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Uncaged Review – Taming a Defiant Duke by Tammy Andresen

By
Cyrene Olson
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Taming a Defiant Duke
Tammy Andresen
Historical Regency

A surly duke and a desperate lady….

Can one difficult duke ruin all her future plans? The answer is most decidedly yes.

Emily Mayweather is desperate to provide a future for herself after her father’s death. But she hasn’t lost her pride and she won’t be ordered around by a surly arrogant duke no matter how much he blusters. Nor will she feel sorry for disrupting his perfect orderly life. Soon enough he can go back to being his grumpy self and besides, he’s the one who inserted himself into her affairs. Then there’s the issue of his handsomeness. It’s a problem. He goes around looking all dark and alluring until she can barely remember her own name, let alone properly set him in his place. But she has to remember because she’s already learned her lesson once. He doesn’t want her and he never will.

Future Duke of Manchfield, Lord Barret Maddox, is up to his eye sockets in reports, plans, and papers. Bar was determined to be the perfect duke in his father’s absence or bury himself trying. He’s already chosen the lady who would stand by his side, so that was a start. His bride to be would make the perfect duchess, not only that but she saw his worth, which was more than he could say for Miss Emily Mayweather. One unpleasant run-in years ago and she seems to think he’s solely responsible for all her troubles. That’s how she acts, anyhow. So why is it that every time Emily steps near him, all he can see is her? The answer was simple enough. She’s always had been too beautiful for his liking…and now she’s in trouble. Even though she doesn’t want his help, he can’t leave her to fend for herself. He’ll just have to keep his hands in check. And his heart? Well, that might be another matter…

Uncaged Review: A nice short regency romance that I read in a couple hours. The characters are likeable enough eventually even though they could have been flushed out better with the supporting characters that didn’t get a lot of page time. The danger element was a little too passive and the villain just a sniveling rat. But all in all, this is a good book to sit down with for a couple hours. I think both characters needed a good swift kick at times, but they were well suited. The supporting character that really got my interest was Harry, Bar’s younger brother. Sounds like his book would be a hoot. Reviewed by Cyrene

4 Stars

Uncaged Review – Dirty Damsels by Peggy Jaeger

By
Cyrene Olson
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0

Dirty Damsels
Peggy Jaeger
Contemporary Romance

What if Cynderella had a one-night stand with a man named Prince?When I first saw Cynderella all covered in soot in that sexy maid uniform, I knew I wanted to be her Prince.She’s a smart and savvy businesswoman who’s built her cleaning company from the ground up. But now that Dirty Damsels was booming, I’ve been hired to arrange a hostile takeover. But the temptation of having her was too much to ignore… We ended up spending one night together–a night neither of us will forget. Now, I want more. I need more. I want to spend every night, skin-on-skin, with my beautiful Ella. Problem is, when she finds out who I really am, she’ll never forgive me.

Uncaged Review: I’ve read a number of the fairy tale re-telling books, but this one is just fun, and one of my favorites. When Ella has a one night stand, she has no idea that the man she’s with is a man aiding a greedy business man to take over her company. But does he know who she is, and is he using her to help his client?

This is a quick read and kept me smiling and glued to the pages – and that’s saying a lot since contemporary romances are not my normal go-to read. Too bad we all can’t have our own Prince.
A steamy romance with great characters – and this just may go on my to-be-read-again pile for when I need to be pulled out of a funk.
Reviewed by Cyrene

5 Stars

Uncaged Review: Lovely Digits by Jeanine Englert

By
Cyrene Olson
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Lovely Digits
Jeanine Englert
Historical Suspense

When two murders strike the sleepy Victorian town of Clun, England, an unlikely partnership forms. But can the killer be found before there is a third?

