Born into chaos. Baptized in the gutter. I was raised by the violent laws of the streets, spilling blood without the hindrance of useless emotions or connections. Unfeeling. Unloved. Alone.My life was perfect.Until her.While on a manhunt for a mysterious enemy, one hellbent on taking both my business and my life, I find Mickey. She’s covered in mud, rambling nonsense, and clearly out of her … nonsense, and clearly out of her mind.
She’s also a distraction I don’t need.
That is until I discover a connection between the girl and my enemy.
Mickey isn’t a distraction anymore.
She’s the perfect weapon.
One I’ll use to exact my revenge.
The plan is an easy one, but there’s something about Mickey that’s making it more and more difficult.
A familiarity I can’t place. A need I can’t explain.
A want I have to deny.
After all, she’s not mine to keep. She’s a tool. My pawn.
My sacrifice.
more
4.5 stars
Anyone that knows me, however remotely, knows that the King series is very near and dear to my heart. My loyalty lies with the Logan’s Beach crew and I love every single person that I’ve crossed paths with.
Pike is no different. Mickey is no different.
Having been introduced to our alpha hero in Nine, I was instantly intrigued by him. Getting a feel for him in this book, his damage rolls off him in waves. But that’s the thing about Pike, he surfs those waves and if you’re put off by them, he doesn’t care one bit. He’s unapologetically raw, gritty to his core, and doesn’t care about anyone outside of his chosen family.
Mickey, on the other hand, is allllll about family. Her family. She’ll do anything to keep them with her, no matter the personal cost. Her intelligence is off the charts, her strength and determination are unparalleled. I connected to her almost as quickly as Pike did. One of my favorite Logan’s Beach girls, for sure.
Pike and Mickey have a love/hate relationship, but it’s an extremely thin line separating the two. Their push and pull only adds to the tension between them, the chemistry evident for anyone to witness in the same room. All it takes is a small tip of the scales for things to side in their favor, but nothing good can come to this crew without heartache first.
I’m excited to read Pawn, especially after this ending! I’m excited to see Mickey and Pike come together, to see them on the same side and fighting as a team. I’ll take any little bit of Logan’s Beach I can get, especially now that Pike has been added to the mix.
4 A Complete Guide to Caring for your Captive STARS
The residents of Logan’s Beach are back with a bang and I couldn’t be more excited. Such an unusual and intriguing start to Pike had my poor heart racing and my spidey senses on full alert.
We met Pike previously in this series, briefly, and I’m so pleased we now get to know his full story. Of course he is not a good man, that would be boring. However, despite the guns and alpha male posturing, underneath the gruff exterior he’s a criminal with a heart of gold. Fiercely protective of his family, he’s just trying to prove himself to the brotherhood whilst selling his drugs and living his life and otherwise generally minding his own business. He’s quite successful at it too, until someone else decides it’s time to stick their nose in his business and quite literally stir up the smelly stuff!
Mickey is a woman with a plan. Despite having some dark and broken moments, she’s committed to her ultimate goal, whatever it takes, whatever the cost, and I absolutely love her. She’s fierce and strong, brave and tenacious. She never waivers in her sheer determination to see things through to their conclusion, despite a detour or two along the way. But you know what they say about best laid plans and with one mistake, hers come to a screeching halt.
These two can’t seem to catch a break and just when you think they have a handle on the situation, certain revelations towards the end of the book, blow the whole thing wide open. Although I did have a little trouble feeling the almost insta connection between them, I loved the characters themselves, the storyline with its surprise moments of hilarity (thanks Preppy), not to mention the danger, violence, and deep secrets everyone seems to be keeping. I can’t wait for book two and the conclusion to Pike and Mickey’s story, so that hopefully I can finally release that breath I’ve been holding.
Overall Grade:
The first book by T.M. Frazier I ever read was Nine. Yep, that’s right. I hadn’t read any of the King series books prior to being dropped into Nine’s story. It was there that I encountered my favorite type of hero: the anti-hero. From King to Bear to Preppy, I found myself intrigued by Frazier’s ability to craft heroes who were seriously flawed within the context of society, but who had strong codes of honor. The second series of Frazier’s that I read was the Perversion Trilogy which offered that same construction of character: a flawed, deviant anti-hero, a heroine whose pure essence redeems the hero, and a story that shows the worst of society as a way to show the power of redemption through love. Even in moments when the story is painful, Frazier shows us that love will carry us through it.
