Tag Archives: 4 star review

Review – Harmed And Dangerous by Jasper Bark #jasperbark #crystallakepublishing #harmedanddangerous

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Amazon / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

I am a sucker for a great cover, often grabbing a book for that reason alone, so take a look at Harmed And Dangerous by Jasper Bark. The girl is in shadows, walking into the light. Is that going to be a good thing? The spin Jasper put on the title, Harmed And Dangerous, made me even more curious. He even added an opening illustration. I love when an author goes the extra mile.

Harmed And Dangerous by Jasper Park is the eighth book in the Bark Bites Horror series, but don’t worry if you haven’t read the previous books. Harmed And Dangerous is a stand alone story.

How about a location? A remote town in Louisiana. I’m sure nothing can go wrong there.
How about a young girl, Kyra, on her own, looking for answers to her past?
How about a little paranormal action going on, Kyra seeing through the eyes of the serial killer that murdered her mother?

Oh yeah. It checks a lot of boxes for me and I was quickly drawn into the world Jasper Bark created. Delilah was a wonderful surprise and an awesome character. Like Kyra, I saw through the eyes of Billy Ray, the serial killer who had been put to death by lethal injection more than ten years ago.

Things are not always as they seem and Jasper Bark kept me on my toes, trying to see what was coming before it arrived. I don’t believe I have ever time traveled, like Kyra will. She has one foot in the past and the other in the present. It raises questions like…if you could change the past, would you?

My thanks go out to Jasper Bark and Crystal Lake Publishing for the opportunity to read Harmed And Dangerous.

4 Stars

AMAZON SYNOPSIS

A Paranormal Thriller for readers of Stephen Graham Jones, Tananarive Due and Grady Hendrix

Put yourself in Kyra’s place.

You’re seventeen years old, lost and alone in a remote town in Louisiana. You’re searching for the birth parents you never knew. The heat is crippling. The river often floods, washing houses away and lifting corpses from the ground.

The locals treat you with suspicion. You don’t belong here. They’re hiding something. All over town, in nooks and hidden alcoves, there’s evidence of a forbidden faith. They keep the old ways here, but no one will tell you what they are.

There’s an intangible presence following you. Hiding in your peripheral vision. You can’t see, hear or touch it, but you know it’s there, waiting for its chance to claim you. Then the episodes start.

Your vision goes and when it returns you’re seeing the world as it was fifteen years ago. Physically you’re in the present, but everything you see happened a decade and a half ago.
Suddenly you realize…

You’re seeing through the eyes of the serial killer who murdered your birth mother. He takes control of you, forcing you to watch as he stalks and brutally murders her.

And there’s nothing you can do to stop him. Because he died by lethal injection more than a decade ago.

***

Harmed and Dangerous is the eighth book in the Bark Bites Horror series. A stand-alone story that you can start right away!
Bark Bites Horror is a spine-tingling series of stand-alone books that take the horror genre to a whole new level. Get ready for a Goosebumps for grown-ups and a sexed-up Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark! This is your favorite new obsession. These are the terror tales you’ve been waiting your whole life to read. The Draw You In trilogy forms books 5 to 7 of Bark Bites Horror.

This is Horror 2.0, re-gened, re-tooled and recreated for a fearless new audience! Think you’ve seen everything in horror? Think again. Bark Bites takes you places you’ve never been and shows you sights few mortal eyes would dare behold.

Don’t be the only weird kid on your block to miss out!

ABOUT JASPER BARK

Jasper Bark is infectious – and there’s no known cure. If you’re reading this then you’re already at risk of contamination. The symptoms will begin to manifest any moment now. There’s nothing you can do about it. There’s no itching or unfortunate rashes, but you’ll become obsessed with his books, from the award winning collections ‘Dead Air’ and ‘Stuck on You and Other Prime Cuts’, to cult novels like ‘The Final Cut’ and acclaimed graphic novels such as ‘Bloodfellas’ and ‘Beyond Lovecraft’.

Soon you’ll want to tweet, post and blog about his work until thousands of others fall under its viral spell. We’re afraid there’s no way to avoid this, these words contain a power you are hopeless to resist. You’re already in their thrall and have been since you began reading this bio. Even now you find yourself itching to read the whole of his work. Don’t fight it, embrace the urge and wear your obsession with pride!

