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Uncaged Review – A Rose for a Rogue by Collette Cameron

By
Cyrene Olson
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A Rose for a Rogue
Collette Cameron
Historical Regency

What’s a future duke to do when the most unsuitable woman possible captures his heart?

Eden had tried to avoid even a hint of scandal her whole life.

Plowing headlong into the Marquis of Sterling and dropping eggs on his boots wasn’t the most foolish thing Eden Haverden had ever done. Imprudently agreeing to take the charming rogue home when his horse went lame wasn’t either. But reluctantly accepting Chester’s invitation to stay the night at his familial estate after she nearly drowned? Yes, that assuredly was a rash decision and invited utter ruin. So why doesn’t she listen to her common sense?

The DeCourcy sins have haunted Chester his entire life.

Determined to create a new legacy for the tainted duchy, Manchester’s every action and decision are governed by diligence and discipline. A man of reason and purpose, he should not be distracted by the wholly unsuitable Eden Haverden. Not only is she the illegitimate offspring of his father’s arch enemy, she’s also the sister of the man who’d killed his brother. Why then, can’t he resist the powerful connection between them?

Can Chester convince Eden to put aside their families’ feud and trust him with her heart and love?

Uncaged Review: Eden is such a refreshing character, from her first meeting with the Marquis, to her assortment of pets – including a horse that wears a straw hat and a pet squirrel named Acorn, the reader can’t help being charmed by her and it’s no wonder Chester can’t keep his mind off of her.

Ms. Cameron does a wonderful job with this story and sets a good pace, keeping it fresh and interesting with characters that are well thought out and likeable, and the epilogue was a delight. Reviewed by Cyrene

4.5 Stars

2019 Raven Awards

By
Cyrene Olson
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0

It’s almost that time of year. Uncaged will be hosting the Raven Awards for 2019. This year, the awards will be handled differently. In August, Uncaged will announce the winners LIVE in a Facebook Event. Updates for this event will be coming soon.

Voting will begin for the semi-finals in July. The top 5 in each category will move on to the finals. There will be more categories this year to accommodate all the genres that were read by Uncaged this year.

Winners will not only receive a custom badge this year, but they will also receive space in the magazine. Winners will receive a FREE 2-page book Showcase valued at $40, and the Runner-ups will receive a 1-page Sneak Peek, valued at $20. The winners will have up to a year to redeem their gifts.

Please be aware, to be eligible for the Raven Awards, books had to have been reviewed by Uncaged and received a 4 Star review or better. The only exception to that rule is the cover voting where the rating does not apply.

So be ready to gather your armies for voting, as the Raven Awards will begin to rev up. A quick preview of the all new Raven Award badge will be coming soon……

Uncaged Review – The Deserted Heart by Mary Lancaster

By
Cyrene Olson
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0

The Deserted Heart
Mary Lancaster
Historical Victorian

Unmarriageable? Or simply unusual?

There can only be one reason for the proud Duke of Alvan’s proposed visit to Audley Park. He means to offer for Lord Overton’s beautiful daughter, Thomasina, thus saving the family’s waning fortune. In the midst of the hectic preparations for his arrival, Overton’s least marriageable daughter Charlotte remembers to collect her young brothers from school for the holidays.

When fog forces them to spend the night at the Hart Inn, they are astonished to find the house deserted, save for one other enigmatic traveler who deals most capably with armed intruders. Drawn to their unconventional new friend, Charlotte enlists his help to solve the mystery.

Amidst the upheaval of the duke’s visit, to say nothing of the chaos caused by Charlotte’s unmanageable pet terrier, the Hart becomes the focus of nefarious doings, kidnappings, and romantic entanglements. For Charlotte is unwise enough to fall hopelessly in love with her sister’s intended husband, and the duke hides too many secrets of his own.

Will they find their happily ever after with each other?

Uncaged Review: The start of the Unmarriageable Series is a good intro this series. When the Duke of Alvan comes to visit Lord Overton’s family, it’s with the belief that he will ask for Thomasina’s hand. Being wealthy, marrying off the oldest daughter would solve a lot ot the family’s financial problems. But the Duke wasn’t counting on meeting Charlotte, the daughter that was sickly as a child, and not considered to be of great beauty – so not thought of in the family as a “marriageable” daughter. Always having the hand me downs, Charlotte never is upset about her lot in life and never resents it. But when her feelings begin to develop for the Duke, she must not allow that to happen, as it’s her sister that is supposed to marry him.

Fun with some mystery and fun thrown in – this is a nice romance, although it took a little too long to develop and the romantic ending was a bit lackluster. But the closeness of Charlotte’s family was satisfying. Reviewed by Cyrene

4 Stars

Uncaged Review – Beast Master by Shayne Silvers

By
Cyrene Olson
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0

Beast Master
Shayne Silvers
Urban Fantasy

Nate’s To-Do List: De-pants Ganesh. Drop-kick the Fae Queens in the chesticles. Shut down a Monster Circus.

