The Caged Series) (Volume 3), Framed (Book 3

Very interestiong book and entertaining as well. Very good writing. I loved the series. Was a great read and kept me in the mix of wanting to read more and more. Hope there are others coming to complete

I read the overview (and the reviews) for the first book in this series (Caged); based on the bright ravings of past readers, I just went ahead and bought all 3 books at the same time. How wrong could everyone be? Well. I slugged through the first half of Caged, and kept thinking it would get better... that the very 1-dimensional characters would get more interesting. That the plot would begin to make sense. That I would begin to CARE what happened to any of the characters. What a waste of time and money. I got VERY tired of hearing Ruby describe every piece of designer clothing she (and everyone else) was wearing. I got VERY tired of her acting like a spoiled, whiney brat everytime Sean or Eric or the one who lives with her (see, I can't even remember their names because they were so boring) did or said something she didn't like. Her little temper tantrums weren't funny in the least; they just made me want to slap her and tell her to go put her Big Girl panties on and GROW UP. And precisely BECAUSE the characters were so flatly portrayed and so annoying, I got to the point where I actually was hoping the "bad guys" would win... I forced myself to read all 3 books, just in case Natusch became more skilled as time went on... Nope. They all stunk. I have to believe that all the 5-star reviewers were between the ages of 13 and 22, because I can't imagine anyone with any level of maturity or any inkling of sophistication would find a single redeeming quality about this garbage. Did I miss the YA rating??? But then Hunger Games was rated YA, and that series was amazing. Heck, I could have bought a couple of bags of chips and a 6-pack of Pepsi for the cost of these 3 books and had a MUCH better time.

So what exactly happened in this book? A whole book for the storyline to barely progress. There’s so many over elaborated points through the series except for those that we really need. I really could have done with the cliff notes version.

Spoiler alert
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New bad guy on the scene named rev
Jer sets up Ruby by killing his brothers, but you find out later it was Sophie’s master plan to get Sean back.
Ruby and Cooper have sex, I think. Not much details there just like there weren’t many details about the abuse in Utah but you assume she was raped.
The rev is Peyta’s father.

FRAMED brought out a lot of emotions and development of pretty much every character in the series. Ruby and Scarlet are at the most connected they have been and it makes for some very interesting inner conversations. The love triangle that I have felt was going to develop has finally come into play and I could not be happier with where it is going. I'm going to do something a bit different then usual as there is a high risk of giving away spoilers. So instead of my normal reviews I will leave you with some of my thoughts while going through FRAMED

Wow that was rough....Hallway Scene, HOT Enough said......AWWW MAN......Ohh Cooper how I love you....I think we need to have someone shoot Ronnie in the ass...Sophie must die!!!......DO IT ALREADY!!....*cry*........Oh Matty how could you? I thought better of you. .....Cooper Swoooooon....Wow I did not see that coming...Sean, was that really necessary? Could you be more of an ass?...........That wont end well.........Rev dude, you are beyond creepy.........Death to Sophie!!.........Your finally alone with him and your going to LEAVE? Yeah that's probably for the best.

I have thoroughly enjoyed this series so far, the world building and storyline have a way with drawing you in and holding you hostage. I read books 1 through 3 back to back and the series ruined me for any other books for 24 hours!! Bring on SCARRED.

This series just keeps getting better and better. The suspense and mystery is so interesting and I am totally obsessed. What I really love about this series is the cliff hanger. Each book has not just one mystery to solve. However, each of story has a conclusion to the main mystery of the book. The underlying mystery is unsolved and moves into the next book. Although cliff hangers can be irritating Natusch solves and completes one, so I don't mind it so much when the other is left as a cliffhanger. It also keeps me interested and anxious to get my hands on the next book. I can't wait to read book 4 tonight! An amazing werewolf story with some great twists and turns!

How to describe "Framed" without spoilers, hrm...

I was lucky enough to receive a proofing copy of "Framed," and read it in one sitting. It was fantastic and I could not put it down, even though I was supposed to be doing other things at the time. I kept telling myself one more chapter. If the book had been longer, I might still be sitting at the computer telling myself that.

Ruby, Sean, Cooper, Petya and Ronnie all come so far in this novel. We learn startling new truths, and get moments that still make my pulse rate fluxuate.

If you enjoy werewolves (and who doesn't) and books that involve more plot and less "wet spots" you should check out this series.

Three books in, this series delivers on every promise it makes. This volume of Ruby's adventures takes a number of surprising turns down spooky alleys, and Natusch is quite skilled at placing yet another surprise at the end of each.

No matter what side of the tri/quad/pent/can'tcountthathigh-angle you're rooting for, FRAMED has more than enough action, romance, and suspense to keep you begging for more.

More, please.

May Contain Mild Spoilers

I liked this one better than the last. No wasted space and the pace was dead on. Even though I thought this book wasn't at all bad and it was definitely a step up from the last, I still had a couple of issues that kept me from marking it as a Top Read.

I'm still on the fence on whether I truly like or care about the protagonist. A particular issue I had were the non-sequiturs or inconsistencies by the protagonist. For example, even though Ruby spends a few pages on explaining that she in fact agrees with her friends, that driving is the last thing she should be doing in her current condition, she turns around and does exactly that in the scene that follows. My other issue is the sex scene. I can understand the author is trying to keep it clean, and in doing so, doesn't include much description on that front. However, when you say that the moment the couple "joins" they both come instantly, it just seems utterly unrealistic and ridiculous.

I also had issues with the dialogue in general. It just didn't seem to flow all that well or natural at times. And my last issue is with the Scooby-doo cliched ending wrap-up. Whenever the hero nets the bad guy at the end and he provides you with a super lengthy & neat explanation/monologue, with just a bit of prodding, that's when you know you've reached pay dirt. Don't pass go or collect $200 dollars.

In regards to the book's main plot, I never really felt any of the dramatic tension the conflict intended on building, since I never felt the protagonist was truly in any danger. Maybe I need to work on my suspension of disbelief a bit more. I also felt a lack of romantic tension and heat between Ruby and any of her many suitors. I actually I got more from the police officer she kept running into and maybe the odd scene where she befriends a lady shopping, which I guess wasn't intended judging by the turn of the events. And I almost forgot my biggest WTH moment, where my brain just didn't want to accept, was the big Sean reveal. I know, I know, this is fantasy and you should already have your I-Believe party hat on, but I don't think I'm buying what's being peddled on that front. Time will tell.

In summary, even though I had some "issues" with this book, I general liked it and really thought it was thoroughly entertaining and well paced. There's a lot of great scenes and wth moments. And if I can't decide whether I like the protagonist, I can safely say I do like her alter-ego and Cooper for that mater. Sean I can do without.

Even though I highly enjoyed Caged and Haunted, Framed is my favorite of the series so far. I could not stop reading which resulted in that lovely book coma we experience when we can't a book down although we clearly should be asleep. Framed is a wonderful mix of strong character development, a high fast plot, and finally a steamy scene or two to temporarily break the tension. Amber Lynn Natusch has sucked me in yet again. I cannot wait for more.

These books are just an awesome read! I love the characters - both the primary and the secondary ones! So well written and you can really escape into the story. I recommend reading all of Amber's books!

I am totally hooked on this series!!!! I have read many paranormal series and this one does not disappoint!!!! Lots of undone laundry and dishes due to these books!!! Read it, you will be glad you did!!! '