John Staughton, Senior Reviewer | Self-Publishing Review

Review: High-Sensitivity-Based Mindful Awareness or a Schizophrenic Mind?: You are the Jury! by Chandana Watagodakumbura

High-Sensitivity-Based Mindful Awareness or a Schizophrenic Mind?: You are the Jury! by Chandana Watagodakumbura

The complicated journey of life, through the eyes of an academic far from home, spills out onto the pages of High-Sensitivity-Based Mindful Awareness or a Schizophrenic Mind?: You are the Jury! by author Chandana Watagodakumbura. When Chelian gets the opportunity to travel to the western world – the fictional country of Astort – to pursue his Masters degree, he begins an existential journey that will take him countless miles over the course of two decades.

As the central character, Chelian maneuvers through a foreign land as best he can, confident in his own intelligence and creative streak, despite his inability […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2020-04-15T07:40:16+02:00March 11th, 2020|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Contemporary Fiction Book Reviews|

Review: The Seavers Conspiracy by Travis Pearson

The Seavers Conspiracy by Travis Pearson

A surprisingly spry auditor faces down the corruption and violence of a disintegrating town in The Seavers Conspiracy by author Travis Pearson. Steeped in modern-day, close-to-home themes and stacked with a vivid cast of characters, this is a swirling mystery that moves quick and twists often.

When Becka calls her Uncle Randall for help in her small town of Seavers, she doesn’t know that she is placing him directly in the crosshairs of a vicious and powerful cabal controlling the city government. Randall isn’t just an old man with a good heart – he is also an entertaining protagonist that […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2020-04-09T09:19:13+02:00March 11th, 2020|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Thriller Book Reviews|

Champion Your Career by Halimah Bellows, MA, MS

Author Halimah Bellows offers sage wisdom, gentle encouragement, and practical strategies for those seeking a significant change in their career path in Champion Your Career: Winning in the World of Work. This easy-to-read book is filled with tools to help you identify your own strengths and determine your path forward. Peppered with anecdotal wisdom and the author’s delicate honesty, this book is valuable for anyone who is uncertain or unsatisfied about their career or prospects. Asking and answering the right questions in a thorough, academic, and accessible way, Bellows spells out the journey of changing your job (and life) […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2020-03-11T11:28:14+02:00March 10th, 2020|Categories: Editorial Reviews|

Think Like a Bartender by L.D. Morrow

Author L.D. Morrow serves up a refreshing collection of vignettes and clever lessons in Think Like a Bartender: Recipes for Life. Drawing on her many insightful years in the service industry, this is a tongue-in-cheek read that balances self-help and experiential knowledge with wild anecdotes and sharp, funny writing throughout. Blending authentic language and a healthy pour of brutal honesty, this is a poignant guide to finding your strengths and knowing your value, regardless of how you make a living. While the prose is sometimes raw and unpolished, Morrow has a natural gift for storytelling as she unveils repeated moments […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2020-03-10T12:58:09+02:00March 9th, 2020|Categories: Editorial Reviews|

Sam Razor, Private Investigator: The Blonde with the Bad Nose Job by Carlo Armenise

The Case of the Blonde with the Bad Nose Job by Carlo Armenise

Sam Razor, a rugged PI with skills for the highest bidder, gets caught up with messy Sin City mob dealings in The Blonde with the Bad Nose Job, the first case in author Carlo Armenise’s Sam Razor, Private Investigator chronicles.

Hunting down the sister of a wealthy Vegas socialite, Sam has to plumb the dirty depths of Vegas, but the real threat may actually be coming from closer to home. Navigating a tangle of lies, false identities, and a number of guns being pointed at his head, this quick-with-a-joke PI jumps from one pot of boiling water to another, […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2020-03-16T06:53:41+02:00March 9th, 2020|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Detective Fiction Book Reviews|

Review: Blowback ’94 by Brian Meehl

Blowback '94 by Brian Meehl

Author Brian Meehl brings his Blowback Trilogy to a compelling close with Blowback ’94, where Iris Jongler-Jinks finally gets her wish to hop through time, landing her squarely in the heart of the Belle Epoque in Paris, determined to find her mother and reunite the Jongler family.

Iris is joined by Arky, her time-traveling brother who just recently evaded death in the American Civil War, and the pair boast a brilliant dynamic as they try to unravel the last great mystery of their family’s cor anglais. Although neither of them planned to be tossed backward this time around, […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2020-03-10T10:36:13+02:00March 9th, 2020|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Science Fiction Book Reviews, Time Travel Book Reviews, Young Adult Book Reviews|

Arnold Falls by Charlie Suisman

Author Charlie Suisman delivers a home-cooked platter of playful jabs and thoughtful relationships in Arnold Falls, a book about small town life in all of its strange intimacy.

In a place where everyone knows your business, people’s lives and stories collide in wondrous moments of synchronicity and gossip. In the hamlet of Arnold Falls, this seems particularly true, but that’s mostly due to the insightful lens of Suisman’s writing.

Jeebie Walker sits at the center of this tale as a highly original and unpredictable protagonist, but he is also supported by a cavalcade of memorable characters, as quirky locals […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2020-03-05T12:01:35+02:00March 5th, 2020|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Contemporary Fiction Book Reviews, Literary Fiction Book Reviews|

Namesakes (A Wicce Novel Book 1) by Miriam Cumming

Author Miriam Cumming casts a charming and thought-provoking spell with Namesakes, the first book in her Wicce Novel series. In this clever repurposing of a classic myth, Medusa is a young girl just coming into her stone-turning powers, who must find her place among other legendary outcasts and misfits in a magical academy. Channeling a bit of Harry Potter, there is a familiarity to the plot, but also harder-hitting themes of tolerance, bullying, and using one’s powers for good. Cumming lays an entertaining and flexible foundation for an original series with a cast of immediately engaging characters.

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John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2020-03-04T05:57:23+02:00March 3rd, 2020|Categories: Editorial Reviews|