Uncaged: A Paranormal Women's Fiction Novel

Midlife Mage #4

by L.A. Boruff, Daphne Moore

Everything she believed was a lie, and now she is a pawn to be sacrificed…

Rina Walcott is stranded in a foreign place, in a strange new body, and wants to find a way back home pronto.

To do so, she'll have to overcome Marya Morevna, who has stolen her identity and is a terrible threat to Rina’s family.

Alexi has been stranded in the dimension where Rina ends up for a decade. He wants his power back from their mutual enemy, and revenge for his exile. He doesn’t trust Rina, but he proposes to work with her to achieve their common goal. To his great surprise, he grows to not only trust Rina, but to care for her. Who would have thought it?

Can Rina learn her new powers in time to triumph, or will she die trapped in a body not her own? If Alexi has anything to do with it, not only will she triumph, she'll thrive.

Uncaged is a thrilling novel set eighteen before Unfazed. Don't miss this amazing prequel.

358 pages, Paperback

Published February 14, 2024

About the author

L.A. Boruff lives in East Tennessee with her husband, three children, and an ever growing number of cats. She loves reading, watching TV, and procrastinating by browsing Facebook. L.A.’s passions include vampires, food, and listening to heavy metal music. She once won a Harry Potter trivia contest based on the books, and lost one based on the movies. She has two bands on her bucket list that she still hasn’t seen: AC/DC and Alice Cooper. Feel free to send tickets.

Reviews

[Cath]

This is book four of the Midlife Mage series and the main characters are Rina (Marya Irina) Walcott, a chiropractor, who has as little to do with her family as she can, and Alexi, possibly the last remaining koschei. Alexi has been stranded in another dimension for over a decade, after his power was taken by an ancestor of Rina’s, the very person she and someone in every generation, was named after Marya Morvena, and he was exiled after she had killed off all of the rest of his kind in her search for ultimate power. Now Rina’s gran has called the whole family to her home and it isn’t going to end well for Rina, as her Gran, a yaga, has known that this day might come and must sacrifice Rina to allow Marya Morvena to swop bodies and souls with her. Rina didn’t get the message until she finished work for the day and was the last family member to arrive. She is grabbed and forced to her gran who cuts her with a knife and mutters some strange spell. The next thing Rina knows is finding herself somewhere she doesn’t recognise, dressed in something weird and then a strange man appearing in front of her and looking like he wants to kill her!

She is in someone else’s body and in a different dimension, prisoner to the fate her family matriarch and the past have placed her in. The man who faces her is called Alexi and body she is in now is that of his arch enemy and former love, Marya Morvena, who stole his powers and exiled him to this dimension. He quickly recognises that she isn’t the person she looks like and can sense the different soul within. He tells her to follow him if she wants to live and takes her to his small home, to clean up from whatever near death action caused Marya to swop bodies! Alexi informs her that her ancestor made a deal with him to be immortal, before leaving him powerless to stop her from grabbing power from others, starting a killing spree that no one could stop! Rina has no idea that she has powers of her own, with her gran, yaga, meeting all newborns of the family and community and placing a dampening spell on their powers! This allows yaga to control her family and others, without killing them all like her ancestor at least, but has left secrets hidden for generations. Marya has placed all of Rina’s family under her control, even making her parents into statues by the door, so they can see everything but do nothing. Rina’s brother Bobby is having a hard time under the cruel Marya, being forced to continue Rina’s chiropractor business, whilst having no idea about it.

Rina’s friends and fellow chiropractors are drawn into this and one is practically held prisoner and bespelled to ignore the changes Marya brings to Rina’s body and his own wife! Alexi makes a deal with Rina, to teach her how to use her powers, so long as she will help him to get vengeance against Marya and his powers back. Rina wants to get her body back, as well as the life and business she has worked so hard to achieve. Only problem is that Alexi doesn’t trust Rina, not after what was done to him centuries ago by Marya, and also the fact that the easiest way for her to discover and corral her powers, is to be intimate with him as high passions are the most direct way to access and control them! She may feel some pull towards him, but isn’t exactly happy to just jump into bed with him. She soon finds that there are lots of dangerous beings in this dimension and she isn’t safe for even a moment, almost being sacrificed to the water creatures as she tries to wash. She manages to reach her magic and it is with Alexi’s aid that they manage to leave the dimension, only for him to leave her alone and in even more danger! She gathers a few allies whilst trying to help another in a difficult situation with daemons, where she finally manages to get her powers to work and help them escape. Marya has had generations to prepare lots of fall back plans for every situation and was expecting Alexi unfortunately. They need to make a plan before going to her gran’s house, to try and stop Marya and rescue her family members, no matter how much she dislikes most of them. It won’t be as easy as they hoped and while they may free some of her family, the major stumbling block of Marya is not that easy to defeat! So much more to come as they need to find more answers and also a solution to recover powers, bodies and more. I received an ARC copy of this book from BookSprout and I have freely given my own opinion of the book above.

