What do you think?
Rate this book
The Mako Shark #2
The Result of a Straight Razor
Miko is in mourning. He is plotting. Miko is thinking about death and vengeance. About forgiveness. And love. Miko is getting some new tattoos.
168 pages, ebook
First published August 20, 2015
9 people are currently reading
98 people want to read
About the author
Nicole Castle
7 books124 followersNicole Castle was raised in New Mexico. She now lives in Oregon. Chance Assassin: A Story of Love, Luck, and Murder is her first book.
You can reach her on Goodreads or Facebook, as well as view Frank and Vincent's continued adventures at:
http://nicolecastlegreatesthits.blogs...
You can reach her on Goodreads or Facebook, as well as view Frank and Vincent's continued adventures at:
http://nicolecastlegreatesthits.blogs...
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
September 4, 2015
~ ~ ~
5 Stars for My Beloved Miko!
Funny
Entertaining
Heartbreaking
Insanely Romantic
and Bunny Ears!
THE CHARACTERS
Miko (The Mako Shark) - There just isn't anyone else like Miko. Thank goodness! But how can anyone not completely love this endearing assassin? Yes, I said-endearing assassin.
Toby - As boyfriend and lover, Toby seems to have the most painful role in this whole series. His denial is over. He's in full reality mode now.
Nassir - Dark, silent, deadly and Miko's best friend. And he's always right. Always. And he has a tattoo gun.
THE STORY
Miko MUST avenge his friend's death which leads to many discoveries not the least of which is discovering that Frank has a boyfriend, Blondie. What a lovely, tangled conundrum Ms. Castle is taking us on. Miko begins to see possibilities, but he knows just how dangerous he is. And that danger puts those he loves in harm's way.
The tragedies that Miko encounters in this book are balanced by his relationship with Toby. But Miko struggles with an immensely guilty conscience that doesn't always guide him well. Fortunately he has Nas and Toby and even Joe Russell to advise him. Remember, Nassir is always right.
The bathtub on the cover of this book brings focus to the story and Miko's reasons for revenge. It also has a great backstory to it, ask the author about it when you get a chance. But, in the meantime, linger through an entirely different bathtub scene in this book that is gorgeous, tender, and strange. It is a classic example of Nicole Castle's craft.
THE WRITING
Wit. That's the crux of it all. Nicole Castle's wit and humor and twisted use of morality, or er, immorality, totally works for me. I've read these characters over and over and each time there is something I missed before. Something more to savor and to be shocked by and to get lost in. I wonder how strange it must be for an author to have fans tell her that they love her murderous, nefarious, entirely insane characters? Which is more twisted, the reader or the writer?
You'll need to pay attention to the chapter headers for clarity, but the timeline is clearly defined. This book is written in a manner that takes you through some earlier hits in Miko's life, something that the author also does on her blog. She writes mini-hits that are almost like shorts and give a delightful richness to the full world surrounding Silva's assassins. These "greatest hits" are your bonus material and not to be missed. Just like this entire series.
~ ~ ~
I would like to thank Nicole Castle for providing me with a review copy in exchange for my honest review.
~ ~ ~
Take a look at my Male/Male Romance Book Blog:
http://www.attentionisarbitrary.com
5 Stars for My Beloved Miko!
Funny
Entertaining
Heartbreaking
Insanely Romantic
and Bunny Ears!
THE CHARACTERS
Miko (The Mako Shark) - There just isn't anyone else like Miko. Thank goodness! But how can anyone not completely love this endearing assassin? Yes, I said-endearing assassin.
"He hates the violence."
"But he loves you."
"Yes," Miko said. "It is my lot in life."
Nasir shrugged. He couldn't disagree.
Toby - As boyfriend and lover, Toby seems to have the most painful role in this whole series. His denial is over. He's in full reality mode now.
Toby's voice was already shaky and Miko knew that no matter how this night turned out, what he was doing to Toby now would be the most painful thing he'd ever done to anyone. "I am sorry."
Nassir - Dark, silent, deadly and Miko's best friend. And he's always right. Always. And he has a tattoo gun.
THE STORY
Miko MUST avenge his friend's death which leads to many discoveries not the least of which is discovering that Frank has a boyfriend, Blondie. What a lovely, tangled conundrum Ms. Castle is taking us on. Miko begins to see possibilities, but he knows just how dangerous he is. And that danger puts those he loves in harm's way.
