The Cage was the first novel I have ever read from this author. I did enjoy the book and even the dark side of her writing. It kept me interested from one page to another. This novel does have many different triggers,abuse, rape, etc.

This book was not what I was expecting. Based on the description, I was thinking this would be more of a psychological thriller. While that element is certainly there, I think the book leans more heavily on the erotic-nature of the characters in this situation and not something I usually read, so it was more out of my own personal comfort zone.

I found the characters of Connor and Amanda to be compelling and their dynamic is what kept me reading the book as well as curiosity of how the plot would play out. As the novel ended on a cliffhanger, I will be waiting for the next one.

Thank you NetGalley & City Owl Press for an eARC of this book for an honest review!

Thank you to Netgalley for allowing me to read this book in return for an honest review. Danielle Bannister is a new author for me so I was curious to find out if I would enjoy her book as the blurb sounded interesting. I really enjoyed The Cage and I found myself wanting to carry on reading it so I could find out what happened. To say it ended on a cliffhanger is an understatement! It seemed to end so abruptly which I found a little disappointing but it also left me excited for the next instalment. Overall it was a great read and I have given it 4 stars.

This is a dark romance with a dash of psychological thriller, which the best of both words for me. Between the synopsis and the intriguing cover I requested this on Netgalley and was pleasantly surprised by how easily sucked in I was by the story. Imagine going in to view a much needed apart only to be trapped in as your cage before the end of the viewing. This concept kept me at the edge of my seat rooting for Amanda and what will be her outcome. I’m not a huge fan of love triangles and this had a small bit of that here but it was done so well here I genuinely don’t know how I would like this to end. Also this is a dark romance, but I didn’t find it to be very heavy on the dark but t please check triggers and take care while reading.
Also, this ends in a cliffhanger and I cannot wait to get my hands on Safehouse to find how this ends!

This is one of those books I feel guilty for enjoying as much as I did. But OMG this one was GOOOOOD! It's not like anything I've ever read but I enjoyed it so much. It was an extremely fast read with multiple POVs, getting a glimpse from the kidnappers side AND the kidnapped kept it extremely interesting. Hold on a second while I go add more of Danielle Bannister’s books to my TBR & in the meantime I'll be patiently... or not so patiently waiting for the sequel to this one!

Thank you NetGalley & City Owl Press for an eARC of this book for an honest review!

A thrilling, disturbing read about how a person’s upbringing can affect life decisions. At the beginning of the book, I felt Connor was such an egotistical jerk. As the story progressed, I was beginning to see what lay beneath the hardness. I for sure did not agree with his choice of career. Anytime one profits over others pain. When Amanda thinks she getting a too good deal, she should have listened to her gut. This failure to listen to her gut has dire consequences. Even when things change, Amanda still fears for her life. This book ended on a cliffhanger so now I’m waiting for the next in Amanda’s adventures.

Twisted from the very start in all the best ways possible. Heavy on some trigger warnings but I’m not one who is phased by those, however some are so warning should be heaved. Nice quick read for me and was intriguing from beginning to end. Gives dark romance meets psych thriller. Cannot wait for the next part, literally in suspense waiting for a follow up!

NOOOOOOOOOoOoOoOo!!

^^ exact impression of me when I got to the end of this book. I NEED to know what happens next.

This book was literally nothing like I expected. When I saw the cover and read the blurb I was expecting a thriller type story but what I got was so much more.

What I'd love to know is what Danielle Bannister put in the ingredients when making Connor Brooks. Was it drugs? I bet it was drugs. Because please explain to me WHY.. just WHY.. I started rooting for the human trafficker? I'm not sure if that was meant to happen or not. He became someone I had empathy for and that's certainly not what I expected when I first learned of Amanda's fate.