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Review – Patient’s Privilege by Rich Morvillo #richmorvillo #patientsprivilege

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MY REVIEW

Well..I’m kinda in shock right now. I thought Patient’s Privilege by Rich Morvillo would be an interesting and mysterious book, and it was. BUT, when I got to the ending, my mind was blown. I fell for all the red herrings that Rich threw my way. Yeah, it could be him. Oh yeah, it could be her. Or him. Or him….

It begins with Timothy Shea working at a psychiatric clinic in New York. He had been recommended employment by a respected psychiatrist, Abner Reese, the man who, more or less, ran the place. Abner was the only psychiatrist, the rest were psychologists. When Abner’s wife is murdered and he is attacked, the mystery begins. The deeper into the investigation we go, the more muddy the water.

The biggest hurdle is patient privilege.

Tim is accused of the murder. Timothy says he has information that could exonerate him, or at least make Abner the target of the investigation, but patient privilege prevents him from sharing the information with the authorities. He encourages the patients to come forward, but blackmail and threats stop them.

The plot thickens. There’s another murder. A pedophile ring is exposed.

Tim created a murder board. In my mind I am looking at all the suspects. Is there a conspiracy? I am collecting all the clues, whether still hidden from the police because of patient privilege, or whether Tim was able to find a work around. There is so much I want to say, but in this case, less is more.

Richard Morvillo offered me a copy. I checked it out, thought it would be a good fit, and I told him to count me in. Want a book with moral and ethical food for thought? How about a mystery that becomes more convoluted the more you read? Sound intriguing? Patient’s Privilege may be for you.

 

4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

When Timothy Shea, a clinical psychologist at an elite clinic in New York, is thrust into the middle of a criminal investigation where the circumstantial evidence against him is compelling, he sets out to prove that not only is he innocent, but also that he is being framed. A dark secret involving patients at the clinic, one that implicates well-known psychiatrist Abner Reeves, might be the path to his exoneration, but the patient’s privilege prevents him from disclosing this confidential information. As Timothy tries to work around the privilege, Reeves reveals information to the police that all but seals Timothy’s fate. What unfolds is a roller-coaster ride that pits two strong-willed professionals against one another in a battle to see whose version of the truth will prevail.

  • Genre: Crime, Fiction, Mystery, Psychological
  • 296 pages, Paperback
  • Expected publication March 3, 2026 by Subplot

ABOUT RICH MORVILLO (from Amazon)

Rich Morvillo resides in Washington, DC with his wife, two children and two dogs. He is the co-head of the White-Collar Defense and Investigations Group at a large international law firm and is nationally recognized in his field. A graduate of Colgate University and Fordham University School of Law, he is a frequent speaker at professional programs and has published various articles on ethics and the law. He also taught a course on professional ethics at Georgetown University School of Law,

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Review – The Cyber Sanction by Nicholas Gretener #nicholasgretener #thecybersanctuin

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MY REVIEW

I read Nicholas Gretener’s first book and debut novel in the LawForce series, Bending The Arc, and loved the idea of a legal team standing up for the little guy, so I was eager to see where he would take The Cyber Sanction, the second book in the series.

Law Force is a team of elite lawyers with the full backing of the United States government.

“They don’t take passengers; they take fighters.”

“…I wasn’t blindsided because I was careless-I was attacked because I was a threat.”

I think a lot of our future wars will be held in the cyber world. The world we live in is small. Taking down one country’s financial system can have a domino affect that could spread all over the world.

We’ll travel from Zurich to Washington to Switzerland to China and back again.

Listen to that voice in your head. Knock, knock, intuition calling.

Nicholas Gretener writes novels that are easy to follow, though they deal with the law, banking, and other complicated institutions. Sometimes books are over my head, not so with Nicholas’ novels. He writes in a way that makes everything easy to follow. I will warn you, though, the tension, suspense and pacing can keep you flipping pages, unable to stop reading. There’s danger and betrayal. The scenario reads like a true crime novel. Could this be our future?

