The human world was the last place I wanted to hide, but after my mother, the Queen of the Light Court, wed me off to our mortal enemy, I just wanted out.
My husband, The Twilight King, may be tall, handsome, and everything that would make most females bite their lips—but he’s also holding far too many secrets behind his golden eyes. On top of that, he’s controlling, possessive, and makes me feel things I shouldn’t. Especially not for a man who’s rumored to be more brutal than any other Fae king in existence.
So after our wedding was complete—I vanished—and I’ve been hiding out in the human world ever since.
I thought the Twilight King would forget me and move on, but that’s not his style. Now, the turbulent changes in my powers, and a growing pandemic in Avalon, have brought my husband and I face to face again.
My Kingdom needs me.
My King needs me.
And, whether I like it or not, I can’t ignore what’s happening to my people, because without our combined efforts, there is a good chance that nobody will make it out alive.
Uncaged Review: To escape an arranged marriage from her mother, Ashlynn escapes the fae world to hide out among the humans with her friend, Cole. Her husband, Kian, is the Twilight King, and Lord over all the dark realms, and closely on her heels trying to find her. Ashlynn and Cole stay a half a step ahead of him until Ashlynn is in a car accident and Kian finally catches up to her.
Kian is very dominating, and possessive, and Ashlynn is very rebellious and spoiled at times. But there is a lot going on in this book, and it all starts to reveal itself and will some of it is very surprising. There is a plague facing the fae realm, and Kian wants Ashlynn to return to help heal the realms, with the people dying and coming back to life like zombies.
So you have a good urban fantasy, mixed with a healthy dose of suspense, and sprinkled with horror and just a smidgeon of romance. This is a good mix. I didn’t really like where the book ended, but it is a trilogy, and all the books are available, so it makes the hit a bit easier to take. Reviewed by Cyrene
Welcome to book 1 in the exciting new series Echoes in Time from New York Times Best Selling author Paula Quinn.
After receiving a dragon brooch from a distant great aunt, twenty-first century historian Kestrel Lancaster finds herself in fifteenth century England. Smack in the middle of a war. Like…in the middle of a blood and guts spewing, heads flying around her war. With six armored men riding toward her, bloody swords raised high in the air, horrified looks on their faces, there isn’t time to think. Only to scream. But like a dream, a dark knight rides into the fray and saves her from them all. When she realizes where and when she is, she doesn’t know whether to thank him for keeping her alive or curse him for it.
Sir Nicholas de Marre has seen many things in his years as military commander for the House of York, but he has never seen a woman appear right before his eyes—and in the middle of the battlefield. Without thinking, he kills the Lancaster bastards closing in on her. Thankfully for her he is able to fight with her deafening screams behind him. He saves her from certain death, not knowing if she is mad, or he is, and carries her to safety.
That’s his first mistake. The second is showing her mercy when he finds out she’s a Lancaster. But this odd woman who takes pictures with imaginary phones and teaches Cook to make cupcakes is easy to fall for, and before long, the heart of York’s champion is captured by a Lancaster.
England’s throne is about to change. The House of Tudor will reign, and the War of the Roses will finally be won with the intimacy of a kiss, the tenderness in a touch, and love that will echo through time.
Uncaged Review: This book is definitely for those who enjoy the idea of time travel mixed with history, action and of course love. This author does a good job of explaining how the main characters view each other and their reactions based on their respective time periods. If you love the idea of time travel and the days of King Arthur this book is enchanting. Reviewed by Jeanna
Welcome to Uncaged! Your latest release is called They Canceled the DJ, can you tell readers more about this book? What are you working on now that you can tell us about?
They Canceled the DJ is inspired by actual events and follows the story of a radio personality’s not-so-stellar moments. An incident with a listener goes viral, then he ends up scoring a date with said listener, THEN…they hit it off. But just when things start to go right, she ditches him on-stage at a concert for a world famous pop star. And his quest for revenge ensues.
As for current projects, I’m polishing up my 2022 release. A psychological thriller of sorts. It centers around two unsavory individuals, one of whom is a failed radio personality turned podcaster having an affair with the other’s mom. That’s all I can say for now.
You are also a radio host and host a podcast, can you tell us more about that?