Oh, and host Friendsgiving for his guests—an Angel, Achilles, and Death, just to name a few. Easy-Peasy…

But the Beast Master has come to town, and he’s kidnapping shifter kids for his show.

And the Queens of Fae have ordered a little deep-fried wizard for their holiday feasts.

And Nate is losing that last finger-hold on his sanity: hallucinating, and talking to creatures that no one else can see. The demon inside of him is getting stronger, fighting for dominance, and only one of them can survive.

But when Nate’s extorted to rescue a lethal Chimera child from the Beast Master’s Circus, Nate’s only option is to partner with his inner demon, risking his very soul. But his friends begin to doubt and fear this new, darker Nate, taking matters into their own hands—even when that means standing against him.

With allies turned enemies, the Fae breathing down his neck, and a dangerous child’s life on the line, Nate must call upon, bully, and coerce new storybook legends and gods to save his traitorous friends from becoming the Beast Master’s next victims…

Discover what—if anything—Nate is willing to sacrifice to save the friends who betrayed him…

Uncaged Review: This may be my favorite book yet in this series. This author has a talent of messing with your equilibrium and throwing you off course. And this book is no different. Nate is again cursed – and he’ll need to embrace his inner demon to come out of this one alive and face the Beast Master. With a little help from his friends, this very original, action-packed story will keep you on the edge of your seat. A lot of base things happened in this story that propelled this story forward in ways I didn’t see coming and gives us some answers to some questions, but raises one big question, who and what the hell is Mallory??

Start from the beginning, and get ready for a great series – you won’t want to put this one down. Reviewed by Cyrene

5 Stars

Uncaged Review – The Sea Lord by Hildie McQueen

By
Cyrene Olson
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0

The Sea Lord
Hildie McQueen
Medieval Historical

Can a beautiful heiress lure a pirate to life on land?

When offered a royal pardon, Pirate Kevin MacAlpin accepts an assignment to rescue a kidnapped heiress. Unfortunately, the beauty is found on his ship and the discovery could lead to dire consequences. What is worse, the woman turns out to be more enticing than a siren and soon Captain MacAlpin wonders if the one captured is him.

Gailyn Brighton finds herself kidnapped and then stolen by highway robbers, all while in a crate. Her escape plan is foiled when the ship she is on leaves the harbor. Now she must use the only weapon available to survive. Her wit and intelligence. After careful consideration of the consequences of her kidnapping, Gailyn decides to propose marriage to the handsome pirate.

Love can appear in the most unexpected places!

Uncaged Review: Another story in the Britannia Connected World, and in this story, the pirate Captain MacAlpin takes on an assignment that may give him his freedom, to rescue a woman who is kidnapped. Unbeknown to him, she is then stolen from the kidnappers and put on a different ship.

I love a good pirate story and have a ton of respect for the authors that go the extra mile on their research for sea worthy books. The characters in this story are likeable and the romance simmers beneath the surface and soon you will be wondering who kidnapped who, was Gailyn kidnapped, or was Captain MacAlpin? Fun, shorter read that is a nice addition to this connected world of pirates. Reviewed by Cyrene

4 Stars

Uncaged Review – No God is Safe by Orlando A. Sanchez

By
Cyrene Olson
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0

No God is Safe
Orlando A. Sanchez
Urban Fantasy

A Dangerous Client. An Impossible Case. An Offer He Should’ve Refused.

Children have gone missing in NYC.

Detective Simon Strong takes on what he thinks is a routine case-get proof of a spouse’s infidelity. When he digs deeper, he stumbles onto the trail of the missing children, but what he discovers shatters his concepts of reality.

Tristan Montague is a mage on the run. Hiding from his sect and banned from the magical societies, he follows a trail of missing children to NYC. Now, together with Simon, they must prevent more abductions and stop those responsible for the disappearances.

They will face an enemy unlike any other-hungry for power and willing to destroy anyone who gets in their way. Will they locate the missing children? Will they reveal the power behind the abductions and stop them?

Uncaged Review: This is a short story that gives us a background on how Tristan and Simon met, and their first case together – and it can be read at any time within the series – and I’m actually glad I read it after I was already into the series. Even within the short amount of space, you find a great action packed storyline and the author teases you with a bit more information on this duo. It may not answer ALL of the questions surrounding these two, but it will put a few pieces of the puzzle that is Montague and Strong in place. I rarely give 5 stars to short origin stories, but this one earned it. Reviewed by Cyrene

5 Stars

Uncaged Review – Homecoming by Orlando A. Sanchez

By
Cyrene Olson
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0

Homecoming
Orlando A. Sanchez
Urban Fantasy

There’s no place like home…but they’re not headed to Kansas.
The Sanctuary is the hidden home of the Golden Circle-a sect of powerful mages. It’s a sacred place of learning, magic, and deep secrets. When Tristan discovers his father, Connor Montague is being held prisoner, he vows to return to the Sanctuary and release him.
There’s only one problem. The Sanctuary has been taken over by Mage Oliver. An Elder who has unleashed the magistrates and promises to destroy Tristan the moment he steps foot on the mountain.
Now together with the help of Simon, they must face a mountain of mages, free his father, and escape the Sanctuary before an Arch Mage erases them from existence.

