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Uncaged Review – Captured by the Pirate Laird by Amy Jarecki

By
Cyrene Olson
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0

Captured by the Pirate Laird
Amy Jarecki
Medieval Historical Romance

Wed by proxy to a baron old enough to be her grandfather, Lady Anne trudges up the gangway of a galleon that will deliver her into the arms of a tyrant. Crestfallen, she believes her disastrous life cannot get worse—until she awakes to the blasts of cannon fire.

Facing certain death, Anne trembles in her stateroom while swords clash and the chilling screams of battle rage on the deck above. When a rugged Highlander kicks in her door, she prays for a swift end.

But Laird Calum MacLeod has a reason for plundering the ship—and it’s not a stunning English lass. With no other choice, he takes Anne to his crumbling keep on the isle of Raasay and sends a letter of ransom to her husband. In time, Anne grows to understand MacLeod’s plight and finds it increasingly difficult to resist Calum’s unsettling charm—until the baron sends a reply agreeing to terms.

Ripped from passion that will be forever seared into their souls, will Anne and Calum risk everything for love?

Uncaged Review: I’m always on board for a good pirate
tale, and this is a good one. Anne is wed by proxy
to a tyrant whom she’s never met, but is shipped off
on a ship to him. The ship is overrun by pirates and
she’s taken hostage by a Scottish Laird, who is a type
of Robin Hood to his starving people, by stealing
from the rich to keep his people fed. Taking on the
ship, Laird Calum had no idea he’d be raiding a ship
that held Anne.

Slowly Anne sees the plight of his people, and her
feelings for him grow slowly. This is a nice romance
to watch, as Calum is determined to be honorable, but
the more he gets to know Anne, and knowing the man
she’s been wed to, the more he wants to keep her safe
from him.

This story has a couple good turns and is a good read
that’s hard to put down. It’s been awhile since I’ve
read a book from this author, and hope it won’t be so
long for the next. Reviewed by Cyrene

4 1/2 Stars

Uncaged Review – Dragon Trial by Debbie Cassidy

By
Cyrene Olson
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0

Dragon Trial
Debbie Cassidy
Dark Fantasy


The stories say that the dragons saved humanity, but all they left were ashes, cinder, and a new breed of human. Welcome to the Outlands, where nobody cares if you scream.

Rogue, Fighter, survivor. I have many roles, but my only purpose is to protect my loved ones and make a better life for them. It’ll take one more job to make my dream a reality.

But fate, the uncooperative bitch, stands ready to twist the knife.

Taken by Dragon bloods, the better-looking result of human and dragon unions, I’m caged and forced to fight in the arena for their amusement.

They want me to bleed, but I’ll be damned if I’ll kiss the sand for them

But there is more to the Arena’s purpose than meets the eye, and I’m beginning to believe that all the stories I’ve been told may be nothing more than fiction. With the help of a man with eyes like flame, and his arrogant, incorrigible brother, I may just survive to find out the truth.

The Bloods are close to executing an awful plan, and the only way to stop them is to escape. My family wait for me. My dream awaits, and freedom will be mine.

Uncaged Review: This book really surprised me. I
liked the originality of this world, and am looking
forward to learning more. The author doesn’t
slow the book down with a lot of back lore, but
gives bits and pieces as you go along. I ended up
having a lot more questions at the end, but the
cliffhanger that this landed on was not too horrible,
considering 3 of the 4 books this series is, are
already released.

The action sequences and the characters are well
thought out, and I can see this turning into a reverse
harem in the future, but this is a slow build.
I’m definitely moving on to the second book as
I have a lot more questions. The book kept my
attention and I liked the different supernatural beings.
Nice start to a series. Reviewed by Cyrene

4 Stars

Uncaged Review – Be the One by Nina Levine

By
Cyrene Olson
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0

Be the One
Nina Levine
Rock Star Romance

A standalone rockstar novel from USA Today Bestselling author Nina Levine

This cocky bad boy rocker has met his match. He wants her heart, but she only wants his body.

Presley

I don’t care that he’s a smooth talker. He can sweet-talk me all he likes, so long as he backs it up with an orgasm or two. But I’m not looking for a relationship. God, no. Not with a rockstar.

