John, Caleb, and Gray were fantastic. The paranormal parts in the series were original and awesome. Don't wait too long like I did!
Read
July 31, 20212nd time reading the series, and it's so I can remember what happened in order to keep going with the series. 😁
June 12, 2016
This was a fantastic set of six novellas from the extremely creative and imaginative mind of Jordan L. Hawk. In a nutshell, Caleb Jansen is possessed by an otherworldly being when he was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Gray is the being who possesses him. In the course of the investigation surrounding the circumstances in which Caleb became possessed, SPECTR Agent John Starkweather and Caleb become romantically involved, and by the last story in this series, it's evident that John loves Gray as well.
I listened to this as an audiobook, but unfortunately I didn't care for the narrator. I actually finished this story about two months ago and held off doing a review because my gut kept telling me to give this less stars due to the IMHO poor narration, however, my heart and brain have decided not to penalize the author just because the narration was sub-par.
So although I highly recommend this series, I recommend it in e-book only.
I listened to this as an audiobook, but unfortunately I didn't care for the narrator. I actually finished this story about two months ago and held off doing a review because my gut kept telling me to give this less stars due to the IMHO poor narration, however, my heart and brain have decided not to penalize the author just because the narration was sub-par.
So although I highly recommend this series, I recommend it in e-book only.
March 4, 2016
Как по мне, побольше бы внимания чувствам-отношениям (а также личности вампа) и поменьше экшену-расследованиям. Например, можно это сделать за счет сокращения секс-сцен.
В плане личных отношений все происходит слишком быстро, движется как-то скачкообразно и часто просто обрывается в интересный момент. А во вспыхнувшую любовь Джона к Грэю и вовсе верится с трудом, учитывая, что первый второго совершенно не знает.
И, конечно, разрывать на шесть частей цельную книгу - неправильно.
В остальном, все прекрасно.
P.S. Естественно, я не могла отделаться от постоянных ассоциаций с любимой серией про Морган Кингсли у Дженны Блэк.
В плане личных отношений все происходит слишком быстро, движется как-то скачкообразно и часто просто обрывается в интересный момент. А во вспыхнувшую любовь Джона к Грэю и вовсе верится с трудом, учитывая, что первый второго совершенно не знает.
И, конечно, разрывать на шесть частей цельную книгу - неправильно.
В остальном, все прекрасно.
P.S. Естественно, я не могла отделаться от постоянных ассоциаций с любимой серией про Морган Кингсли у Дженны Блэк.
February 14, 2016
Loved the premise of this book: young, innocent protagonist gets possessed by a demon who turns out to be a nice guy afterall. Along with the demon possession comes some super powers. There is lots of fun to be had with this setup and Jordan does not disappoint.
The whole series was a delight. I didn't read them all straight through; I took a two-week break between books 3 and 4 because life, but mostly I just devoured them. There is a variety of supernatural beings, meddling politicians, annoying coworkers, overbearing bosses, mystery, suspense, angst, hot sex, and of course, sweet romance. Jordan's vivid imagination kept me engaged and turning pages as fast as I could.
Highly recommend to fans of paranormal M/M romance.
The whole series was a delight. I didn't read them all straight through; I took a two-week break between books 3 and 4 because life, but mostly I just devoured them. There is a variety of supernatural beings, meddling politicians, annoying coworkers, overbearing bosses, mystery, suspense, angst, hot sex, and of course, sweet romance. Jordan's vivid imagination kept me engaged and turning pages as fast as I could.
Highly recommend to fans of paranormal M/M romance.
October 8, 2015
Enjoyed reading this. Very good story and engaging plot. I love Gray the most. He's a very adorable character. I like John and Caleb too. I relationship of these character was fun to read and follow. Hope to read more from this series.
April 25, 2019
The first thing I can say to tell you how good this series was, is to tell you that I purchased this e-book on the 19th and did not even start reading it on that day, but a couple of days later. There are six books in this first SPECTR series and it's now the 24th, meaning I finished reading all of them in three days — including eating, sleeping, etc. — and loved every minute of it!
Not just the paranormal aspects, but the world building overall, impressed the heck out of me! The characters were interesting and sympathetic, with a well-rounded mix of good and bad characteristics, exactly as 'real people' are. Even the Drakul, Grey, was wonderfully rendered as a believably alien being, growing from that 'alienness' into something new that was a compromise between what it was and the humans it most closely interacted with. Reading the progression of the relationship between the three main characters was entertaining, fascinating, and a marvellous example of brilliant writing.
