The Eidola Project travels to Petersburg, Virginia, to investigate a series of murders in the Black community—rumored to be caused by a werewolf. Once there, danger comes from all quarters. Not only do they face threats from the supernatural, the KKK objects to the team’s activities, and the group is falling apart. Can they overcome their human frailties to defeat the evil that surrounds them?
Uncaged Review: This is not a typical werewolf book, like you might think looking at the cover. This is a historical horror book and is not for the easily offended by racism or the Klu-Klux-Klan, or the asylums. This is a book that is hard to put down, and a lot of things happen that I never saw coming. This is better than book one in this series, and I’d recommend reading the first book, The Eidola Project first to get a good background.
This author seems to be a new welcome voice in the gothic horror world, and I look forward to reading more. Reviewed by Cyrene
Tori Russo’s job is very simple—be a pretty distraction for a professional football player with a bad attitude. Her only problem? She’d rather gain some actual marketing experience during her internship than be someone’s arm candy for photo ops. Growing up with a Navy captain father and five older, overprotective brothers, she’s never been allowed to stand on her own two feet. She’s going to prove to them she has what it takes to be an independent adult. Even if it means giving in and faking a relationship with one of the NFL’s most eligible bachelors. Tori doesn’t want to sleep her way to the top, but her client is impossible to resist. If she can keep her heart out of the game, she can walk away with her head held high.
Mike Mitchell’s life shouldn’t be this complicated. All he wants is to play football and earn a good living for his family, but his life off the field is riddled with chaos. After a long-standing feud with an old friend-turned-rival is caught on camera, he’s assigned a PR rep by his team. His options are limited—play nice with the sweet as peaches redhead or be benched. With his paycheck and his ability to provide for his mom and sisters on the line, he’s convinced he can juggle one more ball. His only problem? He’s becoming way too attached to this gorgeous distraction. The friend zone is collapsing day by day. If he can’t avoid her temptation, then he’s going to have to find a different way to play by the rules.
Uncaged Review: I was pleasantly surprised by this romance, as I’m not a big contemporary sports romance reader, but this was an enjoyable read. I liked the witty characters and their chemistry, but I was confused at times at how much time had passed, sometimes I had to go back and look to see if I missed something. This is the fifth book in the series, and I did not read the first four, but I’m guessing I would have had a bit more background on some of the secondary couples that pop up and would have made this story even better.
This is a nice read, I think that even though it holds up okay as a standalone, I’d recommend reading the first four books in the series first. Reviewed by Cyrene
Welcome to Uncaged! You released, The Weight of Ashes in August. Can you tell readers more about the book? Are you working on anything now that you tell us about?
The Weight of Ashes is about Mark Murphy, a young boy unwilling to accept the death of his older brother and enlists the help of his friends to carry his ashes to the Witch on Spook Hill to have him resurrected. In the end, it a story about grief and loss and the myriad ways in which we cope with it.
At the moment, I’m working on the second book in a young adult fantasy series. The first, The Fallen Hero, will hopefully have a home soon!
What is the most difficult scene for you to write? What is the easiest?
Whew. There were so many emotionally challenging scenes in this one. Avoiding spoilers, I’ll say the most difficult was the scene in which Mark finally arrives where he believes the witch lives. The emotional weight of the journey, his brother’s loss, and the hopes he carries just spill over. I had to stop multiple times to compose myself. The easiest is a flashback with his brother and cousin on a baseball field. Despite the intensity the scene closes with, I’m always most comfortable and happy on a baseball field.
Do you have a favorite character you’ve written? Has there been a character that’s been hard to write about?
A favorite is tough. We’re supposed to love all of our children equally, right? But if I must choose, I’d go with Belle, a thirteen-year-old autistic girl in The Fallen Hero. She’s so pure, full of joy, sees more than people give her credit for, and is the glue that holds that group of friends together. The most difficult was Gordon, in The Weight of Ashes. Closely based on a friend of mine who committed suicide when I was seventeen, he opened up a number of channels of grief I had no idea were still broadcasting.
