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Uncaged Review – Lord Ashley’s Beautiful Alibi by Cerise DeLand

By
Cyrene Olson
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0

Lord Ashley’s Beautiful Alibi
Cerise DeLand
Historical Regency

He pretended he was her lover. She became his alibi…and his only love.

Augustine Bolton lives amid the social whirl and treachery of the stylish court of Josephine and Napoleon Bonaparte. When Gus’s dearest friend, Amber, disappears, Gus must find her before the deputy chief of police finds Amber and carts her off to his bed—or to la Force.

But Gus’s means are few and her own duties as an agent in Amber’s network mean she is also suspect. Gus needs help.

Kane Whittington is just the man for the job.

He has worked for London merchant-cum-spymaster Scarlett Hawthorne for years and welcomes Scarlett’s call to build a large espionage network in Europe. His first task is to find the missing head of Scarlett’s espionage network.

Uncaged Review: Kane is an agent who is sent out to France to find a missing person in a link to the spy network or to build a new network, the missing person also happens to be Augustine Bolton’s friend. Kane meets Augustine again – another fellow spy in the missing person’s network, and they end up posing as an engaged couple. But of course that will lead to more…

This book has a good mystery, danger and romance, everything a good historical should have. The characters are well flushed out and this is a good original story and a great start to this series. This is engaging and entertaining read that doesn’t slow down and will keep the reader turning the pages. Reviewed by Cyrene

4 Stars

Uncaged Review – Catawba Falls by W.F. Ranew

By
Cyrene Olson
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0

Catawba Falls
W.F. Ranew
Hard-Boiled Mystery

Does a killer roam the Western North Carolina mountains?

Red Farlow travels to Camp Ridgemont for Boys for a reunion with his summer camp friends. On arrival, he discovers two camp counselors have been found in the woods, hacked to death. Red’s investigation soon widens with more mysterious deaths, one of them a close friend.

Far-right extremist Troy Unsworthy knows the hills and hollows after a lifetime of growing up in these mountains. Red soon learns all the victims are connected to Unsworthy in the years leading up to a deadly auto accident which put him in prison.

When he learns Unsworthy was released just before the counselors’ deaths, Red goes into the mountains. His trek requires sure-footedness over rocky terrain and old-growth forest as he explores caves with endless tunnels, shafts, and deep-water pools searching for his suspect.

But, did Unsworthy really murder these people, or should Red turn his attention to other suspects?

Red treads a treacherous path on his quest to find the killer and bring him to justice.

Uncaged Review: This book started out a bit slow, and it threw me in a couple places throughout. First we are slapped right into a gruesome murder of some camp counselors that our main protagonist Red, finds during a trip into a summer camp for a reunion with some friends. Then the book backtracks a bit without a segway into his events leading up to the search. But this is a good mystery, but there are a lot of murders to this tale, and Red will have to trek through the forest to hunt down the suspect.

I had not read any of the previous books, but does well as a standalone. I would have liked to know more about Red and his background before going into this one, and I’m sure that’s probably in previous books, but it’s not necessary to read those first. The author does a great job describing the detail of the surrounding area and this book does a good job keeping the reader in suspense the whole way through. Reviewed by Cyrene


4 Stars

Uncaged Review – Steinar by Mary Morgan

By
Cyrene Olson
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0

Steinar
Mary Morgan
Medieval Fantasy Romance

Descended from the mighty Somerled, Lord of the Isles, Steinar MacDougall’s supremacy over the seas is fierce. On a quest for King William, he is captured by the enemy and presented with a favorable opportunity. Yet Steinar soon realizes his greatest threat comes from the woman who hides behind the mask of a warrior, and the quest for control might send them hurdling into the abyss of the sea.

As leader of the Serpents, Inga the Ruthless travels beyond the isles bartering for goods with her brothers. After rescuing the feared Pirate Wolf during a storm, she surrenders her trust to the man and his inner wolf in order to claim the lost treasure of Odin. Though the journey is fraught with dangers, Inga fears her heart might be the one in peril, leading her to make the ultimate sacrifice.

Will the sea be their salvation or doom them to a watery grave?

Uncaged Review: This author has a way of weaving a tale that will keep a reader glued to the pages, and the Wolves of Clan Sutherland are masterpieces. Each book will have you falling in love with the wolves all over again and all you can hope for is that the author keeps writing about them. This story is all about Steinar – the aloof sea pirate wolf, and Inga the Ruthless, who commands the Serpents. Steinar is saved by Inga and her ship, and they strike a bargain, if Steinar can get her through the deadly seas to a treasure, he will be set free. But Steinar never counted on his wolf and his heart getting involved but Inga holds many secrets of her own.

