Lenni Reviews: Three Days in April by Edward Ashton

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Have you ever wondered what would happen if someone rewrote The Happening and made it... Well, all around better and cool? Then welcome to the technothriller Three Days in April.

In this world, there Augmented people, non-Augmented people, AI's that can run your house, and NatSec watching through every connected device in the net as well as cameras everywhere. Augmented people can connect and download information right into their heads,  have increased speed and agility, or strength. Then one morning in April, most of the people in Hagerstown keel over and die. Then the town is turned into a smoking crater. Our main protagonist is Anders, a down and out Augmented who is perfectly happy in his mundane teaching job when his friend Doug asks him to decrypt some documents he "found" suddenly Anders is involved in a massive conspiracy against all of humanity; genetically modified or not.

When I tell you this is The Happening and Ghost in the Shell, I am not kidding. While not suicides, a bunch of people all of a sudden drop dead in a painful way and everybody understandably scrambles around like crazy people. But then we THANKFULLY flee from any Shyamalan-ian mistakes for some cyberpunk, government conspiracy goodness! Having read (and LOVED) the Avery Cates series, this novel is a tense ride that won't let you go, with an ending ripe for a continuation should Ashton decide to write one. The characters are dynamic, real, and fun in this fantastical setting. I'm glad I gave this book a read and if you like cyberpunk, I think you will too.

Three Days in April is available now as an ebook and in paperback on October 13, 2015.

Tokyo School Life Review

"Tokyo School Life" is the story of your trip as an exchange student in Tokyo and the three girls you meet there. Live the everyday life you love from anime and manga!

The Transporter: Refueled Review

In the south of France, former special-ops mercenary Frank Martin enters into a game of chess with a femme-fatale and her three sidekicks who are looking for revenge against a sinister Russian kingpin.

Can the Transporter film franchise survive without Jason Statham? Yes it can, only if it in capable hands. The Transporter Refueled is a hit or miss depending on your taste. If you're a person who loves action over story then this is a good film. If you're a person who values story over action then you might be disappointed. The Transporter Refueled is not a bad film. I actually had some fun with it. The film is just a basic action film with the usual cliche of you have your family member hostage. While I did enjoy the dynamic of Frank showing more heart than previous films. The movie became predictable by time the second act hits. Frank is forced into a situation he has to get of. He finds a way and onto the next set piece. The movie did more humanity to the cold heart transporter which fans will love. 

The acting is okay. Ray Stevenson as Frank's Martin father steals every single scene he's in. He is a great comedy relief to the film and a good moral compass for his transporter son. The female leads were enjoyable to watch and to see these anti heroes was refreshing. Ed Skrein replaces Statham and he did a good job. I enjoyed his performance but it's one of those roles that you can't see anyone else in but the original actor. Overall the film gives you exactly you expect from the franchise and that's not a bad thing. The villain could have been better and the story less cliche but it's pretty decent.

Lenni Reviews: A Demon Inside by Rick R. Reed

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In this novel by Reed, Hunter Beaumont finds himself alone in the world after the death of his grandmother. After his parent's mysterious deaths when he was only five years old, his grandmother kept him sheltered and with his only family gone, Hunter is the last of the Beaumont line. They were a well off family so a huge estate aptly named the Beaumont house is part of this inheritance, yet on her deathbed, his grandmother begs him to destroy it. Curious, naive, and frightened of being alone in the world, Hunter doesn't heed his grandmother's warning and makes this infamous estate his home. And the house is not happy about it.

As a character, Hunter can be a little whiny but as a sheltered person, I had to give him a little leeway. After all, he did lose his parents in a gruesome murder he blocked out as a kid. But it leaves him vulnerable to plain old horrible people before he even gets to being haunted. But when he finally makes the decision to move, things get really creepy really quickly. You get the feel of a standard horror movie where you're yelling at the book for the guy to get the message and get the hell out of poltergeist house; which is where some readers will get frustrated with Hunter. He swings from wide eyed innocent to obstinate brat to such a degree, it's to his detriment; putting him in danger. Reed did a great job showing how Hunter's poor experiences with people led to less than logical determination to battle a ghost who is trying to kill him where he may have once ran away. The book ends before we get to really see if Hunter finds a balance between being too innocent and too brave.

Again, like Clashing Tempest, the male/male romance is secondary to the horror story. The horror isn't bad but experienced horror fans may find it formulaic; more tense than outright scary. But I had fun reading it and I enjoy discovering LGBT books with real plots instead of bubblegum nonsense. Sugar has it's place, but Reed gives us more meat with our meal. I enjoyed it.

Fugoo Bluetooth Speaker Review

Hey O&G fans, we met some great companies at this years CE NYC 2015. One of these great companies are the makers of the FUGOO portable Bluetooth Speaker. There are many portable outdoor speakers out now, many are very bulky to improve durability and battery life. FUGOO has made a speaker that can withstand the elements and portable.

The FUGOO Bluetooth speaker has become my favorite piece of tech, thanks to its combination of sound quality, battery life and price. The speakers are water proof, has different accessories, and a choice of 3 different cover styles to fit your activities.

Design

At 7.75 x 2.9 x 2.3 inches, the Fugoo Tough is considerably smaller than many other outdoor speakers. They also make a XL Style version for those who want a bigger speaker, Measuring 11.3  x 3.8 x 4.5 inches, the Style XL is considerably bigger than the portable version I have.

Weatherproofing

An IPX67 rating indicates that the speaker is dustproof, and you can submerge it for up to 30 minutes in 3 feet of water. As a test me and member of the site put the speaker in a bowl of water and it did not miss a beat. The speaker even continued to play under water (Sound was a bit muffled, but it still played). This is great for anyone who love the beach or being poolside.

Sound Performance

The most important factor when choosing a speaker is the quality of sound. The FUGOO speaker delivers excellent sound, sound I couldn't believe could come from a speaker of it's size. You can see the 6 speakers through the grilles on the device, 2 speakers on the front and back, and one on each of the sides.  When listening to music, you do not need to worry about which way the speaker is facing. It plays great sound quality in every direction.

Speaker Covers

The speaker I have came with 2 covers, the sport and style covers. both covers look great and are worth the price. 

Sport Cover

Style Cover

It also has a Tough case for outdoors and people who are into extreme sports.

Tough cover

The FUGOO Bluetooth speaker is the best portable speaker on the market right now for it's size and price. It ranks up there with the Bose Soundlink Mini, Beats Pill, and JBL Pulse. I would recommend this speaker to anyone looking for something affordable and durable with great sound.

See it in action here with Justin trying it and out.