John Staughton, Senior Reviewer

Review: Coinman by Pawan Mishra

★★★★ Coinman by Pawan Mishra

Coinman: An Untold Conspiracy by Pawan Mishra is a quirky, heartfelt novel about finding your identity – and keeping it.

The search for personal fulfillment is a lifelong journey for most, and along the way, it is necessary to establish the identity you want, the work you cherish, the people you respect, and the love you deserve. In Pawan Mishra’s oddly charming novel, readers are welcomed into the strangely neurotic, passionate, and unfulfilled existence of Coinman, a simple office worker with a jangling passion for coins.

The title of the book suggests this slightly odd premise, but the majority […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2016-04-15T02:29:44+02:00March 31st, 2016|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Contemporary Fiction Book Reviews|

Review: The Empty One (The Fallen Conviction Book 1) by Matthew Stanley

★★★★½

The Empty One by Matthew Stanley is an epic, fantastic tale in a very unique form.

Combining religious philosophy, vivid battle scenes, biblical undertones, political and social commentary, and incredible magical forces, The Empty One is much more than your typical fantasy. The plot base of Matthew Stanley’s story is the tale of two warring superpowers – one dedicated to mystical belief, the other to social order – but this epic story comes with a major twist. The entire text is presented in verse form, making it a highly unique reading experience, supported by a fascinating (albeit convoluted) plot […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2016-04-07T06:58:03+02:00March 28th, 2016|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Fantasy Book Reviews, Poetry Book Reviews|

Review: Phantom: Birth of an Arc by Gabriel Common and Christy Lea Wilkerson

★★★★½

Phantom: Birth of an Arc portrays the endless battle between good and evil in an incredible space adventure.

From the very first scene of the book, the fantasy aspect of this novel is clear, as Angels and Seraphim debate the fate of two half-mortal children borne of an Angel’s lust for a human. One of the children, Raven, was raised as an Arc, while Traiven was sent to grow up in rural Louisiana. However, it doesn’t take long for these two worlds to collide. Traiven’s small-town life is turned upside down when Shawn, a soldier in Heaven’s army, informs […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2016-04-07T07:07:47+02:00March 25th, 2016|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Science Fiction Book Reviews|

Review: I Am Ed by R.A. Akerlund

★★★½

An intensely moving story of loss, survival, and brotherly love.

The prospect of losing a parent is a fearful part of every child’s reality as they grow up, but to lose both parents, as the nuclear family of brothers in this novel did, is something particularly tragic. Readers are given an intimate glimpse of teenage life through the eyes of orphans, and the resultant story is nothing less than heartfelt and inspiring.

When Fred, Ben, Steve, and Ed lose their mother, they are faced with a difficult decision: report her passing to the authorities and risk being separated or […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2019-01-22T04:36:49+02:00March 22nd, 2016|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Young Adult Book Reviews|

Review: Autumn’s Eyes (Storm Season Book 1) by J.L. Sutton

★★★★½

Autumn’s Eyes by J.L. Sutton is a supernatural thriller that will keep you guessing – superb!

There’s nothing quite like a good detective novel, and from the first few chapters, it’s clear that Benjamin Hadley is a detective in the most classic and incredible sense of the word. With a tragic backstory and a jagged edge to his inner monologue, he is a seeker of truth being hunted by his own demons. From mysterious vixens and supernatural shivers to suspenseful prose and gritty action, Autumn’s Eyes is a complex, dark, and endlessly mysterious book that will keep readers breathlessly […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2016-04-18T02:31:05+02:00March 22nd, 2016|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Fantasy Book Reviews, Urban Fantasy Book Reviews|

Review: End Time (The End Time Sage Book 1) by Daniel Greene

★★★★½ End Time by Daniel Greene

A savage, unforgettable zombie thrill ride.

From the very first scene of Greene’s gruesome, entrancing thriller, readers know that they are in for one hell of a ride. When a deadly virus begins to spread in the DRC, one might think that all the petty rivalries, policies, and ambitions of people would be put to the side for the sake of survival, but this novel takes readers not only through the brutal gore of an imagined zombie apocalypse, but also into some truly dark corners of human nature.

Readers are initially led to believe that this is a slowly […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2019-01-21T09:37:57+02:00March 4th, 2016|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Horror Book Reviews, Zombie Fiction Book Reviews|

Review: Happy Chasing Happy by Jerome Jay Isip

★★★★½ Happy Chasing Happy by Jerome Jay Isip

A vicious piece of prose – unique and powerful.

At the outset of this brutal and honestly painful story, the name of this book may seem misleading, to say the least. But the further along into the novel you dig, the title begins to make more sense. From the darkest depths of drug addiction, self-loathing, and listless living to the incredible heights of physical perfection, mental clarity, and self-fulfillment, this book is a true knockout, written with the patience and precision one would expect from a veteran novelist.

The intricacies of the professional MMA world may be a mystery […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2016-03-10T09:59:40+02:00February 25th, 2016|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Memoir Book Reviews, Non-Fiction Book Reviews|

Review: Accidental Dad by Joshua McDowell

★★★★½ Accidental Dad by Joshua McDowell

A deeply personal and thorough perspective on life as a single father.

Every established system has its persistent flaws, regardless of how often or eagerly they’re pointed out. In Accidental Dad, Joshua McDowell presents his case against the treatment of single fathers in a tangled system seemingly designed to make them fail. McDowell takes readers through his story from start to finish, where he successfully joined the small percentage (6-11%) of single fathers who fought for custody and actually won. He offers this unique perspective in an unadulterated form, revealing his intimate details of teenage fatherhood, the pain of […]