Maximum Magical Penitentiary: Falsely Accused

Fated Mate of the Dragon Clans #1

by Ginna Moran

Guilty. I can’t believe I’m guilty.

The worst killer seen in ages...

At least, that’s what the demonic-looking jury said with their verdict.

I don’t know how I’ve found myself convicted of a crime I didn’t commit. If I hadn’t broken my rule about getting involved in other people’s business, I wouldn’t be in this position. But there’s nothing I hate more than a creep who can’t take a hint.

After a bar brawl left the creep and many others dead, I now find myself in a strange world of trouble. Literally. Apparently, I broke Magaelorum Law, and the judge claims I’m not human. Lies. I’d know if I wasn’t. Right?

And that’s not the worst of it.

I’ve been sentenced to life in prison at the Maximum Magical Penitentiary, where Magaelorum’s vilest offenders reside. Except they’re the least of my worries. Three wicked-hot, devastatingly cruel dragon-shifter guards make it their mission to ensure the rest of my life is complete hell. The dead guy I was falsely accused of murdering was their friend. They want revenge. Great.

To survive, I must figure out this magical prison life. I’m alone, clueless, and nearly defeated. But I have one thing on my side. I know who the real killer is. I just have to break out of this place to find him. My biggest problem? The guards, this hellhole, and those loyal to the true murderer might kill me first.

Get captured by this fast-burn why choose new adult romance.

Genres: Fantasy, Shapeshifters, Dragons, Paranormal, Romance, Paranormal Romance, Why Choose

364 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 31, 2020

About the author

Ginna Moran is the author of an array of both paranormal and contemporary young adult novels including the Demon Within, Falling into Fame, and Spark of Life series.

She started writing poetry as a teenager in a spiral notebook that she still has tucked away on her desk today. Her love of writing grew after she graduated high school and she completed her first unpublished manuscript at age eighteen.

When she realized her love of writing was her life’s passion, she studied literature at Mira Costa College in Northern San Diego. Besides writing young adult novels, she was senior editor, content manager, and image coordinator for Crescent House Publishing Inc. for four years.

Aside from Ginna’s professional life, she enjoys binge watching television shows, playing pretend with her daughter, and cuddling with her dogs. Some of her favorite things include chocolate, anything that glitters, cheesy jokes, and organizing her bookshelf.

Ginna is currently hard at work on her next novel.

Reviews

[BookFiend · Rating 1 out of 5]

Made it 50% and called it. I thought the blurb sounded good, but the execution left much to be desired for me. Nova's character has no consistency, and I hate how she is with the men. It's constantly the "her body betrays her" trope that I cannot stand, and the men are awful too. Plus it makes no sense that they fall for who they believe is their best friend's killer that fast. I am not invested in these characters at all. They also figured out Nova was innocent in the first day? second? that she was at the prison. The timing is unclear, and this revelation comes too easily. Add in a TSTL FMC, and I'm out.

[Mona Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ginna what did you do to me? In this newest series we meet Nova, just your average girl who is just out trying to make a living, have a good time and move on to the next town. Then, boom she's accused of a crime she didn't commit, taken to a place she has no clue about, and shown things she thought where just in fairy tale stories. This story has it all, mystery, intrigue and some hot dragon shifters.
I can't wait to read more in this series

[Lisa Bing · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was quite an engaging read by a new-to-me author. I love fated mates stories and this one fit the bill, nicely. However, that's not all you'll find in this story. There is a ton of action, mystery, some banter and definitely the feel of rejected mates as she embraces her new world and tries to clear her name of false charges. There's a lot more to learn and I'm anxious to see how her story will continue to unfold...now to be patient for the next installment ;P

[Heather C · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was provided an ARC of this book**

From the moment this book begins you follow Nova on an action packed story. She finds herself falsely accused of a crime she didn’t commit. The rest of the book takes you on an adventure and doesn’t let up on the action and emotions Nova experiences. To top it all off, there are three hot as hell guards that are determined to find out what happened. This book does not disappoint. Fair warning, you will be dying to know what happens next. This book is hard to put down and easy to fall in love with.

[Felicia Schuster · Rating 5 out of 5]

Omg! Ginna is a genius! I absolutely loved this first book in this new series! A magical penitenitary, hot dragon guards and an awesome beginning to what I can only imagine will be quiet the storyline! This book was packed with so mcuh happening from the moment it starts! Can't wait to get more of this series and Nova and the drekis!

