Reminiscing...

                                                          

Mikky's Review: Evolved by N.R. Walker

In 2068, androids are an integrated part of human life. Big Brother no longer just watches from the shadows. It’s in every household.

Lloyd Salter has OCD issues with noise, mess, and he’s uncomfortable with human interaction. When his ex claimed the only thing perfect enough to live up to his standards was an android, Lloyd dismissed it. But two years later, after much self-assessment, Lloyd thinks he may have been right.

SATinc is the largest manufacturer of androids in Australia, including the Fully Compatible Units known as an A-Class 10. Their latest design is the Synthetic Human Android UNit, otherwise known as SHAUN.

Shaun is compatible with Lloyd’s every need; the perfect fit on an intellectual and physical basis. But Lloyd soon realises Shaun’s not like other A-Class androids. He learns. He adapts. Sure that SATinc is aware Shaun functions outside of his programmed parameters, Lloyd must find a way to keep Shaun safe.

No one can know how special Shaun is. No one can know he’s evolved.

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N.R. Walker.

I don’t know what I could say about this author and her books that hasn’t been said before. She’s THAT good.

When I first started reading MM, I stumbled upon Elements of Retrofit (Thomas Elkin #1) and I adored Cooper, his loyalty, his passion, dedication and ethics and I fell in love with Thomas’ gentle nature and his awkward stumbling through a new path in his life and a new and totally different relationship.

Carter & Isaac (Blind Faith).

Isaac broke my heart and it was so easy to connect with him and understand his pain, his desire to have his sight back and be able to see and be “normal” just like everyone else. I cried so much while reading their story and had to take several breaks because I couldn’t handle it. I understood because I remembered when they told me I wouldn’t be able to walk anymore. I remember the pain of watching everyone around me getting on with their lives while I was stuck and dependent on others to do even the smallest thing. Years later I still cannot read without shedding tears for Isaac. 

Charlie & Travis (Red Dirt Heart).

I dare you to tell me you didn’t cry and wished their story will never end. I dare you!

Cameron & Lucas (Sixty Five Hours) 

Phew!! These two are so damn hot. I don’t care if it’s just fan-fiction or whatever. This is one of N.R.’s best stories and so damn funny. You’ll laugh your head off from beginning to end.

And I could go on and on, and on because every single one of her books has a special place in my heart.

Which brings us to the latest release, Evolved.

Sci-fi novels, cyborgs or androids are not my thing. Never have been but she was so clever at taunting us with this novel that I HAD TO give it a try. (You big tease!)

“Oh, boy!”

I don’t even know where to begin.

It’s the year 2068 and androids are a big part of day to day life. People use them for almost anything, from driving cars, cleaning the house, act as receptionists to offices and hotels, to having an android as companion.

This is how Lloyd Salter, a Professor of Philosophy at Melbourne University, ends up with Shaun, an A-Class synthetic android.

Lloyd has OCD and doesn’t like human interaction so he designs Shaun to be the perfect companion, someone who can live with all his quirks without complaining or making him feel like there’s something wrong with him.

But Shaun is different. He learns, he adapts and he evolves, which is something no one expected from an android. Not even an A-Class one.

Soon, Shaun and Lloyd find themselves in a tricky situation because SATinc, Shaun’s manufacturer, is likely to realize the truth and come for him, separating them just when they’re beginning a new life together.

Like any other N.R. Walker novel, this, too, was captivating from beginning to end but, the best part, at least for me, was Shaun.

Following his evolution made me pause and think about quite a few things.

Let’s start with technology. We’re so dependent on our devices and spend most of our time in front of a computer, tablet or glued to our phones that we fail to see what’s happening around us. 

Shaun is an android so he knows everything there is to know about how technology works so he’s curious about his surroundings, about things that humans take for granted every day. Take books, for example. In the year 2068 everyone has stopped reading or buying paperbacks, but not Lloyd. He loves the feel of a book in his hands, the smell of it, he loves reading words written on paper and he explains this to Shaun, tries to make him understand why a simple act, such as holding a book, can bring such pleasure and comfort.

