The Lazarus Effect
Director: David Gelb
Starring: Mark Duplass, Olivia Wilde, Donald Glover, Evan Peters and Sarah Bolger
Studio: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
Release Date: June 23, 2015
ASIN: B00VUK505O
Running Time: 83 minutes
Rating: PG-13
Buy Link: Amazon

Review:

Now available to own on Blu-ray and Digital HD from 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment is the horror-thriller The Lazarus Effect. Directed by David Gelb, the film stars Mark Duplass, Olivia Wilde, Donald Glover, Evan Peters and Sarah Bolger. Special Features include Creating Fear: The Making of The Lazarus Effect, Playing God: The Moral Dilemma and deleted/extended scenes.

The Lazarus Effects centers on Frank Walton (played by Mark Duplass), his girlfriend Zoe McConnell (played by Olivia Wilde) and a small group of researchers - Clay (played by Evan Peters), Niko (played by Donald Glover) and Eva (played by Sarah Bolger), whom are trying to create a serum that will bring the dead back to life.

Despite several setbacks, including the dean of the university cutting off their funding, the group successfully brings a dog back from the dead, proving in fact that their serum actually works. While sneaking back into the laboratory late at night, Zoe is accidentally electrocuted, so to save her the team injects the serum into her.

Before Zoe is resurrected, she went to her own version of hell and when she comes back to the living, she is a completely different person - bringing death with her.

Two Roads Home
A Chicory Inn Novel, book two
by Deborah Raney
Publisher: Abingdon Press
Pub. Date: June 2, 2015
ISBN: 978-1426770418
Pages: 304
Blog Tour: http://litfusegroup.com/author/draney
Buy Link: http://bit.ly/1BdaEcG

Review:

The last few weeks have been a bit hectic for me as I had to remove the carpet from a bedroom that was ruined by rainwater and now I'm patching up any cracks/holes in the concrete floor before I put down a tile flooring. However, I've squeezed in enough time to read a few new books, including Two Roads Home by Deborah Raney.

Two Roads Home centers on Grant and Audrey Whitman, whom are dealing with several setbacks while trying to run their bed & breakfast. To make matters worse, there far more problems for their daughter, Corinne, and their son-in-law, Jesse.

While their marriage was wonderful at first, Jesse's obsessed with his job and the countless business trips, not to mention the harassment from a co-worker, has put damper on their marriage & their children. Neither one of them are happy in their marriage. With both of them lacking faith in marriage and in God, they'll have to find away to find happiness again.

Maximum Ride Forever
Maximum Ride, book 9
by James Patterson
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Pub. Date: 400
ISBN: 978-0316207508
Pages: 400
Buy Link: Amazon

Review:

The bestselling crime novel author, James Patterson, dazzled young reader with Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment (the reboot of his previous adult books -  When the Wind Blows and The Lake House) in 2005. This was followed by a series of sequels, which the later installments received mixed to negative feedback from fans and critics, especially with how the final installment Nevermore: The Final Maximum Ride Adventure ended in 2012.

Mr. Patterson or Little, Brown & Company must have listened to the fans as new "final" sequel (the ninth book in the series) was released last month, titled Maximum Ride Forever!

A the end of Nevermore, the world was destroyed, leaving only mutants to rule the world. Maximum Ride Forever centers on the aftermath of the apocalypse, which Max and her flock have survived, but sadly Dr. Martinez and Ella didn't make it. Believing it is safe to leave their island, the flock heads to the mainlands to search for survivors, but are attached by a new group of mutants - Cryenas, which leads to the death of one of their own.

Eventually the flock splits up - Max heads to Russia;  Iggy and Gasman go to Pennsylvania; and Fang heads to California. The flock must take on a new enemy  - the Remedy and his Horseman creation, whom wants to finish destroying what is left of the world.

Hearts Made Whole
by Jody Hedlund
Publisher: Bethany House
Pub. Date: June 2, 2015
ISBN: 978-0764212383
Pages: 384
Buy Link: http://bit.ly/1eN4pC8
Blog Tour: http://litfusegroup.com/author/jhedlund

Review:

While I've never read the first book (Love Unexpected) in the Beacons Of Hope series, I have read a few of the author's other works, which is one of the reasons why I wanted to review this book.

Set in 1865, Hearts Made Whole centers on Caroline Taylor, a young woman who took over running the Windmill Point Lighthouse after her father passed away. A woman running any sort of operation in Michigan during this time is a little odd, which is what the lighthouse inspector believes as he appoints a new keeper - Ryan Chambers.

Ryan is a Civil War Veteran whom took the light keeper job on the single fact that he would be isolated from others. Little did he know that the current keeper, Caroline, is extremely upset for losing her job and her home. He also didn't know it was so difficult to run a lighthouse, something that enrages Caroline.

Of course this is a love story, so you know what happens next - Caroline and Ryan start to have feelings for each other.

There was over a two-year gap between book seven and book eight in the Maximum Ride series, titled Nevermore: The Final Maximum Ride Adventure. While at first it seemed like it was the last installment of our winged friends, we were duped! A ninth installment Maximum Ride Forever was released last month, making the title of this book seem a little silly.

Angel is presumed dead at the end of the previous book, but she was actually captured by the 99 Percenters, whom have blinded her and clipped her wings. With her telekinesis she can see the future - the death of Max!

Angel
Maximum Ride, book seven
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Pub. Date: February 14, 2011
ISBN: 978-0316036207
Pages: 291
Buy Link: Amazon

Review:

Yeah, by now you're probably seeing that I'm catching up on my writings by posting all these reviews on the Maximum Ride series. 

Well, anyway, book seven (Angel) picks up a week after Fang decided to leave the flock, leaving our dear poor Max a total mess as he was in love with him. She has a difficult time picking up the pieces, especially when Dylan sorta has a crush on her as he did attempt to kiss her. Jeb and Dr. Gunther-Hagen tell Max that she is lead a new generation of mutants, the Gen 77.

Fang is doing just fine on his own. He has recruited his own team (flock) of mutants - Ratchet, Star, Kate, Starfish and Maya (Max II)

While Max & her flock head for Gen 77 headquarters, they quickly learn that the Gen 77 kids were created to kill off mankind as they are part of the Doomsday Group. Max and the other try to defend themselves, but the Gen 77 are just too strong for them.

Max has no other choice, but seek the help of Fang & his flock to stop the Doomsday Group before a disaster strikes.

Fang
Maximum Ride, Book 6
by James Patterson
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Pub. Date: March 10, 2010
ISBN: 978-0316036191
Pages: 336
Buy Link: Amazon

Review:

As you can see this is my second Maximum Ride review that I've posted today, which is in my attempt to catch up on a few posts on here. I've been disappointed with the last few novels as Mr. Patterson decided to force the global warming/environmental issue down the reader's throats. I mean I have nothing against the author's personal beliefs, but the plots of the last two novels suffered because of it.

Book 6, finds the Max and her flock still part of the Coalition to Stop the Madness, but this time their  on a missionary assignment in Chad, where the meet Dr. Hans and his bird/human creation, Dylan. Dr. Hans plans on using the flock as template to make the human race envolve. Of course Max won't have anything to do with his plans, forcing her to take the flock to their old hideout, the E house. There the flock try to have a normal life by home schooling and celebrating her upcoming birthday, but the Erasers are once again on their trail.

Max and Fangs's realtionship moves forward, but it puts a dampier on the flock, whom agree that Max should leave them. Angel takes over as the new leader of the flock, while Max and Fang leave for Las Vegas. The flock is all unware that the Dr. Hans is watching their every move and he plans on experimenting on them.

Max
Maximum Ride, book 5
by James Patterson
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Pub. Date: March 16, 2009
ISBN: 978-0316002899
Pages: 320
Buy Link: Amazon

Review:

After being extermely disappointed with the book 4 in the Maximum Ride series (The Final Warning), as did other fans and critics, I delayed reading the fifth installment, Max, until last week. 2009 was actually not the best year for me as my grandmother died that December and she was a huge James Patterson fan, which is another reason why it took me so long to read this.

Book 5 finds Max and her flock participating in air shows to help spread the message about Coalition to Stop the Madness, an environmental awareness group. While performing in Los Angeles, the flock is attacked by an assassin, whom self-destructs before they can learn of his identity. Later in Mexico City the flock is one again attacked, but this time it's against 60 bionic human ninjas (M-Geeks)!

After Max is injured, she agrees (more like forced) that her flock should attend the school for the gifted; hoping that they'll now be safe. Just as they get settled in, Max receives word that her mother, Dr. Martinez, has been kidnapped; all of which leads Max on a sub expedition off the coast of Hawaii in search for her.