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Uncaged Review: The Withering Palace by Alexia Purdy

By
Cyrene Olson
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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

By
Cyrene Olson
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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

By
Cyrene Olson
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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

Uncaged Review: Playing with Fire by R.J. Blain

By
Cyrene Olson
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0

Playing with Fire
R. J. Blain
Urban Fantasy/Humor

Warning: This novel contains excessive humor, action, excitement, adventure, magic, romance, and bodies. Proceed with caution.

What do you get when you mix gorgons, an incubus, and the Calamity Queen? Trouble, and lots of it.
Working as the only human barista at a coffee shop catering to the magical is a tough gig on a good day. Bailey Gardener has few options. She can either keep spiking drinks with pixie dust to keep the locals happy, or spend the rest of her life cleaning up the world’s nastiest magical substances.

Unfortunately for her, Faery Fortunes is located in the heart of Manhattan Island, not far from where Police Chief Samuel Quinn works. If she’d been smart, she never would have agreed to help the man find his wife.

Bailey found her, all right—in the absolutely worst way possible.

Uncaged Review: This is a really fun book. I enjoyed the humor, and the characters – it did get a little messy keeping up with everything and Quinn’s “family tree,” but it was a seriously different type of urban fantasy than I’ve ever read before. Sometimes the wise cracking heroine of the story, was “too much,” and it could have been dialed back a bit. But the book kept a good pace and even though some of it was absolutely ridiculous, this strange, whacked out world works. The romance is fun, but a bit too fast paced, there wasn’t a whole lot to it. Bailey is working as a barista, in a coffee shop that sells pixie dust, and is immune to most supernatural, and there are a lot of them in this book. Quinn, is the police Chief, and they seem to always rub each other the wrong way, or so you think. Bailey is often called in by the CDC to clean up after supernatural problems. When gorgon dust is being spread, Bailey is the only one that can deal with, but at what cost?

Fun, interesting characters even though the amount of supernaturals in this book will have you keeping a spreadsheet to keep them straight, but with a fast pace, and some witty dialog, it’s a fun read. Reviewed by Cyrene

4 Stars

Uncaged Review: Nite Fire: Flash Point from C.L. Schneider with Excerpt!

By
Cyrene Olson
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0

To read an interview with C.L. Schneider, please see the July issue of Uncaged Book Reviews.

 

Nite Fire: Flash Point
C.L. Schneider
Urban Fantasy

Slated for execution, shapeshifting assassin, Dahlia Nite, flees her world to hide in the human realm. As payment for the shelter they unknowingly provide, Dahlia dedicates herself to protecting humans from what truly lives in the shadows. Moving from town to town, she hunts the creatures that threaten an unsuspecting human race; burying the truth that could destroy them all.

But the shadows are shifting. The lies are adding up. And when Sentinel City is threatened by a series of bizarre brutal murders, light is shed on what should never be seen. The secrets that have kept humanity in the dark for centuries are in danger of being exposed.

Wrestling with a lifetime of her own deceptions, Dahlia investigates the killings while simultaneously working to conceal their circumstances. But with each new murder, the little bit of peace she has found in this world begins to crumble. Each new clue leads her to the one place she thought to never go again. Home.

Excerpt

Fire dripped like rain from my scaled fingers. Gliding past my jean-covered thighs, then boots, the flaming beads breached the puddle beside me with a hiss. A last stubborn burst of light flared bright, illuminating the red pool for a breath before it sputtered out.
The pattern repeated: drip, flare, hiss, sputter, drip, flare, hiss, sputter, as I stood in the abandoned train depot; counting the circles of blood that overran the pockmarks on the fractured concrete floor. Each bloody puddle corresponded to a body hanging upside down from the rafters above my head.

Thick ropes bound their ankles. Their flaccid arms dangled toward me, as if reaching down in hopeless supplication. But their death throe pleas were illusion. The six had died long before they were dragged in, stripped of their clothing and skin, and hung like a side of beef in a slaughterhouse. If they’d died here, I would have felt an imprint of their trauma on the room. Instead, all I sensed was their ripe stench drifting with the breeze as it blew in through the rotted holes in the ceiling.

