Friday, March 29, 2024
Home Blog Page 99

Uncaged Review – Morgan D’Arcy, A Vampyre Rhapsody with Excerpt!

0

To read an interview with Linda please see the July Issue of Uncaged Book Reviews, and check on page 30-31 to see how to enter to win a giveaway!

 

Morgan D’Arcy, A Vampyre Rhapsody
Linda Nightingale
Paranormal

The greatest enemy of a vampire is boredom. Four centuries of existence have taught Lord Morgan Gabriel D’Arcy to fear nothing and no one. Humans and their weapons have little chance against his preternatural speed and arcane powers. Vampires are viral mutations of human DNA. Still, the Vampyre code requires secrecy, and he has learned to hide his nature from the world. The lure of mortality, of a life in the sun, puts Morgan again and again at the mercy of calculating human women though they fail to consider his charm and determination into the equation. However, even grooming a future bride from infancy proves to be fraught with heartbreak. And second chances are not always what they seem unless… you are Morgan. Immortality and beauty, aren’t they grand?

Excerpt
From ‘Intermezzo’

A fingertip traced my jaw. “You guys play a bit fast and loose for me. Fix those baby blues on me, Morgan, and make me forget everything. Including you.”

I didn’t want to make Ellen forget. Finally, I’d found someone who believed that I was a different species, accepted the fact, and still cared for me. Sadness crept down my rigid spine on a chill.
“I know you can.” Tears in her eyes, she touched my mouth. “It’s what I want.”
“I received an email today from Charleston.” Lucien sounded weary, as sad as I felt and Ellen looked. “You can return to South Carolina. If that’s what you want.”

My heart leapt into my throat. Going back to Charleston, winning Isabeau was what I’d dreamed every night for six months. “Can we expect you at the wedding?”

Ellen roused to frown up at me. “What wedding?”
With the back of my hand, I caressed her cheek. “Mine.”

She made a pitiful grimace, but mischief sparkled in her eyes. “I thought my son would be born a bastard. Now, he’ll be an aristocratic bastard like his dad.”

Over her shoulder, I met Lucien’s gaze. The Chief Councilor arched a brow and simply stared at me for several heartbeats. A question burned in the depths of his black eyes. He awaited a decision I wasn’t prepared to give—even to myself. My old friend indicated Ellen with a nod of his head. She’s not pregnant. As if I didn’t know. He strode to the rail, staring at Margo’s corpse. The red heat sizzling along my skin sparkled in his aura. A brilliant halo engulfed the body. The remains of Margo St. Johns glowed, wavered like heat rising from hot tarmac and vanished in an explosion of crimson light.

I freed Ellen from my embrace. “I must help Lucien dispose of the bodies before the police arrive and ask questions difficult to answer.”

She shook her head, a fingertip caressing my lower lip. “You need to stay with me…until you make me forget.”

I bent to whisper a kiss to her lips. “Ellen, never doubt that I love you.”

A tear drizzled down her cheek. “Make me forget. It’s better that way. As I said, it’s what I want. And what you obviously need.”

Closing her eyes, she waited.

“I can manage,” Lucien called.

A night bird sang a lonely song. I rested my hand on Ellen’s forehead, easing her into a deep sleep. As she collapsed, I caught her to me. Pain welled in my heart. Twice in six months, I’d been forced to give up a woman I loved. Dum Spiro Spero. While I breathe, I hope, and hope had offered me another chance to win Isabeau.
Dreams misted my eyes as I carried Ellen to the car. She slept on the journey home. I strode up the stairs and into her bedroom with my lovely accomplice and lover. Gently, I lay her on the bed. She breathed slowly and deeply, remaining motionless as I invaded her thoughts and erased every memory of me, the existence of vampires and the catastrophe at the docks. Mission accomplished, I stood staring at her. Ellen had forgotten our intermezzo. I never would.

Isabeau, where are you tonight? Do you ever think of me?

With a mental flick of the wrist, I locked Ellen’s front door. Some of the bounce returned to my step as I descended the stairs. I refused to allow it to end this way. On the sidewalk, I halted, heedless of the mist collecting on my hair and clothes. The me I’d lost returned on a rush. I smiled, for the first time in what seemed forever, actually looking forward to tomorrow night. At sunset on a Sunday, I’d drive to Royal Oak and enjoy a few peaceful days in the country. Soon, I’d return to Charleston. Isabeau must relent and love me again. She was my destiny.

