Pawn (The Pawn Duet, Book Two): A King Series Spinoff Kindle Edition

“It seems like such a small period of time, but three weeks is all it took for me to fall in love with Pike. Three weeks for my heart to shatter. Three weeks to glimpse the kind of life I’ll never have.”I’m a huge T.M. Frazier fan, I would have to be in order to read part one of a duet knowing the conclusion wasn’t available yet. I broke all my rules to read Pike when it released and since then I’ve been impatiently waiting for Pawn to hit my Kindle. When it finally did.....I was absolutely pumped to see how this story would end and just how wild and crazy the journey to get there would be. Pike & Mickey blew my mind in the first installment and reminded me why Logan’s Beach is & always will be one of my most favorite book universes. By the end of Pawn my mind was blown for a very different reason....how could Pike be SO GOOD and this one be such a hot mess? I am at a loss, it is the first Frazier book I have EVER rated less than 4 stars and honestly I’m still over here wondering what in the world happened. The issues? You will have to wait until a little further down bc there is a list of them.....Book Facts:Told in: Dual POV, all present day aside from a few future time jumps at the end.About: This is the second installment of the Pawn Duet, a two part spin-off from the King series that centers around a group of friends residing in Logan’s Beach. It is an angsty & suspenseful enemies to lovers romance that features Pike (Nine’s best friend) and Mickey as they navigate a path of revenge, betrayal, redemption, and healing. It is the conclusion of this duet and must be read after Pike (book one).Triggers: White supremacy (a group), drug use, one incident of child abuse, and mental health issues.Ends in: HFN ending with an epilogue set a year later.The Main Players:Pike: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Pike is Nine’s best friend and one of the few trusted members of King’s “chosen” family. He is one of the lawless, owning a legitimate pawn shop in Logan’s Beach but also is involved in drug distributing/dealing. He is planning to go to war with the Fourth Reich, but his feelings for Mickey complicate things (especially after she leaves him to go after them on her own). He is a violent, fearless, damaged, yet incredibly sexy alpha antihero with a dirty mouth and a degree in the art of angry sex. Under it all though he is protective and caring to those in his circle. Like all Frazier antiheroes, I was OBSESSED with Pike.Mickey: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Mickey is the only member of her family alive, all having died at the hands of the very hate group she’s been involved in and has planned to take down for years. She is a genius, having earned a doctorate at a very young age which helps her analyze those around her but it also creates a certain quirkiness that is both annoying and endearing. The grief over losing her family has created delusions and some could even call her insane. Her need for revenge has been her driving force until Pike, and now she may have to sacrifice one for the other. She is strong willed and stubborn, determined and defiant. It’s strange, because I actually loved her in Pike and didn’t hate her in this one....BUT something was different that resulted in me not feeling that same love for her (I will explain below).What I liked:Pike & Sex: Despite everything wrong with this book, one thing she did (and always succeeds in) is writing one delicious antihero. With that comes the most angry, violent, hottest sex I’ve ever read. It’s not just rough or dominating, it’s literally violent and rage filled.....and it’s incredibly hot. One of my fave things about her books.Percy’s Character Arc: This was a big surprise for me and quite possibly the single best thing about this book overall. I won’t ruin it for anyone, but it is solely responsible for one of the stars given to this book.King’s Shop Scene: I loved seeing King in his element of loyalty and family, like he was in his shop with Pike. It reminded me of one of the many reasons he is and always will be in the top % of fave antiheroes ever.Humor of it: As with all her books, she’s uses a special/unique kind of humor and she uses it well. It’s not the kind everyone is going to understand and sometimes it downright gross and totally questionable (especially where Preppy is concerned), BUT it’s still exactly what’s needed to add a little light to the types of stories she writes without it feeling unnatural or forced. There is one specific scene involving a cat that had me in tears laughing (just the image of it).What I didn’t:Rushed & Incomplete: Pike offered us very little in terms of real answers but I was confident this one would wrap everything up. How wrong I was. Things are left without a conclusion, characters are introduced or cameo for no real reason that didn’t actually add any substance to the story, and the typical action-packed Logan’s Beach “showdown” in these books that I look forward to was anticlimactic (it was too easy and didn’t really make a ton of sense). I felt like she needed to expand past the page count she had but I realize now if she cut out 50% of her attempt at awareness of hate, she could have wrote a conclusion that matched the greatness of the first installment.The Social Stance (ineffective way): I am a big supporter of using your platform to bring light to real issues.....when it’s done in a way that enhances the story and impacts the reader forcing them to open their eyes and pay attention. But when it’s overdone like it was here without any clear direction it is just plain ineffective. I totally believe had she continued without letting what’s happening now influence her writing, it had the potential to really “speak” to people. Instead it felt less like a romance and more like the constant ramblings of a fictional character trying to teach the reader what hate is and why it is present in someone.....like a fictional case/subject analysis/study. It seemed that Mickey’s entire character purpose was suddenly centered around this instead of allowing the reader to naturally see it through her “eyes” as the actual story progressed.Editing Issues: I am surprised with the amount of editors (she has two different ones) and I assume beta readers she has, how no one was able to pick up on the glaring issues within this 220-ish page book. We had character mix ups (Percy vs Pike, Mindy vs Mickey), a mattress and a sink interchanging within the same scene, being upstairs in a scene there was no upstairs, the Reich being established 30 years ago vs being established in the 1920s after separating from the KKK.....then we have the missing quotations and the whole solute vs salute error. It was careless and a mess.The Handling of Mickey’s Mental Illness: While I appreciate Frazier not ending this book prior to addressing the fact that Mickey was definitely suffering from some form of mental illness, it felt like it was only done as the easiest way to close the whole Mindy issue. We never find out what she was suffering with and aren’t a part of any portion of her healing. Then to have her see and speak to her family again through yet another delusion at the end kinda undid all the work done to have her appear mentally stable.The Verdict:It PAINS me to say this because I’ve obsessed over every single book I’ve gotten my hands on by Frazier, but this book was the WORST she’s ever written (that’s I’ve read). It’s mind blowing that Pike was an insanely wild 5 star read and yet this one was the absolute opposite. I can’t even fully convince myself she wrote it, that’s how “off” it was. So no, I CANNOT recommend this....in fact, I hope for those with this duet as their intro to Frazier’s writing don’t allow this to turn them away from everything else she’s written. Trust me, this is not an accurate representation of the author I have on my top authors list. The only good thing that can come from this experience? A Percy stand-alone or duet....now that is what I call the road to redemption.“You are my constant.”

