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Feature Author – Kristal Dawn Harris

By
Cyrene Olson
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Uncaged welcomes Kristal Dawn Harris

Uncaged: Your newest book, Red Snowflakes is releasing in November. Can you tell readers more about the book?

I was inspired to write Red Snowflakes after developing an interest in stained-glass art. I kept seeing these beautiful images of snowflakes, and the idea of a vampire who creates red, stained-glass snowflakes popped in my head. Dena, the heroine in the story, is a crime scene photographer who also enjoys scenic photography. While on a hike in the mountains of Oregon, Dena is caught in a freak snowstorm, but rescued by Dimitri. Red Snowflakes is a beautiful Christmas romance about a lonely vampire who desires to be loved more than anything. Christmas is the season of hope even for a vampire!

Uncaged: You also have a couple different series running, can you tell us more about those also?

The Rings of Faolan-Emeralds and The Rings of Faolan-Rubies feature modern-day werewolves living in Ireland. The Faolan family is comprised of three siblings: Elise, Michael, and William. Each book tells the story of one of the siblings finding their mate. I’m currently writing the third, and final, book in the series. The books are full of passion, danger, and humor.

The Red Heart Club series are historical-erotic novelettes. The stories revolve around illegitimate daughters who set their sight on a member of The Ton for different reasons. The women are sassy, brave, and willing to take a chance on the man of their dreams.

Uncaged: What are you working on now that you can tell us about?

I love paranormal romance, but sometimes I need a break from werewolves and vampires. I’m currently working on a contemporary romance. The female lead, Nena, is stubborn, proud, and sexy. The male lead, Jasper, is controlled, used to having his way, and handsome. Sparks fly, tempers flare, and passion runs rampant when Jasper and Nena meet in a dance club. The book is titled, “Three Propositions,” and should be ready for release in the Spring of 2020.

Kristal Dawn Harris is an American romance author who currently lives in Ohio. She has been married for 27 years and has two, grown children. Kristal finished her Associate degree from Miami University in Accounting Technology. She is an avid reader and, in particular, loves paranormal romance. Her hobbies include coin collecting, physical fitness, spending time with family, and song writing.
In 1999, Kristal suffered from an autoimmune disorder called, “Guillain-Barre Syndrome.” The disease caused nerve damage in all extremities. Her road to recovery was a difficult one, but she lives a very healthy, productive life now. She does wear drop-foot braces in her shoes because of the permanent damage. Kristal considers herself a survivor and encourages anyone with a disability to follow their dreams!
Kristal began writing short poems at an early age, which evolved into songs, and then novels. Her first book, “The Rings of Faolan-Emeralds,” released October 31, 2018, by The Wild Rose Press. She has gone on to publish six more books in one year.
Kristal primarily writes for her publisher, The Wild Rose Press, although she self-released “Hand-Carved Wolf” and “Thief of Hearts.” She writes paranormal, contemporary, and erotic romance.

kristalharris.com

Red Snowflake
Kristal Dawn Harris
Paranormal Romance
Releases Nov. 6

Does a vampire deserve a Christmas miracle?

Forensic photographer, Dena Williams, has spent her life trained to see what others cannot. Vampire, Dimitri Kovac, has waited every Christmas for a miracle that does not come.

In the Oregon wilderness, during a snowstorm, these two destined souls collide. Dena’s only hope of survival rests in a vampire with the heart of a poet. Dimitri only has five days to win a skeptical woman’s heart. As the Christmas tree lights burn brightly and the snow continues to fall, will Dena succumb to a vampire’s charms? With so little time, can Dimitri win her love?

Read the rest of this interview and an excerpt from Red Snowflakes in the October issue of Uncaged Book Reviews

Uncaged Review – Black Magic Voodoo by Nikki Landis

By
Cyrene Olson
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Black Magic Voodoo
Nikki Landis
Paranormal/Occult

Cassie Howe is a descendant of one of the famous Salem witches.

Each year Samhain and the festival of the dead marks the new year, an end to the old while embracing the new. As Cassie begins the month-long celebration, she encounters a dark and sinister presence that threatens the balance of her world. Joined by a cast of unlikely heroes, Cassie will confront her darkest fears and seek to find a rogue witch who kills without mercy. Does Cassie have enough courage to stand up against true evil before it’s too late?

Something wicked this way comes . . .

Uncaged Review: This is very fun and original book, and I was completely immersed in it until I finished it. Cassie is one of the original descendants of the Salem witches bloodlines, and as her family and others in Mystic Hallows start their month long celebration, a rogue and evil witch is targeting Cassie, and she’ll need her ancestors and her odd group of Cosan, or protectors. This is setting up to be a reverse harem book, but there wasn’t much heat in this one, but the author promises the heat levels will rise with each installment.