I left pop radio after more than twenty years. Needed a change. My new podcast is called Freddy’s Huge ASK Podcast. Twice a week, I’ll speak with some of the coolest people in the world. Former Delta Force veteran turned author Brad Taylor, Pulitzer Prize winner and author Stephen Hunter, CEOs, entrepreneurs, life coaches, and more. Think of this as TED meets AV Club meets Masterclass meets Book Club.
What is the most difficult scene for you to write? What is the easiest?
The final chapter went through several iterations before getting the proverbial chef’s kiss. The concert scene in chapter 20 was the easiest and required very little editing.
Do you have a favorite character you’ve written? Has there been a character that’s been hard to write about?
I really enjoyed creating AC’s character because he’s so REAL. Perfectly imperfect. He’s not necessarily good or bad. He’s just a regular guy who, like all of us, is capable of making terrible decisions.
The character I had the most trouble with was Bobbi. But she eventually came to life.
Read the rest of the interview below in the issue of Uncaged Book Reviews.
Freddy Cruz is a Houston area media personality, last heard on the Marconi Award winning 104.1 KRBE. He is also an author, philanthropist, lover of new music and old books, and the host of the Book This with Freddy Cruz podcast. Fueled by coffee, laughter, a shared delight in his community, and love for his family,
Freddy often marvels at his luck in being able to spend his days filling the buckets of all the things he values most in life.
When a hotheaded DJ is caught in a viral web of vengeance, it’s unlikely he’ll find the wisdom to quiet his inner critic.
Radio jock Aubrey Cortes cares way too much about what others think. After he humiliates himself in front of a listener-turned-love interest, he’s horrified when the explosive episode goes viral. But, after the disaster turns into a first date, he celebrates with a barrage of search-and-destroy tweets aimed at torpedoing his online critics.
Thrilled when his newfound viral fame lands him a nationally syndicated show, he uses his connections to arrange a backstage pass to meet his new squeeze’s legendary musical idol.
Cue mayhem.
Aubrey’s heart is cruelly betrayed on centerstage, and blows up big time. Again.
And now he wants payback.
Can Aubrey eat humble pie and take a Zen lesson or three, or will he go down in a fiery fit of revenge?
Excerpt
Since the turn of the century, fans have taken the meaning of “fanatic” to a whole new level. Gone are the days of a simple band shirt and tour poster. Those are for beginners. Artists who only go gold. And coffee mugs, tumblers, and smartphone cases? Those are for no-name SoundCloud artists who scored a two-hundred-dollar check in exchange for permission to use a clip of their song in a commercial for some dude’s used car lot, starring the Used Car Lot Dude’s daughter with that annoying kid lisp. Real fans showcase their diehard support with canvas paintings using blood and sculptures using the ashes of a dead loved one.
And nobody rocks the merch game stronger than River Bronswell, the highest-selling artist of all time. Shirts, hoodies, jackets? He’s got the best designs. But those are for fake fans, the ones who can only name his radio hits. Any real River Bronswell fan has all the apparel, plus his complete line of talking dolls that sing and speak twenty different languages, including Aborigine. They have also bought his virtual reality games, augmented reality games, and vinyl dipped in twenty-four-karat gold, even though they have no idea what a record player is. They drink River-brand vodka, tequila, and River Tickler whisky gets his fans drunk enough at shows to pay two hundred dollars for a limited edition, three-dimensional photo book.
Bobbi opens the door and ushers me into her townhome. She has everything. She waves a hand in the direction of framed magazine covers and articles featuring her home—in more languages than I can count. Fan art, created by her, lines an entire wall. Large pieces, small pieces. Art on canvas. Sketches in black and white. When guys show up to a love interest’s home for the first time, they show up with a gift. Flowers, something. Anything. What I have seen in Bobbi’s home makes me glad I have opted for something less tangible. It may cement my place in her heart.
Giant text covers an entire side of the hallway that leads to her apartment. It reads, “Mr. Bronswell makes my heart swell.” The “Bronswell” and “heart” are red, the other words are black. The letters resemble what a serial killer would use in a note to a future victim.
“This is…interesting,” I say with my mouth gaped open, pondering the fact that the authorities would consider her a person of interest if River ever turned up missing. For a split second, I consider rescinding my surprise. What she won’t know won’t hurt her. Or in this case, River.