Amanda is a firecracker to say the least. I have watched enough episodes of Criminal Minds to know that I too, would try and make my kidnapper fall in love with me. 𝘔𝘺 𝘵𝘰𝘹𝘪𝘤 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 "𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘧𝘪𝘹 𝘩𝘪𝘮". She's damaged but she's smart and determined, I am so excited to see what happens in The Safe House.

If I had any critique at all, it would be that I wish it was longer. I wanted a little bit more of an insight of Amanda getting into Connors head. At this point I'm not sure if she's conflicted or if she's dead set on her plan. Even so, I am fully invested and will be reading the sequel.

Not at all what I expected - there are lots of triggers. I'd maybe describe this as if a dark romance made a baby with a thriller. It was epic.

Thank you so much to Danielle Bannister, netgalley & Victory Editing for the copy of this e-book!

Full review will be posted on Goodreads, Instagram and Amazon within the next few days.

So I was immediately intrigued by the cover of this book. It reminded me of the cover of Neon Gods, then I read the synopsis and knew this book would be interesting. Let me say this book did not disappoint. I will say this is a book with trigger warnings so read at your own risk. For me this was defiantly not the darkest romance reads but it was dark.

So this book is focused around Amanda and Connor. Amanda needs an apartment that is cheap and finds a listing that ends up being too good to be true and gets locked in an apartment that is in a building owned by Connor who sells women to men who want a “pet”. Connor is an older sexy man (from all descriptions in the book) yet he comes from a life where love is not something he was shown and now does not think he deserves. So when Amanda becomes “excited” over his touch and is truly desiring him he is shocked.

The book ends with a plot twist and with you wondering what the f will happen next. I want to read the next one. Fingers crossed it will be just as good.

This one is hard for me to review because I was curious about it, but ended up not caring for it. The violence and intimidation were just a little too much for me.

I think that the premise was pretty unique and would certainly be a good read for the right person, but unfortunately that isn’t me.

The writing was decent and kept me interested, and the use of “pet” language made it…a little easier to digest at times, I think, especially since you’re reading about human trafficking.

Wow. I can tell you in absolute certainty I did not expect to read what I just did. But in an amazing way. This book is twisted and combines horror and romance into an amazing story.

Amanda needs an apartment after running from her toxic ex boyfriend. She find an ad online for an apartment in her budget and send in the application to view said apartment. Little does she know, Connor- a walking and talking red flag- never plans to let her leave.

The cliff hanger at the end of this is leaving me twisting and turning. I cannot wait for the next book to come out so I can find out what happens.

Also, I love the cover of this book.

Suspend your disbelief and enjoy the ride! I totally wasn't expecting this!

The Cage is a quick and punchy read that exposes a horrific underworld of human trafficking and the relationship between captor and victim.

Amanda Jackson is one of many young women who are targeted by Connor Brooks, trapped, trained as a "pet" for their master and then sold. There is sprinkling of Stockholm Syndrome with a big dose of "50 shades" style sexual energy between Amanda and Connor, and, as they spend more and more time together, Amanda starts to break through to Connor, as she discovers similarities between both of their dark past lives and childhoods.

Connor struggles with his feelings for Amanda, conflicted with his determination to use her to get revenge on art dealer/thief Malcolm, who, by huge coincidence, remembers Amanda from his school days.

As the book races to it's conclusion and the tension goes through the roof, Danielle Bannister's big cliffhanger ending smacks you in the face and leaves you wanting more! Bring on the next instalment, The Safe House.

4 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, Danielle Bannister and City Owl Press for an ARC in return for an honest review.

This book had me curious about the ending. Did not disappoint. Was very raunchy and graphic most of the scenes, feel like it should come with a trigger warning. However still an enjoyable read

The Cage by Danielle Bannister.
Amanda Jackson was used to toxic men. It’s all she’d ever known. And this gorgeous blonde property manager, Connor Brooks, was a walking red flag. But she needed a place to stay, and this unit sounded amazing. She’d be crazy not to look at it.
This was slow to start with but it soon got really good. I can't wait for next book to see what happens. I loved the cover. 5*.