[LolaLovesRH · Rating 4 out of 5]

Caged by her mates?

It was a struggle to decide what to rate this book. It’s definitely between 3.5 and 4 stars to me. So I chose to round up.

I’m not sure what to say. I love Ginna Moran and have read two of her other series and loved them, but this book gives me mixed feelings.

I’m not a fan of most of the men at all, mainly Maddox. I don’t feel like he’s very apologetic even after it’s become obvious that Nova is innocent.

Also I get this is fast burn, but Ginna’s books usually don’t feel that way to me or she does a good job building stuff up. Nova gave into them way to fast, despite acting like she didn’t, and it made the initial sex scenes hard for me to enjoy. A little sex here and there would have been fine, but I really just wished she would have rejected them for a little bit afterwards because it’s honestly somewhat their fault she’s there in the first place. Maybe not all the men’s fault, but Maddox I feel like deserves some blame.

What saved this book for me was about 85% we get some insight into what the men are thinking and one of them is very apologetic and they are actually quite sweet. The ending is what really piqued my interest however. This author usually writes larger harems in her books so I’m wondering if this will also be the case with this one. I hope so.

[Jessica Robbins · Rating 4 out of 5]

*I received a free copy of this book which I voluntarily chose to write an honest review for.

I have to admit I was hooked from page one once I got started on this. We meet Nova an aerial acrobat with some skill. After a show her whole cast is requested to go to a bar for a drink. They agree but once they arrive things take a totally weird turn with pretty much everyone ending up dead and poor Nova arrested. She finds herself on an entirely different world where dragons and paranormals exist and she is going to be in prison with them. Add in her surprise when her supposed mates are there as well. The story takes plenty of surprise turns and you no sooner think you know what is going on Moran proves you wrong making for quite the fun read. I cannot wait to see what happens next. I really liked it so I give it 4/5 stars.

[Cheryl Sedman · Rating 4 out of 5]

At the beginning of this book we meet Nova. After her performance with Galaxy we see them invited to a bar by Rhett.
This is when this whole book takes off down many twists and turns. Creating such a great rollercoaster ride of a journey, that I didn't want to get off. Can't wait to head into the next book.

[Angela Denny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nova grew up thinking she was just a plain mortal. After a bar fight one night her whole world is thrown upside down. Now sentence to life in prison she meets three overbearing sexy men. She uncovers many secrets and even more enemies in prison. Great first book in this series.

[Lene Blackthorn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a only a 3 star for me, even though I read it relatively fast. The world building holds many promises and the writing itself is good, proved also in how fast and well the story was developing from the beginning. But the events towards the end and the general situation with Nova and her mates - I struggled to see consistency there. Okay, I am willing to accept Kash and Rowan as they acted one way first and after some bonding with Nova they changed completely, even though the 180 was a bit abrupt and the claiming they suspected she was innocent yet let her be convicted for life without retrial does not seem consistent with fated mate trope, especially THIS kind of fated mate bond (a la treat me like total douches and I still can't resist you because my body says it wants you so so much I would do anything for you; same for the guys who claim to do anything for her after mating). But Maddox's behavior is just ridiculous, the hot and cold attitude changing so fast and, sorry, so unnaturally that I could not accept the guy. In general I am developing a distaste for this trend of big macho alphas treating their women like sh*t telling them arrogantly "you know you like it" and the woman accepts it. Just no. Quillon is also a big red flag for me but that I would at least expect from an inmate and fits the prison scene well, so that was okay for me, same as Rose. I could understand Nova making the mistake of trusting anyone as she was new to the world without prior knowledge and needed to trust someone. Apropo, Nova in prison. I got the feeling it was supposed to be like she suffered from the prison life as unjustly convicted, but really the only torment came from her mates as they literally shielded her from anyone else and any potential exposure to danger from other inmates. Not to be a bitch but if she did not raise interest by coming in as a beautiful woman, exactly this type of behavior (favoritism) from the COs would paint a huge target on her back and should have put her to far more danger from the other inmates just for being a protégé, although the author covered it well behind the wall of lust and constant thinking about sex, not even exposing her to any other inmates (few short exceptions, and Quillon for plot purpose). The last part of the book was also a bit rushed for me, and it ended unexpectedly, which could be either very good for the next book or create more trouble, so let's see. Still giving it a chance.

