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pattyfgd's review against another edition
5.0
More than Miles
Lost Kings MC Series, Book 6
By: Autumn Jones Lake
Narrated by: Stephanie Rose, Tor Thom
Well, where has Autumn Jones Lake been hiding? This is the first book of hers that I have had the pleasure to listen to, and I will be going back to enjoy the others in the series, While it stands alone, I could tell the cohesiveness of the characters has been built throughout the other books and I can't wait to delve into them. This is Murphy, Heidi and Axel's story, and it's got every emotion in it. Murphy has always been in love with Heidi, but her being younger and his best friend's sister has had him keeping his distance. Now 18 though, he is ready to stake his claim. Is he too late? Heidi is in love with Axel, and when things for the two don't work out as planned, they move to Alaska where Axel gets a job. Things promised, life is never easy and changes occur. But the biggest change of all hits them, and now miles and distance mean nothing. What a story! The unexpected, the secrets, the deception and betrayal, and the passion all ride high and kept me engaged with these characters. I love Heidi. Young, but mature for her age, she is not afraid to voice her opinion and go after what she thinks is best. Axel is young and selfish, but he does have those first love qualities that make you feel for him. And Murphy, is the ultimate man. Yes, he has flaws, but he is always there. Loved every minute of this one and I will definitely be grabbing more.
This book is written is several points of view, and the narration picks up each one with ease. Stephanie Rose has one of the best new adult voices, and she captures Heidi's personality perfectly. She gives each emotion the inflection that tugs your heart. Tor Thom is Axel and Murphy. Axel is a tough one, and Thom nails him. He is young, immature and just not ready for the hand life has dealt. Each scene depicts that exact feeling as Thom portrays him. As Murphy, the strong, alpha feel baritone comes through with caring, and Thom's voice melts your heart. It's a great team and an very enjoyable listen.
Lost Kings MC Series, Book 6
By: Autumn Jones Lake
Narrated by: Stephanie Rose, Tor Thom
Well, where has Autumn Jones Lake been hiding? This is the first book of hers that I have had the pleasure to listen to, and I will be going back to enjoy the others in the series, While it stands alone, I could tell the cohesiveness of the characters has been built throughout the other books and I can't wait to delve into them. This is Murphy, Heidi and Axel's story, and it's got every emotion in it. Murphy has always been in love with Heidi, but her being younger and his best friend's sister has had him keeping his distance. Now 18 though, he is ready to stake his claim. Is he too late? Heidi is in love with Axel, and when things for the two don't work out as planned, they move to Alaska where Axel gets a job. Things promised, life is never easy and changes occur. But the biggest change of all hits them, and now miles and distance mean nothing. What a story! The unexpected, the secrets, the deception and betrayal, and the passion all ride high and kept me engaged with these characters. I love Heidi. Young, but mature for her age, she is not afraid to voice her opinion and go after what she thinks is best. Axel is young and selfish, but he does have those first love qualities that make you feel for him. And Murphy, is the ultimate man. Yes, he has flaws, but he is always there. Loved every minute of this one and I will definitely be grabbing more.
This book is written is several points of view, and the narration picks up each one with ease. Stephanie Rose has one of the best new adult voices, and she captures Heidi's personality perfectly. She gives each emotion the inflection that tugs your heart. Tor Thom is Axel and Murphy. Axel is a tough one, and Thom nails him. He is young, immature and just not ready for the hand life has dealt. Each scene depicts that exact feeling as Thom portrays him. As Murphy, the strong, alpha feel baritone comes through with caring, and Thom's voice melts your heart. It's a great team and an very enjoyable listen.
klindtvedt's review against another edition
4.0
A Gut Wrenching, Heartbreaking Story That Must be Told...
I only recently found this series and have been reading like a maniac for the last month, book by delicious book, to catch up to the latest releases. I don’t take to series books often, as they have a tendency to be choppy and inconsistent. However, this series stands far apart from all others I’ve read. It has been one of my highest rated so far in 2019, and I can honestly, without a doubt say, that Autumn Jones Lake’s, Lost Kings MC series is THE best MC series I’ve ever read. And I have come to admire Lake's fearless story writing. The way she chooses to tackle difficult, life altering circumstances head-on and without apology, is something much needed in the dark romance universe. And the lead up to this story, the subject matter of abuse, neglect, and the life altering consequences that result, had me vibrating with expectation.
