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Uncaged Review – Dragonslayer’s Valkyrie by Jennifer Ivy Walker

By
Cyrene Olson
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0

Dragonslayer’s Valkyrie
Jennifer Ivy Walker
Historical Fantasy Romance

Last of the Völsung line of kings descended from Odin, Sigurd is one of the elite Sjórúlfar—the fearsome Sea Wolves of southern Norway. Endowed with the divine blood of the wolf, he seeks glory at the Sólhjarta Summer Solstice Tournament to avenge his father’s death.

Brynhildr, daughter of the Raven King, is the Sun Falcon shieldmaiden and gifted seeress who has glimpsed her fate as a Valkyrie in a seiðr vision. When her father decrees she must wed the tournament’s champion, she summons Freyja for guidance—only to learn her future is bound to Sigurd.

As the Norns tighten the intricate threads of fate, Brynhildr must guide Sigurd toward his destiny as a dragonslayer—by defying the web of wyrd and incurring the wrath of Odin.

Uncaged Review: Such an epic tale both of these characters will undertake to find their way to each other. As daughter of the Raven King, Brynhildr will need to wed a tournament champion, but with her skills as a Falcon Shieldmaiden, she asks that the tournament winner defeat her to win her hand, on the advice of the goddess Freya. As a seer, Brynhildr has foreseen her life as a Valkyrie, but she didn’t count on the love for Sigurd.

This story sweeps a wide arc, and there are many challenges and trials, for both Sigurd and Brynhildr and where I could see this story becoming twice as long as this book is, the author kept a good pace throughout and didn’t skip over any important details, but didn’t skimp either. The descriptions of everything from what they were wearing, to the landscape around them and the food they ate, draws the reader into the story and makes the reader feel like they are a bystander, not just a reader.

On a personal note, my father was a first-generation Swede born in the states, and his middle name was Sigurd. Although he hated the name, I loved the originality of it. If you like the Norse tales mixed with the Vikings and romance, than give this author a try, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed. Reviewed by Cyrene

5 Stars

Uncaged Review – The Biker Bodyguard by Logan Chance

By
Cyrene Olson
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0

The Biker Bodyguard
Logan Chance
Dark Romance

Tia November is not the kind of girl who ends up in a motorcycle club compound. She talks to her houseplants, apologizes to vending machines, and once got detention for drawing smiley faces on her algebra test. She’s absolutely not equipped for this.

But someone’s been watching her, her father is terrified, and the only people he trusts to keep her alive are the Royal Bastards of Key West. Specifically their president. Reef “Kraken” Ryder, who is tall and tattooed and looks at her like she’s already his and hasn’t decided whether that’s a problem yet.

Kraken doesn’t do soft. He does control, loyalty, and violence when necessary. He doesn’t do feelings for the smart-mouthed civilian sleeping in his bed while his club is under attack and a cartel is closing in.

He’s doing a terrible job of not doing feelings.

The Biker Bodyguard is a spicy MC romance about a dangerous man who didn’t plan to fall, a woman who’s more useful than anyone gives her credit for, and a houseplant named Kevin who survives everything.

Uncaged Review: Tia is brought to the Royal Bastards for protection by her father, Gunny. In the beginning she comes off as a bit of an airhead, but as the story progresses, we see the genius in her work by tracking trends in computer networks and she’s discovered some anomalies she shouldn’t have and now has a target on her back. Kraken, the leader of the Key West chapter of the Royal Bastards takes her under his protection and soon finds it’s hard to resist her.

I wasn’t really onboard with the instant attraction that Kraken had for her as it seemed to go against his whole persona as a tough leader of this motorcycle club. As the book went along, I did like Tia more and more, she wasn’t just a pretty face, and she didn’t run into trouble when she shouldn’t like so many other stories do. I didn’t really get to know the side characters much in this book, but I’m sure that may change in future installments. Overall, there was some good danger, suspense, action and very graphic sex scenes. The book had a very good pace and I was pretty well invested within a few chapters and Kevin was a funny touch. Reviewed by Cyrene

4 Stars

Uncaged Review – Fated in Blood by L.A. McGinnis

By
Cyrene Olson
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0

Fated in Blood
L.A. McGinnis
Paranormal Romance

Bound by blood, divided by destiny.
One bite is all it takes to fall under their spell.
One touch makes me realize—I never want to escape.

I’ve always known vampires were the enemy. But one night, everything goes terribly wrong and I’m forced to make an impossible choice. Perish, or become one of the immortal creatures I despise. I wake up transformed, starving, at the mercy of two dangerously seductive males—Blake Marten and Riordan Graves.

Blake gives me the most memorable night of my life, then throws me away, leaving me wanting more.
Riordan offers me a deal. Drink, survive, and get my revenge on the creature who stole my sister.

