John Staughton, Senior Reviewer | Self-Publishing Review

Review: Utopia? by R.A. Rowlingson

Author R.A. Rowlingson launches readers into an eerily familiar dystopian world with Utopia? The titular megacity may be a last bastion of humanity bulging behind massive walls, but there are dangerous powers growing both within and without, in this sinister work of speculative fiction.

The masses of the Commune outside the walls are beginning to realize that fighting amongst themselves isn’t the way forward, while the political stability within Utopia is being offered up to the highest bidder. In a shifting landscape of power brokers, blackmailers, and infiltrators, the smoking man and the pixelated man villainously vie for control of […]

Review: The Voice in My Head is an A**hole by Darryl Blake

Author Darryl Blake offers raw words of wisdom on our lifelong inner conversation in The Voice in My Head is an Asshole: How to Tame Your Inner Critic. Utilizing personal anecdotes along with research in the realm of psychology and neuroscience, this tongue-in-cheek guru delivers a matter-of-fact masterclass on mastering your own mind.

The title of this book may come off as aggressive, but it reflects the dangerous and widespread condition of negative self-talk and a lack of self-love in the modern world. Current events seem to be perennially overwhelming, and after two years of a pandemic, increasing climate […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2022-03-17T07:51:46+02:00February 24th, 2022|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Self-Help Book Reviews|

Review: Reflection (The Lenka Trilogy Book 3) by John Righten

Closing out The Lenka Trilogy with a nail-biter, author John Righten delivers yet another smart and adventurous thriller with Reflection. All of the lessons, enemies, losses, and sacrifices of a mysterious and selfless Irish heroine come to a head in a dangerous race against a Christmastime clock.

Lenka Brett remains as indomitable and entertaining as ever, taking up a tall task in South America to deliver essential medical supplies amidst a landscape of violence and outright corruption. The wear and tear of her previous two missions have clearly taken their toll on Lenka, both physically and emotionally, but […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2022-02-23T03:22:12+02:00February 19th, 2022|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: International Thriller Book Reviews, Thriller Book Reviews|

Thomas Jefferson: Family Secrets by William G. Hyland Jr.

A rarely told chapter in the life of an American legend, Thomas Jefferson: Family Secrets by William G. Hyland Jr. is a revelatory look into post-presidential life – a detailed and enthralling peek at the man and his experiences, but also the ongoing state of the young nation.

Most Americans have some image, opinion, or high-school recollection of Thomas Jefferson, but this biographical tome offers a different glimpse into his life, focusing on a less-discussed era of the 3rd US president. Charming scenes of high-ranking visitors arriving at Monticello to find barefoot children underfoot give the aging president a humanness […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2022-02-17T07:56:13+02:00February 17th, 2022|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Biography Book Reviews, History Book Reviews|

Review: Academy Award Winning Movies 1928-2020 by Diane Holloway Cheney

Author Diane Holloway Cheney celebrates her clear passion for cinematic history and keen skill as a researcher in Academy Award Winning Movies 1928-2020: How Movies Have Changed Through the Years. With a confident and knowledgeable pen, Cheney hosts a historic rundown of the legendary Academy Awards ceremonies, overflowing with backstage insights that will pull in any lover of the silver screen.

Ideal for movie lovers who like to have a bit more background info or even Hollywood gossip to inform the cinematic experience, this book connects the dots in movie history, without getting bogged down in too many of the […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2022-03-15T01:31:57+02:00February 16th, 2022|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: History Book Reviews, Hollywood for Authors|

Review: Your Little Big You Adventure by L. Owen Paxton

Author L. Owen Paxton delivers an uplifting and invigorating map for personal progress with Your Little Big You Adventure: The Secret to Discovering Your Enlightened Life. Drawing on ancient wisdom, philosophical traditions, and modern revelations regarding human psychology, this book encourages readers to live in their true identity by shifting their perspective to uncover their full potential.

Where this book veers away from traditional discussions about “enlightenment” is that it focuses on the enlightened self that already exists within each of us – our inner child, our most innocent self, our playful id. The idea is that within our […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2022-02-17T05:19:25+02:00February 16th, 2022|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Self-Help Book Reviews|

Review: Gloryland Reprise by Drew Signor

Take an entrancing journey through the wild and wickedly beautiful world of Arizona in Gloryland Reprise: Walking the Arizona Wilderness and the Spiritual Implications of Landscape, a touching ode to the road by author Drew Signor. Detailing dozens of mountain ranges, backcountry journeys, tiny towns, unexpected detours, and unforgettable characters along the way, this eclectic read is a testament to a windblown life well lived.

As Signor explains in the introduction, “In my imagination, all my roads are headed west,” and his years of yarn-worthy trips certainly follow that trajectory. Drawing on the tradition of great wanderers, and the […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2022-03-09T08:45:55+02:00February 14th, 2022|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Travel Book Reviews|

Review: FitzDuncan’s Enlightenment by John Spearman

Author John Spearman offers a whip-smart installment to his sword-swinging series with FitzDuncan’s Enlightenment, a savagely clever and entertaining adventure.

Still reeling from his last adventure with the broken nose and bruises to show for it, Casimir FitzDuncan plunges directly into his next job, one that will also involve Lucy, his “betrothed and beloved.” Caz’s reputation as a finder of lost things and a messenger of unusual retribution has spread to the highest halls of power in Aquileia, including the king, queen, and crown prince. Far superseding the status of his birth, they royally task him to accompany the […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2022-03-08T09:30:40+02:00February 14th, 2022|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Action and Adventure Book Reviews, Historical Fiction Book Reviews|