"More Than Miles" is Murphy and Heidi's story. It is the eighth story, and sixth full-length book in Lake's Lost Kings (LOKI) universe. It's a story that has been masterfully hinted at and intertwined by Lake throughout all the other LOKI installments before it. And, one I had been impatiently waiting to get to since starting this series last month, because for me, Murphy and Heidi have remained one of the more complicated, emotionally intense pairings within the LOKI universe. They cemented themselves firmly within my heart very early on. Especially because out of all the LOKI books, Heidi’s story is the one I most relate too, as it closely resembles my own experiences with my own mother growing up. And her emotions, her reactions, her outlook on life, and ever present fear of becoming like her abusive mother, hit unnervingly close to home for me.
Additionally, watching Murphy's genuine care and concern for Heidi throughout books 1 through 5.5, his reactions to her fearful admissions and outbursts, and the subsequent events with Axel firmly put me on #teammurphy. Is it hysterically funny at times, to watch the age difference and lack of maturity on both sides play out amidst the fray? Yes, yes it is. However, it becomes clear very early on that only he understands the ever vibrating thread of abuse, neglect, and overall pain Heidi has endured. Only Murphy understands her in the way she needs to be understood as he suffered in similar ways and can fully recognize and relate to how her very soul is constructed and held together. How her mind and thought process ticks days-to-day, and how her heart quakes with doubt at the thought of repeating the mistakes of her mother. Shared experiences and understandings that have very little to do with age.
Murphy understands Heidi’s fear and is willing to stand with her and be afraid with her. He is equally full of doubt and struggles right alongside her to overcome their past and forge a future they both know deep in their hearts is the right one. Theirs is a bravely painful story about mistakes, misunderstandings, about acknowledging how, as survivors of childhood abuse, we often act/react out of fear, shame, and an overactive self-preservation instinct that only subsides with patience and one’s unique understanding to the childhood trauma at hand. Their story will genuinely gut you, and is often difficult to read. The interactions are angry and seriously conflicted, almost bitter, especially where Axel's behavior and attitude is concerned, and not for the obvious reasons.
Their story is a story that needed to be told in way that only Autumn Jones Lake can tell it. I love this story and these characters overall, and love Murphy and Heidi even more than I can fully put into words, which is why I had some serious expectation when it came to this book. And is also why I am so enormously conflicted about my end feelings toward this book overall…
In the end I am conflicted. I am conflicted mainly because Murphy and Heidi’s story is a big, big, tale to tell. It is a story full of winding roads and equally winding emotions. And it is far too big of a story for one book! I was honestly stunned at the sheer size of this installment, the longest in the series so far at sixty chapters PLUS an epilogue. And unlike Wrath and Trinity’s story which was at least broken down into parts, “More Than Miles” is a single, continuous overwhelming tomb of information that, in my opinion, taints the heartbeat of the story overall and almost breaks the connective thread of Murphy and Heidi’s love, loyalty, and emotional growth. This book is packed full of so many happenings and life moments, stacked with so much information, from a half a dozen different fronts it overshadows them at times. It's overwhelming, and in all honesty, really should have been more than one book.
Murphy and Heidi deserved the same care; their journey afforded the same respect as Wrath and Trinity's, and Rock and Hope's.
Sadly, Lake doesn't honor Murphy and Heidi's backstories of neglect, abuse, and childhood trauma the way she did with Wrath and Trinity. And instead of the brave, almost fearless writing I have come to know and love from Lake, I here found something hesitant, almost timid. And certainly not the same methodical level of respect and care afforded to the stories of the previous installments. Rather it is quick, often clipped, with the beginnings of dialogs and plot branches that end up not being carried through, such as Murphy's demands for complete honesty from Heidi that he himself doesn't fully honor. How he doesn't tell her the truth about the length and duration of his own feelings, about the necklace, or the engagement ring, while patiently coaxing her into admitting and being honest about her own feelings and needs for him. There are also plot additions that seemingly die without explanation such as the encounter with the mother, the shooting, and several other Axel related scenarios that, at first, appear important, but then don’t really go anywhere.
