Reviewed by Chris
TITLE: Shaker of Earth
SERIES: SPECTR Series 2, #5
AUTHOR: Jordan L. Hawk
PUBLISHER: Self-Published
LENGTH: 117 pages
RELEASE DATE: September 14, 2018
BLURB:
Charleston is reeling beneath the onslaught of demons unleashed by the vampire spirit Drugoy and his human host Yuri. Alone and drained almost to the point of death, Gray and Caleb must make their way across a city gone mad in hopes of putting an end to Yuri and Dru. But the other drakul isn’t the only enemy they have to worry about.
After the death of a rogue agent at Gray’s teeth, John’s faith in his lovers has been badly shaken. But when SPECTR Chief Barillo orders the vampire destroyed by any means possible, John and his allies find themselves in a race to find Gray and Caleb before their fellow SPECTR agents.
Because their only hope of stopping Yuri and Dru is by working together. And if they fail to unite, the streets of Charleston will run red with blood.
REVIEW:
It’s not the fall that kills you…it’s the landing.
Caleb and Gray have lost everything. SPECTR is gunning for them, literally. Yuri and Drugoy have betrayed them. And worst of all, John told them to leave and never come back. They have been in some dark places before, but stuck to the earth with rebar and chains, after Dru had bled them almost dry, is probably as close to a permanent end as they have ever gotten.
And if that isn’t bad enough, Dru and Yuri have unleashed hell onto Charleston, infecting dozens upon dozens of people with NHEs as they wreak havoc on the city. With the city in chaos and no hope of backup, Caleb and Gray must find a way to stop the drakul before everything they hold dear is left in blood and ash. Because even if John never wishes to see them again, Caleb and Gray refuse to let him fall to anyone’s hand.
Back after one hell of a cliffhanger, Shaker of Earth uses the last book in the SPECTR second series to throw everything at our three main characters. Jam packed with action, this story feels very much like the finale episode of a TV show’s season. Not a great place to pick up the series for the first time, but instead a reward for everyone who has stuck with the series as it has grown over the previous ten books. All three of our MCs are forced to fight tooth, nail, and gun with a wide array of NHEs as well as Dru and Yuri. Lives are on the line, and with the guys separated it quickly becomes clear that this time a happy ending might just be too much to hope for. That being the case, each scene draws the reader in, and keeps them there with bated breath, as each second can end in catastrophe.
But that doesn’t mean the book doesn’t know when to take a breath. Interspersed between fights with Grendels, werewolves, and Dru, there are moments where the story takes time to make sure that the reader still has reasons to care. I especially liked the scenes with family from the car. They not only brought some levity to the story, but added a much needed human element. Readers are going to care about John, Gray, and Caleb no matter what, but having a group of people who need to be defended added an extra bit of tension and weight to the fights that connect to them.
While I don’t think this book on its own is perfect, as a final chapter to this series it was great. I would suggest rereading at least Breaker of Chains before picking this one up, though, since this is the culmination of all the major events in that story.
Having greatly enjoyed both Series 1 & 2, I’m thrilled to know that a Series 3 is in the offing. And after the ending in this book, I’m very curious about how things are going to play out in this new situation. Until then, I’m happy to report that this series closes out with a bang you are not gonna want to miss.
RATING:
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