Across the hall hangs a stained-glass image of River as a saint. Next to it, a Renaissance-inspired painting depicting River as a Roman emperor. I clear my throat and raise my chin, embracing the role of museum curator. “And here we have, the Marcus Aurelius of Pop Music, benevolent ruler of hearts across the Rivertopian Empire,” I say with a horrible accent.
“Not much, but it makes me happy,” says Bobbi, fluffing the River pillows and throw blankets on her couch. “Some might say I have an obsession.”
Do you want to be a Bounty Hunter? Class is now in session at the Academy of Necessary Magic.
Amanda Coulier is a young shifter and ward of one of the greatest bounty hunters of all time.
But Johnny Walker is better with hound dogs than young girls. Especially the kind who can grow fur and fangs and rip out your throat in the middle of teenage angst.
Where to send Amanda for an education that won’t leave anyone in tears… or dead?
Time to start a new school with two more legends. James Brownstone and Leira Berens.
Mix in Summer Flannerty, a young Witch who’s got a thing for breaking rules and just landed in Amanda’s room.
Trouble leads the girls to a relic hidden away for good reasons.
Can Amanda quell the angry spirit that’s on an angry rampage to destroy the campus?
This school is gonna be legendary. Enroll at your own risk…
Uncaged Review: When I first started reading this book, I almost stopped when I learned one of the main characters is 12 yrs old. This isn’t marketed as a young adult, and most of the books on the market for magical academies are at least older teens. But I kept going, and it was a decent read. Amanda is a shifter and trying to keep her secret from the rest of the school because shifters are frowned upon in this world. Wanting to be a bounty hunter to avenge her family and so other kids aren’t taken is her main desire to be in the school, although shifters don’t necessarily have any magic of their own. She ends up making friends with a small group, and with an outcast new student named Summer. Summer is a delinquent that was kicked out of her last school for blowing things up and is the first to figure out Amanda’s secret. Finding a soul crystal in a cave gives them an advantage in school, until it doesn’t…
This is a pretty fast read and it was a decent storyline with a good pace. Amanda is likeable enough and Summer is a refreshing kick butt friend. The different magic used and the world building is pretty good although we didn’t really learn what the other students are, except a couple wizards and witches and one kid who is a Crystal. If you like the academy type books, this is an easy choice. Reviewed by Cyrene
When Fiona MacHugh inherits her aunt’s B&B in a magical sanctuary village, she knows to expect some surprises. Bats in the attic, a rotting front porch, even the giant black dog that only appears when she’s alone… all of these things she can handle; especially since every day, she gets closer to solving the mystery of her aunt’s death.
One thing Fiona didn’t expect was to find herself at odds with her neighbor, a grumpy casino owner aptly named Devil. Devil is handsome and brooding and dangerous… and hell-bent on getting rid of her.
Devil Walker doesn’t have anything against Fiona MacHugh. He really doesn’t. In fact, those curves and dark eyes call to him in a way that makes it hard to keep his hands to himself. But the B&B is part of the family legacy he’s been trying to reclaim ever since his father destroyed their empire. He promised his grandfather; he made a vow. And no matter how sexy or sweet or alluring his neighbor is, he has to find a way to make the B&B his.
Uncaged Review: Dark Hollow is a sanctuary town, divided by a magical Current, that separates it from Brightwood. When Fiona’s aunt Minnie dies, she inherits a B&B inside the magical town. Even though she has no magic of her own, she decides she’s going to keep the building and find out how her aunt really died.
Dev, who is a spirit mage, runs the casino next door. His father lost the B&B which had been in Dev’s family for generations and he’s determined to get it back. But he wasn’t expecting Fiona. There are a few things going on that keeps this book humming along. There is a mystery about the death of Fiona’s aunt, and a romance that brews as an enemies-to-lovers storyline. Dev was a bit over the top in his alpha ways at times, but Fiona does seem to handle him pretty well. There is also a lot going on about the town itself and the people in it and the ending was unexpected. This was an easy read, and I look forward to book two. .Reviewed by Cyrene
Welcome to Uncaged! Your newest book, Dead Ringer will release April 7. Can you tell readers more about this book?
