Reviewed by Annika
TITLE: Widdershins 
SERIES: Whyborne & Griffin #1
AUTHOR: Jordan L. Hawk
NARRATOR: Julian G. Simmons
PUBLISHER: Self-Published
RELEASE DATE: May 24, 2013
LENGTH: 9 hours, 15 minutes
BLURB:
Some things should stay buried.
Repressed scholar Percival Endicott Whyborne has two skills: reading dead languages and hiding in his office at the Ladysmith Museum. After the tragic death of the friend he secretly loved, he’s ruthlessly suppressed any desire for another man.
So when handsome ex-Pinkerton Griffin Flaherty approaches him to translate a mysterious book, Whyborne wants to finish the job and get rid of the detective as quickly as possible. Griffin left the Pinkertons following the death of his partner, hoping to start a new life. But the powerful cult which murdered Glenn has taken root in Widdershins, and only the spells in the book can stop them. Spells the intellectual Whyborne doesn’t believe are real.
As the investigation draws the two men closer, Griffin’s rakish charm threatens to shatter Whyborne’s iron control. When the cult resurrects an evil sorcerer who commands terrifying monsters, can Whyborne overcome his fear and learn to trust? Will Griffin let go of his past and risk falling in love? Or will Griffin’s secrets cost Whyborne both his heart and his life?
REVIEW:
Whyborne is many things; brilliant, speaks a dozen, forgive me 13 languages, passionate about his job at the Laydysmith Museum and he’s not having his best day when he first meets Griffin, the suave ex-Pinkerton in the midst of an investigation and in need of translating a mysterious book. It’s not long before unexplainable things starts happening. Unexplainable and dangerous and it’s up to Whyborne and Griffin to stop it before it’s too late and the world as they know it will cease to exist.
Whyborne and Griffin… The scholar and the ex-Pinkerton. They are about as different as two men can be. Yet so utterly perfect for each other. They fit, make sense and it was fun to watch them dance around each other, feeling the other out before finally coming together. I also have a weak spot for Whyborne, there’s something about his shyness and brilliance that speaks to me.
Julian Simmons was a new narrator to me. Finding new to me narrators is something I always look forward to. I love me some variations of voices. While Simmons might not end up on my favourite narrators list he’s definitely one that I’d happily listen to again. There’s only one thing speaking against him, and that’s his mostly monotone delivery. Sadly it never fails to make my mind drift more often than not and making me having to go back and re-listen to parts to know what’s going on. On the plus side, he had a wonderful and soothing voice and great pacing. Another thing that I really loved was some of his accents. They weren’t all the way credible, but they lightened the mood a bit. (and they were only minor roles, so it was never annoying).
Widdershins was a very promising start to an interesting series. I enjoyed the world building and possibilities and can’t wait to see what these two men get up to next, because something tells me that trouble will always wait just around the corner.
RATING: 
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