Double or Nothing

The Chosen One #2.5

by Macy Blake

A Chosen One Universe Novella: Mikey Smith lives with what he calls his "flickers". When he's out in the world, sometimes other people flicker and change into something terrifying that no one but him can see. He's been diagnosed with epilepsy, but part of him knows what he sees is real. When two men walk into his coffee shop, his world is turned upside down when they transform into something else... and they know he can see them.

Already mates, Asher and Quillon aren't expecting to add a third into their mix... but neither of them are opposed to the idea either. When they meet Mikey, they're drawn to him from the first moment. He's a human exposed to their world, though, and the consequences are severe. Can Asher and Quillon protect their new human mate from the forces that threaten him?

Genres: Paranormal, M M Romance, Romance, Fantasy, Shapeshifters, M M M, Magic

58 pages, ebook

First published August 28, 2018

About the author

Macy Blake believes in unicorns and fairies, in moonbeams and stardust, and that happily ever after comes in all colors of the rainbow. When she’s not busy at the day job, she loses herself in paranormal romance, living vicariously through her favorite sexy fictional heroes. These days you can often find her pounding away at the keyboard, trying to capture the magic of her own worlds.

Reviews

[☆ Todd · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a cute novella about how Draco's cousin, Asher, and his mate, Quillon, met and also became mates with Sawyer's brother, Mikey.

I found the story to be highly entertaining, especially the parts where the dragon in Asher kept trying to buy Mikey very expensive things , like the ENTIRE office building where his small coffee shop was located , as Quillon did his best to keep Asher in check.

But Mikey liked being self-reliant, so instead of falling for Asher's "sugar dragon" ways, Asher and Quillon had to win their way into Mikey's heart by wooing him over time, much to Asher's impatient dismay.

Their efforts were pretty adorable, so I'd give it a read, especially since the cute was dialed up, the angst dialed down, and the steam kept to a slow, rolling boil until the very last scene.

However, when meeting this trio in book 3, they were pretty lack-luster, ancillary characters for me, so in hindsight, I would be *VERY* tempted to suggest reading this short story *before* reading that book, instead of as an after-book, which would've enhanced my interest in them quite a bit.

4 *oh-shit-here-comes-a-hellhound-for-my-mates* stars.

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[Barbara➰ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wish this was longer because it was a little rushed, but it was a sweet addition to the series. We get to find out how Mickey came to be mated to Asher and Quillon.

[Deborah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this one and wanted more. This is how Mikey finds his mates.

[ricecake · Rating 4 out of 5]

4⭐

“Jesus,” Mikey whispered. He sat down in the nearest chair and scrubbed a hand over his face. His life had become a kinky fairytale. ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ



The plot
Mikey Smith has what he calls "flickers". He can see people change into something terrifying and out of this world but no one else can see them. Mikey has been diagnosed with epilepsy but something in him tells him that the things he sees are real.
Asher and Quillon are mates and aren't necessarily looking for a third partner. But they are instantly drawn to Mikey when they see him working in his coffee shop. Mikey's a human and his mates must protect him.

The story
It was a sweet story. But it was short and things were happening kind of fast. But I still enjoyed it! Their relationship was strong from the start and this was a low-angst story. And oh my, the last chapter was smokin' hot. (∩˃o˂∩)♡

The characters
Mikey was a sweet heart, kind and caring. Even though he couldn't believe what kind of world his mates where living in, he wasn't scared of Asher and Quillon and accepted them quickly. (✿>∪◕)~ Asher was a real protector. (He was also Draco's cousin if I remember correctly.) He wanted to give his mates only the best and wanted them to be as happy as possibly. And Quillon was also very sweet. He was a bit more relaxed and laid-back but still lovable. (I also adored Joe <3)（*´▽｀*）



A cute story <3

[Achim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Years ago I gave up on The Chosen One series. Although it was a nice temporary escape with quirky characters but I felt like what should be the actual story was only a filler to connect all the sex scenes and harem fantasies. Now after I read the cute spin-offs for some time I wanted to come back to the original series and check if I maybe left too early.

What can I say, it's as short and funny as it's fluffy and the sex is far from dominating the story. It's definitely no stand-alone but it's enough for me to download the next book of the series. Let's see if I adapted to the Macy Blake style.

