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Uncaged Review – A Regency Yuletide by Becky Lower

By
Cyrene Olson
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0

A Regency Yuletide
Becky Lower
Historical Regency/Holiday

After a disappointing season in London, Sophie Davenport returns home without a marriage proposal. No sooner does she settle back into her country life than she learns her uncle has arranged for her to marry the local vicar’s son, a respectable and utterly forgettable man. He’s returning home immediately after the Christmas holiday and they will wed. She sets about making this last Christmas with just she and her mother memorable. 

Jeremy Wyatt hatches a plan to help his friend Thomas and his love, Emma, escape to Gretna Green and marry before her father comes after them. What he’s really doing is avoiding heading to his parents’ home, where he is the son who is always making the wrong choices. But their carriage becomes hopelessly mired in the mud from the incessant rains so Jeremy sets off to find shelter for them at the first house he comes to. 

Sophie welcomes the wet and weary travelers, and her mother agrees to house them temporarily until they can free the carriage. Sophie forms a bond not only with Emma, but with Jeremy. However despite the sparks they ignite in each other, they have to maintain their separate paths. 

But love and mistletoe have a way of upsetting even the best-laid plans. 

Uncaged Review: A very charming regency with enough of a story to pull me right in and read from start to finish in one setting. Even though it’s novella length, it’s still a very nice addition to anyone’s holiday reading fare. Even though Jeremy is footloose and free, he hatches a plan to get his best friend Thomas and his lady, Emma spirited off to get married, as Emma’s father is trying to marry her off to an undesirable older man. After their carriage gets stuck in heavy ruts from rains, they find shelter in a cottage with a lady and her daughter Sophie. Jeremy is struck by the simple beauty and intelligence of Sophie, and with a meddling mother afoot, they get more alone time than is really proper.

The author did a wonderful job, drawing you into the story with enough description to set you inside the parlor, instead of looking through a window. The romance is quick, but it works. This is a nice feel good story perfect for the season and historical romance lovers. Reviewed by Cyrene

4 Stars

Uncaged Review – Blending In by R.J. Blain

By
Cyrene Olson
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0

Blending In
R.J. Blain
Urban Fantasy/Holiday

Thanks to a jealous divine, whenever Chase Butler comes anywhere near Miriah, she turns into a chameleon. While her hopes of having a happily ever with Mr. Right are dashed, she’s determined to have the next best thing: a perfect Christmas.

Finding a puppy for her son, dodging the unwanted attention of her divine fling of an ex, and keeping on top of a holiday charity drive for local pet shelters sure is complicated when prone to transforming into a twelve-inch lizard with a severe allergy to snowbanks.

Since blending in has gotten her nowhere fast, she’s going to have to pull out all the stops to get what she wants, even if it lands her on Santa’s naughty list.

Warning: This holiday story contains excessive humor, action, excitement, adventure, magic, romance, and bodies. Proceed with caution.

Uncaged Review: This is such a fun book, and the originality is off the charts. I found myself laughing out loud at the banter between characters and even the thoughts of Miriah. Miriah is set on two things, keeping her job and having a perfect Christmas for her son, Caleb. When her boss loans her out to Chase Butler to help unravel a money skimming operation against Chase’s company, Miriah is 1) resigned to being a chameleon for the duration because of her attraction to Chase, and 2) is then targeted by someone wanting to get rid of her.

This can easily be read as a standalone, but you are definitely going to want to go back and read the rest of this series. This book has just about everything you could want in a holiday read. Suspense, romance (the clean kind), danger, fantastic secondary characters and a whole lot of humor. Just wait until Christmas Eve and Midnight Mass with Miriah’s parents. Pass the chicken. Reviewed by Cyrene

5 Stars

Uncaged Book Reviews – Issue 30 Now Available

By
Cyrene Olson
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0

Featuring authors: Anna Markland, Danelle Harmon, Ross Greenwood, Azaaa Davis, Niki Cluff, S.M. McCoy, Andy Peloquin, Pembroke Sinclair & Bokerah Brumley.