Jett

I don’t care that she argues with me and throws up walls like she’s building a fucking house. Presley Hart will be mine. I’ll make sure of it.

Uncaged Review: There wasn’t a building of
romance in this book, more of a building of love.
This book jumps pretty fast into some hard hitting
sex scenes, but the love between Jett and Presley
is slow building, and the reader will feel many
different emotions when reading, from joy to the
ultimate sadness, from anger to joy, it’s all here.
The story is mesmerizing and very hard to put
down after the halfway mark. Presley has sworn
off falling for rock stars after her past marriage.
But the connection with Jett is not something she
was prepared for.

There will be times you love the characters and
times when you hate them, and you will feel it all
as they fight their way to their HEA. This is a standalone
book, and that’s too bad, I would have liked
to read more about the secondary characters in this
book. Reviewed by Cyrene

4 1/2 Stars

Uncaged Review – The Dragon Berserker’s Mate by Harlow Blaze

By
Cyrene Olson
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0

The Dragon Berserker’s Mate
Harlow Blaze
Paranormal Romance


For a woman with nothing, protection comes at a price.

Hazel

After losing her home and everything she knows, Hazel has one way out. A deal with the local dragon shifters.

As a rare human able to have shifter children, she’s treasured among the male dragons. And like anything precious, she needs to be protected.

The live-in bodyguard is a little much, though.

Her new roommate, tattooed, grumpy Jay, is immune to her upbeat attitude. And his blackout rages whenever men touch her mean that she’s behaving herself whether she likes it or not.

When she goes into heat, all she wants is him. But no matter how badly she craves his touch, their electric connection is forbidden.

The dragons have another fate planned for her. A different mate.

Because treasure can be traded.

Jay

Forging an alliance with a rival gang costs more than silver and gold.

They want Hazel.

Jay has committed a lot of sins to defend his makeshift family. Handing his chirpy charge to the worst dragons alive should be easy.

But the longer Hazel is in his apartment, the harder she is to let go. Everything from her sweet scent to her gentle nature calls to his berserk inner beast—a monster who’d burn the world to the ground to protect her.

When a mysterious attack puts Hazel in danger, the dragon she’s meant for is the prime suspect.

But it’s much too late to back out of the deal. Stealing from a dragon means war.

To save her, he’ll pay the ultimate price.

Unleashing the monster inside him and letting the rage take over.

Uncaged Review: The third book in this series (if
you count the prequel) and the series is still coming
up with surprises. Jay has locked his dragon away,
and won’t shift because of all the carnage he fears
from his beast. Because of this, his sanity is on the
line. Hazel is escaping an abusive stepfather, with the
help of her witch friend. When it’s found out that she
is dragon marked, she agrees on an arranged marriage
with leader of a different eyrie, in exchange of
her providing dragon heirs, she would be given a safe
home and her debts paid off. But she doesn’t count on
Jay….

This book has some good action, a few good twists
and of course, romance. Seeing if Hazel and Jay can
find their way to each other is a fun ride, especially
after Jay is assigned as her guardian. For the dragon
shifter lovers out there, this is a good series and never
loses its momentum. Reviewed by Cyrene

4 Stars

Uncaged Review – Perfect Secret by Molly McLain

By
Cyrene Olson
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0

Perfect Secret
Molly McLain
Western Contemporary Romance

She’ll never touch another cowboy again. Even if he does look good in nothing but a towel.

Alana Faulkner swore off cowboys four years ago when her then-boyfriend let his rodeo fame go to his head.

Holden McMurray’s life has been turned upside down by a scandal. Though he’s innocent of any wrongdoing, his boss and his agent have not only sidelined him, but they’ve sent him to the middle of nowhere, Montana, until the dust settles.

Worse, his new neighbor is a spitfire brunette with a bigger grudge than the last bull he rode. But she’s as pretty as she is sassy, and damn if he can’t leave well enough alone.

It’s a bad idea on every count, but mostly because…

She has no idea who he really is.

Uncaged Review: This is a series that is running that
has different authors joining in and is about 30 books
at the time of this review. This one is the 12th in the
series, but I had no problems following along, so they
read well as standalones. This story is about Alana,
who has sworn off of cowboys since she was hurt
by a bull rider. She buries herself in work and taking
classes online to finish her degree. She lives above
the store she manages, in a small one bedroom apartment.

