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Minders #1
Monster
Josh Mackay is hired to bring in Kiran Brunner, a Minder with the psychic ability to manipulate and kill. But Kir has been abused by the agency that wants him back and he-ll do anything to escape.
First book in the Minders series.
Josh Mackay-s job is to lure Kiran Brunner to a safe house. That part-s easy. The boy-Minder or no-is beautiful and surprisingly naive. Hunted by those who want to harm him, Kir doesn-t recognize Josh-s trap until it is almost too late.
But Kir gets his hooks in Josh. When his job is done, Josh cannot walk away. Not only because of what Kir is, but because of why the agency wants Kir back.
Josh wants above all to protect Kir. But Josh doesn-t know if that-s the right thing to do, or if he-s unknowingly succumbed to the Minder-s control.
Warning, this title contains the violence and hot nekkid man-love.
79 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 11, 2006
4 people are currently reading
156 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 - 20 of 20 reviews
November 19, 2015
I'm giving all three virtually the same review because they're basically more of a serial novel than a series.You have to read all three in the series because the first two end in cliffhangers and they're short. Keep that in mind because the first two do not have an HEA/HFN. I'm someone who requires a happy ending, but it was okay, because I had the other books at hand, and I knew it would eventually turn out okay. The end really isn't an ending, it's very much the end of a section or chapter.
I love the world she's built. I read another book in this world before this one so I knew the answer to one secret that is actually not revealed in this book. But there's drama aplenty, lots of mortal danger and mayhem and intense emotion and I just eat that stuff up. It's like manna for me.
There's also not only a history of abuse, but in the first one, a rather graphic attempted rape scene that reads a little like an inaccurate BDSM story. (What I mean isn't that someone is chased down a dark alley and thrown behind a dumpster.) Angst pervades the books, too. God this stuff is so great. If you don't like melodrama, though, you'll probably hate this. But I like it. It's like she wrote it just for me.
This episode is only 4 stars because it wasn't written as well as the other two.
(I have put this on my shelf for awful cover, but I am only referring to the one with the creepy guy in a white shirt and dark hair.
I love the world she's built. I read another book in this world before this one so I knew the answer to one secret that is actually not revealed in this book. But there's drama aplenty, lots of mortal danger and mayhem and intense emotion and I just eat that stuff up. It's like manna for me.
There's also not only a history of abuse, but in the first one, a rather graphic attempted rape scene that reads a little like an inaccurate BDSM story. (What I mean isn't that someone is chased down a dark alley and thrown behind a dumpster.) Angst pervades the books, too. God this stuff is so great. If you don't like melodrama, though, you'll probably hate this. But I like it. It's like she wrote it just for me.
This episode is only 4 stars because it wasn't written as well as the other two.
(I have put this on my shelf for awful cover, but I am only referring to the one with the creepy guy in a white shirt and dark hair.
December 23, 2010
This was a quick, short story and a great start to a series. Although, I probably wouldn't say that if I didn't already have the other two books in the series. Lol, I'd probably be cussing up a storm on the ending but since I can go straight to the second one, I'm more than pleased.
The relationship between Josh and Kir definitely starts out as enemies but slowly, as Josh helps Kir, it evolves into something different. In the end, however, they're forced right back into enemies because of Josh's hurt towards Kir's deceptive use of his psychic powers on Josh.
I've been putting off reading this series for a while. Why? I have no idea because I really liked Kir and Josh. Kir being sexually abused in the past appealed to me because I like characters who are broken and Kir is just that. Josh, who's been in the military, can't seem to get over his need to protect Kir even though they just met and I liked that, too. This was like a modern-day 'knight in shining armor' story. With psychics and abuse. Lol.
Definitely recommended.
The relationship between Josh and Kir definitely starts out as enemies but slowly, as Josh helps Kir, it evolves into something different. In the end, however, they're forced right back into enemies because of Josh's hurt towards Kir's deceptive use of his psychic powers on Josh.
I've been putting off reading this series for a while. Why? I have no idea because I really liked Kir and Josh. Kir being sexually abused in the past appealed to me because I like characters who are broken and Kir is just that. Josh, who's been in the military, can't seem to get over his need to protect Kir even though they just met and I liked that, too. This was like a modern-day 'knight in shining armor' story. With psychics and abuse. Lol.
Definitely recommended.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 9, 2011
This is the first book in a series and while it can be read alone, it has a rather big hanging ending with little to no resolution on any front. As I haven’t read the subsequent books, I’ve no idea if any of the issues raised are resolved but the blurbs tease that perhaps there are more chapters to go before an eventual happy ending, if one exists. So keep this in mind if you’re the type that likes your stories wrapped up in the space of the book, otherwise know going in you’re tapping into (so far) a three part series. Now that being said, as a first installment this wasn’t bad and certainly set up enough themes to be explored in future sequels.
