When Fiona MacHugh inherits her aunt’s B&B in a magical sanctuary village, she knows to expect some surprises. Bats in the attic, a rotting front porch, even the giant black dog that only appears when she’s alone… all of these things she can handle; especially since every day, she gets closer to solving the mystery of her aunt’s death.
One thing Fiona didn’t expect was to find herself at odds with her neighbor, a grumpy casino owner aptly named Devil. Devil is handsome and brooding and dangerous… and hell-bent on getting rid of her.
Devil Walker doesn’t have anything against Fiona MacHugh. He really doesn’t. In fact, those curves and dark eyes call to him in a way that makes it hard to keep his hands to himself. But the B&B is part of the family legacy he’s been trying to reclaim ever since his father destroyed their empire. He promised his grandfather; he made a vow. And no matter how sexy or sweet or alluring his neighbor is, he has to find a way to make the B&B his.
Uncaged Review: Dark Hollow is a sanctuary town, divided by a magical Current, that separates it from Brightwood. When Fiona’s aunt Minnie dies, she inherits a B&B inside the magical town. Even though she has no magic of her own, she decides she’s going to keep the building and find out how her aunt really died.
Dev, who is a spirit mage, runs the casino next door. His father lost the B&B which had been in Dev’s family for generations and he’s determined to get it back. But he wasn’t expecting Fiona. There are a few things going on that keeps this book humming along. There is a mystery about the death of Fiona’s aunt, and a romance that brews as an enemies-to-lovers storyline. Dev was a bit over the top in his alpha ways at times, but Fiona does seem to handle him pretty well. There is also a lot going on about the town itself and the people in it and the ending was unexpected. This was an easy read, and I look forward to book two. .Reviewed by Cyrene
Welcome to Uncaged! Your newest book, Dead Ringer will release April 7. Can you tell readers more about this book?
Thanks for having me! Dead Ringer is a dark thriller following Taylor Callahan, a young woman with a troubled past and criminal record. When she accidentally causes the death of a teen girl who looks just like her, Taylor takes over her life to give herself a fresh start. But soon she comes face to face with the deadly secrets the girl’s family is hiding and she must try to outwit them in order to survive.
What is the most difficult scene for you to write? What is the easiest?
There is a flashback scene where Taylor remembers her mother throwing her out of the house at the age of sixteen. It was hard for me to write about someone being so cruel to their own child, but it serves as a catalyst for many things that happen over the course of Taylor’s life.
The easiest scene to write was the beginning when Taylor takes over Jamie’s identity. Taylor has survived on the streets by committing low level crimes. It was fun to have her use her street smarts to pull off a much bigger con.
Do you have a favorite character you’ve written? Has there been a character that’s been hard to write about?
I’ve really enjoyed writing Taylor’s character. This was the first full length manuscript I wrote after college and I became very attached and invested in her. When I would take a break while writing the book, I would even miss her like she was a real person I know.
Her partner-in-crime, Ivan has an abusive father. I didn’t enjoy writing him being disrespectful and neglectful of his own teenage son.
How do you come up with the title to your books?
Some come to me in a flash and others I have to think about for weeks or months before I get the right title. Dead Ringer came to me in an instant. I saw the title with my main character’s appearance and personality, and I knew I had to put it paper.
I picked the title because it is a bit ominous with the word “dead” in it. Plus, it plays on the old folktales about bad things befalling you when you meet your doppelganger which certainly happens to the girls in this novel when they meet the person who looks just like them.
Read the rest of the interview in the issue below.
V.P. Morris is an award-winning thriller and horror writer and podcast host. Her interest in criminal psychology inspired both of her novels Dead Ringer and ShadowCast.
When she isn’t writing or reading, she is cooking healthy meals, watching scary movies, and spending time with her husband and son.
Small-time criminal, Taylor Callahan, dreams of starting her life over. When she inadvertently causes the death of a teenage girl who looks just like her, she does the only thing she can do: she takes over the dead girl’s life.
Now, twenty-one-year-old Taylor must navigate the ins and outs of living with the MacKenzies, the safe and loving suburban family of the dead teen girl. By using her street-smarts, fast-thinking, and the help of her best friend and partner in crime, Ivan, she works to keep her true identity a secret while fighting the demons of her past. Just as Taylor thinks she has made a new life for herself with the MacKenzies, she learns that this wholesome family hides a twisted and deadly secret.
