March, 2019 – Issue 32
Feature Authors: Isobel Blackthorn, James Murphy, Katherine Wyvern, Lacee Hightower, L. Salt, Tabetha Waite, Barbara M. Britton, Megan Morgan, M.A. Jewell and Valerie Willis.
Short Story by Myrtle Brooks
Reviews
Check out the link below or you can find it on the home page of this site.
Burn the Dead
Steven Jenkins
Horror
Robert Stephenson burns zombies for a living.
It’s a profession that pays the bills and plays tricks on the mind. Still, his life is routine until his four-year-old son becomes stranded in a quarantined zone, teeming with rotters.
Does Rob have what it takes to fight the undead and put his broken family back together?
Or will he also end up in the incinerator – burning with the rest of the dead?
Uncaged Review: Rob’s job means he has to burn the infected, chopping off their head doesn’t work in this world, so they tranquilize them, tie them down and muzzle them – ship them off to be burned. Rob has burned many, and when he gets to his last 4 bodies for the day, his wife is one of the four of the infected he has to burn. Overwhelmed, he tries to get home, to find his whole neighborhood blocked off, and his 4 year old son is not on the list of safe or infected at the barricades. His whole section of town is cut off, and he has to find a way in to find his son.
All the zombie genre is tragic, and this genre really brings out the half crazed. This story is not overly long, but it’s a bit repetitive and drawn out in spots, but a little more realistic with an average person trying to survive. This book is all one man’s point of view – so you really don’t get any idea about how the virus started, or how the fate of the world is. You get a couple days in the life on one average man, not a super hero, or an ex-military, just an average man trying to get to his son, and finding out more about a couple of neighbors than he probably wanted to.
Reviewed by Cyrene
4 Stars
Grimm
Shayne Silvers
Urban Fantasy
Assassination contracts don’t make good wedding proposals.
Sharing a beer with Death—one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse—really put a few things into perspective for this foul-mouthed, billionaire wizard. Like finally getting the stones to propose to his girlfriend.
But the Brothers Grimm—legendary supernatural assassins—have escaped their prison, and the number one thing they want after their centuries-long incarceration is Nate Temple’s head. With the entire wedding party also on their hit-list and the Temple family fortune in jeopardy, Nate realizes they can’t run and they can’t hide. So, time to do magic and stuff…
But with every flavor of supernatural thug teaming up to help the Grimms, Nate learns that friends have become enemies and enemies have become friends, and he’s forced to cross lines that are better left uncrossed. To use some magic that he really, really shouldn’t use.
When magic, claws, and teeth dance to the song of war, the only thing left to learn is who lives and who dies. And if Nate can live with the consequences.
No wonder a guy is terrified to propose…
Uncaged Review: We are taken on a wild ride, almost right out of the gate with the third book in this series, and you never get a chance to catch your breath. Nate has a hit out on him, and it’s the Grimm’s that are after him, whom are much stronger than he is. Since he doesn’t have control over his powers yet, he’s a sitting duck, but his friends, and a couple new allies, are targeted too.
This book doesn’t let its foot off the gas pedal much, it’s a fully action packed book that keeps the reader tense and on high alert the whole time. Several characters from past books make an appearance, and I finally like Indie. For the most part in this series, I’ve thought she was just a filler character, but in this book, she finally comes into her own and earned my respect. My biggest gripe is that Nate was clueless most of the book. Being a Maker, he has no idea how to use his new-found powers and it does wear you down.
All said, this is a great addition to the series, and I like how Mr. Silvers is bringing in so much of the traditional folk tales and interweaving them into the story, along with witty dialog. A must for urban fantasy lovers. Reviewed by Cyrene
5 Stars
Dark Steel
Kathryn Le Veque
Historical Medieval Romance
The Dark One’s adoptive son, Dane Stoneley, finds his own epic love story in Dark Steel….
1512 – Dane Stoneley de Russe is a hardcore knight, bred for battle. His father, Gaston de Russe, is called The Dark One, a knight so deadly and legendary that he is more myth than man.