With her latest offering, Pike, the first book in a duet, Frazier takes us back to the place we love to hate: Logan’s Beach. At the beginning of this year, I finally jumped onto the King series ship. I knew King of the Causeway was coming, and I wanted to better understand the story of Nine, so I started reading. And this reader binged the series. Hardcore. I put off teaching and reading ARCs because Frazier’s Logan’s Beach compelled me further into its darkness. I loved every moment of it. When she announced Pike’s book, you can bet that I signed up quickly to read and review it (and hopefully, it’s second book, Pawn). Pike intrigued me in Nine. There is something compassionate and soft behind his hard exterior, making him like the other heroes in the King series: enigmatic. And this is Frazier’s superpower. This is the reason that readers adore Frazier. She is writing romance that seems so wrong at times that it is wonderfully right.
Pike is no different from his King series predecessors. Like her other anti-heroes, Pike’s past has influenced his present; Nine and the other men are his family in the absence of his own biological family; there is an outside influence seeking to destroy his life in ways that are dangerous and predatory; and a woman enters his life and threatens to challenge everything he believes about love and relationships. As Mickey enters Pike’s life, it’s clear that his rejection of love will change, and his sole purpose will move away from his criminal activities to protecting and living for her.
As I was reading Pike (trust me when I say this: I picked this up one afternoon and finished it before I went to bed. It is an absolute page-turner), I marveled at Frazier’s skill in writing. Why is Pike, along with her other books, so interesting to read? One word: chemistry. Frazier has this super ability to craft chemistry. People might say “well so what? Other romance readers do that.” That is true to a degree. Frazier’s superpower allows her to take a hero, a male who, quite frankly, would be unloveable to most because they are criminals and builds an instantaneous attraction to a heroine, that you turn the page until they finally consummate it. Frazier makes us wait for it in Pike. For much of the story, Pike and Mickey fight. They challenge each other; they push back against each other; and Mickey remains resilient in the face of Pike’s abuse/retribution. And it becomes their foreplay. Frazier creates an attraction so palpable that you feel it as you read each page. As the reader, you cheer for them, waiting for the moment when the distinct connection between the two explodes and they can’t deny themselves any further. It’s at that point that Frazier offers us her secondary superpower: the craftsmanship of a possessiveness in the hero that changes his life’s direction. After bingeing her King series and reading Pike, I realized this is Frazier’s genius, and her readers are the better for it.
Along with this dexterity, Frazier offers up heroines who are as broken as their heroes. This means her heroines and heroes complete each other, each being a piece of the puzzle of the other’s soul. This makes it easy for us to accept the world of Logan’s Beach because the love between her hero and heroine ameliorates this world. We can accept it in her current romance, Pike, because Pike and Mickey, while not together in this book, will eventually find their happy ending (hopefully!). When that happens, all will be right again in Logan’s Beach. Mickey as the heroine is resilient, intelligent, and incredibly capable, and I am waiting anxiously for more of her story in Pawn.
If you are a fan of T.M Frazier’s King series, then Pike and Pawn MUST be in your Kindle Library. It is exactly what you love about Frazier’s writing because it is more of Logan Beach and its criminal characters. Frazier left me, as she does so well, on a major cliffhanger, and May can’t come fast enough with the conclusion to the powerful story she has told in Pike.
Oh my gosh, I need book two right now!
The story line is suspenseful and the romance is slow burn and I am totally here for it! Pike and Mickey are complete opposites but even as they are in captive/captor situation, there is an undeniable pull between them. As they slowly start to open up to each other, sparks fly and emotions come to the surface.
I love how fast-paced this story is and how many times I was left stunned while reading. Yes, it is only book one in a duet so it does leave off on a cliffhanger and I’m dying for the next book!
Grateful to have received a complimentary ARC copy to honestly review.
Every time this author comes out with a new book, I’m dying to read it. This one was no different! At the beginning I was so confused I didn’t know what was going on but chapter by chapter it started to reveal itself. But damn that ending! I need book 2 like now so I can know what happens next as that left so many questions unanswered….
