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Uncaged Review – Realm of the Dragon by CiCi Cordelia with Excerpt!

By
Cyrene Olson
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0

To read my interview with CiCi Cordelia (the pen name of writing team Cheryl Yeko and Char Chaffin), please see the January issue of Uncaged Book Reviews.

One of January’s Top Reads.

Realm of the Dragon
CiCi Cordelia
Fantasy Romance

An ancient legend spanning eras, continents, and worlds. To some, it’s nothing more than a dream. To others, a pretty fairy tale handed down through the generations.
For those in critical need of their own happy ending, a gift.

For sheltered Lily Kiers, it’s all too real. Her escape from danger, straight into the arms of her destiny.
Thrust into a realm made of fantasy and unbridled passion, Lily faces violent resentment and jealousy from extremely powerful enemies. Amidst fierce creatures whose very existence defy all common sense, Lily pieces together a past she could never have imagined.

Claimed by Kord, Prince of Battle Draconian, their love will not be denied, even as malevolent forces plot to rip them apart

Excerpt

Dragon.

Her mouth gaped.

She lay within the curved tail of a living, breathing dragon.

I’m hallucinating. How can this be? The moment she’d stumbled across that tree, her world had turned upside-down and inside-out. Maybe I hit my head.

She blinked slowly, trying to clear the fog obscuring her memories, and muttered under her breath, “This has got to be a dream.”
The dragon pinned her with a glittering stare. Then freaked her out even more when it spoke in a low, gravelly rumble. “This is no dream, little one.”

Fresh screams poured from her throat as panic sliced through her. Lily attempted to scramble away. Where she thought she was going, she didn’t know or care, as long as she escaped. The dragon’s tail tightened around her body, effectively imprisoning her. Shivering violently, she stared up at him through her tangled hair.

Trapped.

Like an animal. Or a predator’s evening meal.

About to die. Again.

The dragon’s face loomed closer, the tip of a slender, red-tinged forked tongue protruded from between wicked fangs, and it actually tilted its head, as if curious.

If she were not so completely, absolutely terrified beyond her own sanity, she might have reached out and touched the scales covering its face. They were savagely beautiful.

The creature blinked, heavy lids flickering, and she stared into its slitted golden eyes.
“I won’t hurt you.” The dragon’s powerful voice held a soothing quality. Then it ruined the moment by leaning down to sniff her. “Mmm. You smell like apples and honey.” To her amazement, that long, forked tongue re-emerged and flicked gently along her neck. Its texture felt incongruously like velvet.

Lily managed to bite back a hysterical shriek even as her lower lip trembled. She clamped it between her teeth to steady it, before venturing, “A-Are you going to eat me?”

Every muscle and bone in her body hurt. Her world had upended itself. Beyond exhausted, she longed for this nightmare to end.

If a dragon could frown, then this dragon was definitely frowning. Its fierce expression sent additional shudders through her, and she fully expected those massive jaws to come for her at any moment.

As hard as she struggled for calm, tears leaked from her eyes when he raised long, sharp claws and reached for her. Too frightened to move, she turned her head away. The thrumming of her heart pounded through her entire body as she waited for the sharp talons to slash into her. Instead, the dragon carefully nudged her cheek until she was forced to raise her face and meet its magnetic stare.

“I said I wouldn’t hurt you.” Then slowly and gently the creature unfurled its tail, the very tip pressing against her lower back as if encouraging her to gain her feet, and held her steady until she was standing securely on the ground.

Before Lily had a chance to run, there was a bright flash of light, then a shimmering of brilliant colors. Her jaw slackened at the sight of a man standing before her.

An extremely handsome, naked man.

Uncaged Review:  First of all, I’d like to thank the authors for the ARC of this book. It’s always a treat when a reader gets to read a book before it’s released.

This has to be the most fun I’ve had with a dragon fantasy book in a very long time. I’ve read quite a few different dragon worlds that are so popular within the genre right now, but this one is definitely a stand out.

