Book Reviews | Self-Publishing Review

Review: The Chemist (Daniel Strong Book 1) by Alan J. Field

★★★★ The Chemist (Daniel Strong Book 1) by Alan Field

The high-stakes world of global politics and espionage is packed with stories just waiting to be told, and Alan Field spins an incredible tale of this covert underbelly in The Chemist. For fans of the thriller genre, this book delivers in every way imaginable, from smart dialogue and protagonists with dark pasts to dangerous vixens and an endless array of secrets.

From the very first chapter, readers feel the tension building, and with every successive page, the plot becomes more and more complex. Field is a patient architect, however, and understands the value of making readers wait for […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2016-12-07T07:52:22+02:00November 28th, 2016|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Thriller Book Reviews|

Review: The Evolving Peacemaker: A Commitment to Nonviolence by Leona Evans with Matthew J. Evans

The Evolving Peacemaker by Leona Evans

It is rare for a book to seem “perfect” for an era or moment in history, and while the concept of nonviolence is far from modern, The Evolving Peacemaker is a book desperately needed by the present generation. Author Leona Evans takes a wise and comprehensive look at every angle of nonviolence – from protests and politics to peace and personal reflection. For anyone who is unfamiliar with the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi, which was furthered by historical figures like Martin Luther King and others, this book is essential reading.

It is an intensely personal book, and the author reflects […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2019-02-11T09:49:22+02:00November 28th, 2016|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Non-Fiction Book Reviews, Social Science Book Reviews|

Review: Emperor Norton’s Treasure Hunt by William Durkin and Shayne Durkin

★★★★★ Emperor Norton's Treasure Hunt by William Durkin and Shayne Durkin

In 1955, a year when the American Dream was fresh and alive, the San Francisco Chronicle had stiff competition to remain in business amidst the city’s infamous newspaper wars. Under tremendous pressure to succeed, an idea is born – like a diamond from coal: a treasure hunt. Not just any treasure hunt, but a treasure hunt of the ages. With clues to be given and real-life locations to visit, readers would fight tooth-and-nail across the city to find Emperor Norton’s lost prize… if it exists at all. With colorful characters both human and animal alike, follow along with this […]

James Grimsby2019-02-11T08:36:01+02:00November 28th, 2016|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Children's Book Reviews, Middle Grade Fiction Book Reviews|

Review: The Black River Chronicles: Level One by David Tallerman and Michael Wills

★★★★

Finding a unique angle in a new fantasy series can be difficult, and creativity remains the most important element in the genre. In The Black River Chronicles: Level One (Black River Academy Book 1) by David Tallerman and Michael Wills, readers are fortunate to find a brand new world filled with recognizable characters – or at least classes – and a heartfelt tale of growth and friendship. It’s a keen mixture of the familiar and the innovative.

For anyone who has ever played a role-playing game, the concepts of leveling up and choosing a class are very familiar, but […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2017-02-17T05:39:57+02:00November 27th, 2016|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Fantasy Book Reviews|

Review: A Pyre of Roses by Roland P. Joseph

Michael Attzs is a man with no past. He has but a flash of memory of a man leaving him in an orphanage in a Trinidadian village under the iron rule of Catholicism and colonialism, but this is all he has of his childhood. When his wife and child are brutally killed, a mysterious stranger wants to finger him for their deaths. Even police procedural documents show different events, while secrets and lies hide the truth – but why? Things get really strange when he marries a woman that seems to have just as little past as he does, and […]

Cate Baum2019-02-11T09:09:45+02:00November 23rd, 2016|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Mystery Book Reviews|

Review: Winter (A Crow Creek Novel) by Thomas Drago

★★★★★

With the third installment of the Crow Creek series, author Thomas Drago brings yet another high-octane story arc to his fans. After the Red Queen has been brought down, Amanda Simmons has rebuilt Carolina Entech, the corporation that built alliances with Carolina Energy and even the US Army. Now she’s hoping to bring back a powerful nuclear air carrier by harnessing the power of the sun. But things are about to get very weird very quickly, and yet again Sheriff Gleason of Crow Creek is going to have a fight on his hands – with mortality, this time in […]

James Grimsby2019-01-22T05:45:35+02:00November 23rd, 2016|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Horror Book Reviews, Paranormal Book Reviews|

Review: Molto Mayhem by Deanne Wilsted

Molto Mayhem by Deanne Wilsted

Molto Mayhem is a romantic family-set story based around Lucia, freshly-returned to Tuscany from her new home in San Francisco, now hoping to spend time with her extended family, namely her slightly crazy aunt Christina and uncle Gianni, and a strange British guy called Aiden with whom she finds herself wandering dilapidated buildings in search of abandoned religious icons.

As in Eat, Pray, Love, the Italian flavor of this book lies in the crumbling herbs and baking of her uncle’s cooking, and the drifting beauty of the Tuscan landscape, and readers are going to find themselves salivating at the […]

Lysa Grant2019-02-11T09:20:27+02:00November 22nd, 2016|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Women's Fiction Book Reviews|

Review: Time is for Dragonflies and Angels by J.M. Erickson

★★★★

Time is for Dragonflies and Angels, the new book from sci fi author J.M. Erickson is a collection of short stories in the tradition of the classic science fiction writing compendiums, evoking well-loved writers such as Aldous Huxley and George Orwell, with clear influences from other giants of the genre as we go along.

This is more directly apparent in some stories over others, such as Neurogenesis which is a riff on the ending of Flowers for Algernon, or To See Behind Walls using The Secret Life of Walter Mitty as its key inspiration. It gives the […]