Book Reviews | Self-Publishing Review

Review: Ties that Bind by Debbie White

Ties that Bind by Debbie White is the moving and epic novel about a woman trying to uncover her past in order to understand herself. Pat has a sense of gnawing dissatisfaction in her life given that she’s adopted and never met her birth parents. Her children are deprived of extended family and Pat is deprived of answers. When she seeks out to find answers to all her questions, she finds a hidden contentment she didn’t know she had.

Pat is a wonderfully engaging and comforting presence in the book. Even when White is describing her hardships, Pat has a […]

Lysa Grant2019-02-11T09:21:01+02:00March 24th, 2016|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Women's Fiction Book Reviews|

Review: Edge the Bare Garden by Roseanne Cheng

★★★★½

Edge the Bare Garden by Roseanne Cheng is a wonderful instructional novel for teens.

Agnes hasn’t had an easy life. Even though she’s young, her daily life has been filled with taunts by her peers, reinforcing the belief that she doesn’t belong.

An opportunity arises for Agnes to seek revenge online. Can her actions be justified? Forgiven? More to the point, in today’s online world, who should be held responsible when individuals can hide their identity?

Roseanne Cheng is a teacher and founder of the website, Teachable Lit, which is dedicated to books and reviews that instruct young minds. […]

T B Markinson2020-02-21T05:54:31+02:00March 24th, 2016|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Young Adult Book Reviews|

Review: The Case of the Mona Lisa (The Amulet of Amser Book 1) by Yvonne Jones

★★★★½ The Case of the Mona Lisa (The Amulet of Amser Book 1) by Yvonne Jones

The Case of the Mona Lisa by Yvonne Jones is a lively and inventive beginning to The Amulet of Amser series for children, aimed at 5 to 7-year-olds. On a visit to his grandfather’s house, Wen is told of an old family secret that he’s now ready to hear: members of his family can travel back in time.

What’s more, Wen’s family is tasked with saving priceless works of art that have been stolen throughout history. Wen’s first task is to rescue the Mona Lisa in 1911 – a theft that really happened, which added to the painting’s aura. […]

Lysa Grant2016-04-07T04:33:58+02:00March 24th, 2016|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Children's Book Reviews|

Review: Outpost (The Fylking Book One) by F.T. McKinstry

Outpost (The Fylking Book One) by F.T. McKinstry

Math is a world of cosmic connections. The Fylking, an immortal race of warriors from the Otherworld, use a series of gates to travel to and from their outposts in this realm. The kingdoms of Math, specifically Dyrregin, serve as garrisons in the Fylking’s interdimensional war with their ancient enemy, the Niflsekt. Humans are generally oblivious to the larger struggle into which their world has been involved. The Wardens, a guild of solitary wanderers, are the exception. Long ago, the Fylking made a pact with the original Wardens, in which the Wardens swore to maintain the portal gates for the […]

Dakota Kemp2021-07-28T02:26:08+02:00March 24th, 2016|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Fantasy Book Reviews|

Review: The Hidden Monastery (The Last Prophecy Series Book 1) by E. J. Dawson

★★★★½ The Hidden Monastery by E. J. Dawson

The Hidden Monastery: The Last Prophecy Series Book 1 by E. J. Dawson is an exciting start to what promises to be a creative and intellectual steampunk series.

Captain Katarina Salisbury of the airship the Iron Lady is also a propaganda tool for the Illisian government. Her latest assignment, to rescue villagers from impending avalanches in the Drezusk Mountains, seems straightforward, until Kat finds out she’ll be escorting nobles on her ship, threatening to take away the media attention from the captain. The trip changes drastically when their efforts to steer an avalanche exposes the entrance to a […]

T B Markinson2016-04-08T04:08:28+02:00March 24th, 2016|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Fantasy Book Reviews, Steampunk Book Reviews|

Review: La Strada Da Seguire: The Road to Follow by Susan Toscan

★★★★

La Strada Da Seguire: The Road to Follow by Susan Toscan is an emotional historical fiction novel that sweeps you back in time.

Susan Toscan, inspired by her own family history, has created a breathtaking tale that takes place in Australia and Italy. In the 1930s, families in Griffin, New South Wales, are popping up in a farming district. Italian immigrants have moved in bursting with ambition, knowledge, and commitment. News from Europe, though, is unsettling. While many are still reeling from World War I it becomes clear that another war is on the horizon. Families will be torn […]

T B Markinson2016-04-06T03:49:52+02:00March 24th, 2016|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Historical Fiction Book Reviews, World War II Book Reviews|

Review: Pages in the Wind by Sally Saylor De Smet

★★★★★ Pages in the Wind by Sally De Smet

Pages in the Wind by Sally Saylor De Smet is a page-turning psychological thriller that grabs the reader’s attention right from the start.

Emily Quinn is detained at the San Francisco County Jail after the brutal murder of her father. She has no memory of the murder or of her past. Her mother hires a world-renowned psychiatrist to help Emily recover her memories and to aid in her defense.

While under hypnosis Emily recovers countless painful revelations and family secrets. Can Emily uncover the whole truth?

The premise of the novel promises a dark and gritty story. And the […]

T B Markinson2016-04-06T04:21:43+02:00March 24th, 2016|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Psychological Thriller Book Reviews, Thriller Book Reviews|

Review: The Emergence of One American Nation by Donald J. Fraser

The Emergence of One American Nation by Donald J. Fraser.

In the divided political climate of modern America, it’s time to look back at the differences, and the similarities, to the early days of the truly United States of America. In The Emergence of One American Nation by Donald J. Fraser, the spotlight is on the days of the founding fathers, their concordances, their bitter disagreements, their unions, and their separations. A new Constitution, and a new country, is born from the ashes of disparity. The history is laid out in simple terms, within the wider context of the Revolutionary War, the drafting of the Declaration of Independence, and the […]

James Grimsby2023-06-30T17:21:55+02:00March 23rd, 2016|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: History Book Reviews, Non-Fiction Book Reviews|