Our main character – Lily, is being stalked, and after leaving her shift at a coffee shop, the man stalking her, runs her off the road and she gets out of her car and runs into the woods. Falling down, she hears whispers in her mind, and the voice coming from a very old tree. She falls over a cliff and passes out before she hits the bottom, but she never hits the bottom, she lands on the back of a dragon. When she awakens, she believes she’s still sleeping in a nightmare, even when the beautiful dragon talks to her, and then shifts into a human form. And wow, what a human. Kord, the dragon and Prince, believes he sees the one he’s been dreaming of in Lily. But Lily can only remember her name and her home, and the rest is lost to her with blinding headaches when she tries to remember. Kord and his royal family, vow to protect her as she tries to regain her memories.

Finding out she’s been thrust in the Dragon Realm from Earth, the mystery of how and why will begin to unravel. There is suspense and danger for Lily in this world, with jealousy and greed. There is also some fun humor and banter between Kord and his brother Bakka, and a warm family relationship with his mother and father, the Queen and King. I laughed out loud at some of Bakka’s antics, and I was engaged throughout the story. Well written with an original storyline, developed characters and world, and some interesting new fantasy critters on the side. And who doesn’t love a dragon? Reviewed by Cyrene

5 Stars

Uncaged Review – The Volunteer by Sarah Northwood

By
Cyrene Olson
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0

The Volunteer
Sarah Northwood
Psychological Thriller/Horror

CAN A YOUNG GIRL MAKE ENOUGH TO MONEY TO PAY OFF HER DEBTS?

Utterly alone in the world Sam is determined to make it on her own, she sees a chance to make some money and becomes a Volunteer for a clinical trial.

IMPRISONED AGAINST HER WILL

Imprisoned in hospital with no memory of what has happened to her in the last three weeks she is no longer the girl she was, something has changed. Beyond help and beyond hope, she knows only that she must survive, she must escape.

A MONSTER IN A DOCTORS UNIFORM

When Mr Bennett comes for Sam, he intends to extract the information he needs. Harbouring a dark secret, what lengths will he go to, to achieve his goals?

SECRETS

When Sam discovers Denny and Ryan, her mission to escape becomes a quest for the truth – and a race for freedom. What terrifying secrets will she uncover along the way?

Uncaged Review: What a wild trip into the weird land of clinical trials on people. This is shorter story, a bit more of a novella length, and gives us Sam, a broke college student who lost her parents when she was only 15 yrs old, and during summer break, she signs up for a clinical trial that will pay her better than a job would for someone without much experience. She signs on the dotted line, and goes in for the first part of the test. Next thing that happens, is that it’s three weeks later, and she’s no longer in her home town. There is something very sinister going on, and she meets a couple other trial “volunteers” also, and she slowly puts the pieces together. Will she escape the madness?

I won’t go into any major detail, but the author does a nice job bringing in the back story to the few characters that are in play, even in this shorter form. There is a bit of a fantasy element that the author brings to the table with believability. The only thing that was distracting for me, and this is very minor, is the time jumping within the book. It provides a way to give us more back story on the characters, but it does tend to distract a bit from the main story. Reviewed by Cyrene

4 Stars

Uncaged Review: R.I.L.Y. Forever by Norah Bennett

By
Cyrene Olson
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0

One of January’s Top Reads

R.I.L.Y. Forever
Norah Bennett
Contemporary Romance

Remember I Love You Forever…

When Julia Walker unexpectedly runs into Dr. Ethan Sullivan, the man who stole her heart twenty-two years ago and whose heart she shredded in return, their reunion is emotional and explosive. While sparks fly and their passion reignites, the past rears its ugly head and the lovers soon discover that a foundation built on secrets and lies will always crumble. Can Ethan and Julia overcome their painful past and learn the lessons of honesty, trust, and forgiveness in time to save their love?

Uncaged Review: Julia found the love of her life in Ethan, when they were teens. But Julia walked away from it all, breaking Ethan’s heart…and her own. Fast forward 22 years. Julia is now a divorced single mother of a beautiful, but strong willed two year old daughter, and when she goes to a party at her friend’s house, guess who’s decided to move to her small town as a doctor in the hospital she works in? All the feelings that Julia’s always had for Ethan, along with the fear of letting him get too close, comes rushing at her. But this time, Ethan isn’t giving up so easily, and the walls Julia has built around her heart come crashing down. But will Ethan still love her when he finds out the truth of why she left? Will they still be able to build a future when the past is revealed?

