Wednesday, January 22, 2025
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Uncaged Review: The Debutante and the Duke by Collette Cameron

By
Cyrene Olson
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0

The Debutante and the Duke
Collette Cameron
Victorian Historical Romance

All she wants is her freedom. All he wants is her…

Rayne Wellbrook shouldn’t be living in a luxurious London manor. She shouldn’t be the step-niece to a powerful duke, either. And she most certainly shouldn’t be sneaking into the neighbor’s gardens—even if the house is unoccupied. Or so she thinks until a rakishly handsome Scot startles her one morning. Though she’s wary of men and even leerier of nobles, this man with his too-long hair and piercing blue-green eyes sends her heart to frolicking. When he insists on an introduction, Rayne flees but can’t get the enigmatic new neighbor out of her thoughts.��

Fletcher McQuinton, Duke of Kincade, is only in London long enough to put the finishing touches on his new business ventures, and then he intends to head straight back to Scotland. His meddling English mother has other plans, however—namely finding him an appropriate blue-blooded wife to become the next duchess. Fletcher has vowed to never take an English aristocrat as a wife, but when he comes upon a delightfully intriguing woman climbing his garden wall, he begins to reconsider his reluctance.

Uncaged Review: The characters of Rayne and Fletcher are opposites, her – a young lady from society, and him, a duke who is half English and half Scottish and has vowed to return to Scotland once his business in England is complete, but when he sees a young lady climbing over the fence in the garden to the home he is renting, many plans start to go amiss.

This author always has a fun way of introducing characters to each other. This was a nice quick read that is fun to watch the romance. This is a sweet romance and although it had a few holes here and there, this author is always consistent for me to be a nice read. One thing I can say, is normally I love epilogues, but this one, not as much as usual – I think it had too large of a time jump for me, but overall, I can count on this author’s works to brighten my day.
Reviewed by Cyrene

4 Stars

Uncaged Review: Wolf’s Bane by Aimee Easterling

By
Cyrene Olson
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0

Wolf’s Bane
Aimee Easterling
Fantasy

Secrets are my specialty.

I’m Mai Fairchild — fox shifter, sister’s keeper, and bane of the local werewolf pack. In a world where different is dangerous, my sister and I must pretend to be human at all costs. Too bad I just lost the job that lets me live under the radar while putting food on my sister’s plate.

Enter an enticing werewolf who offers enough cash to upgrade our diets from ramen noodles to salami if I join him on a magical hunt. But can I afford to accept the opportunity when the risk of working closely with every fox shifter’s sworn enemy is so great?

Uncaged Review: This series has a lot of potential to get better and better, it didn’t all come together in this book, but I’m on board for the next ones in the series. The world building is a bit lack luster, and I didn’t get a good feeling of this world, it’s almost as if you are tossed into the world and just supposed to instinctively know how everything works. Things seem to come together slowly, but there are several things that are never really answered, but may be in the future books.

This is not a romance but it seems to be heading in that direction. Although I like Mai, I’m not sure I like her sister as well, even though she’s just a kid. But one thing I didn’t understand is why that the fox shifters have such a volatile nature and are sworn enemies to the wolf shifters. This is an action packed book, that doesn’t slow down much and the characters are easy to like. I haven’t fallen in love with the characters yet, but that may happen as the series progresses. Reviewed by Cyrene

4 Stars

Uncaged Review: Come Here, Kitten by Emilia Rose

By
Cyrene Olson
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0

Come Here, Kitten
Emilia Rose
Shifter Romance

A feared beast searching for an ancient relic. A woman determined to destroy him to prove herself. When their fates collide, more than fur will fly.

ARES
Warmonger Alpha Ares promises to kill anyone who has the Malavite Stone—a crystal packed with ungodly powers and healing properties. From slaughtering packs to building himself an empire, he will stop at nothing to find it.
That is until he meets Aurora.

