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audiobookmel's review
2.0
Just couldn't stand the heroine of this story. She gives new meaning to "too stupid to live".
Tavia Gilbert did a great job with the narration.
Tavia Gilbert did a great job with the narration.
ladilira's review
4.0
Way before Twilight was even thought of, my love of werewolves blossomed while reading L.J. Smith in the 90's. A wee girl of 11 or 13, I was transfixed, while curled up in my bed dreaming of my werewolf soul mate that was destined in the stars (or so I hoped).
Her creation of the Night World spawned my love. But in truth, it was always there.
I feel if you are a dog lover there is a natural inclination to love the inner wolf that materializes in legends. I have been obsessed with canines since a child. We personify our pets everyday, giving them human qualities that we want to believe they embody.
It seems natural then that we create creatures in our legends that can be both beast and man. Creatures that embody fierce instinctual behaviors and exhibit determined loyalty and bravery. There can be nothing more admirable (in my opinion) in a companion, whether human or beast.
There are of course, two different types of weres. You have the sexy, boyfriend kind that fiercely protect you, and you have the angry, monster kind that want to rip out your insides. I prefer a little pinch of both.
That is why some many moons ago, I bought this story. It was an impulse purchase, believing as I clicked the "buy" button the book would likely stink. But it had werewolves, so there you go.
It has been sitting in my Kindle que ever since.
So, did I like it? That is the question.
20 pages in, I was debating if I wanted to keep reading. A self-published story always comes with some reader hesitation from me. So I wasn't surprised, when I struggled to get into the story. Who was this character named Ruby? Did I like her? I wasn't sure. But I was bored and had nothing better to do, so I kept reading. And... it got better.
I ended up enraptured by the story. I read it over two days, spending my Wednesday night sprawled on the couch, the dogs scattered around the room.
What was the hook?
Well my readers, I will tell you. Natusch understands how to drag out a romance connection. If you are writing a book that has sequels, the romance cannot be satisfied in book 1. If it is, you have lost me. The best part of Christmas, isn't Christmas, it's Christmas Eve - the anticipation, the excitement! That is what you want to experience. Christmas is boring. The presents are no longer intriguing because I know what's inside. Just like Christmas, the art of writing a good romance is in the building up to the final unification.
Love triangles and obstacles to the romance help to spread that out, which Natusch does well. Now, 20% into book 2 and the romance is closer to climax, but not fulfilled, thereby keeping me hostage.
The romance building is not the only positive to this story, the characters are all enjoyable. Ruby has grown on me, her sarcastic quips and quick tempter a growing endearing quality. The constant stream of attainable hotties spice up her life with drama, which keeps me spinning.
There were just a few issues I struggled with:
1. The lightness in tone during the dark, scary climax was a bit too light. I wasn't feeling the danger.
2. The editing could have been a bit more thorough. With self-published novels, I tend to be more aware of the grammar issues and more offended by them. There were sentences that weren't completely developed that needed a bit more work, but overall it was pretty clean.
Would I recommend this story?
Definitely, but only to werewolf loving, love struck teens (or adults who never grew up like me). If you enjoyed Twilight, you will likely enjoy this as well.
https://cellardoorbooks.wordpress.com/2017/07/06/caged-the-caged-series-book-1-amber-lynn-natusch/
Her creation of the Night World spawned my love. But in truth, it was always there.
I feel if you are a dog lover there is a natural inclination to love the inner wolf that materializes in legends. I have been obsessed with canines since a child. We personify our pets everyday, giving them human qualities that we want to believe they embody.
It seems natural then that we create creatures in our legends that can be both beast and man. Creatures that embody fierce instinctual behaviors and exhibit determined loyalty and bravery. There can be nothing more admirable (in my opinion) in a companion, whether human or beast.
There are of course, two different types of weres. You have the sexy, boyfriend kind that fiercely protect you, and you have the angry, monster kind that want to rip out your insides. I prefer a little pinch of both.
That is why some many moons ago, I bought this story. It was an impulse purchase, believing as I clicked the "buy" button the book would likely stink. But it had werewolves, so there you go.
It has been sitting in my Kindle que ever since.
So, did I like it? That is the question.
20 pages in, I was debating if I wanted to keep reading. A self-published story always comes with some reader hesitation from me. So I wasn't surprised, when I struggled to get into the story. Who was this character named Ruby? Did I like her? I wasn't sure. But I was bored and had nothing better to do, so I kept reading. And... it got better.
I ended up enraptured by the story. I read it over two days, spending my Wednesday night sprawled on the couch, the dogs scattered around the room.
What was the hook?
Well my readers, I will tell you. Natusch understands how to drag out a romance connection. If you are writing a book that has sequels, the romance cannot be satisfied in book 1. If it is, you have lost me. The best part of Christmas, isn't Christmas, it's Christmas Eve - the anticipation, the excitement! That is what you want to experience. Christmas is boring. The presents are no longer intriguing because I know what's inside. Just like Christmas, the art of writing a good romance is in the building up to the final unification.
Love triangles and obstacles to the romance help to spread that out, which Natusch does well. Now, 20% into book 2 and the romance is closer to climax, but not fulfilled, thereby keeping me hostage.
The romance building is not the only positive to this story, the characters are all enjoyable. Ruby has grown on me, her sarcastic quips and quick tempter a growing endearing quality. The constant stream of attainable hotties spice up her life with drama, which keeps me spinning.
There were just a few issues I struggled with:
1. The lightness in tone during the dark, scary climax was a bit too light. I wasn't feeling the danger.
2. The editing could have been a bit more thorough. With self-published novels, I tend to be more aware of the grammar issues and more offended by them. There were sentences that weren't completely developed that needed a bit more work, but overall it was pretty clean.
Would I recommend this story?