This contemporary romance is a predictable story, but the way the author brings you to the conclusion is a heartwarming tale of forever love. Does that exist in this day and age? I don’t have the answer, but the book will give you hope that it does. Reviewed by Cyrene

4 1/2 Stars

Uncaged Review – What’s a Soulmate? by Lindsey Ouimet with Excerpt!

By
Cyrene Olson
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0

One of January’s Top Reads. To read an interview with Lindsey, please see Issue 6, January 2017 Uncaged Book Reviews. 

What’s a Soulmate?
Lindsey Ouimet
Young Adult/Fantasy

Libby Carmichael has just met her Soulmate. It’s just too bad he’s behind bars.

When you only see the world in black and white until you meet yours, it’s pretty easy to figure out when you’ve found your Soulmate. What Libby can’t figure out is why fate,destiny, or the powers that be have decided that Andrew McCormack is her one, true match. Libby is smart, organized, and always has a plan for what’s coming next. So when she sees Andrew for the first time and her world is instantly filled with color, she’s thrown for a loop.

Namely because he’s in a dingy grey jumpsuit.

And handcuffs.
And being booked into a juvenile detention facility.

Surely a boy who’s been convicted of a headline-making, violent crime isn’t who she’s meant to be with. There’s no way she belongs with someone like that…right?

Excerpt

Andrew looks surprised to see me. After the way things ended with our last visit, I’m not surprised, but staying away was never a viable option. I bite the inside of my lip and wait, deciding at the last minute to let him have the first words. He stares at me for almost a full minute before he opens his mouth.

“You’re back.”

Simple. Not quite what I expected, but at the same time, I’m not really surprised.

“It would appear so, yes.”

He doesn’t look upset, and it makes me wonder if he really wanted me to stay away at all. It’s hard to tell with him. Everything is hard to tell with him. Well, aside from how I’m sure he’ll react to my next question. Pretty sure I’ve prepared myself for that.

“So why is it I can’t find any information on what happened? On the incident or on the officer it happened to?”

His response is instant. Like a shutter goes down over his face and he’s suddenly a blank slate and impossible to read all over again. And my reaction to his is pretty sudden as well. I’m gritting my back teeth so hard I’m afraid my jaw will actually start to shake.

“You’ve been looking into me more?”

I fail to stop my eyes from rolling. It might be partially true, but give me a break.

“Not you. It.” I tilt my head to one side and could almost cry from the relief I feel when my neck pops. “And how else am I going to figure anything out? It’s not like you’re going to volunteer any of the information yourself.”

“Why should I?”

His voice is still calm. He hasn’t raised it once, but he doesn’t need to. He knows he has my full attention, and probably that he’s had it since the beginning. It unnerves me just enough to say exactly what I’m thinking.

“Because I deserve to know exactly what fate, or destiny, or whatever the hell it is that makes all of these important decisions for us was thinking. I deserve to know why the person who I’m apparently supposed to be with is behind bars.”
He leans back and crosses his free arm over his chest. I’m breathing heavily and would love to slap the smirk off his stupid face.

“You have an awfully high opinion of yourself, princess.”

“Is there a reason why I shouldn’t?”

I nearly spit the words back at him, and then we’re locked into some sort of staring match that quickly evolves into something very … different. Is it possible for my chest to still heave even as my breathing slows? Because it’s happening. And even though I feel flush, it’s not the prickling, uncomfortable sensation of embarrassment or discomfort. Well, maybe there’s a little discomfort. Especially as I go to wet my lips and see Andrew’s eyes follow along with the tip of my tongue. I thought that was something I only read about in romance novels? Isn’t it something that’s only in romance novels?

He looks away first, and the wave of relief that runs through me somehow feels tinged with something more. I’m going to adamantly deny it’s disappointment.

“Maybe if we even the playing field,” he mutters. Well, I say he mutters, but his voice is so deep it sounds more like a rumble than anything else.
I haven’t fully recovered or regained the ability to speak yet, so I make a face I hope asks for an explanation.

“Question for a question?” He shrugs and then lays a hand out flat in front of him. I study his long fingers, and the veins on the back of it, as I try to regain my composure. “You want to know more about what happened, and I barely know anything about you. I don’t even know your last na—”

“Carmichael,” I cut him off without thinking.
He stops and seems to mull it over in his head for a moment.