[Douglas Williamson]

Trapped in another realm and in another body, our heroine is desperate to find a way back. Our hero also wants his revenge, but can our heroine trust him? Can she success if she does not?

This is a prequel to the series, so it can be read at any time.

This is an urban fantasy story with all kinds of extras. I mean we do not stop at the usual witches, werewolves and vampires. Instead we get an entire menagerie, which is fine by me. The story is well written, easy to read and full of mischief. As a prequel, we just get a sample of things to come, but it is a very nice sample at that. Overall, a nice introduction (or backstory if you have already read the series). Well worth a read.

Highly recommended.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout for review purposes.

[Lynne Davison]

Book 4 is set in an earlier time than book 1 to 3 and can be read as a stand-alone as has new characters.

Rina is a dentist and lives alone, she goes to the ancestral home for a meeting and is betrayed by the matriarch of the family. She finds herself the victim of a body swap so when she comes to, she is in a strange dimension in a body she doesn't recognise. Alex who has been betrayed and trapped in this dimension comes across Rina in the exact body that betrayed him. He quickly realises Rina is not the person he thought and at first does not trust her.

Read on to find out how Rina gains Alex's trust and if they get out and back to Rina's earth and what happens next.

Loved this story, strong plot with empathetic characters. Written with warmth and love.

[Molly]

the universes of the kins are not unfamiliar to me.

I had gotten hooked on the interesting personalities and quirky creatures and intriguing clash of powers and persons

In this story, Rina discovers magical connections she was unaware of, and finds herself immersed in exile and slavery situations with little ideas of the players and less knowledge about her own person or powers.

can friendships and alliances come from all this craziness, or just more dangers and death?

different forms of family, loyalties, loves and betrayals are encountered and explored

a battle rages on with at least one aggressive player wearing the face of another

intriguing and exciting adventures

[Kristen Lewendon]

Oh this book was so much fun. When I learned that this was the “prequel” to the series, I had a certain vision of what I thought the story would showcase. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that I was mostly wrong in all my assumptions. But all in good ways. Rina was fierce and feisty and everything I hope I would be in the same kind of situation. Alexi is dark and mysterious. Essentially, catnip for most women. Even though I know about how part of this story goes in the future, I’m dying to know more about this particular chapter now.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through Booksprout.

[Debbie Benson]

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review. It is an interesting journey for Rina as her body is stolen and she is sent somewhere strange. There she meets Alexi who was betrayed by Marya before and how Rina looks like now. They use an old magic to gain enough power to go back to Rina's home or close by. They then fight with Marya and almost succeed in beating her before she body jumps again. At least Rina's family is rescued and even better Rina has a new partner in Alexi. However the fight is not over yet.

[Heather]

Loved this!

I loved the first 3 books in this series, and this one is with Rina who switches bodies with her evil how ever many great grandma. She has to figure out how to return and save her family before Mayra kills them off. She has to learn how to use her magic, and she ends up stuck in this alternate dimension with Alexi, the last of his kind.

I loved Rina and Alexi! Can't wait to see what happens next with them!

I received an ARC for my honest review!

[Michelle]

Uncaged is book four and the prequel to the Midlife Mage series. From beginning to end this entertaining story had me reading nonstop. The writing is well done and has interesting characters, danger, unexpected twists, revenge, magic, and a story that held my attention until the last page. Great prequel and I look forward to reading more books by this author duo. I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book.

[Christinaraven]

Rina and Alexi are back for more fun and adventure. But of course there is trouble and issues to be resolved along the way. Entertaining and fun to read and check in on these two to see what is happening in their lives. Lots of action, trouble and danger.

[Lynn Wade]

What a different type of story this was! A quiet life (boring) becomes action packed and very funny in places. Very dysfunctional family..............................or is it?
Unexpected changes - even a new body!
Cannot wait for book 2!!

[Barbara]

The fourth book in the Midlife Mage series, another great story as Rina Walcott and Alexi with the help of Shyla try to overcome Marya Morevna. An exciting story to read but it leaves us with a carry-over to the next book. I received a copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Phthon]

I quite enjoyed this story that takes place in Ceri’s world and overlaps her story. This was a fun and interesting adventure with two different types of kin. I hope there is more because I would like Irina and Tanya back to themselves as well as Marya getting the fate she deserves.

[Hanna Belle]

L.A. Boruff writes great series in the paranormal women's fiction genre. I have highly enjoyed her works and her series are wonderful.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Doreen Tuell]

Good series!

I really liked this series! It was filled with kinds of paranormals and magic, both good and evil "kin". Enjoy!!

[Susanne]

Wow! Wow! Wow! This book is soooo good! I really like this series - and this book is fantastic!