The plot revolves around the commonly used theme of paranormal abilities and the undercover, evil agency that wants to use, abuse, and capture these people. In this case the ingénue is Kiran, a Minder with the ability to manipulate others’ minds, actions, and emotions. He is innocent and shy, jumpy after years of abuse at the hands of the evil agency and unwilling to use his powers unless he absolutely has to. More willing to submit to poor treatment thrust upon than fight back, Kir is tired of being a pawn and simply wants to hide. He ventures out for anonymous sex with strangers as the only way to quiet the never-ending thinking of his mind and he quickly attaches himself to Josh as the first person who’s ever shown him care, kindness, and concern.
Josh is the alpha male and a former marine that has an attack of conscience when he witnesses the torture Kir is to suffer after his capture. Josh struggles with his feelings and what is reality versus what is thrust upon him by Kir’s coercion. His overwhelming urge to protect and comfort Kir confuses him and forces him to question the source of his emotions. Just as Josh questions the majority of his thoughts and actions, uncertain what level of force and control he’s been subjected to and falling back on the information of others that sounds more believable. Josh is a strong character yet allows himself to be manipulated repeatedly by almost every person in the book.
Both characters were well established yet not entirely fully three-dimensional. Repeated visions of Kir shaking, scared, fearful and uncertain are at odds with the resourceful personality needed to evade capture for so long. Just as Josh’s competent actions and strong feelings of right and wrong conflict repeatedly with his easy gullibility. There seemed to be a lack of emotional attachment between Josh and Kir even though there clearly was a connection. Additionally the entire action subplot felt too cliché with the utterly evil agency and equally evil Minders. This might have worked in a longer novel with more attention to detail and fleshing out of both the plot and character profiles but the short nature of the story (under 70 pages) caused definite drawbacks to be evident.
Unfortunately the hanging ending had me slightly annoyed, but that is certainly a personal bias. I enjoy a series, but I prefer a story arc to begin and end within one book rather than dragging out the resolution to multiple books. However, for those that don’t mind the prolonged story arc over numerous books won’t see this as a detriment. While the characters weren’t entirely successful, the writing was easy enough that it’s a rather fast read with some intriguing men and a basic plot with a slight twist. As an introductory book, it hit all the necessary points while creating enough interest to keep readers going to the second book. I’m not sure if I’ll move on in the series, but I am certainly considering it. I’d love to see Kir’s progression.
The plot revolves around the commonly used theme of paranormal abilities and the undercover, evil agency that wants to use, abuse, and capture these people. In this case the ingénue is Kiran, a Minder with the ability to manipulate others’ minds, actions, and emotions. He is innocent and shy, jumpy after years of abuse at the hands of the evil agency and unwilling to use his powers unless he absolutely has to. More willing to submit to poor treatment thrust upon than fight back, Kir is tired of being a pawn and simply wants to hide. He ventures out for anonymous sex with strangers as the only way to quiet the never-ending thinking of his mind and he quickly attaches himself to Josh as the first person who’s ever shown him care, kindness, and concern.
Josh is the alpha male and a former marine that has an attack of conscience when he witnesses the torture Kir is to suffer after his capture. Josh struggles with his feelings and what is reality versus what is thrust upon him by Kir’s coercion. His overwhelming urge to protect and comfort Kir confuses him and forces him to question the source of his emotions. Just as Josh questions the majority of his thoughts and actions, uncertain what level of force and control he’s been subjected to and falling back on the information of others that sounds more believable. Josh is a strong character yet allows himself to be manipulated repeatedly by almost every person in the book.
Both characters were well established yet not entirely fully three-dimensional. Repeated visions of Kir shaking, scared, fearful and uncertain are at odds with the resourceful personality needed to evade capture for so long. Just as Josh’s competent actions and strong feelings of right and wrong conflict repeatedly with his easy gullibility. There seemed to be a lack of emotional attachment between Josh and Kir even though there clearly was a connection. Additionally the entire action subplot felt too cliché with the utterly evil agency and equally evil Minders. This might have worked in a longer novel with more attention to detail and fleshing out of both the plot and character profiles but the short nature of the story (under 70 pages) caused definite drawbacks to be evident.
Unfortunately the hanging ending had me slightly annoyed, but that is certainly a personal bias. I enjoy a series, but I prefer a story arc to begin and end within one book rather than dragging out the resolution to multiple books. However, for those that don’t mind the prolonged story arc over numerous books won’t see this as a detriment. While the characters weren’t entirely successful, the writing was easy enough that it’s a rather fast read with some intriguing men and a basic plot with a slight twist. As an introductory book, it hit all the necessary points while creating enough interest to keep readers going to the second book. I’m not sure if I’ll move on in the series, but I am certainly considering it. I’d love to see Kir’s progression.