Thanks for having me! Dead Ringer is a dark thriller following Taylor Callahan, a young woman with a troubled past and criminal record. When she accidentally causes the death of a teen girl who looks just like her, Taylor takes over her life to give herself a fresh start. But soon she comes face to face with the deadly secrets the girl’s family is hiding and she must try to outwit them in order to survive.
What is the most difficult scene for you to write? What is the easiest?
There is a flashback scene where Taylor remembers her mother throwing her out of the house at the age of sixteen. It was hard for me to write about someone being so cruel to their own child, but it serves as a catalyst for many things that happen over the course of Taylor’s life.
The easiest scene to write was the beginning when Taylor takes over Jamie’s identity. Taylor has survived on the streets by committing low level crimes. It was fun to have her use her street smarts to pull off a much bigger con.
Do you have a favorite character you’ve written? Has there been a character that’s been hard to write about?
I’ve really enjoyed writing Taylor’s character. This was the first full length manuscript I wrote after college and I became very attached and invested in her. When I would take a break while writing the book, I would even miss her like she was a real person I know.
Her partner-in-crime, Ivan has an abusive father. I didn’t enjoy writing him being disrespectful and neglectful of his own teenage son.
How do you come up with the title to your books?
Some come to me in a flash and others I have to think about for weeks or months before I get the right title. Dead Ringer came to me in an instant. I saw the title with my main character’s appearance and personality, and I knew I had to put it paper.
I picked the title because it is a bit ominous with the word “dead” in it. Plus, it plays on the old folktales about bad things befalling you when you meet your doppelganger which certainly happens to the girls in this novel when they meet the person who looks just like them.
Read the rest of the interview in the issue below.
V.P. Morris is an award-winning thriller and horror writer and podcast host. Her interest in criminal psychology inspired both of her novels Dead Ringer and ShadowCast.
When she isn’t writing or reading, she is cooking healthy meals, watching scary movies, and spending time with her husband and son.
Small-time criminal, Taylor Callahan, dreams of starting her life over. When she inadvertently causes the death of a teenage girl who looks just like her, she does the only thing she can do: she takes over the dead girl’s life.
Now, twenty-one-year-old Taylor must navigate the ins and outs of living with the MacKenzies, the safe and loving suburban family of the dead teen girl. By using her street-smarts, fast-thinking, and the help of her best friend and partner in crime, Ivan, she works to keep her true identity a secret while fighting the demons of her past. Just as Taylor thinks she has made a new life for herself with the MacKenzies, she learns that this wholesome family hides a twisted and deadly secret.
Excerpt
I gathered the strength to turn around and stand up. In front of me, I saw each of the girls lying flat across the ground. Their blood soaking through their clothes into the wooden planks of the pier. My heart pounded as I knew it would have been me lying dead on the ground if Zeke had seen me first instead of Jamie.
But somewhere between my horror and fear, I could see this tragic event as an opportunity for me. Ivan came running up from the parking lot, his eye swollen from Zeke’s fist. “Taylor, I’m sorry.” His voice was shaking. “He had a gun and told me he was going to kill us both if I didn’t say where you were and that he just wanted to talk to you. I’m so sorry,” he said as he pulled me into a hug.
I hugged him back even though I was pissed at him for cracking so easily.
I pulled myself away from his hold.
“What do we do about the girls?” he asked, wiping a tear away from his good eye.
He looked at the bodies then knelt down by Jamie. The bullet blasted through her eye socket, causing the right side of her face and back of her head to explode with blood and gore.
“Holy shit, Taylor, I feel sick.” Ivan knelt on the floor and started dry-heaving. He took a breath and calmed himself down before asking, “Why did he even bother to kill them when he was after you?”
“This girl, Jamie. She looks exactly like me. That’s why he killed her, he thought I was her.”
Just to be sure, I felt for her pulse. Nothing. The same with the other two girls.
Ivan crossed his arms across his chest. “Looked exactly like you? I don’t believe it.”
I reached into the pocket of her hoodie and pulled out an iPhone with a bright orange case coated with stick-on jewels and a pink leather wallet with a plastic display area for an ID. I handed him her driver’s license.
“Damn, you’re right. She could be your twin.” But the sight of three dead bodies started to overwhelm Ivan. He began breathing heavily and shaking. “What do we do? Should we call the police? They shouldn’t just be left here. Who knows the next time someone will be out here?”
