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Uncaged Review – Lisa: Coming of Age by KM Lowe

By
Cyrene Olson
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Lisa
KM Lowe
Shifter Romance

Soulmates will overcome anything.

When Lisa was left on the hospital steps seventeen years ago, it left a lot of unanswered questions in her mind. Where did she come from? Why was she abandoned? What did her future hold?

Well, one thing she knew was that her adoptive parents were the one constant thing in her life. She was loved, cared for, protected… until her biological family secrets were revealed, leaving her to fight the biggest fight of her life.

She turns to her best friend and soulmate, Marcus, who happens to make her world rock with emotions she didn’t know existed.

Will Lisa’s life ever be the same again?

Will Lisa’s love for Marcus survive?

Uncaged Review: This is a nice story with a lot of potential. For Lisa, she’s lived a human life since she was adopted by her parents, never knowing that she was shifter with the potential of amazing powers. Pulled away from a ruthless alpha father and left to die after her mother dies after childbirth. Fortunately, Jasper – who was the true soulmate of Lisa’s mother, promises her mother on her deathbed that he will protect her. He has her placed in a loving home and moves in not too far away to keep an eye out. Since Jasper is an enforcer for the shifter counsel, when a raid of band of rogues, he finds a baby boy – who is left to fend for himself in this rogue pack. He takes the boy and raises him as his own and names him Markus. Markus and Lisa are drawn to each other and become the best of friends all their life.

Now I won’t go into more, and although I really liked the story, it felt a little disjointed. It didn’t have the fluidity from scene to scene and the action scenes were a bit lackluster. There wasn’t a lot of tension in the romance between Lisa and Markus and it would have been nice to see Lisa and the others as wolves more than they were in the book. The book seemed more dialog oriented than most, and from chapter to chapter you are getting a different perspective, which threw me a couple times. All in all – it’s a nice start and an entertaining read. Reviewed by Cyrene

4 Stars

Uncaged Review – Tiny Gods by Shayne Silvers

By
Cyrene Olson
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0

Tiny Gods
Shayne Silvers
Urban Fantasy

Power is patient, power is kind…

No, wait. That’s not right. Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely… Just ask Nate’s ex-fiancée.

It’s almost this wizard’s birthday, so, he can cry if he wants to. That is, if he lives to see it…

Because a lot of people want him dead: his fiancée, his long-lost ancestor, the good wizards, the dark wizards, and… Look, it’s easier to list who doesn’t want to kill him.

To prevent a Shifter vs. Wizard War, Nate steps in to draw a line in the sand, picking a fight with the deadliest magic slingers on the planet… and then he tries to rob them.

And with Achilles angry at Nate for crashing his Fight Night, the Horsemen of the Apocalypse breathing down his neck, Gods hiding behind mortal skins, and an accidental shifter infection with a cheerful Swedish male dancer, Nate has his hands full.

But when his enemies decide to wake a God, the only way for Nate to level the playing field is to open an early birthday present from the Mad Hatter… And that’s when he finds out that nothing is ever simple, and that no one was ever who he thought they were all these years.

Uncaged Review: The sixth book in this series just flat out slays. There were a lot of mysteries solved – I know who Mallory is!!!! – and of course, tons of action. And the action sequences in this series is quite intelligent. I have no idea how the author keeps this stuff straight and where the heck in his brain it comes from, but I’m all in. This may have been my favorite so far – and that’s saying a lot this deep into the series. Nate gets answers, but of course, a lot of questions. This series is just starting to take a breath. Mr. Silvers makes Harry Potter seem like Kindergarten. Highly recommended. Reviewed by Cyrene

5 Stars

Uncaged Review – Mystic Maples by Tena Stetler

By
Cyrene Olson
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0

Mystic Maples
Tena Stetler
Fantasy Romance

Earth/Fire witch Mercy Rose’s insatiable curiosity always gets her in trouble. After a break-in at her Colorado flower shop, and a court battle that comes to a screeching halt in her favor, she arrives at Deerbourne Inn for a much-needed getaway. Looking for peace and quiet, she finds just the opposite in a startling handsome but mysterious man and his dog.

Silvanus Forrest’s gypsy/fae heritage is a double-edged sword. The land he inherited from his parents is rumored to be enchanted. But when Mercy discovers the truth, his well-ordered life unravels, and they’re catapulted into the past to right a wrong. Along the way their lives intertwine, and they discover the true meaning of family and love. Will they change the past in time to save their future?

Uncaged Review: This is a quick read, with the witch Mercy, needing to take some time off and get away. When the booking at the hotel she’s staying at gets mixed up, a man – Silvanus – offers to rent her a cottage on his property for the remainder of her stay.