[Cadiva · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5*

Cute novella introducing Sawyer's brother Mikey and his two mates, a dragon cousin of Draco and a manticore (one of my favourite mythical creatures because they're a mix of awesome and scary!)

[⚣Michaelle⚣ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got terribly spoiled by the length and depth of the other books in this series and as such this felt entirely too rushed.

Moving on to the Hellhounds series though because I don't want to miss a moment of the rest of this saga!

[Mariah · Rating 3 out of 5]

the audacity of making this a short story instead of a full length novel

[Relly · Rating 3 out of 5]

reread 2023

Reread 2020

3.25 ⭐️

Good short story to include in the universe
I enjoyed how it was related to the other books
Makes me wonder about mother Thea now

[Mimi · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 stars

This was a quick novella giving you insight of Asher, Quillion and Mickey's relationship. And a small intro to Solomon.

[Jennifer☠Pher☠ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute.

I think this is out of order though since I already met these guys.

Still cute though.

[Rachel Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mickey is Sawyer’s brother.

Lol I love that he thinks he’ll shock Sawyer with two mates when he doesn’t know how many his brother will have.

[Nanna Mørk-Sander · Rating 2 out of 5]

Works as a companion story, not as an introduction to the universe.

A little too short as is glosses over a big part of the trio getting to know each other and thus becomes very fluffy and insta-lovey.

[Eileen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ich mag Mickey und seine Mates super gerne, obwohl es, ehrlich, gesagt zu kurz war. Seine beiden Brüder haben doch auch 200 Seiten+ bekommen?! Er, Asher und Quillon hätten es mehr als verdient 🥺❤️

[Katherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

This short clearly serves as a teaser into this universe, but suffers from not explaining much about the universe itself. Evidently there are paranormal creatures that live normally alongside average people. These paranormals can switch between human form and their paranormal form, with varying degrees of time to change and power concerns. It is implied that sometimes they possibly live in areas in their natural form, but that is one on those things that is extremely unclear as to whether it is actually within the human world or in another realm. Paranormals also have mates, someone who will be their perfect relationship match that they commit themselves to, found by a reaction of their paranormal self apparently (not well explained, is it scent, a reaction, knowledge? Unclear). Some paranormals have multiple mates. It turns out Asher (a dragon) and Quillon (a manticore) find their other mate in Mikey, a human who has seen paranomals his whole lfie without knowing what they are. The entire story commits itself to the two men courting Mikey to convince him to be with them, to the detriment of the plot and world building. Though the relationship was well done and interested me, from balancing paranormal needs and human desire to patience and love and small gestures, the world left things muddled and opened up questions. The story ends with a completed relationship but a very murky world- I mean what on earth did happen with the hellhound?
This short is likely meant to intrigue you into picking up books from The Chosen One Universe, though the poorly executed story runs the risk of doing the opposite. Personally I would like to know more about the world and have seen that the rating for that series are quite high, so I will be picking it up. Hopefully after reading those books this short will become a bit more clear, and with any luck we will see these characters again.

[Valerie ❈M/M Romance Junkie❈]

SUGGESTED READING ORDER

Sweet Nothings- Prequel
- The Chosen One
The Trouble With Love
- Nothing But Trouble, Book 1
Santa Trouble
- Nothing But Trouble, Book 2
All or Nothing
- The Chosen One, Book 1
Nothing Ventured
- The Chosen One, Book 2
Hell on Earth
- Hellhound Champions, Book 1
Double or Nothing
Next to Nothing
- The Chosen One, Book 3
Hell To Pay
- Hellhound Champions, Book 2
Give Him Hell
- Hellhound Champions, Book 3
Nothing Gained
- The Chosen One, Book 4
Stop at Nothing
- The Chosen One, Book 5
Sweet Spot
All Kidding Aside
- Magical Mates, Book 1
Stop Kidding Around
- Magical Mates, Book 2
Hell Breaks Loose
- Hellhound Champions, Book 4

[Tina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this series. I think the author has a winner here. I enjoyed that we are learning more about family members and that the universe keeps growing. This entire series (the books that I have read so far) are a must read!!