In exchange, Shaun helps Lloyd rediscover the joy of small and big pleasures like holding a new partner’s hand for the first time, the first tentative touches between new lovers, the thrill of getting to know someone and allowing them to show you the world through their eyes.

I think one of the most interesting parts of this book was reading about Shaun seeing himself for the first time, the reaction of someone who has no preconceptions. There are no standards of beauty as far as he’s concerned and his curiosity is genuine. There’s a lot of focus on emotions and feelings rather than physical aspect. And, just like any other of N.R.’s books, you won’t find any senseless drama. 

Bottom line is, you have to read Evolved. 

To be honest, I had no idea what to expect but I loved it, every single part of it and I wish it would have been longer. I wanted to see more of Shaun and Lloyd building a life together after all the struggle. 

Evolved has been added to my “Favorites” list and I plan to read it again in a few days, which means I’ll probably add to this review. For now, I just wanted to share my initial thoughts. Looking forward to hear what the rest of you thought and to Mrs. Walker’s next novel.

Happy Reading!

Author also writes as A. Voyeur

N.R. Walker is an Australian author, who loves her genre of gay romance. She loves writing and spends far too much time doing it, but wouldn't have it any other way.

She is many things; a mother, a wife, a sister, a writer. She has pretty, pretty boys who she gives them life with words.

She likes it when they do dirty, dirty things...but likes it even more when they fall in love. She used to think having people in her head talking to her was weird, until one day she happened across other writers who told her it was normal.

She’s been writing ever since...

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Life gets in the way...

Hi, guys! It's been a while. I've tried to keep the blog going but we all know what they say about best laid plans..

I just realized that almost one year has passed since my last post. So many things have happened. So many things have changed, but I'm finally getting back on track. One step at a time.

I won't sign up for blog tours anymore. I don't have the time for it nor am I in the right frame of mind to promote and review books on a schedule. My entire focus is on getting better and taking care of myself and my son. 

I'll try to be more active and talk about the books I've read and loved. I found quite a few I'm dying to tell you about. 

There are quite a few gems out there that many people don't know about and I've discovered a few "new to me" authors. I'll tell you all about them and their books soon. I hope.

When I started this blog I was so excited about finally being able to promote my favorite authors and books. Somewhere along the way, I've lost that enthusiasm. I never lost my love for books though, but sitting down to write a review seemed such an effort and I let myself believe that no one will care anyway. Depression is like that. 

I am better now. I still have good and bad days but there's more light surrounding me, more hope. 

I want to write again, for myself, because I always had stories to tell even when no one wanted to listen. 

I don't know if I'll ever publish anything but writing makes me feel good and it's time to take back that part of myself. Like I said, one step at a time and this is a good beginning. 

Sorry for the whine. I'll try not to bore you with my issues in the future. LOL

Thank you for your patience and thank you to those who haven't given up on me even if I have been a horrible friend. Love you all!

Mikky 💗

Happy Reading!

~~MM Romance Valentine's Giveaway~~

The M/M Romance Valentine’s Giveaway event has been organized by author Isobel Starling as a way of giving readers a little bit of free Valentine’s love in these days of uncertainty and turmoil and to find new readers for a group of super authors. 

On the event page readers can download 34 new stories -- Shorts, novelettes, and excerpts from established M/M authors and several new authors. We have a wonderfully diverse range of subgenres on offer – Contemporary, BDSM, Erotica, Fantasy, Historical, Comedy, and Paranormal.

The giveaway page will be live on 10th February until the 15th of February, so if your want to get a head start on your Goodreads reading challenge, or just want some quick fun reads, why not download a few short stories and give a little love back by leaving reviews for the authors. 

http://isobelstarling.wixsite.com/books/freelove

Review: The Next Competitor by Keira Andrews

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If he risks his heart, can he keep his head in the game? 

To win gold, figure skater Alex Grady must train harder than the competition morning, noon, and night. He’s obsessed with mastering another quadruple jump, and due to the lack of filter between his mouth and brain, doesn’t have a lot of friends. As for a boyfriend, forget it. So what if he’s still a virgin at twenty? The Olympics are only every four years—everything else can wait. Relationships are messy and complicated anyway, and he has zero room in his life for romance. 