Excerpt
I gathered the strength to turn around and stand up. In front of me, I saw each of the girls lying flat across the ground. Their blood soaking through their clothes into the wooden planks of the pier. My heart pounded as I knew it would have been me lying dead on the ground if Zeke had seen me first instead of Jamie.
But somewhere between my horror and fear, I could see this tragic event as an opportunity for me. Ivan came running up from the parking lot, his eye swollen from Zeke’s fist. “Taylor, I’m sorry.” His voice was shaking. “He had a gun and told me he was going to kill us both if I didn’t say where you were and that he just wanted to talk to you. I’m so sorry,” he said as he pulled me into a hug.
I hugged him back even though I was pissed at him for cracking so easily.
I pulled myself away from his hold.
“What do we do about the girls?” he asked, wiping a tear away from his good eye.
He looked at the bodies then knelt down by Jamie. The bullet blasted through her eye socket, causing the right side of her face and back of her head to explode with blood and gore.
“Holy shit, Taylor, I feel sick.” Ivan knelt on the floor and started dry-heaving. He took a breath and calmed himself down before asking, “Why did he even bother to kill them when he was after you?”
“This girl, Jamie. She looks exactly like me. That’s why he killed her, he thought I was her.”
Just to be sure, I felt for her pulse. Nothing. The same with the other two girls.
Ivan crossed his arms across his chest. “Looked exactly like you? I don’t believe it.”
I reached into the pocket of her hoodie and pulled out an iPhone with a bright orange case coated with stick-on jewels and a pink leather wallet with a plastic display area for an ID. I handed him her driver’s license.
“Damn, you’re right. She could be your twin.” But the sight of three dead bodies started to overwhelm Ivan. He began breathing heavily and shaking. “What do we do? Should we call the police? They shouldn’t just be left here. Who knows the next time someone will be out here?”
“You’re right but—” I flipped through her wallet and found her school photo ID. The colorful logo of a purple and yellow bear mascot was on the side.
Here’s my chance, I thought. I can go back to high school and start over. When opportunity knocks, I might as well answer the door.
I stood up and threw my jacket and shirt to the ground.
When Lady Olivia Gosling finds The Book of Love in a musty bookshop, she is most eager to try out its love “recipes” on someone safe.
Did she say safe?
Well, Beast isn’t really safe, but with her odious guardian about to marry her off to one of his unsavory friends, Olivia needs her childhood friend to fall in love with her… fast. If Beast can love her, then any man she chooses will surely do the same.
Alexander Beastling, Duke of Hartford, is known as Beast among the ton. He is big and muscled, and there is a dark aura of mystery about him that he makes no effort to dispel. Now that he’s returned from battle, he’s appalled to learn of the marriage plans Lady Olivia’s loathsome guardian has for her. Beast has decided that he will help her find a proper husband, even if it means putting up with her ridiculous experiments taken out of a book she refers to as The Book of Love. Olivia calls them magical recipes for love.
Is it possible they actually work? Because suddenly, Beast can’t seem to get Olivia out of his mind… or his heart.
Uncaged Review: Olivia finds a book, or I should say the book finds her by falling on her head, in an old bookshop, the book is called The Book of Love, and Olivia is anxious to read and try out the book in order to find a match for the season. Olivia is in a bind of sorts, seeing how her parents died and her guardian has the mind to match her off with a man of questionable morals for money. With no dowry, she decides to try out some of the book’s advice on Beast, a childhood friend. But we can’t see that backfiring at all now can we…. But Alexander (Beast) is beginning to see Olivia as more than that childhood friend and his protection instincts toward her are beginning to take over all of his thoughts. Is the book working?
Or was Olivia and Beast always meant to be together? This is a slow burn romance, and a fun one getting there. Seeing the romance develop kept me hooked, and I am looking forward to book two in the series. Reviewed by Cyrene
In the beginning, Atlas created the dragon shifters. He made one tiny mistake. Atlas As the all-male dragons teeter on the brink of extinction, Atlas hatches a plan. Fragments of his divine soul could transform humans into dragon mates.
