Book Review - The Cleansweep Conspiracy: A Matt Tremain Technothriller by Chuck Waldron + Giveaway

Matt Tremain was an ordinary investigative blogger until he discovers a dark secret that threatens his beloved city, Toronto. He discovers that billionaire, Charles Claussen, who has government ties, wants to remove the city of "undesirables". Matt must decide whether he is prepared to deal with Charles's wraith when his plot is revealed. He must rely on a local TV reporter and a police detective for help in keeping him alive. Will Matt be able to stop Charles?

The novel had an interesting premise but, not necessarily a new idea. I thought it was an enjoyable read about how technology can be used for both good and evil. I found the novel to be relevant in today's political atmosphere. However, I thought the story fell flat, especially, since there was no indicating of time being changed along with one-dimensional characters.  The novel had the backbone of something great but, sadly, it didn't deliver for me.

**Disclosure - I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion**

Book Details:

Book Title: The Cleansweep Conspiracy by Chuck Waldron
Series: A Matt Tremain Technothriller Book 1
Category: Adult Fiction, 310 pages
Genre: Thriller / dystopian
Publisher: Bublish Inc.
Release date: April 2018
Tour dates: Aug 13 to Sept 21, 2018
Content Rating: PG-13 + M (Adult language)

Book Description:

In this riveting technothriller, investigative blogger Matt Tremain is covering devastating riots in Toronto when he learns of a plot to rid the city of “undesirables.” The operation is called CleanSweep, and appears to be led by billionaire Charles Claussen, who want to sweep Toronto clean of all street people and any citizens who don’t match his restrictive screening matrix.

Matt questions whether he has the courage, skill or influence to take on Claussen, but the murder of one of his sources convinces the blogger to put his life on the line. He gambles on the loyalty of a Toronto police detective and a local TV reporter for help. If his trust is misplaced, Matt will become yet another victim of CleanSweep, and the truth will be buried with him forever.

Buy the Book:

Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble 

Chapters Indigo ~ Indiebound

Add to Goodreads

Meet the Author:

Chuck Waldron is the author of four riveting mystery, thriller and suspense novels and more than fifty short stories. Inspired by his grandfather’s tales of the Ozark Mountains and local caves rumored to be havens for notorious gangsters, Waldron was destined to write about crime and the human condition. Those childhood legends ignited his imagination and filled his head with unforgettable characters, surprising plots and a keen interest in supernatural and historical subplots.

With literary roots planted in the American Midwest and South, and enriched by many years living in the fertile cultural soil of metropolitan Ontario, Waldron now resides on Florida’s fabled Treasure Coast with his wife, Suzanne. While keeping an eye out for hurricanes, alligators, and the occasional Burmese python, visitors will find Waldron busy writing his next crime thriller.

Connect with Chuck: Website ~ Twitter ~ Facebook 

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Ends Sept 29, 2018

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Book Review - Death Never Sleeps by E.J. Simon + Giveaway

Photo Credit - Amazon

Alex and Michael Nicholas were never really close. They both had different career paths, life goals, and even personalities. However, when Alex was murdered, Michael decides to help run Alex's business. Micheal works with his cousin, Fat, and Skinny Lester to help keep Alex's business afloat.  Shortly afterward, he runs into a few complications that might cost him his life.

I wasn't sure what to expect when the book was listed as a "technological thriller". I honestly thought it was going to be a killer program running loose. However, jokes aside, the novel had an interesting concept and idea. While the book was interesting, it was a bit slow for me. I found myself impatiently waiting to find out more and what will happen. Overall, a good read but, a bit slow.

Book Details:

Book Title: Death Never Sleeps by E.J. Simon
Series: Michael Nicholas Book 1
Category: Adult Fiction, 291 pages
Genre: Thriller & Suspense., Technothriller
Publisher: Endeavour Media (UK)
Release date: July 2017
Content Rating: PG-13 + M (contains f-words, religious profanities and crude language)

Book Description:

Where does life end, and death begin?

Brothers, Alex and Michael, weren’t particularly close in terms of their careers in their later years. But when Alex is murdered, Michael finds it necessary to keep Alex’s business running, at least for the foreseeable future.

With very little knowledge about what Alex actually did for a living, little does he envisage the level of complication this entails. Working closely with his cousins, Fat and Skinny Lester, Michael starts to get a sense of what needs doing … in whatever way Alex would have dealt with things.

But, when Alex’s current wife, and his two ex-wives, surface and start to dish out demands, Michael finds himself going deeper and deeper into Alex’s personal space. All his ex-wives knew there was money left hidden … but only Alex knew of its exact location.

