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SPECTR: Volume 1
Alternate cover edition for ISBN: 149214584X (ISBN13: 9781492145844)
For previous cover edition see here
Includes: Hunter of Demons, Master of Ghouls, Reaper of Souls
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 a demon murders his brother, Caleb must 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.
When John fails to exorcise Gray, the countdown is on. If he can't find a means of removing the drakul before 40 days pass, Caleb will be possessed forever. In the meantime, the three must find a way to work together. As they hunt down demons and save the innocent, the heat between the two men explodes into passion...and John discovers a different kind of temptation, one that calls into question everything he believes.
For previous cover edition see here
Includes: Hunter of Demons, Master of Ghouls, Reaper of Souls
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 a demon murders his brother, Caleb must 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.
When John fails to exorcise Gray, the countdown is on. If he can't find a means of removing the drakul before 40 days pass, Caleb will be possessed forever. In the meantime, the three must find a way to work together. As they hunt down demons and save the innocent, the heat between the two men explodes into passion...and John discovers a different kind of temptation, one that calls into question everything he believes.
274 pages, Paperback
Published August 1, 2018
About the author
Jordan L. Hawk
86 books2,669 followersJordan L. Hawk writes queer fiction with a helping of eldritch monsters and things that go bump in the night. He's best known for the award-winning Whyborne & Griffin series. He lurks in the forests of Massachusetts, but can be lured out with pizza.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
December 22, 2018
The only thing bad about this series is Jordan L. Hawk writes such short books! I downed this faster than a dehydrated person guzzles water. Okay, bad analogy but I can only put out so many creativity when I get home from work.
The main character, Caleb, goes with a group of die-hards who want to seek revenge for the body of one of their own being possessed. What they find isnt' the demon they expected, and pretty soon the magically-inclined Caleb is accidentally possessed himself. Instead of a demon, though, it's a predator of demons who inhabits his body, and the being has never before seen color, felt actual emotion, and thought of something other than mindless hunting/feeding. The two blended pair shack up with a paranormal detective who has to play watchdog/guardian and sympathetic friend all in one. Technically the being is called a type of vampire, but he's nothing like vampires in other stories - he has no interest in humans or blood, but more of the spirit/soul of the creature hes hunting. He also doesn't need it daily or starve to death, and he isn't immune to sunlight and such.
The romance in this one just rocks. There's convincing heat, fun build-up, excellent and swoon-worthy delivery. Their bond is sweet and understandable over the steam, and the book bears actual stories to boot. Now that his secret is revealed, he has to register and worry about being killed by the government until he can get his body hijacker to hit the road.
In the first book, Hunter of Demons, it's all about the initial possession and set-up. A mere 127 pages, it ends way too fast but doesn't hit us with a cliffhanger or leave things too unresolved. I was left wanting more but that's only because I was enthralled. Grey is fascinating and the blend with him as he goes through Caleb's life intrigues me. John is dedicated to his job and an absolute sweetheart that makes an ideal HEA. Even though John and Caleb have a great bond, the back and forth with Grey and Caleb is the winning relationship. Grey is new to emotion and has such a black and white point of view toward life...at first. The paranormal agency is annoying, as most government run agencies are, but the world-building with this intrigues me. And yeah, I feel bad for Caleb because if you have to be a paranormal with your life at risk, being able to move a mere cup a bit absolutely sucks.
Master of Ghouls continues right where the first book leaves off, this time only giving us 108 pages. *sniff, sniff*. Worth every cent and easily devoured, the relationships are just as alluring, the world-building continues to unwind into more complicated directions, the budding romance as sweet and the steam as potent. There's a scene where Caleb worries about his relationship with John, and Grey's concern about leaving the man in his confusion was just --- heart *patter* worthy. The mystery in this case is dark and leads to the character, Grey, learning about being discerning with who and what he hunts. Frustrating for him but can be kind of funny.
Reaper of Souls is just as good as the first two - Caleb, Grey and John haven't grown boring. At all. The ending of this one is especially awesome with the incubus making a dangerous claim and Grey briefly revealing himself with all lightning and show. Epic and unforgettable moment of the series. John's developing feelings for the possesser is intriguing as well, and they all keep stumbling further into a weird relationship with the bonds are getting blurrier.
Hawk's writing style is superb, the plotline addicting, the characters fascinating, the romance sweet, the bedroom play exciting, the mystery intriguing enough, and the world-building creative. Seriously, read this one. It's a top, top favorite of mine now.
The main character, Caleb, goes with a group of die-hards who want to seek revenge for the body of one of their own being possessed. What they find isnt' the demon they expected, and pretty soon the magically-inclined Caleb is accidentally possessed himself. Instead of a demon, though, it's a predator of demons who inhabits his body, and the being has never before seen color, felt actual emotion, and thought of something other than mindless hunting/feeding. The two blended pair shack up with a paranormal detective who has to play watchdog/guardian and sympathetic friend all in one. Technically the being is called a type of vampire, but he's nothing like vampires in other stories - he has no interest in humans or blood, but more of the spirit/soul of the creature hes hunting. He also doesn't need it daily or starve to death, and he isn't immune to sunlight and such.
