John Staughton, Senior Reviewer

Molding My Destiny by Patrice M. Foster

The most powerful stories are those torn from personal experience, and in Molding My Destiny by Patrice M. Foster, readers are presented with a heartbreaking account of an impossible childhood. Parental support and love seem nonexistent, and selfishness is the crucible in which the author is formed. From the mean streets of Jamaica, witnessing the immorality and cruelty of her father, to the feeling of abandonment on American shores, this book is a painful saga of experience that would be too great for many people to overcome.

Beyond the initial trauma, however, Foster shares the symptoms and side effects of […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2018-02-27T06:15:38+02:00January 18th, 2017|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Memoir Book Reviews|

Review: The You in You by Wilbert Hunt

Human beings have long been fascinated by the idea of something beyond this world; whether you want to call it the afterlife, a higher consciousness or even another dimension, it perennially intrigues the imagination. In The You in You, author Wilbert Hunt explains his own relationship to this other realm, accessed through out-of-body experiences.

Hunt methodically takes readers through the story of his life, making claims and suggesting possibilities that are absolutely incredible, according to the most basic definition of that word. For example, within the first ten pages, readers are posed a series of questions: “What would […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2019-02-11T09:52:08+02:00January 16th, 2017|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: New Age Book Reviews, Spirituality Book Reviews|

Review: Of Endings and Beginnings by Robert Speigel

★★★★

Understanding why we behave, feel, react and survive the way we do has been a subject of fascination since the dawn of self-awareness. The endless debate of nurture vs. nature, research into the essence of being human, and concerns of destiny and fate have always intrigued our species. In Of Endings and Beginnings: A Memoir of Discovery and Transformation, author Robert Speigel paints a beautiful, tragic, optimistic and brutally honest picture of existence, and also shares a number of tools and strategies to overcome the darkness in your own life, and control the beliefs that will otherwise control […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2017-02-17T05:41:23+02:00January 12th, 2017|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Memoir Book Reviews|

Review: Becoming the Wolf by R.H. Neil

★★★★

Certain thrillers have the ring of truth to them, which is often the case with authors who have had storied lives of their own. This is definitely true of R.H. Neil, the author of Becoming the Wolf – the first installment of a gripping new detective series.

The premise of a hardworking police officer who feels trapped by the rules of the badge is hardly original, but for JD Ward, the main character of this novel, giving up simply isn’t an option. When he realizes that some criminals simply can’t be brought to justice in a traditional way, he […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2017-01-31T12:40:24+02:00January 11th, 2017|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Thriller Book Reviews|

Review: Fused: A Memoir of Childhood OCD and Adult Obsession by Dr. James Manning

Any honest and open take on mental disorders can be a challenge to read and understand, as there is still so much that is unknown. These conditions can also be some of the scariest things to discuss, particularly for someone suffering through them, as they can open you up to harsh judgment and hard questions to which no one knows the answer. In Fused, Dr. James Manning strips away much of the mystery that still cloaks mental disorders – primarily OCD – by telling the story of his own life with the condition. Over the course of the book, […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2019-02-11T09:40:26+02:00January 11th, 2017|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Psychology Book Reviews|

Review: A Blaze of Beginnings (The Family Crest Book 1) by A.K. Rohner

★★★½

It doesn’t take long for the excitement to start in A Blaze of Beginnings, the new novel by A.K. Rohner, as readers are dropped right in the middle of a family mystery that could change all of their lives forever. What unfolds is a coming-of-age tale with more than a few supernatural twists, as Aaron James, the intrepid teenage hero, is catapulted into a world of danger and intrigue where the only thing that can save him is a bold heart and one powerful talisman.

The crux of the plot is a magical ring that Aaron is given […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2020-07-29T05:46:57+02:00January 11th, 2017|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Fantasy Book Reviews|

Review: The Night Everything Fell Apart (The Nephilim Book 1) by Joy Nash

★★★★★

Creating a compelling fantasy story with an original, solid plot line is no easy feat, and to combine that with rich, well-developed characters is even more rare. In The Night Everything Fell Apart, veteran author Joy Nash spins a fast-paced tale of partnership, loyalty, betrayal, lust, good and evil that will have readers hungry for the next installment. The premise is ambitious, the lead characters are impossible to forget, and the writing is a treasure trove of description and passion that defines a gifted writer.

In the eternal battle between angels and demons, there are many subplots and […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2020-02-21T07:15:21+02:00December 23rd, 2016|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Paranormal Romance Book Reviews|

Review: Awakening: Bloodline Book One by Tiera Rice

★★★★½

Tapping into the paranormal and vampire market has been the goal for many YA and fiction writers in recent years, and while the genre feels full to bursting, certain gems stand out, like Awakening from Tiera Rice. The first book of the Bloodline series, this novel creates two gripping tales for readers to enjoy, separated by 600 years, but linked by mysterious and ancient powers.

The book is almost equally split between the Old World and the New; Antanasia is a Romanian vampire from the 1400s, while Nadia is the unsuspecting heroine in present-day NYC, wrestling with emerging powers […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2017-02-17T05:40:43+02:00December 23rd, 2016|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Fantasy Book Reviews, Vampires Book Reviews|