All the characters are likeable and original, even with all the magic books on the market, the author keeps her voice and the story her own, and how the she manages to toss in a bit of pop culture keeps the books relevant. My only beef with the book was the cliffhanger – but since there are already 4 of the 13 planned books out, I wasn’t overly upset. Reviewed by Cyrene

4 1/2 Stars

Uncaged Review – Fallen Academy: Year Four Leia Stone

By
Cyrene Olson
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0

Fallen Academy: Year Four
Leia Stone
Urban Fantasy

Lucifer isn’t happy about Brielle’s escape from hell and he plans to make that known to the inhabitants of earth. Chaos has descended on Angel City and the Fallen Army needs to do everything they can to keep it from falling. Meanwhile, Brielle is training for the fight of a lifetime. She’s ready to fulfill the prophecy. Lucy’s going down.

Uncaged Review: This book is bittersweet for me, it’s the end of a 4 book series, and it goes out with a bang. Plenty of action and it’s time for Brielle to kill Lucifer and fulfill the prophecy, all of Angel City is in chaos, and the demons are gaining ground. This book wraps everything up with plenty of action and humor, and the friendships are as strong as ever, even Tiffany doesn’t make me want to poke her eyes out. This book is a fitting conclusion and even though I do highly recommend the full series.

This book also sets up a spin-off series for this world, with the Demon Hunter Academy – a series that I am definitely looking forward to. Reviewed by Cyrene

5 Stars

Uncaged Review – Daddy Duty by Shane Silvers

By
Cyrene Olson
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0

Daddy Duty
Shane Silvers
Urban Fantasy

Two teenaged weredragons. Two terrible dads. A Johnson Beaver concert. A nest of vampires…

Nate Temple and his pal Alucard just want a little peace and quiet after the events of TINY GODS, but it just isn’t in the cards for them. Tory leaves town and asks them to watch over the rebellious Reds. But the girls have other plans.

When love is in the air, there is nothing a teenager wouldn’t do. And there is nothing a dad wouldn’t do to keep them safe. Even if it involves a Johnson Beaver concert, a magical djinn, and a herd of centaurs.

This wild, fast-paced novella is a nice breather after the events of TINY GODS, and brings back a whole lot of pain and humor to Nate Temple. If he can successfully reason with the estrogen-filled shifter dragons before they burn Kansas City to the ground..

Uncaged Review: What could possibly go wrong having Alucard and Nate watching over 3 hormonal teenage shifter girls for one night? Well, when it comes to Nate’s world and his kind of luck, just about everything. This book jumps out of the gate pretty fast, with Nate stealing a book from the Centaurs, with them trying to kill him, and Alucard losing the girls, Nate and Alucard are on their way to Kansas City to retrieve them. But it’s a lot more complicated than just finding the three girls, and the comical moments along the way will entertain you and keep you smiling. One thing this book does do, is give you a much better picture of Alucard and his past. So don’t skip this book in the series, it’s worth every chuckle. Alucard is not just Nate’s sidekick – he’s much more bad-ass than he seems. Reviewed by Cyrene

5 Stars

Uncaged Review – Vermilion Lies by L.D. Rose

By
Cyrene Olson
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Vermilion Lies
L.D. Rose
Paranormal Romance

Wherever Dax Knight sets foot, hell is bound to freeze over.

As a mercenary for the Order of the Senary, Dax departs for New England to assist his comrades in battling the vampire forces threatening to consume the Northeast. The last thing he expects to find is a gorgeous vampiress who surrenders to him entirely. Ensnared by her allure, their intense attraction ignites, and he discovers she isn’t what she seems.

Cindel Konstantinov has been on the run since she escaped her sire’s possession, trading one life of abuse and imprisonment for another. As her hope for freedom wanes, she encounters one of the infamous Knights, and his dangerous appeal is undeniable. After a life-altering moment of mercy, they careen down a path of secrets, lies, and a forbidden passion neither of them can resist. But when her past comes back to haunt them, they’ll have to face the consequences of their actions—and their desires.

Dax and Cindel will need each other more than ever as their world spirals into chaos. But are they strong enough to survive the oncoming storm?

Uncaged Review: It’s been awhile since I left the Order of the Senary series, and I quickly found out how much I missed the brothers. These books can be read as standalones, but I recommend you start from the beginning with Releasing the Demons and then Black Bullet. You will understand the relationships better with the brothers, as they are all back in the books even though this book centers on Dax and Cindel, a forbidden love that won’t be denied.