The romance in this one just rocks. There's convincing heat, fun build-up, excellent and swoon-worthy delivery. Their bond is sweet and understandable over the steam, and the book bears actual stories to boot. Now that his secret is revealed, he has to register and worry about being killed by the government until he can get his body hijacker to hit the road.
In the first book, Hunter of Demons, it's all about the initial possession and set-up. A mere 127 pages, it ends way too fast but doesn't hit us with a cliffhanger or leave things too unresolved. I was left wanting more but that's only because I was enthralled. Grey is fascinating and the blend with him as he goes through Caleb's life intrigues me. John is dedicated to his job and an absolute sweetheart that makes an ideal HEA. Even though John and Caleb have a great bond, the back and forth with Grey and Caleb is the winning relationship. Grey is new to emotion and has such a black and white point of view toward life...at first. The paranormal agency is annoying, as most government run agencies are, but the world-building with this intrigues me. And yeah, I feel bad for Caleb because if you have to be a paranormal with your life at risk, being able to move a mere cup a bit absolutely sucks.
Master of Ghouls continues right where the first book leaves off, this time only giving us 108 pages. *sniff, sniff*. Worth every cent and easily devoured, the relationships are just as alluring, the world-building continues to unwind into more complicated directions, the budding romance as sweet and the steam as potent. There's a scene where Caleb worries about his relationship with John, and Grey's concern about leaving the man in his confusion was just --- heart *patter* worthy. The mystery in this case is dark and leads to the character, Grey, learning about being discerning with who and what he hunts. Frustrating for him but can be kind of funny.
Reaper of Souls is just as good as the first two - Caleb, Grey and John haven't grown boring. At all. The ending of this one is especially awesome with the incubus making a dangerous claim and Grey briefly revealing himself with all lightning and show. Epic and unforgettable moment of the series. John's developing feelings for the possesser is intriguing as well, and they all keep stumbling further into a weird relationship with the bonds are getting blurrier.
Hawk's writing style is superb, the plotline addicting, the characters fascinating, the romance sweet, the bedroom play exciting, the mystery intriguing enough, and the world-building creative. Seriously, read this one. It's a top, top favorite of mine now.
January 8, 2015
This review is for the whole, 6-novella arc. Because honestly, I devoured them back to back, and I have no clue where any particular instalment ended.
This paranormal/fantasy series is full of plot twists and world-building and all of it very well done. Information is revealed when it's needed, in a way that moves smoothly along with the action and gave me little "ahah" moments of figuring out where something fitted in. The fantasy set-up is unique enough to feel fresh and unpredictable. The action scenes are very visual and vivid.
This is M/M(/M) romance almost as much as paranormal action, and there's a good balance. The main characters - Caleb, John, and the drakul-entity Gray - are fun to watch, as they navigate the difficulties of a relationship where one of the three is a now a co-habitant in the body of another. Gray's personal discoveries, changing his flat reactive persona into a real character, and John's emotions as he dealt with love and betrayal, were highlights in the way the story unfolded. Caleb had his moments, in his new-found determination to become less passive in his own life, just as he had to give up some control.
I enjoyed the ride as they discover Gray's abilities, and Caleb's own, the true aims and allegiances of John's SPECTR superiors and colleagues, and a way to make their odd threesome work. There are revelations both personal and paranormal. I didn't love these guys quite as hard as I have other of this author's characters, but I enjoyed them a lot, cared about their outcome and had a great time watching the action unfold.
This paranormal/fantasy series is full of plot twists and world-building and all of it very well done. Information is revealed when it's needed, in a way that moves smoothly along with the action and gave me little "ahah" moments of figuring out where something fitted in. The fantasy set-up is unique enough to feel fresh and unpredictable. The action scenes are very visual and vivid.
This is M/M(/M) romance almost as much as paranormal action, and there's a good balance. The main characters - Caleb, John, and the drakul-entity Gray - are fun to watch, as they navigate the difficulties of a relationship where one of the three is a now a co-habitant in the body of another. Gray's personal discoveries, changing his flat reactive persona into a real character, and John's emotions as he dealt with love and betrayal, were highlights in the way the story unfolded. Caleb had his moments, in his new-found determination to become less passive in his own life, just as he had to give up some control.
I enjoyed the ride as they discover Gray's abilities, and Caleb's own, the true aims and allegiances of John's SPECTR superiors and colleagues, and a way to make their odd threesome work. There are revelations both personal and paranormal. I didn't love these guys quite as hard as I have other of this author's characters, but I enjoyed them a lot, cared about their outcome and had a great time watching the action unfold.
May 24, 2015
I was unsure about trying the SPECTR series. Mostly because I was worried it would be like a threesome, so I spoke to a friend about who had read it, and they reassured me enough for me to give this series ago.
And I'm so glad I did! I really really enjoyed it! I brought the printed edition with is SPECTR volume 1, which includes: Hunter of Demons, Master of Ghouls and Reaper of Souls.
The story is quite fast paced, which some may not like, and at times even I felt things were being a little rushed in the first story/book Hunter of Demons, though Master of Ghouls evened that out a little I think with what was going on. Things do happened rather quickly though, but that goes with the plot and the characters being on a time limit of sorts, to get Gray out of Caleb.