Mickey seems to have no memory of what has happened to her and when she runs into Pike, she doesn’t know what to do. When things go wrong she disappears into thin air. Now they’re thrown back together, both have their own war going on that seems to be colliding with each other but Mickey’s past may be the key to it all… or not… Things are getting heated and their attraction seems to be growing the more they get to know each other but there’s something that may end up sealing both their fates… Will Mickey be able to save herself and Pike in the process?…
TM Frazier kills the dark romance, like DARK DARK ….she kills the complicated tough guy and the even tougher girl. But most importantly to a reader? She kills stories and words with originality and escapism. And what I need most of all right now is a little (ok a lot) of escapism!
Pike is the ultimate push and pull dark romance, with a healthy dose of witty snark and electric tension.
Take me back to Logan’s Beach!
This series captured me(haha) from the beginning with King & Doe.
Many twists, turns, battles & bloodshed shave brought us here, to Pike.
Can I just say I love him? The Alpha, the man underneath, I love him. Plus, a cameo from my absolute favorite character made my whole life here.
Honestly, without giving it away…. Frazier hits us with another gritty love/hate story that’s also somehow so far beyond being just that. I didn’t see anything coming. I don’t know what I’m going to do while I wait for the next part of this duet.
I’m ready for more.
Yesss! Logan’s Beach is my absolute favorite place to be! I loved this book. Pike is scary and awesome while also being broken and somehow charming. Mickey is growing and developing in unsuspecting ways and I’m loving it. TM Frazier always writes amazing heroines. I can’t wait to see what Mic is going to do in book two!
If you like dark romance, the King series is an absolute must read, and my favorite series evvver. However, this duet can be read as a standalone.
Boy oh boy! Tracey created Logan Beach and I’m about ready to go settle there once and for all. This town has the most interesting collection of alphas, including my BESTEST BBF Samuel Clearwater aka Preppy.
“Logan’s Beach. It’s a town made up of equal parts sand and saints. Beach and blood. Salw0twater and sins. Canals and chaos”
Frazier has a knack of knocking the readers on the head with a mallet with her twists and turns. Yanno the scenes where a character gets hit on the head and everything goes black……..Well, I think Tracey is the one who creeps up on her readers like that.
“This feels more like taking a swig of the finest beer only to discover you’ve swallowed a wasp. It fucking stings!”
Every chapter starts with a revelation, has some funny or sexy banter (depending on who enters the scene, Preppy of King) and just as things start to get Feverish with kisses or tense with guns drawn, it ends with a sledgehammer of a cliffie.
Every chapter knocked me on my Ass, surprises filled every nook and cranny, the lingo street smart in keeping with the characters’ backgrounds and pace so slick and fast,I had hard time keeping up with Multiple events unfolding at breakneck speed.
This book is sorta connected to others in a loose thread kinda way, so it makes sense to read earlier books, but it can be read as a standalone.
Although why should you, all of Frazier books are a perfect example of how racy thrillers should be written with ever changing situations, slapstick humour and oodles of oomph.
Pike “The White Trash Pablo Escobar” , is a friend of N9NE and they’re both ambushed and their Merch stolen.
The culprit is the girl Pike had a brief encounter with 4 years ago on the roadside. meeting her always lands Pike in a Battle.
Their entwined fate is getting thicker than murky sludge of the backwaters and predators of all kinds crawl out encircling them.
Though their chemistry is more potent than Pikes Merch, it’s a disaster waiting to happen
“Pike and I aren’t at war. We never were.
WE are what’s leftover after the battles already been lost on both sides.
We’re not soldiers.
We’re carnage”
It’s a non stop flurry of surprises and secrets, betrayals and counter betrayals, plots and subplots.
Frazier stories are always highly anticipated and always manage to enamour us readers.
Cannot wait for book 2 now cause I need to know how…….?
4.5 stars for A Kidnappers Commandments : A Complete Guide to caring for your Captive!!
OMG, yes! Back to Logan’s Beach and the King universe that I adore! With the same dark, gritty and intense feel as the rest of the books in the series, Pike’s story is raw and edgy with an underlying feeling of excitement and anticipation as it develops. I was sucked into this book from the very first page, and I loved Pike and Mickey’s story.
