Reviewed by Dan

TITLE:    Kage Unleashed

SERIES:   Kage Trilogy #2

AUTHOR:     Maris Black

PUBLISHER:  Maris Black Books

LENGTH:     197 Pages

BLURB:

My name is Jamie Atwood, and I am an idiot. Against all odds, I got the attention of Michael Kage, the hottest MMA fighter on the planet. To say he rocked my world would be inadequate. He transformed me completely, made me depend on him, and made me love him. And the sex? Let me put it this way: I’d never been with a guy before I met Kage, but I’d gladly spend the rest of my life on my knees for him. He is my obsession and my addiction. But I did something stupid, and now I’m paying for it. I don’t know if I’ll ever see Kage again.

***

Being Michael Kage was never easy. Too many demons, too much anger, and not enough to live for. And then I met Jamie Atwood. He’s got this innocence about him that speaks to something deep down inside me– in a place that’s never been touched by anyone. He’s beautiful, smart, and courageous, and he hasn’t been tainted by the darkness that’s ruled my life. I wanted him from the first second I laid eyes on him. It’s selfish, I know. Because you can’t bring an innocent thing into the darkness and not expect something to rub off.

REVIEW:

If you remember when I read “Kage”, I said I wasn’t sure I liked Ms. Black any more. Now I know that Black is the color of her heart…making us wait 3 months between installments. I’ve just finished book two and I’m even more ecstatic than I was with book one!

In “Kage Unleashed”, Ms. Black carries us forward into the continuing story of Jamie and Michael, continuing directly from the cliffhanger scene that finished book one. Since book two ended just as dramatically, and again with a cliffhanger, we are left waiting anxiously for the final book of the trilogy.

The story begins with Jamie and Michael going their separate ways after the brutal sex scene from the end of book one.  (Check out this excerpt!)

Michael heads back to Las Vegas and then off to training camp. Jamie stays in Georgia for his mother’s breast cancer surgery, and then goes back to Las Vegas. Just because the two men have broken off any sort of relationship doesn’t mean Jamie doesn’t still have his intern publicist job to do.

Is there hope for the two men? Can either forgive the other? What about Uncle Peter? What is he up to? Not enough answers on Peter in this book in my opinion, but we’re getting closer!  What will happen when Kage’s fighting career takes off?  Is there room for a boyfriend in the macho world of cage fighting?

As always, Maris Black writes a damn fine book. Editing is spot on and her world building and character development are excellent. As with all of her books, you really feel that the characters are real people. Even the background characters are developed enough for what is needed. That said…there are plenty of background characters, but not enough to bog down the story. This is the story of Jamie and Michael. Everyone else is along for the ride!

I have to say I LOVED this book and its predecessor. I could go on raving all night, but it would be hard to do it without spoilers.  In my opinion…you NEED to read these books! If you haven’t read my review of “Kage”, it is here.

I very highly recommend both books. Hurry now and get them because you will want to be ready for the exciting conclusion of the trilogy when it comes out!

RATING:  (only because the scale doesn’t go any higher!)

BUY LINK: 

Amazon