“You’re right but—” I flipped through her wallet and found her school photo ID. The colorful logo of a purple and yellow bear mascot was on the side.
Here’s my chance, I thought. I can go back to high school and start over. When opportunity knocks, I might as well answer the door.
I stood up and threw my jacket and shirt to the ground.
When Lady Olivia Gosling finds The Book of Love in a musty bookshop, she is most eager to try out its love “recipes” on someone safe.
Did she say safe?
Well, Beast isn’t really safe, but with her odious guardian about to marry her off to one of his unsavory friends, Olivia needs her childhood friend to fall in love with her… fast. If Beast can love her, then any man she chooses will surely do the same.
Alexander Beastling, Duke of Hartford, is known as Beast among the ton. He is big and muscled, and there is a dark aura of mystery about him that he makes no effort to dispel. Now that he’s returned from battle, he’s appalled to learn of the marriage plans Lady Olivia’s loathsome guardian has for her. Beast has decided that he will help her find a proper husband, even if it means putting up with her ridiculous experiments taken out of a book she refers to as The Book of Love. Olivia calls them magical recipes for love.
Is it possible they actually work? Because suddenly, Beast can’t seem to get Olivia out of his mind… or his heart.
Uncaged Review: Olivia finds a book, or I should say the book finds her by falling on her head, in an old bookshop, the book is called The Book of Love, and Olivia is anxious to read and try out the book in order to find a match for the season. Olivia is in a bind of sorts, seeing how her parents died and her guardian has the mind to match her off with a man of questionable morals for money. With no dowry, she decides to try out some of the book’s advice on Beast, a childhood friend. But we can’t see that backfiring at all now can we…. But Alexander (Beast) is beginning to see Olivia as more than that childhood friend and his protection instincts toward her are beginning to take over all of his thoughts. Is the book working?
Or was Olivia and Beast always meant to be together? This is a slow burn romance, and a fun one getting there. Seeing the romance develop kept me hooked, and I am looking forward to book two in the series. Reviewed by Cyrene
In the beginning, Atlas created the dragon shifters. He made one tiny mistake. Atlas As the all-male dragons teeter on the brink of extinction, Atlas hatches a plan. Fragments of his divine soul could transform humans into dragon mates.
He’s missing one ingredient—someone to help cast his spell.
As soon as Atlas sees the stunning young woman in Central Park, his inner beast knows she’s the one.
It’s a little medieval, but he is a god, after all. If he can’t kidnap the odd maiden, then what’s the point?
But Zoe’s call to his instincts is dangerously strong. Atlas longs to claim her, but he has to stay focused. Saving his race is more important than the tempting human in his lair.
Zoe
All Zoe wanted was to experience some magic and have a family of her own. Instead, she’s left nursing a major broken heart.
After dealing with a cheating shifter fiancé, she’s done with asshole dragons. She needs to stay the hell out of his way, but when your angry ex can fly, it adds a whole new dimension to lying low.
Enter Atlas—arrogant, sinfully sexy, and in serious need of ground rules about casual nudity.
A divine baby-making experiment isn’t a good avoidance strategy, but Zoe could never resist a little magic. Besides, a god makes a great bodyguard.
But when the spell has unintended side effects, things get hotter than she bargained for.
Uncaged Review: This is a prequel novella to a new series, and you can get this free on Amazon, or you can get the “fan version” by subscribing to the author’s newsletter, which has the added bonus of an epilogue. This is a good, interesting and original storyline and origin of the dragons and their mates in this beginning. And I think it will enhance anyone’s reading if they read this one first. The author does a fantastic job of describing the dragons, and the action involved. All her dragons are dragons, even in human form, and I like that the author holds that throughout.
There is some good action sequences and steamy sex scenes, but a HEA is at the end of it. Good start. Reviewed by Cyrene
Welcome to Uncaged! Your newest book, God’s Ponzi is a financial thriller which releases on March 3rd. Can you tell readers more about this book?
Gregory Portent takes you, the reader, on a wild scheme to defraud. And you’re going to love it. Gregory is not your typical Ponzi schemer. He created this Ponzi scheme in order to get revenge against evil lawyers and other nasty white collar criminals for destroying his best friend. All is under control with the help of artificial intelligence, until — an unexpected black swan event in the market. Think Silicon Valley meets the Wolf of Wall Street.
