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Uncaged Review – Prairie Heat by Tessa Layne

By
Cyrene Olson
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0

Prairie Heat
Tessa Layne
Contemporary Western Romance

He Shouldn’t Want Her…
Blake Sinclaire knows he shouldn’t want Maddie Hansen – she’s the daughter of his family’s enemy, and not to be trusted. It doesn’t matter she’s got a mind that won’t quit, curves for days, and a sassy sweet mouth that drives Blake to distraction. Her father stole his family’s land, and Blake will do anything – anything to get it back. 

But one scorching kiss changes everything…
Super-scientist Maddie Hansen vowed never to return to Prairie and the feud that’s hounded her family for generations. When she discovers the sexy cowboy who saved her father’s life is none other than Blake Sinclaire, she’s forced to reconsider everything she thought about her family’s enemy- especially when his kisses keep her awake at night. But Maddie’s determined to hold Blake at bay, because everyone knows cowboys have nothing in common with scientists. Except when it comes to matters of the heart.

Blake’s plan to reclaim his land goes haywire when white-hot kisses turn into something more, but dark secrets stand between Blake and a shot at love. When they come to light, will he lose everything he holds dear, including Maddie? 

Uncaged Review: The Sinclaire’s and the Hansen’s. Two families that have been at odds with each other for so many years, that you instantly think of the Hatfield’s and McCoy’s. I went into this book, thinking about all the other western romances I’ve read, but this book really surprised me. The twists and turns this book takes is riveting, and the author doesn’t leave you hanging in the end, it’s wrapped up nicely in an epilogue. The secondary characters are as interesting as the main in this book, and it will be great to see them get their own space in more of this series. Well worth picking up. Just be warned, there is some heat to the book and some language. It didn’t bother me personally and it didn’t affect my rating or pull me out of the story at all, but others may not be OK with it. Reviewed by Cyrene

4 Stars

Raven Award Winners – 2019

By
Cyrene Olson
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0

Last night the winners of the fan-voted Raven Awards were announced LIVE in a Facebook event! We had a ton of fun, some readers found new authors to give a try and had giveaways, and even Uncaged joined in on the fun with a couple giveaways too! So without further ado – here are the winners of the Raven Awards 2019!

Favorite Cover: Kathryn Le Veque – High Warrior
Runner-Up Cover: Nancy Thorne – Victorian Town

Mystery/Suspense Winner: Belle Ami – The Girl Who Knew Da Vinci
Runner-Up: J.R. Ward – Consumed

Contemporary Winner: Susan B. James – Maybe This Time
Runner-Up: Rhonda Frankhouser – Escape from Ruby’s Ranch

Urban Fantasy Winner: R.J. Blain – Blending In
Runner-Up: Orlando A. Sanchez – Tombyards & Butterflies

SciFi/Fantasy Winner: Claire Buss – The Rose Thief
Runner-Up: Violet Abyss – Suzanne M. Sabol

Paranormal Romance Winner: Tamara Hughes – Bewitching the Beast
Runner-Up: Anna Lowe – Desert Moon

Fantasy Romance Winner: Mary Morgan – Trial of a Warrior
Runner-Up: Elizabeth Rose – Lady and the Wolf

Novella Winner: Orlando A. Sanchez – No God is Safe
Runner-Up: Anna Markland – Knightly Dreams

Historical-Scottish/Highlands Winner: Madelyn Hill – Highland Faith
Runner-Up: Elizabeth Rose – Highland Secrets

Historical: Regency/Victorian/Western Winner: Caroline Warfield – The Unexpected Wife
Runner-Up: Lynda J. Cox – Controlled Burn

Horror/Thriller Winner: Isobel Blackthorn – The Legacy of Old Gran Parks
Runner-Up: James Alan Ross – The Haunting of Dylan Klaypool

Young Adult Winner: Scarlett Kol – Wicked Descent
Runner-Up: Abby J. Reed – When Planets Fall

Uncaged Giveaway – Full Size Ad Winners:
Ginny Sterling
Genevieve Jack
Angela Scavone
Rj Frankhouser
Jane Ederlyn

Uncaged Grand Giveaway – Inside Cover Ad Winners
Linda Rae Sande
Beth Carter
Eric Kapitan
Caroline Warfield

Congratulations to all the finalists this year. To learn more about how the Raven Awards work, see this link!