Reviewers and Promotion specials

Reviews

Uncaged Book Reviews – December, 2018 Now Available

By
Cyrene Olson
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0

Uncaged Book Reviews – December, 2018 Now Available

Issue 29 – December 2018

Author Features: R.J. Blain, Jacqui Nelson, Deborah Garland, Linda O’Connor, Annabelle Anders, Becky Lower, Melanie Robertson-King, Engy Neville, Carrie Pack and Richard Farsi

Click the cover to go to the magazine, or see the front page of this website!

Changes Coming to Uncaged for 2019

By
Cyrene Olson
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0

Uncaged Book Reviews has been going for 2 1/2 years. And the support and growth has surprised me more than you can know – and I appreciate the authors putting their trust in Uncaged to help them get new readers, new followers, new fans. So with that in mind, Uncaged is getting a few changes – so we can reach more readers and more authors each month. Here is a breakdown:

Uncaged Feature Authors – Uncaged will accept up to 9 feature authors per month starting in January, 2019. There are some cautions:

  1. Feature authors must be willing to let Uncaged read at least one of their books. This book(s) may or may not be reviewed the same month as the feature. It will not automatically go into Tier 1 lists, but it needs to be available, and at the least – will go into Tier 2, even if those lists are closed.
  2. Books that are reviewed for Feature Authors will be in the back review section of the magazine.
  3. Links to outside social media like Facebook, Twitter, Bookbub, etc., will be limited to 4 – not counting newsletter and website links.
  4. If you haven’t been a feature author in 2 years or more, you can be featured again.
  5. Feature Authors will be varied in genres in each issue. For example, if there are two contemporary authors in January – I won’t accept more of that genre that month, it would be moved to a different month.

Uncaged Advertising – the “Buy 2, Get 1” promo was received so well, that it will be a mainstay at Uncaged for 2019. So a breakdown of that promo:

Purchase $40 worth of advertising for either the magazine or website, and receive a Standard Full Page Ad free the following month. For example:

Purchase a Premium or Inside Cover ad in January, receive a Standard Full Page Ad in February for free. It can be the same ad, or a different one.

Purchase a Standard Full Page Ad two months in a row, and receive the third month free.

This does not apply to half page ads.

Reviews

Right now, all reviews are posted in the magazine, on Goodreads and on Amazon. They are posted on the Uncaged blog if they received a 4 star or higher review – this means that the review is onsite, and it’s blasted out to Uncaged’s social media – with a reach of over 4 million.

Books that receive 4 1/2 – 5 Stars go on the rotating sidebar, and starting in the December 2018 issue, these reviews will also go on Bookbub as recommendations. 

Reviewers:

Everyone knows it’s hard to get good reviews – which are essential to authors. Right now, Uncaged offers free books to reviewers in return for an accepted review. Starting in January 2019 – the reviewers will be entered into a monthly drawing to receive a $30 U.S. Dollars bonus. Each book reviewed will get one entry ticket. The payout will be PayPal only, unfortunately, Uncaged will not do any conversions. The winner will be drawn through Random.org.

If you want to join our team, contact me at [email protected]

Book bloggers affiliated with Uncaged are not included in this promo unless they are reading for Uncaged.

Newsletter:

This will be revamped this year. It will go out twice a month, and each time will be recommendations, Uncaged news and tips. Uncaged will offer newsletter swaps with authors – and that will be announced soon.

Thank you for the support, and here is to more fun with authors!

Hell of a Lady Pre-Launch Giveaway!

By
Cyrene Olson
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0

Hell of a Lady Pre-Launch Giveaway!

I wanted to send this out to all of Uncaged’s readers – several past Feature Authors and a couple Future Feature Authors are giving away a mix of free eBooks, signed paperbacks and swag! Don’t miss out on this one, this is a fab giveaway!