He’s missing one ingredient—someone to help cast his spell.
As soon as Atlas sees the stunning young woman in Central Park, his inner beast knows she’s the one.
It’s a little medieval, but he is a god, after all. If he can’t kidnap the odd maiden, then what’s the point?
But Zoe’s call to his instincts is dangerously strong. Atlas longs to claim her, but he has to stay focused. Saving his race is more important than the tempting human in his lair.
Zoe
All Zoe wanted was to experience some magic and have a family of her own. Instead, she’s left nursing a major broken heart.
After dealing with a cheating shifter fiancé, she’s done with asshole dragons. She needs to stay the hell out of his way, but when your angry ex can fly, it adds a whole new dimension to lying low.
Enter Atlas—arrogant, sinfully sexy, and in serious need of ground rules about casual nudity.
A divine baby-making experiment isn’t a good avoidance strategy, but Zoe could never resist a little magic. Besides, a god makes a great bodyguard.
But when the spell has unintended side effects, things get hotter than she bargained for.
Uncaged Review: This is a prequel novella to a new series, and you can get this free on Amazon, or you can get the “fan version” by subscribing to the author’s newsletter, which has the added bonus of an epilogue. This is a good, interesting and original storyline and origin of the dragons and their mates in this beginning. And I think it will enhance anyone’s reading if they read this one first. The author does a fantastic job of describing the dragons, and the action involved. All her dragons are dragons, even in human form, and I like that the author holds that throughout.
There is some good action sequences and steamy sex scenes, but a HEA is at the end of it. Good start. Reviewed by Cyrene
Welcome to Uncaged! Your newest book, God’s Ponzi is a financial thriller which releases on March 3rd. Can you tell readers more about this book?
Gregory Portent takes you, the reader, on a wild scheme to defraud. And you’re going to love it. Gregory is not your typical Ponzi schemer. He created this Ponzi scheme in order to get revenge against evil lawyers and other nasty white collar criminals for destroying his best friend. All is under control with the help of artificial intelligence, until — an unexpected black swan event in the market. Think Silicon Valley meets the Wolf of Wall Street.
What is the most difficult scene for you to write? What is the easiest?
There’s a scene toward the end, where the leader of the scheme, Gregory Portent, is at the precipice of facing prison or his own murder, if he doesn’t come up with millions of dollars to fill the impending collapse if he doesn’t fill the financial hole in the Ponzi scheme. Gregory makes a series of calls on his computer to all his friends on his team, while he’s waiting for the outcome of his last “throw of the dice,” to save himself. The talks paid homage to each of them. Gregory confesses his flaws and no matter what the outcome of the scheme, he was a better person for knowing them. It’s a very cathartic. We should all participate in this act as needed, but at least once in our lives. But his confessions of vulnerability and fallibility were emotionally hard to write.
The easier and fun parts to write were the schemes prior to the Ponzi scheme. It was fun to create and build the schemes that served as the foundation for the ultimate Ponzi scheme Gregory and his team started and had to maintain.
Do you have a favorite character you’ve written? Has there been a character that’s been hard to write about?
One character is named Jeffrey Gogolas, nicknamed, “Googol.” He is a law and technology professor at M.I.T. He is a quiet hero. He will be there when you need him because he promised he would be there.
Writers are actors in some sense, in that we have to tap into the darkness when a character takes us to that place. There are dark corners in God’s Ponzi.
How do you come up with the title to your books?
Titles are fun. I enjoy naming chapters too. My formula for coming up with a title? I ask: What is this novel about; what will intrigue?
What behind-the-scenes tidbit in your life would probably surprise your readers the most?
I live in Florida, the most “Ponzi” place on the planet. When lawyers that I’ve worked with participated in one of the largest Ponzi schemes in the country, I was disappointed, but I also knew there was a novel buried in this tragedy.
Read the rest of the interview in the issue below
Robert Buschel has a storied career as a trial lawyer. His cases compel him to dive deep into politics, medicine, and computer science. Although Robert writes to live, not to re-live, he filters and refines the stories of the world around him for a never-ending supply of fresh tales for his readers to enjoy.