My thanks go out to Nicholas Gretener and Qualitas Publishing.

4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

“Sunshine is the best disinfectant.”
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis

A legal thriller at the confluence of law, banking, and cybercrime.

In a world where power no longer lies in armies or arsenals, but in algorithms and access, the next great war will be fought across digital frontiers.

When BostonFirst Bank implodes in a mysterious cyberattack, the financial aftershocks threaten to upend the global economy. The evidence leads to Helvex Financial, a Swiss banking giant—yet deeper still to Zhonghua Capital, a covert Chinese state holding company intent on reshaping the world’s financial order.

Enter LawForce, a task force of elite lawyers with full U.S. governmental support created to defend justice where traditional systems fail. At its helm stands Steve Shane, a lawyer driven by conscience, and Jonathan Hendrix, the U.S. Attorney General, whose vision for LawForce blurs the line between legality and warfare.

From Zurich war rooms to Washington boardrooms, from the shadowed servers of Helvex Financial to the mountain passes of Switzerland, The Cyber Sanction hurtles toward a reckoning where truth, technology, and justice collide.

Blending the tension of a legal thriller with the precision of a geopolitical espionage novel, The Cyber Sanction is a searing exploration of digital warfare, accountability, and the moral cost of justice in an interconnected cyber world.

The Cyber Sanction—where justice goes global, and every byte can kill.

  • Genre: Fiction, Legal, Suspense, Thriller
  • 406 pages, Kindle Edition
  • Published December 4, 2025 by Qualitas Publishing
  • Series: A LawForce Novel #2

ABOUT NICHOLAS GRETENER

Nick is a retired lawyer and engineer, based out of Calgary, Alberta, Canada. He splits his time between Calgary, Canada; Wengen, Switzerland; and Maui, USA.

He can usually be found writing on a laptop somewhere, skiing down a piste, hiking up a mountain, or rafting down a river in canyon country.

He is convinced that if people read more, the world would be a better place. It doesn’t always have to be heavy. Read something that will stretch your mind, then enjoy a beach read. Rinse and repeat.

Website

MY NICHOLAS GRETENER REVIEWS

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    Review – Willow Rose by M Kevin Hayden #mkevinhayden #willowrose

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    MY REVIEW

    “Yes, Mrs Dodd? Are you feeling better?”

    “Why, yes, I am, thanks to you! I can’t believe how constipated I was.” She waves her hand. “It just hung there…I thought I would just die! I figured, if only I could reach right up there, I could get things moving.”

    OMG. Right out of the gate, M Kevin Hayden had me laughing out loud. I didn’t see anything about humor, when I checked out Willow Rose. I did become curious about the Comet Goodwin, the bull elk that he sees standing in the middle of the road, not looking quite right, and the young girl that comes knocking on his door and a nurse that could lead to a love interest.

    We have a mashup of horror, science fiction and the paranormal. We have an ER doctor needing to get away from his hectic life to a remote cabin in Minnesota. The atmosphere is eerie, mysterious, bloody and gory. Do you believe in monsters? Of aliens or alternate dimensions?

    Willow Rose had its moments, and it did keep me flipping pages, wanting to know what was going on and how M Kevin Hayden would wrap things up.

     

    4 Stars

    GOODREADS BLURB

    For lovers of Stephen Graham Jones, Jeff VanderMeer, and Nick Cutter, Willow Rose is a compulsively readable, literary ode to the terror of the unknown that comes for all of us in the depths of night.

    A knock on the cabin door on indigenous land in the wintry woods of Minnesota.

    Tap tap tap.

    Driving down the boreal roads of rural Minnesota to his one-room cabin after a long ER shift, Dr. Alder’s eyes snap open, his old Civic screaming to a stop in front of a massive bull elk, its head tilting back unnaturally, its maw open. Comet Goodwin, the closest comet to Earth in history, lights up the sky in an otherworldly greenish tint with its long, jagged tail of fire.

    Tap tap tap.

    Alder’s world ignites in a blinding white flash. The car windows shatter inward. The elk is gone.

    If he can get the car started again and get back to his cabin, maybe he can make sense of all this…but first he must survive the frozen silence of the night and the evil that stalks within it.