[Book Life With Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Captured by Her Dragons, Ginna Moran’s first book in her Fated Mate of the Dragon Clans series was absolutely enthralling! Moran definitely knows how to weave an intriguing tale of fated mates, hidden identities, deceit and betrayal!

Nova, a feisty and fierce sky dancer in a traveling acrobatic group soon finds herself questioning everything she thought she knew after a strange encounter with a mysterious man brings chaos and destruction into her life when she finds herself suddenly accused of murder and a prisoner in an otherworldly prison because apparently….she’s not even human like she’s always believed!

Wrongly accused and punished for a crime you didn’t commit, let alone discovering you’re a part of a paranormal world in another dimension, is enough to make anyone crazy, but Nova handled it amazingly well. It probably didn’t hurt that there’s some instant attraction between Nova and the three hot as hell Correctional Officers that are supposed to be guarding her: Maddox, Kash and Rowan.

Things get interesting when temperatures rise and the three men suddenly realize that not only is she innocent of the crimes she was convicted of, but also…their fated mate. The question is will she whet be able to forgive them for doubting her in the first place and will she ever get her freedom? With tons of mystery surrounding her background, her heritage and how she was hidden away in the human world Moran takes us on a journey that’s utterly captivating!

Overall, if you love a good RH paranormal prison fated mate story with some sexy alphas and a fierce heroine—this is a definite must read! This book was a fun captivating read full of drama, action, intrigue, mystery, twists and turns, chaos and of course plenty of hot and steamy scenes that make it hard to stop—and that ending?!? Ugh. I was afraid that was going to happen but I still held out hope! Here’s hoping book 2 provides some much needed answers and resolutions!

[Seraphia Bunny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Captured by Her Dragons by Ginna Moran is the first book in her Fated Mate of the Dragon Clans series. Prepare yourself for chaos, drama, and a whirlwind of crazy. Meet, Nova, a sky dancer for a traveling acrobatic group. She loves what she does, but life is about to throw her for a serious loop. It all starts with a strange man approaching them after their show. He offers drinks at his local bar, and who are they to turn down an opportunity like this? Nova would have if had known where the night was going to go and that before the end of it she’d be thrown in prison for something she didn’t even do.
Captured by Her Dragons is a whirlwind of – did that just happen?! Nova has believed all her life that she is human, but she’s about to get the surprise of her life. Everything she’s known is about to be ripped away from her starting with strangers at a bar, and the chaos that erupts from there.
I honestly don’t know how many times this book shocked me. Probably too many times. I mean being told “you’re guilty until proven innocent and maybe not even then”? Who says that?? These people. Nova can’t believe it. She’s attracted to the three C.O.s who “monitor” her. Maddox is the worst but none of them believe she’s innocent of the crimes she’s convicted of.
There are a ton of twists in this book. When they say trust no one...trust no one. I love how the author lures me to think even for a second one character might be decent, but wait for the ending. Insane cliffhanger that will leave you raging. I’m not 100% thrilled with Nova because she insists on pushing things when she knows she shouldn’t (especially for someone who “reflects” on what they’ve seen in movies/tv), but the storyline is good.
I’m rating this book 4.5 out of 5 stars. There is lots of drama, twists, and steamy scenes to make this book one hard to put down. I can’t wait to read what happens next.

[Brittany Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Our FMC is Nova, a feisty and fierce sky dancer in a traveling acrobatic group. She soon finds herself questioning everything she thought she knew after a strange encounter with a mysterious man brings chaos and destruction into her life. Unfortunately, she can't explain anything as she has no idea of what happened and so she finds herself accused of murder. Suddenly she is a prisoner serving a life term in an otherworldly prison because apparently….she’s not even human as she’s always believed!

So I will say that things do jump quite a lot and there are plenty of pieces of the puzzle that need to be put together, but they are missing for the time being. But the world-building holds much promise and the characters promise to become more. There are some cringe-worthy parts in the book and I hope that the character that is responsible for them gets what he deserves.

It will be interesting to see what happens next... If you are into fated mates RH that mainly involve shifters, specifically dragons, then this book is a good start.

[Jackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, I was surprised to enjoy this "prison" type book enough to want to read book 2 when it comes out, & it being only the second in this genre for me to have read. Not sure I'll want to read a lot more series in this genre though. The world building is sort of a learn as the main character, Nova, learns, though there are places that she seems to learn it without being told or shown (osmosis -maybe? LOL). Her character was interesting, though for the life of me, I didn't understand why everyone in the prison was in lust for her, or was in love with her. She wasn't that great IMO. The mate thing with the 3 dragon shifter brothers (sorry, I didn't review this immediately & have forgotten their names) was believable. But they were too much hot & cold towards her in the beginning for me to warm up to them & get past that (I'm a grudge holder), especially the one brother that was the alpha of the brothers. The plot flowed crazy fast, but left a lot of questions and unanswered mysteries that may or may not be answered in book 2, once it's written. There were a few hiccups with the story that bothered me enough to not give this 5 stars.

[Tara Syrnyk · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first in the series and holy wow did it give me so many feels. This was an emotional rollercoaster for me and I loved every page! This book takes off right away and you go on a wild adventure full of action, drama, mystery and spice! Nova goes through a lot very quickly and she also won me over very quickly. I really enjoyed her personality and how she dealt with all the chaos around her. The guys took a while for me to really like, I felt like they needed to redeem themselves some more, but I appreciated how well developed all the main characters are. They are diverse and solid and Maddox is consistent in his stubborn overbearingness ways! Overall I thought this was a great start to an exciting, action filled series. I thought it was a solid, well paced fun read and it kept me very entertained!

[Patricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm super torn on giving this book a rating of 3 or a rating of 4. So consider this a 3.5.

I really enjoyed the plot of this book and I loved the MC in the beginning... But towards the end the MC became a bit too much of a bitch for me.

And a major annoyance in this book.. Was that the first 70% of it was no one freaking listening to each other. Not a single person asks to hear her story and she keeps asking questions and not a single bit of information.. Just foreplay and sex. Which makes for a great scene... But it wasnt just a scene, it droned on forever. Then when the action and reveal appeared.. It felt very rushed.

So, those are my complaints, I will still go on to read more though. I want to know what happens with Rose and then how all of this mess gets untangled. We shall see..

[TXBRITGAL · Rating 4 out of 5]

No, but really officer....🐲🤷🏻‍♀️

An interesting introduction to the series. What a mind trip as a night out on the town turns out to be the worst night ever for our main character Nova. Is she imagining everything? She can't can't comprehend the snatches of memories she does retain when she ends up in a bizarre prison?!? WTF?!?! Ummmm last time she checked vampires, werewolves and the like only lived in the pages of Harry Potter and she was certainly NOT a killer. What the every loving bleep is going on? Enter the pages of this interesting tale filled with oodles of smexy time, alpha males galore, snark, action, intrigue and a few twists and turns along the way. Buckle up and enjoy the ride.

[Chelsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

rocky start

I have to be honest at the beginning of the book I was really confused really lost. I did not know what was going on but I pushed through in the end. I thought the book was OK I do give it a four out of five. I was just his loss as the main character was lost for most of the book about halfway through the book I did realize what was going on in the book I have found that I did like the main female character. She was a strong, female character and I really enjoyed that the main male characters they had a little dark streak in them especially Maddox. there are witches warlock, dragons, werewolves, lichen, and any other kind of fay that you can think about in this book.

[Mary Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has everything you could want. It's a medium to fast burn book. It has a slight rejected mate, fated mates, alphaholes, action, mystery, and more questions to be answered in later books.
Well she's sentenced to life she learns about her true self that's been hidden from her her whole life. She also meets for three fated mates, brothers and I believe they're the last of their family line like she is. Or at least that's the impression that I get about the guys. They just so happen to be the CEOs of the prison she is sentenced to.
You get people you're not sure she should trust as well as people you know she can't trust. I cannot wait to find out what happens next.

[Chey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nova finds herself accused of a crime she didn't commit. And has just learned dragons exist and that three of them are her mates.

I am 100% here for the prison trope the author gave us with three hot guards. The fated mate trope is also a plus and I really enjoyed Nova's connection with the three men. The scenes we get were tame, but still steamy.

The pacing was slow for me, and some of the plot didn't make sense. Why wasn't anyone asking her about her side of the story and why wasn't anyone listening to each other? It felt like a lot of dramatics for no reason.



I received a copy from the author, this is my honest review.

[Naurarwen · Rating 4 out of 5]

As far as Nova is concerned she is very much human, well that's where she would be totally wrong. After a bar fight that turns deadly she is dragged to prison, but not a normal prison. This one is on a different plain and filled with all sorts of supernaturals. Her guards are three dragon shifters who can't seem to keep their hands off her, even the one who says he hates her.