“Looks like a full hunt,” I said, glancing up with a frown as moisture landed on my head. The color got lost in the red of my hair as the blood slid down into the curls. “And you’re fresh. Dammit…” I muttered, stepping to the left to avoid another drop escaping the corpse above me. I waited then, to see if it would be enough, if one little bead would trigger a flood inside me; ambushing me with the images and emotions of the victim’s last moments.

Not now, I thought. The last thing I needed was an unsolicited, untimely death-glimpse. Experiencing the terror of being skinned alive would definitely lower my guard.
Trying to stave it off, I busied my mind. I studied the dilapidated building, the architecture, and the faded peeling murals that graced the wide walls. I thought back to when it had all looked fresh and new. Opening day, the ticket counters had been bustling, handing out adventure and opportunity with every ticket. So many lives had passed through the front door. All that came through now were the rats.

And the monsters.

Sensing no extraneous rush of emotions, I went back to rooting out my prey. “Guess that means you’re ready to pack up and head home.” I raised my voice higher. “Except you can’t yet, can you? You’re stuck for now. You’re ineffective. Vulnerable.”

Just the way I like it.

Moving farther into the vacant building, swarms of buzzing flies scattered at my intrusion. My low-heeled boots clicked softly on the wooden planks covering a broken section of floor. My steps were leisurely. It was a nice change, not having to run. The creature was in no shape for such dexterous moves. It wouldn’t be for hours. Hiding was another matter. Sentinel City’s original depot had been vacated long ago in favor of a bright, shiny new building on the other end of the train yard. Here, amid the debris of a forgotten time, were cracks and crevices, and lots of shadows.

“You can’t leave this world until you digest,” I said, keeping my voice loud. “Until your pathetically slow stomach consumes all that delicious human skin you’ve been gorging on.”

Getting no response, I pushed the crimson scales out over more of my body. They ran like water beneath my black halter, affording extra protection to my upper half. As they reached my face, I shifted my eyes. Sockets enlarged. Pupils widened and elongated. Their reddish hazel-brown color deepened to warm amber, and my vision amplified. Sweeping the room, I peered into nooks and crannies, studying the fallen beams, broken signs, piles of busted chairs and rows of dusty benches; fallen light fixtures and detached stair railings barely hanging on by a thread.

“You should’ve added some brains to your diet,” I said, scanning for movement as I walked. “Maybe they would have made you smarter. Because I’ve already warned you once—this isn’t a buffet,” I said with force. “There are no free refills here. No all you can eat. The human world is off limits to the del-yun. It’s off limits to everyone.”
His voice came out of the dark. “You have no right,” he blustered, scratchy and dry like sandpaper on a chalkboard. “No authority to enforce the elders’ rules. You no longer hold position in the dragon ranks, pretty shifter. The Guild tossed you out so very, very long ago.”

“Ninety-seven years, two months, and three days. But who’s counting?” Bristling, I tossed back my hair. “And they didn’t fire me. I quit.”

“You ran…like those cowardly small ones with the perfect skin…so soft and supple.”

Understanding him, I frowned. “Children?”

“Yes, you fled like a child.” His laugh was stilted and wobbly. “And now you’re a maid.”

“I prefer the term ‘contract cleaner’. Scrubbing away those stubborn off-world assholes is my specialty.” I lifted a hand. Fire dribbled down the side. “How about I give you a free demo?”

Belligerent, he spat, “You can’t blame me. This world is so beautifully curious, so dangerous. It’s why all the other worlds are drawn here. It’s why we watch. Why we learn to speak their sounds.”

“Why you eat them?”

“No. We eat them because they’re tasty. And their skin comes in so many varieties. It’s not our fault they can’t live without it. It’s a…structural flaw.”

“You’re not a del-yun,” I scoffed, keeping him talking. “You’re a pig. A fat, greedy, gluttonous pig who doesn’t know when to quit.”