Pike was introduced the in last book of the series as a close friend of Nine. I knew then that he was an intriguing character, and I was not wrong! He may be young, but he has survived a difficult and violent childhood to become a strong and ruthless man who doesn’t believe in love or family, but who has close ties with a select few that he has accepted into his life. He runs the local pawn shop in Logan’s Beach and is starting to make a name for himself as a major player in the drug underground, when his growing empire is attacked.
Desperate for answers, his only link to the unknown enemy intent on bringing him down is a mysterious girl. Mickey becomes his captive and he works to get answers out of her, but he very quickly learns that she is so much more complex than he ever imagined. As are his feelings for her.
“When it comes to this girl, my instincts are at war.
One tells me to punish.
The other to protect.
Only one can win.”
Mickey has been through absolute hell. A certified genius, her experiences have left her traumatised, yet through her pain she has grown stronger, and she is a woman with a plan. That plan doesn’t involve being held prisoner by the sexiest man she has ever seen, and she is determined to keep her secrets to herself.
Pike and Mickey enter in this weird relationship. He needs information she has, she refuses to reveal it. But in the middle of it all there is this intense attraction that permeates each and every one of their interactions. It’s sexy and intense, and all kinds of spine-tingly as they play against each other, and I loved watching it all build.
“We’re not enemies. We’re victims of circumstance, caught up in what we think we should be doing while consumed by what we want to be doing to each other.”
Like the rest of the boys in the series, Pike is an irresistible anti-hero. The kind of guy you wouldn’t want to be tangled up with in real life, but in romanceland, he’s the exact type of guy you’d want to be tangled up with. Sexy, damaged and broody but with a huge heart underneath his tattooed muscles, it doesn’t take too long for his softer side to come out.
“What I hate about you most…” his eyes meet mine. “Is that I don’t hate you at all.” Pike brushes a hair from my face. “You belong to me,” he says, as if it’s a fact I should already know. His gaze is heated and determined. His bare chest rising and falling with each angry breath. “You have since that first night.”
The story is fast moving but it feels like a slow burn, and hells yeah, I was on board as it all unfolded.
“I want you more than I’ve ever wanted someone in my entire fucking life.”
As the passion between Pike and Mickey starts to sizzle, the threat to Pike and his livelihood takes an even more dangerous turn. The events of this book overlap with those in the novella King of the Causeway, with the two stories very closely tied together. There is a new danger in town threatening the stronghold that King and his buddies have over Logan’s Beach, and Pike is right in the middle of it. Mickey may be the key to it all, but is Pike prepared to risk her? Will he even have a choice?
As part one of a duet (and as a long time fan of Frazier), I knew this book would have a nasty cliffhanger, but even knowing it was coming didn’t stop me from yelling at my kindle when I finished this one. The story builds to a thrilling climax, and I’m so excited to continue on with the story when Pawn is released next month.
Another winner from Frazier, and a must-read for fans of the King series (and yes, King and Prep both appear in truly golden moments that had my inner fangirl grinning with glee).
As always with T.M.’s books within the first pages I was pulled into a world that makes you question yourself because as you are falling in love with Pike you know he’s not really a good guy but none the less you fall in love with this broken guy that might not be the good guy but he is a good man behind all the masks. I loved Mickey so much and especially how she was with Pike. A little shy, sassy and how she did what she had to do to get through the days and that’s something I have a deep understanding of. I can’t wait for part 2 of this duet. I need answers like I need air.
How awesome was it to find myself back in Logan’s beach; a place where lots of great characters reside and this new pair we are introduced to are no exception. TM Frazier is amazing at giving us female leads with added sass and Mickey was no exception!
Mickey is a thief and her target this time is Pike who owns the local pawn shop. This first book in the duet is a fast paced, addictive and gritty (all all the King series books are) this book will take you prisoner finishing on an almighty cliffhanger (knew this was coming), the tension palpable, the drama as always keeps those pages turning until the very end.
All hail TM!
Every time I return into the Logan’s Beach and those rebellious biker’s world, I feel freaking excited, because King series was my very first MC story I’ve read at all. T.M Frazier still can surprise me by creating new complex characters and has ability to twists the story and suck me in from the very beginning.
Pike – book one from The Pawn Duet is a dark romance about revenge, fight and twisted love, but it’s more complicated that you could ever imagine. All the mysteries in the story kept me hooked and didn’t allowed me to put this book down, mesmerized and captivated by the plot.
