Mickey's Duke

The Wilgrin Chronicles #1

by Vicktor Alexander

When Michael "Mickey" Monroe arrived on the planet Wilgrin after escaping his home of Rodeiro, his only plan had been to make just enough money to get enough fuel to fly to another planet. One where no one knew him, where he could fade into the background. Where he didn't have to worry about someone trying to beat him up at every turn. However, working in the restaurant known as Durac, Mickey comes in contact with Carl Cavendish and realizes that no matter where he goes, someone is going to want to beat the shit out of him. Making a run for it, Mickey comes face to face with one of the most gorgeous carriages that he's ever seen, with a real live duke inside. Accepting the stranger's offer of help, Mickey soon finds himself naked and in the arms of Evander Cavendish, the gorgeous father of Carl Cavendish. Before Mickey can blink he's married and dealing with a stepson who would rather see him dead than at the dining room table, a husband who only seems to want him for his body, and a secret that he doesn't know how to reveal to his new family, but one that he only has about nine months to share before it makes an appearance all on its own.

Genres: M M Romance, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Gay, Novella, M M Fantasy, Romance

60 pages, ebook

First published July 1, 2012

About the author

Vicktor Alexander “Vic” wrote his first story at the age of 10 about his youngest sister and her destruction of the world…with her breath.  Much to his youngest sister’s dismay the story was a hit and became the first story of a series all dealing with the planets that were destroyed by his siblings and their strange quirks and body odors. Vic now enjoys writing about shifters, humanoids, cowboys, firemen, rent boys, fairies, elves, dancers, doctors, Doms, Subs, and anything else that catches his fancy, all sexy men falling in love with each other and having lots of naughty, dirty, man-on-man sex.  Author of the best-selling series, The Tate Pack, Vic is a huge fan of the “happily-ever-after” ending. But while his characters all ride off into the proverbial sunset, all sexually satisfied and in love, they all bear the scars of fighting for that love, just like in real life. Out and proud, Vic does not believe that love only comes in one form, one race, one gender and that not only is gender fluid, by sexuality as well.  Vic loves to make people laugh and when he’s not writing, or rather, procrastinating in writing, he’s reading, playing the Sims 3, hanging out with his very supportive adopted family, talking to his adopted daughter, whom he affectionately calls "Chipmunk", seeking the man or men who can handle his crazy, stressful, soap opera-esque life and being distracted from his writing by drooling over pictures of John Barrowman, Scott Hoying, Charlie David and Shemar Moore.

Reviews

[True · Rating 2 out of 5]

*sigh*
....so 'Van is a bit of an idiot. There..i said it. Okay he is a sexy idiot..i'll give you that lol. But wow... "oh my son isnt being violent towards you." That's like saying the rabid dog that bit someone was only playing. Okay i got that out of the way. i know i should over look it but i cant. so...whatevers. lol.

Now...besides all of that I really did enjoy the whole hide the pregnancy thing. That was a bit of a kick. I wish we could have seen more of "hide the baby" events. Could you imagine trying to hide a baby bump?

Did i like the book? yes i did. would i read it again? CHUH!!!

[ReviewerLarissa · Rating 1 out of 5]

There were just too many plotholes and inconsistencies on top of flat characters for me to enjoy this book

[N.J. Nielsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have only read the drafted copy of this book and I can tell you thank God I was a beta reader on this one as it if fricken brilliant. Do yourself a favour and grab a copy when it comes out.

[T · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is, unfortunately, a disaster. First of all, the book is extremely repetitive.

Second, this story is filled with inconsistencies. Mickey keeps thinking he's pregnant, then on the next line, he's not sure again. He feels the child inside him, but the next moment doubts his pregnancy.

Third, the "love story" has no love at all. If your husband, your supposed soul mate, tells you again and again your son is abusing them, threatening them, you'd check to see if it's true, right? Especially if your partner is pregnant and the child might be in danger, right? No. Evander tells Mickey he's imagining things, that his son, a known homophobe, is actually alright with the entire situation. The way Evander treats Mickey throughout the book is disgusting. One minute he can't get enough of Mickey, the next he's condescending or downright cold.

