Review: Eater of Lives by Jordan L. Hawk

Eater of Lives (SPECTR #4)
by Jordan L. Hawk

My Rating: 4 stars

Genre: Paranormal Romantic Suspense
Age Category: Adult
Type of romance: MM

Blurb:
When a supernatural killer is implicated in a string of cannibalistic murders, federal exorcist John Starkweather must track the demon down with the help of his live-in lover, Caleb Jansen. Caleb is possessed by Gray, a vampire spirit who is a natural demon hunter.

Caleb’s desire to find the killer is tempered by the knowledge his own time is running out. If John can’t successfully figure out how to exorcise Gray before forty days are up, the possession becomes permanent.

When John’s ex shows up, looking for a place to stay while visiting the city on business, tensions mount even higher. Lines are drawn and Caleb learns some decisions, once made, can never be changed.

My Review

Eater of Lives is the fourth story in the SPECTR series. This book has a lot going on, as usual there is another case and another Non Human Entity that the main characters must hunt. Besides that one of the higher ups from the research development is taking an interest in Caleb and Grey and they aren’t quite sure what he wants. Then there is John’s ex who is back in town. As well as the fact that Caleb only has 9 days left to get rid of Gray before the possession becomes permanent. So the two main characters have their hands full trying to deal with everything.

This was a great read, although a bit high on the drama too, which worked well for the most part. Caleb and John are a bit on shaky terms, John might be developing feelings for Grey and then his ex is back in town as well ans he’s not telling Caleb what he plans to do with Gray. While Caleb struggles to with the fact their cases always take precedence over him. He and Gray go through some things as well and I liked their conversations, but also feel a bit sad for Gray. The Gray storyline didn’t go where I had expected it to go, but that might still happen later.

The case is another creepy one with a possessed women who turns cannibalistic. There are a few scenes from her point of view as well, which really show the horror of being possessed as well as her struggle to deal with a mental illness. While short, those scenes could be quite unsettling, even more so when you know what her fate might be. And then our main characters try to discover who the possessed person is before it’s too late. There are a few clues and twists, but it’s relatively straightforward investigation which worked here and I liked how the final clue came from an unexpected source.

One of my favorite parts of this series is learning more about Gray, it’s so interesting and I like how different his character is. He clearly isn’t human and doesn’t understand some human concepts, but he is alive and has feelings and emotions and goals. It’s really interesting to read about. It’s sad to see Caleb struggle with the entity inside of him on on hand and on the other hand working together with him as well and communicating. I think I know where the possession plot line is going and I kinda want to just get there already as I want to know how things get resolved and what happens next.

I didn’t really care about the drama surrounding John’s ex is back in town. Its gives an insight in John’s past and the role Will had in that. It also creates some unnecessary drama and creates a bit of a rift between John and Caleb. Their connection and romance doesn’t feel as strongly in this one and they add some secrets and miscommunication to that mix as well. While on the other hand part of their struggles is because they care so much.

The ending ends with quite the cliffhanger and I am not sure what’s going to happen next and how they’ll deal with this, but I am curious to find out.

To summarize: this was another solid read in this series. The main characters have quite a lot to deal with this in this book, with a new case as well as personal struggles. The few scenes from the possessed person’s point of view were creepy and added a bit of chill and really show the horror of being possessed. The romance between Calab and John is a bit on rocky ground in this book, with john’s ex being back in town as well as some secrets and miscommunication added to the mix. I didn’t really care for the ex drama, but it did make them question a few things about their relationship and how serious it is. I liked the additional insights we get into Gray’s personality in this book. And with the cliffhanger ending I am quite curious what the next book will bring.

Links:
– Goodreads
– Bookbub
– Amazon
– B&N
– Kobo

You can also read my review on Goodreads and Bookbub.