I'm trying not to give away too much, but I really want to rave about so many aspects of these books, because they are just so excellent! If you like the paranormal, action, romance, sizzling sex scenes, and just a damned fine story, then you will want to read this series. I have already added the next series to my wish list.
Not just the paranormal aspects, but the world building overall, impressed the heck out of me! The characters were interesting and sympathetic, with a well-rounded mix of good and bad characteristics, exactly as 'real people' are. Even the Drakul, Grey, was wonderfully rendered as a believably alien being, growing from that 'alienness' into something new that was a compromise between what it was and the humans it most closely interacted with. Reading the progression of the relationship between the three main characters was entertaining, fascinating, and a marvellous example of brilliant writing.
I'm trying not to give away too much, but I really want to rave about so many aspects of these books, because they are just so excellent! If you like the paranormal, action, romance, sizzling sex scenes, and just a damned fine story, then you will want to read this series. I have already added the next series to my wish list.
June 1, 2019
This was a reread, although perhaps I previously listed book-by-book?
Anyway, this is not my favorite of Hawk's series, but I enjoyed it well enough. For me, the proportion of sex-to-plot in this first series is too high, and I don't particularly like xeno at all, and I think even beyond that John and Gray's relationship is too fast, as is John and Caleb's (they've known each other less than a month, moved in, exchanged all kinds of 'I love you's, meh). But I like the actual plot and the characters, and I'm glad I re-read before moving on to Series 2.
Anyway, this is not my favorite of Hawk's series, but I enjoyed it well enough. For me, the proportion of sex-to-plot in this first series is too high, and I don't particularly like xeno at all, and I think even beyond that John and Gray's relationship is too fast, as is John and Caleb's (they've known each other less than a month, moved in, exchanged all kinds of 'I love you's, meh). But I like the actual plot and the characters, and I'm glad I re-read before moving on to Series 2.
January 26, 2021
Amazing!
This series is so entertaining. Action packed. Such creative world building. It has all the feels. Sex, steam, violence, sadness, anger, betrayal, and LOVE. John is such an optimist. Caleb is cynical in the beginning but he grows in confidence and in the end of this one he is the optimistic one. Gray is freaking scary and adorable.
I loved every minute of this book (series) and moving on to next volume!
This series is so entertaining. Action packed. Such creative world building. It has all the feels. Sex, steam, violence, sadness, anger, betrayal, and LOVE. John is such an optimist. Caleb is cynical in the beginning but he grows in confidence and in the end of this one he is the optimistic one. Gray is freaking scary and adorable.
I loved every minute of this book (series) and moving on to next volume!
April 2, 2017
★★★☆☆½
I read the series bundle and each book flowed into each other and it was interesting to see how Caleb and John and Gray made a throuple that might just work (realizing this is a fantasy world).
John was goody two-shoes government agency employee who maybe missed things about his agency because he was so grateful for being saved when he was thrown away by his parents. Caleb had abilities that could make him a target and he wasn't having any of that. Gray was an interesting character because he wasn't human and he had his own thoughts and code.
Yet these three came together, fought the bad guys, found love and filled each other's missing parts. Entertaining read.
I read the series bundle and each book flowed into each other and it was interesting to see how Caleb and John and Gray made a throuple that might just work (realizing this is a fantasy world).
John was goody two-shoes government agency employee who maybe missed things about his agency because he was so grateful for being saved when he was thrown away by his parents. Caleb had abilities that could make him a target and he wasn't having any of that. Gray was an interesting character because he wasn't human and he had his own thoughts and code.
Yet these three came together, fought the bad guys, found love and filled each other's missing parts. Entertaining read.
May 28, 2018
What a fantastic series! (And several of the 2nd series are also out & available!)
This is like binge-watching a whole season of a TV show - an awesome, weird, sometimes hilarious one, sometimes scary, and with the oddest m/m/...g love story I've ever read. :D It is worth a lot more than the $9.99 kindle price - go "steal" it and read if you enjoy agents vs. demons with a drakul thrown in just to keep things interesting!