Lovely Digits is the town oddity . . .
Quirky spinster Lucy Wycliffe prefers to ignore gossip and embrace her position as the town’s layer out of the dead, despite how her parents’ deaths thrust her into such unlikely work. Lovely Digits, as she’s known to the local townspeople, no longer dreams of marriage, but takes pride in providing dignity to the dead. Desperate to hold on to her family’s cottage and support her widowed sister and young niece, an unexpected offer of employment as assistant to the constable arrives at the perfect time.

Former sailor John Brodie is the mysterious new constable . . .
John Brodie is far from a stranger to Clun or the events of its past. Accepting the position as constable in the small town is a double-edged sword meant to heal his past and redeem his future. Falling for the beautiful and intelligent Lucy Wycliffe was never part of his plan.

As the killer closes in, will John reveal his secret and risk losing everything to save Lucy’s life?

Uncaged Review: This book is such a nice surprise, and for a debut novel, I can only imagine this author getting better and better. The descriptions have you stepping in the snow with Lucy and John, and taking in the stars. This is such an original concept – Lucy is a “layer-out” or a mortician of the past. Giving the families and the victims the care and respect before they are laid to rest. John comes in as the new constable, and approaches Lucy for her to help solve some recent murders – and for more than one reason.

I am not a suspense person per say, but this historical is a sweet romance that builds with trust, and add in the mystery of a killer, and the different ways they find their clues in this time long gone and the author did a fantastic job making me believe it. Great beginning. Reviewed by Cyrene

4.5 Stars

Uncaged Review – Diomere’s Healer by Sabrina A. Fish

By
Cyrene Olson
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Diomere’s Healer
Sabrina A. Fish
Fantasy Romance

Five Gates. Five Sisters. Five Very Different Men.

Once there were two worlds connected by five gates. Then the Gate Keepers closed the gates and disappeared. The Gate Keepers have returned.

Arriana Quinones failed to save her king from the poison that killed him. Now her nephew is suffering the same malady. When her search for a cure leads her through a gate into a world of magic, she discovers that the gods’ plans for her stretch far beyond finding an antidote.

Treves Tourbillon and his people gave up hope of ending their curse. Then Arriana saves his life. While those around him are convinced she is the prophesied key, Treves fears she’ll be the curse’s next victim.

Can Arriana and Treves find the antidote, end the Manticore curse, and take their place as the Desert Gate’s next Keepers, or will the forces working against them prevail in the end?

Uncaged Review: Even though this is the second book in a series, I had no issues keeping up with it. And this is well thought out and well written. This is a very original concept, of showing how Arri can heal – there are many books in the fantasy realm that have healers, but the descriptive way the author brings these healing powers to the reader is very fascinating and so well done.

Arri – a light fairy/merperson needs to save her king, and to do that, she must venture out from the gates that seals off the lands and it’s a dangerous journey that she must take. Treves is a manticore whose job is a jeweler, and he must embark on dangerous missions to find the gems.

A lot of danger and action, and a good heaping spoon of sexy times, this is a page turner, and not one to miss. The use of some mythical creatures we don’t read about much is refreshing and the characters are easy to like Reviewed by Cyrene

4 Stars

Uncaged Review – Debriefing the Dead by Kerry Blaisdell

By
Cyrene Olson
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0

Debriefing the Dead
Kerry Blaisdell
Paranormal

The only thing Hyacinth wants is her life back. Literally. She and her sister were murdered by Demons, leaving her young nephew, Geordi, to his father’s family in the brutal Sicilian Mob. Then Archangel Michael offers her a deal: recapture a powerful rock the Demons stole, and she can live long enough to find Geordi a safe home. Refuse, and she’ll continue up (or down) to the Afterlife.

So, slightly more alive than dead, she heads for Turkey and the Demons, taking Geordi, her mysterious neighbor Jason, and a sexy dead guy only she can see with her. But the hardest part won’t be battling Demons, meeting Satan, or dodging Middle Eastern customs—it will be later, when Geordi is settled, and Michael rips her away again. How can she abandon her nephew? Or can she outwit the Angel of Death himself, and stay with Geordi forever?

