Reviewed by Carissa

TITLE:  Mocker of Ravens

SERIES:  SPECTR 2 #1

AUTHOR:  Jordan L. Hawk

PUBLISHER:  Self-published

LENGTH:  95 pages

BLURB:  

Caleb has spent the last six months adjusting to life possessed by the vampire spirit Gray. Unfortunately, after the events of Fort Sumter, the other agents of SPECTR view him more as a ticking time bomb than a co-worker.

The one bright spot is Caleb and Gray’s boyfriend, federal exorcist John Starkweather. But John has problems of his own. A supernatural killer is on the loose in Charleston, stealing the hearts of its victims to extend its own unnatural life.

With the help of a rookie agent, John, Caleb, and Gray must find the killer before it strikes again…or before they become the demon’s next victims.

REVIEW:  

They’re baaaaacccckkkkk!

*head explodes and confetti rains down on the cheering crowd*

(yeah, something like that)

Home may be where the heart is…but the neighborhood is still going to hell.

Nobody promised that life in a P.F. (post Forsyth) world was going to be all daisies and sunshine–and it’s good that they didn’t, because the only daisies that would be coming up around Charleston, South Carolina are the kind growing pretty on other people’s graves. You’d think that after they had defeated Forsyth and his plan of OMG Everyone Is Going To Be Eaten In A Really Quite Horrible Way!, that John, Caleb, and Gray would be able to relax, eat a few NHEs, and skillfully avoid the hoards of people thanking them for saving their little asses. But, alas, no. There is no relaxing–and if hoards of people are going to start to follow them around, they are most likely going to be carrying pitchforks, not gift-baskets–but Gray does get a few snacks in here and there…so not all bad. I guess.

Well, if you don’t count a) their new boss–who is an ass; b) their coworkers–who wouldn’t know gratitude if it bit open their necks; and c) the general populace–whose stupidity sometimes makes you think they are better off being eaten and thereby raising the average IQ of the city by a large margin.

So, life P.F. is not so grand, but the trio are alive, reasonably sane, and not munching on large section of the population (no matter how much they probably deserve it). And if they just take it one day at a time, I’m sure that they will be totally fine. If, you know, some crazed NHE doesn’t rip their hearts out and eat ’em. Which would totally bite.

There is a lot that can be said about this book (yes!, OMG, totally awesome, rubber duckies!!, ect..) but I think what fully encapsulates my feeling about this story is: squeeeeeeeeeeee  [insert flappy hand movements and general body wiggle of happiness].

To say I was pleased to hear that we had not seen the last of Gray, John, and Caleb in Summoner of Storms would be like saying that coffee is a nice drink. Not untrue, but sadly lacking the deep and probably crazy love I have for both. Unfortunately, my lips shall only ever taste of coffee and not this electrifying trio. (These are the struggles of falling for fictional characters, my people; let this be a lesson to you.)

Not much time has passed since Forsyth was bitten by the big one. And while I would like to say that I’m shocked that not much has changed, I’d be lying. If there is only one thing that the government does better than staying the same, it is getting worse. It is good that Mr. Homicidal Nut Bar is no longer running the show at R&D, but there are plenty of people at SPECTR who would much rather ignore the problems that led to that island showdown. And who really really want to use our guys as scape-goats/punching bags. So while their lives are probably not in immediate danger, there is not a lot of love going around the office.

But there is a new hire–and she is pretty damn awesome. After meeting John’s new partner I can only hope that Zahira does not end up being a kick-ass super villain (because I don’t think she could be any other kind). The people in these guy’s lives tend to have more than one face (probably literally, in some cases), and I can’t help but think there is more to Miss Twenty Questions than meets the eye. But, for now I like her, and I hope the guys don’t end up having to kill her in some gruesome, if tragic, way.

This is very much the beginning chapter for these guys–or at least the beginning of a Part II. There is a lot of set-up going on–introducing characters and groups that will probably play a much bigger part later on–but still a very good story. Lots of action, lots of biting, and lots of rubber duckies.

Oh, and highly improper use of a balcony railing (though no one, and I do mean no one is going to complain about that).

I only have good things to say about this book. It was a great beginning and I am so incredibly excited to see where these guys are headed next. Waiting for the next book in this series is probably going to kill me, but in the mean-time I think a reread of our SPECTR boys is definitely in the cards. I don’t think I could ever have enough of John, Caleb, and Gray. So, yeah…

“This was good?” he asks John, because this is still so new.

Caleb snorts, in the space where their minds touch. “Dude, he screamed your name so loud the neighbors probably heard it over the thunder.”

Even so. I would not take this for granted.

Oblivious to their exchange, John rewards him with a soft, contented smile. “Yeah,” he says, leaning into Gray. “It was good.”

RATING:

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