Definitely, but only to werewolf loving, love struck teens (or adults who never grew up like me). If you enjoyed Twilight, you will likely enjoy this as well.
https://cellardoorbooks.wordpress.com/2017/07/06/caged-the-caged-series-book-1-amber-lynn-natusch/
althenaruby's review
2.0
The story line is good but the writing seemed awkward. I kept having to reread pages to figure out what had happened. Ruby was basically an idiot. I'm guessing that was supposed to be blamed on her sheltered life but it was pretty annoying. I doubt I'll read the next one.
writingcaia's review
3.0
I'm leaning towards 3.5
I enjoyed reading it and the story had some interesting twists, however there were also some gaps and incongruences. And it annoyed me to no end how clueless Ruby was regarding Sean's real intentions. Also, it's lead to believe Ruby is a virgin and I found it was pretty inconsiderate that the author didn't explain in better detail if she was raped or not, although the author lead you to believe she was, there's no real explanation of it or how she dealt with it physically or psychologically.
Still it was entertaining and I'm curious to know more, so I'll be reading the next one and see if the author fixes her mistakes and improves on the aforementioned missteps.
I enjoyed reading it and the story had some interesting twists, however there were also some gaps and incongruences. And it annoyed me to no end how clueless Ruby was regarding Sean's real intentions. Also, it's lead to believe Ruby is a virgin and I found it was pretty inconsiderate that the author didn't explain in better detail if she was raped or not, although the author lead you to believe she was, there's no real explanation of it or how she dealt with it physically or psychologically.
Still it was entertaining and I'm curious to know more, so I'll be reading the next one and see if the author fixes her mistakes and improves on the aforementioned missteps.
cer1012's review
2.0
Meh. The story had a lot of potential but ruby is so lame, whiney, needy, stupid, bitchy and totally not enough of a bad ass to be some kind of super werewolf. Also using words like "douche-tastic " is extremely unsettling.
jadeshea's review
3.0
Caged begins when Ruby, whose been alone most of her life, ends up having a guy keep popping up in strange places. She doesn't really know him, and she ignores all the warning signs of what it means for him to be there, that is until another man comes along who informs her of what's really going on. Now, she must choose who to believe, and why. But, she may not make the correct choice.
This book was interesting, and it started off really well. I just didn't like the way it ended, that bugged me a lot. And I was really annoyed with how Ruby started treating Sean after she thought they were getting close. It was beyond frustrating, then with Sean and that other woman drove me nuts too. I hated that part of it, and it made me question what was going on and what would happen in the next book.
I'm not sure if I will read more in this series, but I did like this one and I thought it was interesting.
This book was interesting, and it started off really well. I just didn't like the way it ended, that bugged me a lot. And I was really annoyed with how Ruby started treating Sean after she thought they were getting close. It was beyond frustrating, then with Sean and that other woman drove me nuts too. I hated that part of it, and it made me question what was going on and what would happen in the next book.
I'm not sure if I will read more in this series, but I did like this one and I thought it was interesting.
dootler's review
1.0
I don't have a well thought out review at the moment, but when your main character is saved by two men (who are SO perfectly gorgeous) within the first 30 pages, I am not inclined to give a good review. seeing as the author didn't take the time to formulate any sort of story, depth, strength, or belivability I don't feel like putting in the effort either.
it sounds harsh, but I am really getting tired of weak-willed women in novels and men who have no imperfections....because that's how the world works, obviously.
it sounds harsh, but I am really getting tired of weak-willed women in novels and men who have no imperfections....because that's how the world works, obviously.
sbdomingues's review
4.0
I won this signed copy of the book from Vilma's book blog, never having heard of it before. Immediately it sucked me in. Tons of twists and turns kept me engrossed. I really love Ruby and I read the book in a day, which I do when I really love a book and I immediately went looking for the rest of the series at Barnes & noble in
Spear back to match the one I have but looks like I'll have to download them!
Spear back to match the one I have but looks like I'll have to download them!
franjessca's review
3.0
Full Review posted on Book Lovin' Mamas
One of my favorite parts was when Ruby, Sean, and Ruby’s friend Ronnie were at a store (which is the excerpt in the guest post/giveaway post above). Ronnie played a short role, but she put Ruby in her place. Sean was my favorite character in the story because of the way he was always there for Ruby. Even when I found out what he was, I still loved him because I knew in the end, he loved being around Ruby. Be prepared if you do read it, to have a lot of bad guys in the story.
The ending was a doozy for me. I did not like that one chick that was introduced. I felt terrible for Ruby. (sorry won’t give away..no spoilers here) I recommend this urban fantasy and paranormal romance readers out there who enjoys a book that keeps you guessing on what is going to happen next to the main character. (The poor girl went through so much I do not know how she handled it so well. Although, she did have something that no other person had that helped her.) I plan on reading the 2nd book whenever I get the chance because I do want to find out if certain characters will hook up in the end. =)
One of my favorite parts was when Ruby, Sean, and Ruby’s friend Ronnie were at a store (which is the excerpt in the guest post/giveaway post above). Ronnie played a short role, but she put Ruby in her place. Sean was my favorite character in the story because of the way he was always there for Ruby. Even when I found out what he was, I still loved him because I knew in the end, he loved being around Ruby. Be prepared if you do read it, to have a lot of bad guys in the story.
The ending was a doozy for me. I did not like that one chick that was introduced. I felt terrible for Ruby. (sorry won’t give away..no spoilers here) I recommend this urban fantasy and paranormal romance readers out there who enjoys a book that keeps you guessing on what is going to happen next to the main character. (The poor girl went through so much I do not know how she handled it so well. Although, she did have something that no other person had that helped her.) I plan on reading the 2nd book whenever I get the chance because I do want to find out if certain characters will hook up in the end. =)
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