AURORA
Aurora thinks she knows exactly how to destroy such an arrogant alpha: with a good night and some ale spiked with wolfsbane.
But she has three little secrets that could threaten her entire existence…
– She knows where the Malavite Stone is.
– A pack of bloodthirsty rogues are trying to kill her.
– And she’s falling for the man she once feared.

Can Aurora fend off the rogues alone? What will Ares do when he finds out Aurora’s secrets? Will their relationship survive their fate?

Uncaged Review: Sometimes a good steamy shifter book is what it takes to get out of the doldrums. And this book does a great job of it. Aurora is an alpha female that was destined to lead the pack but cannot shift because of a past injury, and now is thought of as weak to the pack. When her mother offers her up to Ares for pack protection, Aurora feels betrayal and stubbornly defies Ares. This book offers great characters and good world building, with action, loss, romance and mystery.

I enjoyed the book, and I loved the author brought in a cat, Ruffles as a great addition to the story and this book could have rated much higher for me except it ended on a cliffhanger. And it cut off in a strange place. I liked the steamy romance between Ares and Aurora, but their story continues – they have not hit their HEA, yet. Not a standalone.

4 Stars

Uncaged Review – The Forest by Michaelbrent Collings

By
Cyrene Olson
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0

The Forest
Michaelbrent Collings
Occult Suspense

Three kids went in.
Now, twenty years later, the two survivors are going back…

For Tricia and Alex, the idea is simple: find and rescue their friend, Sam, from his insane mother.

But when they enter the forest, they discover that their idea is anything but simple. Because this forest isn’t like any other.

Twenty years later, Tricia and Alex remember nothing of what happened that day they lost their friend. They know only that three kids went in, but only two came out.

To encounter fear itself.

The forest, as Alex and Tricia will discover, is a place where madness reigns. A place where a simple path becomes an ordeal. A place where the past comes to life, and the future is anything but certain.

Because the dead don’t stay dead… in The Forest.

Uncaged Review: If you are easily frightened (I’m not), then I wouldn’t recommend reading this at night right before you go to sleep. Even though I’m not easily scared, this book made me jump a few times, this would be a great film – it has all the trappings of a good thriller like Bird Box or A Quiet Place. A long time ago, 3 friends went into the forest, but only 2 came out. Sam never returned and now, twenty years later, Alex and Tricia are determined to go back and find Sam. They have no memories of what happened all those years ago, and it will be an uphill battle for them to come out of this in one piece and with their mind intact.

This is one of those books that I will come back to and read again. There is so much going on, and there were parts that I hurried through to see what would happen, and I’m sure I missed things. There was a bit of being a bit over muddled, but it’s worth a read, and maybe even a second read.

4 Stars

Uncaged Review: The Contest by Nora Katzir

By
Cyrene Olson
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0

The Contest
Nora Katzir
Women Sleuths/Mystery

Rachel’s husband is a cheater, and her friends have the perfect solution: kill John without getting caught.
They were referring to a hypothetical contest, of course. It wouldn’t necessarily solve Rachel’s problem, but it might ease her pain.
Entries to the contest, start pouring in from friends, customers at their favorite eatery and complete strangers.
When John dies in a suspicious car accident, the police investigate the wife, the mistress, and a rival for yet another lover.
One of the three is arrested for the crime, but did the police get it wrong?

Uncaged Review: I’m not a huge mystery reader, but this book is a light-hearted mystery that was fun to read. Rachel’s husband is caught cheating on her, and to cheer herself up, her and her friends start a contest on the most creative way to kill John. The contest grows rapidly and soon they are swamped with entries. And then John dies in a car accident. Whoops.

The friendship between the women is a refreshing touch, and the mystery was fun and I didn’t guess this one as I usually do with murder mysteries. The contest idea was unique, and it kept me reading to see if the contest “caused the death of John” or if it was truly an accident. A fun mystery with some light-hearted moments.

