Charles Miske Author

  Super fun alternate universe fantasy ,  December 14, 2015 By  Charles Miske Verified Purchase ( What's this? ) This review is from:  Gateway to Fourline (The Fourline Trilogy Book 1) (Kindle Edition) I will be getting the next book. It was a fun read, and I enjoyed the alternate universe/dimension/whatever. I especially liked that no attempt was made to explain it at all. It just is. The female protagonist didn't become a hero overnight with super amazing battle skills. Unless you suddenly become a vampire or shifter and with it the attendant superpowers that's not believable. Mostly she just runs. Runs away. Sneaks around. Puts herself in harm's way. The duozi will probably take a higher priority in the next book though. View on Amazon HERE First of all, Book Two comes out in a few weeks. Second of all, I want Book Two. Thirdly, I will most likely pay full price for Book Two if it's not on Prime. Our human female was g...

  A dozen or so unmemorable characters with a disjointed intro but it's the genre ,  December 22, 2015 By  Charles Miske This review is from:  TWO HEADS TWO SPIKES (The Pearl of Wisdom Saga Book 1) (Kindle Edition) I'm not a fan of Game of Thrones, have never seen an episode, but that being said it was the first thing I thought of while reading this. I much prefer first person narratives, and trying to follow a dozen or so non-protagonists around was difficult for me. The beginning particularly was difficult, since it seemed in and out of the present tense. When someone is swinging a sword and paused in mid-swing to contemplate a seemingly irrelevant impression from a past experience that might not even have happened it slows down the flow of the book considerably. Once you get in about a hundred pages the pace picks up a bit and the characters have been introduced to it's a much easier read. I can't say that any of the characters stood out ...

  Out of the frying pan into the fire and nothing happens ,  December 24, 2015 By  Charles Miske Verified Purchase ( What's this? ) This review is from:  Under A Twisted Moon (Kindle Edition) Argh. I hate to review a book I could not finish, but here goes. I hope it's helpful for those of you who are on the edge after reading other reviews. The abuse that the protagonist lives under is horrible. I couldn't tolerate the descriptions. Then after she becomes a thing of the night, you think it would change? No. She gets into another abusive relationship under a cult leader. That may be an unpopular descxription, but if you think of it objectively, it's what happened. I just couldn't finish this book when it dragged on and on and nothing got any better and there was no ray of sunshine. I haven't read any of the author's other books, so I can't review other than this book. Sorry. Why not 1 star? Aside from the narrow character minds...

  Hard to separate the good guys from the bad guys ,  January 3, 2015 By  Charles Miske Verified Purchase ( What's this? ) This review is from:  Marked (Servants of Fate Book 1) (Kindle Edition) I love a good paranormal romance. No triangle here, big relief. Couple destined to be together brought together by the thing that should have separated them forever. Not keen on the "physics" of the amulets, but easy enough to ignore it. Loved some of the mythology here, and looking forward to next one. On Amazon HERE Metaphysics, alternate reality, post-apocalyptic world. It's all supposed to be here, and it mostly works. I mean, I gave it a 5. I haven't read the rest though, so this review reminded me to go check it out. Paranormal romance without a triangle? Whoa!

  No miracles or martyrs ,  November 1, 2015 By  Charles Miske Verified Purchase ( What's this? ) This review is from:  Life and Other Near-Death Experiences (Kindle Edition) It was my last gasp Kindle First choice, since everything else was unbearable for me. I wasn't sure I'd like it, but for the most part I was pleasantly surprised. The end dragged on a bit, and if you were looking for either a miracle or martyr you wouldn't have found it here. The romance is very bland and inevitable, even though it was presented as being all fireworks, but none of those fireworks were reflected in the pages. I was impressed by the presentation of the LGBT culture though. See on Amazon HERE Yeah, half of everyone in the book is gay, and that's a small part of the inciting incident that sets this whole train in motion. Libby is dying and her husband doesn't love her like she thought he did. She runs to Puerto Rico, falls in love with a ...

  Not Quite Stereotype Witches ,  November 1, 2015 By  Charles Miske This review is from:  Boundary Lines (Boundary Magic Book 2) (Kindle Edition) I normally don't like shifters, or witches, but here they are presented in a not quite so stereotypical manner, which makes them more than tolerable to me. As other reviewers have stated, Boulder is the focal point of the story, and the very subtle jabs at Boulder culture are spot on. As far as the story, this 2nd in the series has kept the spirit of the original, and the plot moves forward toward some inevitable conclusions. The afterward could have been totally left out without changing anything. See on Amazon HERE This was the second book, and I did enjoy it, and will continue on with the third and maybe some other stories in the same universe. Some of the scenes with another boundary witch were a bit off and slow, and Charlie seems invisible for the most part. It's just as well, sinc...

