Reviews

Pawn by T.M. Frazier

lisah23's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

It has to be 5*s. I loved this whole series. I'm gonna miss the residents of Logan Beach so much so I'm temped to go back to the beginning & read them again 

princess_whitelily's review against another edition

Boring

fourclarkes's review

4.0

Reviewed for Nerdy Dirty & Flirty

kirbyj_'s review against another edition

3.0

the plot of this book was so interesting, i loved almost every twist and turn. there were a few plot points that left me with more questions than answers and not in a good way.

Spoiler

i.e. mindy actually being a dog!! like why did percy play along with it?

there were also some editing issues. :/ not too many but enough to pull you out of the story a little.

pamplemousse_3's review against another edition

dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.5

A very close DNF 
Overall/story: I quite enjoyed the 1st book but this one was honestly a real struggle to finish. It is just too far fetched (the fake p*nis thing ? come on...) Some spicy scenes made NO sense. She's on the sink and then out of nowhere on a bed ? She's at the beach and then on a kitchen counter ? I really struggle to DNF books (never allowed myself to) but this book was probably the closest to a DNF for me. The one thing I enjoyed though, is the twist which I definitely did not expect.
Audio performance  : Teddy Hamilton is the only reason I increased my rating. I really struggled with Elizabeth Hart's monotone voice conveying very little emotion throughout the book.

kgsavage's review against another edition

dark mysterious

3.5

Unexpected twist!

bookboyfriendandhusbandmake3's review against another edition

5.0

This was more than a book, more than a love story because although this is a work of fiction there was a heavy dose of reality in the pages that packed an emotional punch that I felt down to my soul. Top read of 2020

Every single book that takes place in Logan’s Beach pulls me in deeper and feeds my obsession of the characters and this intoxicating world.

I loved Mickey and Pike, the conclusion to their story was so much more than I expected. The moment I started this book there was no chance of me doing anything until I had read every word. It was nonstop action my feels all over the place they had so many ups and downs with the harshness of what life was tossing at them.

My heart broke for Mickey, then it shattered and was stomped on. The tragedies she faced were gut wrenching and I felt her pain so deeply. Pike was so good to her and it made me love him even more.

The parts with other characters that live in Logan’s Beach made my heart happy while also making me even more excited for what’s to come in Logan’s Beach

ashhopk's review

adventurous challenging hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

3.75

Getting to this book you already know about the fourth reich and how mick is still focused on revenge. It picks up and continues the story and TM Frazier doesn’t disappoint with the curve balls thrown at you

right when you think the book is finished and  you’ll have your HEA, you get the curveball of realizing how broken Mick is from everything. Heartbreaking but beautifully written. I also appreciate the fact that not only did she go to get help, but was getting help for a year. For everything she had been through it just needed to be a lengthy recovery.

anasatticbookblog's review against another edition

4.0

Pike and Pawn (The Pawn Duet) by T.M. Frazier
Gritty Contemporary Romance with Anti-Hero 
Can stand alone as a duet, but MUCH better if you read the whole King Series first.

“Logan’s Beach. It’s a town made up of equal parts sand and sadists. Beach and blood. Saltwater and sins. Canals and chaos.”

Oh how I love when T.M. Frazier brings us back to the Logan’s Beach crew! I read Pike the day it came out in March. At the time I was having trouble focusing on reading with all that was going on in the world, but Pike was able to completely capture my attention and kept me glued to my Kindle. The cliffhanger ending was a killer and I couldn’t wait for the next. When Pawn was delayed, I decided to go ahead and re-read Pike again before diving into Pawn and I am so glad I did, because I’m not sure I would have enjoyed book two as much if the first wasn’t fresh in my mind.

“It’s not lies that get you killed. It’s the truth.”

Pike and Mickey met in a strange way four years ago. Now, four years later, they meet under very different circumstances, and Mickey is Pike’s captive.

“When it comes to this girl, my instincts are at war. One tells me to punish. The other to protect. Only one can win.”