“Okay, Libby Carmichael, fake youth leader with blue eyes and red hair, and parents who love each other, but are not ‘true’ Soulmates,” he says, using his fingers to make quotation marks in the air. “Tell me about yourself.”

I don’t know how he does it. Maybe he’s always been good at avoiding the subject and throwing people off track, or maybe I’m currently under some sort of spell that allows him complete control over my disposition. No matter the case, I practically feel the tension drain from my body and have a sudden, strong urge to move past whatever the moment we just had was.
“What do you want to know?”
He looks at me for a second, and I can tell he didn’t think I was going to give in so easily.

“What?” I grin. “You don’t have a list already prepared?”

That smile. The one that makes something inside my chest ache? Yeah, he’s doing it again.

 

Uncaged Review:  A very interesting take on a soulmate. In this world, everyone sees in black and white, and shades of gray, until they meet their soulmate. Then the world is splashed into color – and our heroine is a 17 yr old girl, visiting her father who works at the juvenile center, and new arrivals are being booked in, and when Libby takes one look at Andrew, her world fills with color and knocks her for a loop. Libby, a good girl who never causes trouble, is matched with bad-boy Andrew – who’s committed a very serious crime? Doesn’t seem like the destiny thing got it right.

Intent on finding out all about Andrew, she starts visiting him on visitation days. They get fifteen minutes at a time, and the mystery of why and how Andrew came to be where he is, begins to unravel.

The cast of characters is fun, Libby’s best friend, Beth and even Libby’s parents. This is more a character and dialog driven story, but the world and character building works well and I found myself reading this one straight through. Some of it is a bit predictable, and someone needs to shake Libby out of her overly teenage moments at times– but it’s a good read, and recommended. Reviewed by Cyrene

4 1/2 Stars

Uncaged Review – Mistakes of My Past by Emily James

By
Uncaged Books
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0

One of January’s Top Reads.

Mistakes of My Past
Emily James
Romantic Suspense

What do you do when your relationship destroys everything good in your life?
It’s simple, right? You escape – by any means necessary.
Amber knew that leaving Tommy was going to be hard and quite possibly deadly. After all, she has things that he will stop at nothing to get.
When Amber flees England to start fresh with her estranged father in Ohio she starts the process of rebuilding her life.
Will is recovering from his own disastrous relationship, which has left him mistrusting of high maintenance women. And when he meets Amber, she seems just that.
Getting off to a rocky start, Amber and Will soon realise they have more in common than they thought.
Can Amber ever really free herself from the mistakes of her past?
Or are they only ever one short step behind her?

Uncaged Review: Amber, who recently lost her mother is so overcome with the pain and loss of this and due to some problems with her boyfriend, Tommy, and at the time Amber tries to take her own life. Her dad visits her in the hospital and offers Amber a deal. If Amber wants to return to America with him she must undergo treatment first at a mental health facility. While Amber is undergoing treatment she meets a fellow inmate Roxy who turns out to be a friend and may even help Amber, with a big problem -Tommy her evil boyfriend.

Mistakes of My Past is Emily James debut novel. I really felt connected to Amber as I was reading this novel and felt like Amber was sitting next to me telling me her story. I can only express high regards for writer Emily James if this book is anything to go by. Reviewed by Jennifer

5 Stars

Uncaged Review – my name is tookie by Chariss K. Walker

By
Uncaged Books
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0

A Top Read for January

my name is tookie
Chariss K. Walker
Contemporary/Abuse

A fifteen-years-old survivor shares her memories of unspeakable atrocities and heinous crimes committed by the very system in charge of her protection in this dark fiction tell-all.
The miracle of healing begins!
“my name is tookie” is an intense, first-person coming of age novella about the shocking adversities and inhumane traumas Tookie suffered.
“These are my memories,” Tookie explains. “This is my story—the past, the middle, and now. Sometimes, the line between each section of my life is jumbled up as I try to lay out everything in chronological order. I’ve been told it’s a side effect of the drugs I was force-fed.

