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.

Spiritual Enlightenment by L. Owen Paxton

Spiritual Enlightenment by L. Owen Paxton

A gentle introduction to cognitive awakening and the power we all have to pursue mindful practices, Spiritual Enlightenment: A Guide to Awakening to Your True Self by L. Owen Paxton overflows with honesty, humor, lived experience, and relatable wisdom. Dissecting the oft-overlooked corners of our internal world, the book provides cognitive tools and strategies to achieve mental clarity, a stable identity, and a balanced relationship with ego. Though the book doesn’t break a lot of new ground for the subject, it is still a well-conceived and thought-provoking blend of philosophy, psychology, spirituality, and science, for a deeply compelling and perceptive […]

2024-06-21T13:50:52+02:00June 21st, 2024|Categories: Editorial Reviews|

Subversion by Ray Keating

A dramatic and timely historical novel from Ray Keating, Subversion is a fast-moving international thriller rooted in faith and noble heroics in the face of evil. In pre-war 1930s, the violent scourge of Nazism is spreading on either side of the Atlantic, and the secretive Alliance of Saint Michael takes charge of protecting both the flock and the shepherds. This is thriller fiction with a purpose, featuring a balance of rapid-fire action sequences and thought-provoking exchanges on politics, philosophy, and morality. Keating has found another layer of thematic depth in this second installment of the Alliance of Saint Michael Novels[…]

2024-06-20T14:33:34+02:00June 20th, 2024|Categories: Editorial Reviews|

Outcasts by Jonathan Staten

Outcasts by Jonathan Staten

A futuristic blur of sci-fi and dark fantasy, Outcasts, Book 3 in the Wardens Universe, by Jonathan Staten is a page-turning installment of this universe-jumping series. When a deadly enemy from the past unleashes a shadowy slaughter and a secret heist in the city of Sephria, the Augur-augmented Wardens of the Interstellar Space Association may be the only force that can stop their destructive plans. Elizabeth Stone will have to master her new abilities in the crucible of combat, and learn to trust her centuries-old comrades, or succumb to the wrath of a vengeful monster from another world. […]

2024-06-19T12:59:42+02:00June 19th, 2024|Categories: Editorial Reviews|

Review: Brisk Verse by Garrison Keillor

Brisk Verse by Garrison Keillor

The legendary storyteller of Lake Wobegon, Garrison Keillor, shows his inimitable skills once again with Brisk Verse, an acerbic and entertaining collection of inspired poetry. Simultaneously playful and profound, these clever, hopeful, and wide-ranging poems are imbued with perfect comedic timing and smirking irreverence.

As Keillor explains in the book’s foreword, he’s in the “age of gratitude,” meaning that he doesn’t have time to complain or spend his attention dwelling on the evils and pains of the world. For that reason, this collection isn’t driven by heartbreak, grief, existential crises, or loss, apart from the occasional brutal aside: Life […]

2024-07-29T12:43:00+02:00June 18th, 2024|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: |

Review: The Incompetent Hero by Douglas L. Thomas

The Incompetent Hero by Douglas L. Thomas

A parallel worlds fantasy that skillfully blends genres, The Incompetent Hero: Volume 1 by Douglas L. Thomas is a bold opening salvo for a high-octane series.

Summoned along with six other honored heroes to the Kingdom of Aschheim, Echo 1 – a living weapon of war – wakes to find himself with a jewel-encrusted shield stubbornly attached to his arm, and an epic destiny to fulfill. In the face of obliteration by a legion of demons, the First Princess of Aschheim has called on heroes of legend to lead their desperate cause, with the promise of fame and fortune should […]

2024-06-18T12:38:17+02:00June 18th, 2024|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: |

Additional Attendee by Josh Harper

Additional Attendee by Josh Harper

A sarcastic and self-aware whodunit by Josh Harper, Additional Attendee is a smart, snarky, and satisfying high-rise mystery. A self-involved elder millennial named Paul is determined to catch his cheating wife in the act, but after finding a corpse, rather than a tryst, he ends up as a prime suspect in the suspected suitor’s murder. To complicate matters, Paul’s adulterous wife is missing, his lobby attendant crush is acting suspicious, and his tepid career as an actor makes it hard for the authorities to believe anything he says. Neurotic narration, gleefully cartoonish characters, and a twisting plot make this first […]

2024-06-18T16:36:20+02:00June 18th, 2024|Categories: Editorial Reviews|

The Tapestry of Science by V.G. Kumar Das

The Tapestry of Science by V.G. Kumar Das

Encouraging a holistic synthesis of revolutionary ideas from the cutting-edge frontiers of modern research, The Tapestry of Science: A Multidisciplinary Review of Fundamental and Contemporary Topics by V.G. Kumar Das is a cross-sectional review of today’s most exciting fields, and a prophetic glimpse at essential and inevitable technologies to come. From timely subjects like potable water scarcity and zoonotic pandemics to renewable energy advancements and nanomaterial development, this is an accessible guide to high-level concepts delivered in an engaging and curiosity-sparking form, driven by an abiding sense of fascination with each topic. Unlike the droning pace of many textbooks, this […]

2024-06-18T11:16:44+02:00June 17th, 2024|Categories: Editorial Reviews|

Review: The Black Wall of Silence Part II by George H. Butcher III

The Black Wall of Silence Part II by George Butcher

The second installment of an eye-opening “Nonfiction Horror Story,” The Black Wall of Silence Part II: The Judiciary’s Immorality, Cruelty, and Arrogance About Corruption by George H. Butcher III is another relentless dive into the implicit corruption of America’s federal judiciary, including the very highest levels.

This damning indictment gives evidence for a purported secret judicial code of conduct that is used to protect corrupt judges, and the prime beneficiary of this shadowy umbrella of protection is not just the corruption, but the reputation and outsized control of the broader judiciary itself. Butcher explores in detail how federal district court […]

2024-07-26T15:12:47+02:00June 17th, 2024|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: |
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