And I hers.


Uncaged Review: 

Four separate adventures in the long life of Morgan D’Arcy. These four short stories within this book read beautifully – I was enthralled with Morgan. A sensual and well written tale of a vampire, beautiful and sophisticated as much as he is brutal and deadly. From wanting to be mortal again, just to be able to love and walk in the sun – Morgan’s urges and strong desires and even in these stories, you get a good feel for the characters and the world that is built.

From the vampire wishing for his mortality and taking crazy chances in Devil’s Waltz, to the enchanting Sunrise, Sunset – this collection has me wanting to know more about Morgan, a vampire that is both one to love…and one to fear, the way vampires should be. Reviewed by Cyrene

5 Stars

Uncaged Review – A Wallflower’s Wicked Wager by Collette Cameron

0

The Wallflower’s Wicked Wager
Collette Cameron
Historical Romance/Regency

He loved her beyond anything and everything—precisely why he couldn’t ever marry her.

A wounded hero.
Love—sentimental drivel for insipid, weak, feckless fools.
Since an explosion ravaged Captain Morgan Le Draco’s face and cost him his commission in the Royal Dragoons, he’s fortified himself behind an impenetrable rampart of cynicism and distrust. Now destitute and shunned by the very society that once lauded his heroics, he’s put aside all thoughts of marrying and having a family. Until he risks his life to save a drowning woman. At once, Morgan knows Shona’s the balm for his tortured soul, but as a wealthy, titled noblewoman, she’s too far above his humble station and can never be his.

An intrepid wallflower.
Love—a treasured gift reserved for those beautiful of form and face.

Scorned and ridiculed most of her adult life, Shona, Lady Atterberry believes she’s utterly undesirable and is reconciled to spinsterhood. She hides her spirited temperament beneath a veneer of gauche shyness, until a strapping, scarred stranger saves her life, and she can’t deny her immediate, powerful, and sensual attraction to him. Despite how ill-suited they are and innuendos that Captain Le Draco is a fortune-hunter, she cannot escape her growing fascination.

Two damaged souls searching for love.
Others are determined to keep them apart, and Shona is goaded into placing a wicked wager. One that sets her upon a ruinous path and alienates the only man who might have ever loved her. Is true love enough to put their pasts behind them, to learn to trust, and heal their wounded hearts?

Warning: This book contains one devilish, seemingly irredeemable rogue, an on-the-shelf wallflower who dabbles in wicked wagers, an unexpected and most enticing swim in a lake, a villainess you’ll want to shove into said lake, and a cast of captivating secondary characters with their own tantalizing romantic tales.

Uncaged Review: Every time I review a book by Ms. Cameron, I always say it’s the best one yet from her. And it’s no different for this latest one. I read this is one sitting, I could not put it down. I had to find out how it all worked out. This time around, we have two wonderfully flawed, but honorable characters that come together over a week-long party of the ton. I was bouncing in my seat to see some characters from previous books sashay in to the fray, I’m one to never let go of characters I love, and one of my favorite things about this author, is she never lets me down.

A shy, low self-esteem woman comes into her own, and a scarred warrior gets his own self-worth back, and I fell in love with Shona and Morgan, and their story has charmed me. Reviewed by Cyrene

5 Stars

Uncaged Review – Circle of Dreams by Jane S. Morrissey

0

Circle of Dreams
Jane S. Morrissey
Fantasy Romance

 

Leader of an elite psychic team, Cole Courtland is a shape-shifting wolf with a deep connection to the power of the Earth. His investigation of a string of mysterious murders throws him into the dangerous world of the Quytel and leads him straight to Brianna Doherty’s door.