Additionally, after seven books of exquisitely paced, detail rich, character and scenario building, the final chapters of this one feel rushed, and underdeveloped. Seven books of painstaking buildup to the final "make or break" moments of their relationship, seven books of foreshadowing, all boiled down to a few rushed chapters of climax, and an oddly placed, confusing epilogue spanning what appears to be years and including characters never before seen and placed with no context whatsoever. Something I hadn’t before encountered in any of the previous LOKI installments.
My disappointment at the telling of Murphy and Heidi’s book genuinely made me cry. They deserved so much more. They deserved a multi-book, methodically paced telling just as Rock and Hope, and Wrath and Trinity received. My heart is broken at the lack of care afforded to their story. And honestly, this review is one of the hardest I have EVER written, taking me almost three days of writing and rewriting…
I have dedicated tens of thousands of words to book reviews in 2019, and normally, the issues discussed above would garner a 3-star review from me. My all-encompassing love for this story however, as well as, my undying love for Murphy and Heidi as core characters within the LOKI universe overall is what earns it the forth star. Am I entirely convinced it deserves the fourth star, sadly no, but I simply cannot bring myself to dishonor Heidi and Murphy in such a way, as their story is just too important not to be read!
I only recently found this series and have been reading like a maniac for the last month, book by delicious book, to catch up to the latest releases. I don’t take to series books often, as they have a tendency to be choppy and inconsistent. However, this series stands far apart from all others I’ve read. It has been one of my highest rated so far in 2019, and I can honestly, without a doubt say, that Autumn Jones Lake’s, Lost Kings MC series is THE best MC series I’ve ever read. And I have come to admire Lake's fearless story writing. The way she chooses to tackle difficult, life altering circumstances head-on and without apology, is something much needed in the dark romance universe. And the lead up to this story, the subject matter of abuse, neglect, and the life altering consequences that result, had me vibrating with expectation.
"More Than Miles" is Murphy and Heidi's story. It is the eighth story, and sixth full-length book in Lake's Lost Kings (LOKI) universe. It's a story that has been masterfully hinted at and intertwined by Lake throughout all the other LOKI installments before it. And, one I had been impatiently waiting to get to since starting this series last month, because for me, Murphy and Heidi have remained one of the more complicated, emotionally intense pairings within the LOKI universe. They cemented themselves firmly within my heart very early on. Especially because out of all the LOKI books, Heidi’s story is the one I most relate too, as it closely resembles my own experiences with my own mother growing up. And her emotions, her reactions, her outlook on life, and ever present fear of becoming like her abusive mother, hit unnervingly close to home for me.
Additionally, watching Murphy's genuine care and concern for Heidi throughout books 1 through 5.5, his reactions to her fearful admissions and outbursts, and the subsequent events with Axel firmly put me on #teammurphy. Is it hysterically funny at times, to watch the age difference and lack of maturity on both sides play out amidst the fray? Yes, yes it is. However, it becomes clear very early on that only he understands the ever vibrating thread of abuse, neglect, and overall pain Heidi has endured. Only Murphy understands her in the way she needs to be understood as he suffered in similar ways and can fully recognize and relate to how her very soul is constructed and held together. How her mind and thought process ticks days-to-day, and how her heart quakes with doubt at the thought of repeating the mistakes of her mother. Shared experiences and understandings that have very little to do with age.
Murphy understands Heidi’s fear and is willing to stand with her and be afraid with her. He is equally full of doubt and struggles right alongside her to overcome their past and forge a future they both know deep in their hearts is the right one. Theirs is a bravely painful story about mistakes, misunderstandings, about acknowledging how, as survivors of childhood abuse, we often act/react out of fear, shame, and an overactive self-preservation instinct that only subsides with patience and one’s unique understanding to the childhood trauma at hand. Their story will genuinely gut you, and is often difficult to read. The interactions are angry and seriously conflicted, almost bitter, especially where Axel's behavior and attitude is concerned, and not for the obvious reasons.