Uncaged Review: First of all, for a debut author, this is about as good as it gets. Well written, original and well edited, I only found a couple little snafus which were easy to disregard. This is marketed as a Paranormal Ghost Romance, and it’s not really that…at least not yet. Sure, there are a couple of candidates, but nothing really concrete at this point.
A very original tale, after Hyacinth and her sister are murdered, Hyacinth is sent back by Archangel Michael to retrieve the rock she gave to the goons. She gets help from her friend and neighbor Jason, but she really doesn’t know him that well, and why does he want to help her so badly? A lot of the questions that you will have right off the bat are settled within the back part of the book. When Hyacinth is sent back by Michael, she can now sense and talk to the dead – whether or not that’s because she’s not really alive herself – she doesn’t know, but it’s helpful when she befriends the dead guy, Eric.
This book has some great action, nice humor and a nice original storyline – and for a debut novel, that’s pretty sweet. Reviewed by Cyrene

4.5 Stars

Uncaged Review – Lisa: Coming of Age by KM Lowe

By
Cyrene Olson
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Lisa
KM Lowe
Shifter Romance

Soulmates will overcome anything.

When Lisa was left on the hospital steps seventeen years ago, it left a lot of unanswered questions in her mind. Where did she come from? Why was she abandoned? What did her future hold?

Well, one thing she knew was that her adoptive parents were the one constant thing in her life. She was loved, cared for, protected… until her biological family secrets were revealed, leaving her to fight the biggest fight of her life.

She turns to her best friend and soulmate, Marcus, who happens to make her world rock with emotions she didn’t know existed.

Will Lisa’s life ever be the same again?

Will Lisa’s love for Marcus survive?

Uncaged Review: This is a nice story with a lot of potential. For Lisa, she’s lived a human life since she was adopted by her parents, never knowing that she was shifter with the potential of amazing powers. Pulled away from a ruthless alpha father and left to die after her mother dies after childbirth. Fortunately, Jasper – who was the true soulmate of Lisa’s mother, promises her mother on her deathbed that he will protect her. He has her placed in a loving home and moves in not too far away to keep an eye out. Since Jasper is an enforcer for the shifter counsel, when a raid of band of rogues, he finds a baby boy – who is left to fend for himself in this rogue pack. He takes the boy and raises him as his own and names him Markus. Markus and Lisa are drawn to each other and become the best of friends all their life.

Now I won’t go into more, and although I really liked the story, it felt a little disjointed. It didn’t have the fluidity from scene to scene and the action scenes were a bit lackluster. There wasn’t a lot of tension in the romance between Lisa and Markus and it would have been nice to see Lisa and the others as wolves more than they were in the book. The book seemed more dialog oriented than most, and from chapter to chapter you are getting a different perspective, which threw me a couple times. All in all – it’s a nice start and an entertaining read. Reviewed by Cyrene

4 Stars

Uncaged Review – Tiny Gods by Shayne Silvers

By
Cyrene Olson
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Tiny Gods
Shayne Silvers
Urban Fantasy

Power is patient, power is kind…

No, wait. That’s not right. Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely… Just ask Nate’s ex-fiancée.

It’s almost this wizard’s birthday, so, he can cry if he wants to. That is, if he lives to see it…

Because a lot of people want him dead: his fiancée, his long-lost ancestor, the good wizards, the dark wizards, and… Look, it’s easier to list who doesn’t want to kill him.

To prevent a Shifter vs. Wizard War, Nate steps in to draw a line in the sand, picking a fight with the deadliest magic slingers on the planet… and then he tries to rob them.

And with Achilles angry at Nate for crashing his Fight Night, the Horsemen of the Apocalypse breathing down his neck, Gods hiding behind mortal skins, and an accidental shifter infection with a cheerful Swedish male dancer, Nate has his hands full.

But when his enemies decide to wake a God, the only way for Nate to level the playing field is to open an early birthday present from the Mad Hatter… And that’s when he finds out that nothing is ever simple, and that no one was ever who he thought they were all these years.

Uncaged Review: The sixth book in this series just flat out slays. There were a lot of mysteries solved – I know who Mallory is!!!! – and of course, tons of action. And the action sequences in this series is quite intelligent. I have no idea how the author keeps this stuff straight and where the heck in his brain it comes from, but I’m all in. This may have been my favorite so far – and that’s saying a lot this deep into the series. Nate gets answers, but of course, a lot of questions. This series is just starting to take a breath. Mr. Silvers makes Harry Potter seem like Kindergarten. Highly recommended. Reviewed by Cyrene

5 Stars

Uncaged Review – Mystic Maples by Tena Stetler

By
Cyrene Olson
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0

Mystic Maples
Tena Stetler
Fantasy Romance

Earth/Fire witch Mercy Rose’s insatiable curiosity always gets her in trouble. After a break-in at her Colorado flower shop, and a court battle that comes to a screeching halt in her favor, she arrives at Deerbourne Inn for a much-needed getaway. Looking for peace and quiet, she finds just the opposite in a startling handsome but mysterious man and his dog.

Silvanus Forrest’s gypsy/fae heritage is a double-edged sword. The land he inherited from his parents is rumored to be enchanted. But when Mercy discovers the truth, his well-ordered life unravels, and they’re catapulted into the past to right a wrong. Along the way their lives intertwine, and they discover the true meaning of family and love. Will they change the past in time to save their future?

Uncaged Review: This is a quick read, with the witch Mercy, needing to take some time off and get away. When the booking at the hotel she’s staying at gets mixed up, a man – Silvanus – offers to rent her a cottage on his property for the remainder of her stay.

This is a sweet story of love and learning to trust – just long enough to give you a good feel for the characters, but not overly long that it drags out unnecessarily. There was a lot of information that I didn’t get answers to, and I think Mercy and Sil’s relationship was a bit fast, but all in all, it’s a nice fantasy romance easy enough to read in a couple of hours.
Reviewed by Cyrene

4 Stars

Uncaged Review – Born to Run by Ann Hunter

By
Cyrene Olson
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0

Born to Run
Ann Hunter
Young Adult Contemporary

Alexandra Anderson is on the run from the law.
When the thirteen-year-old orphan can run no further, she collapses at the gates of the prestigious racing and breeding farm, North Oak. Horse racing strikes a deep chord in her. She hears a higher calling in the jingle jangle of bit and stirrup and in the thunder of hooves on the turn for home. It tells her she has a place in the world. But when the racing headlines find her on the front of every sports page, she realizes North Oak is no longer a safe haven.
Money can’t buy love, but it just might secure Alex’s future. Will everyone at North Oak still want to offer her a home when they learn of her unspeakable crime?

On the heels of Joanna Campbell’s beloved Thoroughbred Series, and Walter Farley’s Black Stallion, comes a brand new young adult horse racing series that will sweep you away like a runaway Thoroughbred.

Uncaged Review: Alexandra is brought up in the foster system, and she was dealt a crappy blow with her foster home. The foster mother is a drunk, mean, and beats and abuses the kids in her home. When she finally escapes and gets to North Oak, then maybe she’ll begin to heal. She instantly bonds with a young colt named Promenade. Even though the people at North Oak take her in (there is more to this story that you find out in the end of this book as to why they so quickly agreed) – her past with the law and the foster home will return….

There was some confusing parts – one scene would just quickly switch to another one without more than a paragraph break, and do a bit of a time skip, which threw me out of the story a bit.

A nice start to this series, I had to let my own prejudices that I have for the horse racing world be put on the side for this story – but it was well told. Obviously there are many secrets, and not all of them get answered in this book but it doesn’t toss you into a major cliffhanger. Reviewed by Cyrene

4 Stars

Uncaged Book Reviews – October 2019

By
Cyrene Olson
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0
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