Holden comes to town to work on a friend’s ranch
to let some drama blow over, because the cabins on
his friend’s land are being renovated, he gets to stay
in the small room across the hall from Alana’s apartment.
Watch out when they have to share a bathroom.

This is a slow burn romance, and a wonderful light
read. Holden is a sexy cowboy and Alana is a spunky,
sassy woman that keeps him in his place. With great
secondary characters, this book was a fun read that
was easily read in one sitting. Reviewed by Cyrene

4 Stars

Uncaged Review – Blood After Dawn by Brenna Harlow

By
Cyrene Olson
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0

Blood After Dawn
Brenna Harlow
Paranormal Romance

The maddened aren’t the only ones hiding in the shadows…

JEZEBEL

When the new vampire arrives at the base, he makes it clear I’m his new obsession.

But I’m not like the other women. I won’t cave to Brone’s charisma.

Except that now one of my friends has gone missing, and the only logical explanation for her disappearance is an unseen enemy…

Something so dangerous, no one is safe.

Brone promises to protect me, and maybe, just maybe, I want to believe him.

BRONE

My mate is less forthcoming than I’d hoped, but I won’t throw in the towel just yet.

Especially after she kisses me.

When a human from inside the base goes missing, I’m even more eager to bind us together.

She is stubborn, but I’ll show her what it means to want.

I’ll show her what it means to hunger.

Uncaged Review: This book is actually the second
book in the series, the first was the prequel
was first to give you a heads up into this world.
Each book is going to center on one couple, and
then there is an overall arc running throughout.
This time it’s about Jezebel and Brone, one of the
last of the women you could see falling for one
of the vampires is Jezebel, and she doesn’t make
it easy on Brone, but he won’t give up. There is a
new threat outside the compound, and it’s not the
mad dhampirs that are the biggest threat anymore
to the human women.

This is shorter read, and I finished it in one sitting,
and there is plenty of action, and romance. I
think this book steps up even better than the first
one, and I’m definitely looking forward to book
three. This is a good original take on the vampire
genre and the world building is well thought out.
Reviewed by Cyrene

4 Stars


Uncaged Review – When a Duke Desires a Lass by Collette Cameron

By
Cyrene Olson
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0

When a Duke Desires a Lass
Collette Cameron
Historical Regency

The only thing these opposites have in common is a desire to not marry…

Tobias Forsyth, Duke of Heatherston, owes his niece a proper Come Out. But as a confirmed bachelor, he has no idea how to fulfill his commitment. Fortunately, to his astonishment and intense pleasure, the gorgeous widow he’s admired from afar for so long is willing to help. Now, if only he could convince the reluctant object of his affection to give him a chance…

Emily Grenville is bored. But that doesn’t mean she ever intends to marry again. Not with the ugly secret her husband saddled her with before his death. So, she’ll have to continue rebuffing the advances of every interested man—even the ruggedly handsome Scot who has somehow managed to occupy her every waking thought…

It’s not long before their time spent in forced proximity leads to much deeper feelings and desires. But when Emily’s secret is divulged, can the fragile romance she’s only started to enjoy with Tobias survive?

Uncaged Review: A nice sweet romance and a great addition to this series and it’s a great change as our main characters are a bit older and past the “coming out” stage. Tobias has kept himself single, putting it off as long as possible. But after taking guardianship over his orphaned niece, Avery, he had promised that he would make sure Avery got a proper coming out and season when she came of age. Unfortunately, Avery is a bit wild and Tobias is a bit clueless on how to proceed.

Emily is a widow, but with a past that could ruin her and her family, a secret she holds close. A chance run in with Tobias and his niece during a morning walk, has her offering to help get Avery ready. With her sister a Duchess, and recently wed, Emily sees it as a chance to be useful. Tobias accepts her help. As they spend more time together, you see the walls around Emily’s heart begin to crack.

This is a sweet romance that I read in one sitting, and was a proper feel good story that had a great pace, one I have grown to expect with this author. This is the 15th book in the this series, but each can easily be read as standalones. Reviewed by Cyrene

5 Stars

Uncaged Review – Lost Kingdom by L.A. McGinnis

By
Cyrene Olson
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0

Lost Kingdom
L.A. McGinnis
Paranormal Romance

I might be a queen,

but this isn’t a fairytale.