Gregory Portent demands revenge. Revenge is best served cold and when the prey begs to be the target. With his skills and charisma he lures them in easy—using an investment bank to launch a Ponzi scheme. Gregory Portent has one advantage—artificial intelligence. At a critical point, he loses his way. A ‘black swan’ event follows and the Ponzi scheme borders on the brink of collapse. It’s not about revenge anymore; it’s about survival. Greedy lawyers, the FBI, and international syndicates pursue him. Greg must go on the run. Everyone he cares about is now in danger. He must win. The strange thing? You’ll be rooting for him the whole time. Will he win big and get his vengeance? Robert Buschel proves beyond a reasonable doubt, he is a rising storyteller. Pick up God’s Ponzi and unlock the secret behind the world’s most diabolical Ponzi scheme.
Excerpt
PROLOGUE
Suppose your friend’s girlfriend is a stripper. Would you go to the gentleman’s club and pay her for a lap dance? Is that wrong? It’s your good friend’s friend. On the other hand, stripping is her job. And if it’s something she’s willing to do for a stranger, why’s it wrong if she does it for you? What if she’s really good and you pay her extra? You know, tip her well. Money isn’t the issue? Fine. What if you then see her at her work all the time and it becomes a regular thing? What if because you’re friends with her friend, she considers you a friend, and now she feels there’s nothing wrong with a little extra in the V.I.P. room because you won’t talk, and she’s comfortable with you? You’re now her friend, and it’s your birthday – and you’ve already seen her naked nearly a hundred times and wondered what it would be like to touch her. Any of this wrong? Before today, I would have been able to make the right decision, the ethical decision, even before my private naughty orgasm released a rush of regret to my anterior cingulate cortex.
People who have the luxury of doing the right thing for the right reasons would disapprove of what I’ve been doing for the past several years -committing crimes. But I’ve been committing these crimes for the right reasons. When I’m done, the world will be in a better place, and I’ll have my satisfaction – my revenge. Revenge for me, turned into a blood oath. But the problems erupted quickly because revenge made me myopic. Yesterday, I was content to act like a criminal. Before then, I wouldn’t have had a problem answering those ethics questions. No, it’s not complicated either. It’s simple. It was simple for me and it’s simple for the world. People just like to make the answers complicated in order to justify their bad behavior. Before, I wouldn’t have even gone into the club. I never would have allowed myself to be tempted to make the wrong move. Because even though my friend ‘s girl would take her clothes off and grind up against other sleazy, horny toads if he or she had the money, the point is – that’s my friend’s girl, and I wouldn’t disrespect my friend.
Others may know what she looks like naked, what she feels like, and what it’s like to pay to look at her. Hell, these strippers’ boyfriends or managers, have to pay the girl’s rent so they can see them naked. The world of other seedy men could know these things – but I shouldn ‘t. I needed to know everything else. I needed to know who was willing to violate that friendship. Who was ethical and who was a lying, unscrupulous piece of shit. Others have called me a sophisticated and treacherous Machiavellian. Pick the blue pill or the red pilJ.2 But it’s simple. I already know what you’re going to say, “You picked the blue pill.” Because when the shit goes down, the FBI, SEC, IRS, or some politically-motivated state prosecutor who wants to become a judge, throws around some accusations, “queen for a day” immunity letters, or just plain want to snap the handcuffs on the rare members of the privileged investment class, for some sexy headlines and a perp walk3 – you want to be able to portray yourself as living in the believable reality of blissful ignorance. You didn’t know a thing. You would never do something like that. You’re moral. World, hear me! Alright, you made four-hundred-percent on your money in ninety-days, but – really, I didn ‘ t know something criminal was going on.
So what’s my problem? Well, I’m part of a criminal enterprise – a Ponzi scheme; and I hold a leadership position in that enterprise. The enterprise has gone international. It’s big and ongoing – worth billions. I wanted to work faster while remaining methodical. I had to run the scheme my way. Of course I wanted your help. I wanted to trap certain treacherous investors and keep the innocent ones out, for sure. But some people can’t help themselves – they ‘re drawn to the bright ultraviolet light in the center surrounded by the electrified grill. Meant to kill mosquitoes, sometimes a friendly lizard will just ride the lightning until its well-done body drops to ground.