What is the most difficult scene for you to write? What is the easiest?
There’s a scene toward the end, where the leader of the scheme, Gregory Portent, is at the precipice of facing prison or his own murder, if he doesn’t come up with millions of dollars to fill the impending collapse if he doesn’t fill the financial hole in the Ponzi scheme. Gregory makes a series of calls on his computer to all his friends on his team, while he’s waiting for the outcome of his last “throw of the dice,” to save himself. The talks paid homage to each of them. Gregory confesses his flaws and no matter what the outcome of the scheme, he was a better person for knowing them. It’s a very cathartic. We should all participate in this act as needed, but at least once in our lives. But his confessions of vulnerability and fallibility were emotionally hard to write.
The easier and fun parts to write were the schemes prior to the Ponzi scheme. It was fun to create and build the schemes that served as the foundation for the ultimate Ponzi scheme Gregory and his team started and had to maintain.
Do you have a favorite character you’ve written? Has there been a character that’s been hard to write about?
One character is named Jeffrey Gogolas, nicknamed, “Googol.” He is a law and technology professor at M.I.T. He is a quiet hero. He will be there when you need him because he promised he would be there.
Writers are actors in some sense, in that we have to tap into the darkness when a character takes us to that place. There are dark corners in God’s Ponzi.
How do you come up with the title to your books?
Titles are fun. I enjoy naming chapters too. My formula for coming up with a title? I ask: What is this novel about; what will intrigue?
What behind-the-scenes tidbit in your life would probably surprise your readers the most?
I live in Florida, the most “Ponzi” place on the planet. When lawyers that I’ve worked with participated in one of the largest Ponzi schemes in the country, I was disappointed, but I also knew there was a novel buried in this tragedy.
Read the rest of the interview in the issue below
Robert Buschel has a storied career as a trial lawyer. His cases compel him to dive deep into politics, medicine, and computer science. Although Robert writes to live, not to re-live, he filters and refines the stories of the world around him for a never-ending supply of fresh tales for his readers to enjoy.
Gregory Portent demands revenge. Revenge is best served cold and when the prey begs to be the target. With his skills and charisma he lures them in easy—using an investment bank to launch a Ponzi scheme. Gregory Portent has one advantage—artificial intelligence. At a critical point, he loses his way. A ‘black swan’ event follows and the Ponzi scheme borders on the brink of collapse. It’s not about revenge anymore; it’s about survival. Greedy lawyers, the FBI, and international syndicates pursue him. Greg must go on the run. Everyone he cares about is now in danger. He must win. The strange thing? You’ll be rooting for him the whole time. Will he win big and get his vengeance? Robert Buschel proves beyond a reasonable doubt, he is a rising storyteller. Pick up God’s Ponzi and unlock the secret behind the world’s most diabolical Ponzi scheme.
Excerpt
PROLOGUE
Suppose your friend’s girlfriend is a stripper. Would you go to the gentleman’s club and pay her for a lap dance? Is that wrong? It’s your good friend’s friend. On the other hand, stripping is her job. And if it’s something she’s willing to do for a stranger, why’s it wrong if she does it for you? What if she’s really good and you pay her extra? You know, tip her well. Money isn’t the issue? Fine. What if you then see her at her work all the time and it becomes a regular thing? What if because you’re friends with her friend, she considers you a friend, and now she feels there’s nothing wrong with a little extra in the V.I.P. room because you won’t talk, and she’s comfortable with you? You’re now her friend, and it’s your birthday – and you’ve already seen her naked nearly a hundred times and wondered what it would be like to touch her. Any of this wrong? Before today, I would have been able to make the right decision, the ethical decision, even before my private naughty orgasm released a rush of regret to my anterior cingulate cortex.
