The Machine: Rise of the Gifted

by Natasha Duncan-Drake

Rafe Derouet used to be a world class, British figure skater competing against his arch rival, flamboyant American Louis Hayes. A catastrophic knee injury ended his career and now all he can do is look on from the sidelines, commentating where he used to be a star. He hates Louis and wants nothing more than to see his nemesis go down in a blaze of failure.

Then mysterious men in black with guns take over a press meet, trying to arrest Louis, awakening something dangerous in their target, and setting in motion events they cannot control. Most shocking of all, Rafe finds out Louis can literally read his mind.

Dragged into a murky world of government agents and x-files by one of those x-files, Rafe finds his world view completely changing. And, along the way, his hatred for Louis proves to be something else entirely.

Now Rafe just needs to survive so he can decide what to do about it.

Genres: M M Romance, Paranormal, Sports, Contemporary

86 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 21, 2016

About the author

Natasha is a British author with Wittegen Press and has been publishing genre fiction since 2011. Her work includes everything from horror to young adult fantasy and she has never met a genre she didn’t like. A prolific producer of short stories and novels alike, Natasha currently has over twenty five titles in her back catalogue with further releases always imminent.

Natasha has been writing since she was a young girl ever since she read The Hobbit at Primary School. She is a big fan of science fiction, fantasy and horror in all their forms and is a big advocate of fanfiction as a great tool for writers to polish their skills in a welcoming and supportive community.

Before establishing Wittegen Press with her twin sister, Sophie Duncan, Natasha was a database and systems consultant. She combines these skills with her writing to create and manage her career in the bold new eBook market.

Reviews

[Natalie H · Rating 3 out of 5]

August
Kindle edition

I like short stories in between big stories, especially the M/M ones. This one was a bit WTF. Acually, a lot. You've got Rafe that can no longer skate with his feelings for Louis tangled in murky closet issues and then there's Luke. A skater with the mind of a machine. It gets very weird. I did like the telepathy but the overall feeling on this one was WTF.

[Lillian Francis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enemies to lovers. No explicit content. Writing is clunky in places. But the story kept my attention long enough to read it. Certain parts weren't explained to my satisfaction. I'd have liked Rafe's view from before he came round/a reason as to why Louis thought he was dead.

Free book from Amazon.

[A · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received the book for free as an advanced reader copy in exchange for a review.

I read the book in it's first form and liked it. This? Even better with more details. I'd love to have known more about the background -- the events that lead to this -- and I'd love to see a sequel.

Louis and Rafe's characters are well developed and their relationship believable. The plot was unique and kept my attention all the way to the end. The writing felt a bit abrupt, but overall, a well done story. Definitely recommending it!