The Russian Cage

Written by Charlaine Harris

Narrated by Eva Kaminsky

#1 New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Charlaine Harris is at her best in this alternate history of the United States, where magic is an acknowledged but despised power, in this third installment of the Gunnie Rose series.

Picking up right where A Longer Fall left off, this thrilling third installment follows Lizbeth Rose as she takes on one of her most dangerous missions yet: rescuing her estranged partner, Prince Eli, from the Holy Russian Empire. Once in
San Diego, Lizbeth is going to have to rely upon her sister, Felicia, and her growing Grigori powers to navigate her way through this strange new world of royalty and deception in order to get Eli freed from jail, where he’s being held for murder.

The Russian Cage continues to ramp up the momentum with more of everything Harris’s readers adore her for—romance, intrigue, and a deep dive into the mysterious Holy Russian Empire.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: Feb 23, 2021
• ISBN: 9781980036272

Charlaine Harris

Charlaine Harris is a New York Times bestselling author who has been writing for over thirty years. She was born and raised in the Mississippi River Delta area. She has written four series, and two stand-alone novels, in addition to numerous short stories, novellas, and graphic novels (cowritten with Christopher Golden). Her Sookie Stackhouse books have appeared in twenty-five different languages and on many bestseller lists. They’re also the basis of the HBO series True Blood. Harris now lives in Texas, and when she is not writing her own books, she reads omnivorously. Her house is full of rescue dogs.

Reviews for The Russian Cage

[Emily Lassiter Branch · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This third installment in the Gunnie Rose series takes Lizbeth Rose to San Diego and the heart of the Holy Russian Empire. Charlaine Harris has done an excellent job of setting up her alternate history of the US in the 1930s - including elements of the western, sci-fi and mystery genres, along with a little magic from the Russian side. The United States has been "deconstructed" into different countries, including Lizbeth's Texahoma and the Holy Russian Empire, which in this book is holding her sometime partner (in both senses of the word) Prince Eli, essentially as a political prisoner. Lizbeth travels to the HRE to save him but is totally out of her element in this new-to-her society. It's interesting and entertaining to follow her journey through this strange new world, where she poses as Russian royalty - not the most natural fit for someone with Lizbeth's background and personality.
I've very much enjoyed the books in this series to date, including this one. Harris has left things so that the series could end with this book as a trilogy - or pick right back up with #4 in the series. I hope there will be more - I'd love to at least see Lizbeth operating in New America and Britannia.
Thanks to Netgalley and Gallery Books for providing a copy for an unbiased review.

[Laurel · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Interesting juxtaposition of old west gunslinger, mid 20th century technology and Russian magic system but it works. I never did warm up to the lead character though. I mean yeah, she needs to be tough and hard nosed in her life and profession but there are times in this trilogy where tough, hard bitten act is a bit much like when she's in another country and is asked to wear the proper clothing to conform which I don't know, might be good for her cover? Other than that well it's another well written series by Charlaine Harris; nobody's too stupid to live and there's no show and tell sex for which I'm very grateful.

[bgknighton · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A little slow in places but good overall. Lizbeth Rose has to go to the Holy Russian Empire to save Eli after he is arrested after his arrival home. Russian politics are twisted but a gun cuts through the red tape.

[jennybeast · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The action relocates to within the Holy Russian Empire, and Eli is jailed and in danger. I continue to be enraptured with Gunnie Rose, and I am starting to adopt her irascibility with polite culture. This is a book full of interesting developments, and further exploration of a fascinating world. Loved it.

Advanced Readers' Copy provided by Edelweiss.

