Reviewed by Vicki
TITLE: Bloodline
SERIES: Whyborne & Griffin #5
AUTHOR: Jordan L. Hawk
PUBLISHER: Self Published
LENGTH: 222 pages
BLURB:
Between his bullying father and dissolute brother, Percival Endicott Whyborne has quite enough problematic family members to deal with. So when his sister returns to Widdershins asking for help solving the mystery of a derelict ship, Whyborne is reluctant to get involved. Until, that is, a brutal murderer strikes, leaving Whyborne and his lover Griffin no choice but to take the case.
The investigation leads them deep into a conspiracy of blackmail, murder, and darkest sorcery. But worst of all are the secrets held within the family itself, one of which will destroy everything Whyborne believed to be true, not only about his family, but about himself.
REVIEW:
Oh wow… Where to start with this book? How about here: It was AWESOME! Just exactly what I want from Jordan L. Hawk and a Whyborne and Griffin book. Complex, detailed, and amazing.
Here’s a brief look at who these men are in case you haven’t read the previous books, which you need to do before you read Bloodline. It is not a stand alone novel, you’ll be lost if you haven’t read the others.
Percival Endicott Whyborne is a shy, lonely scholar, living in Widdershins, a bizzaro town on the east coast of American in the late 1800’s. He has many issues… He’s gay, although no one knows at the beginning of the first book, he’s a brilliant scholar who chose not to follow in his father’s footsteps, and he’s tall, gawky and shy. He works for the Ladysmith Museum researching archaic languages and hides himself away. His one potential love has died and he isn’t willing to take the chance again.
Griffin Flaherty is an ex Pinkerton agent (a detective agency started during the mid 1800’s) who had some nasty shit go down that scared him bad enough to leave Chicago and make for new lands. He settles in Widdershins and starts his own private investigation business. He’s of Irish decent, but was abandoned by his parents and adopted by a family in Kansas. He’s got his own set of issues, he’s also gay (but not inexperienced), and is terrified of basements, caves and the like due to a very traumatic incident. There’s some family drama with him as well.
So Whyborne, as he prefers to be called, and Griffin meet in Widdershins (the book) and have a fantastic adventure. It turns out Whyborne is a magic user of a sort, and the two of them get involved in several “cases” over several books. They also begin a very careful relationship. Whyborne is so very repressed, but damn, when Griffin gets him to bed it is lovely and hot! Griffin is much more experienced, but is damaged, again due to past crap. They are the perfect mates for each other, balancing out the others fears and issues. Their story continues on over the series of amazing books, taking place in Widdershins and elsewhere, including a trip to Egypt that… well… both hurts and helps Whyborne. You’ll just have to read it! In each of these stories Whyborne learns more about his magic, his background, and becomes more and more of a bad-ass. A gawky bad-ass, but still! Griffin has issues with him using his magic, and they fight over it at least once a book. But he and Griffin work together very well, both as a couple, living together and carefully maintaining a “friendship” outside their home, but committed lovers at home. With the help of the ever obnoxious Christine, they get themselves in to and out of much trouble.
Then we come to Bloodline. What an amazing book. There is a lot going on with this one. It really features Whyborne’s family drama. A little background: his father is an epic asshole, running a huge business, his brother is a homophobic bastard. His mother has been sick from some unknown illness since Whyborne and his twin sister were born. Only Whyborne survived. He also has a sister that has been in England married and producing an heir. This sister, Guinevere, has returned to Widdershins and promptly gets herself in deep trouble. This draws Whyborne and Griffin in to a dark mystery that reveals much about the lineage of the Endicott family. Two cousins have journeyed to America with Guinevere, Theodore and Fiona Endicott, who are also magic users. At first it seems Whyborne may have found some true friends, but not all is as it appears. Fiona and Theodore are not a good influence on Whyborne. He and Griffin again clash over his use and misuse of his magic. Much drama unfolds with this whole plot line, but I don’t want to give it away! Lots of magic, some odd critters from the sea, drifting ships of death, major family revelations, and a fantastic ending.
Then we have the continuing love story of Whyborne and Griffin. They go through a lot as a couple, over all of this books, but this one is particularly rough. It seems so good when we start, Whyborne’s mother has accepted their relationship just fine, his father doesn’t approve at all, but seems to have accepted that it is what it is. But Stanford the brother is a fucktard about it and bullies Whyborne mercilessly. Threatening exposure and potentially murder. Then the influence of Fiona and Theodore doesn’t help. Plus some shit about Whyborne comes out that makes him question his suitability as a mate for Griffin. It was heartbreaking at times, sweet and lovely at others. A bit of sex here and there, and tears for them and for me. Then the ending… The ending of the main plot line was of course fantastic but then there is a little bit after all the drama is over that was absolutely perfect. I cried good tears that time!
Jordan L. Hawk is one of the more creative writers in this genre. Her books are historical, heavily researched for accuracy, but paranormal as well. It all works so well. I absolutely believe that everything that happens in this world is possible. It is our world, our history, but it’s not. In one book Whyborne complains bitterly about electric lights and how they ruin everything, they travel by train, carriage, and ship, it’s very Victorian. But there are monsters and magic. Especially in the fucked up town of Widdershins. It’s all so cool. The commonplace life they live, cooking dinner, they have a cat, moving from Whyborne’s bed one night to Griffin’s then next so their housekeeper won’t notice only one bed has been slept in. Then fighting water monsters, Egyptian gods, burning down an insane asylum, and fighting beings from another dimension. It’s all just so amazing.
I can see that this series isn’t for everyone, it is historical and paranormal, if you are only a fan of contemporary it may not do much for you. But if you are a reader of historicals give these a try, the paranormal stuff blends in really well, although they can be creepy. If you’re a paranormal fan, you’ll get that as well. Holy crap will you. To bring it back to Bloodline specifically, it is an absolutely fantastic addition to the series. Maybe not as creepy as a couple of the books have been, the focus is much smaller, just on the Whyborne and Endicott family drama and history, but it’s incredible. I cannot wait for the next one!
I apologize if this review is a bit scattered, I finished Bloodline at GRL and I’m on the plane while writing this. I saw Jordan L. Hawk at the event and sat in on a panel she was on about historical romances. She is as amazing as she seems. She is planning more for Whyborne and Griffin!
RATING: 
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