When Russell, an old friend of Michael’s, and Alex’s most trusted person, offers to help Michael find the money, Michael feels he can start closing up on Alex’s loose ends and move on with his own, increasingly complicated life.

Until … Russell is brutally murdered …

Someone else is after Alex’s money … and it’s not a friendly person.

But is Alex really dead? Or is he as dead as he has prepared himself to be?

Michael is beyond confused … is he imaging the conversations he’s having with Alex? But Alex was shot dead in his own restaurant, one filled with policemen. Surely, Alex is dead?

Whichever way Michael tries to rationalize things in his head, Alex’s support is beyond what he needs. Finding himself face to face with a crook, Sharkey, one who has no qualms about killing people, one Alex was in debt to, Michael takes on Alex’s advice … dead or not!

As the number of deaths rise, Michael and his wife, Samantha, are left on their toes. Would they ever feel safe again? Is anyone safe? And how far did Alex go with his new venture?

Buy the Book:

Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble

Add to Goodreads

Meet the Author:

E. J. Simon is the author of three commercial fiction thrillers, Death Never Sleeps, Death Logs In and Death Logs Out. He has just completed his fourth manuscript, Death in the Cloud.
He is a member of the Authors Guild, the Mystery Writers of America and the North Carolina Writer’s Network. He holds an M.A. in Corporate & Political Communications from Fairfield University and a B.A. in Journalism from the University of South Carolina. He lives with his family in Cary, North Carolina in the United States. For more information, visit his website: www.ejsimon.com.

Connect with E.J.: Website ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Instagram

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Ends Oct 20, 2018

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Book Review - Widows by Lynda La Plante

Photo Credit - Amazon

 After receiving news that their husbands have perished in a fire, Dolly Rawlins, Linda Pirelli, and Shirley Miller must face life alone. The widows decided to work together and complete the heist that killed their husbands after Dolly discovers her husband's robbery plans. The widows train to pull off the perfect heist given this would be their first brush with breaking the law. During their preparation, they realize they need a fourth person to pull of their plan perfectly. They recruit a fourth person for their heist while trying to figure out who the fourth man  who abandoned their husbands. Who was the fourth man that left their husbands for death? Will the widows be able to pull off the heist?

The novel was a fun to read and interesting that the four lead criminals were all females. I like that each of the characters had a strong personality. And how they tried to overcome their husband's death while pulling a heist that none of them has experience with. I found the book to be a bit slow at times but I look forward to reading more books from the author.

**Disclosure - I received a free unedited copy of the book in exchange for an honest opinion**

Book Review - The Wife Between Us by Greer Hendricks

Photo Credit - Amazon

 When I first picked up this book and read this description: 

A novel of suspense that explores the complexities of marriage and the dangerous truths we ignore in the name of love.

When you read this book, you will make many assumptions.
You will assume you are reading about a jealous wife and her obsession with her replacement.
You will assume you are reading about a woman about to enter a new marriage with the man she loves.
You will assume the first wife was a disaster and that the husband was well rid of her.
You will assume you know the motives, the history, the anatomy of the relationships.
Assume nothing.

Discover the next blockbuster novel of suspense, and get ready for the read of your life.

It answered nothing, but what the book was about, but left me with more questions than answers. However, I was pleasantly surprised how fitting that description is really. The novel starts out with two different points of view and the reader will make judgments of both of them. But as you start to get more into the book the more you realize, maybe you are wrong. What you assume is wrong. Who you think you know is wrong. Nothing you know is right.

The novel beautifully blends many suspenseful mini stories which will keep readers guessing how it all ties in together. An amazingly good read on a rainy just not on the train or you might miss your train stop!

**Disclosure - I received a free unedited advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest opinion**

Book Review - The Wolf Road by Beth Lewis

Photo Credit - Amazon

Elka was seven  years old when she met Trapper. She was alone, desolate, cold and hungry in great wilderness where survival in the winter is rare.  Trapper, the lone hunter lives alone in a shack and taken in Elka and teaching her how to hunt and survive in the cold wilderness. Elka comes to learn that Trapper has a terrible secret and is willing to do anything to keep it a secret. She decides to run from the man who taught her everything and she has been calling "daddy" for the last couple of the years. On her journey, will Elka be able to face the dark secrets she has kept hidden away? Will Elka be able to outsmart the hunter who taught  her everything?

The novel was riveting and very hard to put down. The author utilized wonderful language to create a world where characters are "eat or be eaten". I only wish the wolf had a more prominent role in this book.