The characters are really interesting. Well, Caleb and Gray are. John is the everyday nice guy, which would maybe be a bit much in other stories but counter-balances Caleb's moods and sarcasm well. Although I love the romance, I have to admit, the interactions between Caleb and Gray, the spirit that is possessing Caleb are really interesting to me. Caleb obviously just wants Gray out of his body, while Gray is learning more about humans through Caleb. Seeing Gray's side of things is interesting too, as he certainly seems to think of him and Caleb are the same in respects. Even saying We, Us and OURS! in parts.
I'm not sure how the relationship between, John, Caleb and admittedly Gray (though he doesn't play a active part of such when John and Caleb are together he definitely enjoys Caleb's fun times with John)will go, but I'm interesting in finding out.
And I'm interesting in what is playing out behind the scenes because there definitely seems to be something...
Anyway, I'm definitely hooked and can't wait to read the next volume. :)
And I'm so glad I did! I really really enjoyed it! I brought the printed edition with is SPECTR volume 1, which includes: Hunter of Demons, Master of Ghouls and Reaper of Souls.
The story is quite fast paced, which some may not like, and at times even I felt things were being a little rushed in the first story/book Hunter of Demons, though Master of Ghouls evened that out a little I think with what was going on. Things do happened rather quickly though, but that goes with the plot and the characters being on a time limit of sorts, to get Gray out of Caleb.
The characters are really interesting. Well, Caleb and Gray are. John is the everyday nice guy, which would maybe be a bit much in other stories but counter-balances Caleb's moods and sarcasm well. Although I love the romance, I have to admit, the interactions between Caleb and Gray, the spirit that is possessing Caleb are really interesting to me. Caleb obviously just wants Gray out of his body, while Gray is learning more about humans through Caleb. Seeing Gray's side of things is interesting too, as he certainly seems to think of him and Caleb are the same in respects. Even saying We, Us and OURS! in parts.
I'm not sure how the relationship between, John, Caleb and admittedly Gray (though he doesn't play a active part of such when John and Caleb are together he definitely enjoys Caleb's fun times with John)will go, but I'm interesting in finding out.
And I'm interesting in what is playing out behind the scenes because there definitely seems to be something...
Anyway, I'm definitely hooked and can't wait to read the next volume. :)
July 16, 2015
A Joyfully Jay review.
4.75 stars
So wow, this series is just an incredible ride. I was caught up from the very beginning and read these stories one right after the other. In fact, I had planned on saving the second half of the season for a later time, but I could not put the book down and just continued right on reading. Although this is a contemporary setting, I found that Hawk manages to do here what she does so well in Whyborne & Griffin: fabulous world building and amazing character development, combined with interesting mysteries/suspense plots.
First off, I love this world she has created here with paranormals a known part of society, but a layer of prejudice exists that has them forced to register and a whole agency charged with policing them. There are definitely parallels drawn here with the rights of gays in our world and the prejudices against things that are different and feared. It is done subtly and very well. Caleb has always had the tiniest bit of telekinesis, a power that should have required him to register as a paranormal, but he has been in hiding. So he sees SPECTR as this big bad agency that is going to force him to register, something that will likely lead to the loss of his job and apartment. John, on the other hand, credits SPECTR for saving his life after his parents put him in “reparative therapy” to try to control his abilities as an exorcist. So these men are initially set up on opposite sides, but find themselves drawn to one another right away.
Read Jay’s review in its entirety here.
4.75 stars
So wow, this series is just an incredible ride. I was caught up from the very beginning and read these stories one right after the other. In fact, I had planned on saving the second half of the season for a later time, but I could not put the book down and just continued right on reading. Although this is a contemporary setting, I found that Hawk manages to do here what she does so well in Whyborne & Griffin: fabulous world building and amazing character development, combined with interesting mysteries/suspense plots.
First off, I love this world she has created here with paranormals a known part of society, but a layer of prejudice exists that has them forced to register and a whole agency charged with policing them. There are definitely parallels drawn here with the rights of gays in our world and the prejudices against things that are different and feared. It is done subtly and very well. Caleb has always had the tiniest bit of telekinesis, a power that should have required him to register as a paranormal, but he has been in hiding. So he sees SPECTR as this big bad agency that is going to force him to register, something that will likely lead to the loss of his job and apartment. John, on the other hand, credits SPECTR for saving his life after his parents put him in “reparative therapy” to try to control his abilities as an exorcist. So these men are initially set up on opposite sides, but find themselves drawn to one another right away.
Read Jay’s review in its entirety here.
December 29, 2013
I thought this was an interesting twist on the vampire myth and enjoyed the interplay between Gray, Caleb, and John. It made me cry in parts and a good story should get some emotional reaction from its readers.
December 25, 2015
It's official. I need to own everything Jordan L. Hawk has ever written, because I'm positive that it's all awesome. The first three stories in the SPECTR series certainly lives up to this. I was just blown away. Let me just say: Sexiest. Threeway. Ever.
June 4, 2016
Wow!!! Loved it. Can't wait to read Vol 2 and see what happens to Gray and Caleb. I don't trust Forsyth so wonder what part he has to play in the future.