As the title of this review states I'm disappointed and totally confused by the way this book was written and the ending. I've always completely enjoyed TM Frazier's books and I was looking forward to this one, however I've not read more disjointed and confusing writing. This was NOT this author's usual writing style at all, at one point I thought maybe I downloaded an outline by mistake or a ghost wriiter's poor attempt at writing. I loved the first book in this duet and understand the societal issues of racism, hate groups,mental health problems etc. that were woven into the overall storyline, however it was too much for one book. Pike and Mic had a wonderfully complex love and storyline that was unique from the beginning. This author's writing and storytelling generally addresses different "issues" and groups within the story itself. In the past these stories would provide alternative and generally positive views for the reader and overall storytelling each and of itself. Recently certain human populations are gaining insight and an increase in understanding of just how "real" racism, poverty etc. still are in society today, the term being "woke" is now used. However, it appears this term is also being over used by these same individuals and now many in the public eye such as authors, actors, politicians you get my point, feel the need to prove the fact that they too are "woke". While change needs to happen it all can't be solved in one book.

I’m not sure what happened with this book , maybe the dramas going on in the world dominated the authors line of thinking too much.I really battled through the first 1/2 of the book , I had to put it down and come back to it several times . It did get somewhat better as it came to a conclusion but it was a bit too far fetched with the sister/dog confusion.I’m stunned to say but the section with Preppy early on actually made me annoyed with Preppy. He didn’t come across as his usually self and I was really turned off by the book as a result. He seemed to just be an arse but not in his usual way.I enjoyed the scene of Pike at Kings shop when Percy joined them , that was true King and I loved the care / love he openly showed Pike.Rages involvement was under utilized , she could of really spiced things up , and really she was a mention only.Even thought I personally would of preferred some blood spilt to end things , the alternative was ok but a missed opportunity to have a huge raid and more dramatics play out.Closure was needed on a few things , like getting Kings money back , pay back for those involved in Gutters death & the drug theft.This is the 2nd review I’ve done this week for recent releases and they are both for series I absolutely love and have been disappointed. I think it’s natural authors are influenced by what is going on in the world , but you need to balance using your platform to share your voice ( your absolutely entitled to do that) and keeping true to your story/characters. In this case I think the driving of the message over shadowed the characters.

I will start by saying I love this Author's books. I own the whole series. However this is the first time I can say I'm not happy with one of her books. I was going to give it 2 and decided 3 stars.Ok so, This book was actually confusing as he'll and hard to follow in parts and that's if it could keep my attention. Parts were boring and other parts were confusing especially with the sister part should I say dog and cage. Weird.I understand a mind break but half of the time we seem to think she knows what the bells going on. Guess I'm really disappointed as I LOVED the first book in this Duet. I just didn't enjoy this one sorry.