One of the most emotional times for me in this series, is when the wolves come to aid one of their brothers, and when Magmar, Rorik and Gunnar show up, I may have needed a tissue. In this series, the wolf and man share a soul, but are distinctly different. I don’t think in all the fantasy I’ve read, that I’ve enjoyed a shifter book as much. This book has romance, danger, action and mystery and if you haven’t read anything from this author, you are truly missing out. My note to the author: write faster. Reviewed by Cyrene

5 Stars

Uncaged Review – Bretagne: A Forbidden Affair by Diane Scott Lewis

By
Cyrene Olson
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0

Bretagne: A Forbidden Affair
Diane Scott Lewis
20th Century Historical

Norah Cooper flees England to hide with her cousin in Brittany just before Germany’s 1940 invasion of France. After her illegitimate baby is stillborn, she’s trapped under the Occupation as war expands across Europe. Norah grieves and consoles herself by sketching wildlife. When she’s caught too near the coast, she comes under scrutiny of the German commandant, Major August von Gottlieb.

August loathes what Hitler is doing to his country and France but is duty-bound to control the people in his jurisdiction. The lively young Englishwoman piques his interest. Is she a spy? He questions her and asks her to sketch his portrait so he might uncover the truth.

Their relationship evolves into a passion neither of them can deny. She endures taunts from the villagers. His superiors warn him of not being harsh enough—he could be transferred or worse. He plans to sabotage a major war machine of the Reich, while she secretly helps the Resistance. Both acts are fraught with danger while kept secret from one another. Will their dangerous liaison ruin her and end in heartbreak? A gripping historical of forbidden love. Perfect for fans of Pam Jenoff and Marion Kammarow.

Uncaged Review: . Norah hides in France from her home in England with her cousin, but before she can leave, Germany invades France and she is stranded. With food and necessities getting very hard to come by, she feels like she’s become an awful burden for her cousin and her family. All Nora ever wanted to do, is to be an artist, and she wanders to the coast to draw the different birds that flock to the shores. Unfortunately, she is caught by the German Major, and is questioned. But she is free to leave by promising to stay away from the coast – to keep her from seeing what the Germans are doing. But she’s caught the attention of the Major, who is secretly not a fan of Hitler. With the offer of money to paint his portrait, Nora agrees to do it to find out information from him and to gain the money for the family. But they find the attraction to each other hard to ignore.

This book is written about a forbidden love between two “enemies” and the author gives us a realistic view with descriptions that have the reader feeling the danger of war and invasion and tempers it down with a tale of love. A captivating tale of love in the midst of the dangers of war and falling in love with one that could bring the end of everything Nora knows and loves. Reviewed by Cyrene

4 Stars

Uncaged Review – Raven’s Hollow Spring Magic by Tena Stetler

By
Cyrene Olson
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0

Raven’s Hollow Spring Magic
Tena Stetler
Magic Fantasy Romance

Spring is in full bloom in Raven’s Hollow, a small town in the Colorado Rockies with a population of unique townspeople. Blaze, a dragon shifter, and Wynter, a witch, are neck-deep in wedding preparations, when Wynter’s mother, Jade, goes missing after opening her new antique store, and attending the Simon estate sale where she procured an ancient jelly bean machine. Frantic with worry, Blaze and Wynter track her last movements via the store’s ancient, grainy, security footage. What it reveals is nothing short of shocking. As deputy sheriff, it’s Blaze’s responsibility to find his soon-to-be mother-in-law. But at what cost?

Uncaged Review: This book takes off soon after the Meringue Snowflake Magic, with Wynter in full wedding planning mode, and Syndi getting closer to Cory – who works for Blaze at the pizza place. When Wynter’s mother Jade, finds an old jellybean machine at an estate sale, everyone finds out very quickly that the jellybean machine isn’t just a jellybean machine as it whisks Jade away in a vortex. With hopes of retrieving her, Blaze sets the machine in motion and disappears also. Wynter is stressing out, now both Jade and Blaze are gone, and the wedding is in 2 weeks. Meanwhile, Syndi finally finds out the magical secret to Cory, but will she be able to handle it?

You could reasonably read this as a standalone, but reading the Meringue Snowflake Magic book will get you in the loop how it all began in this supernatural town before starting this one. This is another shorter read, easily read in one day and the characters are all back along a few new ones in this follow-up. The pace is quick and there isn’t much waste in this story. Humor, romance and more pizza – all served up nicely, and let’s not forget the wonderful Cocoa. Reviewed by Cyrene

4 Stars

Uncaged Review – Meringue Snowflake Magic by Tena Stetler

By
Cyrene Olson
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0

Meringue Snowflake Magic
Tena Stetler
Magic Fantasy Romance

After being in the wrong place at the wrong time Wynter Dahl finds herself with a new name and new home. Whisked into the Witness Protection program she finds herself in the Podunk town of Raven’s Hollow, Colorado. She has more than one secret to keep and is not sure who she can trust, though the deputy sheriff is hard to resist.
Braydon “Blaze” Nightwing, owns Dragon Fire Pizza and takes his job as deputy sheriff seriously. He means to protect his town and its residents, including the mysterious newcomer. He rescues her after a tumble and finds himself in over his head. He senses she’s more than she seems but so is he.
When her cover is blown and her life is in danger it will take the whole town to save her and their annual holiday festival and cookie contest. What is Christmas without a little magic?