The Raven Awards – LIVE Event on August 19, 6pm-8pm CST

By
Cyrene Olson
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0

Join us here!

Winners and Runner-ups will be announced LIVE of the fan voted Raven Awards from Uncaged Book Reviews. Times are CST.

Finalist Authors are encouraged to vote and interact with readers! Don’t miss out!

Uncaged Review – Pirate Bound by Carysa Locke

By
Cyrene Olson
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0

Pirate Bound
Carysa Locke
SciFi

A desperate gamble…

Sanah would do anything to protect her little sister, even if it means taking refuge with ruthless pirates. But the psychically Talented pirates terrorizing Commonwealth space are not quite the monsters she has been led to believe. When Sanah’s empathic gift shows her the truth behind the stories, she is no longer certain who the villains are in her world. 

A race on the verge of extinction…

Dem’s only goal is to protect his people, especially since a deadly bio-weapon decimated their population. Only a handful of women survived, and every day is a fight to rebuild. With Sanah’s empathy and her sister’s rare ability to heal, they could be the salvation Dem and his people have been looking for.  

A dangerous secret that could destroy everything…

But how can Sanah trust Dem with her life? Especially when he’d kill her if he knew the truth.

Uncaged Review: SciFi is a genre that is really hit or miss for me. I either really like it, or I’m really bored with it. This one falls directly into the former. Some books can get over technical and the gadgets and scifi wording gets to the point where you feel you need a degree in science to figure it all out, but this book keeps the language smart, the technology is superior as it should be in this genre, but it’s also easy to understand to us less-than-a-technological-wizard readers. Even though this is touted as a novella, it’s really a complete story – and this one revolves around Sanah and Dem. It also gives you a good start to this series, and a good background. One of the cons for this, is you have to pay attention to the beginning of each chapter, as this book does flip point of views on each chapter, and although it can be confusing at times, it gives the reader the advantage of seeing more of the entire picture.

Great book for debut, and looking forward to this series. Reviewed by Cyrene

4 Stars

Uncaged Review – Babies at Coconuts by Beth Carter

By
Cyrene Olson
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0

Babies at Coconuts
Beth Carter
Contemporary Romantic Comedy

For Fans of My Big Fat Greek Wedding (Italian-style!) 

A clash of cultures.
A chaotic wedding. 
A surprise baby.
Just another day at Coconuts.

Coordinating the most joyous day of her son’s life should be easy. After all, Suzy is a wedding planner. But a meddling future mother-in-law wasn’t on the checklist. A wacky rehearsal dinner, a beach wedding, and a baby—not necessarily in that order—ensures bedlam, if not hilarity, among the two head-butting moms. The show must go on, with or without the wedding party.

Hope is adept at counseling students but has given up on dieting and having sleek hair. She has even gotten used to the fact that her adopted father no longer remembers her—until a surprise engagement and a newspaper article leave her in shambles.

Sexy banker Alex conveys totally in control while ignoring the simmering boil of her disastrous relationship. Her marketing rival is her kryptonite, but a disastrous bank event may spell her downfall.

Socialite Cheri Van Buren seems to have the perfect life. The New Yorker deftly juggles celebrity events but is growing concerned about her jet-setting parents’ strained marriage. After competing in a cake-decorating contest, another chef leaves her speechless.

More than a Happy Hour haven, Coconuts is the unknowing guardian of shared secrets, bombshell revelations, a few tears, and joy. Will the best friends ever find happiness? It doesn’t look good.

Uncaged Review: Getting tossed back into the Coconuts gang seems to hit my happy place. The ladies are back, and this time out we have Suzy planning her son’s wedding – but she didn’t count on the mother-in-law from Italy – hi-jinks ensue. And when the very pregnant ex-girlfriend attends….it’s like a time bomb on a fast ticker at the wedding. There are quite a few laugh out loud moments – and some twists that I didn’t see coming and a fun surprise ending. Although these books can read as a standalone, my question is why would you? This is a fantastic series, and get the most you can out of these wonderful characters and read the first two books. Everyone should have friends like these ladies in their lives, the kind that will drop whatever their doing to have your back, and will make you laugh along the way. I can’t wait for the next book to drop, and since I stalk the author on social media, I know she is working hard on the next installment, so I can refrain from chaining her to her computer. 🙂
Reviewed by Cyrene