Uncaged Review: This book is so emotional it will have you on the edge of you’re seat reading it. This is a little girl called Tookie story. She never really had a good start to life her mother didn’t want her and her dad certainly didn’t want a mix raced baby on his hands.Tookie at first glance had a sort of balanced and normal upbringing, with her grandmother Neiva until Tookie’s mother gets a boyfriend and they leave her grandmother’s home to move into Tookies mum’s boyfriend’s house. Where Tookies new bedroom or safe place to hide is a pile of dirty clothes in a bedroom store cupboard. Her mother gets hooked on drugs and despite a number of complaints being made to child services, Tookie is forced to return home to her mother and her sexual abuser.

I didn’t enjoy this storyline even though I know it plays a big part in so many people’s lives. Thank God this was only a fictional story. Even still, it should be read to clue up on some of the key warnings or signs of any abuse. Sexual or drug related or even drink related. What is going on behind closed doors as it is normally hidden quite well from the public eye and this was a powerful read as it explores one young girls need to find her own identity. Reviewed by Jennifer

5 Stars

Uncaged Reviews – Montana Bound Series by Linda Bradley

By
Cyrene Olson
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0

The Montana Bound series by Linda Bradley are all some of January Top Reads for Uncaged. To read an interview with Linda, and excerpts from all three books, please see Issue 6, January 2017 HERE

Maggie’s Way
Book One – Montana Bound Series
Linda Bradley
Contemporary Romance

Middle-aged, Maggie Abernathy just wants to recuperate from cancer during the solitude of summer vacation after a tiresome year of teaching second grade.

Maggie’s plans are foiled when precocious seven-year-old Chloe McIntyre moves in next door with her dad, John. Maggie’s life changes in a way she could never imagine when the pesky new neighbors steal her heart. With Maggie’s grown son away, her ex-husband in the shadows, her meddling mother’s unannounced visits, and Chloe McIntyre on her heels, somehow Maggie’s empty house becomes home again.

Uncaged Review:  What makes a good story better? The cast of characters who you can identify with and understand, and when they can make you feel, you’ve got not just a good story, but a great story. The characters in this story did that for me, but it wasn’t all sunshine and roses for me at first. Maggie is newly divorced, after finding out her husband is gay, and had known about it but wanted to make sure that he stayed with the marriage until their son was grown. Maggie never had a clue. On top of that, Maggie is diagnosed with breast cancer, and this gives you the setting for all the emotional turmoil she’s in, and how it’s justified.
For me personally, I didn’t really connect with Maggie until halfway through the book. Even though I can empathize with her situation, I was not a happy with her treatment of her mother, or of a seven year old new neighbor girl. She wasn’t mean, but she was a bit standoffish and selfish (more so than I thought would have been called for-even under the circumstances) and she said hurtful things that even with her own emotional issues, I still didn’t connect with. But trust me, it gets better.

The character that I really loved was Chloe, the little neighbor girl, who is pesky and sneaky and says whatever she’s thinking, and someone that Maggie just can’t seem to get away from. And good thing too. Between her mom getting her a dog for company, and Chloe popping up in the flowerbed at any given time, her wonderful mother and Chloe’s very handsome father John, they all manage to pull Maggie up and turn her around into the strong, outspoken woman we all knew she could be. When Chloe’s Hollywood mother comes to town and decides to take Chloe back to Hollywood with her, Maggie finally learns how much she cares about Chloe and John, and how they both carry the emotional baggage that Chloe’s mom leaves in her wake. And, I finally liked Maggie, more and more as she grew and discovered herself.
This sets the stage for the next book very well, and even though this is not an action packed book, it is a character driven story, there isn’t anything slow about the book. It’s a very memorable story that will stay with me for a while. Reviewed by Cyrene

4 1/2 Stars

Maggie’s Fork in the Road
Book Two – Montana Bound Series
Linda Bradley
Contemporary Romance

Maggie Abernathy learns that pesky neighbors John and Chloe McIntyre are moving to Montana. The only problem is…she can’t fathom living without them now that they’ve stolen her heart. While trying to digest the news and accept John’s decision to leave Michigan, Maggie ventures to Chicago with Chloe to see Chloe’s Hollywood mother in a photo shoot, where the three kindle a quirky bond making it even harder for Maggie to say goodbye. With the support of Maggie’s meddling mother, her best friend Judy, and a surprise visit from Montana rancher Winston Ludlow McIntyre, Maggie begins to wonder which fork in the road leads home.

