Tag: A Mika Review

A Mika Review: One Snowy Night by Louise Lyons

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

onesnowynight-savoyfontMain character, Keith Brambles, is an up and coming British singer. He has had one disastrous first date after another, finding most men are only interested because of who he is. After yet another failed meeting, he sets off for home, driving too fast for the conditions. He loses control of his car in the snow and finds himself stranded – with no mobile phone signal and an outfit completely unsuitable for braving the freezing conditions.

Just as Keith has begun to think he’s destined to spend a night in his car, possibly suffering from hypothermia, a potential rescuer arrives, but Keith wonders whether he might have more to fear from the man, than the weather.

I enjoyed this sexy short novel.  One Snowy Night by Louise Lyons is my first read by this author, and it makes me want to venture into more of her writing. I liked the characters. However, I wanted more of the story, and wish it was a full length novel. I was glad to see the author was different in her representation of Keith’s love interest. I think Keith expected Mike to be some bigoted biker guy, and was gladly shown otherwise. I liked the contrast between both guys, not just in looks but personality either. Mike was sweet, and very protective during the time that Keith was there. I liked Keith as well. I’d love to see these guys in a full length novel some times, or maybe another short.

Cover Art by ?: I did not understand the link between the story or cover. It did not match up to anything in the story at all. I think it’s nice, but very misleading.

Sales Links:  Wayward Ink Publishing | All Romance (ARe) | Amazon | Buy It Here

Book Details:

Kindle Edition, 26 pages
Published March 15th 2015 by Wayward Ink Publishing
ASINB00TXHK0PG
edition languageEnglish

A Mika Review: Death’s Ink-Black Shadow (More Heat Than the Sun #6) by John Wiltshire

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Death's Ink Black Shadow coverIt takes a certain kind of courage to live as if favored by the gods, ignoring the ever-present ghosts of your past—or perhaps not bravery, but arrogance. And maybe not even that. Ben genuinely believes that the past is behind them—that they deserve to enjoy the life they have created. So it’s not hubris that leads him to overlook the signs that Nikolas does not share his faith, it’s love. But Nikolas knows something is coming. He can’t stop it; he can only decide how he will choose to face it. And without Ben’s support, he is entirely alone.

Honestly, I was so underwhelmed reading this! Nothing magnificent happened, nothing explosive. Everything was meh.  I’ve seen everything here before in other stories so I saw it coming here. It’s getting repetitive with Nik shutting Ben out, Ben getting whiny and doing something extreme. Ben finding out the truth that was right there in front of his face, and feeling bad about how he acted, it was underwhelming to say the least.

I found myself coasting along throughout the book. It did not feel like the usual emotional journey that J.W presents us with. I’m finding myself thinking it’s the same scenario with these two just different settings with a regurgitation of their feelings. 

There was one seen where I felt a spark of something good happening, but after the truth came to light then noothing spectacular happened further in the book. I think the problem is that we’ve built this series up to be so amazing, and not it’s in book 6.

What more is there to happen with this couple? I think they need a good therapy session because we can’t continue to go through this! Of course I’ll continue the series, but I’m going in extremely cautions with the next book.

Cover Art by: I like the cover, I don’t know the reason behind it. I’m still not sure about it. It’s beautifully done though.

Sales Links:  MLR  Press  |  All Romance (ARe)  |  Amazon  |  Buy It Here

Book Details:

ebook, 239 pages
Published June 19th 2015 by MLR Press
original titleDeath’s Ink-Black Shadow (More Heat Than the Sun, #6)
edition languageEnglish
seriesMore Heat Than the Sun #6

Books in the Series:

Love is a Stranger (More Heat Than the Sun #1)
Conscious Decisions of the Heart (More Heat Than the Sun #2)
The Bridge of Silver Wings (More Heat Than the Sun, #3)
This Other Country (More Heat Than the Sun, #4)
The Bruise Black Sky (More Heat Than the Sun, #5)
Death’s Ink-Black Shadow (More Heat Than the Sun #6)

A Mika Review: Toy with Me (BFP: The Secrets Collection) by Annabelle Jacobs

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Toy With Me coverAaron is hiding something in his drawers—but that’s not his only secret.