4 Stars

Uncaged Review: Slayer by Cyndi Friberg

By
Cyrene Olson
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0

Slayer
Cyndi Friberg
SciFi Romance

General Malik Xett doesn’t have time for romance. His one and only concern is curtailing the power and influence of the ruthless Sarronti elite. Still, the human female working with him lingers in his mind and fuels his imagination.

Though Kara O’Leary has been attracted to Malik since they first met, she never dreamed he returned her feelings. One kiss ignites a hunger neither can deny, but the timing couldn’t be worse. Hostilities rapidly escalate and new threats are revealed. How can Malik and Kara bring freedom to the “world below” when all they can think about is each other?

Uncaged Review: The character building and world
building in this novel are top notch, and the descriptions
have this world leaping off the pages. This is the
first book in a series and the first book I’ve read by
this author and I will be looking forward to reading
more from her. This is a complete novel, and does not
end on a cliffhanger, but I still believe reading any
series in order will enhance each story. With that said,
there is a lot going on in this book, and the romance
between Kara and Malik brews perfectly. Sarronti
males are paired with human women through a mate
locator. If there are more than one mate available, the
women can choose the one they prefer. There is one
that Kara is matched to, that she declines – and he
won’t take no for an answer, until Malik steps in.

There is a lot of action going on this book, and some
of the descriptions weigh the book down a bit, but
when it comes to scifi, it’s not always an easy task to
convey the world in the author’s mind to paper and
have others believe it. This book left a lot of unanswered
questions, but I believed this story and felt
what the characters were feeling, and for me, that
makes this an easily recommended book. Reviewed
by Cyrene

4 Stars

Uncaged Review: A Marquess for Miss Marigold by Maggie Dallen & Katherine Ann Madison

By
Cyrene Olson
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0

A Marquess for Miss Marigold
Maggie Dallen & Katherine Ann Madison
Historical Regency

All this wounded marquess wants is solitude. Instead, he stumbles across a wallflower…literally.

It wasn’t as though Marigold was hiding, she was just…lying low. In an abandon shed. Admidst a houseparty where both her best friends had managed to become engaged.

In a few days she can escape to her quiet life a solitude and books. Alone. Forever. But then the prodigal son returns to the manor and charges into her life with the military precision one might expect from a war hero. Even more terrifying, he refuses to ignore her like the rest of society. Of course, he doesn’t.

The irritating man seems to have made it his life’s mission to drag her out of the shadows and into the light. And while she has wish to be seen by the rest of them, his attention is starting to feel…nice. Better than that, even.

But he’s a marquess and a war hero. His interest is purely an act of kindness. Nothing more.

Unfortunately, her heart refuses to listen to reason. Which means…it’s bound to be broken.

Uncaged Review: Mary wants nothing more than to
steal away to the country and have a quiet life. During
a house party she hides away in a shed, but she’s
not the only one trying to get away from a party. Until
Max, a returning war hero and Marquess – finds her
and drags her back out to the party. Mary believes
he’s only doing this to be nice to her, but is he?

This is a shorter story, pretty easy to read in one sitting
and it’s a sweet, feel-good romance that has wonderful
characters. The two authors have done a terrific
job of writing together and even though this is part of
a series, you can easily read this as a standalone.
Reviewed by Cyrene

4 Stars

Changes to Uncaged Book Reviews for 2021

By
Cyrene Olson
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0

Hello all,
I wanted to take some time and let you know that Uncaged Book Reviews will be converted to a bi-monthly magazine for the remainder of the year. June will go as planned, and then the releases will be July/August, September/October and November/December. I will re-evaluate after that to see if and when it may go back to monthly. There are several reasons for this, but the main reason is a time issue. In the summer months, especially this year, there is a lot of work on this small farm and with the barn roof collapsing last January, we have a lot of work to clean it up and repurpose the barn since there will be no help from insurance. Uncaged takes at least 60+ hours each month just to put the magazine together (this does not count for the website at all) and there is not a “team” of designers, it’s only me. I have the great help from Melanie, Myra and Amy from a content point of view which I’m always grateful. 