Click the graphic to enter – winner will be announced on December 12, 2018:

Uncaged Review – Running from the Law by Jami Albright

By
Cyrene Olson
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0

Running from the Law
Jami Albright
Contemporary Romance

One night of passion. Two second chances. Three little texts . . . 

Former child star, Charlie Klein, is in a world of trouble. She’s broke, jobless, and no longer famous–except with the IRS. She’s ready to run, so an emergency call from Texas is all the excuse she needs to get out of Hollywood. But she doesn’t expect to crash into the sheriff of her hometown, the boy she loved and lost. One look at Hank Odom confirms what her heart has always known . . . She never stopped loving him. 

Unlike the men in his family, Hank’s a do-the-right-thing kind of guy. When his cheating, soon-to-be ex-wife texts him wanting a second chance – or a twentieth chance – he’s determined to honor his vows. One problem? His traitorous heart has never forgotten the woman who just blew back into town.

One night of passion. Two second chances. Three little texts. And nine months of OMG!

Uncaged Review: Jami Albright knows how to tell a story, keeping her readers laughing, crying and cheering from the sidelines and hooking us in, she did it with the first two books in this series, and she does it again here.

Lots of secrets, and lies, and heartbreaks and heartwarming, all within the pages. And some characters from past books make an appearance and bring their support to our new main characters.

Hank is the “always do the right thing guy,” and there are more than a few times I wanted to shake some sense into him, and although Charlie is worth the fight, there are times when her stubborness holds her back. But you will flip the pages as fast as you can to get to the end. Reviewed by Cyrene

5 Stars

Uncaged Review – The Light of Redemption by Natalie J. Damschroder

By
Cyrene Olson
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0

The Light of Redemption
Natalie J. Damschroder
New Adult/Fantasy

Harmony Wilde is a unique kind of superhero. She operates as Eclipse in a small town in Ohio instead of the big city, on her own instead of on a team, and in near-complete anonymity. For the most part, she’s satisfied with using her ability, manipulating light, to bust drug dealers, and prevent drunk drivers—until Conn Parsons comes to town. 

Conn has been a superhero all over the world. Dissatisfied with the little bit of good she can do in comparison, Harmony asks Conn to train her. He refuses, feeling responsible for superhero and civilian deaths in big-city incidents. He doesn’t want to risk the same thing happening here. But the attraction between them is hard to fight, and so is her determination.

Then small-town problems get bigger, and it looks like both Eclipse and Conn are being targeted by CASE, the Citizens Against Superhero Existence, who are responsible for those city disasters. When her town seems destined to become collateral damage and the stakes get personal, Harmony must tap undeveloped powers and convince Conn to work with her to stop their mutual enemy. The only problem is that when they succeed, it may give Conn the redemption he needs to move on, away from Pilton . . . and away from Harmony.

Uncaged Review: In the small town of Pilton there’s a masked superhero called Eclipse catching bad guys. While keeping her identity under wraps or so she would like to think. I really enjoyed this book, some of the plot was a bit cheesy at times – but the kind that makes you laugh out loud. You know this isn’t the greatest book ever written, but you love reading it believing that you could do Eclipse’s job of kicking butt. I am a sucker for superheroes so when I spotted this book I knew it was going to be a hidden gem. I went along with this action packed ride and wasn’t disappointed. Worth checking out. Reviewed by Jennifer

4 Stars

Uncaged Review – The Dance Hall Wife by Cici Cordelia

By
Cyrene Olson
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0

The Dance Hall Wife
Cici Cordelia
Historical Western Romance

CAT . . .

Cat Purdue has come a long way from the days when her father used her as partial payment for a gambling debt to a ruthless man. Reacquiring the saloon Father had lost, and turning it into a successful restaurant, is only the beginning of her drive for success. 

FRANK . . .