    We must stay together always.

    • Genre: Fantasy, Fiction, Horror, Paranormal, Science Fiction, Supernatural
    • 206 pages, Hardcover
    • Published October 28, 2025 by Muse of the Moon Books

    ABOUT M KEVIN HAYDEN

    M. Kevin Hayden is a novelist from the South Side of Chicago, where he grew up among storefront churches, corner stores, and the quiet echo of stories waiting to be told. His work blends emotional realism with speculative mystery, grounded in memory, place, and the uncanny moments that flicker through ordinary lives.

    His debut, An Old Soul, is a slow-burn tale of love, memory, and unraveling reality set in 1996 Chicago. His second story, Willow Rose, leaves the city for the snowbound wilderness of northern Minnesota, where a weary doctor and a mysterious child confront a cosmic, ancient terror.

    He writes for anyone who has ever felt out of step with the world, hoping his stories offer a sense of connection and wonder. He now lives somewhere quiet, surrounded by trees and the occasional flash of something just beyond the veil.

    Website

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    Review – Dead Woman Walking by Carolyn Arnold @carolynarnold #netgalley #deadwomanwalking

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    MY REVIEW

    Here we are. Back with Amanda Steele in Dead Woman Walking, Book 15, and this time it hits close to home. Amanda’s half brother is dating Christine Lane, a realtor and the murder victim. Carolyn Arnold is quit to set the hook and that is only one of the reasons I love her books so much. She is great at taking us step by step, through the investigation.

    The owner of the house where Christine Lane was found is Dominique Sharp, a lawyer who has a long line of disgruntled employees and so many secrets and a trail that leads to the killer. Could Christine’s murder be a case of mistaken identity?

    Carolyn Arnold has a way with words. The short chapters make for an easy read with the mystery set at a steady pace. She has a way of creating doubt, when it comes to flushing out the villain. She calls in help from characters that appear in other series she writes. So, brace yourself for another great read in the Amanda Steele series.

     

    4 Stars

    GOODREADS BLURB

    Preparing the empty house for another viewing, she knows she’s taking a risk showing it at night. She never told anyone she was here, but she desperately needs this sale. If she pulls it off, she can finally give her daughter the life she deserves. But as she climbs the stairs, goosebumps spread down her arms. She’s not alone…

    When the body of realtor Christine Lane is discovered in one of Woodbridge’s most affluent homes, Detective Amanda Steele is left reeling. The victim was dating Amanda’s half-brother, making him an immediate suspect. They’ve never been close but Amanda knows he’s not a killer.

    As forensics move in to process the crime scene, Amanda is ambushed by a well-dressed woman desperately trying to get inside the house. Dominique Sharp is a successful lawyer and expected her house to be sold by the time she returned from a business trip to DC. Could she have been the intended target?

    Delving into Dominique’s business, Amanda and Trent discover a long line of disgruntled employees and a dark web of secrets that lead them to a killer who will stop at nothing to get their deadly revenge on her.

    But can Amanda take the greatest risk of her career to lure the killer back into the light? And will she have to sacrifice someone close to her to ensure justice is finally served?

    A totally addictive and pulse-pounding crime thriller that will have you turning the pages late into the night. Perfect for fans of Mary Burton, Elle Gray and A. J. Rivers.

    • Genre: Fiction, Mystery, Police Procedural, Suspense, Thriller
    • 337 pages, Kindle Edition
    • Expected publication February 25, 2026 by Bookouture
    • Series: Detective Amanda Steele #15

    ABOUT CAROLYN ARNOLD

    CAROLYN ARNOLD is an international bestselling and award-winning author, as well as a speaker, teacher, and inspirational mentor. She has several continuing fiction series and has many published books. Her genre diversity offers her readers everything from police procedurals, hard-boiled mysteries, and thrillers to action adventures. Her crime fiction series have been praised by those in law enforcement as being accurate and entertaining. This led to her adopting the trademark: POLICE PROCEDURALS RESPECTED BY LAW ENFORCEMENT™.