When he moves in with his new housemates, Aaron intends to tell them about his sexuality from the outset. But a large pink item of a personal nature, given as a joke, scuppers his plans and he misses his chance.

Fellow housemate Rob is out and proud. He guesses Aaron is gay, and when he finds Aaron’s other secret concealed in his sock drawer, he takes it upon himself to help Aaron out with a little sexual experimentation.

I really enjoyed this novella. This was the perfect combination of roommates coming together. The writing was great, and the cast of characters were enjoyable as well. It was funny, charming, and a very sweet read. I really enjoyed Rob & Aaron. I would love for a continuation of their story. 

I liked Aaron’s vulnerability, and Rob had this protective streak a mile when it came to Aaron. The TENSION between the two was palpable. You can feel the angst on the page. It was so worth it. When they finally got together it was so HOT. I really liked this. It was a good introduction for me to this author’s style. I’m looking forward to reading more of her work.

Cover Art by ? I rather liked the cover. I thought it was very much Rob with his good looks, and kind heart. It was cute, and I thought it kept up with the series as the other covers.

Sales Links:  |  Amazon | Buy It Here

Book Details: 

Published June 19th 2015 by Blanket Fort Press (first published June 17th 2015)
original titleToy With Me
edition languageEnglish
seriesBFP: The Secrets Collection

The Secrets Collection:

 

 

A Mika Review: The Secret Casebook of Simon Feximal by K.J. Charles

Rating: 3.75 out of 5 stars

A story too secret, too terrifying—and too shockingly intimate—for Victorian eyes.



The Secret Casebook of Simon Fleximal coverA note to the Editor

Dear Henry,

I have been Simon Feximal’s companion, assistant and chronicler for twenty years now, and during that time my Casebooks of Feximal the Ghost-Hunter have spread the reputation of this most accomplished of ghost-hunters far and wide.

You have asked me often for the tale of our first meeting, and how my association with Feximal came about. I have always declined, because it is a story too private to be truthfully recounted and a memory too precious to be falsified. But none knows better than I that stories must be told.

So here is it, Henry, a full and accurate account of how I met Simon Feximal, which I shall leave with my solicitor to pass to you after my death.

I dare say it may not be quite what you expect.

Robert Caldwell
September 1914

I can’t believe I’m saying this I like it, but didn’t love The Secret Casebook of Simon Feximal by K.J. Charles as much as I normally do her  stories. I did not feel like the two mc’s were connected enough for me. I liked some of the stories, some were clever to read about, and a few had me re-reading the sentences to make sure I was reading them right. I’m pretty sure I was confused about the Pieball story, as well as the Priest story. I got it, but all the words in my head were not making sense at all.

As usual K.J. Charles has some memorable characters. I love reading her books, she gets the time frame, setting, and linguistics down packed every time. I liked the anthology style writing that was presented. We have Robert Caldwell who decided to write a short book in the 1900’s based on his experience with Simon Feximal the ghost hunter extraordinaire. From that first meeting to their presumed death was illustrated. It brought forth the introduction of numerous characters, some stand outs like The Fat Man<–*Swooning, Mycroft Holmes is the S***, the Diogenes Club, Miss Kay, Mr. Silence, and the utterly disgusting Mr. Park, and Dr. Berry.

I thought the cast was good, and some of the stories were scary. This is classified as romance and I felt like the relationship between Simon & Robert was nowhere to be found. I was underwhelmed with them. I don’t know if it was the nonexistent communication or the lack of love, but I was not into them like I found myself with her other characters from previous novels. Of course I’ll continue to read Charles’s writing, one not so good book does not disqualify her from being one of my favorite authors writing one of my favorite genres.

Cover Art by Kanaxa: I thought the cover is fitting. It’s the beginning between the two mc’s. The mirror is an important factor to Simon, as the house is important to Robert. I liked the cover; it definitely keeps up with the book setting as well.