Dane has a lot to live up to.
In a nasty battle on the Welsh marches, Dane is forced to make a bargain with the dying Duke of Shrewsbury. On his deathbed, he rewards Dane with his only child, his heiress. Now, it is Dane who will inherit the Dukedom of Shrewsbury and become a powerful man in his own right.
It is a gift that any man would be glad to accept, and Dane is no exception. Except for the marriage part. Focused on the dukedom he will inherit, he gives little thought to the means by which he will acquire it and only on his wedding day does he catch a glimpse of his bride, the Lady Grier de Lara, for the first time.
Then, the situation changes markedly.
Grier is a lovely young woman, raised in a Welsh convent when her mother died, and far removed from her father and his English legacy. Thrust into a marriage she didn’t want, she is nonetheless intrigued with her new husband, handsome Dane. As Dane and Grier come to know one another, feelings develop that neither one of them can admit. When rumors of a Welsh uprising against Shrewsbury began to circulate, it is Grier who decides to involve herself where she doesn’t belong – in her husband’s war plans.
Enter a great world of Medieval pageantry and battles, where love crosses lines and battlefields, and where betrayal is inevitable as two countries remain at odds. Can Dane and Grier overcome the prejudices they’ve always been taught in order to love their enemy?
Dark Steel is the romance of a lifetime!
Uncaged Review: A story of betrayal, innocence, abuse, danger and finally love. It was exciting to see that one of my favorite characters from previous books was getting his story, and it is a story worthy of the strong knight, Dane. Grier is the perfect match, a shining light which she rises from her sheltered life to be a woman of honor and worthy of being and becoming the Duchess of Shrewsbury. The complexity and uniqueness of all of Le Veque’s characters continues to amaze me, and Dane and Grier are no different.
Kathryn Le Veque brings it all together in a way that only she can, and keeps the reader glued to the pages until the very end. One of my favorite parts of all of her books is the epilogues. The author pulls many different emotions from the reader, and finally the time to relax and smile and sometimes cry, is always the epilogues, and again, this was no different. Highly recommended. Reviewed by Cyrene
5 Stars
Fallen Academy: Year Two
Leia Stone
Urban Fantasy
Family is everything to Brielle, so when she learns about an opportunity to free her mother from Demon City, she takes it. No matter how dangerous, Brielle will do anything to unite her family in Angel City. All is going according to plan, until her brother’s awakening ceremony. What he is… it shocks everyone, and he’s sent away until he can get his powers under control.
Then Brielle loses someone precious to her and goes to great lengths to get them back, lengths Lincoln doesn’t agree with. He thinks Brielle is too much of a risk taker, too wild, and all he can do is try his best to protect her. But with untold powers rising inside of her, Brielle might go to a place that no one can bring her back from. Not even Lincoln.
Brielle needs to learn to fight the darkness that threatens to take her over, because little by little, she’s losing her light.
Uncaged Review: In this second installment, we see more action, more character development and even better understanding of the world since the war. Brielle is advancing her powers and her brother Mikey is coming up to his Awakening ceremony. When she finds a way that she could possibly get her mother free from being a slave, she will risk her life to try.
This book is more action packed than book one, and the romance (clean) between Lincoln and Brielle continues to grow and mature. The one thing that I hated was the crappy ending, even the author apologizes in the notes at the back.
On a whole, this is a great action-packed book and a good addition to the urban fantasy libraries. Reviewed by Cyrene
4.5 Stars
Rainbows in the Moonlight
Ryan Jo Summers
Contemporary Romance
Koda Jacobs urgently needs a nanny. Right now.
Fresh from prison, Dalton Clayton needs a job—and just about anything will do.
Divine Intervention steps in and tosses Koda and Dalton together. Koda struggles with the conflicts of her impulsive decision to leave her babies with an unknown, convicted felon. That just can’t be wise, can it? But she can’t help but see how quickly the children bonded to him and trust him. Or the reassuring sense that this is just right.