Their story is a story that needed to be told in way that only Autumn Jones Lake can tell it. I love this story and these characters overall, and love Murphy and Heidi even more than I can fully put into words, which is why I had some serious expectation when it came to this book. And is also why I am so enormously conflicted about my end feelings toward this book overall…
In the end I am conflicted. I am conflicted mainly because Murphy and Heidi’s story is a big, big, tale to tell. It is a story full of winding roads and equally winding emotions. And it is far too big of a story for one book! I was honestly stunned at the sheer size of this installment, the longest in the series so far at sixty chapters PLUS an epilogue. And unlike Wrath and Trinity’s story which was at least broken down into parts, “More Than Miles” is a single, continuous overwhelming tomb of information that, in my opinion, taints the heartbeat of the story overall and almost breaks the connective thread of Murphy and Heidi’s love, loyalty, and emotional growth. This book is packed full of so many happenings and life moments, stacked with so much information, from a half a dozen different fronts it overshadows them at times. It's overwhelming, and in all honesty, really should have been more than one book.
Murphy and Heidi deserved the same care; their journey afforded the same respect as Wrath and Trinity's, and Rock and Hope's.
Sadly, Lake doesn't honor Murphy and Heidi's backstories of neglect, abuse, and childhood trauma the way she did with Wrath and Trinity. And instead of the brave, almost fearless writing I have come to know and love from Lake, I here found something hesitant, almost timid. And certainly not the same methodical level of respect and care afforded to the stories of the previous installments. Rather it is quick, often clipped, with the beginnings of dialogs and plot branches that end up not being carried through, such as Murphy's demands for complete honesty from Heidi that he himself doesn't fully honor. How he doesn't tell her the truth about the length and duration of his own feelings, about the necklace, or the engagement ring, while patiently coaxing her into admitting and being honest about her own feelings and needs for him. There are also plot additions that seemingly die without explanation such as the encounter with the mother, the shooting, and several other Axel related scenarios that, at first, appear important, but then don’t really go anywhere.
Additionally, after seven books of exquisitely paced, detail rich, character and scenario building, the final chapters of this one feel rushed, and underdeveloped. Seven books of painstaking buildup to the final "make or break" moments of their relationship, seven books of foreshadowing, all boiled down to a few rushed chapters of climax, and an oddly placed, confusing epilogue spanning what appears to be years and including characters never before seen and placed with no context whatsoever. Something I hadn’t before encountered in any of the previous LOKI installments.
My disappointment at the telling of Murphy and Heidi’s book genuinely made me cry. They deserved so much more. They deserved a multi-book, methodically paced telling just as Rock and Hope, and Wrath and Trinity received. My heart is broken at the lack of care afforded to their story. And honestly, this review is one of the hardest I have EVER written, taking me almost three days of writing and rewriting…
I have dedicated tens of thousands of words to book reviews in 2019, and normally, the issues discussed above would garner a 3-star review from me. My all-encompassing love for this story however, as well as, my undying love for Murphy and Heidi as core characters within the LOKI universe overall is what earns it the forth star. Am I entirely convinced it deserves the fourth star, sadly no, but I simply cannot bring myself to dishonor Heidi and Murphy in such a way, as their story is just too important not to be read!
izziede's review against another edition
3.0
The author has teased us with Murphy and Heidi's story from earlier books.
Its not my favourite troupe.
Best friend's little sister.
This type of troupe can usually be problematic especially with an age gap, which I think is 8 years?
Murphy was around when Heidi's was a baby and she has seen him with various girls and worse still she has heard 'stories' of his escapades, some are really bad.
Heidi's has a boyfriend, Axel she has been with him from before this book, he is a similar age group to the heroine. She is not a virgin.
When Heidi turns 18, Murphy turns up to declare his love and thinks that will cement their future together.
Heidi feels that as he has never been in a relationship and has had so many women she'd rather stick with her boyfriend as he makes her feel 'special' rather than be one of many.
Murphy doesn't actually make his true feelings clear enough at this point.
It's good reasoning and it means that half the book she stays with the boyfriend and has a life away from the club by the end of that relationship.
When Murphy does get his chance he's all about Heidi.
No intimate scenes other than the Hero and heroine (Murphy and Heidi) but Heidi is with her boyfriend and Murphy although initially tries to be away from women, gives up because he feels what's the point.
At some point in Heidi's time away he feels if he can't have Heidi he doesn't want anyone.