How do you come up with the title to your books?
Much like element of storytelling, it has to have a purpose. I want it to say something about the story, about a character, or to capture the voice or mood of the pages within. The Weight of Ashes, for example, has a dual meaning: the literal weight of his brother’s ashes as well as the emotional weight attached to them.
Read the rest of the interview in the issue below
Broadleaf Writers Association Founder & Executive Director Zachary Steele is the author of three novels, including his latest, The Weight of Ashes. He was nominated for the Sidewise Award for Alternate Fiction and has been featured in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Publisher’s Weekly, Writer’s Magazine, Shelf Awareness and City Lights with Lois Reitzes on NPR. Currently, he is hard at work on the first book in his upcoming fantasy series, The Fallen Hero, for release in 2022. You can follow his ramblings on writing and life at http://zacharysteele.com/.
After a car accident claims his older brother’s life, Mark Murphy’s world is turned upside down. The silence of their shared bedroom, the memories of Mitch’s guidance, and his mother’s drunken spiral are constant reminders of the cost of his absence. But Mark isn’t ready to grieve. He isn’t ready to accept that his brother is truly gone. Despite the insistence of the adults in his life that he accept Mitch’s death, Mark is undeterred.
They don’t know what he knows.
They don’t know the story of the Witch on Spook Hill.
Aided by his loyal band of misfit friends, Mark’s plan to carry Mitch’s ashes to the witch is complicated by the pursuit of the town sheriff and the cousin responsible for his brother’s death. With no time to regroup, Mark and his friends must navigate the dangerous path to Spook Hill before the sun sets, so that Mitch can be resurrected in exchange for the life of the one who took it.
Excerpt
Another minute flipped by. 8:45. The red numbers seemed to burn hotter. Like they were mad at me for still sitting on the floor. Two hours had passed, and I hadn’t moved. If the bed wasn’t at my back, I’d have probably dropped flat on the floor, curled up with my pack and bat, and never moved again. I needed to get up, but the fear wouldn’t let me.
What if Mama had the box?
What if I couldn’t find what I needed at the Junkyard?
What if I made it to the witch and she couldn’t…
She could. She had to.
My arms trembled.
I was supposed to be gone already. The walk to the Junkyard would take thirty minutes. No way I could avoid being late now. If my friends didn’t wait, I’d be on my own. I couldn’t do this alone. And if I waited much longer, there wouldn’t be time to do it at all. It’d take a while to find Gordon’s car, then it was at least another twenty minutes through the woods to the Mall. Then, from there, we had to find the trail. We’d be pushing dark getting back as it was. Any later and we had bigger problems. Trying to get through the woods at night would be impossible, even with Mitch leading the way.
A sting ran deep into my chest. The corner of the box peeking out of the rip in my pack jabbed into my collar bone. My arms wrapped tight around the pack like it was the only thing keeping me alive. I didn’t know how long the box had been like that, but the sting didn’t go away when I lowered the pack. In fact, it spread until my entire body ached.
“Get up, Mark. Get up and go. Now. You have to. Mitch needs you.”
Mama’s door was always open unless she was out of her room. I just needed to sneak in, switch the ashes, then sneak out and go. That’s all. If she woke, I only had to be faster than her. She’d forgive me later. I didn’t want it to go like that, but there was no other way.
Dishes clinked.
My heart beat so hard I thought it might bust through.
Mama was up.
I’d waited too long.
She couldn’t be up. That wasn’t the plan.
I bounded to my feet as if my legs hadn’t refused to budge for the past two hours. The door stuck in the frame. In the summer months, the humidity made the wood swell. Took my shoulder to knock it loose, setting it to pop and rattle as it swayed outward, into the wall. From the sink, Mama gave me a tired smile. “Morning, baby. You hungry? I was just about to make some eggs.”
I wasn’t and I’d never hated the thought of eggs so much in my life.
“No, ma’am.” My stomach hurt. I was pretty sure I’d never be hungry again.