Uncaged Review: Cole and his team of special abilities are investigating a string of strange murders. Cole decides to go out alone to uncover some more clues, when he finds himself drawn to a young women called Brianna. A beauty who is also a little unique in her own personal way. Risking his life to protect her they both go on the run together as there’s some people after Brianna. Animal control takes over Cole and he finds himself falling for Brianna. This book has a lot of secrets you will become aware of as you find out more about a Cole and Brianna and a special army. Calling themselves The Quytel, don’t expect to find out everything as this is only book one. But it holds its own well and is full of action and danger. You will come to care for Brianna and Cole as you find out more of their pasts. I think you are in for a thrill of a read with this book. Reviewed by Jennifer

4 Stars

Uncaged Review – Child of the Night Guild by Andy Peloquin

0

Child of the Night Guild
Andy Peloquin
Dark Fantasy

“They killed my parents. They took my name. They imprisoned me in darkness. I would not be broken.”

Viola, a child sold to pay her father’s debts, has lost everything: her mother, her home, and her identity. Thrown into a life among criminals, she has no time for grief as she endures the brutal training of an apprentice thief. The Night Guild molds an innocent waif into a cunning, agile outlaw skilled in the thieves’ trade. She has only one choice: steal enough to pay her debts.

What hope does one girl have in a world of ruthless men?

Uncaged Review: I began this book, and the first time I looked up I was already 25% the way through, I got sucked into the story so quickly, that it astonished me. The Night Guild controls all the crime, and they “buy” children and train them as thieves and pickpockets to keep the money flowing. This book follows the story of Viola/Seven – from when she is sold to the Guild by her alcoholic and abusive father at the age of eight. Being the only girl in the group and the smallest one, she is determined to make it, against all odds.
This is a dark book, and a completely different type of book that I’ve read before. Mr. Peloquin will take you on a mental roller coaster of a journey and you will become completely engrossed and invested in Seven and her journey. Don’t expect erotica, or your happily-ever-after scenario, but do expect the creative flare of a master of words with this author. By the end, you may need a couple days off to get your thoughts back together after reading this book. Reviewed by Cyrene

5 Stars

Uncaged Review – Baby Love by Emmanuelle de Maupassant

0

Baby Love
Emmanuelle de Maupassant
Romantic Comedy

Heavily pregnant Delphine’s rat-fink husband has packed his bags and abandoned her for the charms of their sexy neighbour, leaving Delphine struggling to cope.
Delphine’s sisters insist that the best remedy for a broken heart is a healthy dose of pampering: cue a spa break, where there’s more in store for Delphine than a hot stone massage and a spell in the Jacuzzi.

Uncaged Review: Delphine’s husband runs off to the women next door leaving Delphine alone and pregnant. She’s treated to a spa holiday with her two sisters to cheer her up. This book was a lovely read as we got to go through Delphine’s pregnancy with her. It’s a short but sweet read. Reviewed by Jennifer

5 Stars

Catch Up with Zoe Forward – The Way You Bite – Excerpt and Review

0

As seen in the July issue of Uncaged Book Reviews:

Zoe Forward was a Feature Author in the September 2016 issue of Uncaged Book Reviews. We catch up with her this month to see what she’s been up to since we last chatted.

Uncaged: You were a Featured Author in the September 2016 issue of Uncaged Book Reviews. How was your experience being in the magazine?

Thank you Uncaged Book Reviews for featuring me last year! I was so thrilled to be in the magazine and have Playing the Witch’s Game find new readers. For that, how could my experience be anything other than amazeballs?

Uncaged: Your newest release is The Way You Bite, will release on July 3. As I am writing this, I’m in the process of reading it. What can you tell us about what you’ve been up to since your feature?

I had a few months of intense editing on The Way You Bite. Let’s just say the story got about 75% rewritten from where it started. Love where it ended up, but it’s not easy to tear apart the whole story and have some major re-doing with tight deadlines. I’ve written several other books since last year and entered editing on others, such as the follow-up to the book you guys featured last year, Playing the Witch’s Game, which features Pleiades witches. And…there’s my other job (I still a small animal veterinarian by day). As well, I have two little kids, a baby who’s still not sleeping through the night and an an older one who’s enrolled in far too many afterschool activities. Right now it feels like baseball rules our world. So, yeah, life has been crazy busy.

Uncaged: You have a couple books up for voting in the first annual Raven Awards. What does it mean to authors to win awards for their books or even just be nominated?

Wow and yippie! It’s such an honor to be considered for an award and then voted upon by readers. It assures me there’s someone out there who “gets” my stuff and enjoys my mash-up of action-adventure, paranormal, humor and hot romance. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Uncaged: Are you planning a release party for your newest work?

There will be a Facebook takeover of the Entangled Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/EntangledPublishing/) on 7/11/2017 in the afternoon. Several of us authors with new books coming out in the first two weeks will have giveaways and fun for all to participate. There’s also a blog tour, which will have a sweet giveaway. You can pop by my Facebook for more info on that.

Thank you Uncaged Book Reviews for having me drop by again!

[symple_box color=”black” fade_in=”false” float=”center” text_align=”left” width=””]Award winning author, Zoe Forward is a hopeless romantic who can’t decide between paranormal and contemporary romance. So, she writes both. Her novels have won numerous awards including the Readers’ Choice Heart of Excellence, Golden Quill, Carolyn Readers Choice Award, and the Booksellers Best Award. When she’s not typing at her laptop, she’s tying on a karate belt for her son or cleaning up the newest pet mess from the menagerie that occupies her house. She’s a small animal veterinarian caring for a wide range of furry creatures, although there has been the occasional hermit crab. She’s madly in love with her globe trotting conservation ecologist husband who plans to save all the big cats on the planet, and she’s happiest when he returns to their home base.[/symple_box]

zoeforward.com

 

 


The Way You Bite
Zoe Forward
Paranormal Romance

When King Werewolf shows up in veterinarian Vee Scarpa’s ER, she’s livid. Her father, North American head honcho vampire, has threatened a chilling or else if she “ accidentally” helped a wolf again, especially since they’re at war. But she’s tempted by the sexy wolf. And his deadly blood calls to her in a way that should set off warning bells…

A promise to his brother in arms obliges Lexan Dimitrov to rescue the aristocrat vampire before her family discovers her secret—a secret Vee herself isn’t even aware of. What he didn’t expect was to find her sexy-as-hell. He’s not into vamps, yet the inescapable heat building between them is a delicious temptation guaranteed to end in total disaster.

Excerpt

She pointed at him. “I figured out your game. Fool me into taking a bite. Then I die. I’m not stupid. If you want me dead, just do it. I’m sure I’ve got a weapon around here somewhere you can use. I’d prefer you killed me that way, not with blood death.”

“There’s no game going on here. If I wanted you to die, I wouldn’t have helped with the knife wound.” He strode to her. She backed up until the wall cushioned her back.

He slapped a hand on the wall on either side of her head, caging her in. He leaned into her, dominating but not cruel. Excitement streaked through her.
Hoarsely, he said, “There’s you wanting this, and me wanting you back. Whatever’s going on here doesn’t happen every day. It’s real. It’s stealing my mind. And, it’s a hell of a mess.”

Uncaged Review: I’ve been a fan of Ms. Forward’s writing style for quite some time, and did a little bounce in my seat when she asked me to read an ARC of her latest book. In a new paranormal world, the author gives us both the werewolves and the vampires, but both are born, not turned. So they are separate species altogether. This edition follows vampire Vee, and the werewolf King, Lexan – when Lexan appears at her veterinarian practice with gunshot wounds. In this world, werewolves and vampires are enemies with a fragile truce, but the immediate attraction between Vee and Lexan is surprising.

There are several secrets and twists that pop-up throughout the book, and the author keeps you on your toes. She draws the romance out, with a strong female lead and an alpha were, the sparks tend to fly, and it’s worth every space it takes on the page. Plenty of action, and by the time I was 30% into the book, I read until the end, and well into the night. But Zoe Forward made it worth the book hangover in the morning. Reviewed by Cyrene

5 Stars

Uncaged Review: Thursdays at Coconuts by Beth Carter

0

Thursdays at Coconuts
Beth Carter
Contemporary Romance

As the go-to wedding planner, Suzy can’t find her own wedded bliss and has one shocker of a wedding day. It doesn’t help that she’s still pining for her high school sweetheart, the one who got away. Handling neurotic brides is the best part of Suzy’s day until her son brings home a bombshell from Europe.

