The Challenge Factory discussion

(Whyborne & Griffin, Book #2)

Introverted scholar Percival Endicott Whyborne wants nothing more than to live quietly with his lover, ex-Pinkerton detective Griffin Flaherty. Unfortunately, Whyborne's railroad tycoon father has other ideas, namely hiring Griffin to investigate mysterious events at a coal mine.

Whyborne, Griffin, and their friend Christine travel to Threshold Mountain, a place of dark legend even before the mine burrowed into its heart. A contingent of Pinkertons-including Griffin's ex-lover Elliot-already guard the mine. But Griffin knows better than anyone just how unprepared the detectives are to face the otherworldly forces threatening them.

Soon, Whyborne and Griffin are on the trail of mysterious disappearances, deadly accidents, and whispered secrets. Is Elliot an ally, or does he only want to rekindle his relationship with Griffin? And if so, how can Whyborne possibly hope to compete with the stunningly handsome Pinkerton-especially when Griffin is hiding secrets about his past?

For in a town where friends become enemies and horror lurks behind a human mask, Whyborne can't afford to trust anything-including his own heart.

Checking in.

Me too!

Kelsey, I need to start this on Monday. Will you be ready?

Yes! :)

Did you read Eidolon? I can lend it to you if you have time to read it.

Kelsey wrote: "Did you read Eidolon? I can lend it to you if you have time to read it."

No, I have not read Eidolon, but I did do something stupid. I bought the remaining books in this series. Shame on me!

Why is that stupid?! I think I will read them all eventually. You won't?

Do you want me to lent you Eidolon?

Yes, I would appreciate the loan. It's short enough to squeeze in before tomorrow, and I'll still be able to finish the book I'm currently reading.

Stupid because when I read the first one about a year ago I was sure I wouldn't continue the series although I enjoyed the book. IDK, there's something about the supernatural element that I normally shy away from, perhaps from reading too much Laurell K. Hamilton, Stephen King, and Peter Straub years ago. When I did the re-read a few days ago I was thoroughly impressed with the balance between the prn, great writing, plot and character development, snarky humor, and (dare I mention?) the heat between Whyborne and Griffin.

Thanks! I'm reading it now.

:) No problem! I don't remember what happens (shrugs), but I rated it high.

Chapters 1-5

I love Christine. I want to grow-up to be her.

(view spoiler)[Poor Whyborne! He is so shy and lacking confidence - but not in that annoying way like Nik from A Royal Affair. I get him and I want to hug him sometimes.

And that Mr. Manning is going to be trouble. Stupid, handsome exes. No one needs that around. (hide spoiler)]

Sorry, Kelsey. I'm just starting this now. Outlander On Demand had me in its grips and would not let go!

That's no problem - take your time. I'm in the throws of proposal and final project writing hell, so I'll make progress, but I won't finish it tonight.

Kelsey wrote: "Chapters 1-5

I love Christine. I want to grow-up to be her.

Poor Whyborne! He is so shy and lacking confidence - but not in that annoying way like Nik from A Royal Affair. I get h..."

Yes, I agree with all of the above, but especially your opinion of Elliot Manning. T R O U B L E!

I have read eleven chapters, and I'm still clueless about what is actually hoing on.

CHAPTER 12
(view spoiler)[
So I'm not surprised the reporter didn't show up and has probably met with foul play. I am curious about the ammonia odor. What do you think it means? Eau de decaying ocean creature? (Yeah, Lou, that hangs out in a mine.) Lol
And what about the scratches? (hide spoiler)]

CHAPTER 13 @51%

(view spoiler)[
Giant crustaceans and crabs Oh My?? (hide spoiler)]

A few random questions and thoughts:
(view spoiler)[
Well, things sure aren't getting any better for our heroes. These creatures are fugly as hell! Is anyone who they say they are? People change when they go into the woods. I'm thinking something like body snatchers? Didn't our resident Adonis emerge from the woods with a BS explanation about what happened? Please tell me again why we should trust him? (hide spoiler)]

CHAPTER 18
I HAVE NO WORDS!!!
(view spoiler)[
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[image error] (hide spoiler)]

Phew! I finished. (view spoiler)[
I enjoyed it, but I am quite glad it's over. I have officially overdosed on paranormal and need a palate cleanse. There will not be any creatures in the next book I read if I have advance warning. (hide spoiler)]

Lou~❧Powerless Over 1-Click❧ wrote: "I have read eleven chapters, and I'm still clueless about what is actually hoing on."

I'm 7.5 chapters in and I feel the same way. Hope it all comes to light soon?