 

Uncaged Review: This sequel picks up after Maggie’s Way, and our cast has returned, and I had no issues connecting with Maggie this go around. We are also introduced to a few new ones that squeeze into Maggie’s unconventional group. In this story, John and Chloe are leaving, selling the house at the end of the school year, and moving back to Montana, to John’s father’s ranch, to help out. John has never wanted to live in the city, but he’s torn, between going home to help his father and being in the country he loves, or leaving Maggie behind. Maggie herself is in turmoil, not wanting to lose either of them but afraid of going with them too. Maggie is a bit of a mess most of the time, trying to figure out where she belongs and afraid of new beginnings.

The story is heartwarming and you will be drawn into this story like you are sitting at the kitchen island watching the scenes unfold with them. Chloe is still an amazing kid that has you wrapped around her finger within a few pages. I was on Maggie’s mother’s side, trying to shake some sense into Maggie at times since she’s so afraid to try out her new wings. The book remains character driven, with a lot of characters you can’t help but fall for yourself. I would definitely recommend reading this series in order so you don’t miss out, they can be read separately, but the better experience is reading them in order. Reviewed by Cyrene

5 Stars

Maggie’s Montana
Book Three – Montana Bound Series
Linda Bradley
Contemporary Romance/Western

Maggie Abernathy, best friend Judy, and Judy’s two young sons travel cross country to visit John McIntyre and daughter Chloe at their Montana ranch. Maggie’s convinced herself that she’s only making the trip to fulfill her promise to visit Chloe, but once there she can’t help but fall in love with the horses, the land, the ranch, and the Montana ways of life. With Chloe’s loving antics, Winston’s gift, and a handful of wranglers showing her the ropes, will Maggie have the heart to say goodbye?

Uncaged Review: For the third installment of this trilogy, Maggie finally gets to Montana for her summer vacation. Along for the fun is her friend Judy and her two boys, who give us a lot of “smile moments.” But what I really saw in this book, is how broken that Maggie really is. She’s stubborn and fighting all the wrong battles within herself, and I think that part is a bit overdone. I’m not sure I actually believe that a person would be that hard on themselves from a divorce these days, and so afraid to take a new step, at least not as long as it took Maggie. But in another way, she also finds herself in Montana, I just wish she would have gotten there a bit faster. But it’s a good feeling when she finally does get there. Maggie finally allows her true inner self the freedom to shine.

This trilogy is highly recommended to romance lovers. To get the best impact of the books, start at the first one and you will find it’s a great weekend escape. Reviewed by Cyrene

4 1/2 Stars

Uncaged Review: Shadow Marked by Walt & Hamilton

By
Cyrene Olson
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0

Shadow Marked
Walt & Hamilton
Urban Fantasy

In the Shadows of Salem, there are no good guys…

For years, Detective Brooke Chandler has been deliberately shielded from the supernatural world. But now that the supernaturals know about her, there’s no line they won’t cross to harness her powers for their own wicked needs.

To stay alive, Brooke needs to learn what it means to be a Shadow. Unfortunately, the one person willing to help her may be just as guilty of using her unique skills for his own gain as the people she is trying to escape.

Her training comes at a price: helping a fae lord find several dangerous artifacts and shadowing them from his enemies. But the more she uses her abilities, the deeper she becomes embroiled in the cutthroat societies closing in on her. Soon, Brooke finds herself hemmed into a corner, condemned to make an impossible choice that might destroy the human world as she knows it.

Uncaged Review: This is the 2nd book in the Shadows of Salem series, and I reviewed the first one, Shadow Born a couple months ago and I like the premise of this series, I like the action and the characters, but I truly dislike the way these books end. It’s always on a cliffhanger of sorts, and there is so much thrown at the heroine, Brooke, that it begins to bog the books down. There are a lot of subplots running, and there never seems to be a good answer to any of them. As for the main love interest, Maddock – a fae lord, how much longer they can actually draw this out and hold interest is up in the air at this point.