Nasir's expression was grim as he inspected the damage, and even though his expression was rarely anything but grim, Miko felt somehow responsible for the sadness that his friend may not even be experiencing. Miko, frequently felt responsible for things that weren't his fault, as if subconsciously trying to give himself some level of importance when he knew that he wasn't.
The tragedies that Miko encounters in this book are balanced by his relationship with Toby. But Miko struggles with an immensely guilty conscience that doesn't always guide him well. Fortunately he has Nas and Toby and even Joe Russell to advise him. Remember, Nassir is always right.
The bathtub on the cover of this book brings focus to the story and Miko's reasons for revenge. It also has a great backstory to it, ask the author about it when you get a chance. But, in the meantime, linger through an entirely different bathtub scene in this book that is gorgeous, tender, and strange. It is a classic example of Nicole Castle's craft.
THE WRITING
Wit. That's the crux of it all. Nicole Castle's wit and humor and twisted use of morality, or er, immorality, totally works for me. I've read these characters over and over and each time there is something I missed before. Something more to savor and to be shocked by and to get lost in. I wonder how strange it must be for an author to have fans tell her that they love her murderous, nefarious, entirely insane characters? Which is more twisted, the reader or the writer?
You'll need to pay attention to the chapter headers for clarity, but the timeline is clearly defined. This book is written in a manner that takes you through some earlier hits in Miko's life, something that the author also does on her blog. She writes mini-hits that are almost like shorts and give a delightful richness to the full world surrounding Silva's assassins. These "greatest hits" are your bonus material and not to be missed. Just like this entire series.
~ ~ ~
I would like to thank Nicole Castle for providing me with a review copy in exchange for my honest review.
~ ~ ~
Take a look at my Male/Male Romance Book Blog:
http://www.attentionisarbitrary.com
March 11, 2016
Ok so I don't know if this makes me a sick puppy or what, but I love Nicole Castle's books. She doesn't skimp on the gruesome details of murder, but she does it in such a way that I find myself rooting for the assassin. This book focuses on Miko, or Mako Shark as he's known in assassin circles. Miko's best friend is dead, apparently by suicide, but he knows in his heart that she was killed, murdered by someone in his line of work. He's determined to find out who ordered it and who did it, and kill them all. He's also in love, with a gentle and law abiding guy, which is not so easy when he's steeped in the goriness of his revenge.
I loved this book, every twist and turn of it. Miko is sometimes not so easy to root for, but there's something about his twisted self that pulls me in and makes me want him to win. He knows he's fucked up, that he has "mental issues", and he struggles constantly with trying to appear "normal". It's heartbreaking and amusing all at the same time. I highly recommend this series to anyone who likes to root for anti-heroes and doesn't mind a bit of blood and gore served up with their romance.
I loved this book, every twist and turn of it. Miko is sometimes not so easy to root for, but there's something about his twisted self that pulls me in and makes me want him to win. He knows he's fucked up, that he has "mental issues", and he struggles constantly with trying to appear "normal". It's heartbreaking and amusing all at the same time. I highly recommend this series to anyone who likes to root for anti-heroes and doesn't mind a bit of blood and gore served up with their romance.
August 1, 2016
Very good sequel! Poor Miko had some really sad parts in this story, but he did get to have some hot steamy scenes with Toby. I loved seeing Vincent, Frank and Bella again. I hope we get to see Miko in their third book. I want him to find Fee's killer and I'd love to see him and Nas working with Vincent and Frank.
August 20, 2015
So I have a bit of a problem which I hardly run into these days, where there is so much to talk about with a book that I don’t even know where to start. I will try not to fangirl too hard here, please bear with me lol
Miko is an incredibly strange but absolutely adorable assassin who desperately wants to succeed at his job despite the fact that he’s nauseated around blood. Almost every hit he’s given goes severely and hysterically wrong. The book is worth the read for the entertainment of the hits alone, but there’s so much more to it. He’s a complex, misguided and beautifully damaged character who only has a few people that he cares about. And he’s losing them one after another.
This story grabbed me in the first volumeThe Consequence of High Caliber, where it introduced an assassin who does makes mistakes and is far from perfect (in every way imaginable) and all that I can say is that the second book is even better. The story is faster and much more emotional than the first, as hard as that is to believe after the end of the first volume. It left me so distraught when I finished, that I had my very first book hangover. In thirty years, this was the book that did it to me.