  Fun Twist on a Classic Theme ,  October 30, 2014 By  Charles Miske Verified Purchase ( What's this? ) This review is from:  Artful: A Novel (Kindle Edition) Excellent! Great characterizations and very creative look at a retro literary world. Highly recommended for the fun fun fun twist on a classic theme. See on Amazon HERE Is there anything more fun that Steampunk? How about anachronism? How about taking a character out of a classic and trying to keep the same theme going with a supernatural influence? That's Artful. I liked it. It was fun. Some of the reviews poked fun at the language, but blame Dickens and enjoy it. 

  Good Fun Read Interesting Worlds ,  October 30, 2014 By  Charles Miske Verified Purchase ( What's this? ) This review is from:  Mad Tinker's Daughter (Mad Tinker Chronicles Book 1) (Kindle Edition) First in a series, creative, interesting look at some interesting worlds. Minor confusion in a few spots, but that was probably just me not paying attention. Was good enough I got the 2nd book. Easy to sympathize with some characters, but not others, though your experience probably depends on your own choices in life. Good fun read. See on Amazon HERE I have toyed around with Steampunk books off and on over the last few years. It's difficult to hold on to the theme without going overboard into stereotype. The idea of two alternate phases to a same world with some people sharing a spirit between the worlds is interesting, and played out well in this book. It took a little while to locate the versions of each in the two worlds and figure o...

  Should have more stars. ,  November 1, 2015 By  Charles Miske Verified Purchase ( What's this? ) This review is from:  Pale Queen Rising (Pale Queen Series Book 1) (Kindle Edition) I'm not sure why this book isn't rated higher by so many of the other reviewers. I have been a fan of urban fantasy off and on for a while, and this fit right in there with the best. The story moves forward persistently; there are plenty of plot twists; there is plenty of room for more in the series. Perhaps fans of pure fantasy might not appreciate it so much. I enjoyed it and recommend it highly. View on Amazon HERE Seriously, why is this book being dissed? I loved it. It really got me thinking and reading. I even read it off the train (most of my reading right now is on my train ride commuting to work). A trained human assassin working for a fae, doing the dirty work that only a human can do in a battle of magic. Hints of a secret past. Hints of s...

  Entertaining ROMCOM ,  November 1, 2015 By  Charles Miske Verified Purchase ( What's this? ) This review is from:  It's In His Heart (A Red River Valley Novel) (Kindle Edition) I normally dislike these types of books, but it was the lesser of the several evils in the Kindle First program that month. I enjoyed it way more than I thought I would though. The main characters were well developed. Their mutual adoration of the deceased was a bit overbearing to me, having actually been in their shoes at one point in my own life. Their ROMCOM stereotype romance was pretty predictable, but still enjoyable. A few side characters stole the stage a time or two. Overall, yeah, if you want a light romance with some "they belong together, don't know it, but aren't allowed to be" vibe going, this is pretty entertaining. View on Amazon HERE I really did enjoy this more than I should have. It was a light fluffy feel good romantic comedy. ...

  Anachronistic American Colonization ,  November 1, 2015 By  Charles Miske Verified Purchase ( What's this? ) This review is from:  Crow Hollow (Kindle Edition) I enjoyed the slightly anachronistic look at the American colonization. It pulled me into the story after a handful of pages wondering just what the heck was going on. After I got into the swing of things though it all fell into place. The ending was never quite cast in stone until that last couple of pages though. It was not all that predictable to me anyway. View on Amazon HERE I really wondered near the end if they were supposed to cast Kevin Costner in this one. Hint hint. So a career diplomat/spy has to rescue a colonial woman to save his reputation and they fall in love along the way. Lust, whatever. It was nicely done, and only a few minor leaps in logic to make it all fall into place. Then you have to wonder about that career in the diplomatic corps? If you like...

