Audiobook Review: The Russian Cage by Charlaine Harris

The Russian Cage
Author: Charlaine Harris
Narrator: Eva Kaminsky
Series: Gunny Rose (Book 3)
Publication: Gallery / Saga Press (February 23, 2021); Recorded Books
Length: 300 p.; 7 hours and 52 minutes

Description: #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.

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

My Thoughts: 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.

I bought this one. You can buy your copy here.