Here we are in a simple Ford E350 Econoline van in front of my ocean-front condo. I adjusted the laptop on the passenger seat in order to remove the glare off the screen, and there’s a postcard in the center console with physicist Garrett Lisi ‘s EB physics model in full color on it. I turned it over and my wife, Taylor wrote, “May God’s particle be with you.”s I ‘ll admit it, even under the stress of being chased by international syndicates and the FBI, I smiled and continued to drive. With the aid of cutting-edge artificial intelligence – my best friend, I might be able to survive. Next step, go off-line and finish God ‘s Ponzi.
The Duke is Wicked Tracy Sumner Historical Fantasy
He’s harboring a fiery secret….
The Duke of Ashcroft is determined to keep the League of Lords under wraps. After all, the group’s supernatural gifts brought the mystical misfits together and nobody is going to tear them apart. Intelligent and wily, Sebastian knows better than to trust anyone–especially an impulsive and intrusive American woman.
She’s looking for answers…
Competitive and confident, Delaney Temple is hellbent on uncovering the truth about the League. She’ll stop at nothing to unearth the secrets they’re burying. But when Sebastian is in trouble and Delaney comes to his rescue, their contempt turns to a burning desire. Suddenly, with their passion ignited, they can no longer deny their attraction.
A wicked duke. A troublesome beauty. And the forbidden desire they can’t deny.
Uncaged Review: This is a really different and fun read. I like when authors take a genre and put a twist on it so it actually ends up in another totally different category. In this series, there is a touch of supernatural involved with the League of Lords. This book is centered on Sebastian and Delaney. Although I didn’t have a huge issue with reading this book without reading the first two in the series, I think I would have had a better story and a better understanding by reading the first two before this one.
Sebastien is a Firestarter, and keeping his, and his fellow mates in the League secret is a must. Along comes an American woman Delaney, who is determined to find out the truth. Sparks fly, literally between her and Sebastien, and soon they won’t be able to deny their attraction.
This is a well written romp, and a book with the message that you can be loved and accepted for who you are. And getting these two together, is a good read. Reviewed by Cyrene
“I stood in the middle of the room, unmoving – I barely breathed. My life had just become surreal, impossible, and one enormous lie. I needed to go, to run somewhere, anywhere to beat back the reality that was rapidly closing in around me. The image of him was burned into my retina, flashing over and over again like a warning. He was trapped somewhere between human and decidedly not, and I realized that was my new reality. I was too.”
After the death of her parents, Ruby awakens from a lifetime of shadows and finds herself alone, thrust into a world of lies, deceit, betrayal and the supernatural. As her quest for truth continues to come up short, she realizes that maybe some questions really are best left unanswered. When her true identity is finally unveiled, she is forced to choose between two of the mysterious men who continually seem to crop up in her life. She chooses poorly. Now abandoned, Ruby must learn to call on the darkness within to survive, or spend a hellish eternity imprisoned because of it.
Uncaged Review: This is a good action packed urban fantasy and it’s a non-stop action throughout. I liked the original concept of this supernatural world and shifters, but it’s got some confusing moments that the author skimmed over just figuring the reader would catch up, which I did, eventually. But since the author skimmed over some major plot points, I kept thinking I missed something, but going back, I realized it was the book, not me. But it all comes together eventually. I’m not sure I liked the main character of Ruby, she’s very immature for most of the book, there were times I wanted to shake her, but I liked the concept and the book well enough to continue on with the series. Some of the fight scenes are semi-gory, but the scenes were not all detailed, just the aftermath. Readers will have to decide for themselves and have a good ability to “read between the lines.”
I think the series has a ton of potential, so I’ll be continuing on. Reviewed by Cyrene
Welcome to Uncaged! In your book, The Big Power of Tiny Connections, you talk about how even the smallest connections can have a big impact on your life. What do you hope for readers to take away from reading this book?
I want to remind you, or anyone reading my book, that everyone we meet has the power to change our lives and in turn, we have the power to change theirs. I’m talking about the guy standing in line next to you, grabbing a coffee at your local coffee house, or the women sitting next to you at the theatre Knowing that, would you want to connect with them in some way? Talk to them? Interact in some small way to see what awesomeness you can spark? I hope so. Because my book is packed with really fun stories as well as data that supports my belief that we’re wired for connection and it’s the most powerful thing we can do for our health and wellbeing.