He does sort of try to have a relationship with another woman, Serena, but it doesn't work.
I did feel the author sort of changed Axel, the boyfriend's personality a bit.
I'm not sure if it was because we weren't told too much about him but it was implied he was good to Heidi and was doing well as a prospect.
He wouldn't cheat with the club girls or at the Crystal Ball when he was assigned as doorman.
I think maybe his immaturity and the pressure of their circumstances changed him a bit.
Its not my favourite troupe but the best friend's sister isn't a huge issue, everyone knows Murphy has loved Heidi for years.
Loads of club drama, secondary characters including previous couples.
Bit of a change to have other man drama other than other woman drama be more prominent in a former man whore book.
POV from Heidi, Murphy and some Axel.
HEA implied.
Epilogue implied as sometime in the future.
Breadcrumbs dropped for Heidi's brothers book and many more as the club politics and rivals storyline develops.
Its not my favourite troupe.
Best friend's little sister.
This type of troupe can usually be problematic especially with an age gap, which I think is 8 years?
Murphy was around when Heidi's was a baby and she has seen him with various girls and worse still she has heard 'stories' of his escapades, some are really bad.
Heidi's has a boyfriend, Axel she has been with him from before this book, he is a similar age group to the heroine. She is not a virgin.
When Heidi turns 18, Murphy turns up to declare his love and thinks that will cement their future together.
Heidi feels that as he has never been in a relationship and has had so many women she'd rather stick with her boyfriend as he makes her feel 'special' rather than be one of many.
Murphy doesn't actually make his true feelings clear enough at this point.
It's good reasoning and it means that half the book she stays with the boyfriend and has a life away from the club by the end of that relationship.
When Murphy does get his chance he's all about Heidi.
No intimate scenes other than the Hero and heroine (Murphy and Heidi) but Heidi is with her boyfriend and Murphy although initially tries to be away from women, gives up because he feels what's the point.
At some point in Heidi's time away he feels if he can't have Heidi he doesn't want anyone.
He does sort of try to have a relationship with another woman, Serena, but it doesn't work.
I did feel the author sort of changed Axel, the boyfriend's personality a bit.
I'm not sure if it was because we weren't told too much about him but it was implied he was good to Heidi and was doing well as a prospect.
He wouldn't cheat with the club girls or at the Crystal Ball when he was assigned as doorman.
I think maybe his immaturity and the pressure of their circumstances changed him a bit.
Its not my favourite troupe but the best friend's sister isn't a huge issue, everyone knows Murphy has loved Heidi for years.
Loads of club drama, secondary characters including previous couples.
Bit of a change to have other man drama other than other woman drama be more prominent in a former man whore book.
POV from Heidi, Murphy and some Axel.
HEA implied.
Epilogue implied as sometime in the future.
Breadcrumbs dropped for Heidi's brothers book and many more as the club politics and rivals storyline develops.
reading_rainy's review against another edition
3.0
While I really liked reading this one, I’m getting tired of the men that sleep with hundreds of women while waiting for the “one they really love.” These men (Murphy) always feel little tinges of guilt for being manwhores, but everyone simply accepts that’s just the way it is. I also had a tough time forgetting that threesome from the first book that Murphy had with Trinity.
I really liked Axel in the previous books, and in this one. He was so true, never cheating, always honest and really showed Heidi the kind of love she craved. He didn’t like the criminal side of the MC, but he became a prospect for Heidi. He stands up to Murphy and Teller, despite feeling he’s going to get his ass kicked. He stands up to his crappy parents and does everything he can to support Heidi. Working 12 hour days and finding a job in Alaska that might help them with their future. My heart broke for the two of them, life isn’t easy and they were so dang young to be dealing with everything at once. I could see him growing into a kind, supportive husband to a women who wasn’t in love with someone else. I would have loved his story.
Both Murphy and Heidi do a lot of growing up in this book. I give huge props to Lake for taking a character who was such a bed-hopper and making him likable.
