Wicked Gentlemen

By: Ginn Hale

Narrated by: Antony Ferguson

Length: 7 hrs and 17 mins

Publisher's summary

Belimai Sykes is many things: a Prodigal, the descendant of ancient demons, a creature of dark temptations and rare powers. He is also a man with a brutal past and a dangerous addiction.

And Belimai Sykes is the only man Captain William Harper can turn to when faced with a series of grisly murders.

But Mr. Sykes does not work for free, and the price of Belimai's company will cost Captain Harper far more than his reputation.

From the ornate mansions of noblemen, where vivisection and sorcery are hidden beneath a veneer of gold, to the steaming slums of Hells Below, Captain Harper must fight for justice and for his life.

His enemies are many and his only ally is a devil he knows too well. Such are the dangers of dealing with the wicked.

Contains mature themes.

©2007 Ginn Hale (P)2019 Tantor

it needs work on writing there'sa lotof loose part

the story about the lord of the white hell was much better than this one

Hidden gem of a story

This was a really interesting world - one MC is a descendant of demons, doesn't work well with the light, has some magicky elements, has a darker vibe. The other MC is an inquisitor/religious captain. Enemies at the core.

There's an intriguing plot situation going on, some religious shenanigans, world building. Overall, just a really interesting read. I am hesitant to call this a genre romance though. There's a strong romantic element throughout the story, but the plot takes the forefront.

Also POV change midway between MCs and 1st to 3rd person - it worked in the audio, no clue how it would do on page.

Also also, this narrator sounds like John Oliver and I loved it lol.

Different in a good way

I really enjoyed listening to this book. It had an original concept, likeable characters and intriguing plot(s).
You won’t find any declarations of undying love here, but the characters’ feelings speak very loudly through their actions. It really floored me, how romantic this book was without any romantic words spoken.

Definitely an interesting book!

What an interesting twist of genres. The story swirves right into an amazingly rich tale about mystery, devotion and good ol' double agent thriller. Basically, imagine that back when the forces of Angels and Demons were engaged in holy battle, the side of demons surrendered and integrated with humans under strict sanctions. Fast forward a few millennia, and we see the end results are racism, wild inequality, and injustice. The demons are clearly second rate citizens.. Enter our MC, an agent of the inquisition, a wildly corrupt organization with the purpose of keeping the demon decendents in line. Thus follows a wild ride! The world building is fantastic, as are the characters. The two MCs, as well as the other characters are well defined and believable. The narration is well done and the story does a great job of explaining the setting and character without treating the reader like they need their hand held. All in all, I'd recommend the book. It's a nice weekend listen.

Even Better In Audio

Audiobook review. Narrator: Antony Ferguson

I read this book many years ago when it came out in paperback. While looking through Audible for new LGBT books, I was surprised to see this book out as an audiobook.

I've listed to Antony Ferguson narrator the Barker and Llewelyn series and love his voice, so I was quite happy that he was the narrator for this audiobook. He did a fantastic job although at the beginning I heard 'Barker' instead of 'Harper', but that's no fault of Mr Ferguson.

Although I had read the book before, it was so long ago that I'd forgotten many details. I did end up loving the story the second time around as much as I'd loved it the first. The book is actually in two parts: the first part is in the first-person POV of Belimai Sykes, a Prodigal descendant of ancient demons, and the second part is in the first-person POV of William Harper, a Captain in the Inquisition. The parts are sequential rather than concurrent.

The author does a great job of pulling the reader into a unique world by showing us how things work, which is not an easy thing to do with a world this complicated. My only 'complaint' is that the author hasn't written more in this universe. As far as I know, this is the only book. The universe is so rich with potential, I continue to hope that one day we'll have some back-stories of Prodigal lives.

Two buddy tales novellas

Ginn Hale’s Wicked Gentlemen creates an interesting world set in what is appears an Edwardian time period, but with a theocratic governmental structure. In addition, hell’s demons have left that realm and taken up residence on Earth. They have evolved to the lowest socioeconomic strata. The two main characters are a demon with a checkered history and a priest / police detective who begin with a pro-fessional relationship but develops into a romantic thing. In the first tale, they work to solve a murder, while in the second, rampant corruption within the police puts both of their lives at risk.

Hale basically has recast West Side Story motif in a unique environment. From a police procedural standpoint, the crafting and executing is well done. In the second tale, as the corruption seems too embedded in the system, the investigator is forced to go ‘dirty harry’ to set things right.

The narration is reasonable with adequate character distinction. Both tales are short making for a quick listen.

Prodigal Priest

Opposites may attract, but how could a priest become entangled with a demon, especially when the demon seems doomed? Gritty and raw, this journey into darkness and back grips from the start.