Her bedroom door was shut. She’d already showered and looked presentable. On Saturdays, she was always in her blue sleeping gown until late morning. She showered while I watched cartoons. It was all wrong. Mitch was waiting. I couldn’t go tomorrow. This was the fourth day. There wouldn’t be a fifth. Mitch would be gone.
In a land that parallels ours, a great evil lies in wait. To defeat it, Brooke must face her greatest fears.
Just when Brooke Fisher thought she had a handle on her anxiety, strange things start to happen. In addition to her hair turning green, she has had nothing but cold showers and iced coffee for weeks. When the man starring in her nightmares walks into her reality, she must determine their connection.
The beautiful woman Will Engel has met is complicated in a way that speaks to him. As he helps her unravel the clues in a mysterious journal, he finds that their pasts are intertwined in a way that defies all logic.
As the threat of the Shadowman grows stronger, their journey takes them to a magical land that parallels their own. What they find there not only confirms Brooke’s destiny as the element of Water, but Will’s as well.
Uncaged Review: This romance was a refreshing change of pace for me. When Brooke and Will meet, they find a connection and are drawn to each other pretty early on. A little bit of magic, tossed in – made this for a book that was difficult to put down at times. I liked how together, they grew closer unraveling a mystery. Even Will will find some things about himself he never knew.
This is an easy recommendation, the characters are easy to like, there is suspense, mystery, fantasy and even a bit of heat and humor. Reviewed by Cyrene
Sugar Plum fairies eat your heart out. Madison Reynolds has visions of a different kind dancing in her head. Home for the holidays in Cedar Bend, Colorado, Madison must focus on helping her bedridden pregnant sister, not fantasize about the one who got away. But how is she supposed to forget about her high school crush when she bumps into him at every turn?
From the moment Ryder Sanders untangled the reindeer antlers from Madison’s hair his Christmas season appeared brighter. The time spent in her company leaves him more smitten. So, why does she still treat him as if he has cooties? They’re not in high school anymore.
Can the two find a forever love? Or will their wishes melt away like icing on a Christmas treat?
Uncaged Review: I love second chance romances, and add in the holiday, and it just makes it that much better. Madison returns to her hometown to help her pregnant sister, but runs in to her high school crush, Ryder. There is a definite love triangle going on, which is at times frustrating. What was really fun about this book is the secondary cast of characters. Four year old nephew Taggert and his father Jim were hilarious at times and great additions to the story.
This is a romantic holiday book, with romance and humor. The author keeps it flowing seamlessly and it was over before I realized it. This is a book that should be a Hallmark movie, not those corny ones. Reviewed by Cyrene
Welcome to Uncaged! This year you released the third book in the series, Bewitching the Beast, called The Goddess of Magic. Can you tell readers more about the book and the series?
The Bewitching the Beast series is about a family of witches battling the dragon spirits who have invaded the world. These spirits are possessing hosts and feeding off humans, and can only be defeated if these women, their significant others, and their friends band together. All of these books are stand-alone romances and follow the love stories of those on this growing team of dragon hunters.
The third and final book in this series, The Goddess of Magic, centers around Holly, a family friend, who has been kept in the dark about the dragon spirits for her own protection only to find herself in the sights of the most powerful dragon spirit the team has ever encountered.
She is put under the protection of Peter, the brother of one of the dragon hunters. He tries his best to keep Holly out of trouble and safe, and in the process, they grow close, although there’s no stopping the evil forces that stand against them.
What is the most difficult scene for you to write? What is the easiest?
For me, writing love scene is the most difficult. There’s just so much to them. Not only do you have the act itself to describe in a sexy way, but the scene should be unique to that particular couple. Emotions, thoughts, and dialogue should reflect their individual personalities and character growth. It’s also important that the scene carry the story forward. That’s a lot to think about!
The easiest scenes for me are probably action scenes. Once I plan out what I want to happen, it seems like I can get the words on the page fairly quickly.
