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.

Review: Danger Lies Within by K.M. Krenik

Danger Lies Within by K.M. Krenik

K.M. Krenik delivers a thrilling and timely warning with Danger Lies Within, a wildly imaginative first piece of the Ranfurly Mysteries series.

A vigilante billionaire in a covert group of rebels is hunting those who prey on young women and children, but moonlighting as a crimefighter would be much easier with reliable childcare. Courtney is a widowed mother of two, who lost her politically outspoken husband to the violent “Peace Alliance” regime, and needs a new job now that her own kids have left the nest. As the live-in tutor for Lord Robert’s children, Courtney is quickly drawn into […]

Review: Operation Storm’s Eye by E.S. Benton

Operation Storm's Eye by E.S. Benton

An elite group of soldiers is on the hunt for a secret cabal of inhumane terrorists in Operation Storm’s Eye by E.S. Benton, a relentless rush of espionage and adrenaline.

In this first book of the Silent Codename series, Alpha Squad is deep on the hunt for a mysterious global organization responsible for savage attacks against aid efforts in the wake of natural disasters. Bizarrely, the villains appear almost immediately, as though they know exactly when and where each cyclone, tsunami, or flood is going to strike.

To counter this sinister manipulation of trauma and chaos, Alpha One and his […]

The Man Who by Thom Cree

The Man Who by Thom Cree

A sensational collection of genre-defying stories, The Man Who by Thom Cree is a meticulously written work of prose, echoing Faulkner and Hemingway in each story’s poetry and ambition. Trauma begetting revenge, wartime espionage, vigilante justice in forgotten places, and the seething tension of cultural clashes make this striking collection a suspenseful thrill. Savagely intimate, these stories and the subsequent spycraft novella are unpredictable slices of layered emotion, violence, conspiracy, and closure, commanding readers’ attention with every acrobatic line.

 […]

2024-06-28T10:17:09+02:00June 28th, 2024|Categories: Editorial Reviews|

Marvelous Days by Hayden Thompson

Marvelous Days by Hayden Thompson

Drawing readers into one man’s decade of “senseless adventure,” Hayden Thompson paints a stunning European portrait of leisure and boundless curiosity in Marvelous Days. A newly retired expat in search of fresh purpose, Kevin embraces his wanderlust and embarks on a sunset chapter of travel and discovery. Rich in allusion and detailed explorations of the French countryside, Germany’s cities, and the Mediterranean coast, this reads like a travelogue, memoir, and cultural exposé rolled into one insightful narrative. For any aging wanderer who feels hesitant to make the leap into the wilds of travel, this contemporary novel is a sensitive, sensible, […]

2024-06-27T11:57:03+02:00June 26th, 2024|Categories: Editorial Reviews|

Naked Girl by Janna Brooke Wallack

Naked Girl by Janna Brooke Wallack

A lyrical and unflinching dive into a radical childhood, Naked Girl by Janna Brooke Wallack is an emotive novel about the meaning of home when it is fleeting and ephemeral. Jackson is an enigmatic whirlwind of a father more interested in leading a coastal commune than raising two children, which leads Siddhi and Sienna to form a profoundly independent sibling bond. Taking readers across oceans and friendships and wild years of formative exposure, Wallack’s prose is alive with the open-eyed curiosity of youth. Navigating clashes of belief and morality, as well as the storms of sex, fidelity, religion, and “traditional” […]

2024-06-26T19:03:01+02:00June 26th, 2024|Categories: Editorial Reviews|

The House of Laurel Lake by Ray Marcuss

The House of Laurel Lake by Ray Marcuss

Author Ray Marcuss challenges the lines of mortality, sanity and connection in The House of Laurel Lake, an emotionally charged novella about losing yourself and finding a way back. A career-ending event sends a detective into a new chapter of his life, but his respite in Florida with his niece is interrupted by a ghostly obsession that drives him to the edge of madness. Tightly packed with detail and elevated with an uncertain edge of the supernatural, this multilayered tale of tragic romance is a compelling tangle of complex emotions until the very last line.

 […]

2024-06-26T12:32:30+02:00June 26th, 2024|Categories: Editorial Reviews|

From the Ashes by Shari Marshall

From the Ashes by Shari Marshall

Someone is manipulating the free will of powerful Spellbinders in From the Ashes by Shari Marshall, the thrilling third installment of the magical Ember Files series. Still reeling from the death of his twin, Kyson Adelgrief lusts for blood and vengeance against the Influencers, forcing them to embark on an offensive rescue mission, but he may not be the only threat in the shadows. Continuing to balance creative fantasy with tense relationship-building among the uniquely gifted but relatable protagonists, Marshall’s whip-smart writing and sinister themes make this novel a gripping addition to a wickedly creative and superbly plotted saga.[…]

2024-06-25T17:27:07+02:00June 25th, 2024|Categories: Editorial Reviews|

Review: Debauchery by Andy Bramley

Debauchery Part 1 by Andy Bramley

Creative, clever, and chock full of dark comedy, Debauchery: Part 1 by Andy Bramley is a witty and wise read from an unconventional storyteller.

A bizarre series of events brings together a disparate group of seven acquaintances, fans, friends, and strangers with big personalities and a hefty handful of bad habits. As their unlikely worlds spiral closer and casually collide, it becomes clear that their chance encounters are anything but coincidence.

Embodying the seven deadly sins – pride, greed, wrath, envy, lust, gluttony, and sloth – these seven souls have unknowingly become the target of The Community, a radically conservative […]

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