So it’s ridiculous when Alex finds himself checking out his boring new training mate Matt Savelli. Calm, collected “Captain Cardboard” is a nice guy, but even if Alex had time to date, Matt’s so not his type. Yet beneath Matt’s wholesome surface, there’s a dirty, sexy man who awakens a desire Alex has never experienced and can’t deny… 

Note: This gay romance from Keira Andrews features opposites attracting, new adult angst, sexual discovery, and of course a happy ending. 

This new version has been extensively rewritten, updated, and expanded into a new adult romance with explicit on-page sex.

The Next Competitor was a captivating story from beginning to end. Figure skating is such an elegant sport and it was interesting to see the dynamics behind every competition, the gruesome training that every skater has to endure just to stay in shape, not to mention the hours upon hours of training to make sure they learn to perfection every second of the programs. 

We only see the end result, the beauty of the dance executed on the rink but there’s so much more than that going on behind the competition.

Alex and Matt are trying to find their way amid confusion, the intricacies and politics of the sports world and the grueling training sessions before each competition. Both of them are plagued by insecurities and having to hide all the time doesn't help assuage their fears.

Matt is the calm while Alex is the storm and, like every storm, there will be thunder and lightning. They clash a lot, mostly due to Alex's temper, yet they always find their way to each other when one of them needs comfort.

But wanting something and actually doing it are two different things. And we can't always have what we want.

Apart from wanting to repeatedly hit Alex upside the head, this novel was really good. I definitely recommend it.

He was just one of those characters who, somehow, managed to get on my nerves from the beginning and, everything he did after that, just served to assert my first impression.

Don’t get me wrong, he’s not a bad guy. I kind of understood the why’s later on. But I still wanted to knock some sense into him. The guy’s mood swings gave me a whiplash.

Keira’s books are always worth it. One of the things I’ve always appreciated about her is how much care she puts into every detail of each story and how seriously she takes her research. That’s always a good thing as far as I’m concerned. 

I think this was the first book I’ve read where the characters are ice skaters and it wasn’t hokey. I want more.

Thank you, Ms. Andrews, for another heartwarming story.

If you enjoy reading steamy romances between two men who can’t live without each other, you’ve come to the right place.

After writing for years yet never really finding the right inspiration, Keira discovered her voice in gay romance, which has become a passion. She writes contemporary, historical, fantasy, and paranormal fiction and — although she loves delicious angst along the way — Keira firmly believes in happy endings. For as Oscar Wilde once said:

“The good ended happily, and the bad unhappily. That is what fiction means.”

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~ Happy New Year! ~

Happy New Year, everyone! 2017 is finally here and I sincerely hope it will be better than 2016. Have you made any resolutions? If so, share them with us. 

This year, I'm taking it day by day. 2016 has been painful and it has taken so much from me. Every single plan I made has been ruined so, it's time to make some changes.

I want to focus more on my writing and try to publish at least a novel. God knows I kept postponing it long enough. After seeing the ARe disaster unfold can't say I'm very motivated but it's one of my dreams so, I'll give it a try. That's the only long term plan I have. 

I will also try to write more reviews. The other day, I was looking through my "Read" list on Goodreads and I realized that there are so many wonderful books I've read and failed to review. I'll try to rectify that mistake, which means that I'll have to re-read some of them just to make sure I remember all the facts. Not a bad deal since I'm not exactly the person who keeps up with every new release or reviews only on release day. There are a ton of novels out there that deserve attention and that readers seems to have forgotten about. 

This being said, I wish you all peace, love, serenity, good health and may 2017 be exactly what you imagined it to be. 

Happy Reading!

Review & Giveaway! Saving Jason by K.C. Wells

When David Merrow is given the task of finding a suitable soup kitchen so his company can improve their PR, he realizes he needs help. He turns to Jason Garton, the owner of the coffee house that David visits every morning. Funny how it took David so long to notice all the food and beverages Jason gives away to the homeless. Because until then, Jason had been almost invisible. 

But the more David learns about him, the more intrigued he becomes. There’s something about the selfless, lonely older man that pulls David in, and what began as work becomes so much more.