Finally, maybe the major plot hole, Mickey spends a lot of time complaining about Evander's cold attitude towards him, how the Duke keeps leaving him alone in the house, expecting the boy to become the "Mistress" of the house. Mickey spends quite a while depressing over the fact his husband doesn't talk to him about important things, lie his work or people's problems. By the end of the book, the pregnancy reaches its end, and everything is well... except these problems persist, but aren't acknowledged anymore.

On a personal note, this is my second MPreg book and at least on that end this book is okay. I didn't notice any idiotic things (like the baby coming out of the man's ass) or too preposterous.

[Tj · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cute short story about an abused young man that takes a chance and leaves for the unknown only to run out of gas. Mickey is a wonderful character who even though he has been abused and abandoned by those that should have loved him still has a positive belief that every thing happens for a reason. We don't really get a good characterization of the Duke. He isn't delved into to much. I enjoyed the world created by the author. I don't think this is a complex and deep book but it is a fun short read that leaves the reader with a happy heart.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

I enjoyed this book, but it wasn't what I was expecting. I didn't check the page count when I bought it, so I was surprised at how short it was. The book skipped through time and you'd go from first meeting to three months later. I disliked the lack of world building. I didn't learn much about Mickey's people, the planet of Wilgrin, or the whole universe except for the bare basics. I also thought the ending wasn't as believable. Just the way it was wrapped up was a bit ridiculous. And the Duke is an idiot for most of the book. I mean come on, a blind monkey could tell how much Carl hated Mickey, yet the Duke just blows it off and thinks everything's fine? And then puts his child and husband at risk like that? Ridiculous. And what about Mickey's family? If the Duke is so powerful, couldn't he punish Mickey's family? And wouldn't he want to punish the people who harmed Mickey? Maybe there will be a second book where this will be resolved, but to mention it and then ignore it is like telling a dog you've got a bone for them and then you don't deliver.

However, the book's saving grace for me was with the mpreg. I enjoy reading mpreg novels, but a big problem in a lot of mpregs is that the mpreg is glossed over. I know it's considered a more controversial/less accepted concept, but come on. If you're going to include it, you need to include it in the story, not just a mention and then, "nine months later..." I like a story where you see the characters throughout the pregnancy and even afterwards and that is what happens in this book. In fact, the mpreg is a big part of the story, which made it even better for me. So that's what kept the story from being a 3.

All in all, I did enjoy this book, but I wished it had been longer and more detailed. Parts of it were glossed over and should have been expanded. There is a possibility for a sequel (which I'm hoping for), and I'd love to see more of this world.

[Complicated Contradiction · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too short and too rushed. Characters had no depth and feeling.

[Tereza · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love Vic’s books but this one just didn’t do it for me.





1) The Characters

- no character growth, and I mean no growth at all

- I guess I’m too spoiled by the HEA in M/M books everywhere but really... for the most of the book I believed exactly the same thing Mickey did: Evander DID NOT love Mickey. He just didn’t. I mean surely it wasn’t just me who thought so... right? Who else?



All there was, was just a declaration at the end of the book “of course I love you, silly” and suddenly Van acted completely different.



There was no excuse at all of why Van acted like a jerk and I simply just wanted to bitch-slap him. And kick him in the balls.









So, yeah. That's how I felt.







- Mickey has sort of brain injury. Pregnant and he risks his baby by facing the man that wants to kill him WITHOUT backup?



Really?



Please tell me that was supposed to be a joke.



- the ending scenes (after the attack) left me feeling: WTF?!





2) The Story

- I suppose the story was ok considering the fact the book has 60 pages

- the book was a very nice easy read

- the sex scene in the car was... hot.



- the whole MPREG theme was great, I love mpreg in general, so I had no issue with that.



3) Side characters

- I really missed some noticeable side characters. There was Carl of course but that wasn’t enough, IMHO.





2 stars.

[Pixie Mmgoodbookreviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Hearts

First published at MM Good Book Reviews

http://mmgoodbookreviews.wordpress.co...