This is like binge-watching a whole season of a TV show - an awesome, weird, sometimes hilarious one, sometimes scary, and with the oddest m/m/...g love story I've ever read. :D It is worth a lot more than the $9.99 kindle price - go "steal" it and read if you enjoy agents vs. demons with a drakul thrown in just to keep things interesting!
August 11, 2017
*3.5 stars*
Gray is a vampire currently possessing one of our protagonists. They identify to no gender (but has been currently assigned as male), and has spent the entirely of the last five millennia possessing corpses and hunting various lesser demons, eating them to keep himself not-hungry. In effect, they have been ridding the world of people possessed by demonic spirits (that's Non-Human Entities or NHEs, John points out helpfully) for a while now.
Gray is also really adorable. Think of every cliche you know about the innocent outsider to society dealing with said society, and Gray is that. I don't know about anyone else, but the superhuman parkour abilities and the blood drinking is not enough to stop me from imagining him as a vaugely vampiric kitty-cat. With a cape, because why not.
The worldbuilding in this series becomes more interesting as time goes by, but the fact that the story focuses more on the romance than the world blunts my love a little. Caleb and John are perfectly nice characters, but (a) they fall into immutable love depressingly fast and while that can be explained away by John's deathwish and Calebs general WHY IS THIS MY LIFE I NEED SANITY, it doesn't really do it for me; and (b) they lack the spark and of the ancillary characters like Tiffany and Katiyar. I'd much rather have scenes with them in it than yet another sex scene I tend to skip over, but ah well.
Gray is a vampire currently possessing one of our protagonists. They identify to no gender (but has been currently assigned as male), and has spent the entirely of the last five millennia possessing corpses and hunting various lesser demons, eating them to keep himself not-hungry. In effect, they have been ridding the world of people possessed by demonic spirits (that's Non-Human Entities or NHEs, John points out helpfully) for a while now.
Gray is also really adorable. Think of every cliche you know about the innocent outsider to society dealing with said society, and Gray is that. I don't know about anyone else, but the superhuman parkour abilities and the blood drinking is not enough to stop me from imagining him as a vaugely vampiric kitty-cat. With a cape, because why not.
The worldbuilding in this series becomes more interesting as time goes by, but the fact that the story focuses more on the romance than the world blunts my love a little. Caleb and John are perfectly nice characters, but (a) they fall into immutable love depressingly fast and while that can be explained away by John's deathwish and Calebs general WHY IS THIS MY LIFE I NEED SANITY, it doesn't really do it for me; and (b) they lack the spark and of the ancillary characters like Tiffany and Katiyar. I'd much rather have scenes with them in it than yet another sex scene I tend to skip over, but ah well.
December 4, 2014
Having been recommended this series several times, I took the plunge when I saw the whole series available as one purchase. I'm glad I did.
Imagine today, but a world where the sixth sense is accepted as existing and real. Add in the fact that only 3-5 percent of the population is 'paranormally-abled' and the fear, discrimination, and hatred that is given to people who are different. Then, just to mix things up more, throw in non-human entities posessing humans and reacting in a negative way. As you can imagine, it makes for an explosive melting pot of emotion, action, and intrigue.
I really enjoyed this series, although I can't say much without giving a lot away, and definitely recommmend it. Although to get the full impact, I suggest you buy the whole series at once.
Imagine today, but a world where the sixth sense is accepted as existing and real. Add in the fact that only 3-5 percent of the population is 'paranormally-abled' and the fear, discrimination, and hatred that is given to people who are different. Then, just to mix things up more, throw in non-human entities posessing humans and reacting in a negative way. As you can imagine, it makes for an explosive melting pot of emotion, action, and intrigue.
I really enjoyed this series, although I can't say much without giving a lot away, and definitely recommmend it. Although to get the full impact, I suggest you buy the whole series at once.
January 19, 2015
5 storm-filled stars!
Loved every word! Such a refreshing take on vampires & vampire lore. My favorite character by far was Gray himself. I loved his longsuffering attitude, his naïveté at times, even his innocence in a way. He was such an endearing character. But he was also pretty badass too. ;)
So much about this series is great. It's a wild ride that I can't possibly summarize in a few sentences or without spoilers. So do yourself a favor and give it a try. If you like vampires and the paranormal in general, I'm pretty sure you'll like this one. Ms. Hawk's writing has a way of sucking you in so easily, and then you look up and it's six hours later and you didn't even realize the day had passed you by. ;)
Now I need more....
