John Staughton, Senior Reviewer | Self-Publishing Review

Review: Diane: True Survivor by Ward V.B. Lassoe

Diane: True Survivor by Ward V.B. Lassoe

A visceral and intensely personal memoir about trauma, resilience, forgiveness, and grace, Diane: True Survivor as told to Ward V.B. Lassoe is a portrait of heartbreaking fortitude.

Drawing readers through the tangled movements of Diane’s repeatedly fractured life, this is a vivid account of one woman’s determination to transcend the past, even with all the odds set against her. A detailed and thoroughly unflinching story, this dictated memoir looks at the situations forced upon her, poor choices she made and regretted, and moments of moral clarity that likely saved her life and any hope for a future.

Beginning with a […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2024-12-09T15:47:48+02:00December 9th, 2024|Categories: Book Reviews, Latest Book Reviews|Tags: Memoir Book Reviews|

Vinoda’s Vengeance by Naveen Sridhar

A historical drama set two millennia in the past, Vinoda’s Vengeance by Naveen Sridhar is a captivating Indo-Greek novel led by a fearless and unpredictable protagonist. When a humble but clever actress named Vinoda catches the interest of the kingdom’s royal family and the eye of the crown prince, her life is soon consumed by palace intrigue and the opportunity to take her theatrical aspirations to a whole new level. Moving smoothly in new circles of influence, Vinoda’s bold personality and philosophical wisdom make her a popular addition to the court, but closeness to kings and crowns can make anyone […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2024-12-05T15:43:31+02:00December 5th, 2024|Categories: Editorial Reviews|

Review: The Discovery of Magic by L. J. Evias

The Discovery of Magic by L.J. Evias

An archery champion and her unlikely fellowship are transported to a mystical realm in dire need of saving in The Discovery of Magic by L. J. Evias, the creative first novel in the Intrigue of Magic series.

Facing the prospect of moving away and leaving behind all she loves, Alice Harper is determined to win an archery scholarship and find a tangible reason to stay. However, when she and her pals stumble through a mysterious cave portal to another world, the extracurricular stakes get significantly higher. Separated upon their arrival, these five young travelers must navigate a highly divided world […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2024-12-05T12:47:30+02:00December 5th, 2024|Categories: Book Reviews, Latest Book Reviews|Tags: Fantasy Book Reviews|

A Lotus to Love by Shelley Kassian

A sumptuous international romance that tantalizes both the senses and the heartstrings, A Lotus to Love: Perfume, Passion and Discovery in Egypt by Shelley Kassian is an adventurous second-chance love story with a distinctly romantic backdrop. A savant of high-end scents, Portia is sent to Egypt to research a new perfume inspired by Cleopatra’s legendary recipe. Though she is still reeling from the shocking loss of her husband, she finds companionship in unexpected places, rekindling purpose and passion in her life, but some exotic elements may be too good to be true. Written with visceral and sensorial prose that brings […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2024-12-04T14:31:54+02:00December 4th, 2024|Categories: Editorial Reviews|

Review: The Remembering by Charles Paul Collins

The Remembering by Charles Paul Collins

A richly imagined family legacy set against the backdrop of a perpetually changing world, The Remembering: Of Leather and Stone by Charles Paul Collins blends fact and fiction into a compelling American saga.

Remarkable in scope, emotion, and timeliness, this fact-based novel depicts the shifting tides of American society as it moved through the horrors of the Civil War, the violent battles for labor rights across the country, disruptive technological revolutions, and the growing pains of a nation still wrestling with its racial and cultural identities, all through the lens of the author’s own family. Told through fabricated journal entries […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2024-12-03T14:30:31+02:00December 2nd, 2024|Categories: Book Reviews, Latest Book Reviews|Tags: Historical Fiction Book Reviews|

Tokyo Tempos by Michael Pronko

Tokyo Tempos by Michael Pronko An outpouring of well-penned admiration for the enigmatic architecture, music, philosophy, and denizens of Japan’s capital, Tokyo Tempos by Michael Pronko is an artful love letter to an inimitable city. His obvious reverence for Japan is clear, and he writes with a blend of humility and pride that only comes from deeply loving your chosen home.

Largely composed of articles and essays the author published while working as a writer and teacher in Tokyo, this collection of vignettes and brief stories is driven by the author’s perpetual curiosity and hunger for new experiences. Pronko, an American who has lived in […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2024-12-02T14:32:37+02:00December 2nd, 2024|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Travel Book Reviews|

Review: A Mage’s Path by I.L. Cruz

A Mage's Path by I.L. Cruz

The dramatic final installment of The Enchanted Isles series, A Mage’s Path by I.L. Cruz concludes this sweeping saga of magical revelation and selfless heroism.

Having left Canto behind, along with a heartbroken friend and the love of her life, Inez seeks out the mysterious Avo in the realm of Faery for guidance on remedying the many magical crises surrounding her. Inez’s mother remains trapped in a powerful cowrie shell and her increasingly accessible magic still feels too out of control to wield against the very real enemies that threaten her, let alone aid her quest to return magic to […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2024-12-02T19:11:21+02:00December 1st, 2024|Categories: Book Reviews, Latest Book Reviews|Tags: Fantasy Book Reviews|

Review: Divine in Essence by Yarrow Paisley

Divine in Essence by Yarrow Paisley

An irreverent and boundary-pushing collection of short stories, Divine in Essence by Yarrow Paisley is a burst of radical creativity with a heavy dose of darkness.

Playing artfully on the edge of perverse and profound, these tales descend into the casually macabre and disturbingly real, teetering between horror fiction and supernatural sci-fi. Each page brims with unearthly tales: a fever-afflicted daughter recounting visions from Hell to her mother, the soul of a young boy imprisoned in the dead eye of his father’s vexatious lover, the existential musings of a comedian’s corpse as it takes one more spin through the world, […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2024-11-26T13:12:07+02:00November 25th, 2024|Categories: Book Reviews, Latest Book Reviews|Tags: Horror Book Reviews, Short Stories Book Reviews|