This is a sweet story of love and learning to trust – just long enough to give you a good feel for the characters, but not overly long that it drags out unnecessarily. There was a lot of information that I didn’t get answers to, and I think Mercy and Sil’s relationship was a bit fast, but all in all, it’s a nice fantasy romance easy enough to read in a couple of hours.
Reviewed by Cyrene

4 Stars

Uncaged Review – Born to Run by Ann Hunter

By
Cyrene Olson
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0

Born to Run
Ann Hunter
Young Adult Contemporary

Alexandra Anderson is on the run from the law.
When the thirteen-year-old orphan can run no further, she collapses at the gates of the prestigious racing and breeding farm, North Oak. Horse racing strikes a deep chord in her. She hears a higher calling in the jingle jangle of bit and stirrup and in the thunder of hooves on the turn for home. It tells her she has a place in the world. But when the racing headlines find her on the front of every sports page, she realizes North Oak is no longer a safe haven.
Money can’t buy love, but it just might secure Alex’s future. Will everyone at North Oak still want to offer her a home when they learn of her unspeakable crime?

On the heels of Joanna Campbell’s beloved Thoroughbred Series, and Walter Farley’s Black Stallion, comes a brand new young adult horse racing series that will sweep you away like a runaway Thoroughbred.

Uncaged Review: Alexandra is brought up in the foster system, and she was dealt a crappy blow with her foster home. The foster mother is a drunk, mean, and beats and abuses the kids in her home. When she finally escapes and gets to North Oak, then maybe she’ll begin to heal. She instantly bonds with a young colt named Promenade. Even though the people at North Oak take her in (there is more to this story that you find out in the end of this book as to why they so quickly agreed) – her past with the law and the foster home will return….

There was some confusing parts – one scene would just quickly switch to another one without more than a paragraph break, and do a bit of a time skip, which threw me out of the story a bit.

A nice start to this series, I had to let my own prejudices that I have for the horse racing world be put on the side for this story – but it was well told. Obviously there are many secrets, and not all of them get answered in this book but it doesn’t toss you into a major cliffhanger. Reviewed by Cyrene

4 Stars

Uncaged Book Reviews – October 2019

By
Cyrene Olson
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0

Uncaged Review – Air Born by Rayanne Haines

By
Cyrene Olson
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0

Air Born
Rayanne Haines
Fantasy/Paranormal Romance

Quinn Taleisin hates secrets, and shadows, and subterfuge. Which is why she still can’t believe she agreed to become a member of the Guardians, an elite force of immortals tasked with keeping the balance between good and evil in the world.

Sounds great, except, to be a guardian you must agree to live in secrecy. Quinn is a wind elemental. Being caged in by secrecy is worse than death for someone like her. She can’t imagine a worse fate—until she’s asked to work with Lachon Findel, the man she holds responsible for her mother’s death and her father’s insanity.

Lachon is the oldest living elemental in the world. Known as Lachon the Law, he’s an earth element; a man who sees the world in black and white, right and wrong. So maybe once, briefly, a hundred years ago she thought he was a good guy. She knew better now. No way would she fall for his savior of the world shtick.

When the dangers of the past catch up with them, Quinn realizes the only way either of them will make it out alive is if she can put the ghosts of the past behind her and finally trust the flesh and blood man in front of her.

Uncaged Review: I’m running out of good words about this series and this author. I wanted a book about Lachon from the first time I met him, and bringing in Quinn just sweetened the deal for me. I knew that I was going to want to dig into Lachon – and so many questions about him and his actions that we learned in past books, we finally get the answers. And a few of the answers may surprise the reader.

You could get away with reading this as a standalone, but I highly recommend reading the first two books in the series first – so the reader will learn about this world and the established relationships, and more about our two main characters here. Two people that can’t stand each other are thrown together and the secrets are going to come out. They will need to get over their prejudices and trust each other to live through the danger they are facing. Keep writing Ms. Haines, I’m already having withdrawal symptoms. Reviewed by Cyrene

5 Stars

Uncaged Review – Stella of Akrotiri: Origins by Linda Rae Sande

By
Cyrene Olson
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0

Stella of Akrotiri: Origins
Linda Rae Sande
Historical Fantasy Romance

Immortality can be a lonely existence, especially when the world is about to implode.

For over six hundred years, Darius of Agremon has fought wars on behalf of those who needed his skills in combat. As a lechagos on Strongili, he spends his days commanding the Minoan coastguardsmen against pirates and marauders. His nights are spent alone, for despite having had wives in the past, he has watched them all grow old and die, childless, as he continues to live.

So when he senses immortality in an olive farmer’s young daughter, Darius bargains to take her to wife when she is old enough to marry.

A foundling, Stella works in her adoptive father’s olive orchard above Akrotiri, climbing the ancient trees to prune and to harvest the strings of pearls from their branches. She fears invaders when she watches flaming arrows arc in the sky, a sign the island is under attack. She worries about how the ground quakes beneath her feet and steam erupts from cracks in the ground. She wonders at the odd tingling sensation she experiences whenever Darius of Agremon is near, a sensation not unlike the one she feels when spending time in the oldest trees.

Unaware of the arrangement her father has made with the lechagos, Stella thinks she has been sold into slavery when Darius comes to claim her. Her youth has been spent admiring the man who helped her father’s olive business thrive. Now she has only contempt for him and his hard-headed manner.