Do you have a favorite character you’ve written? Has there been a character that’s been hard to write about?
In this series, I have a handful of characters that I really enjoyed writing. Tess, the heroine in the first book, Bewitching the Beast, has a fun midwestern sense of humor (very wry and deadpan) that tickled me. I hadn’t planned to write her like that. She just came out that way, and I loved it! I also have a couple of secondary characters in these books that I had fun with—Gram (who is Tess and Faith’s dead grandmother) and Dorothy (an eccentric witch who owns an occult store). Both these older ladies were somewhat odd but funny.
Faith, the heroine of the second book, Spellbound Captive, gave me a little bit of trouble at first. I think because I loved Tess’s sense of humor so much, I assumed Faith would be the same. But just like in real life, sisters are not exactly the same. They find different things funny. She ended up a bit different, still enjoyable but different. Part of the reason she wasn’t as open and free as Tess was because of the trauma she’d survived—she’d run away from home and tried for years to save her friend from the dragon possessing him.
Read the rest of the interview in the January/February issue of Uncaged Book Reviews below
A small town girl with a big imagination, Tamara Hughes had no idea what to do with her life. After graduating from college, she moved to a big city, started a family and a job, and still struggled to find that creative outlet she craved. An avid reader of romance, she gave writing a try and became hooked on the power of exploring characters, envisioning adventures, and creating worlds.
She enjoys stories with interesting twists and heroines who have the grit to surmount any obstacle, all without losing the ability to laugh.
Ethan Lockwood hates what he’s become—a slave to a parasitic monster whose victims’ names pepper the obituaries. He’s possessed by The Beast, a dragon who feeds off human spiritual energy. After a year of fighting The Beast’s demands, Ethan is losing the battle. The creature is taking over his mind, body, and soul. When he spies Tess, he can relate to her weary look and the sadness in her eyes, but her aura shines like a beacon, attracting The Beast. Ethan is forced to drain her energy, but for a split second, she subdues the creature inside him, compelling the spirit to slumber. How? Can she somehow free him from The Beast? Ethan chases after her. He can’t afford to let Tess die.
Since her fiancé’s death, Tess Edwards struggles to find new meaning in life. She doesn’t expect that new meaning to involve a sexy photographer who says he’s possessed by an energy-stealing beast. He claims she’s in danger and that he’s the only one who can save her. Great. He’s a nut job—cute, but delusional. She doesn’t believe in dragon spirits and magic, not until she finds her grandmother’s Book of Shadows. She’s descended from witches, and the book warns her of her fate. Although the beast inside Ethan needs her alive, he isn’t the only one of his kind. There’s another, and he wants Tess dead.
Excerpt
Chapter One
Tess knew guilt. As a former Catholic schoolgirl, sometimes she felt like she had a sign on her back that read “Guilt trips work here.” What else would explain why she’d let Holly talk her into coming here tonight? When Holly had found out her boyfriend, Wade, had invited his bro Jay out for New Year’s Eve, she’d begged, “Tess, I’m going to end up being the third wheel. Please come out with us. Save me.” Blind dates sucked, and this one wasn’t going to be any different.
Flashing strobe lights distorted the movements on the dance floor, while a pulsing beat rattled the glasses on the tall table in front of Tess and reverberated through her chest.
The Mood on New Year’s Eve. Big whoop.
Tess adjusted her position on the stool and scanned the dim interior of the club. She should have told Holly she was busy. Her imaginary cat, Arty, needed his toenails polished.
The DJ bobbed his head and shuffled back and forth, his eyes closed, consumed by the music. Of course, this might have been fun with Matt by her side. She would have liked to see his awkward dance again. The one where he swayed from foot to foot and punched his arms out in wild directions. She’d always needed to duck and cover whenever they danced together.
Matt. The one she was supposed to grow old with. That dull, empty ache gnawed at her stomach again. Good going, Tess.