Mickey arrived on the planet Wilgrin after running from his family. He is hiding for his life after being chased by a group of thugs when a carriage pulls up and its occupant saves him. Now he finds himself married to a Duke, with the lead thug who chased him as a step-son and a surprise for his husband.

This is an enjoyable story that is amusing and light-hearted. Mickey has been treated like crap for many a year, now he has a fresh start on Wilgrin, if he decides to stay, but others decide he isn’t welcome. But then he meets (giggle) Evander and his life changes again, but not all of it is good. his step-son is the leader of the gang who wanted to beat the crap out of him, his new husband only seems to want him for his body and he has a secret and no clue how his husband will react. Can it get any worse?

I really enjoyed this story and thought the character of Mickey was brilliant, his sometimes rambling thoughts were humorous and kept me invested in Mickey. The progression of the story was quick, but smooth, with hot sex and some tender scenes. I liked the world building we were given and was thankful the author gave a detailed explanation for the Rodeiron species, it made Mickey’s situation more believable. I really liked Mickey’s behavior, it was so true to life and Evander’s reaction was so sweet, their friends add a good round-up with the characters and really added to the story.

Now this story is all from Mickey’s POV, so we don’t get that invested in Evander as we do with Mickey, but Evander seems to be a man who keeps things close to his chest, and is completely oblivious to his son and his actions because he wants to believe his son has turned over a new leaf. His reactions towards Mickey are harder to define as we only see it from Mickey’s side, but, from his reactions later in the book, we see how much he loves Mickey.

I have to recommend this one to those who like science fiction, fantasy, hot sex, and a touch of danger, m-preg and a happy ever after.

[Penumbra · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won this book from Vicktor Alexander in the Hop Against Homophobia blog hop. Thanks, Vicktor!



Summary:

Mickey’s Duke is the story of Michael ‘Mickey’ Monroe, who landed on the planet of Wilgrin after hastily leaving his home planet of Rodeiro. Mickey is known as a Rodeiron Breeder, a male that can bear children.

On Wilgrin, Mickey is almost beaten by the hate-filled homophobic Carl. Mickey is rescued by the Duke Evander Cavendish who is passing by in his carriage. From this point on, Mickey’s life moves full-speed ahead.


Review :

I enjoyed ‘Mickey’s Duke.’ At only sixty pages, it’s a sweet, fast read with the HEA that I love in my stories. The only thing I wish is that it was longer.

The story mostly focuses on the characters, so there isn't much world building in this, only a few mentions from Mickey as he remembers his past.

Mickey is a humorous character and I liked his reaction to what was happening to him. Evander or ‘Van’ as Mickey sometimes called him, was confident and sexy, but was a bit clueless at times, especially when it came to his son Carl; who happened to be the same homophobic man that attacked Mickey the night Mickey and the Duke met.

There are numerous other characters included in this book that could have their own future stories.

There was a problem with the formatting at the beginning of each chapter. The first letter of the first sentence would not be there. It would later show up further in the first paragraph. I’m guessing it’s something that can be easily fixed.

If you’re looking for a sexy, fast read then Mickey’s Duke might be the story for you. I give this book 3 stars

[Kinny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vicktor Alexander books always give me the warm fuzzies;-D This has got to be my favorite book of his so far! Mickey despite being abused all his life has so much fighting spirit and an optimistic view. Beaten by his brothers,abandoned by a lousy ex, and maltreated by a father who wants to sell him he runs away from his home planet.

What prevented me from giving this five stars is the fact that Evander would not believe him when he voiced his fears and Carl's ill treatment of him. I understand that Carl is Evander's son but knowing how rude and homophobic he is that you would leave your helpless pregnant hubby at his mercy just because you choose to believe the best in him is just stupidly selfish. Mickey not asking help from others who were just too willing to help him was also frustrating.

