Tuesday, April 23, 2024
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Uncaged Review – The Sea Lord by Hildie McQueen

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The Sea Lord
Hildie McQueen
Medieval Historical

Can a beautiful heiress lure a pirate to life on land?

When offered a royal pardon, Pirate Kevin MacAlpin accepts an assignment to rescue a kidnapped heiress. Unfortunately, the beauty is found on his ship and the discovery could lead to dire consequences. What is worse, the woman turns out to be more enticing than a siren and soon Captain MacAlpin wonders if the one captured is him.

Gailyn Brighton finds herself kidnapped and then stolen by highway robbers, all while in a crate. Her escape plan is foiled when the ship she is on leaves the harbor. Now she must use the only weapon available to survive. Her wit and intelligence. After careful consideration of the consequences of her kidnapping, Gailyn decides to propose marriage to the handsome pirate.

Love can appear in the most unexpected places!

Uncaged Review: Another story in the Britannia Connected World, and in this story, the pirate Captain MacAlpin takes on an assignment that may give him his freedom, to rescue a woman who is kidnapped. Unbeknown to him, she is then stolen from the kidnappers and put on a different ship.

I love a good pirate story and have a ton of respect for the authors that go the extra mile on their research for sea worthy books. The characters in this story are likeable and the romance simmers beneath the surface and soon you will be wondering who kidnapped who, was Gailyn kidnapped, or was Captain MacAlpin? Fun, shorter read that is a nice addition to this connected world of pirates. Reviewed by Cyrene

4 Stars

Uncaged Review – No God is Safe by Orlando A. Sanchez

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No God is Safe
Orlando A. Sanchez
Urban Fantasy

A Dangerous Client. An Impossible Case. An Offer He Should’ve Refused.

Children have gone missing in NYC.

Detective Simon Strong takes on what he thinks is a routine case-get proof of a spouse’s infidelity. When he digs deeper, he stumbles onto the trail of the missing children, but what he discovers shatters his concepts of reality.

Tristan Montague is a mage on the run. Hiding from his sect and banned from the magical societies, he follows a trail of missing children to NYC. Now, together with Simon, they must prevent more abductions and stop those responsible for the disappearances.

They will face an enemy unlike any other-hungry for power and willing to destroy anyone who gets in their way. Will they locate the missing children? Will they reveal the power behind the abductions and stop them?

Uncaged Review: This is a short story that gives us a background on how Tristan and Simon met, and their first case together – and it can be read at any time within the series – and I’m actually glad I read it after I was already into the series. Even within the short amount of space, you find a great action packed storyline and the author teases you with a bit more information on this duo. It may not answer ALL of the questions surrounding these two, but it will put a few pieces of the puzzle that is Montague and Strong in place. I rarely give 5 stars to short origin stories, but this one earned it. Reviewed by Cyrene

5 Stars

Uncaged Review – Homecoming by Orlando A. Sanchez

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Homecoming
Orlando A. Sanchez
Urban Fantasy

There’s no place like home…but they’re not headed to Kansas.
The Sanctuary is the hidden home of the Golden Circle-a sect of powerful mages. It’s a sacred place of learning, magic, and deep secrets. When Tristan discovers his father, Connor Montague is being held prisoner, he vows to return to the Sanctuary and release him.
There’s only one problem. The Sanctuary has been taken over by Mage Oliver. An Elder who has unleashed the magistrates and promises to destroy Tristan the moment he steps foot on the mountain.
Now together with the help of Simon, they must face a mountain of mages, free his father, and escape the Sanctuary before an Arch Mage erases them from existence.

Uncaged Review: Death, destruction – two words that seem to follow Tristan and Simon around everywhere they go. The fifth book in this series, where some series are starting to lose a bit of steam, this series seems to be just ramping up. And it’s a fun ride, with some great characters, fun banter and great action sequences, you won’t put this series down for long. We learn more in each book about the backgrounds that made Simon and Monty who they are.

This time out, Tristan’s father is a prisoner of a crazed Mage and to free him, and he’ll need all his wits about him to survive. Along with Simon, Peaches and some fun characters, they will work to get to Tristan’s dad before it’s too late – along with fun banter and great action. If you are an urban fantasy lover, you can’t go wrong with this series, but start at the beginning – it’s well worth it. Reviewed by Cyrene

5 Stars

Uncaged Review – Hell on Earth by Tony Urban

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Hell on Earth
Tony Urban
Horror

Twelve survivors struggle to remain alive in a country overrun with hundreds of millions of zombies. Heroes and villains rise from the ashes of what used to be civilization and an epic, blood-soaked, and brutally realistic post-apocalyptic adventure begins.

