John Staughton, Senior Reviewer

About John Staughton, Senior Reviewer

Providing exceptional writing, editing and publishing services to hundreds of international clients, ranging from nutritional copywriting and long-form ghostwriting to substantive editing, assessment/analysis of academic texts and structural/content editing for bestselling novels.

Dirt Road Main Street by Cynthia L. Clark

Dirt Road Main Street by Cynthia L. Clark

Dirt Road Main Street by Cynthia L. Clark is an engaging rock ‘n’ roll dive into the world of music, memory, and the madness only love can inspire. Tano and Holly are star-crossed and time-cursed lovers, allowing this book to explore the challenges of true connection, the pain of life’s lonely roads, and the indescribable power of music. Written in simple prose, but edged with truck-stop grit, the dialogue is sharp and Southern, while the plot moves quick, unconcerned with excess descriptions or flowery language. Navigating life’s obstacles to hit the perfect chord of true love is no easy feat, […]

2020-11-12T04:58:44+02:00November 12th, 2020|Categories: Editorial Reviews|

The VD Anthology Vol. 2 by Various Authors

The VD Anthology Vol. 2 by Various Authors

A 2020 collection of savagely good writers, The VD Anthology, Vol. 2 brings together more than a dozen excerpts, stories and poems from Club Verbal Discharge. From letters to Coronavirus and nostalgic greasy spoon tales in London to modern-day bigotry and the trauma of losing one’s sight, these are hard-hitting and unpredictable pieces. Laced with British vernacular and colloquial speech, this eclectic gathering is well-edited and curated, without any notable weak points, and displays a masterful use of language. These stories come across as gritty, authentic and raw, yet they are also polished and precise, evidence of the obviously talented […]

2020-11-10T08:10:32+02:00November 10th, 2020|Categories: Editorial Reviews|

Croft by Jason Palmer

Croft by Jason Palmer

Take a thrilling dive through the darkness of Seamax prison in Croft by Jason Palmer, the climactic final installment of The Max trilogy. These pages are packed with meticulous heists, brilliant scheming, all-out brawls, and a simmering, palpable tension that makes it difficult to put this prison thriller down. Percy Croft’s methodical mind makes for riveting narration, while the juxtaposition of brutal jail yard violence with delicate planning and clever manipulation is a storytelling feat. Providing a last glimpse into this dramatic world of dirty alliances, perpetual threats to the gangland throne, and heavy questions of morality and responsibility, this […]

2020-11-09T10:35:26+02:00November 9th, 2020|Categories: Editorial Reviews|

Review: Enok and the Womb of Gods by A. SkoroBogáty

Enok and the Womb of Gods by A. SkoroBogáty

Author A. Skorobogaty weaves a remarkable origin story unlike any other in Enok and the Womb of Gods, a magical mixture of history and mythology. Pulling from ancient sources and stories known the world over, this novel expands the backstory of humanity, exploring traditions of worship and culture through the winding tale of Enok, a young slave willing to take the ultimate leap into the unknown.

This coming of age story finds Enok enmeshed in countless misadventures, barbarian battles, serpent-worshipping empires and even the early throes of romance, albeit from a prison cell. The plot is expansive and unpredictable, […]

2020-11-10T03:40:23+02:00November 9th, 2020|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: |

Review: Callisto 2.0 by Susan English

Callisto 2.0 by Susan English

A gifted young researcher finds her life rocketing in a new direction – to the stars – in Callisto 2.0 by Susan English, a creative, time-warping thrill.

This foundation-building novel is a strong start for a new feministic science fiction series, landing as both timely and relatable. After an astonishing sequence of unlikely events, Callisto finds herself orbiting the moon, in awe of her out-of-this-world boss, and working on the greatest unsolved problems of human space travel. However, despite being surrounded by an entire space station of brilliant and unique women from across the globe, there are dangerous secrets lurking […]

2020-12-08T08:26:36+02:00November 6th, 2020|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: |

Review: Fatal Decision by T.K. Wolf

Fatal Decision by T.K. Wolf

The road to vengeance is paved with deadly choices in Fatal Decision by T.K. Wolf, the first novel in what promises to be an exhilarating series. Sam Harker, a masterful assassin with a score to settle, is putting her unmatched skill set to work, biting at the hand that lied to and created her, but she lands in dangerous waters after diving into the past, in this world-spanning, high-octane thriller.

Moving at the speed of the best Bond movies, this spy thriller has plenty of recognizable elements from the popular genre, from the single-minded revenge of the Jason Bourne series […]

Journey to Jumbalot by Ryan Wakefield

Journey to Jumbalot by Ryan Wakefield

Brimming with imagination and magical jumbled-up creatures, Journey to Jumbalot by Ryan Wakefield details the delightful adventure of a curious cat in a strange new world. In search of his human, Alby ventures to a land that is similar to our own, but doesn’t follow the same rules of physics, evolution, or basic reality. This wildly creative children’s title is ideal for young readers who enjoy the whimsy and fantasy of children’s books, but also want to move up in their reading level. The writing is straightforward and easy to read, the vocabulary is diverse, and there is a good […]

2020-11-04T04:33:15+02:00November 3rd, 2020|Categories: Editorial Reviews|

Review: Fragments: The Long Coming Home from Vietnam by Bruce K. Berger

Fragments by Bruce Berger

Bruce K. Berger, a profoundly insightful poet and decorated veteran, has finished a decades-long journey in Fragments: The Long Coming Home from Vietnam, offering a distinctly unique glimpse into an infamous war.

This striking collection of poems is a wide-ranging and unforgettable examination of his life-changing experiences in that bloody war, the indescribable damage that it wrought both at home and abroad, and America’s endless stream of military conflicts, a legacy that rings powerfully in today’s grim geopolitical atmosphere. These poems are gripping, each in their own way, representing a piece of the poet’s personal journey, from raw, unforgettable […]

2020-12-03T05:52:47+02:00November 3rd, 2020|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: |
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