“Oh, pretty shifter,” he cooed. “So noble. So brave. So…insulting. I’ve never tasted the skin of a lyrriken before. I imagine it would be tough.”

“I hear it tastes like chicken. Not that you’ll have a chance to know.”

“You assume I can’t kill you,” he chuckled, low and gravely. I followed the sound as his threats continued. “You think I won’t feast on your scales and sell your parts? Everyone wants the dragon pieces, the power they gather. Everyone wants a taste.”

“I’m only part dragon, del-yun. Your buyers might notice the difference.”

“Half…full…you all have worth. And,” the delight in his voice was unmistakable, “smaller bones make such a wonderful snap. You’ll see. I’ll show you soon. Nothing compares to the exquisite sound of peeling flesh from a shattered bone.”

“I’ll take your word for it.”

Movement streaked behind the rusted bars of the ticket counter.

Gotcha.

Uncaged Review: 

A well written, original urban fantasy that is a welcome addition to the genre and a fantastic start to a series. Bad-ass action scenes, great dialog and terrific character and world building. A new super heroine is protecting the streets of Sentinel, and it’s a great ride. The 400+ pages just zipped by and I was engrossed the whole way through. Half human, half dragon Dahlia Nite is slated for execution in her own world and escapes into the human realm. Now she hunts the ones that are killing humans. When she comes in as a consultant for the police for some strange murders, she’ll need every trick in her arsenal to survive and keep her secrets safe.

The author surprised me in a few places in this, which is hard to do as I read heavily in this genre. Looking forward to the next installment. Reviewed by Cyrene

5 Stars

 

 

Uncaged Review – Race to Redemption by Shari Elder with Excerpt!

By
Cyrene Olson
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0

To read an interview with the author, please see the June issue of Uncaged Book Reviews.

Race to Redemption
Shari Elder
SciFi/Romance

A woman who lost everything.

Intergalactic storm racing champion Elaina Carteret had it all—fame, wealth, men—until a horrific accident took it away. To get it back, she agrees to pose as Lainie Carter, medical transport pilot and corporate spy. Her risk-taking attitude infuriates Dr. Erik Johansen, who runs the medical outpost with an iron hand, a permanent scowl and the tightest bod on the planet.

A man desperate for redemption.

Unable to forgive himself for a past tragedy, Erik works himself into an early grave. He has no patience for the insubordinate Lainie Carter, who can’t take an order, disrupts routine, and flames his body to ash.

A planet at risk.

When the outpost is attacked, they’re thrown together in a race across the desert to stop a deadly biogenetic weapon. As a fragile trust blossoms between two damaged hearts, their pasts resurface and threaten their growing bond.