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KC Wells has a way of writing that makes you feel like you’re a part of the story. It feels like you’re living everything right along with the characters, all the happiness, the tears, the success and the disappointments. It’s all there from beginning to end and it’s an incredible experience. For this, and many other reasons, I keep picking up every novel she puts out there. 

Saving Jason is a story about self-discovery and acceptance, about learning how to make peace with the past in order to embrace the future. 

Jason is going through the paces and doing his part in giving back and paying it forward, but he is not actually living. 

Every day is the same and the guilt he’s carrying around is keeping him from trying to find what he’s always longed for. 

David had never thought that a job will end up changing his life so unexpectedly. He’s never paid much attention when it comes to what is around him and meeting Jason is an eye opener. 

Working together day by day brings this two men together, and Jason will learn that it’s okay to let go, to look forward to the future and allow someone in his life in his heart.

Sometimes, it just takes one moment to change a life. Stop and look around you. You’d be surprised at what you might discover.

If you’re looking for a short, soulful holiday story, Saving Jason is the perfect choice. I highly recommend it.

Born and raised in the north-west of England, K.C. WELLS always loved writing. Words were important. Full stop. However, when childhood gave way to adulthood, the writing ceased, as life got in the way. K.C. discovered erotic fiction in 2009, when the purchase of a ménage storyline led to the startling discovery that reading about men in love was damn hot. In 2012, arriving at a really low point in life led to the desperate need to do something creative. An even bigger discovery waited in the wings—writing about men in love was even hotter…. 

K.C. now writes full-time and is loving every minute of her new career. The laptop still has no idea of what hit it… it only knows that it wants a rest, please. And it now has to get used to the idea that where K.C goes, it goes. 

And as for those men in love that she writes about? The list of stories just waiting to be written is getting longer… and longer…. 

K.C. loves to hear from readers. 

E-mail: k.c.wells@btinternet.com 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KCWellsWorld

Twitter: @K_C_Wells 

Website: http://www.kcwellsworld.com

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Release Day Review! Detective Fox & The Christmas Caper by Isobel Starling

Every good Dick needs a sidekick…

Actor Tom Lewis’s world came crashing down when a honey trap and tabloid expose outed him and put pay to his flourishing career. The housewives favorite was most well-known for his role as ‘Detective Fox’ in the quaint British series 'Malmesbury Murders'. But after the media speculation about his sexuality, the show is in hiatus and Tom hasn’t worked six months.

Now things are getting serious, money running out and Tom needs a job desperately. So when his agent offers him a seasonal acting job, he reluctantly agrees… and takes on the role of Santa for a top London department store.

This decision changes Tom’s luck. When Tom overhears two unidentified store workers discussing a "job to get a little Christmas bonus”. He realizes the 'job' is of the illegal sort. Now, Tom could call the police, but then again, wouldn’t it be great for his flagging career if Detective Fox saved the day?

So Fox is on the case, and as every good Dick needs a sidekick, Tom decides a sexy young elf named Eli Mason will fit the role, in more ways than one.”

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Oh, God! Where do I start? This novella was all kinds of fun. 

Beggars can’t be choosers and Tom has realized this after he was outed as gay and is facing unemployment. 

He’s an actor and he loves it but, he has reached the point where he can’t allow his pride to win and refuse a well paid job just because it might make him look silly.

If this means playing Santa Claus for one of London’s top stores, so be it. He’s still not ready to give up being Detective Fox though and, when the opportunity presents itself for him to get into character on more time, he grabs it with both hands. 

There’s a bonus, too. The detective’s sidekick is one hot elf who knows how to handle whatever is thrown his way and more. Things are about to get messy.

Add Isobel Starling and mix with humor, mystery, action, suspense and sprinkle of drama, and you’ll have an explosive story which will take you on a rollercoaster of emotions from beginning to end, and leave you breathless and asking for more. 

Follow Eli and Tom’s story as they try to save the day, and navigate what is the beginning of a tentative relationship, all while playing Santa and his elf for hordes of over excited children and exhausted parents the week before Christmas. 