She downed the last of her champagne and set the flute on the table, then turned from the dance floor to the seating behind her. Couches and plush chairs were grouped together toward the back of the club, each seating arrangement dimly lit by hanging cone-shaped lamps. A group of five women sat huddled together, deep in conversation. They whispered and chatted before twisting in their chairs to ogle someone seated along the opposite wall. Tess followed their stares to an ungodly handsome man—gorgeous in a model-meets-biker sort of way. His wavy, dark hair brushed the tops of his shoulders, framing his angular jaw and piercing eyes. A black leather jacket hugged his broad shoulders, while snug jeans emphasized his lean build.
He drained the last of his beer and set the empty on the table. His arms resting on his knees, he focused on the beer bottle as if willing it to refill, then pinched the bridge of his nose. His hand was covered by a black leather glove.
Was wearing one glove coming back into style? Man, she hoped not.
He surveyed the room, his eyes blazing with intensity. Tess could almost hear the collective sigh from the women eyeing him.
His gaze edged her way before darting past toward the door, a wistful expression on his face. He stiffened and flexed his gloved hand.
The need to escape. Tess knew the feeling. But what was stopping him? She gave a short laugh. He’d probably promised someone he’d stay until midnight, like she had.
Not that she cared. She had her own problems. Tess studied the crowd, but her attention was drawn back to him. She was such a sucker for sad, needy people.
A cute brunette waitress approached him, and he sat up. She smiled and ran her fingers through her pixie cut as she crouched beside him. He tossed back the shot she handed him and returned the empty glass. The waitress laughed and touched his arm, her over-the-top flirting painful to watch. The biker shook his head and took the fresh beer she offered. A slight frown marred the woman’s face as she rose and left, swaying her hips. No doubt the motion usually attracted loads of attention, like the hypnotic flashing lights at a railroad crossing. He barely noticed. His stare veered away from the spectacle and toward Tess. This time their eyes met and held.
Read the rest of the excerpt in the January/February issue of Uncaged Book Reviews below
Will cursed cookies poison their magical Christmas?
Molly Hendrickson is looking forward to a happy holiday with her fiancé, Lucian Lord, manager of Black Cat Antiquities. A sorcerer and reincarnated knight from the Middle Ages, Lucian protects Cat’s Paw Cove from evil magic and is teaching Molly how to use her newfound abilities—because even in the festive season, their enemies, The Dealers, could strike again.
The Dealers are indeed plotting, because together, Lucian and Molly could pose too big a threat. Hoping to split up the couple for good, The Dealers use the town’s amorous cougar and a batch of enchanted holiday cookies to lure Lucian away from Molly.
Has Molly lost Lucian forever? Or will she be able to break the spell so she and Lucian can get the happily ever after they deserve?
Uncaged Review: What a great time to go back and visit Lucian and Molly again. If you haven’t read the book where these two first showed up, Hot Magic, you needn’t read it to read this one, but you probably should, it’s way too much fun in Cat’s Paw Cove to miss.
This time The Dealers are trying to hex the couple, and Molly will need to find out how to break the spell. This is a fun suspense/romance and you may find yourself laughing often, and if not, you will smile the whole way through. This is a fun, cozy fantasy mystery that’s a lot of fun. Reviewed by Cyrene
Welcome to Uncaged! Your first book in a series, Guinevere: The Dragon Ring, will release in January. Can you tell readers more about this series? Is this your debut novel?
Thank you very much for asking me to talk to you. I’m very excited about your invitation.
This will be my first published novel. It stems from an experience I had about twenty years ago. My husband and I visited Glastonbury Tor where he took four photos from a distance on motor drive with infrared film loaded in his camera. In those days he had his own dark room, so when we arrived home he developed the film straightaway. And what a shock we got when we looked at the negatives. In the first photo the ruined church tower is there on the summit of the Tor, in the second it’s fading, in the third it’s totally vanished, and in the fourth it’s back. This made me wonder if we’d had a glimpse into the past, just for an infinitesimally small moment in time, back to when no tower sat on top of the Tor. And I wondered what would have happened had we been inside the tower when it vanished. I’d always wanted to write an Arthurian novel from the point of view of Guinevere, and much later, with my children all grown up, I put finger to keyboard and these books were born.