January 13, 2015
3.5 to 3.8 Stars - ..for the first three
I audiobook listened to the first three parts in Jordan L. Hawk's SPECTR series. Contemporary PRN crime novellas narrated by a simply fantastic voice belonging to Mr Brad Langer (a la Nick Nowak in Boystown).
In my (humble) opinion a new and kind of fresh take on the paranormal M/M genre (no wolves..). Both creepy and spooky stories with well done interesting crime cases.
My reviews so far:
• #1 - Hunter of Demons (3.5 stars)
• #2 - Master of Ghouls (3.8 stars)
• #3 - Reapers of Souls (3.5 stars)
***********************************************************
I LIKE - quickly done bloody scary stories
I audiobook listened to the first three parts in Jordan L. Hawk's SPECTR series. Contemporary PRN crime novellas narrated by a simply fantastic voice belonging to Mr Brad Langer (a la Nick Nowak in Boystown).
In my (humble) opinion a new and kind of fresh take on the paranormal M/M genre (no wolves..). Both creepy and spooky stories with well done interesting crime cases.
My reviews so far:
• #1 - Hunter of Demons (3.5 stars)
• #2 - Master of Ghouls (3.8 stars)
• #3 - Reapers of Souls (3.5 stars)
***********************************************************
I LIKE - quickly done bloody scary stories
February 5, 2017
One of my favorite series. Love it. Thank you Janeylou
April 4, 2016
This is actually going to be a review for the WHOLE SERIES so heads up for possible spoilers.
So I recently decided to reread this series...I ended up listening to the audiobook which is narrated by Brad Langer. I really enjoyed Brad's narration! But I'm glad I actually READ this the 1st time through, only because sometimes it's hard to tell when Caleb is talking out loud vs in his head in the audiobook...it's not Brad's fault, the situation is just a bit tricky to portray in an audiobook in my opinion. But regardless, I loved the audiobook and definitely plan to continue listening to the series!
Like all of Hawk's books, SPECTR features a wonderful array of characters. First you have Caleb Jansen, who in an attempt to free his brother's corpse from possession, ends up getting himself possessed. Problem is, the creature that possesses him is something only mentioned in myths, and whats worse is it's never inhabited a living body before. Now Caleb has 40 days to exorcise this thing out of his body before he has a permanent guest living in his head. Caleb has a bit of a bitter personality which is only made worse after his possession. He has no respect for authority figures whatsoever and is an unregistered Mal (person with psychic abilities). His abilities are so small, though, that he can barely rattle a plastic cup. But for all his flaws, Caleb is a caring man with a strong personality.
The creature that possesses him is a drakul, a vampire you could say, named Gray-gray being the only color he's ever seen as he possesses corpses. But now that he's inside Caleb, he can see and smell and experience things he never knew was possible.
Gray is without a doubt my FAVORITE character! He doesn't understand human concepts like love and considers most human morals to be "mortal nonsense". Actually, he considers almost everything to be "mortal nonsense", it's practically his catch phrase lol! What's great about Gray though is that he quickly comes to understand all the things he's been missing in the world-all the beauty and pain and sadness. He's very curious and even kind. He's sorry that all of this happened to Caleb and it was never his intention to cause him any harm. Every feeling is something new and fresh to him and I loved seeing him experience it all! The best new experience for Gray is sex. Since he's a part of Caleb, he's able to experience things through him which include all the wonderful sex that Caleb has with agent John Starkweather.
John is the "by-the-book" SPECTR agent in charge of figuring out how to exorcise Gray before the 40 days are up. While spending so much time with Caleb, they inevitably get to know each other better and what starts out as a way to remind Caleb that he's still human turns into a strong but complicated relationship. I say complicated because Caleb is almost 2 people with Gray inside of him and as more time goes by, John starts to fall for both of them. This is of course a huge problem because once Gray is exorcised, protocol dictates that he be destroyed and John is nothing but loyal to SPECTR. Not only that, but how can he even begin to explain to Caleb that he also loves Gray-the monster that possesses him?
I guess you could consider this M/M/M but it really doesn't read that way. So if you're worried about that aspect of the book, please don't let it keep you from reading this! You're seriously missing out!
As vol. 1 wraps up, Caleb's 40 days are almost at an end and he needs to find a way to exorcise Gray AND keep himself out of trouble with SPECTR.
Vol. 2 picks up a week or so later and Caleb's time is running out. Caleb and John's relationship becomes strained when Caleb doesn't think that John is putting the exorcism as his top priority. Meanwhile, John has to deal with his growing feelings for Gray while still being loyal to SPECTR. A change is also going through Caleb...he cares about Gray and once he realizes how much Gray loves him, he's reluctant to have anything bad happen to the drakul.
Once again Gray endears himself to the reader as more of his guilt over Caleb shows, as well as his love for John which he doesn't think John reciprocates. After all, every time John says "I love you", he's saying it to Caleb, isn't he? My heart broke at Grays anguish over not being loved by John (or so he thought).
What I like about this series is that it shows how having a real relationship takes work. Even without the supernatural aspects, having 2 people with such different personalities don't always meld together perfectly like romance novels would have you think. It's not always 2 puzzle pieces forming one perfect picture. Caleb and John love one another of course but they do fight...some things are stupid and make your eyes roll but some are serious for the characters. Just like people in real life, they fight over both big and small things. It's their ability to talk things through afterwards that makes them such a great couple.