Unable to reconcile the new, sophisticated Catherine Purdue from the saloon girl he once dallied with and foolishly spurned, Frank Carter finds himself blocking his growing attraction with sharp words and sarcasm. But when the Carters’ old nemesis escapes prison and comes back to Little Creede for vengeance, Frank’s only thought is to protect Cat, as well as his family.

A PAIR OF HEARTS . . . 

Determined to lead separate lives yet bound together by danger and their growing desire, Frank and Cat will leave their mark in the new state of Colorado.

Uncaged Review: I really love the writing of this pair of authors – and the way the words flow seamlessly, never knowing where one author ends and the other begins. I feel as if they are writing with the same muse.

This time out, we are back to Little Creede, and Cat has transformed the local whorehouse into a nice family eatery, and trying hard to keep the place open. Frank, who we met in the first book, is the chosen hero this time out, and to be honest, I didn’t like him very much. He honestly was a jerk, and his only redeeming quality for most of the book was his over protective nature to Cat. He did finally make some amends in the back third of the book, but I didn’t really like the way he treated Cat most of the time. Now on the other hand, I adored Cat. She’s a strong woman, who’s had to make her own way in life after having a drunken, gambling father lose everything, and she does well. Even reaching out to help in the town, but strong enough to punch the slimy banker.

This book really moves along well when a criminal out for revenge against Cat, breaks out of jail. This is finally when Frank shines and proves he’s worthy of a lady like Cat. I’m looking forward to more from Little Creede. Reviewed by Cyrene

4 1/2 Stars

Uncaged Review – Down to You by Jayne Frost

By
Cyrene Olson
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0

Down to You
Jayne Frost
Rockstar Romance

A star on the rise

Logan Cage, lead singer for the hottest band out of Austin, has a dark past. And a secret that he can’t outrun. For years he’s been trying to find redemption in the spotlight. But on the eve of what could be his biggest break, it almost slips away.

Rock music’s shattered princess

Tori Grayson had it all. Money. Fame. And an adoring husband to share the spotlight. But tragedy struck and took it all away. Six years later and she’s reinvented herself, founding a record label to keep the memory of those she lost alive.

A tour for the ages

When Logan winds up in jail, jeopardizing the tour that’s meant to keep Tori’s label afloat, she agrees to front his bond and join him on the road.

Neither of them was looking for love.

But sometimes fate has other plans.

Every story deserves a soundtrack. And theirs is epic.

DOWN TO YOU is a standalone rockstar romance with recurring characters. 

Due to hot as sin rockstars and the world they live in, this read is recommended for mature audiences. 

Uncaged Review: This book wraps up this part of the Sixth Street Band series that focuses on the band Caged. Every single one of this series is fantastic – and I was waiting for Logan’s story, and Ms. Frost delivers more than epic, she delivers a story that is everything I hoped it would be, and so much more. It doesn’t get much better than this. They can be read as standalones, but to get the full effect, starting from the beginning of this 5 book set is the way to go, and you won’t be sorry.

How do two broken people put the pieces back together? Tori lost her husband Rhenn and best friend Paige in a bus accident six years ago, and nearly her own life too. Put back together with pins and surgeries, Tori was a star in her own right, until she walked away to co-found Twin Souls Management. Logan, the lead singer of the band Caged – seeing his mother killed when he was 8 yrs old, and being the object of an abusive father, we finally get to see the experiences that began to shape Logan into who he is. How can these two very broken people, have the strength to come together?

You will need your tissue box, and start this book early enough in the day so you won’t be up all night reading, because if you’ve followed this series at all, you won’t want to put this one down. I can’t wait for the next band series. I can’t even describe how much I loved this book. I ran the full gambit of emotions with this book, from tears, to laughter, to anger and the sticking my head in the freezer to cool down from the way hot sexy parts.

And the quote at the end of the book is a perfect sum-up: “So thank you Logan. In the end…it all came down to you.”  Reviewed by Cyrene

5 Stars

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