Thursday, March 28, 2024
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Uncaged Review – Owned by the Marine by Renee Rose

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Owned by the Marine
Renee Rose
Contemporary/Erotica

SHE’S NOT HIS TYPE. TOO SWEET…TOO INNOCENT…TOO VANILLA.
When Marine Sergeant Rob Gentry moves into his apartment, the last girl he wants to date is his new neighbor. Smoking hot and so cute it makes his teeth hurt, she’s not his type. Too sweet. Too innocent. Too vanilla. But when her date with an online suitor goes south, he busts into her place to rescue her. Because that’s what a Marine does.

The trouble is, now she requires comfort. A safe place to stay the night. Distraction. And by the time he’s through owning her hot little body, he discovers a natural submissive, one he’s not sure he can ever let go.

Uncaged Review: This is a shorter read, so I won’t go into too many details, but when Rob moves into his new apartment, he mainly just wants to be left alone. Until he meets his hot and too sweet neighbor. The chemistry is good between the characters and there are some hot BDSM sex scenes. Because of the length of the book, a lot of things moved way too fast and there wasn’t any real substance to the story and there were some missed opportunities with the characters, especially Rob. Overall, it’s a good erotic short and a fun, fast read. Reviewed by Cyrene

4 Stars

Uncaged Review – The Scent of White Lilacs by Jessie Salisbury

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The Scent of White Lilacs
Jessie Salisbury
Contemporary Romance

Charlotte has been left alone. She spent years waiting for Kevin to propose marriage, but then Kevin died in a car crash. Now she has nothing left but her position as manager of an art supply store, and that may soon be for sale. What will she do then?

Malcolm, a well-respected attorney, buried his heart when his wife Rosalie died a lingering death from cancer. Now he has to cope with his teenage daughter, Leah, who blames him for her mother’s death, convinced he could have done more for her.

When Leah’s need for art supplies takes Malcolm to Charlotte’s shop, the attraction between them is obvious from the beginning. But there are many obstacles, including Charlotte’s need for a lawyer to deal with a lease, the purchase of the store, and vandalism. 

But if she retains Malcolm, what are the ethical questions that arise if they develop a relationship?

Uncaged Review: Charlotte FitzRoberts is a 36 year old manager of an art store. She had spent years waiting for Kevin to marry her only to for him to die in a car accident as he was speeding. In the opening she is staring at the ruined lilac bushes in her yard, comparing the damage a late winter storm did to the bushes to her life which has been torn apart with Kevin’s death. She had planned on using the lilacs as part of her wedding bouquet, only now there would be no wedding.
She realizes the chances of her marrying Kevin had decreased over the years. He had enjoyed being free, living his own life, never sharing her dreams, only good times where he made no promises. Being realistic, she knows he never would have married her, no matter how long she waited for him. The dream now dead, like her lilacs.
Charlotte gave up her dreams of being a painter to manage the art store for the past ten years. She loves what she does and thinks of the store as hers even though she is only the manager for an absentee owner.
Malcolm Carlsmythe is a lawyer whose wife died two years ago from cancer. His teenage daughter, Leah, still blames him for not keeping her mother alive, not understanding Rosalie had made the choice, not him, as to what treatment she was willing to accept. He meets Charlotte when he goes to get art supplies for Leah which a new art program has ordered for them. Some of the supplies aren’t in and he’ll need to come back for them. He finds himself attracted to Charlotte.
Leah is 17. She loves art, having learned to draw and paint from her mother. She is friends with her lab partner, Jeffery Short who helps her understand the lab work. The extra art class she is taking is offered a trip to Italy to visit various museums. She has her father pick up the supplies she needs at the Artist’s Loft where Charlotte works
A things move along, Malcolm becomes more attracted to Charlotte, Leah resists his moving forward while she and Jeffery embark on a science project for the science fair where she will do the drawings for his research. It isn’t until the owner of the store, Peggy Martell offers to sell the store to Charlotte things get more interesting. Malcom agrees to handle the sale for her. He finally admits his attraction to her. When the store is vandalized, he shunts the case off to a friend to purse her romantically.
Leah meets Charlotte and isn’t sure what to say to her about her father. She asks for help in contacting a local artist for help with the science project in painting feathers for the drawing of some ducks. She questions her father as to his intent where Charlotte is concerned, not fully understanding his answer.
As the book moves forward, the author continues to weave the various plot lines skillfully together until the end. It was a great book of second chances and coming of age for his daughter. Each chapter gave you a good reason to keep reading as you delve into their lives, watching Leah go from angry to accepting and Malcom and Charlotte moving into a relationship neither expected to find.
I loved this book and give it 5 stars with a recommendation to savor the well written story. Reviewed by Barbara

5 Stars

Uncaged Review – Demon Child by Kat Cotton

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Demon Child
Kat Cotton
Urban Fantasy

This demon fighting business used to be so simple. Get in, use my sex thrall to dust pesky incubi and get paid the big bucks. A girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do.

Now there’s a Demon Child on a feeding rampage. I’ll get all the kudos if I kill him but no one’s fronting up with the cash — and you can’t eat kudos. Then the most infuriating vampire I’ve ever met wants to hire me. By the way, working for a vampire is strictly taboo.

So, how do I kill this one? Can’t use my sex thrall when he looks like a kid, silver doesn’t hurt him and stakes don’t work either. This time, I have to rely on my wits, my skills and, worst of all, teamwork! We might all be doomed.

If you like snarky vampires, snappy dialogue, and hot-blooded team dynamics, then you’ll love this fiendishly fun adventure.

Uncaged Review: This is a fun urban fantasy with a “new-to-me” author. Clem is a strong and snarky demon hunter who is hired by vampires to take down the Demon Child – a vampire that was turned when he was just a boy with more powers than he should have. The trio of Clem, Nic and Kisho is a good one. The fun is in the banter and strange friendship that is developed between them. The action sequences kept me whipping through the pages and some of the banter between Clem and Nic will keep you smiling. My biggest gripe is, I never got a good idea of Clem and what she looked like in my mind. The cover does not do anything for the story, as Clem has flaming red hair and the cover is a blonde. The second gripe is the strange BDSM sequences. This isn’t a sex book by any means, but the couple sequences really didn’t do anything for the story, and I’m not sure why it was included.
Even with the couple of gripes I have, this is a fun urban fantasy, and I am looking forward to reading more by this author. Reviewed by Cyrene

4 Stars

Uncaged Review – Seeking Perfect by Jeri Bronson

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Seeking Perfect
Jeri Bronson
Contemporary/YA

Jesse learned early not to trust a soul, but what if he was her soulmate?

Senior year of high school should be about friendship, boyfriends, and graduation, but for seventeen-year-old Jesse Barnes it’s about escaping the shame of life with an alcoholic mother. 

Jesse’s goals are clear: keep a roof over her head, avoid the revolving door of leering men her mother brings home, graduate from high school, and do everything possible to keep her home life secret. Friends, boyfriends: not an option. Who would understand?

Then perfect, popular Derek Aames sits with Jesse at lunch. How can she discourage him? How can she keep him from intruding on her life and discovering her secret? And most of all, how can she keep him out of her heart?

Will his persistence finally break down her walls, or just break her?

Uncaged Review: The main character in this book Jesse has a lot to deal with. Just making it through the rest of high school for starters. Something in me felt sadness for Jesse reading this and I just wanted to hug her and tell her everything would be okay. This is a very drama orientated book focusing on a young adult concept. One I’m very happy I read. Looking forward to reading other books by this author. Reviewed by Jennifer

4 Stars

Uncaged Review – Murder is a Dirty Business by Tricia L. Sanders

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Murder is a Dirty Business
Tricia L. Sanders
Mystery/Suspense

Between hot flashes and divorce papers, a middle-aged woman reconsiders her outlook on life when she butts heads with a hot detective during a murder investigation. 

When Cece Cavanaugh’s husband empties their joint bank account, steals her designer luggage, and runs off with a younger woman, Cece must decide whether to ask her manipulative mother-in-law for a handout or get a job. Choosing the easier path, Cece lands a job cleaning a crime scene where a high school coach was murdered. When his wife is implicated—a young woman Cece practically raised—Cece finds herself mopping floors, balancing an empty checkbook, and ferreting out a killer.

Amid all this messy business, Cece bumps heads with a handsome detective. She tries to ignore her growing attraction to the detective, but he gives new meaning to the term “hot flash.”

After she stumbles onto a clue that could vindicate her friend, her elation turns to panic when she haphazardly confronts the killer. Through the danger and romance, Cece discovers self-reliance and inner strength.

And that crime—at least, someone else’s—does pay the bills.

Uncaged Review: This book has a very funny and entertaining storyline. Cece finds herself struggling to make a living after her husband drops a bombshell on her. I found the concept the author makes with this book very gripping and insightful. I’m really hoping this is only the beginning of Cece and her adventures patiently awaiting what happens next.
Reviewed by Jennifer

4 Stars

Uncaged Review – Dirty Like Me by Jaine Diamond

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Dirty Like Me
Jaine Diamond
Rockstar Romance

A gorgeous rock star. An indecent proposal. How can a girl resist?

Struggling barista Katie Bloom doesn’t even know who Jesse Mayes is until she inadvertently wins the coveted role of sex kitten in his hot new music video. But by the time she’s in bed with him, she knows his reputation.

Love maker. Heartbreaker.

Making out with a stranger in front of a camera crew isn’t how Katie imagined herself getting over a broken heart, but when Jesse touches her, sparks fly. The sex is fake but the chemistry is real, and soon the steamy video is blazing up the charts.

Then Jesse makes Katie an irresistible offer: act as his girlfriend for six weeks while he promotes his new album. The only catch? Their sizzling make-out sessions will be for the cameras only.

Which is fine with Katie, since she’s not about to trust her heart to rock’s most legendary lover. Her body? Maybe…

Uncaged Review: I have a soft spot for Rockstar romances, and this one hits the spot nicely. This is a new author to me, and I definitely am on board. When Katie Bloom is recruited to play hot rock star Jesse Mayes girlfriend in a video, the video ends up going viral, and Jesse offers Katie a job to play his girlfriend for a 6 week tour. The problem is, will Katie be able to keep her heart from getting involved?

This is great start to this series that concentrates on the band Dirty. A fun and sexy read that kept me wanting to pick it back up, even after I put it down for one reason or another and it grabbed a hold of me within the first few pages. The only caution I have is there is a lot of alcohol use and some minor drug use. The characters are fantastic, gorgeous rock stars with hearts of gold and strong women that can handle them, and I can’t wait to read more. Reviewed by Cyrene

5 Stars

Uncaged Review – Playing Defense by Aven Ellis

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Playing Defense
Aven Ellis
Contemporary/Sports Romance

After a string of bad set-ups and boring dates, Reese Brannon is done with men. She’s focused on her job as a fitness model and blogger. Her life in the city is fun. She’s young. There’s no need to look for a man because she doesn’t want one. Especially when relationships usually end in heartbreak.

Jean-Pierre Rochat—known as JP— is done with women. All this Swiss hockey player has ever wanted is to fall in love, but his relationships never end with a happily ever after. Believing he’s always going to be dealt the friend card, JP is over it. If he’s going to be stuck in the friend zone, he’ll keep things casual for his new endgame.

But will one hot Dallas summer night change everything for Reese and JP?

Because when the two meet again when JP returns for hockey season, Reese finds her attraction to him hasn’t waned since their first meeting. Charming and intelligent, JP is different in all the right ways, but Reese realizes letting him in will make her vulnerable, something that terrifies her. JP never forgot Reese from their initial introduction last winter, and the sparks fly for him even more so the second time. But with Reese, his thoughts are anything but casual . . . 

Can JP and Reese let their guards down to take a chance on love? Or will this simply be a game of playing defense?

Uncaged Review: I started this book and didn’t stop until I was finished. The storyline has some extremely funny lines and I loved the humor between Reece and JP. This book is a part of the Dallas Demons Hockey Series. It can be read and enjoyed as a standalone as I haven’t read the books in order myself. It’s a simple story of girl meets boy still a very emotional and heartwarming read. Highly recommend this book. Reviewed by Jennifer

5 Stars

Uncaged Review – No Tomorrow by Carian Cole

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No Tomorrow
Carian Cole
Rockstar Romance

The people we love are thieves.
They steal our hearts. They steal our breath.
They steal our sanity.
And we let them.
Over and over and over again.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

They say you never forget your first love.
Mine was a homeless musician who wandered straight into my soul.

He was my first everything. And fourteen years later, I still can’t get him out of my head.

He broke all my rules.
He also broke my heart.

I watched him climb to stardom, cheering him on from afar.
But I was never a fan; just a girl in love.

Like a tornado, he spiraled, leaving a path of destruction in his wake.

But love conquers all, right? It has to. Because here I stand, ravaged and ruined, needing it to be true.

You can’t go back, but I want to. Back to the park. Back to when he sang only for me. Before he was famous. Before he shattered my heart.

I thought I knew everything about him.
But I could not have been more wrong.

He promised me every tomorrow. And here I am, waiting.
And hoping.
Again. 

Uncaged Review: I have a love/dislike relationship with this book. It will break you. It will rebuild. It will break you. It will rebuild. And this is the mantra throughout the book. The story itself is heartbreaking, but it’s not all angst. There are some wonderful moments that keep you going. The downside, the book is a bit long and drawn out, with situations repeating themselves or overly explained – to almost the point of boredom. But then it will draw you back into the story – but a lot could have been edited out – to make this one of the best reads of the year, but it didn’t quite make it. The love part – I loved both our characters, and specially Blue/Evan. What he was going through and how he tried to fix himself and gain control of his life, is heartbreaking and beautiful and believable. Piper is a strong woman, but also quite self-destructive in her own way, the way she lets Blue treat her over and over. It’s not that he doesn’t love her, it’s just he can’t stop himself. Most women would have bailed out long ago, and maybe that’s why Blue calls her his “warrior.” The story of his and Piper’s relationship is both inspirational and disappointing. The dislike – the “disappointing” started pretty fast. The first time these two come together for sex, is almost forced, and it’s unaspiring to say the least. And a bit unbelievable. But if you hang in there, it gets better. One example of the drawn out part for me was when one character said something, you might not see the answer from the other until a few paragraphs later, and then I felt a little dropped out of the conversation a bit and almost forgot what was said.

On a whole, I liked the book. I like that the author tackled mental illness in a way that is both respectable and realistic and didn’t sugar coat it. So my love/dislike relationship with the book still kept me turning the pages to read, even though I had to set it down and come back to it at times to clear my head before it drew me back in.

Even with all that said, this book is compelling – when a book can make you feel as much as this one does, it’s like a drug in itself – you can’t force yourself to stop reading. Reviewed by Cyrene

4 1/2 Stars

Uncaged Review – Love Blooms Collection by M. Kay Kleven

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Love Blooms Collection
M. Kay Kleven
Romance Anthology

Come along and enjoy watching ‘Love Bloom’ in each of these eight short stories: Azalea Boulevard, Brittlebush Junction, Lilac Road, Mum Creek, Primrose Bay, Rose Harbor, Stargazer Way, and Winterberry Hills.

Uncaged Review: This is a book filled with a various collection of short stories. With love being the theme it may seem trivial, but is something that consumes a large proportion of our lives. I think the old saying still goes with today’s generation: “You can’t help who you fall in love with.” A message that is well worth its weight in gold and beautifully written by this author. There is a different mixture of all sorts of stories in this wonderful collection. For young and old. Far too many to choose from. So let’s start by reading this book and falling in love. Reviewed by Jennifer

4 Stars

Uncaged Review – Dark Moon by Kathryn Le Veque

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Dark Moon
Kathryn Le Veque
Medieval Romance

1518 A.D – As the eldest son of the knight who betrayed Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth (Gaston de Russe of THE DARK ONE: DARK KNIGHT), Trenton de Russe bears the dark legacy of men who changed the course of history. The name de Russe is both hated and revered in England, and is well-known to the kings of England who have depended upon the family for their strongest, most noble, and sometimes most controversial knights.

Trenton is a man with great burdens to bear.

As a special ops knight for Henry VIII, it is Trenton’s duty to carry out the king’s command and he has been known to have accomplished some questionable as well as dirty tasks. With Trenton as Henry’s attack dog, enemies fear de Russe more than the king himself. 

Trenton suffers a dysfunctional relationship with his father because of it. Gaston never wanted his son to follow in his footsteps, but Trenton has become so deeply entrenched in Henry’s dirty dealings that is it all he knows. In a desperate move to lure his son away from Henry once and for all, Gaston calls his son home under false pretenses. Begrudgingly, Trenton heads for Deverill Castle, seat of his father’s dukedom.

Enter Lysabel Wellesbourne le Mon. Daughter of Gaston’s best friend, Matthew Wellesbourne (THE WHITE LORD OF WELLESBOURNE), Lysabel is a widow with two young children. In a chance meeting with Trenton, whom she has known since birth but has not seen in several years, an unexpected spark ignites between them.

Unfortunately, it is a spark that can burn down the strong relations between the House of Wellesbourne and the House of de Russe. Matthew doesn’t want the dark and fearsome Trenton for his daughter, but the fire that burns between the pair is stronger than Matthew can control. No amount of water will douse it and Matthew turns to Gaston for help.

Will Gaston side against his estranged son? Or will the relationship between two old and dear friends be destroyed by a love that cannot be denied?

Uncaged Review: This author doesn’t know how to write a bad book. She doesn’t even know how to write a 4 Star book. She is consistently a 5 Star read, and you would think that she would start repeating herself somewhere along the line, but every single story is original and unique. The only thing similar is that the books are written in the author’s style, which drags me into the story and makes me feel like I’m walking the hallways of the castles as the story unfolds.

This is a story of love, revenge, friendship and loyalty. And ponies. You will bust out the tissue box one moment and be cheering out loud in others. And I totally didn’t stand up and yell when Dane and Cort came riding onto the grounds. OK, maybe I did. But thankfully only my cat saw me do it and I won’t be locked away soon. Easily highly recommended – so pick up a copy and get on Le Veque’s roller coaster, you won’t be sorry you did. Reviewed by Cyrene

5 Stars