I really liked Axel in the previous books, and in this one. He was so true, never cheating, always honest and really showed Heidi the kind of love she craved. He didn’t like the criminal side of the MC, but he became a prospect for Heidi. He stands up to Murphy and Teller, despite feeling he’s going to get his ass kicked. He stands up to his crappy parents and does everything he can to support Heidi. Working 12 hour days and finding a job in Alaska that might help them with their future. My heart broke for the two of them, life isn’t easy and they were so dang young to be dealing with everything at once. I could see him growing into a kind, supportive husband to a women who wasn’t in love with someone else. I would have loved his story.
Both Murphy and Heidi do a lot of growing up in this book. I give huge props to Lake for taking a character who was such a bed-hopper and making him likable.
justzoe_withbooks's review against another edition
5.0
Loved Murphy's and Heidi's story. Cried like a baby!!
mariammohsen's review against another edition
3.0
3.25 stars.
I honestly didn't think this book would turn out to be as it was.
The plot was not as I really wanted it, there were time jumps that left me confused, and some parts that were so slow paced which got me kind of bored at some point in the story.
The last 20 precentt of the book was what got to my heart.
It wasn't as I expected it's gonnna be.
But I definitely loved some cirtan parts of the book.
I honestly didn't think this book would turn out to be as it was.
The plot was not as I really wanted it, there were time jumps that left me confused, and some parts that were so slow paced which got me kind of bored at some point in the story.
The last 20 precentt of the book was what got to my heart.
It wasn't as I expected it's gonnna be.
But I definitely loved some cirtan parts of the book.
dorsa_mel's review against another edition
2.0
This was a really frustrating read. I didn’t like Heidi in the previous books and I like her even less in this one. She was just so annoying and entitled. She acted exactly like the brat that everyone said she was. Add to that the fact that she made one dumb decision after another and I just straight up hated her! When she wasn’t acting like an entitled teen mom, she was a whiny cry baby. I would get so annoyed with her that I would have to put the book down and do something else because she was making me so mad! The only thing that made me power through this book is my love for this series in general and the fact that the books are all kind of tied to each other.
I really liked Axel in previous books, but all of a sudden he turned into a jerk who wanted nothing to do with the club. Turns out he only prospected in order to get into Heidi’s good books. I figured that the author would turn him into a dead beat dad and that Heidi would finally come to her senses and chose Murphy. But nope! He was killed off (which was just too convenient) and first opportunity Heidi gets she was making out with Murphy. At least Hope and Rock waited one year after her husband died to hook up! Heidi waited all of five minutes.
I also found the first part of this book to be slightly pedophiley! I get that Heidi had a school girl crush on Murphy, which is fine and dandy, but it turns out that Murphy also had feelings for her back he was 21 and she was 13!!!! I get that he didn’t act on his feelings but I thought it was creepy AF for a 21 year old man to even look at a 13 year old little girl like that! I’ve read quite a few books with this theme, where there’s an age difference and the girl has a crush on the guy from an early age, but usually the guy doesn’t notice the girl until she’s at least 18. I was actually pretty creeped out that Murphy was lusting after a 13 year old when he was 21.
The only part of this book that I absolutely loved was the epilogue. It was really cute.
I really liked Axel in previous books, but all of a sudden he turned into a jerk who wanted nothing to do with the club. Turns out he only prospected in order to get into Heidi’s good books. I figured that the author would turn him into a dead beat dad and that Heidi would finally come to her senses and chose Murphy. But nope! He was killed off (which was just too convenient) and first opportunity Heidi gets she was making out with Murphy. At least Hope and Rock waited one year after her husband died to hook up! Heidi waited all of five minutes.
I also found the first part of this book to be slightly pedophiley! I get that Heidi had a school girl crush on Murphy, which is fine and dandy, but it turns out that Murphy also had feelings for her back he was 21 and she was 13!!!! I get that he didn’t act on his feelings but I thought it was creepy AF for a 21 year old man to even look at a 13 year old little girl like that! I’ve read quite a few books with this theme, where there’s an age difference and the girl has a crush on the guy from an early age, but usually the guy doesn’t notice the girl until she’s at least 18. I was actually pretty creeped out that Murphy was lusting after a 13 year old when he was 21.
The only part of this book that I absolutely loved was the epilogue. It was really cute.
maustin18's review
4.0
So, I've been sucked into the MC world with Mrs. Lake's books. And the ending of this one... You tease us, Mrs. Lake. You tease us!
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