Book Review by DMac: Draakenwood, by Jordan L. Hawk

Draakenwood, by Jordan L. Hawk
Series: Whyborne and Griffin, Book 9
Publisher: Self-Published
Release Date: June 2, 2017

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Someone is killing members of the old families…and the evidence points to Whyborne.

Widdershins has been unusually quiet for months. But now a mysterious creature from the Outside is on the loose, assassinating members of the town’s old families by draining their blood. Whyborne and Griffin set out to solve the mystery—but as the evidence piles up, the police begin to suspect Whyborne himself is the murderer.

Now Whyborne must both clear his name and stop the horrors the monster threatens to unleash. His only hope: an alliance with his old enemies the Endicotts.

Because something terrible lurks in the Draakenwood, and it will stop at nothing to seize control of the maelstrom itself.

Draakenwood is the ninth book in the Whyborne & Griffin series, where magic, mystery, and m/m romance collide with Victorian era America.

M/M Pairing
Gay Characters
Lesbian Characters
Paranormal/Supernatural
Historical Romance
Family
Sorcery

I think I enjoy this series more and more as it goes on, because Hawk adds really great characters who then stick around to add more to the stories. They are really three-dimensional too, not just a vague outline of a person who is helpful for one scene and then isn’t there anymore. This is particularly true of her female characters. It’s nice to see an author who doesn’t treat the women in the book like obstacles for the M/M pairing, and she is consistently good about this.

Another thing that Hawk did really well in this book is handling family. It was a big theme and we see the resolution of some things that popped up in other books regarding family. What I really like about this series is that at the core is the idea of a found family. Hawk really emphasizes this idea and she’s constantly building on it.

Her books manage to stay fresh even though she ties things back to her previous books. Doing this is a smart move, because she can bring in these other characters/monsters/whatever and add more depth . It makes it more like real life because people/places/things will ebb and flow, in and out of your life, not just disappear after a plot ends. I think that’s one thing that I don’t like about single books not in a series: I want to know more and see how things pan out.

The ending was so satisfying. No easy fix, just Hawk drawing upon what she built up in this book and coming up with a clever, but not instant, solution for her characters. Some things she hinted about in other books came to pass and, of course, she left us with new threads to follow.

All in all I think that if you’ve enjoyed her other books in the series you’re going to love this one too. It was a successful addition to the series and I’m ready for the next one!

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

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