I don't want to spoil much so please read this series! There are tender moments, scenes that made me laugh out loud, and scenes that made me tear up as I felt the characters' pain. I really look forward to continuing this series and reading more about these characters.
5 Stars
So I recently decided to reread this series...I ended up listening to the audiobook which is narrated by Brad Langer. I really enjoyed Brad's narration! But I'm glad I actually READ this the 1st time through, only because sometimes it's hard to tell when Caleb is talking out loud vs in his head in the audiobook...it's not Brad's fault, the situation is just a bit tricky to portray in an audiobook in my opinion. But regardless, I loved the audiobook and definitely plan to continue listening to the series!
Like all of Hawk's books, SPECTR features a wonderful array of characters. First you have Caleb Jansen, who in an attempt to free his brother's corpse from possession, ends up getting himself possessed. Problem is, the creature that possesses him is something only mentioned in myths, and whats worse is it's never inhabited a living body before. Now Caleb has 40 days to exorcise this thing out of his body before he has a permanent guest living in his head. Caleb has a bit of a bitter personality which is only made worse after his possession. He has no respect for authority figures whatsoever and is an unregistered Mal (person with psychic abilities). His abilities are so small, though, that he can barely rattle a plastic cup. But for all his flaws, Caleb is a caring man with a strong personality.
The creature that possesses him is a drakul, a vampire you could say, named Gray-gray being the only color he's ever seen as he possesses corpses. But now that he's inside Caleb, he can see and smell and experience things he never knew was possible.
Gray is without a doubt my FAVORITE character! He doesn't understand human concepts like love and considers most human morals to be "mortal nonsense". Actually, he considers almost everything to be "mortal nonsense", it's practically his catch phrase lol! What's great about Gray though is that he quickly comes to understand all the things he's been missing in the world-all the beauty and pain and sadness. He's very curious and even kind. He's sorry that all of this happened to Caleb and it was never his intention to cause him any harm. Every feeling is something new and fresh to him and I loved seeing him experience it all! The best new experience for Gray is sex. Since he's a part of Caleb, he's able to experience things through him which include all the wonderful sex that Caleb has with agent John Starkweather.
John is the "by-the-book" SPECTR agent in charge of figuring out how to exorcise Gray before the 40 days are up. While spending so much time with Caleb, they inevitably get to know each other better and what starts out as a way to remind Caleb that he's still human turns into a strong but complicated relationship. I say complicated because Caleb is almost 2 people with Gray inside of him and as more time goes by, John starts to fall for both of them. This is of course a huge problem because once Gray is exorcised, protocol dictates that he be destroyed and John is nothing but loyal to SPECTR. Not only that, but how can he even begin to explain to Caleb that he also loves Gray-the monster that possesses him?
I guess you could consider this M/M/M but it really doesn't read that way. So if you're worried about that aspect of the book, please don't let it keep you from reading this! You're seriously missing out!
As vol. 1 wraps up, Caleb's 40 days are almost at an end and he needs to find a way to exorcise Gray AND keep himself out of trouble with SPECTR.
Vol. 2 picks up a week or so later and Caleb's time is running out. Caleb and John's relationship becomes strained when Caleb doesn't think that John is putting the exorcism as his top priority. Meanwhile, John has to deal with his growing feelings for Gray while still being loyal to SPECTR. A change is also going through Caleb...he cares about Gray and once he realizes how much Gray loves him, he's reluctant to have anything bad happen to the drakul.
Once again Gray endears himself to the reader as more of his guilt over Caleb shows, as well as his love for John which he doesn't think John reciprocates. After all, every time John says "I love you", he's saying it to Caleb, isn't he? My heart broke at Grays anguish over not being loved by John (or so he thought).
What I like about this series is that it shows how having a real relationship takes work. Even without the supernatural aspects, having 2 people with such different personalities don't always meld together perfectly like romance novels would have you think. It's not always 2 puzzle pieces forming one perfect picture. Caleb and John love one another of course but they do fight...some things are stupid and make your eyes roll but some are serious for the characters. Just like people in real life, they fight over both big and small things. It's their ability to talk things through afterwards that makes them such a great couple.
I don't want to spoil much so please read this series! There are tender moments, scenes that made me laugh out loud, and scenes that made me tear up as I felt the characters' pain. I really look forward to continuing this series and reading more about these characters.
5 Stars
October 23, 2024
The shifting point of views were a bit disorienting, but overall the stories were amazing. I've already ordered volume 2. Very well written and I definitely would recommend. Besides the point of view thing this volume is extremely close to being 5 stars. Loved it!
December 28, 2017
4+ on Amazon's scale; nearly 4 on Goodreads's. Three well-drawn leads caught in a complicated situation.
I already posted a reasonably long review separately for book 1, so here I'll focus mainly on the themes and issues that develop or continue in books 2 & 3. I hope this doesn't wind up spoiler-ish.