Meanwhile, Dalton stumbles through the spills and thrills of two young children, and his growing interest in their mother. A chance meeting brings him back to his estranged family as well.
Over time mutual attraction forms between Koda and Dalton as the bond between Dalton and the children deepens. A sweet, southern romance full of forgiveness, second chances, and fun kids.
Uncaged Review: Koda Jacobs is a widow with a son and daughter she is raising on her own. In the opening, she is on her way home from church when her car has a flat. Dalton Clayton, who has returned to him hometown after being gone for over 15 years, 10 of which were in prison, offers to change her tire, when Koda can’t get the jack to where it raises the car off the ground.
Her children let it out that she is looking for a nanny/babysitter as she nanny quit with little notice. She ends up hiring Dalton without knowing much about him other than that her kids like him and he is kind. This is done after many doubts and in desperation. She has used all her time and has to return to work.
Dalton does tell her about his prison term for being the getaway driver for a bank robbery. As he becomes a part of her family, Koda can’t stop the fears her friend at work keeps planting in her brain. Dalton shows himself as responsible and caring when Terry, her son, falls from the tree out back and breaks his arm. That same friend attempts to set her up with Norm, a creepy tech in the doctor’s office where she works.
There you go. A great triangle along with the doubts she has of Dalton to begin with, yet she still trusts him and has fallen for him, not sure if he even likes her as she finds ways to keep him there after she returns home from work. Needless her kids have become attached to him and want him to stay.
This is another of those stories which shows you how prejudice affect everyone. It’s also a prodigal son story when he finally goes to see his family and admit what he had done and his 10 years behind bars.
This inspirational romance was fun to read as Dalton bumbles along, taken in by Ruthie, Koda’s daughter. You know right from the outset it will have a good ending, but how it gets there was a lot of fun.
I gave it 4 stars for a good story which is well written with a couple of twists you miss until they happen. Reviewed by Barbara
4 Stars
K: The Awakening
K.R. Fajardo
Fantasy Romance
“Fifty years ago the Shadows betrayed me, left me to wither slowly into nothing, chained deep inside a hidden mountain cave. Meanwhile they took control of my kingdom, killing or enslaving any who would dare oppose them. But I am a patient woman … and immortal. The Shadows should enjoy their reign of terror while they can, in the meantime, I will continue to stare at these dark walls plotting my revenge. After all, it is only a matter of time, and I have all the time in the world.” K.
In the small town of Vicaris, Mikel and his daughter Citera live in and run a small clinic. It’s often chaotic and overwhelming, but neither of them would have it any other way. But their desire to help those in need, regardless of race or status, has often made them a target of the harassment by the Shadows forces.
Even so, when their Full-blood friend Rigar shows up at the back door of the clinic with the emaciated body of a young woman, Mikel doesn’t hesitate to bring her inside. And when they find out only minutes later the Shadows forces, including their henchman the Enforcer, are heading their direction, Mikel bravely puts his life on the line to protect the mysterious stranger.
Unbeknownst to Mikel, this young woman is the immortal queen the Shadows have been searching for decades to find. And it doesn’t take long before Mikel and his friends find themselves thrust into the midst of an ancient feud that will eventually decide the fate of Vanteria once and for all.
Uncaged Review: It took me awhile to really get into this book, but I hung in there and around 40% in, things started clicking into place. There is still a lot of unknowns, even at the end of the book, but it has great world building and an original storyline. There are a lot of characters to keep up with, but the author does a good job with the cast. This is marketed as a fantasy romance, but there is not much romance in it to speak of – maybe that will be more defined in the coming books. All in all, this is a good start to a series although at times it felt a little too drawn out, but I’ve also found many first books in series the same way. It will be interesting to see where the author takes us in the upcoming books.. Reviewed by Cyrene
4 Stars
The Pink Rose of the Prairie
Ginger Ring
Western/Time Travel
Rose McAlister was always the perfect daughter and student, but it was never enough for her high society family. Tired of the big city spotlight, Rose accepts a teaching job at the most remote location hiring – in the middle of the prairie in South Dakota. This was her chance for adventure, her opportunity to shine as an educator, and her shot at forgetting the ex-boyfriend who left her heart torn to pieces and her bank account in shambles. In South Dakota, Rose vows she’ll find someone to love and trust.