People who have the luxury of doing the right thing for the right reasons would disapprove of what I’ve been doing for the past several years -committing crimes. But I’ve been committing these crimes for the right reasons. When I’m done, the world will be in a better place, and I’ll have my satisfaction – my revenge. Revenge for me, turned into a blood oath. But the problems erupted quickly because revenge made me myopic. Yesterday, I was content to act like a criminal. Before then, I wouldn’t have had a problem answering those ethics questions. No, it’s not complicated either. It’s simple. It was simple for me and it’s simple for the world. People just like to make the answers complicated in order to justify their bad behavior. Before, I wouldn’t have even gone into the club. I never would have allowed myself to be tempted to make the wrong move. Because even though my friend ‘s girl would take her clothes off and grind up against other sleazy, horny toads if he or she had the money, the point is – that’s my friend’s girl, and I wouldn’t disrespect my friend.
Others may know what she looks like naked, what she feels like, and what it’s like to pay to look at her. Hell, these strippers’ boyfriends or managers, have to pay the girl’s rent so they can see them naked. The world of other seedy men could know these things – but I shouldn ‘t. I needed to know everything else. I needed to know who was willing to violate that friendship. Who was ethical and who was a lying, unscrupulous piece of shit. Others have called me a sophisticated and treacherous Machiavellian. Pick the blue pill or the red pilJ.2 But it’s simple. I already know what you’re going to say, “You picked the blue pill.” Because when the shit goes down, the FBI, SEC, IRS, or some politically-motivated state prosecutor who wants to become a judge, throws around some accusations, “queen for a day” immunity letters, or just plain want to snap the handcuffs on the rare members of the privileged investment class, for some sexy headlines and a perp walk3 – you want to be able to portray yourself as living in the believable reality of blissful ignorance. You didn’t know a thing. You would never do something like that. You’re moral. World, hear me! Alright, you made four-hundred-percent on your money in ninety-days, but – really, I didn ‘ t know something criminal was going on.
So what’s my problem? Well, I’m part of a criminal enterprise – a Ponzi scheme; and I hold a leadership position in that enterprise. The enterprise has gone international. It’s big and ongoing – worth billions. I wanted to work faster while remaining methodical. I had to run the scheme my way. Of course I wanted your help. I wanted to trap certain treacherous investors and keep the innocent ones out, for sure. But some people can’t help themselves – they ‘re drawn to the bright ultraviolet light in the center surrounded by the electrified grill. Meant to kill mosquitoes, sometimes a friendly lizard will just ride the lightning until its well-done body drops to ground.
Here we are in a simple Ford E350 Econoline van in front of my ocean-front condo. I adjusted the laptop on the passenger seat in order to remove the glare off the screen, and there’s a postcard in the center console with physicist Garrett Lisi ‘s EB physics model in full color on it. I turned it over and my wife, Taylor wrote, “May God’s particle be with you.”s I ‘ll admit it, even under the stress of being chased by international syndicates and the FBI, I smiled and continued to drive. With the aid of cutting-edge artificial intelligence – my best friend, I might be able to survive. Next step, go off-line and finish God ‘s Ponzi.
The Duke is Wicked Tracy Sumner Historical Fantasy
He’s harboring a fiery secret….
The Duke of Ashcroft is determined to keep the League of Lords under wraps. After all, the group’s supernatural gifts brought the mystical misfits together and nobody is going to tear them apart. Intelligent and wily, Sebastian knows better than to trust anyone–especially an impulsive and intrusive American woman.
She’s looking for answers…
Competitive and confident, Delaney Temple is hellbent on uncovering the truth about the League. She’ll stop at nothing to unearth the secrets they’re burying. But when Sebastian is in trouble and Delaney comes to his rescue, their contempt turns to a burning desire. Suddenly, with their passion ignited, they can no longer deny their attraction.
A wicked duke. A troublesome beauty. And the forbidden desire they can’t deny.
Uncaged Review: This is a really different and fun read. I like when authors take a genre and put a twist on it so it actually ends up in another totally different category. In this series, there is a touch of supernatural involved with the League of Lords. This book is centered on Sebastian and Delaney. Although I didn’t have a huge issue with reading this book without reading the first two in the series, I think I would have had a better story and a better understanding by reading the first two before this one.
Sebastien is a Firestarter, and keeping his, and his fellow mates in the League secret is a must. Along comes an American woman Delaney, who is determined to find out the truth. Sparks fly, literally between her and Sebastien, and soon they won’t be able to deny their attraction.
This is a well written romp, and a book with the message that you can be loved and accepted for who you are. And getting these two together, is a good read. Reviewed by Cyrene