Sales Links:Samhain Publishing ♦ All Romance (ARe)  ♦ Amazon   ♦Buy It Here

Book Details:

ebook, 224 pages
Published June 16th 2015 by Samhain Publishing
ISBN139781619228726
edition languageEnglish
seriesThe Secret Casebook of Simon Feximal

The Caldwell Ghost and Butterflies are previously published short stories. The Secret Casebook of Simon Feximal continues and completes Robert Caldwell and Simon Feximal’s story with primarily new material.

Product Warnings
Contains a foul-tempered Victorian ghost-hunter, a journalist who’s too curious for his own good, villainy, horror, butterflies, unusual body modifications, and a lot of tampering with the occult.

 

A Mika Review: Northland (The North Novels #2) by Cara Dee

Rating: 3.75 star out of 5 stars

A handsome young man in a knitted sweater in dramatic lighting.

Two years ago, Logan Ward got the surprise of his life when he discovered he was the father of a two-year-old boy. Professionally and romantically adrift, he devoted all his time and energy to caring for his son. But now he’s searching for something more, and he and Justin head north to Alaska to try out the life his best friend Quinn has been raving about.

Kyle Shaw has been living off the land his whole life, comfortable with nature and the challenges of surviving in the Alaskan wilderness. He enjoys his seasonal work at the O’Connor Adventure Retreat and is looking forward to this year’s stint. He’s not in the market for anything more than hard work, good friends, and reasonably priced milk.

The work brought Logan to Alaska. But a late-night encounter with Kyle opens his mind to the possibilities of a future richer than any paycheck.

I think that Northland by Cara Dee might be more of an instant love romance then the first story in the series. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed it. Kyle was like a flirty fiend in book one, and I wanted to know more about him and that happened here.

I liked Kyle a lot in this book. He was totally different this time. This story showed that he had all of these responsibilities that he wasn’t slacking on. Mmmm, I’m still thinking on Logan from the first half. I thought his treatment of Kyle in the beginning was really bad. To put someone in that position was so utterly selfish. What really sold me was the children. I love kids in my books. It brings this realistic tone into the story, add in the location for me and I found it enjoyable. 

I felt Kyle was true to himself in alot of ways. He was serious about his job, his family, and his friends. I liked that he was always on the move, and always willing to help someone first. Logan redeemed himself big time. He turned out to have the most patience with Lani.

Of course we got a glimpse of Quinn & Declan. As for Kyle & Logan together,  I think they mesh well together. They’re opposites with children, but were both looking for a family together. Let’s not forgot about the steamy scene which was bonuses in itself. I enjoyed them. This read like the ending of the series, with only two so far. Wonderful epilogue at the end.

Cover Art by ?: As simple as the cover art is and I do like it. I thought since the theme was children as well, that it would have been nicer with a little girl.

Sales Link:   Amazon     Buy It Here

Book Details:

Published May 26th 2015
edition languageEnglish
seriesThe North Novels #2

A Mika Review: Northbound (The North Novels #1) by Cara Dee

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

 

A handsome young man in a knitted sweater in dramatic lighting.

Quinn Sawyer didn’t apply for a temporary job at the remote O’Connor Adventure Retreat all the way in Alaska because he wants a change of scenery. He loves his sunny Florida, and he’s only heading north because he needs answers from Declan O’Connor, the man who dated Quinn’s aunt six years ago.

One day, Declan was just gone, and it had been the beginning of hell for Quinn. Most of his family suddenly hated him and still blames him for Declan ending the relationship with Quinn’s aunt, though nobody will tell Quinn why.

He deserves to know how it could’ve possibly been his fault, and he’s not going to let the crush he harbored for Declan stand in the way.

After finally tracking down Declan, Quinn gets on a plane. Or death machine, as he prefers to call it. But in his quest to find out the truth, he discovers there’s a lot more to the Land of the Midnight Sun than seeking answers.

I really liked Northbound (The North Novels #1) by Cara Dee. At first I didn’t know I felt  about seeing the potential for Quinn & Declan because they had a sort of past in each other’s life. They did beat around it in the story, and I don’t know how to feel about it, especially that Quinn would come searching for someone he had not see in a long time. I’m glad he did, because he was so much happier seeing Declan.