Are you planning on other books in the future?
Absolutely. There are several ideas I’ve been thinking about but I’m not ready to share them just yet, so by all means stay tuned.
What behind-the-scenes tidbit in your life would probably surprise your readers the most?
After I finished a total re-write of the book and while I was working with my developmental editor —I went through a horrible breakup. My relationship with my fiancé exploded and I had to shelve the book for about 8 months while I moved and got my head on straight. I knew publishing the book was very important to me and my healing, so to some degree getting the book through all the rounds of copy editing and proofreading was part of my healing process.
What was the motivation behind this book?
You want the truth? Ha! I love this question. I would say that initially the motivation was to make my mom proud. She’d bugged me my whole life to write a book and I thought maybe after she passed away in 2015, that I would lose the drive to do it. But I didn’t. So during covid, working with Authors Who Lead, a writing initiative fun by some amazing and empathetic humans, I really honed in on my unique personality traits. I focused on what made me—me? My passion for connecting with the world around me really stood out as my superpower.
As the book took shape, my motivations evolved from being less selfish and more altruistic. Pretty soon I realized that I truly wanted to help others get more out of their lives by inspiring them to see their interactions with the world in a new light, and to inspire them to take more risks when it came to connecting with anyone and everyone around. If my mom were still alive she’d be super proud of this accomplishment and I look forward to toasting with her on the other side, sometime in the future.
Please read the rest of the interview in the issue below
By the time Jen Nash was 18, she’d already moved ten times, landing in different cities in Canada before moving to Malaysia, Hong Kong, Japan, Australia, and the United States. All this globe-trotting gave Jen a sense of urgency when it came to making friends and connections.
Over the past twenty years, Jen has had the privilege of co-founding a digital agency that went from 1.1M in revenue to over 15M in three years. Building a multi-million-dollar real estate portfolio and working as a writer and strategist for some of the biggest Fortune 50 companies in the world. In 2017 she became the CEO of a cryptocurrency start-up before transitioning into coaching full-time.
In 2022, leveraging her understanding of how powerfully important small connections can be, Jen wrote the book: The Big Power of Tiny Connections—How Small Interactions Spark Awesome Outcomes. Today she calls herself a Connector in Chief and Executive Coach. She is currently focused on supporting high-net-worth female clients embrace their abundance for maximum impact and running powerful corporate trainings for companies focused on improving presentation skills, human connection, culture, and employee retention rates.
“This book explains how even the smallest connections have the power to change your life forever. It’s not only a must-read — it’s a fun read.”—Allison Graham, Keynote Speaker & Author of Take Back Your Weekends
Using hilarious true-life stories alongside snippets of insightful research, Jen Nash underscores how powerfully connection supports our happiness, health, and well-being, while also sharing practical ways you can find and make connections on a daily basis—almost anywhere. Whether you want to go to more parties, get a better job, make more money, or get laid more—reading this book can give you practical strategies for doing it all. A happier, more successful, and more fulfilling life is within your reach and The Big Power of Tiny Connections will show you the way.
Excerpt
CHAPTER TWO:
“I Don’t Need More Friends” and Other Lies We Tell Ourselves
Most humans are not always up for talking to new people. We tell ourselves that “we don’t need more friends or connections” in order to avoid having potentially awkward encounters with that little-known human species, humanis-strangis. However, as discussed in the last chapter, positive psychology makes a strong case that social relationships are the single most important predictor of people’s well-being, and that people—with their powerful need to belong to social groups—cannot feel their best or be at their healthiest without having awesome, connective, and meaningful social relationships1. When people have more conversations, they report increased feelings of happiness. Happy people tend to engage others more, so the cycle continues! It’s not just when you’re talking to friends or family, either—it turns out that chatting up a stranger is also good for your health2.
What’s Really Holding Us Back?
