This book brought me disproportionately enjoyment for its download price of 0.99, as well as the discovery of the genre of Lovecraftian Romance (Who knew? Eldritch horrors, Victorian ambiance, purple prose, hidden passion!) All is not well is the creepy New England town of Widdershins, MA. Dashing private detective Griffin Flaherty is investigating the mysterious disappearance of a son of of one the town's prominent citizens. But he needs socially-awkward comparative philologist Percival Whyborne to help him decode an enigmatic ancient book left behind by the missing man. But Griffin is hiding his own secrets about a painful past... I love the developing relationship between Griffin and Whyborne, in their quest to solve the mystery, they also find romantic attachment with each other, which is not an easy thing to do in a Victorian era small town. The other thing I love about this book is its homage to classic Lovecraft (clearly a love letter to "The Case of Charles Dexter Ward"). I confess that after I read this book, I quickly dowloaded and enjoyed the rest of the series of Griffin & Whyborne's adventures. I haven't read many romance novels, much less specifically m/m pairings. At first, I was a little daunted by the graphic sex scenes- but my fondness for the characters (and they are lovable!) and the importance of the relationship to the developing story overcame initial squeamishness. I enjoyed this, especially the character of Whyborne. The poor guy's self-esteem is in the toilets but where he cannot stand up to bullies in normal circumstances, give him the supernatural and someone's life at risk, and he becomes a stand-up guy. As this is in the first person (why are so many books being written in the fist person ::whine::), I don't quite gel with Griffin but his complicated background is interesting.Another surprise, the sex is hot! I generally don't expect that from historical romances. On to the next!
What do You think about Widdershins (2012)?
Marvelous :) Would have preferred Griffin to be taller, but that's my only complaint.
—mandy
Wow. Blew me away. Loved it so much I got paperbacks on order, all of 'em.
—Jane
I really loved this book. Now I need to buy the others in the series...
—MrsFindo