After devouring the epicness that was Pike, and getting my mind completely and utterly B L O W N by its unexpected and unimaginable cliffhanger, it should come as no surprise whatsoever that Pawn was immediately a highly anticipated read for me - one I could not wait to get my hands on.In the weeks between reading that book and waiting for this one, my mind had been non-stop racing with questions and theories as to how that ending back in Pike could be possible - how could it be real?! - and how would Pike and Mickey's story progress from there now that the bomb has been dropped, the plot has been twisted, the impossible has been discovered, and the game has changed.And I feel like I say this in every review I write for a T.M. Frazier story, but nothing could've prepared me for all that was delivered here. Nothing. At. All.Told in dual perspectives, Pawn picks up right where the first book of this duet left off, with Mickey becoming more determined than ever to bring down The Fourth Reich after she discovers what it is they're keeping from her. From the very beginning this story gripped me in, and I found myself devouring this novel cover to cover in one sitting; it was just as thrilling, suspenseful, and shocking as I hoped it'd be, and it was full of twists and turns that kept me on the edge of my seat throughout, so much so that I know that this conclusion deserves more than the three star rating I'm giving it.Truly, it does.But whilst I could praise this novel until my last breath about how amazing and funny and epic it was - with new characters I fell head over heels in love with, and older ones I grew to love even more than I already do - I cannot ignore the fact that Pawn was incredibly flawed, as it was full of typos and errors that could've been easily fixed during editing, and before the book itself was published.Gosh, where do I start?! Wrong names were used at times, the punctuation was all over the place, and the scenes... Ugh, I got tired of reading how, in one intimate scene Mickey was pressed up against a sink one moment, then the next her "back [is] flying off the mattress", and then she's back to being pressed against the sink before she's then described to be "turning [her] head from one side to the other on the mattress". There shouldn't be a mattress in that scene. Then there's another intimate scene where Pike and Mickey are at the beach, sitting on the sand, getting it on... And then Pike is setting her "down on the counter". Where did that counter come from?! It was ridiculous how noticeable these mistakes were, and not once during editing did this author nor her editors notice it?It doesn't make sense, and seeing those errors had me constantly losing my flow of devouring this novel, which is why I shaved off a full star from my final rating.And the reason why I shaved off an additional star was because, in the long run - despite my absolute adoration for this story - it was overall an underwhelming conclusion. I just find it hard to believe that the antagonist of this story - who is the same one from King of the Causeway (!!) - was brought down that easily; I refuse the accept (but more so I'm just sad) that that big scene between Pike and Thorne (if you've read Pike, then you know what exactly I'm talking about) went like that; and to be honest, the build up to the fall of The Fourth Reich was just a little disappointing in my eyes, and I felt like there should've been more to it than all that was delivered.There were a couple more "flaws" that I found in this story too, except they turned out to not be flaws whatsoever when I finally reached... the final plot twist.Oooooooooooooh my Lord...WHAT THE ACTUAL HECK FRAZIER?!All I'll say about that is that I did not see that coming whatsoever, and it blew my mind more than the cliffhanger delivered in Pike did. More than any kind of plot twist Frazier has delivered in the past. Seriously. I felt my head fill up with air, and then pop. E X P L O D E D. It was shocking, and it made a lot of scenes - but more so my thoughts and opinions on those scenes - change and make sense, and it just definitely saved me from rating this novel anything lower than three stars.T.M. Frazier knew what she was doing when she was planning out this conclusion, and despite its flaws, it definitely had its strengths that made this story an original, emotional, and complex one that is completely unforgettable, and kept me hooked until the very end. But it's just disappointing that this novel was let down in the long run by the poor editing, and with its lacklustre execution to scenes that deserved more - more thrill, more depth... Just more.I did enjoy Pawn, and I would recommend it, but it definitely could've been better than it was.

I wanted to give this book five stars because it really is engaging and dark, the backstory comes together and the character development excelled.I wanted to know these people, to root for them and support them. So it was a disappointment to read the number of editing and grammatical errors that littered the storyline. They irritated each and every time, taking something essential away from the amazing plotline. I understand that the book was completed during unprecedented stressful times what with the pandemic and lockdown followed by the racial issues society faced and that this affected the author every bit as much as everyone else but the book is an absolute work of art let down by poor execution of editing.Having said that, I lost myself in the storyline and wanted the HEA for the lead characters. We are treated to seeing previous characters including lots of visits from Preppy and it's satisfying to see how the previous characters develop.There are some sex scenes each of them appropriate and proportionate.

Final instalment of this duo did not disappoint. It is full of suspense, action, intrigue, drama, tender intimate moments between Mickey and Pike and much more. Great to have cameos of King, Preppy who is as eccentric as ever, and Nine. Even pancakes gets a mention. The plot twist and turns has many rollercoaster moments and totally unexpected events and happenings that the reader can’t possibly second guess. Pike is as caring and protective as ever and Mickey has a lot of problems to solve but together they can conquer anything. A wonderful storyline by a phenomenal author leaves you on a high whilst reading and a low when you finished . What to read next!

I cannot praise this book enough. Especially given the turbulence in the world today. Racism and discrimination need to be rooted out and destroyedWill it be easy no. But mic and pike show that we should never give, fighting against all the hate.There's is an inspiring and heartbreaking story. And I could not recommend it enough

I am so sad to be reading the last book in this series (so far 😉) pike & Pawns story was so relevant at this time and was heartbreaking and thought provoking. I truly love this family and each of their stories, I have laughed & cried throughout. Truly love this author xx