A remarkable thing about Uncaged is the readership is steady, even as summer comes around. Each issue is uploaded for at least 2 years, and I went and looked yesterday, and even year old issues are still getting monthly reads, which makes advertising even more of a bargain, considering the ads will be seen for a long time. The ad promo of buy 2 get 1 free will remain in effect.

Secondly, June is the last month for eligibility for the Raven Awards. The voting will begin in July and there will be a LIVE Facebook event for the awards probably in August like last year. All nominees and authors will be invited to join in the party and have their own giveaways in between award announcements. More of that to come.

Also, if you are an author and would like to contribute an article to Uncaged on a per issue basis, I will gladly give a free Premium placement ad. I would consider two columns per issue and as long as it relates to books, genres, or anything in the book industry, and a minimum of 1500 words, there would be no other limitations.

So please, if you have any questions, please feel free to email me and please pass this info along to your authors as I can’t possibly email them all… and everyone, have a great summer.

xxxx Cyrene

Uncaged Review: A Lord for Miss Lily by Maggie Dallen and Katherine Ann Madison

By
Cyrene Olson
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0

A Lord for Miss Lily
Maggie Dallen & Katherine Ann Madison
Historical Romance

Lily’s lord is her long lost friend. He’s also her worst enemy.

Lord Merrick is perfectly handsome and charming…but this lord is a complete traitor. Lily knows this for a fact as she is the very person he turned his back on. Now she’s determined to avoid him at the house party she’s been trapped at with her former friend.

The only problem? Lord Merrick is like the plague… he just keeps cropping up.

And when he saves her from a social embarrassment, she’s tempted to spill all her darkest secrets. But how could she ever trust him like that again?

Even if they could recapture the friendship that once filled her life with happiness what would she do about all the feelings that hint she wants to be far more than his friend?

There is only one thing left to do.

Allow him to kiss her under the moonlight.

Uncaged Review: A friends-to-sweet romance
book that has all the feels. Lily and Merrick were
great childhood friends but each seemed to go
their separate ways for different reasons. Now
stuck at a house party together, they banter back
and forth. Lily believes she can’t trust Merrick
any more, and Merrick is in the dark as to why.
This is a clean, sweet romance that has wonderful
characters and is an easy read. Falling for these
wallflowers is easy and the writing duo of Dallen
& Madison is outstanding.

The books can easily be read as standalones and
come with their own HEA. No cliffhangers here,
just a reader looking forward to the next book in
the series.

4 Stars

Uncaged Review: Earl of Sin by Tammy Andresen

By
Cyrene Olson
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0

Earl of Sin
Tammy Andresen
Historical Regency

He’s a man of sin and she’s tempting beyond belief…

The Earl of Sinclair is a man returning from the brink. Raising a daughter on his own and only just skirting financial disaster, he’ll be the first to admit he needs help. But a beautiful tutor who whisks into house and begins making changes. He’s not certain this was a good idea. It’s one thing that his daughter loves her, but his own heart is in jeopardy.

Miss Mary Chase has been a burden on her family long enough. Tutor for an earl is the perfect opportunity to prove she can have a successful life as a spinster. But she didn’t count on the earl being so handsome. Nor did she realize he’d need as much help as his daughter.

The question now, is she the woman to heal his broken heart?

Uncaged Review: Mary, who lost her own family
and fiancé in the past, decides to interview to
be a tutor for Cole, the Earl of Sinclair who lost
his wife in childbirth a few years ago, and feels he
is failing his own daughter, Anne. Anne had been
kidnapped by Abernathy and Mary may be just
what Anne needs, but is she also able to heal the
heart of the Earl, and at the same time, her very
own?
I’ve read the other books in this series, and the
characters from the past books are returning, which
is one of my favorite things in series. This is a fast
read and a fast romance. There is no fat in this
book, and it hums along quickly and this is one of
those books that I wish was a bit longer. But with
the series continuing on, it reads like one longer
story. Great addition to this series.

4 Stars

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