Uncaged Review: This is fun short read that introduces the reader to these characters in Raven’s Hollow, a town with a secret, a town full of magical beings. Wynter is sent there under the witness protection program, and has no idea what kind of town she’s been sent to. Having to give up all her family and friends, she’s sent off, as is several of her family members and her best friend to different locations. She’s befriended almost on the first day, by Blaze, the owner of the local pizza place and a deputy sheriff. Blaze has his own secrets, but so does Wynter.

But when her cover is blown, the whole town will come to her aid to protect her and her family.

This is a nice short story that can easily be read in one sitting, and the characters and the town are as fun as they sound. Within the danger of the situation, there is the town’s annual Snowflake Festival and the coveted cookie contest. I enjoyed the town and the characters and my only disgruntlement is that the story was over too soon.
Reviewed by Cyrene

4 Stars

Uncaged Review – A Sour Note by Jill Piscitello

By
Cyrene Olson
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0

A Sour Note
Jill Piscitello
Cozy Mystery

On the heels of a public, broken engagement, Maeve Cleary returns to her childhood home in Hampton Beach, NH. When a dead body turns up behind her mother’s music school, three old friends land on the suspect list. Licking her wounds soon takes a back seat to outrunning the paparazzi who spin into a frenzy, casting her in a cloud of suspicion. Maeve juggles her high school sweetheart, a cousin with a touch of clairvoyance, a no-nonsense detective, and an apologetic, two-timing ex-fiancé. Will the negative publicity impact business at the Music Box— the very place she’d hoped to make a fresh start?

Uncaged Review: This cozy mystery starts us out with Maive going back to her hometown after catching her high profile fiancé cheating on her. With no job, and no where to live, she goes back to live with her mom, who is a widow and owns a music store called The Music Box. She runs into an old flame, Finn, and her friends she’s known her whole life. It doesn’t take long before a body is found in a dumpster behind her mom’s shop, and two of Maive’s best friends are the prime suspects. Not wanting to see her friends taking a rap for something she knows they didn’t do, and to keep from more publicity from hurting her mom’s shop, Maive starts to snoop around to find out how it happened, much to the local detective’s annoyance. As Maive digs, more suspects keeping popping up and more motives for the very unliked person that was murdered.

This is a fun mystery, the cast of characters are easy to like, and the mystery takes some dangerous turns, but Maive isn’t backing down even when she herself becomes a target for her snooping. The pace is great, and I never really guessed in this one, there were too many ways it could go. A fun afternoon read and I hope the author continues with the characters and the town in future books. Reviewed by Cyrene

4.5 Stars

Uncaged Review – The Viscount’s Desire by Marguerite Lewis

By
Cyrene Olson
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0

The Viscount’s Desire
Marguerite Lewis
Historical Romance

Two black sheep must work together to save an innocent girl. All the while they are being watched by a secret group of rogue vigilantes: The London Harriers.


Anna Thatcher’s only goal is to leave the slums of London and her dark past behind. Most of her time is spent working at Stone Street Inn. Very little of the inn’s time goes to paying patrons, as they bring in prostitutes from the streets wishing to find a better life. Daily Anna takes on extra work as a seamstress to earn enough to help with the inn’s expenses, and to eventually move out of the city. No matter how much good she does, she cannot seem to erase the wrong from her secret past.


Lord Peter Batton the Viscount Bayning has to find his kidnapped cousin before it’s too late. After a horrible accident and his discharge from the military, his family and peers want very little to do with him. That is until his cousin went missing. After a few dalliances with a boisterous crowd, the young Cecily vanished. The only key to finding her is talking to the street walkers of London’s grimiest corners. These sinners and the paying men that see them are the lowly class of people Peter would like nothing to do with, but they are his only door into the elite crowd of the same dark work. The crowd that has Cecily.


Anna does not approve of the way Peter looks down his nose at others, but she knows she must help find the missing girl to save her from a terrible fate. On his own, none of the rough crowd would speak to Peter. Fearing for Cecily, Anna agrees to help. Together they must face the seedy works of an evil industry.


Meanwhile, every move they make is being watched by a rouge group of men. Any mention of the group publicly is thought of as a ghost story. Little do Peter and Anna know, the band is very real, and their only help may come from the secret workings of The London Harriers.