All the grit and craziness we have grown to love from T.M. Frazier are here in this duet, as well as almost everyone in previous books from the King Series, including all of our favorite character.

“Preppy isn’t just off his rocker, he’s not even on the fucking porch.”

His booklet: "A Kidnappers Commandments: A Complete Guide to caring for your Captive" had me laughing my ass off. It was just so….Preppy. Yet it was useful for Pike as he tortured Mickey to get information on who is trying to destroy him.

"While I’m distracted, trying to keep everything I’ve worked for from exploding, she somehow manages to slip her small feminine fingers past all of my barriers, reaches into my black fucking soul… And pulls the fucking pin."

In Book 2, Pawn, we pick up where Pike left off, but there was a LOT going on and it felt a bit rushed to the climax. I think perhaps this would have been better as a trilogy because I would have loved to have seen the relationship deepen and for the climax to have a lot more detail, especially because it deals with racism and hatred — I would have like to have seen a deeper exploration there. But on the other hand, it being such a touchy subject right now, it can be a really hard thing to write about with the correct tone and keep with the book’s gritty feel. T.M. Frazier did a great job of it, I just selfishly wanted more. If she takes her time and does her research, there is a great spin-off novel that can deal with it.

“My war has a bigger meaning. A bigger purpose. And that purpose isn’t just revenge. It’s humanity.”

T.M. Frazier is often poetic in her grittiness and I absolutely love that about her writing. I had a TON of amazing quotes that it was so hard to pick from for this review.

"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."

Likes:

• •Coming back to Logan’s Beach!


• •T.M. Frazier’s crazy brain.


• •It took me to a completely different place and let me forget about Covid for a few days.


• •Visiting with almost all her past characters, especially Preppy and Rage!


• •A few spin-off possibilities.


• •Kept me turning pages, completely engrossed.

Dislikes:

• •Both books felt rushed to publication. Tracey is too good of a writer to put out books that had so many editing errors, I would much rather wait than get pulled out of a story because of errors. The second book had less grammar and spelling mistakes, but had some weird inconsistencies in the sex scenes. Like they are fucking on a sink, and suddenly there is a mattress, or they’re fucking on the sand, and suddenly there is a counter.


• •I think this may have been better as a trilogy. The climax felt rushed and I still have unanswered questions. Plus I would have liked to see a little more connection and love between Pike and Mic.

The Down & Dirty:

I absolutely love T.M. Frazier’s gritty style of writing. They read almost like an Urban Fantasy with no real superhuman abilities. I loved that the Pawn Duet tied in so well to the entire King Series yet can probably stand alone pretty well. The best thing was that they made me forget about the virus plaguing the world even for just a little while. Since it’s such a hard time for anyone to really focus and be creative, I wish Tracey would have taken a little more time with these books and maybe even stretched them to three because they needed another round of edits, the end felt rushed with some loose ends, and the books could have easily been expanded because so much was going on.

Pawn also dealt with some very sensitive subjects during a very volatile time, and I can’t imagine how it must have been to write about the subject of racial hate while it’s blowing up all around us in real life. T.M. Frazier is still one of my favorite authors, and the Pawn Duet helped ensure that she remains in that top spot. Even with a few nitpicking complaints, I still LOVED the duet, and really hope we get at least two more spin-offs from it.

Rating: 4 Stars, (Book 1 was 4.5, book 2 was 3.75) 4 heat

Purchase Pike by T.M. Frazier

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Purchase Pawn by T.M. Frazier

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See the reading order of all the books in the King Series, including spinoffs right here.

 



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charlottenw1's review against another edition

4.0

T.M. Frazier has such a way at writing characters and really hitting readers with a "WTF" moment.

Mickey had a plan throughout the whole duet that she needed to carry out to make sure this never happened again to anyone else. It ended here and now but to do that she needed to make Pike believe she was still one of them.

As much as you think you understand Pike and Mickey you actually don't until the very end. Both characters have massivve sturggles and Mickey doesn't even know the half of hers until much later on in the story.

This is a found family trope with all its dark and twisted romance thrown in.