A ruthless king dragged me into the vampire world kicking and screaming, intending to kill me, like he had so many before. Then I took everything away from him.

His throne is mine.

His kingdom is mine.

I wear the crown of the vampire queen, and to some, it seems all my dreams came true. But victory came at a terrible cost. My mate is far beyond my reach, and trying to save him would risk a bloody battle and the lives too many innocents.

But when an ancient evil rises, the only way to survive is with Deston by my side, which means I’ll fight to get him back.

If war is coming, it might as well be on my terms.

Uncaged Review: Everything is coming at Seraphina from all sides, from the threat of losing the palace to fighting to get Deston back. Many secrets are revealed in this installment, and many I never saw coming. The main series arc continues to run, but this does not really end on a cliffhanger and all 4 books in the series is out now.

There are some major twists in this book that will put a whole new slant on the series, and it was quite the shock at the end. There are some heavy sex scenes, so if that’s not your cup of tea, this is a warning. It’s hard to describe the book without giving too much away, but this is a good vampire series that stands out in the genre and for readers that enjoy the vampires, this series is a must read. I would recommend that readers start at the beginning, as they don’t read that well as standalones. Reviewed by Cyrene

5 Stars

Uncaged Review – Wrapped up in You by Claire Marti

By
Cyrene Olson
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0

Wrapped Up in You
Claire Marti
Holiday Contemporary Romance

When cocky financial genius Rafael Cruz is forced to partner with his snarky office rival
Phoebe Hollingsworth to land a prestigious new client, nothing goes as planned.

At work, they ignore each other, but at the Jingle Ball, their unexpected chemistry changes the game.

Will their secret holiday hook-up ruin the deal or is it the start of a deeper connection?

One click this enemies to lovers office rivals holiday romance today!

Uncaged Review: This holiday novella is a quick read easily accomplished in one sitting. The chemistry between the main characters is sizzling, and the book really takes off at the Jingle Ball. As office rivals, Phoebe and Rafael are forced to work together to secure a new client, the sparks will fly. This is a fun, sexy read for the holiday season with a lot of fun banter.

I have not read any of the rest of this series, and I had no problems so this reads well as a standalone, but it does encourage me to go back and read the rest of the series. Reviewed by Cyrene

4 Stars

Uncaged Review – Throwing Shade by Deborah Wilde

By
Cyrene Olson
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0

Throwing Shade
Deborah Wilde
Humorous Fantasy

Middle-aged. Divorced. Hormonally imbalanced. Then she got magic.
Underestimate her. That’ll be fun.

It’s official. Miriam Feldman is killing it in the midlife crisis department. She’s mastered boredom, aced invisibility, and graduated Summa Cum Laude in smiling and playing nice in her post-divorce life.

Then her best friend gets tangled up with some vamps and goes missing. If that’s not scary enough, Miri snaps, and in a cold dark rage, unleashes a rare and powerful shadow magic.

Now, with only a mouthy golem and a grumpy-yet-sexy French wolf shifter to help her navigate this world of hidden magic, she’s in a race against time to rescue her friend and keep her loved ones safe from the skeletons in her past.

Sure, she’s caught in a spiderweb of supernatural power plays, but she’s a librarian, she’s over forty, and she’s definitely done with being sidelined in her own life.

She’s turning her invisibility into strength; they’ll never see her coming.

Uncaged Review: This is a book written as I expect from this author, having read the Nava Katz series, so I was completely prepared for the sense of humor and quite a few grinning moments in this one as well. I did not get as deeply involved with the book as quickly as I did the prior series, but by a bit after the midway point, it was beginning to be a really fun read and hard to put down. I personally like a bit more romance, but I guess it is steering that way, sort of.

Since Miri is just beginning to understand her powers, and is still learning, I’m sure that this series is going to take off in the future installments and I wished I’d started them sooner. But luck will have it, the series is complete, so I won’t have to wait between books. A lot of action, a lot of originality, and some good supporting characters, and a main character who is not in her 20s. Win win. Reviewed by Cyrene


4 Stars

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