August 17, 2013
3.5 Stars
A "Live Your Life, Buy The Book" Review
To start with, I loved the first half of this book. We get to see Josh setting up his trap for Kir, and all the planning gone into it. Then comes the escape from the agency, after Josh is horrified to learn the truth of what they were doing to Kir. I liked how this was set up, so that from then on we never really know if Josh is being manipulated by Kir’s ability, or if he’s acting of his own free will.
The writing was well done in my opinion, as I never felt like I was being jarred out of the story, and only once did I have to reread a sentence to pick up its meaning. I liked the characters too, and especially the way Josh slowly starts to lose his grip on sanity as the confusion and doubt escalate through the book. Very nicely done.
I would have liked to see more of a build up to the sex though as it felt almost out of place with Kir’s character. We spend a fair bit of time learning that Kir doesn’t like to be touched, and so it felt quite abrupt when the sex scene happened. I think this is one of those cases where a sex scene should have been left out in order to build more trust between the characters and have them forge more of an emotional connection.
The ending itself happened very quickly. Being from Josh’s point of view, we actually miss a lot of what happens, and I was left confused by Josh’s reaction. From what little we saw, I had difficulty believing that Josh’s doubts could have manifested so dramatically. Perhaps if the ending had been longer, it would have allowed more time to flesh out what was going on in his mind prior to the final scene with Kir.
And damn, cliffhanger alert! While the main story of Kir’s capture and escape is wrapped up, we’re left with a very open ending. We seem to skip the vast majority of the consequences Josh has to face for his actions, which, in my opinion, leaves the ending a bit underwhelming. That said, it does have me intrigued to know what comes next.
A "Live Your Life, Buy The Book" Review
To start with, I loved the first half of this book. We get to see Josh setting up his trap for Kir, and all the planning gone into it. Then comes the escape from the agency, after Josh is horrified to learn the truth of what they were doing to Kir. I liked how this was set up, so that from then on we never really know if Josh is being manipulated by Kir’s ability, or if he’s acting of his own free will.
The writing was well done in my opinion, as I never felt like I was being jarred out of the story, and only once did I have to reread a sentence to pick up its meaning. I liked the characters too, and especially the way Josh slowly starts to lose his grip on sanity as the confusion and doubt escalate through the book. Very nicely done.
I would have liked to see more of a build up to the sex though as it felt almost out of place with Kir’s character. We spend a fair bit of time learning that Kir doesn’t like to be touched, and so it felt quite abrupt when the sex scene happened. I think this is one of those cases where a sex scene should have been left out in order to build more trust between the characters and have them forge more of an emotional connection.
The ending itself happened very quickly. Being from Josh’s point of view, we actually miss a lot of what happens, and I was left confused by Josh’s reaction. From what little we saw, I had difficulty believing that Josh’s doubts could have manifested so dramatically. Perhaps if the ending had been longer, it would have allowed more time to flesh out what was going on in his mind prior to the final scene with Kir.
And damn, cliffhanger alert! While the main story of Kir’s capture and escape is wrapped up, we’re left with a very open ending. We seem to skip the vast majority of the consequences Josh has to face for his actions, which, in my opinion, leaves the ending a bit underwhelming. That said, it does have me intrigued to know what comes next.
January 17, 2010
Josh Mackay is hired by the Agency to bring in Kiran Brunner, a Minder with the psychic ability to manipulate and kill. However, when Josh finally up face to face with Kir, he feels the need to protect the kid. Kir is not as viscious as Josh thinks -- instead he looks naive and his handler has actually been abusive. But is his feeling to Kir is pure or does the boy just manipulate him? I think this "introduction" is VERY good. There is enough angst in it for me to keep reading. I feel the deep connection between Josh and Kir -- I can't WAIT to read what happens next.
June 21, 2011
interesting concept. it's ok.....way too short to build any momentum.
Want to read
July 25, 2011I liked one of Joely Skye's other books, so I'm going to give this one a chance despite the creepy/gnarly/weirdo-lookin' guy on the cover.
May 20, 2012
Monster is a short read. I did like the story of the premise, but I thought the author could go deeper with character development and plot. It ended abruptly, but it is still a fun story.
November 1, 2021
An interesting premise for this dystopian romance. A group of people who have the ability to control and implant thoughts in others. Josh has been contracted by The Agency to track down and capture Kiran, one of the Minders. Just one little problem: Kiran is attractive and Josh likes what he sees. When operatives with The Agency immediately start to mistreat Kiran after his capture Josh steps in to protect him, but he's never quite sure if it was an independent decision or mind control. Can he trust his feelings for Kiran as real or only a fantasy. Unfortunately I only have the first of the trilogy and have been unable to find the other two volumes.
