Wednesday, February 5, 2025
Home Blog Page 112

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

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

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!

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

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

Uncaged Review – A Man’s Gotta Eat What a Man’s Gotta Eat by Dana Fredsti

0

A Man’s Gotta Eat What a Man’s Gotta Eat
Dana Fredsti
Horror/Suspense

Chuck T-Bone is a private detective—A P.I. A gumshoe. A dick.

He also happens to be a zombie, in a world where the zombies have taken over, and “fresh meat” is a rare commodity. Where you go into a diner to order an elbow joint with a side of toes. But nothing’s really changed—the rich get richer, the poor get poorer, at least until they fall apart altogether.

When a curvaceous member of a famous crime family walks into his office, he’s forced to reopen a case he’d just as soon forget. It’s the one that introduced him to the dame who stole his heart—and got him killed. Trouble is, if it happens again, this time it’s for good.

Uncaged Review: A place where even if you get turned into one of the undead, you can still hold down a job as long as you keep the air conditioning high to stop your rotting even more. Chuck T-Bone is a P.I and forced to relive his past and memories of how he got turned into a zombie. It was all because of a girl now year’s later he has to work a case that involves her again.

This is a very short book but packs quite a punch. This was also the authors first ever zombie book she wrote way back in the day. She’s still holding her own up there as Queen of the Zombies. A must read for any new fan of Zombies. Reviewed by Jennifer

5 Stars

Uncaged Review – The Forbidden Highlands Anthology

0

The Forbidden Highlands
Anthology/Various
Historical Highlander

Welcome to the realm of THE FORBIDDEN HIGHLANDS….

Eight USA TODAY and BESTSELLING historical romance authors bring you great tales of forbidden love from the highlands of Scotland based upon the greatest Celtic legend of forbidden love – a Celtic princess being escorted to her wedding to marry a king ultimately fell in love with her knightly escort. So began a powerful tale of great longing, of love spells, of persecution, and ultimately of a fiery passion borne from an otherworldly source. A love so strong is never meant to die… and reborn in these eight fabulous novellas.

Enjoy these brand-new novellas that will keep you reading long into the night, dreaming of lost loves, of great loves, and of forbidden loves.

Uncaged Review: This is a nicely done group of Highlander stories, and the recurring theme with this one is forbidden love. I like anthologies as it gives me a chance to read something from authors I hadn’t read yet, and this one had 8 stories, and 5 of those 8 were authors I hadn’t read before.

All the stories in this group were really well done, the one stand out for me personally, was Eliza Knight’s Laird of Twilight. Lilias was chosen to be wed to a man as part of a treaty to help unite Scotland and the Isles, and the one to deliver her to her betrothed is Laird Dirk MacDougall, whose mother and grandmother had chosen. But when Lady Lilias arrives, it’s obvious she will complete her duty, but it’s not her choice. This was such a nice short, that I could easily like the characters in a full length.

Another fun part of the book is at the end of Emma Prince’s story, A Highland Betrothal, you get a real treat and a bit of a history lesson with the backdrop that was behind this story and how the author incorporated it. This is something that I truly appreciate from historical writers – is the research and how true history is weaved into their stories.

If you enjoy Highlander stories, this is a good set to have in your library, and it does introduce you to a few authors you may not have read much from, and it is a good way to check out their writing styles.
Reviewed by Cyrene

4 1/2 Stars

Uncaged Review – Cautionary Tales by Emmanuelle de Maupassant

0

Cautionary Tales
Emmanuelle de Maupassant
Dark Mythology

“We are the voices in the shadows …”

Inspired by Eastern European and Russian superstitions and folklore, here are twelve tales; darkly delicious imaginings for the adult connoisseur of bedtime stories.

Uncaged Review: This book is a collection of tales that is slightly dark and erotic and shows how human nature can be both good and bad. This book has some dark twists and perhaps some things that go bump in the night. I suggest if you are offended by highly sexed demons and murderous sisters this book is not for you. The author also has a dark poem of sorts that she weaves throughout the book. Also one of the less then slightly desirable characters has a vision that informs us that, in fact all of the participants of this live in the same town.