[kmartin802_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A letter from her sister Felicia sends Lizbeth Rose into the HRE to rescue her partner Eli Savarov. Eli has been arrested and imprisoned although no one knows what crime he is supposed to have committed.After a long train trip and arriving like a fish out of water in San Diego, Lizbeth goes to see her sister at school to find out what she knows. Lizbeth also calls on Eli's mother and sisters to find that they also don't know why Eli has been imprisoned.Determined to free Eli, Lizbeth connects with Felix, a grigori who is a friend of Eli's. They learn that Eli's arrest is not known to the tsar. They decide they need to let him know. To do that, they arrange to "save" the tsarina when she is attacked during a public outing. That gets Lizbeth an invitation to the palace and a chance to get the tsarina's help to get Eli out of jail.Lizbeth soon learns that there are problems within the new government. Someone, like the tsar's uncle, is spreading rumors that the tsar's blood disease will soon kill him. The uncle feels he is much more worthy of being tsar than Alexei. There are also problems within Eli's family. His stepbrothers resent his influence with the tsar and favor the tsar's uncle as ruler. Between coping with dangerous relatives and the lead up to a revolt, Lizbeth needs to get Eli out of jail. This was another entertaining episode of the Gunnie Rose series. I liked that this one has a lot of political maneuvering and an interesting setting. San Diego as the seat of the Holy Russian Empire was interesting. I liked the way Lizbeth and Eli's relationship is progressing despite their very different backgrounds and cultures.

[avanders_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Review based on ARC (Advanced Review Copy received in exchange for an honest review).When I first saw this book, I was "all in" based on the title and the cover. When I received it, however, I realized it was the 3rd book in a new series by Charlaine Harris. So I set out to acquire the first 2 to get up to speed. I'm glad I was already committed to the 3rd because I don't know that I would have picked up the Gunnie Rose series without having this obligation. But I'm SO glad I did! While I do think it is possible to read this 3rd book alone, I think it is a much better read, having had the background & story of the other 2 books.I have read a couple other books by Harris and have not been particularly impressed -- not that I thought they were bad, I just wasn't pulled in the way others seem to be. But with this series, I felt Harris really upped her game. First, I was impressed with her ability to present a sort of Western-feel to this alternate history series, while also presenting a very Russian feel to the magical realism side of things. The "alternative" aspect to the history was well-thought out and remembered (i.e., the reader doesn't forget where we are), and her characters are very well-written and unique. I feel like, I read a lot of books with a "strong female protagonist who goes against the grain of societal expectations," and they all really read the same - often self-indulgent, unpersuasive, and trite. This one was actually different. Although Gunnie Rose has her attributes that make her unique, I felt like her character was persuasive in the context of the book, notwithstanding some of the over-the-top situations she found herself in and how she handled them. All of her strengths and weaknesses were well-drawn and both fit well together as part of her personality and fit well in the context of the book & the other characters. The story line itself: the first book is the most "western"; the second book deals with race and gender issues in the South; and the third is kind of all climax. Although it is also still dealing with some of the issues raised in the earlier books, it dives quickly into the heart of the plot and drives the reader forward in a rush. While we are still learning more about the world in which the books are set (and its characters -- Felicia, Lucy, Felix, Peter, to name a few), Harris doesn't waste time losing her reader in exposition. Everything we learn is part of something else and it is, really, expertly done. I think I read the 2nd half of the book while holding my breath!And then there's the "love story." As someone who does not tend to enjoy romance novels and finds a lot of the love stories in books these days to be unpersuasive and a bit annoying, I thought Harris handled her characters' feelings so convincingly and so well. I was completely pulled in and I definitely wanted a certain outcome. But even more than that, I felt that the romance was handled so well because it *didn't* eclipse the rest of the story - rather, it was simply a part of it. Overall, a really enjoyable read -- all 3 of the books!I've heard rumor there may be more coming... I'm still all in! A very strong 4 of 5 stars.

[phyllis2779 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was a great final book for the trilogy but I would still like to see a sequel. How Gunnie and her Russian husband Eli are going to manage in Texoma would be interesting and with adventures of course.

[quondame · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I did enjoy spending a few hours in the company of Gunnie Lizbeth Rose, but really she needs bigger challenges than the Uncle of the Czar getting Eli thrown into jail. Also, having Felicia and Felix around at the same time was a bit confusing as was having Felix's mother be dead before they left Russia but hired to assist the Eli's mother's governess a few pages later. There's lots of shooting and explosions and the Gigori's seem, aside from Felix, Peter and Eli, oh, and Felicia, so much cannon fodder.