Excerpt

A whirring buzzed at her ear. She slapped at it, knowing she’d never catch the offensive creature. Metal bugs, that looked and sounded like bees, hovered anywhere the guarded classes congregated, recording everything for Coalition and Corporate intelligence.
To avoid the crowds, she dodged into an alley which would take her to a side door StormTech built for Board members to enter and exit clandestinely when needed. She had ten steps to go when a young girl grabbed her hand.
“I wanna be a racer too,” she said as she pulled at Elaina’s fingers. A soft, innocent touch—bold in the way only a child can be, unaware of societal norms—wanting only what it wants and reaching out and taking it. It tugged at her heart. Children should never suffer. Not like Devon.
Elaina never ignored a child. She squatted to look the girl in the eye. Setting her helmet down with a thud, she pushed a brown lock that had escaped the child’s ponytail back behind her ear, exposing a series of white scars, erupting along the hairline. “Oh, you do, do you?”
“Yes.” Her large chocolate eyes, too big for her emaciated brown face, glowed with hope. Her stomach rumbled.
“Selena, come away from there.” A deep, anxious voice, leaked out from the human huddle.
Selena ignored it, her small hand remained locked onto Elaina. “My dad says I can’t be a racer. Do you think I can?”
“What does your mom think?”
“She died.”
“I’m sorry, sweetheart. I lost my mom, too.” Selena wrapped her arms around Elaina’s neck. Elaina closed her eyes and basked in the warmth of the child’s embrace. Selena smelled of talc and milk, like Devon did. Devon also had given her the biggest, tightest bear hugs. Each and every one meant more to her than the trophies she collected. Now, those hugs and the trophies were gone.
“Selena, you should not have done this.” The deep male voice vibrated with anger. Selena was yanked away. A chill, where the child’s body heat had been, wrapped around Elaina.
“But daddy, it’s Elaina.”
“It’s fine, really, Mr.…”
“Kumar.”
She looked up into the face of a skeletal-thin, sepia-colored man. Faded blue overalls with a white Grimes casino logo over the left breast pocket hung lifeless on his body. He would barely make enough to keep Selena clothed and fed. Drome access, flying lessons, race fees—not in Selena’s lifetime. Elaina volleyed her gaze between Selena’s bright-eyed hopefulness and the tired, defeated stare of her father—the look of a man who knew his and his daughter’s future were already lost.
She couldn’t help Devon, but maybe she could help Selena. “We women pilots have to stick together. Grid access, open.”
“I will not accept help from you.” Mr. Kumar spit out every word through gritted teeth. He shoved Selena beyond him, out of Elaina’s view.
“Why ever not?”
“Xinia Chanda.” His body folded up in what look liked grief. Whoever Xinia was, she mattered to him.
“Who is she?”
“We’re leaving, Selena.” Misery in his eyes, Mr. Kumar turned, grabbed Selena’s hand, and walked away.
“Damn it, man. I’m offering your daughter a future,” Elaina yelled at his back.
“You can’t give her something you’ve already destroyed,” he replied without stopping. The crowd swallowed them up.

Uncaged Review: This is a book I wasn’t sure I was going to like. SciFi books are hit or miss with me most of the time, but this one had enough originality and action to catch me off guard. Elaina is a celebrity racer for her company StormTech, but her board wants her to take a break, so Elaina goes undercover as a med supply runner which she excels at with her experience as a top-notch storm racer, and when she finds out what the board members of her company has really been up to, then it’s a full on suspense with lives on the line. Along with Erik, the Commander of the Green Movement, she’s on a mission to right the wrongs of her company.

The world built by the author is quite fascinating, and this book isn’t overly long, just under 200 pages, so the book doesn’t clog down, it maintains a nice pace. I wasn’t sure I liked the romance between Erik and Elaina at first, but when they finally settled down and admitted that they truly cared about each other – then I rooted them on. If you like a SciFi with suspense, action, danger and a hot romance, you should pick this one up. Reviewed by Cyrene

4 1/2 Stars

 

 

Uncaged Review: The Unlikeable Demon Hunter: Sting by Deborah Wilde

By
Cyrene Olson
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0

The Unlikeable Demon Hunter: Sting
Deborah Wilde
Urban Fantasy

50% boobs. 50% sarcasm. 100% new breed of hunter.
After a bumpy start as the only female demon hunter in the top secret Brotherhood of David, Nava Katz heads to Prague for her first undercover mission: unmasking a demon movie star. She’d be all kinds of thrilled if it weren’t for the fact that her fellow hunter-with-benefits, Rohan Mitra, has reclaimed his rock star status and assigned Nava the role of groupie.
Rejecting her “be a good girl and follow orders” directive, Nava unleashes an alter ego guaranteed to hook their celebrity target and drive Rohan crazy. No downside–until she finds herself up against Rohan’s past, the Brotherhood’s antiquated thinking, and her own identity issues, turning her personal life into a bomb that could blow up the entire operation.
Sparkly and deadly; it’s a plan.