Alexandra, a beautiful marketer with a “touch” of OCD, falls for a bad-boy cop who’s married and possibly stalking her. But he sure is sexy. Alex tries to stay at arm’s length after she puts her job—and life—on the line for the officer who isn’t always a gentleman. 

Hope hates her name, looks, and frizzy hair. As a high school counselor, she dishes out sage advice to students, yet can’t see she’s enabling her deadbeat, stuck-in-the-seventies hippie parents. After tragedy strikes, she reexamines their relationship and discovers a secret that almost went to the grave. 

Friends since high school, the thirty-something women meet every Thursday at Coconuts for their own form of friendapy. 

Uncaged Review: A tale of three friends, and how they’ve stuck with each other over the years, all with their own issues and their friends to lean on in good times and bad. This book actually takes you through three different story lines that all intersect because of the connection between the friends. Once I hit the half way point, I couldn’t put this down. It was funny, intriguing, and I couldn’t wait to find out how this would all wrap up. The author even managed to surprise me a couple times – which can be quite hard to do. This is a solid read and a good choice to take to the beach this summer. Reviewed by Cyrene

5 Stars

Uncaged Review: The Withering Palace by Alexia Purdy

0

The Withering Palace
Alexia Purdy
Young Adult/Fantasy

Untold darkness rules the Unseelie realm of the Land of Faerie. Hidden in this vast area, Aveta, the future queen of the Unseelie Army, perfects her gifts over lifetimes. Learning that magic isn’t the only way to manipulate the world around her, this naive girl grows into a woman of strength and cunning, ultimately becoming one of the most feared leaders in Faerie.

Uncaged Review: A short jaunt into an Unseelie story, almost like a fairy tale. The young Unseelie Princess Aveta, is the rightful Queen to the Unseelie, the throne stolen from her grandmother by her blackhearted mother, Elisandra. Elisandra tortures Aveta, but Aveta escapes through the castle labyrinth to a secret land inside faerie, where she meets her love, Cranston, and learns to avoid and grow her powers as the rightful heir when it will be her time to challenge her mother for the thrown.

Even though this is a shorter book, it crams a lot of information without boring the reader. It also gives you a great jumpstart into the Dark Faerie Tale series, and more in-depth about Queen Aveta, without leaving you on a cliffhanger. Reviewed by Cyrene

4 Stars

Uncaged Review – Embracing the Knight by Jenn Langston

0

Embracing the Knight
Jenn Langston
Historical Romance/Regency

Miss Claire Ashford knows exactly what she wants out of life — to marry for love. When she finds herself alone in the woods with none other than notorious rake Ian Michael Caldwell, Viscount Knightly, her chances of a proper match are ruined. He is willing to sacrifice himself for the sake of her reputation, but she is determined not to marry anyone out of obligation.

Uncaged Review: Miss Claire Ashford and the notorious rake. The Viscount Knightly. Find themselves robbed by highwaymen on a country outing and are forced to make their way back to London on foot. Terrified that this has done something to destroy her good reputation, as she was alone with a gentlemen she finds herself quickly wanting to marry. Despite her father being on his deathbed, she believes this will make her happy.
I really enjoyed this book and loved the sheer escape into Claire and The Viscount relationship. I read the sneak peak of book 2 and am already hooked. Reviewed by Jennifer

5 Stars

Uncaged Review: Hellbound by Kathy Dinisi

0

Hellbound
Kathy Dinisi
Young Adult/Horror

How far would you go to save your family? Sam and Mathew finally get a chance to go on a train ride to the Grand Canyon alone leaving their two kids back in California, When a zombie apocalypse breaks out. The couple must try to fight their way back to California to see if their kids are still alive, In this harrowing story of love and survival in a world that is crumbling by death and destruction. Follow Sam and Matthew through their struggle to reunite with their children.

Uncaged Review: What started as a simple shift at work for Sam, turns out to be a nightmare in the making. A stranger comes into the ER acting weird and sick. Sam assists him but really just wants to get home so she can drop her kids off at Gramps and start her trip. With her husband. Then they see people start attacking each other and it’s everyone for themselves.

I really liked this book I think a zombie outbreak is something people fear. It could happen this is a gruesome dark read. Reviewed by Jennifer

5 Stars