Book Reviews | Self-Publishing Review

Review: Paper Castles by Terri Lee

Paper Castles by Terri Lee

The year is 1963. The American dream has begun to definitely show its ragged edges, and in sunny Georgia the manicured gardens kept prim and proper on lavish manor grounds reflect the lives of the listless housewives cloistered within. Savannah Palmerton had dreams once, but now she is a specter of a woman, drifting from social engagement to social engagement, with nothing in her life between the forced smiles and empty chatter of afternoon teas and garden parties.

After all, when the girl gets everything she ever dreamed of, the story always ends right there, before the stagnation of such […]

Naka Jackson2019-02-11T09:20:37+02:00August 25th, 2016|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Women's Fiction Book Reviews|

Review: Simple Simon by William Poe

★★★★★ Simple Simon by William Poe

“Cocaine overtook the lives of many people in the 1980s. That seemed especially true in the Hollywood gay scene, where I was something of a fixture in the bars, especially the seedy ones.”

Simon Powell has lived a life of many regrets – one of religious engagement and chemical addiction; of Hollywood dreams and cold nights on concrete streets, of love and loss, and the harsh bounce back from rock-bottom. Simon is a gay man from Arkansas who’s seen it all, and it’s taken its toll. Recovering from his near-fatal addiction, he worked towards a healthier existence through rehab […]

James Grimsby2019-10-04T06:34:20+02:00August 24th, 2016|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Contemporary Fiction Book Reviews, LGBTQI+ Book Reviews|

Review: In the Presence of Wolves by Erick Nason

★★★★½

In the Presence of Wolves: The Adventures of Ranger Jacob Clarke by Erick Nason is a rugged and action-packed adventure.

As military history in America goes, the French and Indian War is perhaps the least discussed, but as Erick Nason so expertly depicts in his novel, In the Presence of Wolves, it was truly a fascinating time in American history. Approximately two decades before the Revolutionary War broke out, America had a very different battle to fight – one against the French and their Indian compatriots. This novel is set in the lush upper forests of New York, […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2016-09-05T10:05:35+02:00August 23rd, 2016|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Historical Fiction Book Reviews|

Review: Radio Sphere by Devin terSteeg

★★★★★ Radio Sphere by Devin terSteeg

In the not-so-distant future of “20XX,” the world has changed dramatically. Human innovation has advanced far beyond our ability to truly stay in-touch with the latest news and technology, leading to a social stagnation of endless consumption. We have greatly elongated lives, and yet we have so much more to experience; we’re a progressive society, progressed beyond our limits.

It should have been obvious humans were weak, and now it’s too late.

When human foolishness brings an abrupt end to our golden age of technology, an alien force dramatically alters the Earth in fantastic, unknowable ways. Our world is […]

James Grimsby2016-09-29T08:26:58+02:00August 20th, 2016|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Science Fiction Book Reviews|

Review: Strangers I Have Known by Melissa Kotler Schwartz

★★★★★

When people think back on the story of their lives, the “main characters” are typically family members, friends, lovers, children, co-workers and the myriad other people who receive Christmas cards or occasional texts. However, a large portion of our time as human beings consists of interactions with strangers. In Strangers I Have Known by Melissa Kotler Schwartz, the author takes readers on a journey through her everyday life, not depicting the time spent with family and friends, but rather her tiny interactions with cashiers, locals, passers-by and one-conversation friends that act as the glue tying all of humanity together.[…]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2019-01-22T15:12:12+02:00August 17th, 2016|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Memoir Book Reviews, Non-Fiction Book Reviews, Social Science Book Reviews|

A Journey with Panic by Dr. James Manning & Dr. Nicola Ridgeway

A Journey with Panic: With the Latest Advice on How to Stop Panic Symptoms Using CBT is one of the latest of a series of books by Dr. James Manning and Dr. Nicola Ridgeway that aims to use the principles of CBT – cognitive-behavioral therapy – in self-help guides to various common problems, both in normal day-to-day experiences and for those who suffer from more severe symptoms. CBT is a therapeutic approach that asks those taking part in it to self-examine, self-confront, and address their bad habits, thoughts, and behaviors in hopes of setting their minds and habits to a […]

James Grimsby2019-02-19T15:30:05+02:00August 16th, 2016|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Non-Fiction Book Reviews, Psychology Book Reviews, Self-Help Book Reviews|

Review: Constant Guests by Patricia Nedelea

★★★★½ Constant Guests by Patricia Nedelea

Isa would probably say she’s your average girl. Maybe it’s wishful thinking – with all the turbulence in her home and personal life, it’s easier to drown herself in the party scenes of Paris. Too bad for Isa the unusual circumstances of her birth come crashing into her life as her biological mother – the one she only just found out about, no less – dies in front of her without a word.

Confronted with some uncomfortable truths, the unusual event urges Isa to find more, and into a mystery that her mother was willing to die to solve, […]

Naka Jackson2016-08-17T04:47:29+02:00August 16th, 2016|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Fantasy Book Reviews|

Review: The Cherry House by C.J. Carlyon

★★★★½

Austen Soren is a young girl – a woman, really – returning home to the scenic valley that her and her sister once grew up in together. Now, with her sister Bronte getting married, Austen is made to face the one thing she hasn’t found in her months of travel: love. All around her – friends, family, neighbours – seem to be getting lucky, at least, but not Austen.

But not for long, when the well-off inheritor of the local estate, Cashel Drai, crosses paths with the unassuming Austen, and with a little push, Austen realises what they’ve all […]

Naka Jackson2016-09-07T07:35:00+02:00August 12th, 2016|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Romance Book Reviews|