He doesn’t turn into a snob he just stops putting himself down all the time. By the end, he’s not only heroic but he owns his own heroism instead of being constantly self-deprecating. For someone who claims to have no skills, he’s usually the first to figure out what’s happening and to leap into action, even if the action is not effective. The most satisfying aspect of the book is seeing Whyborne learn to take credit for his own ingenuity and daring. The character development and romance development is pleasant but not compelling. Their romance is nice but it’s not very complex. In the course of the book, Griffin shows vulnerability and Whyborne becomes more confident.

Both of them are kind to others and easily accept Christine as a professional peer, unlike her other male coworkers and acquaintances. The characters were pretty one-dimensional for most of the story. Pretty soon the two of them (then usually the three of them, once Christine joins the team) are running away from a cult that has been creating monsters in an attempt to raise people from the dead. Whyborne becomes involved in a museum mystery when a detective, Griffin Flaherty, asks him to translate an encrypted book. He is also terrified of anyone finding out that he’s gay (because being gay is considered to be both immoral and illegal), and he’s guilt-stricken by the death of a previous lover. He was bullied as a child and is now bullied by other museum workers, with the exception of Dr.

Whyborne is shy and nervous, possibly to the point of having clinical anxiety. One of my frustrations with the book was that I just didn’t enjoy being inside Whyborne’s head for 222 pages. The book’s narrator is Percival Whyborne, the philologist (he speaks thirteen languages and reads more). Most of the action takes place in a giant museum, and I do love a good museum! There’s a mummy, and I do love a good mummy! Alas, the plot left much to be desired, and I found myself to be strangely bored. One of the supporting characters is a woman who struggles to be respected as an Egyptologist in a male-dominated field. It features a m/m romance in a fantasy Victorian setting between a private detective and a geeky, shy philologist. Widdershins should be my absolute catnip. Genre: Historical: European, LGBTQIA, Paranormal, Romance

Hexbreaker by Jordan L. Hawk