I can’t believe I’m saying this, but…
This is my favorite book. Ever. Hands down.
As with the first book, this story is not for everyone. As loveable as Miko is, all readers should be warned going into the series that he is still an assassin. By choice. The people he works with are worse than his most gory hits gone awry and this story will put you through the ringer and leave you aching for more at the end.
Now, it’s no secret that Nicole Castle and I are friends, but that only happened because I was her fan first. I liked Chance Assassin enough to contact her and our relationship went from there. We’ve been bro’s ever since. This book had me fangirling so hard that I think I pulled something, had me so excited that I called her and issued demands for the next one.
Which have not been met yet, MISS CASTLE!
Allow me to have a villain moment while I pet my cat and smoke my cigarette in my shadowy library. Write the next book, or Calvin gets it. Like, actually dead. For realsies this time. Am I bluffing? *evil chuckle* Let’s see which one of us is more serious, I believe you have my email.
I was provided with an advance review copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion. Honestly, it's good enough I will be purchasing it for a few friends once it goes public.
Miko is an incredibly strange but absolutely adorable assassin who desperately wants to succeed at his job despite the fact that he’s nauseated around blood. Almost every hit he’s given goes severely and hysterically wrong. The book is worth the read for the entertainment of the hits alone, but there’s so much more to it. He’s a complex, misguided and beautifully damaged character who only has a few people that he cares about. And he’s losing them one after another.
This story grabbed me in the first volumeThe Consequence of High Caliber, where it introduced an assassin who does makes mistakes and is far from perfect (in every way imaginable) and all that I can say is that the second book is even better. The story is faster and much more emotional than the first, as hard as that is to believe after the end of the first volume. It left me so distraught when I finished, that I had my very first book hangover. In thirty years, this was the book that did it to me.
I can’t believe I’m saying this, but…
This is my favorite book. Ever. Hands down.
As with the first book, this story is not for everyone. As loveable as Miko is, all readers should be warned going into the series that he is still an assassin. By choice. The people he works with are worse than his most gory hits gone awry and this story will put you through the ringer and leave you aching for more at the end.
Now, it’s no secret that Nicole Castle and I are friends, but that only happened because I was her fan first. I liked Chance Assassin enough to contact her and our relationship went from there. We’ve been bro’s ever since. This book had me fangirling so hard that I think I pulled something, had me so excited that I called her and issued demands for the next one.
Which have not been met yet, MISS CASTLE!
Allow me to have a villain moment while I pet my cat and smoke my cigarette in my shadowy library. Write the next book, or Calvin gets it. Like, actually dead. For realsies this time. Am I bluffing? *evil chuckle* Let’s see which one of us is more serious, I believe you have my email.
I was provided with an advance review copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion. Honestly, it's good enough I will be purchasing it for a few friends once it goes public.
November 14, 2015
Wow... I needed a minute to gather my thoughts after reading this. I was left a bit shell shocked but only in the best book-hangover way possible.
This book surpasses book one. Got a real sense of being personally invested in Miko's quest. He's on the one hand so relatable, being a guy in love who cares deeply for his friends, hurting in the worst way, and then on the other ... an assassin! The fact that he's essentially a 'baddie' never came close to fruition, even though he tells Toby enough that he is, because I found him so likeable and humble and vulnerable.
A wonderful extension to this series.
This book surpasses book one. Got a real sense of being personally invested in Miko's quest. He's on the one hand so relatable, being a guy in love who cares deeply for his friends, hurting in the worst way, and then on the other ... an assassin! The fact that he's essentially a 'baddie' never came close to fruition, even though he tells Toby enough that he is, because I found him so likeable and humble and vulnerable.
A wonderful extension to this series.
June 20, 2016
Miko seems so innocent, part of him trapped in the uncertainty of childhood forever. He tries to do everything right, to protect those he loves, and make his friends and family proud.. but everything always goes wrong. It's impossible not to love him. If Frank and Vincent are blessed with an unnatural amount of luck, Miko must be the one they borrow it from.
Fun Fact : my most common online alias for many years was BloodyBunny. I think Miko and Nadir would approve.
Fun Fact : my most common online alias for many years was BloodyBunny. I think Miko and Nadir would approve.
July 3, 2017
There’s one thing author Nicole Castle will never be accused of: writing sane characters. Or, at least what might be considered sane by most people. Not up to this point, anyhow. Ms. Castle writes about a group of assassins, after all, and their lives revolve around murder and mayhem, something they pursue quite passionately, I might add. Sometimes with a glee that can only be called disarming and charming in a disturbing sort of way.