21st-century librarian, Gwen, is the daughter of an obsessive Arthurian scholar who named her and her twin brother after Arthur and Guinevere. When she goes to fulfill her late father’s wishes by scattering his ashes on top of the Tor, she finds a dragon ring inside the ruined tower. Touching it snatches her back in time to the Dark Ages to become the woman she’s named after – King Arthur’s legendary queen, Guinevere. So she’s a conundrum herself, a classic ‘which came first – the chicken or the egg?’.
There’s an element of magic in my books but I try not to make it overbearing. It’s magic that brings Gwen back to the end of the fifth century, and magic that gives her a perfect understanding of both Brythonic Celtic and Latin, but apart from that the world she finds herself in is basic and primitive. And very dangerous. Not just from the terrain – a lot of perilous marshland where she could drown and forests full of wolves and brigands, but from hostile villagers thinking she’s a bog spirit or Saxon spy, and from Merlin himself, who informs her that he’s brought her here to fulfill a prophecy and marry Prince Arthur.
There will be six books in all, recounting Gwen’s life as Arthur’s queen, experienced through the critical mind of a modern young woman. And not just any modern young woman – one who, thanks to her father, intimately knows all the legends and history surrounding Arthur and his era. Unfortunately for Gwen, she also knows the story of his ultimate tragic fate – if the legends are correct. As time passes, and that fateful day draws ever nearer, Gwen is forced to count down the days to the terrible finale she foresees.
All the places in my books exist, and I’ve visited practically all of them. I’m lucky enough to live in the UK and be able to travel to, and experience for myself, every location I include in my stories. I like to stand where my characters stand, and see what they see. From South Cadbury Castle (Din Cadan), through Glastonbury (Ynys Witrin), to Wroxeter (Viroconium), Wall (Caer Luit Coyt) and Chedworth Villa (unnamed in my book but there) – all are places you can visit if you want to, and stand in the footprints of Arthur and Guinevere. The above are just the settings for book one – the other books will take you further afield, but don’t worry, as maps will be included.
You won the Dragonblade Publishing Writestuff Competition 2021, a contest that is running now. What would you say to authors that are hesitant to enter?
Don’t hesitate. In no way did I ever think I was going to win this competition. I didn’t think my book was the sort of novel that would win because it’s not about the Regency period, or Scotland – although there is a bit set in Scotland in book three – and the books are a saga of one woman’s lifelong love, rather than separate stories linked together.
I entered as soon as the competition opened, then forgot about it. I’ve entered a lot of competitions in my time, and this was the first one I won, although I’ve been shortlisted before now. In April 2021, I was more than surprised to find I’d made the semi-final list, but when I googled the other finalists, I felt sure I wouldn’t win, as many of them were already published authors with success under their belts.
On the day they announced the results, July 1st, because I live in the UK, I was a good six hours in front of the US, so I didn’t see the announcement until after 10 in the evening. As Kathryn Le Veque read out the winners in reverse order, I became more and more convinced I had no chance, until she reached the overall winner. I screamed. Literally. Several times, in fact. No one could have been more surprised than me! So however you see yourself and your chances, definitely enter this competition – because you never know. It could be you next year.
Read the rest of the interview below
Fil, who’s from Southern England, has always loved horses. She’s worked with them and owned them for much of her life. Consequently, she likes to include horses in all her books, which is handy as her favourite thing to write about is the Dark Ages, when horses were essential.
When she’s not writing she’s researching, because she loves to learn new things, and she’s taught herself both Latin and Greek, and is now embarking on learning Brythonic Celtic – for reasons of research, of course.
The present day – 24-year-old librarian Gwen goes to scatter her father’s ashes on Glastonbury Tor and is kidnapped back in time to become King Arthur’s Dark Age queen – Guinevere.
Welcome to book 1 in the exciting new series Guinevere from Dragonblade Publishing author Fil Reid!
