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.

The Game With No Name (Jitters Book 2) by L.G. Cunningham

The Game With No Name (Jitters Book 2) by L.G. Cunningham

L.G. Cunningham has cooked up a wild and thrilling board game adventure in The Game With No Name, the second installment of his Jitters series. The brother and sister duo make for an entertaining core of this story, which moves along at a quick and satisfying clip. The daunting tasks and mounting fears that face these young heroes in a quest to save their family are meaningful on multiple levels; much of this story is layered and allegorical in its messaging, touching on ideas of social anxiety, learning to fit in, growing up, and overcoming challenges. While the language […]

2020-09-23T09:14:13+02:00September 23rd, 2020|Categories: Editorial Reviews|

Twilight: Awaking the Stars by Gary W. Burns

Twilight: Awaking the Stars by Gary W. Burns

Poet Gary W. Burns offers up a cosmic delight of unique poetry with Twilight: Awaking the Stars – Poems of the Night’s Light, a graceful collection of dreamy verses and existential pondering. The free-flowing nature of this straightforward poetry occasionally stumbles on seemingly forced rhymes, but these issues are few and far between. As a complete collection, these humble, delicate, and soothing verses are immediately accessible, yet stimulate deep thought and reflection. Burns chooses every word with care, and cultivates a mood of peace and introspection that few poets successfully achieve.

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2020-09-23T03:13:18+02:00September 23rd, 2020|Categories: Editorial Reviews|

Harvest Moon (By the Light of the Moon Book 4) by Jenny Knipfer

Harvest Moon by Jenny Knipfer

Two lost souls in search of timeless answers leave all they have known behind in Harvest Moon, Book 4 in Jenny Knipfer’s immersive and emotional By the Light of the Moon series.

The dual stories of Maang-ikwe and Niin-mawin show their vastly different experiences as indigenous people, but as their lives entangle, their natural alliance emerges. While navigating the perils of new social situations and cities, they both struggle to find a genuine balance between where they came from and who they are becoming.

Supported brilliantly by strong secondary characters and foils that leap off the page, rather than […]

2020-09-22T03:34:23+02:00September 21st, 2020|Categories: New Releases|Tags: |

From Daylight to Madness by Jennifer Anne Gordon

From Daylight to Madness by Jennifer Anne Gordon

Jennifer Anne Gordon lures readers through a riveting psychological maze in From Daylight to Madness, a spine-shaking Gothic romance that is impossible to forget. From a bloody emotional opening to dark corners of depression and the fragile edges of sanity, this book is an intense ride through the shadows of human nature. Dripping with visceral descriptions and a disquieting mood that seems to grow with each chapter, Gordon is a gifted storyteller with a flair for the dramatic. Despite the occasional lapse in narrative sharpness, brief excesses of procedural detail, and some inconsistent grammar, this is a sinister and […]

2020-09-21T08:58:32+02:00September 21st, 2020|Categories: Editorial Reviews|

Review: Prophase: A Present Tale by M. Street

Prophase: A Present Tale by M. Street

An ever-expanding and engaging coming-of-age novel, Prophase: A Present Tale by M. Street takes readers on a wild ride past every boundary of our reality. A young girl with a mysterious lineage, and her heart firmly planted in the forest, must come to terms with an incredible destiny, while keeping her secrets safe and her family in one piece, in this magical, eye-opening story of growing up.

Piper Walker, the enigmatic protagonist of this imaginative story, may seem normal at first glance, with a solid core of friends, a steady boyfriend, and a busy schedule at school, but the circumstances […]

2020-10-13T02:59:03+02:00September 21st, 2020|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: , |

The Second Child by Regina Toffolo

The Second Child by Regina Toffolo

Author Regina Toffolo excavates the darkest corners of her life in The Second Child, a memoir spanning decades of childhood instability, familial uncertainty, alcoholism, mental illness, and the unexpected challenges of parenting.

Told in a deeply personal yet accessible way, this book explores the warning signs and roots of addiction, as well as the repercussions of grief and loss that can only be unpacked from the distance of age or experience. The recollections are told in a matter-of-fact way, akin to journal entries, but there are also gut-punch moments that feel both voyeuristic and surprisingly relatable. Navigating wide-ranging subjects […]

2020-09-21T04:50:21+02:00September 21st, 2020|Categories: New Releases|Tags: , |

Review: Ferdinand’s Gold by Sheldon Charles

Ferdinand's Gold by Sheldon Charles

Family history, lines of honor, political instability and good old-fashioned greed collide in Ferdinand’s Gold, a new military thriller from author Sheldon Charles. Loosely based on a true story about four American Airmen robbing one of the most dangerous men in the world, this novel is fascinating in its historical detail, but also woven together with fictional elements that make the story leap off the page.

Dex Kevan may be an unknown Air Force grunt at the end of his deployment, sitting in a remote airbase in Guam, but when fate offers him a golden chance to solve his […]

A Married Woman by Anastasiya Baydachenko

A Married Woman by Anastasiya Baydachenko

Anastasiya Baydachenko provides a window into the past with A Married Woman, a historical drama based on true events that sees Margaret of Orleans defying the expectations of her status, and embark on a bold, controversial journey of her own design. Set in the early 15th century, the author excels at painting scenes with historical and linguistic accuracy, while subtly exploring gender-linked themes that remain relevant today. Striking a good balance between fact and fiction, Baydachenko manages to imbue this story with authentic romance, suspense, political intrigue, and the uncertainty of royal power struggles. While some of the narration […]

2020-09-17T06:11:26+02:00September 16th, 2020|Categories: Editorial Reviews|
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