    Carolyn was born in a small town and enjoys spending time outdoors, but she also loves the lights of a big city. Grounded by her roots and lifted by her dreams, her overactive imagination insists that she tell her stories. Her intention is to touch the hearts of millions with her books, to entertain, inspire, and empower.

    She currently lives near London, Ontario, Canada with her husband and two beagles.

    MY REVIEWS FOR CAROLYN ARNOLD

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    Review – Honor The Believer by Michael P Frame #michaelpframe #austinmacauleypublishers

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    MY REVIEW

    I love books about magic, gods and goddesses, Lucifer and demons, dragons, elves, dwarves and monsters of all kinds, and Honor The Believer has all those things and more. In millennia past, Merlin had created Phoenix Island to hide twenty three demigod children from Zeus’s genocidal purge. They will be training for the time that they will be called forth to take their revenge.

    One demigod was kept apart from the others, and was sent to the monster city of Grimm where he would attend school. Jeremiah is part Celestial god and part Celestial devil. He was adopted by a dragon. Will he be the death of them all…or their savior? Can he learn to control his magic?

    Dark magic and political alliances cause tensions to rise and war is on the horizon. As the character’s tensions rise, so do my own. How long before those that are hidden are discovered?

    I love the diversity of the characters and watching the children grow and develop, preparing themselves to fight the good fight. Good versus evil. Dark versus light. The battles are brutal, the descriptions bringing to life the action. I feel the punches delivered and worry for those who have become my favorites. I may like the dark and dangerous, but I do root for the good guys.

    I want to thank Michel P Frame and Austin Macauley Publishers for the opportunity to share Honor The Believer with you.

    4 Stars

    GOODREADS BLURB

    In humanity’s distant future, magic has returned—violently. After vanishing for millennia, it surged back alongside the Celestials, an alien race once mistaken for gods… or devils. Now, war consumes the solar high-tech armies clash with resurrected monsters, while ancient species like elves, dwarves, and giants ally with humans to hold the line against Lucifer’s dark forces. Above the chaos floats Phoenix Island, a hidden sanctuary created by the legendary wizard Merlin before his death—a place where magic never stopped thriving and where the pursuit of its advancement continues to evolve in isolation, protected by the dying dream of its creator. Jeremiah Drarocca is one of twenty-three demigod children rescued by Phoenix Island during the Celestial Zeus’s genocidal purge against their kind. While the others now live scattered across the island, training for the day they can return to the battlefield and take revenge, Jeremiah is the only one sent to the monster city of Grimm—a place of unpredictable dark magic and uneasy political alliances—to attend school. Jeremiah isn’t like the other demigods—he isn’t like anyone. Within him flows an impossible fusion of both Celestial god and Celestial devil. It’s a contradiction that should not exist, and it’s the reason he was sent to Grimm, the city of monsters, to learn control over the darkness. Adopted by a dragon, Jeremiah struggles with his identity, his staggering power, and the uncertainty of youth. As tensions rise and war looms ever closer, the path his power will carve remains unknown—but it may shape the fate of the entire war. Join Jeremiah as he steps into a school unlike any other—where monsters roam the halls, secrets whisper through enchanted corridors, and one uncertain demigod may hold the key to magic’s future. His journey to understand himself is just beginning.

    • Genre: Angels and Demons, Fantasy, Fiction, Gods and Goddesses, Magic, Teen and Young Adult
    • 985 pages, Kindle Edition
    • Published October 10, 2025 by Austin Macauley Publishers
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    Review – The Convergence: Broken Magic by Richard French #richardfrench #theconvergence #brokenmagic

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    Emenies to Lovers

    Amazon / Goodreads

    MY REVIEW

    The Convergence: Broken Magic by Richard French is about fated mates, enemies to lovers, second chance and forbidden romance. Samantha Reed is tasked by the Federation with finding and destroying Connor Blake. but when she meets him…again…her soul cries out to his. She has been lied to and what she does next could either save their world or destroy it.

    The story is fast paced with lots of action. Circumstances bring together an unlikely group of characters that will do what is necessary, what is right, to save their world, no matter the consequences. I was wrapped up the danger that surrounded them…and that ending. It was a blow that I wasn’t prepared for, but, there is Book II, The Convergence: Restoration, so we shall see what comes next.