I cannot wait to read the next book because this has got to be a series. Right, Ms. Starling? You cannot spring two smart, sexy and fun as hell men on me and leave it at a novella. It’s not fair. 

Thank you for another awesome and entertaining read. You rock, as always!

Born in Germany, Isobel Starling spent most of her twenty-year professional career making art. She relocated to the UK and, faced with the dreaded artist’s creative block, Isobel started to write and found she loved it more than making art.

Isobel’s first novel “Fall Together” was a bestseller in the GLBT-Bisexual genre on the ‘All Romance e-books’ site. Her second novel “As You Wish”(Shatterproof Bond #1) is an Amazon bestseller, and its sequel “Illuminate the Shadows”(Shatterproof Bond #2) was awarded a bestseller star on All Romance too. She has just completed her eighth book and signed French and German, translation and publishing rights deals for the whole Shatterproof Bond series. 

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A Writer's Journey.

A lost soul in a sea of words. A defeated creature who’s wings have repeatedly been thorn before I even tried to learn how to fly.

There was a time when words came to me so easily. I just had to find the time to write them down. Everything was an inspiration – a child’s smile, a flower blooming, a drop or rain, a ray of sunshine…

I had yet to learn what pain and heartache really meant.

I had yet to learn how easily trust can be broken.

I had yet to learn how to live when you feel that there’s no reason for it anymore.

And just like that, one day, the words were gone. I couldn’t hear anymore, there was nothing left to see.

Something was gone and I couldn’t find a way to bring it back. I was lost.

Sadness was all I had left.

He took everything the day he left and I had nothing but solitude and a broken, shattered heart.

But then I remembered. There was something else I loved.

Books!

I loved reading. I loved losing myself in someone else’s life even if it was for a few minutes.

And that’s what I did.

I lost myself in countless books. Countless stories. Countless lives.

Time went by and, slowly, the words started to return.

They weren’t bright and happy and full of hope anymore. They were sad, they spoke of heartbreak and loneliness and lessons leaned.

They spoke of a once naive girl who thought she could have it all but lost more than she could afford.

And I’ve read…

Now, I have my own stories to tell. The characters are not perfect and their lives are not all sunshine and roses but they fight for what they love and they still believe in Happily Ever After even if it doesn’t always happen to them.

This is me. The girl who writes.

Welcome to A Writer’s Journey.

A New Beginning ...

Hi everyone,

Long time, no see. 

Life kind of got in the way lately. But I am back now and some changes are on the way.

When I first started the blog all I wanted to do was promote the authors and the books I loved. I have done that at the best of my possibilities. At least I hope so, and I’m sorry if I disappointed anyone.

A lot has happened in the last two years. I’ve lost people I loved, I grieved, and the ugly monster that is depression has reared its ugly head once again. It wasn’t easy and it’ll never be but I’ve managed to defeated it time and time again. I’ll find my way out this time, too. But my fight with depression is a story for another day. 

Mikky’s World Of Books has met its purpose and it’s time to say goodbye. Now it’s the time for a fresh start.

For years, I’ve written stories that I kept to myself. Writing has always been my passion, my refuge and, at the same time, my coping mechanism through my darkest days. No matter what, I have always found a way to put my thoughts on paper. 

Some of those thoughts and stories are private and no one will ever read them but, the rest, I think are worth sharing.

Since one of my biggest dreams has been to publish a book one day, Mikky’s World Of Books blog will become Once Upon A Dream as of today.

I don’t know what will happen in the future. I’ve learned that making long term plans is worthless so, I’m going to take it one day at a time.

I’ll still do occasional blog tours, as the mood strikes, and I’ll keep posting reviews because I’m not giving up reading. That will never happen. In the meanwhile, I’ll share snippets of what I’m writing, stories from my day to day life and whatever I think is worth sharing with you. 

We’ll see how that works out.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you to those who have supported and encouraged me from day one. Some of you are great friends and you’ll never know how much a simple “Hello” has meant to me at times. I’ll never be able to repay you.

I hope you’ll keep supporting me in this new journey as well. Here's to good friends and new beginnings! 

With love and gratitude,

Mihaela.