These books hit as hard as the Black Dagger Brotherhood – and may leave you with a book hangover so you can process everything you read or catch up on the sleep you will inevitably lose because you can’t put the book down, especially after the 60% mark. This book doesn’t slow much, and it burns down the track like a freight train, and the author holds nothing back – this will leave you wanting more. I had to sit and process this book before I wrote this review, as it batters its reader as much as the characters. And I loved every second of it. Reviewed by Cyrene

5 Stars

Uncaged Review – Demon Slayer by Linsey Hall

By
Cyrene Olson
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0

Demon Slayer
Linsey Hall
Urban Fantasy

Got a demon that needs killing? I’m your girl.

So, I’m in trouble. Big trouble. I’m a demon slayer, and one of those suckers has escaped. Even worse, it knows my secret… that I’m a Dragon Blood, able to create new magic and kick some serious butt with it.

If anyone finds out what I am, I’ll be hunted down like a dog and used by the magical government. No way I want to become their guinea pig. So I’ve got to catch that demon. Fast.

Things get complicated when I start clashing with a sexy AF bounty hunter. His name’s Declan, and we’re after the same demon. Bounty hunters are my enemy, and this stupidly hot fallen angel keeps getting in my way.

The only way to save the city–and myself–is to team up with Declan. I have two goals: don’t kill him & don’t screw him. Both easier said than done, since self control isn’t really my thing. But it’s a race against time to catch the demon, and there’s no way in hell I’ll fail at that.

Uncaged Review: A first book in a 4 book series and the author hit this out of the park. I was grabbed from the first few pages until the end. Plenty of action with humor and snark all the way through. Every time I set this book down, I was thinking about when I would be able to pick it back up. The well-developed main characters have perfect chemistry and the secondary characters compliment the main duo. This time you also have a woman character that is on equal footing with her male counterpart. Magic abounds in this book and some of the action scenes will remind you of Indiana Jones. I love that the author tosses in some real architectural history to not only educate us, but to throw some realism into a book about supernatural beings, clever and smart. Already downloaded book two. Reviewed by Cyrene

5 Stars

Uncaged Review – Irish Magic by Susan B. James

By
Cyrene Olson
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0

Irish Magic
Susan B. James
Romantic Comedy

A romantic comedy with a touch of magic.

What do you do when everything goes wrong?
Make a wish on a four-leaf clover, right?
There’s no other logical way out of it!

But a clover wish is a heart wish. Everyone knows that.

When part leprechaun Bradley Flynn is charged with finding Kate’s true love, he calls on retired matchmaker Essie O’Callaghan who happens to have a mission of her own.

Dr. Michael Walshe had a ring in his pocket when he walked in on his girlfriend sleeping with her costar. He wants no part of Essie’s plan to find him a wife.

Fate—or something more leprechaun-shaped—has Kate and the doctor both heading to Cluhalaugh, home to Ireland’s most famous matchmaking festival. And somehow their paths keep crossing. The more they see of each other the harder it is to resist exploring their reluctant attraction.

Will Kate realize that Michael could be far more than the cure to her writer’s block?

Uncaged Review: This book is a romantic comedy at its core, with a touch of fantasy woven in. Kate has had some major bad luck, with a fiancé that jilted her and a writer’s block that she can’t get past to fix her second novel, which she was paid an advance for and the deadline came and went and now they want their money back. Trying to stall them so she can get her hero in the book back on track, she books a trip to Ireland, with the rest of her money. But she wished upon a 4-leaf clover, and the leprechaun Bradley, is sent in to find Kate’s true love, without using magic of any kind.

There was some funny moments, and the pacing was good, it did stall out in a couple places, but some of the plot slowed down a bit when reading the short excerpts of Kate’s novel she’s trying to fix. It’s definitely a book that was entertaining and a nice concept. Reviewed by Cyrene

4 Stars

Uncaged Review – Taming a Defiant Duke by Tammy Andresen

By
Cyrene Olson
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0

Taming a Defiant Duke
Tammy Andresen
Historical Regency

A surly duke and a desperate lady….

Can one difficult duke ruin all her future plans? The answer is most decidedly yes.

Emily Mayweather is desperate to provide a future for herself after her father’s death. But she hasn’t lost her pride and she won’t be ordered around by a surly arrogant duke no matter how much he blusters. Nor will she feel sorry for disrupting his perfect orderly life. Soon enough he can go back to being his grumpy self and besides, he’s the one who inserted himself into her affairs. Then there’s the issue of his handsomeness. It’s a problem. He goes around looking all dark and alluring until she can barely remember her own name, let alone properly set him in his place. But she has to remember because she’s already learned her lesson once. He doesn’t want her and he never will.