[Violet · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unfortunately, i didnt like the book. It was too short and too instant love . I never really understood the relationship between mickey and the duke. One moment Micky was running then the prince charming duke came to the rescue. Bam instant attraction then they have sex inside the carriage on the way to the mansion. Suddenly Micky conceived and was pregnant? Then duke decides that they got to get married. This happend on few hrs. I dont know ..how long does it take it form the transpo to the massion and mansion to the wedding ceremony.. ...? Seriously ? Anyone would at least resist getting married to someone you just met a few hours ago! For me this is not romance. This is purely a survival need to stay with a guy who accidentally impregnated him. There was no courtship and no development in their relationship.

[Jess · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is more of a 2.5 star book.

Im disappointed because I love Mpreg books......lets face it I go on a Mpreg bender 1-2 times a year and read about 5-10 in a row. This book had such potential.

It was funny, sweet and interesting. The problem is - this story coasted across the surface. I felt like I sat down with the author for coffee and they told me the story off the top of their head....not the detailed written description which it needed.

If this short story was expanded and done with more indepth exploration of the main characters feelings - then it would easily be a 5 star read for me.

Recommendation - easy and quirky but slightly disappointing read

[Mel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good short story. Not bad at all. Mickey is from a planet whose men are often born with the ability to get pregnant. However, they can only do so with their one and only genetic match. So the insta sex is somewhat understandable. So his Duke has a very mean very homophobic son. And the son would like to see Mickey die. And there you have it....
With only 60 pages there isn't a lot of time for character development or world development. Yes, it was not my usual cup of tea, but I liked it.

[Gina · Rating 1 out of 5]

WHAT A DISASTER!
It was an okaish book until the 80% of the book. And then somethings happened, and it became quickly a disaster. I still can't believe the whole Evander and Mickey's dealing with Carl's being killed by Mickey(self defence or not, your child being killed by your partner's hand but you still comforting his feeling over your dead child's body? Really?) thing and a feeling of replacing Carl by thier new children. Well, call me cradzy delusional. But that's how it all looked to me. Villain or not, I felt sorry for him in the end to have a father like Evander.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars
A so-so read. Had the makings of a good story, but too rushed and the timeline jumped too quickly. It came across as an amateur free read mpreg fanfiction.

The book format was faulty (even when converted to other formats). First letter of each new chapter was missing and placed part way into the paragraph.
ie: ichael “Mickey” Monroe pressed his back against the brick wall he leaned against, his breath stuttering out of his chest as the group of men ran past the M alley opening.

[Tamela · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really felt bad for Mickey. What happened to Carl was unavoidable, but was so hard to deal with. Luckily Mickey's Duke is such a wonderful guy... [[sigh]]
=====================
1st read - Sept 25, 2012
2nd read - July 16, 2015

[Carrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad, but probably needed to be a longer story. There seemed to be a LOT of unanswered questions and issues (such as the fact that Evander pretty much cut Mickey out of his outside life). I do enjoy the premise and I think the pregnancy is an interesting plot.

[Da'ad · Rating 1 out of 5]

The dumbest freaking thing I've ever read. Holy crap. Lame, pointless, illogical, sappy in the worst way possible, and LAME! If you couldn't tell, I didn't like anything about this. I finished it just to see what happens to that dumbass main character and his dumbass duke. Feh.

[Georgine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite a lovely story :)

[Tailtiu · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5*

[Claudia Luis · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars

[Ro · Rating 3 out of 5]

You would think Evander would at least take precautions while leaving his pregnant hubby, knowing how extremely homophobic the son is!

[Karol Kamara · Rating 5 out of 5]

love it...enjoy this so much that I got it on audible

[ms.beau · Rating 1 out of 5]

How could a plot with such potential go so wrong? I also bought book 2 in this series, and I dread finding out how much money I actually wasted.

[Melanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've read other stuff by Vic before and really enjoyed it, but this felt like the outline or draft of a story. Just wasn't enough in it for me.

[Ericka Walden · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Vic... I mean this book!! Giggle.. Well... I love Vic too!! Blinking innocently..

[Fadia Pierre · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was like a reading rushed fanfiction

[Det · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love male pregnancy stories! (^_^)

[Shann Luvs · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just wish the story was longer....