Hemovore by Jordan Castillo Price Audiobook Review

Mark Hansen thought working as artist’s assistant would be glamorous, especially if that artist was a vampire. Black tie events, witty repartee, gracing the pages of the local style section… Didn’t happen. Not even once.

Jonathan Varga is an enigma. True, he’s quiet, generous, and scrupulously polite. But he has zero social life, refuses to be interviewed or photographed, and insists he can only consume feline blood.

Why supermarket blood won't suffice, Mark hasn’t asked. He’s rarely at a loss for words—he can dish an insult and follow it with a snap as quick as you can say “Miss Thang.” But one look at Jonathan’s black-as-sin gypsy eyes, and Mark’s objections drain away.

So he endures the perpetual grind of their routine: Jonathan hiding in his studio, swiping black paint onto black canvases. Mark hurling insults while he buffs the office to a shine with antiviral wipes. Each of them avoiding the other in a careful choreography…until a blurb in Art in America unleashes a chain of harrowing events.

As secrets from Jonathan’s past are brought to light, it becomes clear that all his precautions weren’t nearly enough.

Second expanded edition includes bonus novelette Sweet.

Audiobook Details
Length: 10 hrs, 25 mins
Narrator: Joel Leslie

Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
Amazon Audiobook  ~  Audible  ~  iTunes
~  Available with KindleUnlimited  ~

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Angela – ☆☆☆☆☆
I absolutely loved this audiobook. Mark and Jonathan's journey is like no vampire story I've encountered before, much less as a romance. This is my first book by Jordan Castillo Price and I'm at a loss as to how I've not read this author before.

I don't even know how to adequately explain how much I enjoyed Hemovore, but as someone who lived with HIV+ person for nearly a decade, I could understand on a basic level the concerns that Mark had when it came to contracting the Hemovore virus from Jonathan. Fortunately, HIV is not transmitted through casual contact as the Hemovore virus is in the world Price has created, so I did not have to be as cautious as Mark did. I cannot imagine spending so much time with someone I loved or even cared about and never being able to touch them – then again, that was often how many people treated those who were HIV+ in the early days of the disease and the parallels that Price draws in the novel are a stark and frightening reminder of how badly people were and still are, in some cases, treated. The addition of the threat from Jonathan's past does an excellent job of propelling the story and the relationship forward as the two men are put through the ringer as they try to survive a psychopath, evade law enforcement, and keep the implosion of their world from destroying them. Price does an excellent job of weaving the romance and the action and suspense together in a believable and easily rooted for manner. And Joel Leslie does a wonderful job of bringing Price's words and characters to life in such a way that I was hard pressed to press pause when the real world came knocking at my door (you know, work, sleep, feeding the dog, etc).

As I did not read the original version, I cannot comment on the revisions Price made to update the story. However, I can report that the added novelette, Sweet, was an absolute treat that I enjoyed immensely. So much so that I was compelled to create the teaser you’ll find in this post for a scene that almost made me spit my water out all over my laptop. Please excuse any typos or formatting errors as I was listening to the audiobook and not reading the text.

I already want to listen to Hemovore again so that I don't have to leave Mark and Jonathan behind, the world Price created for them, or the impressive narrative performance by Leslie that made the story even more entertaining.

Author and artist Jordan Castillo Price writes paranormal sci-fi thrillers colored by her time in the Midwest, from inner city Chicago, to various cities across southern Wisconsin. She’s recently settled in a 1910 Cape Cod near Lake Michigan with tons of character and a plethora of bizarre spiders. Her influences include Ouija boards, Return of the Living Dead, “light as a feather, stiff as a board,” girls with tattoos and boys in eyeliner.

Jordan is best known as the author of the PsyCop series, an unfolding tale of paranormal mystery and suspense starring Victor Bayne, a gay medium who’s plagued by ghostly visitations. Also check out her mind-bending trilogy Mnevermind, where memories are made… one client at a time.

Connect with Jordan

Facebook  ~  Twitter  ~  Google+  ~  Website  ~  Goodreads

Joel Leslie is a UK transplant, growing up with American parents in a British commonwealth.  A classically trained actor with an MFA in theatre from USC, he is often cast for his unique ability to deliver native, authentic combinations of American and British sounds. His great range and ability to bring characters to life with honesty, wit and versatility delights producers and listeners alike.

He is proud to have a strong following with m/m listeners and an ongoing relationship with some of the finest writers in the genre. He loves that every day he gets to share these beautiful, inspirational and empowering GLBT characters with the world.

His authors have praised him as “a narrator among narrators, a man whose ability to create different characters rests on the power of his voice and his impeccable delivery,” and a “true delight…" "his professionalism, good humor, and charm make him a dream to work with,” "Anyone else would only be second best.”

Joel has consistent access to his home studio for all production needs. When not in the booth he spends his time chasing after two loquacious wiener dogs.

Connect with Joel

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Angela reviewed her personal copy of Hemovore by Jordan Castillo Price, narrated by Joel Leslie for this post.