These people make me happy.
The Result of a Straight Razor picks up where The Consequence of High Caliber left off, so it’s an absolute must to read these books in order. Miko, our sweet and broken man-child, returns to his would-be lover Toby—would-be if Toby didn’t give Miko a sense of normalcy that only serves to make Miko realize how not-normal he really is, and how dangerous it is for him to be in Toby’s life.
Relationship Status: It’s complicated.
We get a bit more of Miko’s backstory in this installment of the series, through flashbacks that show us how he came to be where he is; not exactly the best assassin in the bunch but having been nursed on a steady diet of violent and murderous bedtime stories about people who became his heroes, it’s given him a lot to strive for. But poor Miko. ::sighs:: He just seems to have a big Murphy’s Law target tattooed on the business end of his best intentions.
Plus, he needs to stop pointing his gun at the wrong people.
The linchpin of The Result of a Straight Razor’s plot is a carry-over from book one, and the death of Miko’s best friend Ophelia—a death everyone but Miko believes was suicide. Miko is determined to prove there’s murder afoot!, even as every one of his efforts to do so seem bent upon proving him wrong.
The murder business is so fickle.
And it also distances him from Toby, not only geographically but mentally and emotionally too.
It’s also hard on relationships.
Razor-sharp wit and a skillfully honed sense of pace and timing have been the hallmark of not only these books but those in the Chance Assassin series too (several characters from that series make brief cameos in “Straight Razor”). Bella, as usual, steals every scene she’s in, and every single nuance, from the overt to the subtlest, adds to its charm. These are not your typical heroes and heroines, nor are they strictly antiheroes—they’re far too lovable for that. Maybe they’re just demiheroes. Because, really, are any of our favorite characters all good or all bad?
Three cheers for the morally complicated!
I love this book. I love this author for being just a little demented. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this, or any of Nicole Castle’s books, for that matter. They’re disturbingly comical and comically disturbed novels.
They’re disturmical in the very best way.
Reviewed by Lisa for The Novel Approach
These people make me happy.
The Result of a Straight Razor picks up where The Consequence of High Caliber left off, so it’s an absolute must to read these books in order. Miko, our sweet and broken man-child, returns to his would-be lover Toby—would-be if Toby didn’t give Miko a sense of normalcy that only serves to make Miko realize how not-normal he really is, and how dangerous it is for him to be in Toby’s life.
Relationship Status: It’s complicated.
We get a bit more of Miko’s backstory in this installment of the series, through flashbacks that show us how he came to be where he is; not exactly the best assassin in the bunch but having been nursed on a steady diet of violent and murderous bedtime stories about people who became his heroes, it’s given him a lot to strive for. But poor Miko. ::sighs:: He just seems to have a big Murphy’s Law target tattooed on the business end of his best intentions.
Plus, he needs to stop pointing his gun at the wrong people.
The linchpin of The Result of a Straight Razor’s plot is a carry-over from book one, and the death of Miko’s best friend Ophelia—a death everyone but Miko believes was suicide. Miko is determined to prove there’s murder afoot!, even as every one of his efforts to do so seem bent upon proving him wrong.
The murder business is so fickle.
And it also distances him from Toby, not only geographically but mentally and emotionally too.
It’s also hard on relationships.
Razor-sharp wit and a skillfully honed sense of pace and timing have been the hallmark of not only these books but those in the Chance Assassin series too (several characters from that series make brief cameos in “Straight Razor”). Bella, as usual, steals every scene she’s in, and every single nuance, from the overt to the subtlest, adds to its charm. These are not your typical heroes and heroines, nor are they strictly antiheroes—they’re far too lovable for that. Maybe they’re just demiheroes. Because, really, are any of our favorite characters all good or all bad?
Three cheers for the morally complicated!
I love this book. I love this author for being just a little demented. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this, or any of Nicole Castle’s books, for that matter. They’re disturbingly comical and comically disturbed novels.
They’re disturmical in the very best way.
Reviewed by Lisa for The Novel Approach
November 26, 2017
Living this serirs
I'm just living this series.... I just love Miko .... He is so corky and sweet in his crazy way... Thank God for Toby and Nasir.... Off to book 3....
I'm just living this series.... I just love Miko .... He is so corky and sweet in his crazy way... Thank God for Toby and Nasir.... Off to book 3....