    I have read some of Richard French’s work and felt it was very likely that The Convergence series would be a good one, and I wasn’t wrong.

    4 Stars

    GOODREADS BLURB

    Federation Enforcer Samantha Reed has orders to kill Connor Blake—the one person whose soul was torn from hers when the Federation shattered magic itself.Enemies to lovers. Fated mates. A bond the universe refuses to let die.

    Reality is fracturing across the galaxy as the Convergence approaches—a cosmic force trying to heal what was broken. The Federation claims Connor’s rebellion is causing the breakdown, but when Samantha confronts the man she’s been sent to destroy, stolen memories their connection isn’t coincidence. It’s the echo of a soulmate bond artificially severed centuries ago.

    What begins as a mission to capture a traitor becomes a forbidden second chance neither expected. Their unified magic doesn’t combine separate powers—it remembers what they were before the Federation broke everything apart. But every moment they spend reconnected awakens the truth the Federation desperately the artificial separation is failing, and only their restored unity can stabilize reality’s collapse.

    With a band of unlikely allies who become family, Samantha and Connor must outrun the Federation’s hunters while unraveling centuries of lies. As the cosmos continues to unravel, the Federation’s leader plans to weaponize the Convergence’s healing energy to make the separation permanent—even if it destroys existence in the process.

    The choice isn’t between order and chaos, but between artificial control and natural wholeness.

    For readers who devoured Shadow and Bone, The Ten Thousand Doors of January, and A Court of Mist and Fury, this is star-crossed lovers, forbidden magic, and found family—with the fate of reality hanging in the balance.

    When remembering their true connection means choosing between Federation loyalty and cosmic healing, will Samantha embrace what was stolen from them—or let the universe fracture forever to preserve a lie?

    Get your copy now and discover why some bonds refuse to stay broken.

    • Genre: Apocalyptic, Dystopian, Fantasy, Fiction, Military
    • 184 pages, Kindle Edition
    • Published March 1, 2025 by Indie Pen Press
    • Series: The Convergence #1

    ABOUT RICHARD FRENCH

    Richard French writes at the intersection of technology, transformation, and storytelling. A former executive at Oracle and Nokia, and a serial startup leader, Richard brings decades of leadership experience to his books.

    His non-fiction works include Daniel as a Blueprint for Navigating Ethical Dilemmas, The Journaling Mastery Series, and The Journaling Prompts Series. In fiction, his Convergence Series explores quantum physics, high fantasy, and human connection in richly imagined worlds.

    Richard lives in the Pacific Northwest, where he writes full time and races GT cars on weekends. He believes in challenging limits—on the track, in business, and on the page.

    Website

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    Cyberpunk – Review – The Zone: Fallen Son by Stu Jones @StuJonesFiction #thezone

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    Amazon / Goodreads

    MY REVIEW

    Gotta love Chance. In for a penny, in for a pound.

    The Zone: Fallen Son by Stu Jones, is the second book in this cyberpunk series. It is filled with fast paced action and the stakes are high. The battles are brutal, savage, and many lives will be lost.

    Everything revolves around Chance, a father, a son, a hero. His son is ill and he will do anything to get the treatment his child needs, but when he is taken, he will also do anything to get him back.

    It all begins in Neo Terminus, where Chance had taken down the Zone, a walled off area in the middle of the city where Enforcers, nano boosted gladiators, would fight to the death. He finds out his son has been taken to a distant city, New West City, and he will have to partner up with an unlikely ally. He will face betrayal and hordes of mutant humans.

    Action and adventure, life and death, thought provoking moments, The Zone engulfed me in rapid fire reading, flipping pages, caught up, unable to look away. BUT..the story is not done. Chance may have completed one mission, but his son is still missing, being used as a bargaining chip by High Director Marko Senterian. I can hardly wait to see what happens next.

    4 Stars

    AMAZON SYNOPSIS

    In the shadow of Neo Terminus, a father’s desperation becomes his only weapon.

    Chance Griffin—super cop, fallen gladiator, hunted fugitive—will stop at nothing to rescue his kidnapped infant son. Even if that means tracking down and confronting the Glom’s shadowy masters.