Uncaged Review: There are no true blue heroes in this book, and yet, there are. What I liked about this book is the characters were realistic, in different situations with different backgrounds – but all with the same goal – staying alive. What I liked about the book is also what I didn’t like about the book. 12 main characters to keep track of, and each chapter is dedicated to a character and then it would be several chapters longer before you got back to that character. So just as the tension was ramping up, I’d be tossed out of the storyline into a different character. Also, this book is not for the faint of heart. The author holds no punches on the gorey details.

All-in-all, this is a good zombie start to a series and well earns its place in the genre. If you can keep up with all the characters, you’re in for good story telling. Reviewed by Cyrene

4 Stars

Uncaged Review – Desert Moon by Anna Lowe

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Desert Moon
Anna Lowe
Shifter Romance/Suspense

The scent of destiny… The danger in desire.
Lana Dixon knows well enough to steer clear of alpha males, but Ty Hawthorne is as impossible to avoid as the sizzling Arizona sun. Her inner wolf just won’t give up on the alpha who’s tall, dark, and more than a little dangerous. One midnight romp under the full moon is enough for Lana to know she’ll risk her life for him — but what about her pride?

Ty puts duty above everything — even the overwhelming instinct that says Lana’s the one. She’s the Juliet to his Romeo: forbidden. And with a pack of poaching rogues closing in, it’s hardly the time to yield to his desires. Or is love just what this lonely alpha needs to set his spirit free?

Uncaged Review: The first book in this series we meet Ty, the son and next alpha of the Twin Moon Ranch pack in Arizona. Ty is intense, and broody and almost impossible to be around. Until Lana Dixon shows up. Even though they try to stay away from each other, destiny and fate have other plans.

I’m not going to give anything more away, but I have always enjoyed this author’s writing, and this book is no different. There is some danger and suspense added along with the impossible romance and it all works. The book is not very long, I read it in one sitting, but it’s a great intro to this pack, and I’m looking forward to learning about other pack members in the series which is already 6 books strong. Reviewed by Cyrene

4 1/2 Stars

Uncaged Review – Fallen Academy: Year Three by Leia Stone

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Fallen Academy: Year Three
Leia Stone
Urban Fantasy

It will take every ounce of strength and training Brielle has to survive year three. Meanwhile, Lincoln will also be fighting his own battle for survival. Each of them worlds apart.

Uncaged Review: I was really looking forward to reading this one, especially after the super crappy ending from book two. This time out, we get a much better ending. Brielle has been taken by Lucifer and is a prisoner in Hell. Separated from her blade, Sera, and drugged so she can’t use her powers, she’s going to have to be on top of her game and acting skills to find a way out. Back at home, her family, Lincoln and her friends all believe she is dead.

So half the book, Brielle is working on a way out of hell, and when she does manage to escape, she finds that Lincoln has gone undercover in one of the worst demon infested cities – San Francisco. If he’s alive, Brielle is determined to bring him back. But Lucifer is still pissed – and she’ll have to utilize all her skills with her friends, to get in and out of San Francisco in one piece.

A lot of good action – a much better ending, and a good lead up to book four. I don’t know how many books are planned for the series, but I’m looking forward to the next one. Reviewed by Cyrene

4 1/2 Stars

Uncaged Review – Sin & Chocolate by K.F. Breene

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Sin & Chocolate
K.F. Breene
Paranormal Suspense

Some people are ordained for greatness…

Those people usually have a lot of drama in their life. Drama I happily do without. I live in a forgotten corner of nowhere for a reason: there is safety in anonymity. I have enough problems just trying to get by.

But when Kieran, a sinfully sexy demigod at the pinnacle of power, crashes into my life, suddenly my whole world is turned upside down.

He’s harboring a deadly secret, one that could destroy all he holds dear. He thinks I’m the key to his salvation, and he wants me to help him claim vengeance.

He also wants me with a passion that burns my body from the inside out.

To ignore him is impossible, but to give in to my desires, even for a night, would thrust me into danger I might not survive.

Can I resist the temptation?

Uncaged Review: Touted as a paranormal romantic suspense, everything is in place except the romance. It’s started here, but it’s really not completely in that sub-genre in this book. I really liked the book, but it was a slow starter for me. Once we got past the 50% mark, it picked up and carried the book the rest of the way. I think that the follow up books to this series will hum along a lot better now that the world building and getting to know the characters is out of the way. This is a nicely original story, that I haven’t seen a lot before, and the characters are likeable. There are a couple nice twists that I didn’t guess.

I’m definitely onboard with book two, and hoping that the romance will ramp up a little better, as I see Kieran and Alexis as a pretty good power duo if they team up in the future books. Something that breaks up the tension and may have the reader laugh out loud are some of the crazy one-liners that pop up. Definitely worth taking a chance on. Reviewed by Cyrene

4 Stars

Uncaged Review – Captured by the Vampire by Kellie McAllen

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Captured by the Vampire
Kellie McAllen
Paranormal Romance

When Zoë reveals proof of vampires to the world, has she sentenced the one she loves to death?

After years of being alone, Rowan is ready to end his immortal life. Weak from starvation and overcome by bloodlust, he attacks a human in public and is captured by police.

When Zoë discovers that the intriguing, new prisoner brought to the jail where she works is a dangerous vampire, she can’t resist revealing the evidence to the world. But as she gets to know him, she realizes he’s not the monster everyone thinks he is.

Rowan’s life finally has meaning again as more vampires come forward and he learns he’s not as alone as he thought. But his chances of release disappear when the world explodes at the discovery of vampires, and he knows he’ll die in prison.

There’s only one way Zoë can save the vampire she’s fallen in love with, but is she brave enough to give up everything for him?

Uncaged Review: This is the beginning story to introduce the Vampire Enforcement Agency series. Rowan is a centuries old vampire, who is tired of being alone, and has never met another vampire except for his mate, whom died. Tired of being alone, he decides it is time to end his life. Half starved, and getting ready to meet the sunrise when a car accident happens close by, he stumbles over to see if he can help them one last time. But he isn’t prepared for the bloodlust. Even though the victim is already dead, he’s caught trying to drink the blood and tossed into jail. Too weak to break himself out of jail, he befriends a young girl who is a janitor at the prison, who believes him when he says he’s a vampire. When they find out that vampires have now come forward and living in society along with humans, Zoe knows she needs to get Rowan strong enough to escape.

This is a nice beginning, to introduce you to this new world. It’s well thought out, even if it’s been done quite often, the author has a put their own twist on the story, and this story wraps up well. Reviewed by Cyrene

4 Stars

Monthly Cover Voting

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Time to vote for September & October 2018 Covers! The top 2 covers with the most votes will continue on to the Raven Awards 2019 semi-finals starting in July!

Voting for these two months will be from 5/6 – 5/12

Go HERE and vote for your favorite today!

Uncaged Review – The Unlikeable Demon Hunter: Burn by Deborah Wilde

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The Unlikeable Demon Hunter: Burn
Deborah Wilde
Urban Fantasy

It’s the End of the World as We Know It …

Nava has come a long way from being a hot mess flying solo. She’s now one of the major players on the chessboard, leading the charge against a witch with dark magic, a power-mad rabbi, and the impending apocalypse.

Friends will die and secrets will be exposed. Add imprisonment, torture, and the biggest, baddest demon of them all who has plans for her, and it’s a lot for a girl to take in. 

Time to rally the troops and make her last stand, because she’s damned if she’ll let the end of the world stand in the way of her romantic, sexytimes galore, happily-ever-after.

It’s trial by fire. 

Burn, baby, burn.

The heart-pounding final installment to the series.

Uncaged Review: This story wraps up the Nava Katz series – and it’s going out with a bang. I’m very sad to see this series end, but also very excited for this book. This book is a fitting end to the series and the author unbelievably wraps up all the loose ends without rushing or sacrificing the storyline in any way. Action packed with witty dialog and a perfect romance, this series has it all. But don’t cheat yourself and not read this series from the beginning, you really need to get to know how it all begins with these fantastic characters.

Even the supporting cast are as likeable as the main characters. I have to say, the author threw in a couple major curve balls on this, and had me gasping and furiously reading and turning pages to get where it was taking me. But the author won’t let you down – and I plan on going back and reliving in Nava’s world again one day. Reviewed by Cyrene

5 Stars