If you know Mrs. Frazier’s books already, you’re aware that there is no place for hearts and flowers in her stories and love won’t come easily.
Mickey and Pike met for the first time in unexpected circumstances. He was her first unforgettable kiss but then became her worst nightmare. Two of them fully devoted to their own matter, each one won’t give up, what made me seat on emotional edge all the time and biting nervously my nails.
There were many reasons why they’re not suppose to be together, but their growing chemistry was too strong to resist. Together they’re like thunder and lightning causing huge storm around each other with their lust and desire. They’ve fueled one another with sexual tension and then got lost into each other.
Pike book brought on so many emotions at once. It was real MC story, full of unpredictable incidents and action, guns and gang war. There are lots of surprising and terrifying moments in the book that you won’t get bored with. Author left me with jaw dropping cliffhanger which totally blew my mind away. I always crave those emotions and now waiting impatiently for more.
This story will continue in Pawn book#2 in The Pawn Duet, releasing April 28th.
4 Stars
This book is a very tense, fast-paced start to this duet. I at the moment really don’t know how I feel about this book. It doesn’t have to the same impact for me as its predecessors have had in other stories within King Series World.
The fast pace meant that I found it hard to really latch onto any of the characters. I couldn’t connect at all. Even the appearances of King and Preppy felt different. There was just something that made the characters distant and not relatable.
I hope with the story continuing it brings everything together and you get to see the characters like we have done in the past. I liked the thought of Pike’s character but he didn’t come across at all how I feel he should. He had no chemistry with Mickey or at least if it was there it wasn’t strong and binding for me. Mickey although strong became a little annoying. I wanted to shake her at times but this will change no doubt, as we see her character develop and expand.
Now, all that moaning aside. I did like the storyline and know that my opinion will change as you would expect when a part story becomes a whole. I will reserve judgment on the relationship, the story, and characters in general until this time.
This is a recommendation from me and I will no doubt end up screaming at how much I like this duet in the weeks to come.
Reviewer: Donna.
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4 Stars
First of all, Who’s stupid enough to fuck with King!!!
The men of the Causeway sure know how to find damsels in distress. It seems to be a pattern with these men.
Who is this girl? What’s Mickey’s story. I liked Pike and her dynamic although I didn’t feel the romantic connection.
Preppy makes a cameo. Lastly Rage, the girl needs another story.
Reviewer: Phyl
I read this amazing 6 star story in one sitting. I started it before going to bed and had to see the end. It’s that addicting.
This is a secondary story from her original series with King, Preppy and all those wonderful characters. This is about Pike and Mickey, this is their adventure.
It’s an highly entertaining and addicting first part of the duet. It’s funny at times. We get to hear from Preppy. Mickey is quite the original character and a fierce heroine. I was intrigued throughout and still am. I can’t wait for the rest of the story.
First part of the duet told in a dual POV with a jaw dropping cliffhanger that left me shocked. I strongly recommend this story.
Amidst all the chaos currently going on I craved a moment to escape and returning to Logan’s Point was just the thing I needed. I loved catching up with some of my favorites and getting wrapped up in this angsty, gritty and captivating new duet.
With each glimpse of Pike I’ve grown more intrigued and craved to know more about him. A product of his environment Pike was a dangerous enigma yet there was so much more than meets the eye with him. Mickey was a child genius and resilient survivor with so many layers that have yet to be revealed. These two were explosive together and I loved watching as they danced around one another trying to figure out the other’s secrets.
Fast-paced, gritty and addictive Pike kept me constantly on the edge of my seat riveted until the last page. After this wild, intense and twisted ride I can’t wait to see what’s in store for Pike and Mickey next.
If you love suspense, great banter and dangerous moments spiked with steamy romance, you can never be wrong with this duet.
I enjoyed this story so much because I found the heroine so interesting like a very few ones that I’ve read especially in dark romance books.
I’m so looking forward to the next book to find out how they’ll find their happily ever after.
First of all…*slow blink* Pike meets Mickey and tries to help her. It definitely isn’t what he’s expecting at the time that’s for sure. Mickey is more than she shows Pike at first. Imagine his surprise when his life is exploding that he runs into her again.