[Kendra T · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm glad I finally got around to reading Mikey's story. I had started the series out before I knew about this one, so I just went ahead knowing Mikey had Asher and Quillon as mates. I loved seeing how it all came about. This was short, but oh so sweet. I love this series.

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

This one peaked my interest, but I couldn't get too into it because it was so short I feel like I missed out on some things.

[Natalia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Re-read March 2020

[Marta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Here comes one of Sawyer's brothers.
And well he neither does things by halves.
Loved the story; only flaw: it's to short x(

[Paula´s Brief Review · Rating 3 out of 5]

Historia de un secundario de la serie. Muy flojito. Se puede pasar perfectamente, no aporta nada.

[Lizzy (reviewsshewrote) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Almost wish this had been longer

[Tammy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Double or Nothing is a novella from the Chosen One universe. For those familiar with the series, it is about Nick and Sawyer's brother Mikey. It is a very quick read about Mikey finding his mates, Quillon and Asher. I wish it was longer so we could see more of them together after the HEA.

[Tj · Rating 4 out of 5]

Who knew!! Dragon courtship is mighty dang cute.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having read the first novella and the two novels that were released before this one, I was already familiar with all the going ons of this universe. That having been said, I hope we get a book for Soloman in the not too distant future and why did Joe play a semi-major part in this book? And just out of curiosity... if Joe is eighteen years old, why did he have to be declared an emancipated minor? Is this issue different in other countries, because here in the States, eighteen is considered an adult.

As for the three MCs... I found myself getting confused on which one was which, in regards to Ash and Quillon, especially when it came to who was what in their supernatural state. Perhaps it was just my brain glitch being a pain in the butt! I liked the tie-in that Mikey has with Sawyer and look forward to them finally catching up with each other and introducing their mates... should be interesting! *grin*

Well, I guess now all I can do is sit back and enjoy my other books while we wait for book three to come out... *sigh* (waiting is NOT my strong suit!) LOL!!!

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve found a new author! I got this novella as part of a huge short story package giveaway. I’ve gradually been reading each of the books, some by authors I already know and love, others by authors I’ve never heard of before. I’m adding Macy Blake to my “must read” authors list. I really enjoyed this book.

While it’s a short story and therefore space constricted I found that the author did a good job of world building and character development in a limited amount of words. I felt like I got a good understanding of the main characters and their universe. It pulled me in enough that I wished the story was longer and we got to know more. There was the requisite reference to what I discovered is the first book in a series. It was subtle though and didn’t take away from this story.

I will definitely be getting Sawyer’s book and hope there will be more of Mikey, Asher and Quillon.

[FantasyLiving · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was fine for a teaser. I was actually really interested in Solomon who wasn’t part of the triad (bummer, he should be the fourth).
This is solely centred around the three leads and didn’t get much world building, but for a quick something supernatural it passed.

The erotic scene was actually much shorter than it should have been, especially since there was only one. More heat could have been included with the “makeout” sessions that were told but not shown. This would have provided more validity to the chemistry.

I’m not much interested in herem stories so I probably won’t continue with the series but those who like that sort of trope may like to pick this up to get a feel for the authors writing style.

[Melinda · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick read so the story was rather fast paced. But I still love it and the characters. Mikey Smith is human and coffee shop owner whose life is already complicated with "flickers" his term. He sees "people" as what they really are explainable creatures. There comes a day when two of these for hot and dreamy non humans enter Mikey's shop and change his life for the better. Asher and Quillon are not looking for another mate but fate often has her mind made up and there is no use fighting it. I adore Quillon, all tough and rough around the edges but a gentle one when it comes to those he loves.

Macy Blake does an amazing job at creating characters you care for and love.

[Janet (iamltr) · Rating 5 out of 5]

First of all, go get the chosen one universes reading order before starting this series. This book must be read before the 3rd book Next to Nothing in the first chosen one series or you will be spoiled. I forgot that in my re reading. This story is available from prolific works.

I absolutely adored these three. Poor Mikey has been seeing paranormal people his entire life, but was told he had epilepsy and was medicated for it. When his two mates, who are paranormal, walk into his coffee shop, he sees them and faints. Which starts their mating process.

While the chosen one is mentioned, he does not show up in this short story. But Solomon the hellhound does.