I also really enjoyed the setting of Alaska. It was a nice change of place and plans for a story. I now look at Alaska in a different way than I had before. It was so different than the way I live, considering I am apart of the lower 48. Haha. It was my trigger with the age-gap trope. I did enjoy seeing Declan & Quinn together. I thought they meshed together quite well. I would had love to see more of them and less of everything else, but I’m quite happy with the finished product.

Cover Art by Cara Dee: As simple as the cover art is and I do like it. I thought since the theme was children as well, that it would have been nicer with a little girl.

Sales Links:    Amazon    Buy It Here

Book Details:

Published April 28th 2015
edition languageEnglish
seriesThe North Novels #1

A Mika Review: The Bruise-Black Sky (More Heat Than the Sun #5) by John Wiltshire

Rating: 4 star out of 5 stars

The Bruise Black Sky coverBen usually overlooks Nikolas’s occasionally jarring dissonance. Not this time. A deep rift, a terrible lie, separates them. Eleven thousand miles from Nikolas, in New Zealand, it’s bitter winter as Ben films the tragic story of a post-apocalyptic gladiator, a victim of his own personal darkness. But on receiving a death threat, Ben suspects the truth of actor Oliver Whitestone’s suicide. Someone doesn’t want this movie made. It’s fortunate for Ben, therefore, that dissonance is a state of unrest, a longing for completion. As if Nikolas would stay at home in disgrace while Ben Rider-Mikkelsen becomes the target of a crazed stalker…

Talk about secrets! Wow! Everyone is keeping a secret in The Bruise-Black Sky by John Wiltshire. I thought this was one of the funniest books out the series. Nik was hilarious. Nik who obviously doesn’t think he is good with kids is sadly mistaken. This kid Miles astounded me. Miles and Nik was so good together. In my hopeless mind I was picturing Nik with a son. HAH, I have this warm gooey feeling about him doing well. I hope I see Miles in future books. He was adorably cute.

This picks up a year or two later from the last book. As usual something drastic happens for Nik to go back to Aleskey’s Special Forces Nik! Ha, I said it. He went full metal jacket. Ben, who has his memories back, is back to being Ben… kind of.  I felt as though there was something off with him. I get it now reading the book. As usual they have their couple spats, and one does this “wrong” thing, and the other go pouts. This book, they were not playing around with each other. I mean, some indifferences had my heart beating wondering, if this was it.  Could Nik do anything ever so awful that Ben would leave him?

It’s a couple things in this book, that’s awful, but I find myself always forgiving Nik. I’m a complete tosser for Nik! 

Nik and Ben in AMERICA! It was funny from their view point. Nik loves Ben with everything he has, and I think like every other book so far he shows it. He might not have the words, but his actions speak extremely louder than anything else. Of course we got to see Emilia, and her grandmother, as well as a few other familiar faces. I enjoyed them. I liked the plot as well. I really liked when Nik met with the police lady, it was family because they were both being stoic towards each other. Parts of the story felt  slow to me, while other parts intrigued me.

I will continue reading this series because I love them. The shocking revelations in the book had me like WTF. That last 25% was the best ever! I can’t wait until the next book is out.

Cover Art. Now that I’ve had time to read it, I understand the cover. I don’t like it or dislike it really. It’s okay and continues with the type of cover of the previous books.

Sales Links:   MLR Press – All Romance (ARe) – Amazon     Buy It Here

Book Details:

ebook, 282 pages
Published March 20th 2015 by MLR Press (first published March 19th 2015)
edition languageEnglish
seriesMore Heat Than the Sun #5

Books in the Series:

Love is a Stranger (More Heat Than the Sun #1)
Conscious Decisions of the Heart (More Heat Than the Sun #2)
The Bridge of Silver Wings (More Heat Than the Sun, #3)
This Other Country (More Heat Than the Sun, #4)
The Bruise Black Sky (More Heat Than the Sun, #5)

Death’s Ink-Black Shadow (More Heat Than the Sun, #6) coming June 19th from MLR Press