**Disclosure - I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion**

Book Review - Sanctuary Bay by Laura J. Burns

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Sarah Merson lost both of her parents at a very young age. She is shuttled from one foster home to another. However, she receives the opportunity of a lifetime when she receives a full scholarship to attend the most elite prep school in the country.  Excited to have a better chance at life, Sarah is ecstatic but she isn't able to shake away the feeling that not everything is what it seems.  When one of her roommate goes missing, Sarah must find her roommate before it is too late. Will Sarah be able to find her friend before it's too late? Is there something sinister hiding behind Sanctuary Bay's promising reputation? 

The book is an interesting read but a bit cliche. Sarah has the ability to remember everything she has experienced which would have lead readers to assume it's a book about super powers. However, this is not the case, its more about a secret corporation performing very illegal operations. Many parts of the story were uninteresting and boring. I also had a hard time liking the main character at times. She was very annoying, self absorbed and woe is me! How can you want a better life but keep telling other characters they had it better than she did and they should be grateful. The book was an okay read but needs a bit of polish and excitement for the next novel.

**Disclosure - I received a free ebook copy of this book in exchange for an honest review**

Book Review - Death Comes to Happy Acres by J.T. Moss

Photo Source - Amazon

**May Contain Spoilers**

Wade Lovett, the 63 year old broke Casanova of a trailer park has found himself in the middle of a love triangle. When Wade becomes engaged to one of the women, he visits Peggy MacCallister, his other girlfriend to tell her the news. If Wade thought life was difficult by managing a love triangle, his life was about to get turned upside down when he finds Peggy dead on the floor.  Surprisingly, Wade was bequeath her prized cat, Prince Albert along with being the beneficiary of her life insurance. Peggy's son believes Wade has murdered his mother and demands an autopsy on his mother. The ruling of a natural death seems less and less likely with each passing day.  Everyone in Happy Acres could be the killer. Can one of them be the murderer or be the next victim?

The book is billed as a thriller but it was more a "mild" thriller (I would consider it a light reading). I wouldn't say this book kept me on the edge of my seat anticipating the killer but it was a fun and interesting read.  A definite fun read for a rainy day and you will keep rooting (hoping!) for the down-on-his-luck Wade not to be the killer!

**Disclosure - I received a copy of an uncorrected ebook for my honest opinion --- this had no impact on my review and feedback**

Book Review - Deadlock by DiAnn Mills

Photo Source - Amazon

A recent string of murders have left the city of Houston wondering if its the work of a serial killer or copycats. The unlikely FBI agents Thatcher Graves and Bethany Sanchez team up to help solve the mystery. Thatcher being the more "trust my gut" agent while Bethany is more rules and analytical type. Can the two work together especially since Thatcher has put Bethany's brother in prison?

The fast pace thriller leaves readers wondering, can the two put their differences aside to figure out the murders as they two clearly are not the most suited of partners.  As they continue working together, one thing they cannot deny is the fact that they are attracted to each other. Would their feelings and different styles of investigating make them stronger? 

The tale that has a colorful cast of characters, it leaves the readers wondering who would be the next victim or if they are the mastermind behind the killings. My only qualm is that with Thatcher, Bethany seems a bit weak with her emotions and unable to control them. She comes off as the ice queen but with others she drips emotion as a needy child. However, Thatcher has no real character growth other than falling in love with Bethany.

The book is high on drama and adrenaline with interwoven elements of romance and faith. An interesting tale on how they are all interwoven together. A must read for any DiAnn Mills fan with a highly unexpected ending. 


*Disclosure - I received a copy of this book for my honest opinion*

Book Review - The Catch: A Vanessa Michael Munroe Novel

As a newcomer to the series, this is the latest book in the Vanessa Michael Munroe series.  I wasn't sure what to expect especially with all of the fanfare from the other books. Thankfully, each of the novels are self contained and don't have to be read in a certain order unless you care about character development. With the mind of a goldfish, this didn't bother me.

The novel takes place in Djibouti, Africa where Munroe runs to escapes her past. But since when does running every take someone away from the drama? As expected, as Munroe runs from her past it catches up to her. She boards a freighter (albeit against her will) in the hopes that it would be a regular security detail but things are not always what they appear. They are shortly invaded by pirates and the ship is captured. She narrowly escapes but manages to bring the captain with her and will prove to be an important piece to the puzzle. While death is following Munroe she does her best to figure out all the pieces of the puzzle .

A deeply engrossing novel that had me captivated for the three days it took me to consume it. However, I felt the character and story line was a bit lackluster and predictable. I wanted more and this novel left me craving it. I was also confused on why Munroe risked her life many times over people that didn't seem to care or worry about her. At times, I didn't even think Munroe liked them but I sense that her bloodthirsty nature is probably what makes her seek the violence her body craves but her heart doesn't want. I would read the other Munroe novels hoping this one is the anomaly instead of the norm.

**I received a free copy of this book for my honest opinion. This is no way affect my overall review of the book**