Loved every word! Such a refreshing take on vampires & vampire lore. My favorite character by far was Gray himself. I loved his longsuffering attitude, his naïveté at times, even his innocence in a way. He was such an endearing character. But he was also pretty badass too. ;)
So much about this series is great. It's a wild ride that I can't possibly summarize in a few sentences or without spoilers. So do yourself a favor and give it a try. If you like vampires and the paranormal in general, I'm pretty sure you'll like this one. Ms. Hawk's writing has a way of sucking you in so easily, and then you look up and it's six hours later and you didn't even realize the day had passed you by. ;)
Now I need more....
October 3, 2016
Couldn't put it down
What an awesome series. It really is just like reading one long book. The novellas are pretty seamless. I love Caleb, Grey, and John. They are all different and amazing men who must figure out a way to cohabitate, although in different ways. Grey is the most astounding character in the book. He is the only good Non Human Entity that is in this story. The rest take over their hosts and do horrible things. The world that they live in is similar to the real world except that demons, or NHE's are real and many humans are psychic like John, an exorcist and Caleb, a telekinetic. There is mystery, romance, gore, action, and more in this story which should appeal to many readers. I will definitely be reading the next series.
What an awesome series. It really is just like reading one long book. The novellas are pretty seamless. I love Caleb, Grey, and John. They are all different and amazing men who must figure out a way to cohabitate, although in different ways. Grey is the most astounding character in the book. He is the only good Non Human Entity that is in this story. The rest take over their hosts and do horrible things. The world that they live in is similar to the real world except that demons, or NHE's are real and many humans are psychic like John, an exorcist and Caleb, a telekinetic. There is mystery, romance, gore, action, and more in this story which should appeal to many readers. I will definitely be reading the next series.
February 24, 2024
I bought this audiobook after reading the Whyborne and Griffin series by this author. I have to say I can't get enough of her writing. Whether it's historical or contemporary paranormal it's just amazing. The narrator was good on this book, but there was a problem for me with the audio. Book 5 Chapter 10 it cuts off in the middle of the sentence and goes to Chapter 11. There is about two pages of text missing from the narration. I ended up buying the ebooks to find out what happened to the characters in a rather intense scene. The writing was top-notch, and would have been a five star audiobook had there been no problem with my audible copy.
July 21, 2019
I was actually not super impressed with the narrator, who I felt lacked in variation of tone and voice. But the books in themselves were wonderful.
Merged review:
I actually switched from the audio to the ebook about 60% through because I don't get along with the narrator. He sounds too much like Elliot Gould! But the series is amazing, just as I remembered, so five star story, no rating for the audio :)
Merged review:
I actually switched from the audio to the ebook about 60% through because I don't get along with the narrator. He sounds too much like Elliot Gould! But the series is amazing, just as I remembered, so five star story, no rating for the audio :)
June 25, 2015
BRILLIANT!!
I was a little unsure when this series was recommended to me, as I hadn't read any really interesting paranormal in a long time. I am so glad I went ahead anyway, I could not put this down!
I am FANGIRLING over Gray in a big way! That vamp is hilarious, smart, so literal and sexy as hell!! Who knew demon sex could be that good?!
I was a little unsure when this series was recommended to me, as I hadn't read any really interesting paranormal in a long time. I am so glad I went ahead anyway, I could not put this down!
I am FANGIRLING over Gray in a big way! That vamp is hilarious, smart, so literal and sexy as hell!! Who knew demon sex could be that good?!
April 22, 2020
Technically, this is 6 books in one but they were short so I'm counting them all together. Caleb gets possessed by the vampire spirit Gray. John is in charge of exorcising him. "Too bad" they all fall in love with each other along the way. This series is my happy place. I could read it every day and be perfectly content.
August 19, 2015
This one sucked me right in... One moment I start reading, the next it's 0-dark am and I can't keep my eyes open. Luckily the author is writing more with these characters otherwise I'd be a very unhappy camper.
An interesting paranormal tale with a possessing twist.
An interesting paranormal tale with a possessing twist.
May 8, 2015
I don't have a clue what to say here. Yikes! Poor Caleb! Sucks to be him. I don't think I've ever seen a character take so much damage.
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