Uncaged Review: Death, destruction – two words that seem to follow Tristan and Simon around everywhere they go. The fifth book in this series, where some series are starting to lose a bit of steam, this series seems to be just ramping up. And it’s a fun ride, with some great characters, fun banter and great action sequences, you won’t put this series down for long. We learn more in each book about the backgrounds that made Simon and Monty who they are.

This time out, Tristan’s father is a prisoner of a crazed Mage and to free him, and he’ll need all his wits about him to survive. Along with Simon, Peaches and some fun characters, they will work to get to Tristan’s dad before it’s too late – along with fun banter and great action. If you are an urban fantasy lover, you can’t go wrong with this series, but start at the beginning – it’s well worth it. Reviewed by Cyrene

5 Stars

Uncaged Review – Hell on Earth by Tony Urban

By
Cyrene Olson
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0

Hell on Earth
Tony Urban
Horror

Twelve survivors struggle to remain alive in a country overrun with hundreds of millions of zombies. Heroes and villains rise from the ashes of what used to be civilization and an epic, blood-soaked, and brutally realistic post-apocalyptic adventure begins.

Uncaged Review: There are no true blue heroes in this book, and yet, there are. What I liked about this book is the characters were realistic, in different situations with different backgrounds – but all with the same goal – staying alive. What I liked about the book is also what I didn’t like about the book. 12 main characters to keep track of, and each chapter is dedicated to a character and then it would be several chapters longer before you got back to that character. So just as the tension was ramping up, I’d be tossed out of the storyline into a different character. Also, this book is not for the faint of heart. The author holds no punches on the gorey details.

All-in-all, this is a good zombie start to a series and well earns its place in the genre. If you can keep up with all the characters, you’re in for good story telling. Reviewed by Cyrene

4 Stars

Uncaged Review – Desert Moon by Anna Lowe

By
Cyrene Olson
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0

Desert Moon
Anna Lowe
Shifter Romance/Suspense

The scent of destiny… The danger in desire.
Lana Dixon knows well enough to steer clear of alpha males, but Ty Hawthorne is as impossible to avoid as the sizzling Arizona sun. Her inner wolf just won’t give up on the alpha who’s tall, dark, and more than a little dangerous. One midnight romp under the full moon is enough for Lana to know she’ll risk her life for him — but what about her pride?

Ty puts duty above everything — even the overwhelming instinct that says Lana’s the one. She’s the Juliet to his Romeo: forbidden. And with a pack of poaching rogues closing in, it’s hardly the time to yield to his desires. Or is love just what this lonely alpha needs to set his spirit free?

Uncaged Review: The first book in this series we meet Ty, the son and next alpha of the Twin Moon Ranch pack in Arizona. Ty is intense, and broody and almost impossible to be around. Until Lana Dixon shows up. Even though they try to stay away from each other, destiny and fate have other plans.

I’m not going to give anything more away, but I have always enjoyed this author’s writing, and this book is no different. There is some danger and suspense added along with the impossible romance and it all works. The book is not very long, I read it in one sitting, but it’s a great intro to this pack, and I’m looking forward to learning about other pack members in the series which is already 6 books strong. Reviewed by Cyrene

4 1/2 Stars

Uncaged Review – Fallen Academy: Year Three by Leia Stone

By
Cyrene Olson
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0

Fallen Academy: Year Three
Leia Stone
Urban Fantasy

It will take every ounce of strength and training Brielle has to survive year three. Meanwhile, Lincoln will also be fighting his own battle for survival. Each of them worlds apart.

Uncaged Review: I was really looking forward to reading this one, especially after the super crappy ending from book two. This time out, we get a much better ending. Brielle has been taken by Lucifer and is a prisoner in Hell. Separated from her blade, Sera, and drugged so she can’t use her powers, she’s going to have to be on top of her game and acting skills to find a way out. Back at home, her family, Lincoln and her friends all believe she is dead.

So half the book, Brielle is working on a way out of hell, and when she does manage to escape, she finds that Lincoln has gone undercover in one of the worst demon infested cities – San Francisco. If he’s alive, Brielle is determined to bring him back. But Lucifer is still pissed – and she’ll have to utilize all her skills with her friends, to get in and out of San Francisco in one piece.

A lot of good action – a much better ending, and a good lead up to book four. I don’t know how many books are planned for the series, but I’m looking forward to the next one. Reviewed by Cyrene

4 1/2 Stars

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