5 Stars

Uncaged Review – Seductive Secrets by Elizabeth Rose

By
Cyrene Olson
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0

Seductive Secrets
Elizabeth Rose
Medieval Historical

The Lady:.Lady Willow Douglas holds the power of persuasion and can charm men with her appearance as well as her words. But when her skill doesn’t work on Sir Conrad Lochwood, he becomes a thorn in her side. The autumn festival is about to start, and all the eligible, rich, single noblemen are arriving. She has decided to find a husband, but unfortunately her father has other plans. He’s hired Sir Conrad to keep her away from all the men until his return.
The Guardian:

When a visiting earl’s prize ruby is stolen, Willow steps in without hesitation to use her skills to figure out which of the guests is the thief. But with Sir Conrad constantly looking over her shoulder and dragging her away from everyone, she finds it difficult to accomplish anything. She is a member of the queen’s secret group of strong women and feels the need to find and return the ruby to help the earl out of a terrible predicament that involves the king.

Can a strong woman who is determined to catch a thief accomplish her task before a dashing knight steals her heart away?

Uncaged Review: For the second book in this series, we are following Willow’s story. Even though these are part of a series, this book does well as a standalone, but there are instances and characters mentioned from the first book that will enhance this story for you, so I really recommend you start at the beginning with Fia’s story to get all the background.

I can honestly say, I couldn’t stand Willow in the beginning of this book – but out of respect for the author, I hung in there and kept reading. She acted like a spoiled brat who thought of no one but herself. But as I read, I saw the transformation take place and watched the growth of Willow. Blessed with the powers of persuasion, in the beginning she only used the ability to get what she wanted – but later on uses it to help catch a thief. There are some good twists and turns that did surprise me, and the author managed to change my feelings about Willow. So even if you don’t like Willow in the beginning, keep reading – it’s worth it in the end. Reviewed by Cyrene

4.5 Stars

Uncaged Review – Who the Marquess Dares to Desire by Tabetha Waite

By
Cyrene Olson
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0

Who the Marquess Dares to Desire
Tabetha Waite
Historical Regency

A man bent on revenge. A woman with a shadowed past. Together, they must face down a common foe.

Miss Clara Upton has always been different. Society shuns her for her mismatched eyes. But when she is offered the chance at a proper London season, she isn’t about to waste a good opportunity. She knows the odds of ensnaring a husband for herself are rather slim, but she vows to do whatever is necessary to give her twin sister, Cora, a better life. So, when a shady figure from her childhood resurfaces, threatening her with blackmail, Clara has no choice but to comply with his demands or suffer the consequences. As she ventures out one fateful winter night, she comes face to face with an adversary of a different sort, a rather seductive marquess who doesn’t know when to mind his own business…

Drayven Hollowell, the Marquess of Sussex, has only had one objective in life – bring down the criminals responsible for murdering his parents and shattering his world. He joined the Home Office as an agent in order to utilize all of the resources at his disposal, but his quest for retribution has yet to be fulfilled, as one man has continued to elude his clutches. Now, just as it seems that vengeance is finally in his grasp, he stumbles across a woman who is just as intriguing as she is lovely. When he uncovers a shocking discovery, he has to make a choice between justice and the woman who’s slowly stolen his heart.

Uncaged Review: This is my first read by this author, and I can honestly say, I hope it’s not my last. The characters are well flushed out and likeable, the romance is allowed to brew and the storyline with the suspense is just enough to keep your interest. One part of the book that was a bit of a letdown was the danger element, it seemed to be solved too easily, but when a lot of the happy parts of an ending in a book is rushed, this author takes her time and gives the story a proper send off, and the epilogue sets up the next book nicely. Reviewed by Cyrene

4.5 Stars

Uncaged Review – Trial of a Warrior by Mary Morgan

By
Cyrene Olson
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0

Trial of a Warrior
Mary Morgan
Fantasy Romance

“You met them in the Order of the Dragon Knights. Now, journey to the realm of the Fae and witness their legends!” 