Caleb (despite beginning to acknowledge a thrill in the hunt) still hopes that John will find some way that actually works to exorcise Gray and thus allow Caleb to rebuild a more normal life. John is torn between the narrowing deadline for the same hope, and the knowledge that the next step legally mandated after capturing Gray in a spirit bottle will be to have the Non-Human Entity "humanely destroyed".
John's exorcism attempts and research don't turn Gray against him, presumably because Gray is confident that such attempts will fail, as many other humans over the centuries have failed to do any more than inconvenience him for a span of time negligible to his immortal patience. The restrictions Caleb and John demand on when he is allowed to feed vs. when a possessed is a recoverable victim often frustrate and/or confuse him, but his eyes *are* being opened to other ways of looking at mortal existence.
On the romantic side, Caleb worries that he may not really be more than a temporary tool and research challenge to John, and the lack of acceptance by the other SPECTR agents he's obliged to work with doesn't help. John meanwhile is ashamed to admit to himself that he feels attracted not just to Caleb but also to the etheric power and predatory grace of Gray, even as his emotions are more than he expected, especially so soon, for Caleb. Gray enjoys the utterly new experience of sex, and feels possessive of John, but Caleb worries what might happen if Gray (with his fangs and claws) rises too near the surface at the wrong moment, both in terms of injury and of John's possible reaction.
Action-plot wise, dealing first with ghouls not acting normally for ghouls, then an incubus who seems to be connected with his natural enemy, the anti-paranormal political faction, proves that SPECTR's agents don't know as much as they thought. There are some exciting scenes during each case, and some intriguing questions raised.
I will restate (from my book 1 review) that the book mainly alternates limited-3rd-person past-tense narrative sections in John and Caleb's PoVs, with breathless limited-3rd-person PRESENT-tense scenes of Gray, often during a chase. Gray's wonder and curiosity at the vivid sensations of a living host is also in the Caleb sections, in their internal dialogue.
Proofreading-wise, I caught just two minor typos, a missing "of" and an I-should-be-me. Format-wise, there doesn't seem to be any Table of Contents page, though the Kindle app's in-book menu does include one.
Now onward!
I already posted a reasonably long review separately for book 1, so here I'll focus mainly on the themes and issues that develop or continue in books 2 & 3. I hope this doesn't wind up spoiler-ish.
Caleb (despite beginning to acknowledge a thrill in the hunt) still hopes that John will find some way that actually works to exorcise Gray and thus allow Caleb to rebuild a more normal life. John is torn between the narrowing deadline for the same hope, and the knowledge that the next step legally mandated after capturing Gray in a spirit bottle will be to have the Non-Human Entity "humanely destroyed".
John's exorcism attempts and research don't turn Gray against him, presumably because Gray is confident that such attempts will fail, as many other humans over the centuries have failed to do any more than inconvenience him for a span of time negligible to his immortal patience. The restrictions Caleb and John demand on when he is allowed to feed vs. when a possessed is a recoverable victim often frustrate and/or confuse him, but his eyes *are* being opened to other ways of looking at mortal existence.
On the romantic side, Caleb worries that he may not really be more than a temporary tool and research challenge to John, and the lack of acceptance by the other SPECTR agents he's obliged to work with doesn't help. John meanwhile is ashamed to admit to himself that he feels attracted not just to Caleb but also to the etheric power and predatory grace of Gray, even as his emotions are more than he expected, especially so soon, for Caleb. Gray enjoys the utterly new experience of sex, and feels possessive of John, but Caleb worries what might happen if Gray (with his fangs and claws) rises too near the surface at the wrong moment, both in terms of injury and of John's possible reaction.
Action-plot wise, dealing first with ghouls not acting normally for ghouls, then an incubus who seems to be connected with his natural enemy, the anti-paranormal political faction, proves that SPECTR's agents don't know as much as they thought. There are some exciting scenes during each case, and some intriguing questions raised.
I will restate (from my book 1 review) that the book mainly alternates limited-3rd-person past-tense narrative sections in John and Caleb's PoVs, with breathless limited-3rd-person PRESENT-tense scenes of Gray, often during a chase. Gray's wonder and curiosity at the vivid sensations of a living host is also in the Caleb sections, in their internal dialogue.
Proofreading-wise, I caught just two minor typos, a missing "of" and an I-should-be-me. Format-wise, there doesn't seem to be any Table of Contents page, though the Kindle app's in-book menu does include one.
Now onward!
April 8, 2016
Winner: 2nd Place: Best M/M Paranormal Romance/Urban Fantasy Series - 2015 PRG Reviewer's Choice Awards
I have finished this almost 800 page series in the amount of time it takes most to read one novel. OMG, I couldn’t put it down. Seriously, I am still digesting, as I actually had to wait to write a review for a few days to let my brain catch up to my eyes.
Jordan has had me as a follower with her Wybornne and Griffin series, and SPECTR is a series that has me reeling. These six novels could be purchased individually, but this six story package is an unfolding serial. Each story begins where the other ends. So what could be bad with a wonderfully long book? For this series it is WONDERFUL!
This story is truly paranormal, epic horror. It is set in our time, in a time where Things That Go bump in the Night are real and SPECTR (Strategic Paranormal Entity ConTRol) is in charge of handling and registering the paranormals.