Gwen, a twenty-four-year-old librarian, lives with her boyfriend, Nathan, in a small house, with all the accoutrements of modern living any girl could ask for. When her father dies, and with her ne’er-do-well twin brother on the other side of the world, it’s left to Gwen to fulfill her father’s wishes and scatter his ashes on the top of Glastonbury Tor in Somerset, England. Stepping into the ruined church tower, a gold ring catches her eye – a ring embossed with a dragon emblem. When Gwen picks it up, she’s snatched into the dangerous world of the Dark Ages, where she discovers she’s expected to fulfill a prophecy, by marrying Prince Arthur and helping him become the king of legend.
Will she stay with Arthur?
Arthur, Prince of Dumnonia, and son of the ailing King Uthyr Pendragon, has ruled the hilltop fortress of Din Cadan for his father since he was a boy of sixteen. But he has an older brother who looks set to inherit both the kingdom and the High Kingship. Tall, handsome, ruthless, he’s less than convinced that any prophecy can decide his future, and he doesn’t think he needs a wife. But news comes that his father is at last dying in far-off Viroconium. Taking Gwen with him, further and further from the Tor where she had hoped to return to her own world, he sets off to outwit his brother.
Will he grow to love Gwen?
Excerpt
Chapter One
When I went to scatter my father’s ashes, I didn’t expect to get kidnapped.
On that chilly Sunday morning in November, I wanted to be alone for the last words I’d ever say to him. With Dad in my backpack, and leaving my boyfriend, Nathan, asleep in bed in our Glastonbury hotel, I climbed the steep path to the Tor.
In the half-light of early morning, thick mist lay over the town, and no one else was about. For miles around only the odd dark treetop and the tip of a church spire emerged from the sea of white.
Easy to see why some people believed this hill could have been part of Avalon, that mystical land King Arthur had vanished to after being mortally wounded in his last battle. My father had been one of those people.
Shouldering off my backpack, I pulled out Dad’s urn. It weighed surprisingly heavily in my hands for someone who’d only been skin and bone when he’d died. I stood him on the grass beside the roofless church tower.
“I wish Artie could be here, Dad.”
No answer, of course. My twin brother was on the far side of the world on a prolonged trip with his mates, and I’d have to imagine him here with me, spiritually, despite the fact he hadn’t made the effort to get back. Typical.
A bitter frost sparkled on the short grass. For a minute or two, I stood looking at the bleak hilltop, remembering the last time I’d been up here seventeen years ago. Artie and I were seven, our mother was already dying. Although being so young we weren’t aware of the limitation on our time with her. I remember it so well because it was the first time I saw the Fancy-Dress-Man.
The trees’ naked branches rattle in the wind beneath a dull grey sky. Damp cold penetrates to my very bones. My mother’s skin is parchment pale, her once glorious auburn hair wispy and colorless beneath her hand-knitted hat.
My father, over-enthusiastic as usual, expounds on the history of the Tor. He looks old, with his bush of grey hair, jutting eyebrows and thick-lensed spectacles. He’s a university professor and obsessive Arthurian scholar, which is how my brother and I have come to be called Arthur and Guinevere. Although my mother shortens those to Artie and Gwennie.
The hump of Glastonbury Tor rises out of the surrounding flat farmland, long since reclaimed from ancient marshes. Dad parks our Land Rover on a rutted grass verge, and we take the shortest route to the summit.
Artie and I run on ahead, our boots splashing through the puddles. We’re oblivious to the quiet suffering of our mother as she and our father slog along behind us. It’s a pilgrimage for them, as it will be the last time she sees the Tor. But to exuberant seven-year-olds, she just seems annoyingly slow.
We reach the summit together, well ahead of our parents. For a moment the gaunt outline of the tower holds me mesmerized, even though I’ve seen it countless times before. Artie and I have been visiting Glastonbury since just after we were born.