I really like this author’s style of writing as it’s quite dark and witty. This is a new author to me that has a few books out already. I hope I have the pleasure of reading more of her books. Reviewed by Jennifer

5 Stars

Uncaged Review: More Faces, Crime Short Stories from Belfast by Simon Maltman

0

More Faces
Simon Maltman
Crime Shorts

More Faces is a crime short story collection from A Chaser on the Rocks author Simon Maltman. The twelve mystery noirs included feature published and previously unpublished stories and all series shorts currently available. Take a journey across Northern Ireland, through the beauty and darkness, with the fresh new voice in Irish Crime Fiction.

Uncaged Review: This is a collection of different stories some set in the 1940s with P.I. Billy Chapman. Other’s set in normal times featuring Brian Caskey and two previously never published until today. The collection all set in the streets of Belfast.

I have two favorites in this book. One features P.I. Billy Chapman and his efforts to investigate a missing girl at a university. He finds out some rather shocking news about one of the girls professor, who is hiding a big secret. This one was a complex read.
The other involves a man called Russell who is hiding abroad. As he is being accused of killing his stepfather by the police. They think he’s hiring someone to give the police a story about him, But they couldn’t be more wrong.

I like this author’s style of writing as it’s gritty and dark. He doesn’t hold back in the killing or violence in his stories. Well worth a read. Reviewed by Jennifer

5 Stars

Uncaged Review: Whispers, Vol. 1-3 by Stuart Keane

0

Whispers, Vol 1-3
Stuart Keane
Horror Shorts

In this collection of horrific tales, we meet: a scorned wife with bloody vengeance on her mind; an expecting but unwilling mother whose foetus has other ideas; Tommy and his closet, which holds a dark secret; a couple who fall in love on Halloween…or do they?; a psychopath whose evening is interrupted by the end of the world; a paraplegic on a deadly train ride to nowhere, and a mutilated clown with a violent score to settle.

 

Uncaged Review: A collection of gruesome tales not for the easily offended. As these tales are quite dramatic and dark. I wouldn’t recommend eating or drinking anything while reading these books. You have been warned now on too some of my favorite stories from these three books. Volume (1) – A young boy who is getting buliled at school believes there something dark and evil hiding in his closet only to be met with a strange man who takes him on a trip to hell where he can get revenge on anyone who has ever hurt or wronged him. A rather clever way to get your own back on school bullies. Volume (2) -Two boys on a fun night out of weed and booze go for a drive where they end up parked where a young girl was brutally murdered and sexually assaulted. The twist in the tale is that one of the boys is related to the girl and is hell bent on payback. Volume (3) – A chef who loves using humans as his ingredients to cook with. So whatever you do don’t complain about the food. Or the food will be you.

These books can be read in any order but are not for the faint hearted. I really enjoyed reading Stuart’s messed up stories. Can’t wait for volume 4 out soon. Reviewed by Jennifer

5 Stars

Uncaged Review: Blood Sacrifice by N.P. Martin

0

Blood Sacrifice
N.P. Martin
Urban Fantasy

In a town where magic festers beneath the surface and monsters stalk the shadows, someone has to fight for the innocent. That someone is me.

They call me sorcerer, fixer, finder, but mostly they call me Creed. Been hexed by a witch? Being stalked by a werewolf? Haunted by a crazy ghost? I’m the one you call to get my hands dirty, so you don’t have to.

So when I got a call from a grieving parent to find their missing daughter, I was happy to help. Trouble is, what started out as another garden variety missing person case just ended up with me being hexed by an occult serial killer.

They made a mistake, though, whoever they are, when they cursed me.

They should have killed me instead.

Uncaged Review: The first book in any series is always going to be full of information to trudge through, and I think this is a good start to a new series, and even though some parts were over explained, the author does a good job with the world building with developing characters. Creed is a practicing Mage, whose latest case ends up with him getting a curse that erases him (or his memory) from existence with everyone he knows – and the only way to get the curse lifted, is to summon a demon – and he’s under the gun, with only 3 days before he loses his soul forever.

This book is pretty fast paced, it does tend to slow when the author goes into a description mode, and the action sequences are well done. The Supernatural world that is built in this first book is exciting and I’m looking forward to see how the series progresses. Reviewed by Cyrene

4 Stars