[helsky · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This is the third book in the Gunnie Rose series. Lizbeth receives a letter from her sister Felicia with a secret message telling her that Eli is in jail. She embarks on a mission to Holy Russian Empire with a goal to free Eli from jail. She meets several old friends and also Eli's family and the Tsar and Tsarina.The writing style is a mix of rather short and precise sentences and dry humor. And I like dry humor. Lizbeth sure is a character like no other. The birth of the Holy Russian Empire is explained in this book and I found it quite fascinating. The Grigoris and their magic powers are also interesting. There is a lot of plotting, fighting and deaths. The ending was good, but I am quite curious to see what the future holds for Lizbeth and Eli.Thank you NetGalley and Gallery Books for a copy of this book.

[carolesrandomlife · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I really enjoyed this book! I read the first two installments in the Gunnie Rose series about a year ago and I couldn't wait to get to read more of this fun series. I couldn't resist reading this book just as soon as it found its way into my greedy hands. I will admit that my expectations were pretty high for this book and I am happy to report that I was not disappointed in the least. When Lizbeth learns that Eli is being held in jail, she knows that she needs to see what she can do to help him. Before you know it, she is in the Holy Russian Empire working to help in any way that she can. This will not be an easy rescue and she faces one obstacle after another. Things get complicated pretty quickly and there is more than enough excitement to keep things entertaining. I had a lot of fun watching Lizbeth navigate a new environment while working towards her goal of setting Eli free. I love how unique each part of the country is in this alternate universe. There were some familiar characters back for this installment and we got to meet a lot of new ones as well. I especially enjoyed getting to know Eli's family and see them work together under pressure. This is the third book in the Gunnie Rose series which I do think is best if read in order since events from previous books seem to come into play quite frequently. The relationship between Eli and Lizbeth undergoes some pretty big developments in this installment and I am eager to see how things will play out moving forward. This was a really exciting book that I found to be hard to put down so I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to others.I received a digital review copy of this book from Gallery / Saga Press via NetGalley.

[lostinalibrary · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Lizbeth Rose aka Gunnie Rose receives a coded letter from her half-sister letting her know that Eli Savarov is being held in prison in San Diego, the capitol of the Holy Russian Empire. Lizbeth has no choice - she loves Eli so, although the Holy Roman Empire seems a world away in more ways than one, she immediately sets out for San Diego where she will free him or die trying.The Russian Cage is the third installment in the Gunnie Rose alternate history series by author Charlaine Harris and, like the previous two books, it doesn't disappoint. It grabbed me from the first page and never let go. It continues to expand the world building as well as fleshing out many of the old characters even more while introducing us to some interesting new ones. The Gunnie Rose series is one of my favourites and, for anyone who shares my love of these books, you're really gonna enjoy this latest edition. If you haven't discovered this series but love smart alternate histories with great characters, world building, and plenty of action, I can't recommend it highly enough but I would suggest that this might not work as a standalone since it follows the actions in the last book. Therefore, I would recommend reading the previous books first = trust me, you won't be sorry you did.Thanks to Netgalley and Gallery Books for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review

[sleahey_3 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Having never read anything by Charlaine Harris, never mind the first two books in this particular series, I was nonetheless completely caught up in this story. No doubt the earlier books would help round out the story, but Harris managed to explain the background without belaboring it, and the map at the beginning also helped. When Lizbeth Rose receives a coded message from her half-sister, the action moves quickly forward to the Holy Russian Empire (on the US west coast) where her friend/boyfriend has been imprisoned for murder. As Lizbeth navigates the politics, dangers, and magic of the palace politics with Felicia's help, we are introduced to the royal family and the dangers of power and greed. This is a fast-paced page-turner that inspires me to read more of Harris's work, past and future.

[markon_305303 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I haven't read any of Charlene Harris's work since the Sookie Stack house series ended, so The Russian Cage seemed like a fun read to try. With the help of the map in the front I quickly picked up on the characters and the setting: Elizabeth Rose, her sister Felicia, and Felix, a former member of her crew, who want to get Eli released from arrest in the Holy Russian Empire. Eli's mother and sisters are introduced and we get to know about his family as well as how the Holy Russian Empire works. This was a fun romp, with one glaring consistency issue that struck me (spoiler alert.) After all the discussion of using nulls as guards where the grigoris are imprisoned, LizaRose successfully imprisons the null guard Hubble and Felix promptly uses magic to shut her up. Other than that, this was a fun light read. Thanks to netgalley for providing an electronic copy for review.