    But he can’t do it alone.

    To save his child, Chance must forge an uneasy alliance with a ruthless adversary—a villain whose hands drip with the blood of Chance’s friends. Together, they’ll journey beyond the neon streets of Neo Terminus to the lawless frontier of New West City, where even legends are broken.

    With each fractured step Chance is drawn deeper into a web of manipulation and betrayal, stretching the fragile thread connecting him to the life he left behind—to a wife whose face may soon fade from memory.

    As Neo Terminus burns behind him and New West City looms ahead, Chance knows he can’t let the wasteland claim what’s left of his soul. He is more than the Glom’s former star Enforcer, their fallen son.

    He is a father, a husband. A hero.

    AWARDS for The Zone
    Gold Medal(1st Place) Winner – The Bookfest Awards – Cyberpunk Category
    Honorable Mention – Reader’s Favorite Awards – Science Fiction Category
    Finalist – Best Thriller Book Awards – Science Fiction
    Finalist – IAN Book of the Year Awards – Science Fiction
    Semi-Finalist – Chanticleer Int’l Book Awards – Science Fiction
    Approved Seal – Indie Reader

    • Genre: Action And Advenure, Cyberpunk, Fiction, Science Fiction, Suspense, Thriller
    • 402 pages, Kindle
    • Published: 2.17.26 by Dropship Publishing
    • Series: The Zone #2

    ABOUT STU JONES

    Stu Jones. SWAT Sniper. Adventurer. Award-Winning Author of Epic Genre-Bending Fiction.

    A veteran law enforcement officer, Stu has served as a beat cop, narcotics, criminal investigations, as an instructor of firearms and police defensive tactics and as a team leader of a multi-jurisdictional SWAT team. He is trained and qualified as a law enforcement SWAT sniper, as well as in hostage rescue and high-risk entry tactics. Recently, Stu served for three years with a U.S. Marshal’s Regional Fugitive Task Force – hunting the worst of the worst.

    He is the author of multiple sci-fi/action/thriller novels, including the multi-award-winning It Takes Death To Reach A Star duology, written with co-author Gareth Worthington (Children of the Fifth Sun).

    Known for his character-driven stories and blistering action sequences, Stu strives to create thought-provoking reading experiences that challenge the status quo. When he’s not chasing bad guys or writing epic stories, he can be found planning his next adventure to some remote or exotic place.

    Stu is represented by Italia Gandolfo of Gandolfo-Helin-Fountain literary

    Catch Up With Stu Jones:
    Goodreads
    BookBub – @stujonesfiction
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    Facebook – @stujonesfiction

     

    MY STU JONES REVIEWS

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    Review – Adrift by Will Dean #netgalley @willrdean #adrift #netgalley

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    Amazon / Goodreads

    MY REVIEW

    Adrift was so much more than I thought it would be. The subtle evil of Drew’s manipulations had Peggy questioning her own actions. Drew stepped up his machinations when he found out his wife, Peggy, had sold a novel. They were both authors, but he has turned into a has been. He begrudges Peggy’s success in every way, whether it was getting a check from a publisher or getting a job with the library. He sabotages all her successes. Denies her and his son food and water. Isolates them, continually moving their canal boat farther and farther away from everyone else.

    Peggy is determined to find a way out for her and their son. She didn’t want him growing up to be like his father, a failure in every way. Samson is fourteen years old and bullied by the kids in school. His determination to do well in school and leave town when he is older drives him to endure. The isolation and poverty is brutal.

    My emotions were all over the place. If you want a character to hate, Will Dean has supplied one. Every time I didn’t think Drew could do something worse, he did. As Peggy searches every nook and cranny in their canal boat, she discovers some truths.

    As their worst moments came about, I saw the ending unfold. Some I knew and some I hoped for.

    My thanks go out to NetGalley and Atria Books for the opportunity to read Adrift by Will Dean. What a wild ride it was. He’s definitely on my radar now.

      Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
      4 Stars

      GOODREADS BLURB

      The author of the “master class in suspense” (Shari Lapena, New York Times bestselling author)The Chamber returns with a high-tension thriller about a family’s descent into darkness that is perfect for fans of Dennis Lehane and Lisa Jewell.

