Book Review by El: Drinker of Blood, by Jordan L. Hawk (SPECTR)

Drinker of Blood, by Jordan L. Hawk
Series: SPECTR, #2.3
Publisher: Self-Published
Release Date: March 17, 2017

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

An outbreak of demon attacks across Charleston has worn SPECTR agent John Starkweather to the bone. Now a new threat faces his team: a demon with bullet—and bite—proof skin, which can’t be stopped by ordinary means.

John’s only solace comes in the form of his lovers: Caleb Jansen and the vampire spirit Gray. Caleb and Gray have their own problems, however. Unbeknownst to John, they’ve been tracking a mysterious entity across the city. And after they finally come face to face with their quarry, nothing will ever be the same.

M/M/M Pairing
Gay Characters
Paranormal
Demons
Menage (with only two bodies)
Interspecies (kinda)
Novella

My love for the SPECTR series is pretty well-documented, so when the chance to review the newest novella in the series came up, I pounced on it like Gray attacking a demon at dinner time. Jordan’s fantastic paranormal universe has everything I could want in a series: a reluctant hero, a steamy relationship, amazing world-building, and a menage with only two bodies. Yeah, you read that right.

Now, if you haven’t read the previous SPECTR books yet, you should probably stop right here and go buy the first one… there are spoilers for the series ahead!

Drinker of Blood picks up right where Dancer of Death left off. A mysterious new entity is in town, and Gray and Caleb are curiously seeking it out while keeping secrets from their lover, John. Plus, turmoil at SPECTR headquarters (ugh, office politics and the Worst Boss Ever… we can all relate, right?) is adding stress to their relationship, both in the bed and in the field. And, finally, we get answers to at least one big question.

This book felt different to me in some ways, and at first I wasn’t sure if I liked it. Maybe it was the (comparative) lack of erotic scenes between Grey/Caleb/John, or the fact that the case didn’t feel as central to the plot as usual. But a few days after finishing the book, I realized, Wait… I can’t stop thinking about it!

This is a bridge book, a transition between the normal episodic “case + sex” and the climatic resolution that’s been building since Series 2 started. And because of that, it’s not quite as riveting and edge-of-your-seat as previous books. But the revelations and building momentum make this episode well worth the read, and I can’t wait to see what’s next in the SPECTR ‘verse!

Jordan L. Hawk grew up in North Carolina and forgot to ever leave. Childhood tales of mountain ghosts and mysterious creatures gave her a life-long love of things that go bump in the night. When she isn’t writing, she brews her own beer and tries to keep her cats from destroying the house. Her best-selling Whyborne & Griffin series (beginning with Widdershins) can be found in print, ebook, and audiobook at Amazon and other online retailers.

Find Jordan online at http://jordanlhawk.com/