“Race you to the tower.” Artie gives me a backward push and sets off at a run. I sprint after him, but he’s long-legged and athletic and taller than I am, and besides, he’s given himself a cheating head start. He wins, of course. I pretend I haven’t been trying. We walk round to the far side of the tower and look out at the view over the Somerset Levels.
Voices carry on the wind. I peer through the arches of the tower. Our parents appear at the far end of the hilltop.
Read the rest of the excerpt below in the January/February issue of Uncaged Book Reviews
When the guarded King of the Underworld collides with a maddeningly reckless lady, the road to ruination becomes impossible not to take.
Lady Frederica Darlington isn’t prim, obedient, or appropriately dispassionate as a proper lady of the aristocracy should be. Nor is she interested in securing a husband, whether rake, rogue, duke, or lord. Freddy wants to live as she pleases in a place she feels she belongs, and for a unconventional lady, the bohemian world of Covent Garden seems the perfect spot. She has a plan to achieve her goal, but when one of her secret missions goes awry and the King of the Underworld rescues her, danger never looked so enticing. And the future she was certain of now feels utterly confusing.
Born and bred on the cutthroat streets of London, Gabriel Beckford has known his share of struggle and loss. He even obtained a few enemies, one of whom is waiting to destroy any lady Gabe falls in love with, so Gabe lives by one simple, necessary rule: never get close. It’s a dictate that’s been easy to abide—until the day Frederica sweeps into his life like a storm. Her passionate nature and impossible impetuousness tempts him beyond reason, and when she declares to make the territory he rules her home, he’ll do everything in his power to stop her and keep her out of his life, head, and heart.
But when a threat to Frederica brings Gabe to her side once more, keeping her at a distance becomes impossible. As Gabe’s enemy closes in, Frederica and Gabe must learn how to trust themselves—and each other—and either submit to the love they thought they never wanted or risk losing the very thing that could save them both.
Uncaged Review: I love this series by this author, but this one doesn’t measure up as well as the others. Freddy is not a very likable character in the beginning, and although she redeems herself later on, it’s hard to completely like her when she starts out a bit selfish. I feel this one was written in a bit of a rush, but it’s still a good addition to the series.
As for Gabe, I felt more connection to him, but it was still not the connection I’ve felt with other heroes in the series. I am intrigued by Frederica’s brother, and looking forward to that book. Reviewed by Cyrene
Lady Philippa Shaw had it all: a husband who was madly in love with her, a sweet baby daughter, and a house in the most exclusive square in London. Until a shocking discovery after her husband’s death revealed her happy life was a lie. Now, his past crimes are returning to haunt her, bringing danger, devastation, and the one man she’s spent the past few years despising.
Roland, the Duke of Northwich, never recovered from losing Pippa to the cunning scoundrel she married instead of him. When he began investigating the murky business dealings of her dead husband, however, he never intended to cause Pippa harm. Their clash is instant, her enmity for him shattering. As the shadowy menace of her husband’s sins emerges, Northwich offers his protection in the only way he knows how.
Pippa has no intention of binding herself to the duke in a marriage of convenience. But after an incident makes the threat to herself and her daughter undeniable, she reluctantly accepts his proposal. She finds herself struggling to reconcile the cold, ruthless man she believed Northwich to be with the caring, considerate man she’s married.
As they work together to discover who is behind the attacks on her, the secrets of the past are unlocked. And the most shocking one of all lies in her new husband’s heart.
Uncaged Review: This is the 6th book in a series, and it reads perfectly fine as a standalone. After losing her husband, Pippa finds out that her marriage was all a ruse, her husband with his bad business dealings and it’s all coming back to haunt Pippa and her daughter. Roland, who was jilted by Pippa years ago, still steps up to the plate and offers his protection.
I have to admit, I love this author’s books, but I did not like the heroine in the first two thirds of the book. She was very immature and undecided, and I didn’t see much growth with her until the last part of the book. So unfortunately, reading most of a book, not really connecting to the heroine, makes it a bit harder to put up there with my favorites. Reviewed by Cyrene
