REVIEW by Jena: Scarred (Caged #4) by Amber Lynn Natusch – Released TODAY! (@amberlnatusch)

“I loathed myself for wishing a death of that nature on anyone, and even more so because I still wanted it to happen. My moral fiber was unraveling quickly, and I wondered how long my humanity could withstand the unending trial of values my life had become. With every choice I made, I felt it slipping away.

And further down the rabbit hole I fell.”

After a three-month reprieve, drama once again lands on Ruby’s doorstep. Death has returned to Portsmouth, and the murdering of innocent women is back in full swing, signaling the return of a madman―the Rev. But he’s getting uncharacteristically sloppy, and that could cause even bigger problems for Ruby, the PC, and werewolves in general. Complicating things even further is the return of another question mark in her life; one that could be equally problematic.

As if that weren’t enough to deal with, Ruby also finds herself endlessly running interference between the men in her life. Tensions run high as deceit, mistakes, and lies pile up around her, burying her in the inevitability that she can no longer be everything to them both. She is forced to choose one at the risk of losing the other―a necessary evil, which may just prove deadly.

With the rapid fire release of Caged, Haunted and Framed (books 1-3 in the Caged series), it feels like the release of Scarred has been a long time coming. I spent the better part of the last few months bugging the crap out of the author for any little tidbit I could get (ARC, Cover Reveal, etc). Then I finally got to read it….

And then I had to keep my damned mouth shut about it!! UGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well, not anymore! I am happy to announce that Scarred is officially out!

The first thing I would like to point out is the cover. Oh Emm Gee!! The cover!! I have always liked the covers on this series but the cover of Scarred blows the rest of the series away. It’s badassery is levels higher than the previous three books. Each cover has its own meaning and Scarred is no exception. Once you read the book, you’ll understand it. Aside from the symbolism of it all, you have the look. This cover has a much richer feel to it than the previous three. Bah! I just love it!

Ok. On with the review!

The 3^rd installment in this series took everything I thought and turned it on end. First, the character that I loved to hate, Sean, has become the character that I love to love. He’s got issues but find me a tough, brooding type that doesn’t. Well, Scarred just added to that love for the character. He sure can be a dick but the thing you’ll learn about Sean through this series is that there is a reason behind his dick…ness. There’s always a reason. In Scarred, we get a glimpse of the softer side of Sean (I so badly wanted to type Sears right there). We get to see a little bit of what makes him tick and you will have one of two reactions: A) You’ll want to file a restraining order or B) You’ll want to give him a big tear-filled hug. It could go either way.

Scarred takes our motley crew of a cast for a whole new wild ride. There are a few surprises tossed in here and there that take our normal tension level and JACK IT WAY UP. One of my favorite characters from early in the series makes a return appearance and you will be shocked by that little twist.

The fourth installment in this wonderful series takes an unbelievably dark turn. Scarred is a highly appropriate name for this book because IT LEAVES YOU THAT WAY. I will be honest, when I was reading this book, I reached the end and promptly emailed the author to inform her that I wanted nothing more in that moment than to PUNCH MY COMPUTER MONITOR.

The ending of this book will make you cry and scream and want to pull your hair out. All in a good way, I swear. Ruby has a big new bag of shit to wade through and it doesn’t look like it’s going to get any easier in book #5.

Overall, I am giving Scarred (Caged Series #4) 5 slobbering werewolf heads. This one will leave you in tears wondering what the eff just happened.

Now, time to go email the author to find out when I will be getting my paws on Book #5 because, dammit, I want to know what happens!!!