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Minders #1-3
Beautiful Monster
Josh Mackay is hired to bring in Kiran Brunner.
251 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2006
69 people want to read
About the author
Joely Skye
15 books150 followersJoely Skye has written for more years than she can remember. Her latest writing passion is romance and shapeshifters. She lives with her husband and two children in Canada.
To learn more about Joely Skye, please visit www.joelyskye.com or her Yahoo Group.
She also writes as Jorrie Spencer (www.jorriespencer.com).
To learn more about Joely Skye, please visit www.joelyskye.com or her Yahoo Group.
She also writes as Jorrie Spencer (www.jorriespencer.com).
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
November 13, 2010
Beautiful Monster is three stories: Monster, Zombie and Minder. They really need to be read together, individually they would have been unsatisfying. As a whole, it was a great story
Josh Mackay was hired by the Agency to track and capture a deadly Minder, Kiran Brunner. Minders are people who have the ability to bend human will to their own use. With a push, a Minder could say to you, "you want to give me a $5000 gift of cash” and you would happily hand over the dough. Or you find that you have happily cut your own throat, with the right suggestion from an accomplished Minder. And of course, the Agency doesn't use them *snort*.
So Josh was not adverse to leading the Minder, Kiran, into a trap. Before Kir passes out, he asked Josh to “please don't let them hurt me”. By the end of the day, escaped and running with Josh, Kir is scared and lost. He needs Josh to drive him to Atlanta but didn't expect to truly like the man who had trapped him once already. But before they can get too far away, the agency catches them. Kir and Josh are separated. Kir escapes with other Minders leaving Josh to wonder what was real and what was false.
Okay, I have to admit that I was creeped out for about half the book. Criminals, monsters you can kill...eliminate. Joely does a great job demonstrating the vulnerability people would have once you have been taken by a Minder. The ability to say no is taken away. Free will and choice are gone.
The love story and the struggle between Josh and Kir was good. I began to wonder how patient Kir would continue to be with Josh when he was rescued. The insecurities and wounds, old and new, where not overly done. Boy, I do not like Trey. I started the series in the middle on accident, so I expected Trey to be different. Can't wait to get to the next book in the series so I can see what missed between here and Feral.
Josh Mackay was hired by the Agency to track and capture a deadly Minder, Kiran Brunner. Minders are people who have the ability to bend human will to their own use. With a push, a Minder could say to you, "you want to give me a $5000 gift of cash” and you would happily hand over the dough. Or you find that you have happily cut your own throat, with the right suggestion from an accomplished Minder. And of course, the Agency doesn't use them *snort*.
So Josh was not adverse to leading the Minder, Kiran, into a trap. Before Kir passes out, he asked Josh to “please don't let them hurt me”. By the end of the day, escaped and running with Josh, Kir is scared and lost. He needs Josh to drive him to Atlanta but didn't expect to truly like the man who had trapped him once already. But before they can get too far away, the agency catches them. Kir and Josh are separated. Kir escapes with other Minders leaving Josh to wonder what was real and what was false.
Okay, I have to admit that I was creeped out for about half the book. Criminals, monsters you can kill...eliminate. Joely does a great job demonstrating the vulnerability people would have once you have been taken by a Minder. The ability to say no is taken away. Free will and choice are gone.
The love story and the struggle between Josh and Kir was good. I began to wonder how patient Kir would continue to be with Josh when he was rescued. The insecurities and wounds, old and new, where not overly done. Boy, I do not like Trey. I started the series in the middle on accident, so I expected Trey to be different. Can't wait to get to the next book in the series so I can see what missed between here and Feral.
February 16, 2011
Trigger warning: This book contains a depiction of child abuse.
Review of Beautiful Monster only, reviews of the other two in the series will be under those books individually.
The story in this first part, although extremely short, is very clever and emotional. It is very much the first part of the story though and if you're going to start part one, plan on getting parts 2 and 3 right away because the story just kinda stops and you're left wondering what on earth is going on.
Review of Beautiful Monster only, reviews of the other two in the series will be under those books individually.
The story in this first part, although extremely short, is very clever and emotional. It is very much the first part of the story though and if you're going to start part one, plan on getting parts 2 and 3 right away because the story just kinda stops and you're left wondering what on earth is going on.
March 30, 2010
I liked the books -- Monster, Zombie, Minder -- as a whole but wouldn't want to read them separately. They first two just cut off practically mid-sentence, and even the last one ends abruptly. Rather than a story arc, I felt like it was a story cliff -- climb climb climb then splat off the edge.
That said, I did like the story and wish she had written a #4 to finish off Kir and Josh's story.
That said, I did like the story and wish she had written a #4 to finish off Kir and Josh's story.
July 14, 2011
What I liked: Characters, love story (just enough sap), sex scenes (just the right amount of it, not too indepth (got boring a while ago)), H/C, trust-issues as one other reviewers named it, the world. The writing style.
What I didn't like: The ending was too smooth, too naive. The danger of the agency suddenly went away and nothing followed? Completely unrealistic, and that from an author who seems to thrive on stories with a strong danger element.
And I would have liked more talk about Brad's violation of Josh and Snow's of Kir - the way it sometimes comes up is realistic, as in real life I guess most people wouldn't talk it out, but I'm a psychologist at heart and believe in the power of speech. Here I wished there'd been some catharsis, but I admit that's my wishful thinking and actually the way their traumatas are handled is a lot more realistic than what I wish would have happened, so - no point reduction. It's like an itch in my mind, though.
What I didn't like: The ending was too smooth, too naive. The danger of the agency suddenly went away and nothing followed? Completely unrealistic, and that from an author who seems to thrive on stories with a strong danger element.
And I would have liked more talk about Brad's violation of Josh and Snow's of Kir - the way it sometimes comes up is realistic, as in real life I guess most people wouldn't talk it out, but I'm a psychologist at heart and believe in the power of speech. Here I wished there'd been some catharsis, but I admit that's my wishful thinking and actually the way their traumatas are handled is a lot more realistic than what I wish would have happened, so - no point reduction. It's like an itch in my mind, though.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 6, 2008
Pretty good considering this is a series of three short e-books bound into a single novella. Fast read, and rather light given the darkness suggested throughout the book. More details and depth would have been nice, as well as more insight into The Agency.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews