Grier Woolworth spends her nights weaving spooky tales of lost souls and tragedies for tourists on the streets of downtown Savannah. Hoop skirt and parasol aside, it’s not a bad gig. The pay is crap, but the tips keep the lights on in her personal haunted mansion and her pantry stocked with ramen.
Life is about as normal as it gets for an ex-necromancer hiding among humans. Until the society that excommunicated Grier offers her a second chance at being more than ordinary. Too bad no one warned her the trouble with being extraordinary is it can get you killed.
Uncaged Review: Grier is a necromancer that is released from a magical prison that stripped her of her heritage, standing and inheritance and left her with PTSD, a sentient house and struggles to keep food in the house with her tour guide job at night. Now she is just trying to blend in with the human world and stay away from the supernatural. Too bad they won’t stay away from her.
Interesting parts of the book – it has a very original concept, which I do like. Grier herself interests me also, there are some twists in the back part of the book that is intriguing, and it’s hooked my interest. Four characters have my interest, Grier, Woolly (the house), Keets (the undead parakeet) and Linus who we meet in the last pages of the book.
And the not-so-interesting – the world building needs some tightening up. It was confusing on some aspects all the way through the book. Hopefully it comes together better in the series. Her best friends, Boaz and Amelie. Dull. I liked them fine, but they were lackluster. And even though this has marketing as a “romance,” there is zero romance in this book, from my standpoint.
Overall, I’m going to continue this series, for now. The pros have grabbed my attention, and I’m up for the next book. Reviewed by Cyrene
He’s known as the Marquess of Malice…can one little lady warm his dark heart?
Malice, as his friends and fellow gaming hell owners call him, doesn’t have room in his life for love. He’ll take a quiet bride, make an heir, and ship her off to the country. He’s picked the perfect little mouse for the job. The problem? When Malice asks her to marry him, Lady Cordelia refuses. Has she no sense? Any debutante would be happy to catch a marquess. But then again, he’s broken inside. Perhaps Cordelia is the most sensible woman of them all…
Lady Cordelia Chase has no intention of marrying the oafish, overbearing marquess. Lord Malicorn is rude, surly, and entirely unsuitable. Never mind that he’s the only man to ask. Quiet and shy, she’s been overlooked most of her life. When she marries, it will be for love and not just as a breeding cow. The only problem is that when Lord Malicorn isn’t talking, well, he’s rather strong and terribly handsome. And when he holds her in his arms, she could almost swear her heart skips a beat. If this isn’t love…what the devil is it?
Uncaged Review: A great addition to the series, this one brings us Chad and Cordelia, and Cordelia has always been in the shadows of her beautiful sisters, believing them to be more beautiful as she wears spectacles. Malice (Chad) has been the one assigned to watch over her to make sure she doesn’t tell on their ownership of the gaming hell. But Malice has difficulty getting through his past.
I really enjoyed this couple, and was rooting for them the whole way. I liked this one as much as the first book in the series, but it felt a bit rushed in places. The twist near the end is a bit confusing because of the book before, but I won’t give away any spoilers. This series is very easy to follow along with and I think the author has a great cast of characters to choose from. It was fun to watch Chad fall in love with Cordelia despite himself thinking he could never love anyone, and the epilogue was a nice wrap up. Reviewed by Cyrene
She can’t remember her past. He’s on the run from his. Love may be their only hope.
Ten years after leaving home, the last thing Summer Thompson expects is to inherit a half-renovated mansion. And the last thing she wants is to face the memories of the night her brother died. Now living in San Francisco, she plans to stay east just long enough to settle the estate and get rid of the house.
Until she finds it occupied by a hunky handyman who’s strangely reluctant to talk about his past.
Damian Knight has been hiding his mother and sister from a violent ex, and Whispering Pines is the one place they’ve found peace and safety. He keeps to himself. He tells no one about his past. Yet when the lonely, haunted Summer steals his heart, he finds himself opening up to her in ways he should never risk.
As their attraction grows, the past begins to catch up with them. Summer’s mounting flashbacks leave her determined to uncover the truth about the night her brother died. But that truth will cross paths with the man Damian and his family have been avoiding for years.
Can new love help them defeat the pain of the past? Or are some scars too deep to ever heal?
Uncaged Review: Second chances to make things right and to fall in love. This sweet romance has a bit of mystery, suspense and even a bit of danger. When Summer returns to Whispering Pines to get the house ready that her dad willed to her after he died, Summer will find that it’s not that easy to walk away and sell the house as she thought. Being sent away after a car crash 10 yrs ago that killed her little brother, Summer feels that the heartache in the town will be too much. But she doesn’t remember what really happened that night, so to be able to put the past behind her, she will need to find out. And when she meets Damian and his family, things are no longer as clear cut as they were.
A nice story, even with a twist I didn’t see coming at all. This is a nice small town romance and you get to feel the emotional turmoil of Summer’s life, as well as Damian and his family. There is a HEA here, and it would have been nice to read an epilogue, since so much of Summer’s time in the book is confusion and sadness, it would have been nice to see a bit into the future of her being a bit more happy, but this is a charming story that shows you that you can go home again. Reviewed by Cyrene
When danger and desire collide, a witch with a sordid past and a special agent with nothing to lose must form an unlikely alliance.
While trying to escape her past, kick-ass witch Willow McCray dispenses her own brand of justice swiftly and without mercy, until she crosses paths with sexy Magickal Bureau of Investigations Agent, Alex Denopoulos.
Now, she must use her powers for good if she wants to stay out of the mage prison, Hellios.
Alex will stop at nothing to catch a killer, including recruiting notorious felon, Willow McCray, to work for the agency. While under his guard, the lines between duty and passion become blurred with the red-haired beauty.
His penchant for justice and deep-seated hatred of witches makes a future together seem impossible.
But he’s not ready to let her go. Now he’ll risk more than his badge to keep her alive.
If only Willow can vanquish the evil surrounding them and give Alex what he wants—before she loses her heart and even her very soul in the process.
Uncaged Review: This is a paranormal romance that doesn’t pull any punches on the danger and the gore, and it’s got plenty of action, magick and romance. Characters are well developed in this story and Willow is a tough witch with a heart of gold that has strong psychic powers. Alex is a mortal that works for the Magickal Bureau of Investigations and is paired with Willow as his partner when the Bureau gives Willow the option of spending the rest of her life in Hellios (a magickal prison) or becoming a part of the team. When her best friend is murdered, she is partnered with Alex, who detests witches. But the longer Alex and Willow are together – the more both of them will be able to resist the attraction. As more witches are murdered, Alex will stop at nothing to keep Willow safe.
I was very glad to see this is the first book in a series. It’s got my attention and the twists and turns in this suspenseful fantasy that kept me whipping the pages on my Kindle to see what happens next. I am fully in on this series. Reviewed by Cyrene
A casual fling turns serious when Carter’s no-strings hot co-worker winds up pregnant. He’s a man of honor and will do right by Lily. Then things start to go wrong…
She said no to his proposal! She wants to keep him from his baby. And now his father is trying to marry him off to someone else. So he makes all kinds of crazy promises if she’ll be his fake fiancé for one weekend to win his independence. Then things go spectacularly wrong…
Pretending to be in love is easy. To stop pretending…well, that’s damn hard.
Now grab the popcorn and watch to see who will cave first and admit they’ve been in love all along…
Uncaged Review: The great story of friends to lovers. It doesn’t always work out that way, and Lily and Carter are from very different worlds, and this story is a heartwarming and toe curling that will make you laugh at the same time. I liked the slow burn as it ramps up the intensity of who will crack first.
The characters are well rounded, and the plot line moves smoothly from scene-to-scene. This was an enjoyable read from start to finish and you will want to keep reading to see how this all ends. Reviewed by Cyrene
Ride or Die, the ultimate bond, the unconditional act of being there for someone, no questions asked, having someone’s back no matter if they fail or succeed. Is it possible? Is it plausible?
What if the person becomes unrecognizable, or you feel yourself die in the process? Is there an invisible fine line, and if so, where do you draw it?
Brooke Hawk is unlike anyone I’ve ever dated. For one, he’s a biker, a member of the Gates of Hell MC…but I don’t care.
Hawk The women around me know how to handle it, handle me. Brooke is different, and I think that is what draws me to her.
Uncaged Review: Ride or Die, the words that signify one of the most sacred bonds in the MC world. This is a pretty quick story, some of it felt a bit rushed especially at the end. The characters were a bit one dimensional and could have been flushed out better. I enjoyed the story, but the story switches from Brooke’s point-of-view to Hawk’s, and that can be confusing as it is mostly from chapter to chapter, but it’s not marked, so a couple times it threw me off. Brooke is the straight laced girl with a great family, and Hawk is the classic guy from the wrong side of the tracks that had the crappy childhood and his whole life was changed by the motorcycle club he belongs to, a club that gave him a family he never had.
All in all, this is an entertaining read, although it seems it may have been the debut book by this author, and I think this author will get better and better as the foundation is there. This is dialog driven story and it would have benefitted from better world building which is not as easy when you write in the first person narrative, but I would definitely be onboard to read more from this author. Reviewed by Cyrene
t’s The Great Drazin School Of Wizardry, where boys will be boys. Unless that is, they’re turned into a girl.
Me, Matt Hallows–king of the school, all-star athlete, and biggest guy on campus–is now a five foot nothing, blubbering mess of female hormones. All thanks to Alistar Crow, the academy’s golden boy genius and budding narcissist.
My life was scoring goals, bench presses, and fights. Now it’s complete misunderstandings, accidental humpings, and bondage?
Let’s not even talk about when Alistar kissed me in front of the entire school and I whimpered.
Will I ever get my body back? I hope so. It’s not easy being the only witch in a school for wizards.
Uncaged Review: When I first started reading this, I wasn’t sure I was going to enjoy this book much, there was way too much testosterone flowing – with arrogant sports players in a wizard school. It was a bit strange, that there wasn’t a whole lot of magic in the book, and I never got a sense of what all the students of this boy’s school had an affinity with. I just knew that Matt was an all-star athlete, popular, arrogant with anger issues and his friends, and then there is Alistar, the resident genius – and enemy it seems to Matt. But all my trepidation for this story was tossed out the window as soon as Alistar curses Matt into being a girl. The hilarity and fun begins and it doesn’t slow down. There is quite a bit of swearing and a couple good hot sex scenes to top it all off.
But there are some good lessons in this book, and Matt, his/her friends and Alistar will all grow and learn. And believe it or not, it has a HEA. So if you like a book that’s different, can entertain you and make you laugh out loud, then this may be a good choice. Reviewed by Cyrene
When you’re negotiating a business deal with your enemy—here’s a few rules…
#1. NEVER fall in love with him #2. DON’T agree to be his fake girlfriend #3. Do I even have to say it?
I don’t have any delusions of grandeur about our arrangement, Aaron Patterson is the devil in a three piece suit, And I’ll do anything to get some dirt on him, And stop him from buying out my family business.
He thinks his charming smile and cocky attitude can intimidate me? I’m a New York girl, top of my game, And I’ll be damned if some frat boy man child thinks he can beat me. But when the lines between us start to blur—so do my feelings.
How can something I was hired to fake, feel so real? With more than just my business on the line, My brain is telling me that this is one game…I might not win.
Uncaged Review:Disclosure: This book was originally called “His Fake Girlfriend” and has been repackaged and branded to be a part of a series – but it’s the same story.
This is a fun book – and I’m always excited when I find a contemporary romance that I really like. They call this book an “enemies to lovers” and it was in a way, but not completely. I have to admit, for the first few chapters I wasn’t sure I was going to like the book, because Aaron is a complete jerk. He’s arrogant, cocky and treats his employees so badly, I’m surprised they still work for him. He has no friends and has never been in a relationship with a woman, he’s the love them and leave them kind. So I had my reservations on liking the book. But along comes Audrey, who works for a competing company and a good suspenseful plot line that I only guessed half of. We see growth and likability in Aaron that was because of his relationship with Audrey, who makes him a better man. Well worth the reading time, and even though I would have liked to see them out more together and explore how they got to where they were by the end of the book, it still worked. The point of view switches from chapter to chapter between Audrey and Aaron, which is the best way to work these type of narratives, in my opinion Reviewed by Cyrene
Uncaged: Welcome to Uncaged! Your latest book, Seducing the Dragonfly is the second book in the Graciella series. Can you tell readers more about this series?
This series takes place in Graciella, a fictional town on Oregon’s rugged, but gorgeous coast. The first three books center around the Brockman Brothers, Cruz, Turner and Adam. They were raised by a cruel patriarch, T.D. Brockman who has recently died (in Book 1, Handling the Rancher). The brothers have to bring their family farm back from the despair and neglect it suffered under T.D.’s ownership. But they also have to heal their hearts from the abuse and neglect they suffered under T.D.’s hands. Each one meets his match in a successful, intelligent and sexy lady. I try to write books in beautiful, imaginary locations with loyal friendships, community and food, lots of great food!
Uncaged: How does your writing process work? Do you plot out your novels for the main scenes beforehand, or are you more of a panster?
I am such a pantser!! I hate outlining with a passion. Usually I see images in my head before I’ve written the book. Images of the two characters meeting, or the beginning of the book and I go from there. I excel at insomnia, so I often imagine scenes and plot the stories in my head in the middle of the night. My characters and their issues keep me company while everyone else in my house sleeps. During the day, as soon as my kids leave for school, I get to work writing. When I’m working on a manuscript I try to put in 4-6 hours a day during the week on it.
Uncaged: What are you working on next that you can tell us about?
I just submitted Book 2 in my Rescue Me series for review with my editor at Totally Bound. And I’m starting Book 3 in the Graciella Series, Adam’s story. At the time of answering these questions (March12-16th, 2020) all our schools have just closed for at least six weeks, restaurants have closed, and large gatherings/events are all closed due to the Corona virus. So I’m planning on writing more essays and food related blog posts because they bring me comfort and I love connecting with people through food and writing.
Read the rest of this interview in the issue below
Puget Sound based writer, Sara Ohlin is a mom, wannabe photographer, obsessive reader, ridiculous foodie, and the author of the contemporary romance novels, Handling the Rancher, Salvaging Love, and Seducing the Dragonfly.
She has over fifteen years of creative non-fiction and memoir writing experience, and you can find her essays at Anderbo.com, Feminine Collective, Mothers Always Write, Her View from Home, Under the Gum Tree, and in anthologies such as Are We Feeling Better Yet? Women Speak about Healthcare in America, Take Care: Tales, Tips, & Love from Women Caregivers, and Chicken Soup for the Soul.
Although she’s the author of many essays about life, grief, motherhood and the connections we make through delicious food and shared meals, Sara loves creating imaginary worlds with tight-knit communities in her romance novels. She credits her mother, Mary, Nora Roberts and Rosamunde Pilcher for her love of romance.
If she’s not reading or writing, you will most likely find her in the kitchen creating scrumptious meals with her two kids and amazing husband, or perhaps cooking up her next love story. She once met a person who both “didn’t read books” and wasn’t “that into food” and it nearly broke her heart.
Returning home to the Oregon town of Graciella after twelve years away, international real-estate guru Turner Brockman intends to make amends for having disappeared, then vanish again.
He didn’t reckon on meeting a figure from the past he tried to escape—beautiful Lily Moreno, now all grown up and the independent, creative owner of Dragonfly Design & Construction.