This is an interesting new series by author Ginna Moran, with a whole world and a trio of guys I didn't realise I needed in my life. There's still so much more to learn about Nova and her guys and I can't wait to read the rest of the series to find out more.

[Betteroffwithbooks · Rating 1 out of 5]

I made it halfway through this book and couldn’t continue. The guys were constantly hot and cold and just total douche canoes. They didn’t believe she was innocent and treated her like crap even though they knew they were fated. The FMC just ignored their ridiculous behavior because she was attracted to them *gags*. I wanted so badly to like this book because I love dragons but these characters just didn’t do it for me. I get being suspicious and doing your job but the back and forth from the guys gave me whiplash and I just had to quit reading.

[Kira Bell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nova is a woman who enjoys traveling around the country with her aerial acrobatic troupe and the freedom she feels being able to be on the road. Imagine her dismay when she finds herself in a situation and place she doesn't understand. Convicted of a crime with a life sentence for an event she doesn't remember, she finds herself in a prison far from anywhere familiar having to deal with people and creatures she had no idea existed. This is an enemy to lovers RH with LOTS of steam. Written and crafted well enough that I am intrigued to read book 2 to see what happens next.

[Doris]

Nova is part of the sky dancers act. Her and the rest of the act are invited to a bar after a show by a wealthy gentleman.

Things go wrong at the bar and Nova ends up in prison they don't believe she is human.

Maddox, Kash and Rowan want her to to pay for the death of their friend Rhett.

Things aren't what they seem and they soon find out that she is innocent and need to find a way out.

With the help of a Lucan Quinlan who is obsessed with Nova and a fae princess Rose can they break out and get Nova to safety before the people that are hunting her find her and take her.

[Nora · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ah I'm a sucker for shifters so much! And dragons most of all. This is a medium to fast burn book that entices you in all the right ways. It has fated mates but some are a-holes and are reluctant for the bond. There's lots of twists and turns I didn't see coming as the FMC is sentenced to a prison. One who is in the hands of the guys, who happen to be the CEO's of her and enemies as they think she killed their best friend. Trying to proof her innocence and getting the dragons to calm is harder than you think! Enjoyed this very much.

[Jennifer Soppe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Showcases sass and surprise

Nova, an aerial acrobat, finds herself in the company of a man that gives her a bad feeling but can’t leave because of her friends in the show. As the story progresses things go pear shaped, a dimensional trip s taken, and being thrown in prison turns out to be the least of her worries. Ginna Moran showcases sass and surprise in Caged by her Dragons. The way the author left them at the end can only lead to heartbreak.

I received a free copy of the book from the author. I had the opportunity to review or not.

[Inga O · Rating 4 out of 5]

I do love a dragon shifter book combines that with our FMC Nova being an arial dancer who has no clue about anything outside the human world well that does make for an interesting story to be told. Especially when three alphaholes believe she killed their close friend and she’s sentenced to a magical prison! Who to trust and how to stay safe really comes into question especially when sometimes she really should learn to keep that sassy mouth shut! Full of twists and turns and a heaping of steam it’s certainly a crazy ride!

[Marisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I feel like I haven’t seen shifter books featuring dragons in a while so it was a pleasant surprise to come across this book. I’m a sucker for a human girl finding out about the magical world and this was a great way to drop her right into it.

Despite everything she’s thrown into, our FMC is still very feisty and our alphaholes are… alphaholes. I loved their interactions, definitely one of my favorite tropes.

That cliffhanger… I cannot believe it ended like that. Can’t wait for the wild ride of book two.

[Lexi · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took me a little bit to get into this book. It’s a good prison rh and I enjoyed the premise of the book but it just felt it was missing something. I enjoyed reading the book and am excited to continue to series to see what is going to happen with the story and characters. The FMC was very sassy at times which I enjoyed and there was good interaction between the characters so I am definitely looking forward to more books in the series and hope it comes together really well. The plot was also very interesting and kept me entertained overall it was an enjoyable book.

[Daniele Stephenson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some spoilers.
This is book 1 of the series and starts off with aerial acrobat Nova being falsely accused of murder and drug off to another dimension where she is sent to prison. While there she learns that she is a dragon shifter and ends up meeting her fated mates who happen to be her guards. Once they realize she is innocent they work on how to free her.
I love the story that the author has created. It was something different than some of the other shifter stories I have read. Once I started reading it I couldn’t put the book down.