      Peggy and Drew, both aspiring writers, move to an isolated canal boat with their fourteen-year-old son. Peggy is the glue that holds their family together, even as their son is bullied relentlessly for his physique and his family’s lack of money. But when Drew becomes frustrated by his wife’s sudden writing success, he moves their boat further and further from civilization.

      With their increasing isolation, personal challenges become harder to ignore, even as they desperately try to break toxic generational patterns. But when Drew’s gaslighting becomes too much for Peggy to take, it sets off a catastrophic series of events.

      With Will Dean’s signature “well-drawn characters and excellent prose” (Sarah Pearse, New York Times bestselling author), Adrift is gripping exploration of the ties that bind when everything spirals out of control.

      • Genre: Adult, Dark, Fiction, Mystery, Suspense, Thriller
      • Kindle Edition
      • Expected publication February 17, 2026 by Atria/Emily Bestler Books

      ABOUT WILL DEAN

        Will Dean grew up in the East Midlands, living in nine different villages before the age of eighteen. He was a bookish, daydreaming kid who found comfort in stories and nature (and he still does). After studying Law at the LSE, and working in London, he settled in rural Sweden. He built a wooden house in a boggy clearing at the centre of a vast elk forest, and it’s from this base that he compulsively reads and writes. He is the author of Dark Pines.

        • You can see my Giveaways HERE.
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        Review – They’ll Take Everything by C H Connor @CHConnor_ #theylltakeeverything

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        Amazon / Goodreads

        MY REVIEW

        I love the cover for They’ll Take Everything by C H Connor. The colors and content are eye catching. And that title…definitely draws me in. For a debut novel, C H Connor hit it out of the ballpark.

        David Dale carries a heavy weight of guilt. He feels responsible for the car accident that killed his family. He decides to make a drastic change, trying to find redemption. He is going to start a charity that will help others that find it hard to move on from a tragedy. Bev, a close personal friend of thirteen years, agrees to join in. It’s not long before things begin to happen. Anonymous messages, Threats. Extortion. David stands firm on his mission.

        The suspense builds slowly as the danger increases. Revenge is coming, knocking at his door.

        WTF? That’s why I don’t read ahead. I love when an author can surprise me and I didn’t see it coming, though I knew who the villain was. I went back and reread the last chapter because it was just that great.

        My thanks go out to C H Connor for the opportunity to read They’ll Take Everything.

         

        4 Stars

        GOODREADS BLURB

        David Dale has been running from guilt for three years.

        The car accident that killed his family was his fault. Now he has one chance at redemption: opening a charity for families shattered by tragedy.

        But that’s made him the perfect target.

        Days before the launch, anonymous messages begin. Precise. Threatening. Someone’s been watching him. Someone knows exactly how to break him. What begins as extortion becomes a calculated campaign to dismantle David’s life, piece by piece.

        The charity launches to national attention — which only makes things worse.

        David finds himself targeted by a criminal syndicate who don’t leave witnesses. As he unravels the conspiracy, he’s forced to confront the past he thought he’d buried. But that’s when he realises the terrifying truth.

        This isn’t extortion. It’s revenge.

        Three years of guilt. Two weeks of terror. One truth that changes everything.

        How far would you go to turn heartbreak into hope?

        Perfect for fans of Stieg Larsson and Harlan Coben, and for readers who crave layered suspense, emotional depth, and immersive, character-driven stories.

        • Genre: Fiction, Suspense, Thriller
        • 323 pages, Kindle Edition
        • Expected publication February 16, 2026

        ABOUT C H CONNOR

        C.H. Connor is the debut author of the psychological crime thriller, THEY’LL TAKE EVERYTHING, released 16 February 2026.

        Connor built his career in software before putting pen to paper and publishing his upcoming novel. Connor lives with his partner and son in Manchester, UK.

        You can connect with Connor on Instagram. To receive updates on his latest work and upcoming events, you can sign up to his spam-free newsletter at chconnor.com.

        Connect on Instagram: ch_connor

        Website

        • You can see my Giveaways HERE.
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