Lily never expected to see Turner again and she’s determined to hide the love she’s felt for him since she was a girl, when he crushed her heart and killed her trust in men. Creating and owning the top construction company on the West Coast and being there for her friends and family are Lily’s only desires now. Except…there’s an intense chemistry between her and Turner, one she gives in to, only to harden her heart after every encounter.
Welcomed back into the beauty of Graciella and the family farm with loving, open arms, Turner falls quickly for Lily, but faces his greatest challenge yet—seducing Lily into trusting him completely. Will his intense love, patience and good old-fashioned wooing be enough to capture his dragonfly’s heart?
Excerpt
Lily snaked her truck through the construction signs and orange barrels from the road crew that was working on Main Street during the week and parked at an angle that would make getting the long boards of wood out of her truck and straight into the theater easier. Lily put her earbuds in, cranked up Brandi Carlile and got to work.
Brandi was in the middle of an angsty love song when the two by fours Lily carried over her shoulder smacked against something behind her.
“Holy hell!” she swore as the impact jarred her. When she turned to inspect what had gotten in her way, her heart flipped over. Not something, someone. No. No. No! It can’t be. Not here. Not now. Not ever. She slammed the wood to the ground and sucked in a breath. Turner Brockman in the flesh. Lily ripped out her earbuds, her music replaced with a shadow from the past.
“I’ll second that,” he said, rubbing his shoulder. She followed the motion of his arm. She’d smacked him with her two by fours. Appropriate. His voice was deeper, but, even with his pissy tone, she’d recognize the sound anywhere.
“I didn’t see you…”
No one’s seen you in twelve years. Her heart hovered and fluttered in recognition. Oh, no you don’t, you traitor. We do not love him anymore.
He’s betrothed…but not to the woman who holds his heart
She’s hiding from the past… Hoping to put the shame of her father’s disgrace behind her, Jessica Brentwood is determined to be the epitome of decorum and propriety her first London Season. All is well until she’s discovered naked in the arms of a notorious rake, Crispin, the wicked Duke of Bainbridge.
Though thoroughly compromised—through no fault of her own—Jessica refuses the enigmatic nobleman’s obligatory marriage proposal. She’d rather face certain scorn and ridicule than be forced into a marriage of convenience. Or rather, inconvenience.
He’s avoiding his future… Betrothed since childhood, Crispin has no interest in wedding the woman he’s expected to marry before Season’s end. The lovely country miss, Jessica Brentwood, holds the key to his heart, though he’s never hinted at his feelings for her.
When they are the victims of a cruel hoax, Crispin isn’t at all unhappy that he’ll have to break his unwanted betrothal to marry Jessica. Except, his betrothed isn’t willing to release him from their agreement, and the vengeful villains who conspired to ruin Jessica and Crispin aren’t finished plotting mayhem.
How can he convince Jessica his rakehell’s reputation is mostly conjecture and that he’s adored her from afar? Dare Jessica believe the scoundrel who swears he’s not a rogue and vows he wants to protect her?
Uncaged Review: I was determined to catch up with this series, and I’ve almost accomplished that goal, even though it is not a hardship to read this author’s works. Each book can be read in any order or as a standalone, but the reader will want to read about the other characters that pop up in the books, I’m no exception. In this outing, Crispin, the Duke of Bainbridge has had a pre-arranged marriage since he was a young child, a very unwanted and unsuitable betrothal. The woman he has always admired from afar, is Jessica Brentwood. When a malicious couple plot against them, and leave them in a compromised position, all hell breaks loose.
This is another wonderful book in the series, and I think that Crispin and Jessica are my two favorites so far in this series. I may say that often with this author, but she has a magical ability to endear her characters to the reader. This book went by so quickly, that I actually thought it was a novella, and it is not. That’s a pretty reliable sign of a good book. Reviewed by Cyrene
Puget Sound based writer, Sara Ohlin is a mom, wannabe photographer, obsessive reader, ridiculous foodie, and the author of the contemporary romance novels, Handling the Rancher, Salvaging Love, and Seducing the Dragonfly.