A warrior sentenced to die. 

On trial for breaking a supreme Fae law, Fenian Warrior, Liam MacGregor has no regrets. He is prepared to accept his sentence—even if it means his death. However, freedom comes in an unexpected manner, and brings with it certain dangers as he travels through the Veil of Ages. 

A princess honor-bound to remain hidden. 

Princess Abela might be a priestess and the daughter of royalty, but that doesn’t prevent her from doing the unimaginable. She sacrifices duty and honor to set free the man who captured her heart so many years ago. No matter the severity of his crimes, she cannot let Liam die.

A rescue that will bring about a war and divide a kingdom! 

In their quest to secure a treaty to forestall Liam’s death sentence, they must fight their desires for one another, as well as the Fenian Warriors sent to capture them. 

Uncaged Review: As we jump back into the world of the Fenian Warriors, this time out we go with Liam on his tortured journey. And I was captivated. I was yearning for Liam’s story, and this one doesn’t disappoint, it’s already my favorite of the series. Past characters return, we meet and fall in love with Princess Abela and Liam, we learn some secrets that were unknown to this point, and the author weaves enough mystery and suspense that keeps the reader turning the pages. There are some heart wrenching moments – but it was the beautiful moments that had me grabbing my tissue box.

Clear your schedule, and get ready for a late night reading once you pick up this book – you won’t want to put it down. You can read it as a standalone, but to get the full effect of this wonderful world of Fenian Warriors, I recommend you start at the beginning.
Reviewed by Cyrene

5 Stars

Uncaged Review – White Pawn by Ingrid Seymour

By
Cyrene Olson
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0

White Pawn
Ingrid Seymour
Paranormal

Bianca is a Trove. Her blood is so powerful it allows vampires to stroll in the sunlight.

She lives a socialite life of masquerades, governesses and flirting with eligible men like the handsome thief, Nyro Stonehelm, who openly defies the vampire King and Queen.
Soon a visit from the King brings Bianca face to face with a terrible reality—her father has gambled away everything, and still owes the King’s Court more. To set an example, the King executes her father. That one fateful morning, Bianca loses everything she ever knew. 
With his last breath, her father confesses she’s a Trove and begs her to run. Instead, she swears revenge and joins the Queen’s Court, determined to destroy the King one day.
But how is a Trove to live amongst vampires without being discovered and made a blood slave? And how is her life linked to the handsome thief?

Uncaged Review: This is a very cleverly written book, with a very cool theme using the game of chess as the backstop. Bianca is a Trove, whose blood would enable a vampire to walk in the sun and is a highly desired prize to the vampires as blood slaves. The only way she’s been able to hide it is the fact that she is taking a plant called bloodshade, that hides her scent from vampires. When she loses everything to the Black King, she joins the Court of the White Queen, with revenge on her agenda. She will have to make it through the ranks to be able to fight the White Queen, take her place and destroy the Black King. But it’s going to be an uphill battle.

I liked the theme and the characters – the author does a real nice job with the pacing of the book. This is not a romance, but maybe in the books to come? Great beginning to a good series.
Reviewed by Cyrene

4 Stars

Uncaged Review – Dirty Laundry by J.D. Monroe

By
Cyrene Olson
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0

Dirty Laundry
J.D. Monroe
Fantasy Short

Charity Pierson is a southern-bred monster hunter, made of equal parts sugar, sass, and Southern Comfort. Trouble has a way of finding her, even when she’s not looking. In this exciting prequel short story to the upcoming novel SWEET CHERRY PIE, Charity finds herself on the hunt for a family of ghouls terrorizing a small town in Alabama. However, Charity quickly learns that the locals may be more of a threat than the restless undead.

Uncaged Review: This short prequel introduces us to Charity, who is a monster hunter, and in this quick read, she dispatches a family of ghouls that are picnicking on people’s pets. It’s a quick read and you get a good sense of her personality and getting a pair of her favorite jeans blood-free.

What I didn’t get from the story, is what she does for a living. Does someone pay her to hunt monsters? Does she have a regular job? So there are a few things that I had questions on, some that might have shed some light better on her, but it does give a good idea of where the author is going with this series. I do look forward to the first full length book in the series.
Reviewed by Cyrene

4 Stars

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