Caleb Jansen holds a dark secret, and because of it he is an unregistered paranormal. Since childhood, his family and he hide his special telekinetic powers wanting to stay under the radar. When his brother Ben dies and then his body walks out of the funeral home, Caleb is called by his brother’s wife, Melanie, to help to retrieve his body. What happens at this point changes what he is and the very foundation of his beliefs about God, Life, and Love.John Starkweather has the life. He is an exorcist extraordinaire. When he is called to help remove an entity that has entered Caleb, life changes for him as well.
Gray is a dracul a vampire who drinks the blood of the demon possessed. Gray has entered Caleb and never before lived inside a living host. The first thing he sees is color, and the blue of John’s eyes. Then he feels lust, and then love. What will happen if the entity is not removed? John only has 40 days. Let me warn you, this story is not for the faint of heart, in both horror and sex. BEST. SERIES. EVER.
Review by Gloria Lakritz
Sr Reviewer and Review Chair for the Paranormal Romance Guild
I have finished this almost 800 page series in the amount of time it takes most to read one novel. OMG, I couldn’t put it down. Seriously, I am still digesting, as I actually had to wait to write a review for a few days to let my brain catch up to my eyes.
Jordan has had me as a follower with her Wybornne and Griffin series, and SPECTR is a series that has me reeling. These six novels could be purchased individually, but this six story package is an unfolding serial. Each story begins where the other ends. So what could be bad with a wonderfully long book? For this series it is WONDERFUL!
This story is truly paranormal, epic horror. It is set in our time, in a time where Things That Go bump in the Night are real and SPECTR (Strategic Paranormal Entity ConTRol) is in charge of handling and registering the paranormals.
Caleb Jansen holds a dark secret, and because of it he is an unregistered paranormal. Since childhood, his family and he hide his special telekinetic powers wanting to stay under the radar. When his brother Ben dies and then his body walks out of the funeral home, Caleb is called by his brother’s wife, Melanie, to help to retrieve his body. What happens at this point changes what he is and the very foundation of his beliefs about God, Life, and Love.John Starkweather has the life. He is an exorcist extraordinaire. When he is called to help remove an entity that has entered Caleb, life changes for him as well.
Gray is a dracul a vampire who drinks the blood of the demon possessed. Gray has entered Caleb and never before lived inside a living host. The first thing he sees is color, and the blue of John’s eyes. Then he feels lust, and then love. What will happen if the entity is not removed? John only has 40 days. Let me warn you, this story is not for the faint of heart, in both horror and sex. BEST. SERIES. EVER.
Review by Gloria Lakritz
Sr Reviewer and Review Chair for the Paranormal Romance Guild
September 28, 2014
I've been hesitant to start this series because Jordan Hawk’s other series, Whyborne & Griffin, is one of my absolute favorites. (If you have not read these yet, start with Widdershins) I guess I was worried about being let down. I needn’t have worried! SPECTR is not W&G redux; it is a different story with different characters and set in a different world. What is the same is the high quality of writing, the amazing, complex characters (including some fierce female characters), top-notch world building and edge-of-your-seat plots. I am glad I got these books in the volumes because I could not stop reading at just one (or two or three or….you get the picture). I did not even stop to mark volume 1 done on goodreads before launching into volume 2. However, if you are not sure you want to take the plunge, Jordan Hawk offers the first story (Hunter of Demons) for free – at least as of now it is free on Amazon and All Romance eBooks. I normally avoid ménage books, but the relationship building between Caleb, John and Gray is amazingly well done. I love all three MCs, but Gray (a bit surprisingly to me) has really grabbed my heart. And the smexy scenes – perfect!
March 30, 2014
I have a love of Paranormal stories and this one ticked all the right boxes. Caleb is possessed by a non human spirit that hunts demons. Gray takes over Calebs dead body, only he didn't stay dead after his sister in law did CPR and brought him back to life. Gray is now stuck in a living body when he has only ever inhabited dead bodies and see the world in a whole new light.
I love the internal conversations Caleb has with himself and Gray's opinion on them. Later on the conversations between the two of them as Gray grows to understand mortals that little bit more.
The relationship is interesting between Caleb and John, and the part Gray also plays in that relationship.
All of the stories are well put together and never boring. Five stars without a doubt.
I love the internal conversations Caleb has with himself and Gray's opinion on them. Later on the conversations between the two of them as Gray grows to understand mortals that little bit more.
The relationship is interesting between Caleb and John, and the part Gray also plays in that relationship.
All of the stories are well put together and never boring. Five stars without a doubt.
February 3, 2020
“Spectr: Volume 1” has received FIVE stars.
This is not my first Jordan L. Hawk book, but it is the one where I realized I will read anything he writes. Hawk’s work is absolutely fabulous.
The novel gained *stars* for these items:
* gained for: “The book caught my interest in first five pages."
* gained for: "I thought about the book when I was forced to set it down and re-enter society."
* gained for: "There were no info dumps, poor writing, or copy edit mistakes that jerked me out of the story."
* gained for: "I was sad when the book ended. I wanted more!"
* gained for: "That's it. I'm hooked on this author. I will automatically buy anything s/he writes."