He’s searching for answers, she holds them. Will he be able to get them out of her without falling for her? This book has twists and turns, secrets that come out that I had no idea about and that ending!! I always think I’ll be ready for it but nope, not so much. Come on second book in this duet! I need to know how it ends.
I loved seeing a little bit of King and Preppy in this book. Makes me want to go back and read the series!
***4 “This changes nothing… Or everything???” stars***
“Love is messy, bloody, and ignorant.
Hatred is born in the absence of love’s false promises. An evolution of man.
Hate is easy. Pure in its simplicity. It doesn’t disappoint or lead astray.
The are no false promises, no fog clouding what’s waiting at the bottom of the cliff.”
This wasn’t my first rodeo with T.M. Frazier, but it was my first time reading some part of this series… And I mean the King series!!!
But don’t you worry, i think you can manage to read this duet as a complete different part of them, even though King, Preppy and Nine are making many appearances in here!!!
This was Pike and Mickey’s story and i can assure you that this story grabbed my attention from the first moment of the prologue!!!!
“Find out her truth, and you’ll find out the truth.”
Pike is a man with many burdens upon his shoulders.
He is trying to make something more of himself and not in a very illegal way…
Unfortunately, it seems that someone is after him…. After his profits and his life in generally, and he is determined to find out who is behind all this antiques and to kill them with his own bare hands…
But he needs a leverage, something to begin with and that is coming in the form of a small, fragile woman… A woman that he had meet once again before in his life, in a very crazy way!!!!
“They don’t know it yet, but right now, they’re all as good as dead.
Possessed by the devil or not, there will be hell to pay.”
“There’s something intriguing about her defiance. Something… adorable. Stupid as fuck for crossing me, but still… adorable.”
Mickey is a woman with many secrets….
She is a genius in the literal way, and she has an unimaginable photographic memory.
So what is she doing with criminals??? Why she and her crew are after Pike???
Unfortunately, Mickey is about to get caught of the one man that she didn’t want to and he is determined to make her talk and then use her as a bait….
But Mickey is also determined to not talk and to continue with her own agenda.
What will happen after all????
“What game are you playing at, Mic?”
“Playing insinuates that I might lose. I’m not playing at any game because losing isn’t an option.
“You don’t belong in that world… Or this one. You just don’t.”
“No, I don’t,” I admit, and it’s the truth. I don’t belong in that world.
But when all of this is over, that world will belong to me.
I liked both Mickey and Pike.
Their first encounter was crazy as shit, and when the things escalated it became even crazier…
Pike was a man on a mission, but still… His pull toward this strange woman was too big to be ignored, even though he tried really hard to do so… He also had his own issues with love and all that jazz…
Mickey’s abilities were so impressive!!! And i felt sorry of what she had to get through in her life after that moment four years ago…
Honestly, i didn’t know what to believe… Sometimes, i was afraid that she was actual crazy…
Now, these two together??? Were fitting really good, even though they still have a long road ahead of them…
“Fuck. When it comes to this girl, my insticts are at war.
One tells me to punish.
The other to protect.
Only one can win.”
“There are billions of people on the earth, but none of them are like you, Pike. You ‘re not just water falling from the sky. You’re so unique and so special, and no one will ever see you the way I do. And because of this curse and this memory, I can’t ever unsee you.”
As for that damn cliffy in the end??? What the actual fuck???
I can imagine that something like that would happen but the last scene, it left me speechless and craving for more….
Honestly, i really don’t know what will happen after all, but I’m very impatient to learn everything!!!
Also, all these people on Logan’s Beach are crazy like shit!!!! CRAZY!!!!
And Preepy’s book “A Kidnappers Commandments : A Complete Guide to caring for your Captive”??? Even crazier!!! Bahaha…
“Logan’s Beach. It’s a town made up of equal parts sand and saints. Beach and blood. Saltwater and sins. Canals and chaos”
*******************************************
“Pike and I aren’t at war. We never were.
We are what’s left over after the battle’s already been lost on both sides.
We’re not soldiers.
We’re carnage.”
***I received an ARC for the exchange of an honest review. Thank you!***
I have loved Pike since we were first introduced to him in Nine. You absolutely killed it with our favorite group of characters from Logans Beach. The Preppy part was incredible and the whole book was entertaining and a page turner. Mic is such a survivor and your going to fall in love with her. Cannot wait for book two.