December 23, 2016
I tried very hard to stop myself from reading this too fast because there are no more books left to read in this Interesting-Totally-Lovable-Assassins Universe. I thought I wouldn't love a character as much as I loved V and Frank, but I was wrong. So wrong.
More Miko/Toby and Vincent/Frank please, whichever comes first.
More Miko/Toby and Vincent/Frank please, whichever comes first.
June 27, 2018
Re-read June 2018
Oh, Miko. The poor guy never catches a break when he's on the job. He makes murder unintentionally funny. We get some more of his backstory here, plus some more lovely Toby moments. Not nearly enough, though. I hope they finally get their HEA.
Oh, Miko. The poor guy never catches a break when he's on the job. He makes murder unintentionally funny. We get some more of his backstory here, plus some more lovely Toby moments. Not nearly enough, though. I hope they finally get their HEA.
August 19, 2017
Got me.
Yep, I will wait for this sequel as I am waiting for the other.
I have always loved the dark and Castle writes it well.
More than
Yep, I will wait for this sequel as I am waiting for the other.
I have always loved the dark and Castle writes it well.
More than
August 21, 2017
still don't know how i'm able to finish two books of this series
October 27, 2022
(\_/)
( •-• )
./づᡕᠵ᠊ᡃ࡚ࠢ࠘ ⸝່ࠡࠣ᠊߯᠆ࠣ࠘ᡁࠣ࠘᠊᠊° ꒷꒦🩸
⬆Nasir 🖤
( •-• )
./づᡕᠵ᠊ᡃ࡚ࠢ࠘ ⸝່ࠡࠣ᠊߯᠆ࠣ࠘ᡁࠣ࠘᠊᠊° ꒷꒦🩸
⬆Nasir 🖤
July 20, 2016
After thoroughly devouring
The Consequence of High Caliber
—my first book by Nicole Castle—I could not help buying The Result of a Straight Razor, the second book in the Mako Shark series. Just like Toby, I could not help falling in love with Miko, the "anti-hero". I wanted to know more about why Toby loves Miko, about Miko's squeamishness with blood, about his relationship with some other characters; and on these counts, this book offered me exactly that!
Yet, I give the sequel 4 stars and not 5, for I feel that this book (and possibly the third book) could all have been combined into one big book that would have been even more enriching in its experience. It would have taken me through high highs and low lows, something which the three (or more?) installments dilute considerably. Imagine watching Matrix Reloaded and Matrix Revolutions after a year's gap between them vs. watching them together. The two books are so well-connected, in terms of character development, emotions, and of course events, that the physical space that separates them mars the effect a combined book would have had on my psyche.
Also, I do have a slight problem with the sex. At times, the explicitness seems almost unnecessary; although sometimes it becomes kinda clear why a particular scene is there, this is not so for all of them. And at other times, it seems underdone—for example, I'd like to know the height differences between Miko and Toby to have a better visual of the spooning between them. (I do not remember if this is clarified in the first book, but it's certainly not there in the second.)
Will I read the third book? Yeah, quite possibly. And I will also continue hoping that Ms Castle eventually combines the three into one book so I could give paperback versions of that book to others.
Yet, I give the sequel 4 stars and not 5, for I feel that this book (and possibly the third book) could all have been combined into one big book that would have been even more enriching in its experience. It would have taken me through high highs and low lows, something which the three (or more?) installments dilute considerably. Imagine watching Matrix Reloaded and Matrix Revolutions after a year's gap between them vs. watching them together. The two books are so well-connected, in terms of character development, emotions, and of course events, that the physical space that separates them mars the effect a combined book would have had on my psyche.
Also, I do have a slight problem with the sex. At times, the explicitness seems almost unnecessary; although sometimes it becomes kinda clear why a particular scene is there, this is not so for all of them. And at other times, it seems underdone—for example, I'd like to know the height differences between Miko and Toby to have a better visual of the spooning between them. (I do not remember if this is clarified in the first book, but it's certainly not there in the second.)
Will I read the third book? Yeah, quite possibly. And I will also continue hoping that Ms Castle eventually combines the three into one book so I could give paperback versions of that book to others.
March 30, 2023
Loved this just as much as the first in the series. Miko is impossible not to love, Toby is amazing, and Nas is quite possibly the best friend ever. Trailing ends in this book so I am hoping that means there will be a third.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews