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Uncaged Review: 14 Needles, An Unsettling Collection by Aaron Deck

By
Cyrene Olson
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0

14 Needles, An Unsettling
Collection
Aaron Deck
Horror Shorts

Based on fourteen tattoos, this collection of short horror stories will take you on a speculative journey inspired by each piece of art. Imaginative, strange and sometimes funny, the stories in this collection will take you to a military encampment in Afghanistan, through a trinket shop in California, into the secret, gruesome war being waged in the back alleys of civilization. Each tale strikes a different tone, from the horrific to the thrilling.

Uncaged Review: I wasn’t sure what to expect from this book. Being a genre which I love everything about. I eat live and breathe horror. I felt myself not wanting to start this book straight away in case I was disappointed. As there’s only a handful of new horror writers out there which can actually fit this role. I was pleased that Aaron Deck is one of these writers. This book should be on an up and coming horrors best books to read list. Every page just screams good storytelling at this point in the review I normally say which story’s where my favorite. This time I can’t do this as I loved them all. The author even tells us how he came up with the idea to write this book which in its own way is very cool. I can only hope good things for this fresh horror writer and that Uncaged Books gets chance to read more of his work. In the meantime time prepare to be entertained in all things horror. Reviewed by Jennifer

5 Stars
Violence, sex, language warnings

Uncaged Review – Born of Faerie by WB McKay

By
Cyrene Olson
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0

Born of Faerie
WB McKay
Urban Fantasy

Sophie Morrigan knows she needs to set the tone for her new life. Being drowned by a dragon certainly sets a tone.

A newly minted agent for the Faerie Affairs Bureau, Sophie is excited to retrieve her first magical object. Unfortunately, her boss ruins it by assigning her a partner she doesn’t need. When her first day sends her limping home with water in her lungs, she has to consider that she might be in over her head.

Can Sophie quash her loner tendencies and learn to work with an annoying selkie partner? Or will she wind up another piece of junk in a dragon’s hoard?

Uncaged Review: A good start to an urban fantasy series, this short book packs a wallop and is a great introduction into the Stolen Magic series and about Sophie’s first case as a full-fledged agent of the Faerie Affairs Bureau, who retrieves dangerous magical objects. In her first case, she has to go up against a water dragon to retrieve a magical chalice, and it’s not going to be easy.

I enjoyed the start of this one, as the fae in this book are also something more. Some are shifters of different types, and with different powers, so it’s interesting to see where it leads. This book is an exclusive book you can get free by signing up for the author’s newsletter and it’s definitely worth a look. Reviewed by Cyrene

4 1/2 Stars

Uncaged Review – Storm Shift by Calinda B.

By
Cyrene Olson
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0

Storm Shift
Calinda B.
Paranormal/Horror

Your power–it’s in the blood.

Those were the words her grandfather said to her from wherever the dead reside. Now it’s up to her to find out what that really means.

Grief.

Her grandparents were found dead in the lake. Boating accident? Not likely. Newly elected town manager Chia Petit is determined to find out who murdered her beloved granddad and grandma.

Justice.

Her new position requires her to see to the needs of the people, including the shifters, of Charming, Alaska. When a shifter turns up dead, shot by a mysterious hunter, her determination to find the murderer grows.

Love.

There are not too many men to choose from in Charming, Alaska. Can the sexy, insane bounty hunter who wants revenge for the death of his niece, winnow his way into her heart?

Too many mysteries and not enough time to solve them.

Chia’s got her hands full as she tries to set things right in the prequel to the Charming Shifter Mysteries, Storm Shift.

Uncaged Review: This is a fun jump into the paranormal genre, with interesting and likeable characters. Chia’s grandparents are found dead, she’s been elected town manager and a shifter has been shot, all in the space of a day or two – in Charming, Alaska. With two bounty hunters in the area, Chia needs to figure out who’s the good guy vs. the bad guy. This is a fun, action-packed ride, and while some of the shifter world is out to a select group of the population, not everyone knows and the ones that do are still trying to make sense of it. To keep it under wraps, Chia sets out to find the one that shot the shifter, and she gets a whole lot more than she bargained for.

One of my favorite interactions is between Chia and D’Raynged – a proper and stuffy vampire, and with her husky shifter best friend, Cecil. As for the love interest, I’m still on the fence with Hung, and even though Chia is a smart, resourceful woman, she’s not a typical bad-ass hunter. But her high school doe eyes at Hung does grate on your nerves at times. Although this book wraps up one part of the storyline, there are still questions left over, and I’m looking forward to reading more. Reviewed by Cyrene

4 1/2 Stars

Uncaged Review: Revenants, Season 1, Episode 1 by Williams and Harlow

By
Cyrene Olson
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0

Revenants, Season 1, Episode 1
Williams & Harlow
SciFi/Dystopian

When the zombies arrived twenty-five years ago, the world didn’t end. People adapted and learned to live with them. There are two varieties of zombies. Gerries wander around slowly and aimlessly. Renals are always at an eleven. The only thing that they want is to eat and they always sprint towards that goal.

But now a new variety has surfaced: Revenants. These are zombies that retain their memories and personalities from when they were living….

Uncaged Review: Another zombie book with a twist this time the zombies are called Gerries. People learn to live with them unless there is a fast zombie, called a renal then they are dangerous and will always catch their meat. We also meet Elliot, a Revenant who is a zombie that doesn’t kill humans. We also meet a few other strange characters. This book is set up nicely for a sequel and it was a funny read, with some witty comments. I really can’t wait to get back to Elliot and the gang. Reviewed by Jennifer

4 Stars

Uncaged Review – Dawn of the Infected by Eileen Cruz Coleman

By
Cyrene Olson
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0

Dawn of the Infected
Eileen Cruz Coleman
Horror

Never Surrender. Not Now. Not Ever.

For twenty-three-year-old start-up tech company CEO Selena Martinez, it was just another uneventful early morning bus commute from her cottage in rural Southern Maryland to her office in Washington, D.C. But when her bus is suddenly attacked by a horde of crazed savages, Selena becomes immersed in a world of terror and confusion, where she must learn to survive on her own using smarts and skills she never dreamed she possessed….

Uncaged Review: A whole different take on a post-apocalyptic world, and this one has the zombies, but the war is about the witches and vampires wanting to snuff out the humans, with only the half angel, half vampire hybrids trying to protect the powerful half fae, half humans that are the key to winning. I think this was a good prequel to a new series, and I’d be one to enjoy reading. Selena is one of these fae hybrids, and has no idea who she is, but the hybrid who is assigned to protect her is Daniel, who saves her after her commuter bus is attacked one morning. With witch’s, infected and vampires all part of what is called The New Order and trying to kill off the fae hybrids and humans, Daniel gets Selena to a safe place. What they really need, is the pure angels to come out of hiding and help them to win the war.

There is a lot of information in a short amount of time, and this is a very fast paced novella. I hope the author continues this series, I enjoyed the originality in a sea of zombie novels. Reviewed by Cyrene

4 Stars

Uncaged Review – Esther, An Easter Bride by Hildie McQueen

By
Cyrene Olson
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0

Esther, An Easter Bride
Hildie McQueen
Historical Romance/Victorian

Unrealistic expectations can lead two people down a trail to despair.

After the untimely death of her husband, Esther Wilmington must choose between pauper’s life as a poor widow in Philadelphia or a marriage of convenience to her late husband’s son. However, she is presented with a third option she couldn’t have imagined: moving west as a mail order bride.

Elias Jones likes the idea of a wife but quickly discovers how complicated it is to share his home, his bed, and his life with someone. Perhaps he was hasty in marrying. But he soon realizes he cannot imagine a life without his new bride.

Uncaged Review: Another great installment in this series of mail-order brides. This one is a bit different than the others, with Esther who is a widow, and her husband didn’t leave her enough to live on, so she answers an ad to go west and marry a rancher. The author gives you a great sense of the characters and the backdrop within a novella length, and you can easily picture it in your mind as you read along.

I really enjoy this series, and it’s an easy afternoon read. Reviewed by Cyrene

4 1/2 Stars

Uncaged Review: Beside Still Waters by Ryan Jo Summers

By
Cyrene Olson
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0

Beside Still Waters
Ryan Jo Summers
Contemporary Romance

Top Journalist and corporate climber McKayla Buchanan is sent to a remote California mountain camp for inner-city, at-risk teens. Accustomed to political and high-society assignments, she is suddenly a fish out of water. At Camp In As Much, she meets eight hostile and distrustful teens, assorted volunteers, rescued horses—and Clay.

Uncaged Review: A journalist for a newspaper spends a few weeks at a local camp for foster kids and injured horses. This is a lovely story even though it has some sensitive issues containing neglected kids and injured horses. It is beautifully written and is very much a romance story. This book and storyline really opened my eyes. I think this is an easy read which is quite easy to get caught up with. Reviewed by Jennifer

4 Stars

Uncaged Review: Humanity’s Protectors by David R. Bernstein

By
Cyrene Olson
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0

Humanity’s Protectors
David R. Bernstein
Young Adult/Dystopian

Where will you stand at humanity’s end?
The corporate abuse of youth with the special ability to manipulate reality is at its apex. A revolution to regain society has emerged and sixteen-year-old Leeyah is thrust in the middle of the war against the corporate controlled police.

Will a growing ability put her life at risk?

Uncaged Review: This novella is the beginning to the Influence series and it starts with a bang and never slows down. In future American, corporations are using people with Push abilities as Influencers, to be able to influence the population into positive ideas for their products, even if the products are not. Grabbing 16 yr old Leeyah from her family to work as an Influencer, until she gets an assignment that she morally can’t do. When an Influencer goes awry, it’s the end game, although Leeyah doesn’t have any idea of the implications of turning down an assignment. Enter a group called Humanity’s Protectors to save her from the corporation and the corporate police that are now gunning for her.

A lot of violence in a short amount of time, and you get a taste of what some of the different abilities are of some of the people in this world. Leeyah is very young, and very whiny, but to have all this tossed at her being so young, then I have to give her a bit of a break, although I think the author made her sound younger than her 16 years. This is a fast paced futuristic story and a good origin story. Reviewed by Cyrene

4 Stars

Uncaged Review – Beside the Music by BJ Knapp

By
Cyrene Olson
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0

Beside the Music
BJ Knapp
Contemporary

What happens to a marriage when an 80s metal band moves in? Winner of the 2016 Human Relations Indie Book Award, Beside the Music answers the question: can you be one man’s wife and another man’s muse? Brenda and Tim are dealing with enough chaos in their marriage: a run for public office, threat of getting fired at work, and a snooty meddling mother in law. Things get even more complicated when 80s metal sensation Hydra moves into their home to record their comeback album–and soon they also have screaming fans on the front lawn to contend with. Will Brenda and Tim’s marriage survive?

 

Uncaged Review: This is a really fun, easy read with a truly relatable story. Relatable in the sense that it felt as if I was reading the true testimony (of a couple throughout their marriage). From beginning to end I couldn’t stop thinking about all those 80’s bands like Poison, White Snake, Motley Crue -and so on- and whether they’d be anything like the band in the book or not. And also, it really pleases me that this book has got a pretty strong, definitive ending. Would recommend -to as many 80’s obsessed girls as me as I can find. Rock on! Reviewed by Milady

5 Stars

Uncaged Review: The Marshal of Tallav Series by Cailin Briste

By
Cyrene Olson
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0

Both books are under the Comprehensive Reviews for the month of July in Uncaged Book Reviews. See the issue for the full review.

Shane, Marshal of Tallov
Cailin Briste
SciFi/Suspense/Erotica

Shane Tiernan, the Beast of Tallavan aristocratic society, needs relief from the matriarchal rules that are destroying his life. His hope lies in a female submissive, newly graduated from a top sex school. From her resume, she seems perfect. But profile and real life collide when he arrives to collect her. He’s stunned when he spots her vaulting over a bar and snatching up an ice chipper to defend herself against the giant who is chasing her. Her combination of warrior spirit and long-limbed curves fires his Dom imagination and the desire to bind her in his rope and have her under his complete control.

 

 

Maon, Marshal of Tallov
Cailin Briste
SciFi/Suspense/Erotica

Maon Keefe has always been told he’s doomed to fail as a husband. He decides never to marry, instead focusing on living life as a player and becoming a capable marshal of Tallav. When he is shot and the most-wanted criminal he’s escorting escapes, he fears that his career, his one success in life, is doomed. Assigned to ferret out the cause of missing shipments for a VIP aristocrat, he meets Selina Shirley, CEO of the House of Shirley. He finds himself inexplicably attracted to her despite her frumpy appearance. When he meets a hooded and masked scorching-hot Domme, Lasair, at his friend’s BDSM club, he’s torn between the two women. Both fire his imagination and call to his submissive nature. Either might be the woman to change him into successful husband material.

 

 

Uncaged Review (Both books): 

Considering I don’t normally read erotica due to the flimsy plots and sex scenes which have no real purpose other than to titillate the reader, these books are totally different. They have a great plot and the scenes are woven into the plot showing who the men and women are. They may be titillating but are part of the characters. Cailin Briste, the author, transports you to a different world with different values while you get wrapped up in the cases the marshals are working and their love lives.

I give these books five stars for great writing, good editing and stories you want to read again to make sure you didn’t miss some subtle clue along the way to solving the case each marshal is involved in during their pursuit of their women. Reviewed by Barbara

5 Stars

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