Future Duke of Manchfield, Lord Barret Maddox, is up to his eye sockets in reports, plans, and papers. Bar was determined to be the perfect duke in his father’s absence or bury himself trying. He’s already chosen the lady who would stand by his side, so that was a start. His bride to be would make the perfect duchess, not only that but she saw his worth, which was more than he could say for Miss Emily Mayweather. One unpleasant run-in years ago and she seems to think he’s solely responsible for all her troubles. That’s how she acts, anyhow. So why is it that every time Emily steps near him, all he can see is her? The answer was simple enough. She’s always had been too beautiful for his liking…and now she’s in trouble. Even though she doesn’t want his help, he can’t leave her to fend for herself. He’ll just have to keep his hands in check. And his heart? Well, that might be another matter…

Uncaged Review: A nice short regency romance that I read in a couple hours. The characters are likeable enough eventually even though they could have been flushed out better with the supporting characters that didn’t get a lot of page time. The danger element was a little too passive and the villain just a sniveling rat. But all in all, this is a good book to sit down with for a couple hours. I think both characters needed a good swift kick at times, but they were well suited. The supporting character that really got my interest was Harry, Bar’s younger brother. Sounds like his book would be a hoot. Reviewed by Cyrene

4 Stars

Uncaged Review – Dirty Damsels by Peggy Jaeger

By
Cyrene Olson
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0

Dirty Damsels
Peggy Jaeger
Contemporary Romance

What if Cynderella had a one-night stand with a man named Prince?When I first saw Cynderella all covered in soot in that sexy maid uniform, I knew I wanted to be her Prince.She’s a smart and savvy businesswoman who’s built her cleaning company from the ground up. But now that Dirty Damsels was booming, I’ve been hired to arrange a hostile takeover. But the temptation of having her was too much to ignore… We ended up spending one night together–a night neither of us will forget. Now, I want more. I need more. I want to spend every night, skin-on-skin, with my beautiful Ella. Problem is, when she finds out who I really am, she’ll never forgive me.

Uncaged Review: I’ve read a number of the fairy tale re-telling books, but this one is just fun, and one of my favorites. When Ella has a one night stand, she has no idea that the man she’s with is a man aiding a greedy business man to take over her company. But does he know who she is, and is he using her to help his client?

This is a quick read and kept me smiling and glued to the pages – and that’s saying a lot since contemporary romances are not my normal go-to read. Too bad we all can’t have our own Prince.
A steamy romance with great characters – and this just may go on my to-be-read-again pile for when I need to be pulled out of a funk.
Reviewed by Cyrene

5 Stars

Uncaged Review: Lovely Digits by Jeanine Englert

By
Cyrene Olson
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0

Lovely Digits
Jeanine Englert
Historical Suspense

When two murders strike the sleepy Victorian town of Clun, England, an unlikely partnership forms. But can the killer be found before there is a third?

Lovely Digits is the town oddity . . .
Quirky spinster Lucy Wycliffe prefers to ignore gossip and embrace her position as the town’s layer out of the dead, despite how her parents’ deaths thrust her into such unlikely work. Lovely Digits, as she’s known to the local townspeople, no longer dreams of marriage, but takes pride in providing dignity to the dead. Desperate to hold on to her family’s cottage and support her widowed sister and young niece, an unexpected offer of employment as assistant to the constable arrives at the perfect time.

Former sailor John Brodie is the mysterious new constable . . .
John Brodie is far from a stranger to Clun or the events of its past. Accepting the position as constable in the small town is a double-edged sword meant to heal his past and redeem his future. Falling for the beautiful and intelligent Lucy Wycliffe was never part of his plan.

As the killer closes in, will John reveal his secret and risk losing everything to save Lucy’s life?

Uncaged Review: This book is such a nice surprise, and for a debut novel, I can only imagine this author getting better and better. The descriptions have you stepping in the snow with Lucy and John, and taking in the stars. This is such an original concept – Lucy is a “layer-out” or a mortician of the past. Giving the families and the victims the care and respect before they are laid to rest. John comes in as the new constable, and approaches Lucy for her to help solve some recent murders – and for more than one reason.

I am not a suspense person per say, but this historical is a sweet romance that builds with trust, and add in the mystery of a killer, and the different ways they find their clues in this time long gone and the author did a fantastic job making me believe it. Great beginning. Reviewed by Cyrene

4.5 Stars

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