Thanks to #NetGalley and #CityOwlPress for the #ARC of #TheCage by #DanielleBannister that comes out 8/22/23. This book really intrigued me because it’s not my normal type of book but I loved the characters, the need to survive and the twist ending that left me wanting more. Needless to say I was hooked and cannot wait for the next book, The Safehouse to come out.

Posted in good reads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/81346780-heather
Posted in my bookstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thrillology_explorer
Posted on amazon: under Heather Flaherty

I am not sure what I expected when I requested The Cage, but I sure as heck did not expect that!!!

(in all the best ways possible)

Combining two of my favorite things, Sex and Sin, this book is going to take the internet by storm and this girl right here, is here for it.

This is a twisted tale that combines both horror and romance elements, you will never see where this one is going but it sure is a wild ride.

The Cage is out today, and I promise you, you are your darkest dreams don't want to miss it!

Teaser :

All she wanted was an apartment…

Amanda Jackson was used to toxic men. It’s all she’d ever known. And this gorgeous blonde property manager, Connor Brooks, was a walking red flag. But she needed a place to stay, and this unit sounded amazing. She’d be crazy not to look at it.

For Connor, finding a mark was easy. A simple ad in the classifieds. Once they were inside, it was too late to escape. They had no way out. One look at their frightened eyes on the monitor, that’s when the housebreaking could begin.

The second Connor closed the door, Amanda understood her situation. She was trapped and defenseless. Or was she? She has one card to play: make her captor fall for her before it was too late.

All she wanted was an apartment. What she got was The Cage.

I thought this book had so much potential to be a 5 star. What dropped the rating for me was the in depth detail on the sex scenes.
I think they could have been less detailed and the story more focused on the the kidnapping of the other girls. Definitely more with Malcom.

I would like to see where the story goes with Malcom and Amber.

I want to preface this review by saying that this book took me by surprise; it wasn't what I initially expected. I had anticipated a straightforward thriller in the vein of Paula Hawkins or Colleen Hoover, but what I got was something entirely different. This is undeniably an erotica tale, with content that might rival "50 Shades of Grey," if not in writing style, then certainly in its explicit nature.

Remarkably, the protagonist is genuinely likable, and Although the trauma-related aspects were occasionally overdone, they served a purpose in the narrative. Similarly, the antagonist, or perhaps the love interest, was not entirely hateable. Despite his recurring emotional hang-ups and excessive whining, which were oddly coincidental to his traumatic childhood, I couldn't bring myself to despise him entirely.

The intimate scenes were skillfully written, and while the dialogue had its moments of weakness, the descriptive writing was reminiscent of Johanna Lindsay's style. The inclusion of the "Pet" dynamic took me by surprise and clearly positioned this novel within the erotica genre rather than a straightforward horror thriller.

As a reader, I must note that the transition from human trafficking to S/M romance might be jarring for some, so it would be beneficial to add an erotica tag, especially considering the potentially triggering content.

Due to the intimate nature of this book, I won't be sharing my review on social media, but I want to express my appreciation for receiving the galley. Thank you.

To be fair, this was definitely not what I was expecting. Clearly I didn't pay enough attention but the cover and the blurb just had my kind going in the direction of more of a thriller rather than a 50 shades of grey type. It's a decent enough book, the writing style is good, the characters...... oh the characters. Lol I get what the author is aiming for but I always just come back to a but if a desperate and needy woman suffering from Stockholm syndrome more than anything. For those who do enjoy the romance and fantasy of such scenarios then I'm sure it'll be a winner. It's entirely my fault this one wasn't for me but that's no reflection of the quality of the book

This book was totally different to what I thought I was requesting,that doesn’t mean it was bad it just wasn’t for me and I realised this after a few chapters,apologies but the cover drew me in and I probably should have looked more into the contents of the book