2.75 out of 5 stars
E-book. 58 pages. Published August 28th 2018 by Macy Blake
Blurb:
Mikey Smith lives with what he calls his “flickers”. When he’s out in the world, sometimes other people flicker and change into something terrifying that no one but him can see. He’s been diagnosed with epilepsy, but part of him knows what he sees is real. When two men walk into his coffee shop, his world is turned upside down when they transform into something else… and they know he can see them.
Already mates, Asher and Quillon aren’t expecting to add a third into their mix… but neither of them are opposed to the idea either. When they meet Mikey, they’re drawn to him from the first moment. He’s a human exposed to their world, though, and the consequences are severe. Can Asher and Quillon protect their new human mate from the forces that threaten him?
Likes:
- Mikey and his abilities.
- Mikey’s foster parents.
- Manticore.
- Explains how Mikey and his mates meet.
- Free.
Dislikes:
- Asher and Quillon aren’t well rounded.
- Didn’t hook me.
- Asher was too pushy too fast.
- The story seems to have several discrepancies with the previous books.
- Lack of information and reaction.
- Mikey’s abilities aren’t explained.
- Very rushed.
As much as I didn’t care for this story, I’m glad it exists. Plus, it’s free. Mikey and his mates show up briefly at the beginning of Next to Nothing, and this story tells how they got together.
When it comes to romance, I need to like both main characters. Or in this case, all three. Mikey was easy to like. He’s suffered from flickers ever since he was young, and it was the reason he was put in the foster system in the first place. His foster parents deserve a huge shout out for giving him a home and helping him find a way to manage the flickers as best as possible.
Neither Asher nor Quillon were well rounded enough for me to become attached to. In fact, Asher’s pushiness towards claiming Mikey was a huge turn off. It was less ‘I’m an alpha and must protect my mate’ and more ‘I have found my mate and he must become mine no matter what he wants.’
Asher did have some character growth on that last part. He started off buying Mikey expensive and unwanted gifts, and after having them turned down, finally realized that having a fun date was the better choice. It was nice to see, but I wish Asher had been more proactive in trying to find out what Mikey wanted. He stumbled on the date idea by accident, and spent very little time actually talking to Mikey.
And that’s the problem. This story is only 58 pages long, and includes way way too much for such a short story. There’s no time to develop anything or answer pressing questions. Only one date was shown, which meant that the special little moments where people fall in love were missing. Other dates are referenced, but happen off page. The question of why Mikey has flickers, or how his foster parents knew how to find a blessed amulet aren’t even brought up.
Not to mention the fact that Mikey always thought he was seeing monsters, but didn’t have any kind of negative reaction to finding out that he was mates to two. I’m blaming this, and a lot of my complaints, on the short length. This is a free story, and I get the feeling that Blake didn’t want to put too much time and effort into it. Mikey meeting his mates could have easily been a novel of its own, but since they’re all essentially side characters who only show up briefly in the next novel, there was no point in a full story.
My final complaint is that there seem to be a few discrepancies from the other novels. Mikey feels a bond snap into place between him and his mates, which has never been mentioned before with any of the other couples. And Asher and Quillon haven’t shifted for years, when the Jerrick pack needs to shift regularly.
I think this short story goes to show that, while I’m enjoying the series overall, I have to accept that Blake simply isn’t the kind of author who excels at in-depth characters or world building. And this story really highlights those weaknesses.
Be sure to check out my reviews for the rest of the series – Sweet Nothings (The Chosen One #0.5), The Trouble with Love (The Chosen One #0.75), Santa Trouble (The Chosen One #0.76), All or Nothing (The Chosen One #1), Nothing Ventured (The Chosen One #2), Hell on Earth (Hellhound Champions #1).
Love is Love Reviews 