Uncaged Review: The second book in this series just ramps up the action and the snark. Nava is a character that I latched onto quickly in book one, and now in book two, I love her more.
There is some major character development in this round, and if you were on the fence with any of the characters from book one, you will choose your side quickly in this one. I could not put this one down for long, and the action and the storyline are on track and the story never felt stiff or slow. I would like to see Rohan either get with the program or get out of the way when it comes to Nava, and I hope he takes the right path….
My favorite urban fantasy series so far this year.
Reviewed by Cyrene

5 Stars

Uncaged Review – Tales of Mist and Magic by Marya Miller

By
Cyrene Olson
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0

Tales of Mist and Magic
Marya Miller
Fantasy Shorts

They say there are no more dragons — but Granny Maberly knows better. At ninety-four turns old, Granny’s seen more than her share of strange beings in her travels as matriarch to a headstrong Wagonwalker clan. And she’s lived long enough to know that not all monsters have horns (or tusks).

Immortal Tarn who fall woefully short of legend; cannibal Moraggim haunting the Splintered Mountains; Sulg war bands; forbidden forests; magisters who won’t listen; healers who hide their gifts and even a Tower that eats souls — you’ll meet them all in these twelve short tales from the Island of Dragonish.

Uncaged Review: This is a book of flash fiction stories which are really short and are set in the fantasy world. The Isle of Dragonish on the world of ydon. We meet a wild bunch of different characters for example a wizard, and two types of dragon and Granny Maberly.

These are some of my favorite stories from the book. An old dragon awakens to rescue the villagers from some baby dragons that are eating everyone and everything in sight. The dragon and Granny are in the middle of a talk when the dragon lets out wind it’s very funny. As Granny Maberly is up walking around as she has a sore stomach possibly gas herself. Of course when she tells her family this they think she had a dream and imagined it. Another great story is a newspaper reporter Anno who wrote an article on a deadly general. Leaking his real name to people which is Morris which is not very scary. So the general and his men decide to teach Anno a lesson by dressing him up as a women with a frilly dress and has him walking around town. As he’s the type of creature that’s very vain he loves the attention. But learns the lesson to keep the article’s nice.

Mayra Miller is heavily influenced by the author Terry Pratchett in her style of writing in this book. This was a pleasant read and fun to encounter some of the creatures of the island of Dragonish, where they all stay. I can’t wait to see what’s in store for them next. Reviewed by Jennifer

5 Stars

Catch Up with Kathryn Le Veque with an Exclusive Excerpt from Warwolfe!

By
Cyrene Olson
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0

Enjoy this interview with Kathryn Le Veque, as seen in the June issue of Uncaged Book Reviews.

Kathryn Le Veque was a feature author in November2016. Today we will find out what’s been happening, and Kathryn has honored Uncaged with an EXCLUSIVE excerpt from her upcoming release Warwolfe.

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

It was fantastic! I think readers really like Uncaged Book Reviews because the reviews are very ‘pure’ in form – I other words, they’re unbiased and genuine, and they give a good overview of the book without giving a book report. I’m always very excited to see an Uncaged review on one of my books and I know my readers are, too.

Uncaged:The newest releases you have coming up are part of the The de Wolfe Pack Series. Can you tell me more about this series and the authors that are a part of it?

The de Wolfe Pack series is an interesting one because it’s really two-pronged: there are ‘my’ books in the series, which is the original series that I personally write, and then there is the Amazon’s Kindle Worlds ‘World of de Wolfe Pack’ where any author or fan can write fan fiction based on the de Wolfe Pack.

I actually have four new additions planned this year for the original de Wolfe Pack series because my readers really want to see books in this series right now – Nighthawk, which released in February, Warwolfe – which releases in June – and then ShadowWolfe, already up for pre-order in July, and finally DarkWolfe, which will be released in September.

Essentially, the entire de Wolfe Pack series sprang from the very first serious historical romance novel I ever wrote. At the time (and this was in the early 90’s), I never imagined it would grow as it has. It’s just so wonderful to see all of these characters I created live on… and on…!

Uncaged: You’ve also had a part of two recent anthology books, Forbidden Highlands and Romantic Legends. How do anthologies come together?