Behavior change doesn’t happen because a study says it should. We need to get to the root of our discomfort and tackle our fears one by one. Our concerns run much deeper than “I don’t need more friends.” Most of us have totally logical concerns when it comes to mingling with the unknown. The top fears most of us experience when even contemplating talking to humanis-strangis revolve around our fear that:
• we won’t know how to start a conversation • we won’t enjoy talking to the stranger • we won’t like the stranger • we’ll run out of things to say • they won’t like us, and they’ll run out of things to say
We humans worry a lot that the other person won’t like us, instead of worrying whether we will like them. I hope the following intel24 will allay some of your fears:
FEAR #1:
I Stress About All Aspects of Talking to Strangers
If you’re worried about talking to strangers, it’s time to take a deep breath and push through it. That’s easier said than done, but maybe it would help to know that most conversations with strangers go way better than either person expects. You’ll feel more engaged than you expected, like them more than you expected, and neither of you will likely be bored or run out of things to say! People who don’t stress about talking to strangers have less anxiety, less shyness, and tend to feel better about themselves in regard to their friends. So, I think we should all get on that train.
TAKE AWAY: BE CURIOUS & COMPLIMENTARY
You want to ignore the knot you get in your chest when talking to strangers—but it’s hard. The most hopeful way forward may be to accept that practice is required to overcome your discomfort. This is one of those instances in life, where you need to shut your eyes and jump in—with a curious and complimentary mindset. Get curious about their life, their stories, their past and present. Do so in an encouraging manner, and you’ll both enjoy the chat.
The king of the gridiron is about to get sacked by a beauty queen with a grudge as big as Texas. Cash King rolls into Ryder, Texas looking for a little TLC and an ego boost from the townspeople who call him their favorite son. But that ain’t happening. Which is just the cherry on top of the crap sundae that is his life.
His football career is hanging by a thread.
His mom isn’t speaking to him.
His hometown is out for his blood.
And Tiger Lyons, the girl he did wrong in high school, is in charge of the renovations of his new home… and living in his pool house.
How’s the league’s premier quarterback supposed to rehab his battered body and regain his starting position, when the woman who still owns a piece of his heart—and now hates his ever-loving guts—in his face 24/7?
Uncaged Review: I should know better than to read a Jami Albright book right before bedtime. What it does, is keep me up way too late reading, and this book was no exception. As a matter of fact, I read this in one sitting, not because it’s short or because I should have, but I got so engrossed in the story that I kept going until I finished it, and it was the wee hours of the morning when I finally did. It was a great time, and I don’t regret a thing.
This book is full of the fun, snarky writing that is a hallmark of this author and an engrossing storyline. I’ve read some reviews saying it’s a second chance romance, but it’s not, not really. It’s more of an enemy to lover thing, because they never got to dating in high school. So being tossed back together twelve years after that fateful Homecoming Dance, the sparks are flying and you will be rooting for these two from the start. Cash really needs to quit being a jerk at times, and Tiger needs to knock that chip off her shoulder but give them time, they’ll get there. Fun times. Reviewed by Cyrene
It’s uncomfortable between a rock and a hard place.
When the NYTF reports that a golem, a large rock creature, is terrorizing parts of the city and destroying hubs of power, Ezra calls on Montague & Strong to investigate and stop the creature.
Their first reaction is to refuse.
Except there’s one problem.
No one refuses Ezra, a personification of Death, without grave consequences.
Now, Monty and Simon, together with Ursula of the DAMNED, must uncover how the golem was created and who would use it to destroy hubs of power, without being crushed in the process.
What they uncover, will have them face a power beyond their abilities and make choices with dire consequences.
Consequences they may not be ready for…yet.
Uncaged Review: The 10th book in the series, and it comes out swinging. I’ve missed reading in this series and the series is still as strong as ever. This time they have to take care of a mage that wants all the power and has created a golem to help him get to the magical hubs of power. Some fun parts are always in this series, and this one is no exception, with some supernatural wannabes in Bangers and Mash, Simon is at his best. The snark, the action and laugh out loud moments are all here, tucked within a great storyline.
If you are looking for a good urban fantasy series, I can’t recommend this one enough. It’s another series that would do well on film or series, but the casting would need to be perfect. We learn even more about Simon and Monty, and we can’t ever forget Peaches, and he may have finally eaten too much meat in this one. Reviewed by Cyrene