Seth Peterson is a wanderer. Not surprising since he didn’t know where he was going or where he came from. When a beautiful, flower-tattooed woman enters his life claiming to be from the future, he doesn’t know which is crazier: her, or the fact that he is falling in love and wanting to put down roots. Before he can decide if it’s best to follow his aimless path or to obey his heart, women are being stabbed to death in town and it looks like Rose might be next on the killer’s list. Can this new love survive not only the slash of steel, but also the test of time?
Uncaged Review: I actually have had this book to read for a while, and forgot that it was a time-travel romance, and when all of a sudden Rose is transported back in time around a hundred years or so, I was a bit disoriented along with Rose. But we both got our feet back under us. This is a nice romance that sets a nice pace with some added suspense and danger. All in all, I’m not sure I wanted Rose to stay in the past or come back to the future. I’ll let you decide. Reviewed by Cyrene
4.5 Stars
Tangled Up In You
Lara Ward Cosio
Rockstar Romance
Gavin is the perfect rockstar front man – moody, confident, and sexy as hell. But no matter how famous he becomes, he can’t shake the heartache of his childhood. Only Sophie can take the edge off.
Sophie falls for Gavin the moment she realizes his swagger is just a front to hide his wounded core. All she wants is to save him from himself. And once she gives him her heart, she never gets it back.
She makes him feel . . . seen; he makes her feel needed. It’s a desperate kind of love, but it’s what works for them.
Until it doesn’t.
When the tabloids get a hold of Gavin’s family secret, the backlash threatens everything he holds dear . . . including his relationship with Sophie. It doesn’t help matters that the band’s gorgeous guitarist is ready to step in and be what Sophie needs.
With everything falling down around them, can Gavin and Sophie hang on to their white-hot connection or will it consume them?
Uncaged Review: Gavin and Sophie met in high school, when Sophie was studying abroad in Ireland, and Gavin and Sophie became inseparable. When Sophie leaves to return to the U.S., she breaks Gavin’s heart, too young to say yes to his proposal. Fast forward – Gavin’s band Rogue, is hitting the big time, and along with his band mates, they are caught up in the rock star lifestyle. When Sophie and Gavin meet again, it doesn’t turn out well, but Gavin seeks her out, and begins their story all over.
This book is quite dark a lot of the time. Sophie and Gavin’s story is almost self-destructive to a point where the reader is smiling at them one minute, and yelling at them the next. When it finally spirals out of control, it’s unclear if they will ever get their connection back on track.
This book does not end their story, it continues on in the next book, but I need to take a breather from this story – as it is a bit drawn out and at times, emotionally draining. Reviewed by Cyrene
4.5 Stars
Captain’s Lady
Jamaila Brinkley
Historical Regency
Captain Jack Boone would like nothing better than to get back to plundering the seas, legally or otherwise. But suddenly, he’s a viscount, and his friends and family are insisting he needs a wife. When he’s asked to consult on a magical problem, he finds the perfect solution to his own issue: a convenient bride.
Katherine Ashe wants only to help her sister, who’s caught in an unpleasant predicament. When marriage to Jack Boone seems to be the only solution, she takes the opportunity to have her own household, escaping her overbearing aunt’s house once and for all and helping her sister in the bargain.
But before their convenient marriage can settle in, there’s a flight to Scotland to arrange; a budding sorceress to soothe—and oh, yes—a baby.
Jack and Kate are surrounded by chaos. Can they come through it to find an unexpected love?
Uncaged Review: Being a lover of fantasy and historical, this book was a nice surprise as it hits both of those genres in one. It was a little too tame for my tastes, both in the magical part and the romance, but the author does a nice job combining the two genres. Even though this was a series book, it held up just fine on its own. There is some fun banter between the characters and some fun with the magic tossed in. Reviewed by Cyrene
4 Stars