Kelsey wrote: "Lou~❧Powerless Over 1-Click❧ wrote: "I have read eleven chapters, and I'm still clueless about what is actually hoing on."

I'm 7.5 chapters in and I feel the same way. Hope it all comes to light..."
Kelsey, I've hidden this comment in a spoiler because I don't want to influence your experience. You may choose to postpone reading it until after you've finished the book. No plot points are revealed.
(view spoiler)[
The light will eventually shine, and at times you may wish for darkness. (Or at least some barrier between you and the "atmosphere", yeah that's what I'll call it!) JLH is a fantastic writer. When she paints a scene you are there . . . seeing, smelling, touching, tasting whatever she has popping off the page. For me, this was good to a point, but I must admit sometimes I needed a break from situations that were eerie, creepy, and appallingly gross. Yes, the romantic interludes and snarky humor provided some relief, but I was torn between wanting to know how it ends and just wanting it to end so I could escape. On a more positive note, learning more about Griffin's past was definitely a plus. (hide spoiler)]

Btw, you have no idea how badly I want to correct my typo. Hoing on indeed!

Honestly, did not notice the typo until you pointed it out. My brain did that thing where it knew what you actually meant so it read it as "going" anyway. You gave yourself away. ;)

I read your comment and I can understand what you mean, though I am not the same way about the "eerie, creepy and gross." I definitely like that aspect, but I think I tend to be more into sci-fi books than you. If it was a movie, I'd likely have your perspective.

I'm partway through Chapter 10. I'm excited to see where the book goes from here, but though I survived proposal hell, I still have final assignments to get through, so I probably have another day or two before I finish the book. It's a good thing you ran through it in one night so I didn't hold you up.

I hear you. Keep reading. You are only on Chapter 10, so the drama is just unfolding.
*Ha-ha* I'm sorry work is interfering with your reading. I usually wait for my buddy to catch up, but I committed to an overwhelming total of eight BRs this month as well as my usual challenges. I just needed to feel like I had accomplished something by striking this one off the list. Thank God for spoiler notes. I promise to keep up with your comments and share the experience with you as you progress.

I've made it to Chapter 17. They just had the run-in in the woods with the fucked-up-alien-surgery-humans and now Mr.Hicks has come back possessed. The possession scares me more than the monster people. And Whyborne thinks Griffin cheated on him, but I suspect he's wrong. Christine is still as awesome as ever.

Lol! Kelsey, you do have a way with words. I don't know if I would call it possessed, but Hicks certainly has been changed. There were quite a few things going on with these folks. The dynamic beyween Whyborne and Griffin is interesting. Essentially, they share the same belief about each other: Eventually he'll leave me because I'm not good enough for him. Isn't it fascinating how our perceptions of the way others see/feel about us is often based on our own negative experiences and insecurities rather than reality? More will be revealed about Mr. Griffin.

Chapter 20.

I now know it's not possession, it's BRAIN-SWAPPING! Eek!

You are right about perceptions. I was actually taken aback when Griffin broke-down about not being good enough for Whyborne. Maybe the clues were there (e.g. his reaction to Whyborne's parent's house), but since we see him through Whyborne's eyes, I perceived him as this confident, adjusted man like Whyborne did/does. This reveal was definitely enlightening. And of course, the real-life application of this whole idea of insecurities vs. realities is not a new topic for you and me. We could probably write entire papers on it. If only I could remember to apply it to myself instead of it just making it easier to empathize with others...

Kelsey wrote: "Chapter 20.

I now know it's not possession, it's BRAIN-SWAPPING! Eek!

You are right about perceptions. I was actually taken aback when Griffin broke-down about not being good enough for Whyborne..."

Ha-ha. We could write a freaking treatise on the subject. Internalizing and applying knowledge which contradicts our negative self-evaluation takes time and practice. Changing core beliefs, no matter how false, is not easy! But it also is not impossible....

Strange happenings. All of your spoiler posts said "spoiler removed" earlier. Now they are back and readable. Did you do that or was it a system glitch?

It was freaking GRs. The site had its ups and downs this morning. It was very unstable as I kept getting those "an unexpected error has occurred..." messages, until I finally got frustrated enough to give up. I never noticed my spoilers had been removed, but you probably didn't miss anything spectacular.

I'm kinda glad I know it was a site-wide (is that even a word?????) issue and not just on our thread as I would need to ponder whether some of the denizens of Threshold were coming after my ass. *Dun-dun dunnnn*
Cue Twilight Zone music here....