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. |
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.
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