ARC Review: Caged: Trapped by Shay Savage

Trapped is the second book in the Caged series by Shay Savage. Each book is a part of Liam and Tria's story, and these need to be read in order. Though these are full sized novels, they do end with cliffhangers. I really loved Liam in the first book, but I did have some issues with the story overall. I have to say that while there were things to like here as well, I found myself having some of the same problems. I will read the final installment though, as I need to see how things finish for these characters. 

Trapped picks up where Takedown Teague left us, with Liam and Tria in Maine about to experience a weird ritual that is common for her community. Though things get a bit strange, Liam and Tria are working towards something together and are willing to support one another through anything. After returning home, Liam and Tria continue to adjust to life as a couple living together. But just when things appear to be on the right track, Liam's past returns and the unexpected happens leaving him struggling with a way to cope. Knowing that he can't handle what life has thrown his way, Liam turns to the one place he has been able to find escape. 

I have to admit that as much as I loved Liam in the first book, I had some issues this time around. I still really liked him, and I was always rooting for him with Tria. But this time around he wasn't the same as he had been before. He was more short tempered and prone to angry outbursts. He was flat out awful to pretty much everyone he came into contact with, including Tria at times. I just didn't get some of it and it made me start to dislike him. Tria was worse than ever here, and I found myself disliking her more than I did in the first book. At first she was just sort of there and I didn't really feel anything towards her. There was a disconnect, and I couldn't relate to her at all. But in this book she was whiny and insecure, and she also had moments that I thought she reacted poorly. She didn't have all the information when it came to what Liam had been through, yet instead of being supportive she would keep pushing. I just didn't really feel the connection here, and unfortunately I wasn't really seeing what the draw was here for either of them. 

One of my big complaints was the lack of steam in the first book, and I will say there was more in this installment. We finally get to see these two get more comfortable with each other, and yet the lack of connection I felt was the same with their chemistry. I just wasn't feeling the heat or passion between them, and everything that had been building in the previous book seemed to have been lost here. I'm not really sure what happened, but this one began to drag and feel a bit too monotonous at times. I wanted something to spark and really draw me in, but that just didn't happen here. Add that to my previous complaints about the characters and their immature actions, and I just had a tough time really feeling invested here. I will read the final installment, because I have enjoyed parts of this story and I need to see where things will end. But I have to say that so far, I have been left feeling as though something is missing and I just want more than what has been given.

**ARC Provided by TRSOR Promotions**

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ARC Review: Caged: Takedown Teague by Shay Savage

Takedown Teague is the first part of the Caged series by Shay Savage. Each book is a portion of Tria and Liam's story, ends with a cliffhanger, and needs to be read in order. There was a lot that I liked here, and there were a few things that I didn't care for. But I will tell you that I really loved Liam and I am looking forward to reading more. I am curious to see what happens next after the ending of this installment, so I will be continuing on with this series even though I did have a few issues here.

Liam is a cage fighter that prefers to keep mostly to himself. He keeps things casual, and he lives to fight. But when he meets Tria, he begins to feel connected to her and finds himself wanting to protect her. Tria is focused on school and making it on her own. Though at first she tries to go her own way, she soon finds herself drawn to Liam just as he is to her. But with their secrets and pasts, can they find a way to make things work? 

As I said before, I loved Liam here. He was sexy and protective, and was so good with Tria. He had this really sweet side that you wouldn't expect, yet totally worked. He was patient with Tria, and I thought that he went out of his way for her. I loved getting his POV, and I thought that it made him so easy to support and love. I also felt though that since we only got his POV, I was disconnected from Tria. I wasn't able to really relate to her, and I didn't feel much of anything for her. I did have moments where I liked her with Liam, but overall I was pretty ambivalent towards her. There were also times where I really didn't care for her treatment of Liam, and I couldn't believe how she would treat him or talk to him. So while these two had chemistry and some good moments in their building connection, I was wanting more and I hope that will be better in the coming installments. 

I also thought that this book was surprisingly tame as far as their relationship went. For those expecting a really steamy story, this was not it. There was no sex to be found here except for some self love on Liam's part. I felt so bad for the poor guy all the way through, especially for someone as sexual as him. I'm not saying that Tria should have instantly given it up to him, but there was little to no progress here over the course of the entire book. Unfortunately the masturbation scenes were short and didn't pack much heat either. I am hoping for the next book to have a higher level of steam, as Liam and Tria continue to build a relationship and get to know one another better. As I said before, this does end with a cliffhanger and I curious to see what will happen next as Liam and Tria find themselves in her hometown where things are nowhere near normal.

**ARC Provided by TRSOR Promotions**

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ARC Review: Caged: Released by Shay Savage

Released is the third and final installment in the Caged series by Shay Savage. This is the conclusion to Liam and Tria's story, and picks up after the second book. These need to be read in order, so if you haven't read the previous two books you will want to start there. Even though I have enjoyed parts of these stories, I have also had some issues over the course of all three books. Once I had started though, I had to see it through to see how things would end. 

After the events of Trapped, Liam is left with nothing. He knows he screwed up by yelling at Tria and scaring her, but he sinks further with everything that happens to him. Now he is left alone, with no job and no place to live. He wants nothing more than to get Tria back, but is he willing to make the changes he needs to in order to prove to her that he is worth another shot?

I have liked Liam more than Tria since the beginning of this series. Part of that is that I feel more connected to him than I do with Tria. I think that since we got this story completely from his POV, that is a huge part of it. He really had a lot to deal with in this installment, and he had definitely hit rock bottom. But what I love about Liam is that he knew he had to turn his life around, and his love for Tria helped him to do what it took. He made a lot of progress here, even if it wasn't always quick or easy. Tria continued to drive me nuts, and this book was no exception. I will admit that she had every right to be wary of Liam after how he acted, but I also felt like she was really wishy washy here. She was a mess, and she continued to be whiny and weak and I just found myself unable to connect with her at all. I did feel more of a connection here between Liam and Tria than I had in the previous book, but I didn't like how one minute she was pushing him away and giving him steps to take to prove to her his commitment to being better and then the next she was a disaster and throwing herself at him while balling her eyes out. I just didn't really care for her, and unfortunately that never changed over the course of this series. 

Overall, I think that there were some really good moments over the course of this series and in this book. But if I am being completely honest, this one was a bit of a disappointment for me. It was all over the place, and I just felt like there was too much going on while not enough was happening if that makes any sense. There was the weird community that Tria was from and all that drama, plus the fighting drama, then the family drama with Liam and the drug issues too. It was pretty random, and I felt like it needed to sort of pick something and stick with it. I did like Liam a lot though, even when he made mistakes and acted poorly. For awhile in the second book I was worried if that would be the case by the end, but I thought he really turned things around here. I don't know that I would read this had I known everything I do now, but I am glad that I finished it and found out how everything played out. The ending was satisfying, but this isn't one that I will probably remember or think about again.

**ARC Provided by TRSOR Promotions**

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