We all crave vengeance, and I’ll have mine, hopefully before I lose my soul—and my heart—to my merciless captors.

Uncaged Review: No one does vampires like L.A. McGinnis. The world building, character development and intricate plots are all here, and I expected nothing less and was not disappointed.

Evie is the daughter of a vampire killing family, the Silverwoods. Years of abuse and training has been her life until her sister is kidnapped when they run from the family. Evie s determined to hunt down the vampires that took her and leaves a trail of dead bodies, until she is almost killed and Riordan and Blake enter the picture and end up having to turn her to keep her alive. That of course, doesn’t go well with Evie at first, but as she learns to navigate her new normal, she finds out where her sister is and makes a deal with Riordan and Blake that will help get her back. Unfortunately, she is with a cruel elder vampire and the only way to get her back is to kill him, but that won’t be easy.

I liked the morally grey characters and I am even interested in Malachai, I want to know more of what he’s up to. Obviously this is setting up to be a reverse harem, so we will see how it goes in the future additions. Overall, this book is jam-packed with action in the last third of the book and was hard to put down. Reviewed by Cyrene

4 Stars

Uncaged Review – Mesmerized by Nevaeh Ryn

By
Cyrene Olson
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0

Mesmerized
Nevaeh Ryn
Bisexual Fiction

“I came to bury my grandmother.”

20-year-old Kamika Suzanna LeBlanc’s heart broke when her grandmother passed away at age 78. With a funeral looming over them, Kamika and her mother, Amia, leave their Miami home for Gaville, the small, enigmatic Louisiana town where her mama grew up. Once the apple of her grandmother’s eyes, her inability to accept her granddaughter’s bisexuality destroyed their relationship, though it doesn’t dull Kamika’s grief. As she navigates her anguish and reflects on her complex relationship with her grandmother, she reconnects with her first love, Larissa Harris, only to find that Larissa has changed in unforeseen ways.

“I didn’t expect to uncover a world of secrets.”

Her situation grows more complicated when Kamika encounters 24-year-old Delaney, Larissa’s mesmerizing older cousin, and a mysterious man named Beau, whose allure is as undeniable as it is dangerous. As if mourning wasn’t challenging enough, secrets start to unravel, unveiling hidden truths about Gaville and her family that turn her world as she knew it upside down. The hits keep coming from all directions, overwhelming her with bullsh*t.

In this tale of love, loss, and discovery, Kamika must navigate old flames, buried emotions, and new attractions while coming to terms with a legacy kept hidden from her. Her summer is anything but dull, but will the new realizations break her, or will she learn to adjust to her newfound knowledge?

Uncaged Review: Kamika came back to bury her Grandmother while doing this she bumps into her ex who invites her to her cousin’s birthday party. Sparks fly and it’s up to Kamika on how she decides to approach this subject. While also sorting through her Grandmother’s belongings, she finds a few home secrets and a whole more set of shady characters. This is book one in the series I found Kamika a very interesting character she was quirky fun and spoke her mind for only being 20 year’s old. I thought she carried herself with some maturity of an older person. My favorite part of the book was the shout out to twilight being a classic movie that really made me laugh! I’m hoping to continue the series of this with book two. Reviewed by Jen

4 Stars

Death Among the Daffodils by Aviva Orr

By
Cyrene Olson
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0

Death Among the Daffodils
Aviva Orr
Historical Mystery

A popular, young poet is found dead among the daffodils with his heart cut out. Who could have committed such a heinous crime?

Spring has arrived in the Lake District, and Bridget De Lacey is feeling renewed. After a tumultuous year, filled with loss, murder, and madness, her ancestral home on the shores of Lake Windermere is thriving as an exclusive inn for the wealthy, and her relationship with its new owner, Nate Squires, is blossoming.

The future looks bright for Bridget. Until, early one morning, she steps outside to admire the new bed of blooming daffodils in her garden and makes a horrific discovery. The desecrated body of a young poet, beloved by all, is lying among the flowers. Bridget is devastated by the brutal murder of her friend, but things only get worse when the wrong man is blamed, and the people of her town turn against one of their own.

Bridget and Nate must work quickly to save an innocent man and catch a savage killer. However, as their investigation unfolds, they uncover a web of lies that raises more questions than answers. In the normally peaceful Lake District, tensions rise, violence ensues, and the situation becomes increasingly dangerous as buried secrets surface.

Uncaged Review: At Villa De Lacey Bridget finds the body of her friend George Otis, a poet who’s been brutally murdered. It’s up too Bridget and her friend Nate to find out why and who done it. This is the second book in the series but can be read as a standalone. What I really liked about this book was it was a classic who-done-it kind of book. You follow Bridget and Nate while they follow the clues of course there’s a few things that happen to send them down the wrong trail. This only leads to the charm of the book. I found Bridget and her detective skills quite the accomplishment to the storyline in general I do hope there’s more to this series as it was a delightful read. Reviewed by Jen

4 Stars#

Uncaged Review – Her Grumpy Protector by Logan Chance

By
Cyrene Olson
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0

Her Grumpy Protector
Logan Chance
Alpha Male Romance

Banks Hawthorne doesn’t lose.

Not in boardrooms. Not in backroom deals. And definitely not in Halo City—where money talks, secrets kill, and the underbelly has teeth.

But his brothers’ hunt for their missing father drags Banks straight into a blood-slick maze of power players, dirty cops, and men who smile like friends while they sharpen knives behind their backs.

Then she becomes the target.

She’s the one loose end no one saw coming—too brave, too stubborn, and suddenly standing between Banks and the truth. Protecting her should be simple: lock it down, move her somewhere safe, burn anyone who gets close.

Except she doesn’t want saving… and Banks doesn’t know how to want anyone this much.

Halo City wants her silenced. Banks wants her in his arms.

And the moment he claims her, this stops being business.

Because in a city like this, love is leverage— and Banks Hawthorne is about to turn ruthless.

Uncaged Review: This book is part of a multi-book, multi-author series revolving around Halo City. After reading this one, I’m looking forward mostly to the books that this author puts out as the storyline never really ended with a full arc still running. Since the books in the series don’t continue this storyline, I’m looking forward to this author’s contributions.

Banks is part of a group of ex-military brothers, seven in all, and each having a specific specialty. The main arc that is running, is that their father who seems to have faked his death, there are clues showing up that he’s still alive. And two of the brothers were kidnapped. Banks takes on a security detail job that will get him closer to Halo City and closer to find his brothers and his father. The security job is to protect a whistleblower, Anniston. But Banks finds out Anniston’s digging that has gotten her into trouble, coincides with their own work involving their family. Fighting the developing feelings for her, was not what Banks was counting on.

These brothers are smart and damn good at what they do. Watching it all unfold had me completely absorbed in the book and the story and can’t wait to continue on.
Reviewed by Cyrene

5 Stars

Uncaged Review – Eternal Legacy by L.A. McGinnis

By
Cyrene Olson
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0

Eternal Legacy
L.A. McGinnis
Paranormal Romance

I made a deal with the devil, Prince Nikolai Isenberg.

Now I owe this savage vampire my life.

If I’m not careful, he might collect.

All I wanted was to save my beloved clan, not wage war against the oldest, deadliest vampires in existence, but they dragged me into their conflict, now I’m fighting for our survival.

I’ve sacrificed too much already. My friends. My home. My mate.

My world’s been shattered, but the Elders won’t stop until they control me—or leave me completely ruined.
Now my only hope is to trust the dangerous Elder who betrayed me. Nikolai is the only one strong enough to face our enemies, but when distrust blossoms into forbidden attraction, he desires something more.

The vicious vampire wants my heart—and he won’t stop until it’s his.

Uncaged Review: I knew the last book of this series would be intense, but that’s not even a good enough word for this one. Jumping in right where we left off from the book three cliffhanger and preparing for the huge showdown that has to happen to find the peace the clan is wanting and needing. Rowan shows everyone he’s as much of a warrior as he is a King, and Aisling fully comes into her own. Acheron wants to use Aisling and he’ll stop at nothing to get to her, but what he doesn’t expect is Aisling’s stubborn will and complete dedication to her clan and her men. My personal favorite throughout the books, Nicolai, finally comes into his own and proves it over and over in this one.

There are some sad moments, but there is also some very exciting moments and the final battle is one of the best I’ve read from this author. One of my favorite parts has to be the final epilogue. It was a perfect ending to a fantastic series and I will miss this group of characters. Reviewed by Cyrene

5 Stars

Uncaged Review – Dark Redemption by L.A. McGinnis

By
Cyrene Olson
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0

Dark Redemption
L.A. McGinnis
Paranormal Romance

A secret vampire princess. The ruthless king she rejected. The Elder sent to claim her.

After a bloody battle, the Vampire High Council lies in ruins, and while Aisling and her men are still standing, a new enemy has emerged from the shadows—ruthless, bloodthirsty, too powerful to defeat. Acheron was Caine’s first creation, and he’s set his sights on her.

He plans to make Ash his bride. His weapon. His pawn.

He’s the predator and she’s the prey—

But she has a king who will die for her. A warrior who will fight for her. An assassin who will kill for her.

Ash refuses to bow to a monster. But when Nikolai offers her an impossible choice, will she spend one forbidden night with him to save the men she loves and her clan?

Or face an enemy she can never hope to defeat?