  Halfway through before it started making sense ,  November 1, 2015 By  Charles Miske Verified Purchase ( What's this? ) This review is from:  Wreckage (Kindle Edition) Sorry, just okay. I was halfway through it before I figured out all the messed up tenses and cases and it started making sense to me. Then the ending faded out into a whimper of DOH! This was a Kindle First selection, and not something I would normally choose, if that helps with the tone of my experience. View on Amazon HERE Oh, gosh. This was voted a "less than helpful" review by 1 reader. Well, sorry about that. It's such a wreck of a book. So a bunch of people crash land on an island, get it on, most die, and when they're rescued they quick have to hide a horrible miserable life-altering secret. The chapters switch tenses and cases so fast and furious that I had almost finished the book before I figured it out. Spoiler: The horrible secret was veiled in...

  A few hours of entertainment ,  November 1, 2015 By  Charles Miske Verified Purchase ( What's this? ) This review is from:  The One That Got Away (Kindle Edition) Decent enough for a Kindle First selection. No one was particularly memorable, sadly. Sometimes you get into the heads of one of the characters, good or bad, but none of that here. As other reviewers stated, formulaic, but that being said, it was entertaining, and I did finish it pretty quickly. Worth a few hours of entertainment More on Amazon HERE I wish I could remember it more, but like I said in the review, not a lot to remember. It is always fun though to see the good girl turn out to be a cold-blooded killer. Oooops, no spoilers, right? $4.99 seems a bit steep for what this is, so get it free on Kindle Unlimited, okay?

  Recommend Darkness ,  November 1, 2015 By  Charles Miske Verified Purchase ( What's this? ) This review is from:  Darkness Brutal (The Dark Cycle Book 1) (Kindle Edition) I can hardly wait to get into the next book. It was really good for the most part. Some annoying moments with the whole Babylonian magician thing made me really distrust some of the characters. The frantic "protect sis at any cost" thread that wove the whole thing together was a setup for disaster from the start. That being said though, it's an urban fantasy, so expect some darkness. I do highly recommend it. on AMAZON I did want to like it a lot more than I did like it. I do want to read the next book. A kid and "baby sis" with a magic secret or two gets hooked up with a group of misfit magic users led by a self-proclaimed mysterious magician displaced in time travel to defeat the evil wizard and save the time space continuum. Or something like...

  Witches and Vampires, Oh My ,  November 1, 2015 By  Charles Miske Verified Purchase ( What's this? ) This review is from:  Boundary Crossed (Boundary Magic Book 1) (Kindle Edition) I don't normally like witches, but this book stood out as being a great story and a great read in spite of that. I got into the story enough to get the 2nd book in the series, which I've also just finished and reviewed. I used to shop in Boulder when I lived in Colorado, so the settings are familiar and set the stage for my own visualization of the story. If you like witches and vampires and don't need the steamy vampire sex in other series, this is a good choice. on AMAZON I really enjoyed this book. So much so that I got the 2nd book (review coming soon) and dived right in. Like I said, I normally don't like witches so much, shifters even less, but the story was good enough to draw me in and keep my attention. A baby with an anti-magic ability, a ...

  A culture gone to the dogs ,  November 1, 2015 By  Charles Miske Verified Purchase ( What's this? ) This review is from:  Battle Royale: The Novel (Paperback) Someone told me this was the basis of Hunger Games, and sure enough, it seems that way. I have enjoyed anime over the last several years, and saw quite a few of the same themes and characters of many of the greatest. Japanese culture has a way of showing strongly in these types of media. This book does not disappoint at all. I was suitably surprised by the ending, even though I had expected it from way back in the early pages of the book. If you enjoy the darker side of humanity and a culture gone to the dogs, this is the book for you. Get it on AMAZON Battle Royale: The Novel I fondly remember the thrill of reading this just a few months ago. It's a possible reread if I ever run out of books and need to relive the adventure. In a nutshell, Japanese middle school clas...

by  Christa Wojciechowski - on AMAZON I read this book not that long ago, again, as one of my commuter train reads. I got this during a freebie. Here's my Amazon Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars Short with thriller elements and a great read By Charles Miske on November 8, 2015 Format: Kindle Edition Verified Purchase At first I was really wondering just what was going on. After a while it became somewhat obvious that at least one of the characters was up to no good. The ending was extremely gratifying and a perfect stopping point. If you want a short with some thriller elements, it's a great read. In a nutshell, a couple who deserve each other, being specially happy in a special way that only they can relate to. You won't be disappointed in this quick reading short. It's free on Kindle Unlimited, but not on Prime.