There is more action in this one, and we get more answers to some of Brooke’s powers. But Brooke is being yanked in too many directions, from witches, warlocks and the fae. She seems to bury herself even further at every turn, without much down time or even time to learn about who she is.

I liked the book well enough, but with the cliffhangers and the overextension of the romance elements and angst, I am losing interest fast. I’ll read one more on this series before I give up, and that would be a shame, as there is a good, action-packed story with a likable heroine buried under all that. Reviewed by Cyrene

4 Stars

Uncaged Review – The Void Weaver by Dignam & Martinez

By
Cyrene Olson
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0

A January Top Read.

The Void Weaver
Dignam & Martinez
Paranormal/Urban Fantasy

Alice has lost her powers and her nemesis is getting stronger, but it’s hunt or be hunted.

Alice is in hiding. Holed up in a magically-protected house without her main weapon, the supernatural bounty hunter wants nothing more than to hunt Nyx down before she becomes prey herself. But her enemy is in hiding too, and if Alice is to find her she’ll have to get past the dangerous Pain Children first.
When Alice learns that Isaac Moreau remains in Magistrate custody, she has no choice but to follow Nyx’s trail without backup and without her powers. Her only chance at defeating Nyx may lie in Isaac’s attempt to learn the dark, deadly secret of the Void, but his failure could get them all killed in the process.

Uncaged Review: Last month I reviewed The Dark Siren, the first book in the trilogy. This second book picks up where we left off. Isaac is being held by the magistrate and he’s sent a trusted friend and mage, Cameron to protect Alice. But there are members that are working against the rules, and not only is Alice in danger, so is Isaac. An old friend and mage, Jim, helps Isaac to get away from the magistrate, and also begins to explain to him that he’s been touched by Void magic during his encounter with Nyx, and to avoid this magic killing him, he must work with the magic and become a Void Weaver, an ancient type of mage who keeps the Void rips repaired, to keep evil from seeping into the world. To be able to do this, requires Isaac to step into the Void, which could be suicide.

There is plenty of action in this one, and it doesn’t slow down very often. We also learn more about Alice in this one and her Half-Lich powers, and the new players in this book are very well fleshed out and enhance the story. The main arc is still running, but it didn’t really end on a cliff-hanger. It settles the side arc in this book, but we will need to wait for the last book in the trilogy to see the main story arc complete.
Reviewed by Cyrene

5 Stars

Uncaged Review – The Very Devil Herself! by Loren Molloy

By
Cyrene Olson
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0

The Very Devil Herself
Loren Molloy
Horror

Alexandra is an immortal cannibal who must feast on human flesh and blood to survive. For over 200 years this immortal woman has to prowl the dirty streets of London in search of her next victim until the King of England decides to employ her special skills to hunt real life serial killers for his needs instead.

Uncaged Review: I have a lot of mixed feelings on this book, I liked the storyline and the originality, but this will not be for everyone. The book is about Alexandra, who is an immortal, who feasts on the blood and flesh of men in old London, in the dirty streets where the drunk men are lured to her. The author sits you in the front row for all the gory details, and doesn’t hold back.

The bad: the way it’s written is very broken up, with way too many short sentences, and not enough descriptive paragraphs. I really don’t see Alexandra as a vampire, or a possessed woman, or even the devil. She’s almost her own species. Also the story jumps around several times, and leaves you hanging a bit, and you don’t really get any details of what happened for a big chunk of time. There really isn’t a major plot with the book, it’s more of watching Alexandra’s life. Alexandra’s history is a mystery to me, and we don’t really get a back story to her much at all. And I don’t know much about her powers, it was pretty sudden some of the things she could do – and sort of left me thinking I missed something.

The good: Even as evil as Alexandra is, she is still my favorite character in the book. She discovers her humanity with Old Samuel and Daniel, but there is not any romance to muck up the story, even though there could have been. She makes no excuses for who or what she is, and even comes to an agreement of sorts with the beast within her. When she’s not driven by the lust of the hunger, she is calculating and brilliant. The story is an original idea, and it spans a good amount of time.

This book won’t be for everyone. If you can look beyond the editing issues, and can handle a gore-fest at times, you may like this book. It’s not perfect, but it is original and Alexandra can be quite captivating. Reviewed by Cyrene

4 Stars

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