Uncaged Review: This historical romance is much different than most I’ve read. Anna Thatcher works at a run-down inn in the slums of London, trying to redeem herself and her dark past. Taking in as many women prostitutes off the streets to help feed them and keep them safe, the inn struggles. Anna takes on mending work for money, so she can find her way out of London one day. Viscount Bayning is searching for his cousin, after she disappears from her home. Running into Anna, he asks for her help in finding his cousin. The two get off on the wrong foot, but Anna’s desire to help another woman to safety overrides her distrust of the Viscount. Together they slowly learn to trust each other.

The romance between Peter and Anna is very well done, Peter having his own prejudices against prostitutes and Anna showing him what a hypocrite he is. The Harriers are a group of people taking the law into their own hands and helping to rid the city of the filth, although you never truly know who they are.

There is plenty of danger and action, and you visit the slum parts of London, and the story keeps a good pace. There is multiple points of view going on, and it would sometimes throw me off, but overall this is a nicely done original historical. Reviewed by Cyrene

4 Stars

Uncaged Review – The Firebrand’s Succubus by T.M. Smith

By
Cyrene Olson
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0

The Firebrand’s Succubus
T.M. Smith
Paranormal Romance

The Beauty
The strikingly beautiful Zora, succubus executive assistant at the prestigious Ministry of Well Being on Scath, is being stalked by an obsessed admirer.

The Beast
When her worried boss calls for a Firebrand bodyguard, the scarred and fierce warrior, Darius, shows up for the job.

The Snag
Though Zora is drawn to Darius, convincing him they are perfect together takes time.

Uncaged Review: Aeternal Djinn Darius and Firebrand warrior is not only flawed because of a scar, but believed that no one could ever love him. Darius’ would appease his sexual appetite at blud dens. Darius true nature thrived on fear and at times the prostitutes willing to service him would show that terror. Succubus Zora worked in Alarik’s office. Zora might have been surrounded by handsome males yet no one sparked her interest. Zora wanted someone that she could love. Still, Zora is quite happy with her life despite there not being any affection. Unfortunately, Zora hides a secret. She is getting terrifying letters from a dangerous admirer that not only wants her but will harm anyone that she even has a relationship with, even if it isn’t intimate. When Zora finally tells Alarik, he calls the Firebrand warriors, including Darius, to protect Zora from harm. Zora and Darius can’t stand each other but also desire one another strongly. Of course, that desire could also end up killing them both too.

Another fun-filled, captivating paranormal romance by Ms. T.M. Smith! When I started reading this tale I didn’t realize that it was a novella, so I was just getting totally immersed in the book when it ended, and I really didn’t want the story to be done! So that was the only issue I really had with the book, that it was too short and a novella. So maybe it was my fault for not researching the book more. Sure, you could read the novella by itself because there is enough background to understand the book, but you might want to read the rest in the series just so you can understand the minor characters and their relationships. I wasn’t for sure what a djinn was in this world and how his magic worked. I still liked Darius. Okay, maybe the book cover had a lot to do with I pictured him and I just adored Zora too! I am just absolutely invested and loving all of these stories and can’t wait to read more! Reviewed by Roslynn Ernst

4 Stars

Uncaged Review – Don’t Wanna Fall in Love by Lusetta Nelson

By
Cyrene Olson
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0

Don’t Wanna Fall in Love
Lusetta Nelson
Contemporary Humorous Romance

Imagine having a childhood filled with love, joy, and warmth. Now, imagine what happens when that rug is swept right out from under you, causing you to crash painfully onto the floor and, even after you manage to get back up, your heart decides to stay – bloodied, broken, covered in cat hair and believing true love is the destroyer of lives. Don’t Wanna Fall in Love is, kind of, like that…but funnier.
Martha Cooper is a beloved nurse during the week but spends her weekends as the lead singer for a popular cover band called The Cover Stealers. Thanks to a not-so-happy childhood, she keeps her romantic relationships casual and free from complications but, after years of being perfectly content with that situation, Logan Ashford enters her life and makes it clear he’s not looking for casual. Since Martha enjoys how she feels in his presence, she can’t bring herself to keep her distance but concocts a list of rules to abide by in order to protect her heart. While Logan’s charming and thoughtful nature chips away at said rules, Martha must make the difficult choice to pick her lint-covered heart back up off the floor or let go of her chance at true love.

Uncaged Review: Martha works as a nurse during the week, and most weekends she fronts a cover band. Been burned in love before, Martha keeps a tight lid on romance in her life, until Logan comes along. Logan does his best to woo Marha and gets in well with the band and her friends. The nursing home people where Martha works during the week are some of my favorite characters in the book.

This book was a lot of fun, and I enjoyed it for the most part. It had a bit of a slow start but did get funnier and the pace picked up as the story went along. I didn’t laugh out loud, but there were some nice memorable moments that had me smiling. A good romantic comedy for a weekend read. Reviewed by Cyrene

4 Stars

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