While the earth trembles and a volcano threatens to destroy the island of Strongili, these two will have to forge a relationship that will last far longer than a lifetime—one that must endure an eternity and the disaster that’s about to wipe out the only home Stella has ever known.

Uncaged Review: The second book in this series takes us backwards to how Stella and Darius met. Darius meets Stella when she is a child, but senses her as an Immortal – and is charmed by the young girl who climbs olive trees.

Now this book is a bit of a slower burn and this is a pattern I’ve found consistent with this author – before I even know what’s happened, a couple hours have passed and I’ve been sucked into the story. There is no better way to capture a reader, and Ms. Sande has a special knack of doing that with her stories.

I enjoyed this story and gives us a better background on these characters and I really hope the author will revisit this world in the near future. Reviewed by Cyrene

5 Stars

Uncaged Review – Desert Blood by Anna Lowe

By
Cyrene Olson
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0

Desert Blood
Anna Lowe
Paranormal/Shifter Romance

She’s on the run…into the arms of forbidden love.
Heather Luth knows nothing about the paranormal world until one awful night changes everything. Now she’s on the run — straight into the arms of forbidden love. Her mind knows better than to fall for a werewolf’s sunny smile and mesmerizing voice, but her heart — and destiny — have other ideas.

On the surface, Cody Hawthorne is warm, witty, and fun, but beneath his carefree facade, Heather sees a real man struggling to break free. Day by day, Heather and Cody grow closer and closer, unable to resist their simmering passion — while day by day, a serial murderer closes in on his prey. Duty fights desire; fear wrestles trust as the human world clashes with the paranormal in a tale of forbidden love.

Uncaged Review: This is the 2nd book in this series, and I think I liked it even better than the first one. Anna Lowe is an author that I can count on consistently for a good read. This book is a quicker read and even though it’s forbidden for Cody to fall in love with a human, resisting Heather is not going to happen for him. But the danger ramps up when a serial killer is on the loose and now seems to be targeting Heather.

Great read, and I’m looking forward to the next one. Get out the tissue boxes for a couple great moments that will steal your heart.
Reviewed by Cyrene

4 1/2 Stars

Uncaged Review – Beyond Dead by Jordaina Sydney Robinson

By
Cyrene Olson
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0

Beyond Dead
Jordaina Sydney Robinson
Paranormal Cozy Mystery

Dead, snarky heroine? Check. 

Dead, sarcastic BFF? Check. 

Murdered ghost stuffed in a locker? Check.

Death is not what Bridget Sway expected. Not at all.

The afterlife is a mess of bureaucracy littered with nonsensical rules. It’s a fashion disaster for a uniform and a job that doesn’t pay. It’s a heinous communal living situation with housemates who have no concept of privacy or personal space. And it’s a handsome parole officer who is a stickler for those nonsensical rules that no one has bothered to explain.

As if all of that wasn’t bad enough, someone has stuffed a dead ghost in her locker … and the afterlife police are ready to pin the murder on her.

Uncaged Review: This book is off the wall, and not like anything I’ve read before. It took me awhile to really get into the book, it seemed a bit slow in the beginning, but it really does pick up speed and will have you laughing out loud as Bridget tries to solve a mystery that they are trying to pin on her – different ghosts are ending up dead dead in her locker – so she’s breaking all kinds of rules and her guardian Oz has his hands full keeping her out of trouble. But Bridget and her fun sidekick and dead BFF, Sabrina have a mystery to solve and to clear Bridget’s name and it turns into a lot of fun getting there and watching Bridget navigate her new life as a dead person. And you can kill a ghost so that they are dead dead. Who knew? Reviewed by Cyrene

4 1/2 Stars

Uncaged Review – Charming Marjani by Rebecca Rivard

By
Cyrene Olson
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0

Charming Marjani
Rebecca Rivard
Paranormal/Shifter Romance

He’s rich, sexy–and part-fae. But she’s a shifter assassin on a mission. She can’t let herself be charmed…

Marjani is the strong, silent second-in-command to her alpha brother. She’s seen too much death, lived through too much darkness. Now her cat threatens to take over, leaving her a cougar in a human body. But before it does, she undertakes one last mission to Iceland.

Fane Morningstar holds a prestigious position as one of the ice fae king’s envoys. But the fae never let him forget he’s not a pureblood. Then he meets Marjani and everything he thought he wanted gets turned on its head. He’d sell his soul for a night with her.

Unfortunately, he just might have to…

Uncaged Review: One of my favorite shifter books this year so far. This is a series book, and this book is the 5th book in the series, and I had no trouble getting used to this world that the author built considering I hadn’t read any of the other books in the series.

The pack believes that the pack alpha’s sister, Marjani is close to going feral and that her cat is beginning to dominate. But Adric believes his sister can make it back from the darkness, and when a message comes from that Corban from a different pack wants to challenge Adric in Iceland, Marjani goes instead, as his second. When she meets Fane, a half fae, the whole plan changes and Jani and Fane won’t be able to deny the attraction. So many feels this book delivers, from anger, to sadness and pity, to laughter and fun. And I may have needed a tissue at the end. Reviewed by Cyrene

5 Stars

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