This is not my first Jordan L. Hawk book, but it is the one where I realized I will read anything he writes. Hawk’s work is absolutely fabulous.
The novel gained *stars* for these items:
* gained for: “The book caught my interest in first five pages."
* gained for: "I thought about the book when I was forced to set it down and re-enter society."
* gained for: "There were no info dumps, poor writing, or copy edit mistakes that jerked me out of the story."
* gained for: "I was sad when the book ended. I wanted more!"
* gained for: "That's it. I'm hooked on this author. I will automatically buy anything s/he writes."
October 18, 2014
This is a good series, hot and exciting and with some cool worldbuilding/fantasy premises, and the promise of intriguing existential questions to be explored. (What? I like existential dilemmas in my fiction, okay.) And getting them in this omnibus is a good choice, because their pacing makes them feel more like a TV series than stand-alone books, each episode satisfying but with foreshadowing/loose ends pulling you to find out what happens next. I'm trying to hold out at least a day before buying the next omnibus, but I'm not sure I have that much willpower....
May 17, 2024
Specr
Wow! This is a good series. I want to read more and see what happens. Caleb is an unregistered paranormal that gets possessed by a powerful nonhuman entity. He is being directly supervised by John. John is part of an organization that Caleb does not trust. But it is work with John or be imprisoned. Somewhere along the way the two men fall in love with each other. They must balance working together with hoe they feel about each other. I am goi g to buy the next book in the series.
Wow! This is a good series. I want to read more and see what happens. Caleb is an unregistered paranormal that gets possessed by a powerful nonhuman entity. He is being directly supervised by John. John is part of an organization that Caleb does not trust. But it is work with John or be imprisoned. Somewhere along the way the two men fall in love with each other. They must balance working together with hoe they feel about each other. I am goi g to buy the next book in the series.
February 5, 2016
Reviewed stories individually.
Hunter of Demons
Master of Ghouls
Reaper of Souls
Hunter of Demons
Master of Ghouls
Reaper of Souls
June 8, 2016
Reread this volume and moved on to the second.
Brilliant world building and intricate, logical (you know what I mean!) explanations for everything.
Awesome characters and love story, betrayal and ass-kicking.
Definitely recommended! And it only gets better the further you read.
We are the storm.
Brilliant world building and intricate, logical (you know what I mean!) explanations for everything.
Awesome characters and love story, betrayal and ass-kicking.
Definitely recommended! And it only gets better the further you read.
We are the storm.
February 22, 2016
Gray, a few millennia old, ends up in a living body instead his usual vessel, which is an available newly dead one. Celeb is, well, freaked and wants to be exorcised. John is an exorcist. John and Caleb fall for each other, and Gray and John too.
Demons and ghoulies and all sorts of nasties, and also romantic, but not a ménage really. Ooh Gray.
Demons and ghoulies and all sorts of nasties, and also romantic, but not a ménage really. Ooh Gray.
September 19, 2021
In a world where possession happens, a young man is possessed by a vampire spirit. There is a love story between the man and vampire spirit with their exorcist. If the story had more depth and better development of characters it could be a great book. Like I said, great concept, horrible execution.
August 31, 2014
This paranormal romance is exciting and different. A new play on vampires for sure. Caleb is just adorable. I love how he tries to act tough, but the reader can see he's really vulnerable and hurting. John sees that, too. The chemistry between these two is just beginning!
October 4, 2015
I love this authors style of writing. A twisted threesome, but only two bodies, makes for hot sex. Grey's blatant honesty makes for good humor. I definatley want to read more about the lovers Caleb and John...and I hope the demon, Grey, stays with them.
July 22, 2015
Everything I expected from Hawk and more. I love the paranormal parts, the agency, the characters, the plot, and oh the romance. Quippy lines, action, well paced...so much to love.
Highly recommended.
Highly recommended.
December 8, 2015
3.5 stars
Unlike most of the other books I've been reading around here lately, there was an actual, substantial amount of plot to this book. Yay! Makes for a nice change even if that cops and demons thing doesn't exactly entrance me.
Unlike most of the other books I've been reading around here lately, there was an actual, substantial amount of plot to this book. Yay! Makes for a nice change even if that cops and demons thing doesn't exactly entrance me.
May 17, 2022
So, yeah. I may or may not have bought all the paperback releases of this series even though I own them all on Kindle, because I'm that obsessed. I'm trying not to re-read them until the next book in the series has at least been written, but I don't know if I can hold out.
nope
February 27, 2023DNF @ 63%.
This could have been something great. This could have been something fun. The pacing was off. The romance was forced. The characters were two dimensional. I agree with Gray. This book was an exercise of mortal nonsense.
This could have been something great. This could have been something fun. The pacing was off. The romance was forced. The characters were two dimensional. I agree with Gray. This book was an exercise of mortal nonsense.
November 13, 2014
Wonderful
This was terrific and I can't wait to start the next one. After reading Whybourne and Griffin I should have expected nothing less.
This was terrific and I can't wait to start the next one. After reading Whybourne and Griffin I should have expected nothing less.
April 14, 2015
I wasn't sure about this starting out. That quickly changed and I raced through this and onto the next one. Brilliant story and I'm sure I'll read it again and again.
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