Anthologies are great fun! Usually, one or more authors will brainstorm together and come up with a central theme. They then reach out to author friends with a proposal to join in the anthology, all of us writing a variation of the central theme. One of the reasons why I think anthologies are so awesome is because readers get to sample several different writers at once. I can’t tell you how many readers have been introduced to new authors through anthologies.

Uncaged: Will you be attending any events this year to meet your fans and/or have an online release party?

At this time, I’m scheduled to attend the InD’Scribe Con and Book Festival in October in Burbank, California. This is a super-fun con where readers can really interact with their favorite authors, so everyone is invited to attend. You can discover more about it and register here:

www.indscribe.com

As for future release parties, I’m always popping up at release parties and I have so much fun interacting with readers. I don’t have any planned personally, but I always encourage readers to reach out to me via Facebook or my website. I’m always happy to chat with readers and answer questions!

Enjoy an exclusive excerpt from Warwolfe, available now!

Warwolfe
Kathryn Le Veque
Medieval Historical Romance

1066 A.D. – Discover the origins of the original de Wolfe pack, led by the man known as WARWOLFE. Before the Duke of Normandy conquered England, a legend arose. A man so fierce, so brave, and so noble, that the mere whisper of his name could strike both fear and admiration into the hearts of all men.

That name is Warwolfe.

Gaetan de Wolfe is this man. A legend from a family of legends, the greatest de Wolfe warrior arises as William the Conqueror sets foot in England to claim what he believes is his birthright. Gaetan brings with him nine of the fiercest knights the realm has ever seen, plowing their way into the English countryside, forging their legacies at the Battle of Hastings. But when one of Gaetan’s men is kidnapped by the rogue brother of the Earl of Mercia, Gaetan refuses to let his man go. His loyalty to his men is above all.

A rescue mission of epic proportions begins.

Guiding the original de Wolfe Pack on this task into deadly enemy territory is a lady warrior known as Ghislaine of Mercia. The sister of the man who kidnapped Gaetan’s knight, her loyalties are torn. Wary of the big Norman knight with the fierce manner, her attraction to Gaetan is nonetheless undeniable. There is a spark between them that refuses to die. Together, Gaetan and Ghislaine embark on a dangerous adventure where myths are revealed, loyalties are tested, and where a growing passion between them becomes all-consuming.

Live the legend.

Excerpt

It seemed like she spent an eternity watching the dog as it stared at her. It was an odd standoff. Her limbs were becoming cramped from being folded up like they were but she didn’t dare move. Just when she thought she could take no more, she heard the tent flap slap back.

“Gather my things.” It was de Wolfe, snapping orders to the squires as he entered the tent. “Our army will depart within the hour and I want to be ready. You will also make sure de Lohr’s belongings are packed up but we will leave those with Normandy for safekeeping. Even now, du Reims and de Winter are mustering the quartermasters so make sure my trunks are loaded onto the wagons.”

The boys were scrambling; Ghislaine could hear them. The dog, lying next to her, suddenly popped up and moved away, rushing to his master when he heard his voice. Ghislaine, too, lifted her head about the time de Wolfe came into view. He glanced at her as he began pulling off gloves.

“We will be leaving as soon as my men can be mustered and the army organized,” he addressed her. “We will be heading north within the hour.”
Ghislaine struggled not to yawn. “The duke has given you his permission to go after your knight?”

“He has,” he said, throwing the gloves into a large chest. He went to work on removing his tunic. “How much do you know of this country, Lady Ghislaine? What I mean to ask is how well you know the path to this Tenebris that you have mentioned as Alary’s stronghold.”
Ghislaine, fuzzy-minded from hunger and the lack of sleep, had to ponder his question for a moment before answering. “I know it well,” she said, rubbing her eyes. “You must travel north from here and then veer northwest when you come to London. There is a main road, a Roman road, that will take you north all the way to Chester, but you must go west when you come to Kidderminster. That will take you to the Far Forest where Alary’s stronghold is.”