May 31, 2009
Summary
Kir is a "Minder" a mutant, gifted with psychic abilities which make it possible for him to control and manipulate anyone with just a word and the exertion of his psychic powers over them.
Josh is a man hired to hunt and capture Kir for the mysterious "Agency" which is dedicated to keeping and controlling minders. When Josh captures his target and takes him back to a 'safe house' he is appalled at the treatment that Kir receives from the agency's "keeper" and decides to help Kir escape.
My Thoughts
I enjoyed this story, although it was quite short, only 20k words or so, but it is the first in a series so I know there is more out there. I liked the world building and characterization and the psi elements intrigued me. From the moment that Josh was introduced, I was caught up in the story. It opens with Josh pursuing Kir through a park on a weekend, and it felt extra chilling because while this desperate chase is going on, 'citizens' are enjoying a pleasant family day in the park.
Josh captures Kir and takes him to an assigned 'safe house' but is very quickly appalled by the way Kir is treated and 'decides' to help him, although neither Josh nor I was every really certain it was a voluntary decision or if Kir had manipulated him.
The tale contains a lot of twists and turns which kept me guessing and I can't say too much without giving away the plot, but I definitely recommend it, and will be looking for others in this series.
Kir is a "Minder" a mutant, gifted with psychic abilities which make it possible for him to control and manipulate anyone with just a word and the exertion of his psychic powers over them.
Josh is a man hired to hunt and capture Kir for the mysterious "Agency" which is dedicated to keeping and controlling minders. When Josh captures his target and takes him back to a 'safe house' he is appalled at the treatment that Kir receives from the agency's "keeper" and decides to help Kir escape.
My Thoughts
I enjoyed this story, although it was quite short, only 20k words or so, but it is the first in a series so I know there is more out there. I liked the world building and characterization and the psi elements intrigued me. From the moment that Josh was introduced, I was caught up in the story. It opens with Josh pursuing Kir through a park on a weekend, and it felt extra chilling because while this desperate chase is going on, 'citizens' are enjoying a pleasant family day in the park.
Josh captures Kir and takes him to an assigned 'safe house' but is very quickly appalled by the way Kir is treated and 'decides' to help him, although neither Josh nor I was every really certain it was a voluntary decision or if Kir had manipulated him.
The tale contains a lot of twists and turns which kept me guessing and I can't say too much without giving away the plot, but I definitely recommend it, and will be looking for others in this series.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 3, 2014
It's just a first chapter of a story.
Kir is a Minder, more often called a Monster. He can control people minds and is accused of murdering at least two people.
Josh was send to capture the Monster and he's convinced he can succeed. His resolve wavers after he witnessed how Kir is treated by his keepers.
The plan to save the man is born.
With a little push of Kir's magic.
Kir is a Minder, more often called a Monster. He can control people minds and is accused of murdering at least two people.
Josh was send to capture the Monster and he's convinced he can succeed. His resolve wavers after he witnessed how Kir is treated by his keepers.
The plan to save the man is born.
With a little push of Kir's magic.
December 12, 2015
The cliffhanger at the end was startling and abrupt, but the rest of the story was GREAT. I am a complete addict of this author.
Okay, actually, one last thing - "his skin vibrated under his touch." I can't even imagine what skin looks like VIBRATING but apparently these guys' skin is constantly about to buzz off their bones.
Okay, actually, one last thing - "his skin vibrated under his touch." I can't even imagine what skin looks like VIBRATING but apparently these guys' skin is constantly about to buzz off their bones.
February 27, 2013
This was actually pretty good. Kept my interest. Will read it again some time. Not sure what's up with the description on the Goodreads page, though, as it doesn't have anything to do with the story. Or maybe that's just an issue with the mobile site? Don't know.
August 16, 2013
3.5 Stars
A couple of niggles, but I liked the storyline and the characters. Can't wait to see what happens next.
You can read the full review at: Live Your Life, Buy The Book
A couple of niggles, but I liked the storyline and the characters. Can't wait to see what happens next.
You can read the full review at: Live Your Life, Buy The Book
June 5, 2010
Looks like I will be reading bk 2 and 3 right away to finish Josh and Kir's story. At least I hope it finishes their story.
August 11, 2024
This was an interesting take on psychic abilities. The way it ended threw me off. I was like "WHAT?" Anyway I've already purchased the 2nd book.
July 25, 2014
2 1/2 STARS It Was Okay / I Didn't Like It
April 16, 2016
An awful novella about a secret agent sent to capture dangerous people with mind control power but fell in love with him. It's basically porn, so bad that it's sort of entertaining.
June 7, 2013
Not a bad book. Interesting storyline.
September 22, 2015
3.7 Stars : )
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews