Book Reviews | Self-Publishing Review

Review: When It Rained at Hembry Castle by Meredith Allard

★★★★★

Meredith Allard describes her usual style as “Historical Fiction with a Twist.” This should give any readers new to her work a good clue as to what to expect from her latest novel, When It Rained at Hembry Castle.

Set in Victorian England, the story follows the fortunes of an aristocratic family who are left holding the fort when the 8th Earl of Staton dies. In contrast to them, Edward Ellis – the unlikely hero of the story – is an aspiring writer in the mold of a young Charles Dickens (and incidentally his grandparents happen to be […]

Helen Chenaf2016-04-27T04:00:17+02:00April 6th, 2016|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Historical Fiction Book Reviews|

Review: Smart by Joel Mentmore

★★★★

Smart by Joel Mentmore provides a tangled knot of conspiracy, technology and corporate intrigue.

Armed with a bizarre cast of characters and a twisted knot of a plot, Smart definitely lives up to its name. While there were a few weak points and the occasional stumble in continuity, the rabbit hole of this strange narrative is too fascinating to avoid. The ambitiously complex plot, full of shadowy goons, threatening government agents, artificially intelligent (homicidal?) technology and backdoor business interests, is the strong foundation of this truly riveting and prescient ride.

Jon has gone missing, his sister Jac is on […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2020-02-21T06:40:10+02:00April 6th, 2016|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Thriller Book Reviews|

Review: Tangled Shadows by Xavier Richards

★★★

Tangled Shadows by Xavier Richards is a dark, brutal, and self-reflective novel of modern life.

For readers seeking a painstakingly honest, post-modern crawl through the life and times of a nearly lost soul, Tangled Shadows is an excellent choice. However, for those expecting a traditional narrative with peaks, valleys, growth, and a satisfying conclusion, it might be best to look elsewhere. Xavier Richards delivers a probing and thought-provoking look into a listless and seemingly depressed man, Alex, who is caught in the sludge of Chicago’s millennial class – broke, alone, uncertain of the future, and relatively certain that he […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2016-04-11T04:18:27+02:00April 5th, 2016|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Contemporary Fiction Book Reviews|

Review: The Ghost Chronicles by Marlo Berliner

★★★★½

Life isn’t fair, and neither is the afterlife. When Michael Andrews dies in a tragic accident he leaves behind a loving family, a girlfriend, and his burgeoning career on the basketball court. Doomed to wander the earth, Michael is left wondering what keeps him attached to the earthly domain. Enter Sarah, another lost soul who found herself stranded like Michael in similarly tragic circumstances. When feelings develop between the two, their afterlives begin to spiral into a chaos of forbidden passions and demonic pursuit.

Will Michael and Sarah find their way into the great beyond, become claimed by the […]

James Grimsby2020-02-21T07:15:34+02:00April 5th, 2016|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Paranormal Romance Book Reviews|

Review: This Madness of the Heart by Blair Yeatts

★★★★

This Madness of the Heart by Blair Yeatts is a gothic mystery introducing Miranda Lamden, a professor of religion and investigator of the paranormal. In her small college town in Eastern Kentucky, the Grace and Glory Bible College is taking over the town, led by the maniacal preacher, Jasper Jarboe. JJ is going to spiritual war with nonbelievers and a series of deaths follow in his wake, and Miranda needs to stop his influence, which could grow even more sinister.

Miranda Lamden is an exciting basis for a series, given her interests and intelligence. She’s erudite and authentic – […]

Lysa Grant2016-04-19T03:58:05+02:00April 5th, 2016|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Mystery Book Reviews, Paranormal Book Reviews|

Review: Addicted to Love by Kathleen Murray

★★★½

Addicted to Love by Kathleen Murray is a new adult novel that explores the concept of learning to accept oneself.

Sally Smithfield lives in a Chicago North Shore suburb in the 1970s. The novel chronicles Sally’s life from childhood to her adult years showing the devastating and long-lasting effects of child abuse, family secrets, love, and loss.

The author is quite ambitious in this new adult novel. Set in the seventies, Murray drops enough film and song titles and historical references to transport the reader back in time. She does this seamlessly without bonking the reader over the head […]

T B Markinson2019-01-24T19:47:33+02:00April 5th, 2016|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: New Adult Book Reviews, Romance Book Reviews|

Review: Schism by Britt Holewinski

In the year 2017, a government-manufactured virus accidentally leaks into the wider population, and the world is brought to its knees. Claiming almost the entirety of Earth’s population, it seems the only ones spared from the epidemic are children. As Andy Christensen and her friends travel from Bermuda back to their homes in North America, they find the new Wild West that has emerged in the destructive wake of the virus, and must venture with newfound friends to find a new home in Schism by Britt Holewenski.

As an initial conceit, the concept isn’t entirely realistic or original, borrowing ideas […]

James Grimsby2019-02-11T07:02:03+02:00April 3rd, 2016|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Apocalyptic Fiction Book Reviews, Dystopian Fiction Book Reviews|

Review: Coinman by Pawan Mishra

★★★★

Coinman: An Untold Conspiracy by Pawan Mishra is a quirky, heartfelt novel about finding your identity – and keeping it.

The search for personal fulfillment is a lifelong journey for most, and along the way, it is necessary to establish the identity you want, the work you cherish, the people you respect, and the love you deserve. In Pawan Mishra’s oddly charming novel, readers are welcomed into the strangely neurotic, passionate, and unfulfilled existence of Coinman, a simple office worker with a jangling passion for coins.

The title of the book suggests this slightly odd premise, but the majority […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2016-04-15T02:29:44+02:00March 31st, 2016|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Contemporary Fiction Book Reviews|