One of de Wolfe’s squires suddenly rushed into the tent, racing to help his master. The dog, who had been hovering by de Wolfe in the hopes of being petted, finally received a pat and, satisfied, moved away. Unfortunately for Ghislaine, he was coming in her direction again and she leaned away from the animal as it came near. She eyed the beast as it sat right down next to her as if they were the greatest companions in the world.

“Then what would you estimate as the time it would take for an army to travel to the Far Forest?” de Wolfe asked, oblivious to Ghislaine and her fear of the dog that had cozied up to her. “My concern is that we reach the Alary’s lair before winter sets in completely. Weather will hamper a mission such as this one.”

Ghislaine alternated between eyeballing the dog and de Wolfe. “It will be cold through Christmastide but winter usually does not set in until after the new year.” She inched away from the dog, who lifted his head to see why she had moved. “May I leave now? There is nothing more I can do for you. You know where Alary is taking your knight. I have told you all that I can.”

De Wolfe turned to her, his gaze appraising her, as if he knew something she didn’t. In fact, that wasn’t far from the truth. It was obvious by his expression that he was about to say something he was quite sure Ghislaine wouldn’t like.

“You are not going anywhere,” he said quietly. “You will be accompanying me and my men north as we follow your brother. You will be our guide.”

[symple_box color=”black” fade_in=”false” float=”center” text_align=”left” width=””]KATHRYN LE VEQUE is a USA TODAY Bestselling author, a charter Amazon All-Star author, and a #1 bestselling, award-winning, multi-published author in Medieval Historical Romance and Contemporary Romance. She has been featured in the NEW YORK TIMES and on USA TODAY’s HEA blog. In March 2015, Kathryn was the featured cover story for the March issue of InD’Tale Magazine, the premier Indie author magazine. She was also quintuple nominee (a record!) for the prestigious RONE awards for 2016 and is again a multiple nominee for the RONEs for 2017. Kathryn’s Medieval Romance novels have been called ‘detailed’, ‘highly romantic’, and ‘character-rich’. She crafts great adventures of love, battles, passion, and romance in the High Middle Ages. More than that, she writes for both women AND men – an unusual crossover for a romance author – and Kathryn has many male readers who enjoy her stories because of the male perspective, the action, and the adventure. On October 29, 2015, Amazon launched Kathryn’s Kindle Worlds Fan Fiction site WORLD OF DE WOLFE PACK. Please visit Kindle Worlds for Kathryn Le Veque’s World of de Wolfe Pack and find many action-packed adventures written by some of the top authors in their genre using Kathryn’s characters from the de Wolfe Pack series. As Kindle World’s FIRST Historical Romance fan fiction world, Kathryn Le Veque’s World of de Wolfe Pack will contain all of the great story-telling that readers have come to expect.[/symple_box]

 

kathrynleveque.com

Uncaged Review: School Monitor by Alex Dunn

By
Cyrene Olson
-
0

School Monitor
Alex Dunn
Young Adult/Contemporary

Richard refuses to believe his socially awkward twin Chrissie has an unhealthy obsession with him. He’s too busy making films and having fun with his best friends, but when the twins are sent to St. Bart’s boarding school, Richard finds himself trapped in a real life psychological horror when he’s framed for stealing, and on a mission to clear his name, discovers he’s not the only actor in his family.

Uncaged Review: Rich and Chrissie are twins. Rich feels very protective of his sister after she tried to take her own life at her old school. When there dad gets a new job the twins get packed off to boarding school where their dad’s boss’ son is attending. Been well warned to not let anything happen to his sister while attending the school. He’s pleased to see her making friends until things take a nasty turn for Rich as he’s found to be a thief and the bullying starts.
I felt so sorry for Rich and what he had to put up with at his time at school. I felt my throat go very dry and tight while reading what he was subjected to. The author doesn’t leave any details out of the bullying that goes on at this school.
This is a powerful read and just shows what can happen if people are believed by the lies and stories they spread.
Yet another great read by this author.
Reviewed by Jennifer

5 Stars

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