Uncaged Review: Facing off with Acheron almost does Aisling in, but to save everyone, she feels she must go. Her bonds with Finn, Darrow and Rowan have tightened, and even Nicolai (my own favorite) comes through when he’s needed. Readers will also like the relationship developing nicely with Scarlett, who was once thought of as a nemesis.

The action reaches a fever pitch in more than one place and by the time the reader finishes this book, they will be running back to get the final book like I did as it ends on a whammy of a cliffhanger. I laughed, got mad and even needed a tissue a time or two during this book. But the final book is promising to be a huge showdown between Aisling and her group facing off against Acheron and Magnis.

If you like a good paranormal romance with substance along with the sexy scenes, this series is a winner. And I’m off to the final installment. Reviewed by Cyrene

5 Stars

Uncaged Review – Death at Villa De Lacey by Aviva Orr

By
Cyrene Olson
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0

Death at Villa De Lacey
Aviva Orr
Historical Romance

An idyllic inn on the shores of Lake Windermere turns deadly…

When Bridget De Lacey’s distraught father takes his own life after losing his estate in a card game, Bridget and her aunt are faced with the prospect of being forced out of their beloved home. That is until the clever and sprightly Bridget convinces the new owner to transform Villa De Lacey into an exclusive inn for the wealthy, who have been flocking to the Lake District since the publication of Wordsworth’s sensational guidebook to the lakes.

Nate Squires, the wayward second son of an earl, finds himself banished from London after he refuses to do his brother’s bidding. Arriving in the Lake District, Nate’s only goal is to outwit his brother and return to London. And when he meets the beautiful and bright Bridget De Lacey, she provides him with the perfect solution to his troubles—‘to bring London to the Lake District.’

Together they turn Bridget’s ancestral home, which sits on the shores of Lake Windermere, into an exclusive inn. All goes well until the first guests arrive, and murder and mayhem quickly follow. Secrets and lies abound, and everyone becomes a suspect. If Nate and Bridget want to save their inn, they must turn to sleuthing and solve an impossible puzzle.

Uncaged Review: At Villa De Lacey Bridget finds the body of her friend George Otis. A poet who’s been brutally murdered is up too Bridget and her friend Nate to find out why and who has done it. This is the second book in the series but can be read as a standalone. What I really liked about this book was it was a classic who-done-it kind of book. You follow Bridget and Nate while they follow the clues of course there’s a few things that happen to send them down the wrong trail. This only leads to the charm of the book. I found Bridget and her detective skills quite the accomplishment to the storyline in general I do hope there’s more to this series as it was a delightful read. Reviewed by Jen

4 Stars

Uncaged Review – Blood & Confession by Jade Christy

By
Cyrene Olson
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0

Blood & Confession
Jade Christy
Paranormal Romance

Some vampires seek power. He doesn’t want it.

Luka has spent fifty years hiding from what he is.

The chapel he has hidden in for fifty years will be destroyed and a new life awaits, either in the dark or in the light. And Ravengarde calls.

At Ravengarde, he can’t hide anymore. Ravengarde doesn’t choose lightly—and it chose him. Named heir to an ancient vampire stronghold, he is thrust into a world of power, politics, and deadly expectations. Intrigue, danger and discovery of delights await.

Courageous Claire followed him into darkness once and helped him. Now she stands by his side as they must both survive a new kind of life.

As danger rises and Ravengarde begins to change, Luka must face the truth he has spent a lifetime avoiding:

He was never meant to remain in the shadows.
But stepping into the light to protect his new life, and the Original Blood, may cost him everything.

Uncaged Review: In the second book of the series, Claire and Luka leave the chapel to go to Ravengarde Castle. Of course, Ravengarde is not the safe haven that Luka thinks it is. Luka now must face a lot of challenges. The biggest being that he is named Maximus’ heir and even with that comes many responsibilities. Luka, luckily, has Claire, but bringing a human to a castle filled with vampires where everyone except Luka looks at her as food, is a bit unsettling. Both Luka and Claire must undergo training not only to protect themselves but each other. As Luka finds out more about his surprising legacy, it could be more than what he bargained for and is he really able to keep Claire from harm?

This is the second book in the Vampires of Montenegro series and was a little bit better for me than the first book. So, Claire and Luka have finally left the safety of the chapel and are invited to Ravengarde Castle. Luka is finally getting away from the constant self-loathing and guilt which made me even question whether he could be a strong enough hero or even able to protect Claire, much less a whole castle full of vampires in the first book. Of course, he still has a way to go and no one except maybe Maximus even likes him as his heir. Unfortunately, with this series, you can’t skip around because the story won’t make any sense and even though it has a lot of spacing, making the book have a lot of pages, it is an easy read. This book also ends on a cliffhanger, but the next book is out too. I will read the next book and hope that Luka proves me wrong, becoming a much better hero.
Reviewed by Roslynn Ernst

4 Stars

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