Book Reviews | Self-Publishing Review

Review: After This…An Inspirational Journey for All the Wrong Reasons by Marcus Engel

Marcus Engel was only 18 years old when, as a well-liked sports student on a night out, the car he was in collided broadside with a drunk driver, flinging him from the vehicle and causing eye injuries so severe he lost his sight completely. This book is his autobiographical work describing the journey to accept blindness at the peak of his youth, and the tremendous lessons Marcus learns as he struggles with the inevitable truth: he will now live without sight for the rest of his life.

From the outset, it is clear Marcus is a talented storyteller. He is […]

Cate Baum2020-02-21T07:38:06+02:00September 26th, 2012|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Self-Help Book Reviews|

Review: Ambril’s Tale: The Return of the Dailluth by Wendy D. Walter

Any mention of the fantasy genre these days brings to mind Harry Potter, particularly if school-age magic workers just discovering their talents are involved. However, it is worth noting that J.K. Rowling didn’t invent child wizards, schools of witchcraft, or many of the familiar tropes of the Harry Potter series. She simply worked in a tradition that goes back a long way. She did it beautifully, of course, but so did many before her, including Ursula K. Le Guin, Susan Cooper, and Diana Wynne Jones.

With Ambril’s Tale, Wendy D. Walter has made her first contribution to this […]

Avery Hurt2012-09-25T15:57:42+02:00September 25th, 2012|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Fantasy Book Reviews, Young Adult Book Reviews|

Review: From Particles and Disputations: Writings for Jeff by Philip D. Luing

Since the 80s when AIDS became rampant, its face has not changed. Its name, though not as raging in the headlines these days, has not been forgotten. What is different is each individual life it claims and the story of that life.

Philip Luing’s book, From Particles and Disputations, is the story of one of those lives lost – a celebration of Jeffrey Francis John Lalonde who succumbed to AIDS in 1994, twelve years after he met Philip. During their relationship, Philip liked to write down his thoughts and record their memories in brief passages and verse. This book is […]

shannonyarbrough2014-05-09T21:44:01+02:00September 21st, 2012|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Biography Book Reviews, Memoir Book Reviews|

Review: Of Saints and Sacred Shadows by Jason Dean

Every one warned her. All of them said that she should not look for Sebastian Sane. No one could tell Lina who or what Sebastian was exactly. But they all said to stay away. If she valued her life, don’t try to find him. If she did find him, she should never trust him. Lina, though, wasn’t the type to scare easily. Would her stubbornness get her killed?

Jason Dean’s novel, Of Saints and Sacred Shadows, is a mesmerizing story that involves angels, demons, vampires, witches, police detectives, heinous crimes, and so much more. When Detective Richardson starts his investigation […]

T B Markinson2019-01-22T05:46:53+02:00September 20th, 2012|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Horror Book Reviews, Paranormal Book Reviews, Thriller Book Reviews|

Review: Voodoo Gold by James H. Jenks

Imagine that you are nearing forty with a wife and kids. Now, envision that even though you aren’t a professional soldier, you’ve signed up more than once for the Army Reserves. The first time you signed the dotted line was to pay for school. Then you resigned to help pay the bills after college. What may have seemed like easy money has now landed you in the middle of a war.

Voodoo Gold, by James H Jenks, chronicles SSG Jenks’s (same name as the author) time in Iraq. Jenks doesn’t like to complain. He’s the guy who always tries […]

T B Markinson2019-01-22T17:55:54+02:00September 18th, 2012|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Contemporary Fiction Book Reviews, Men's Fiction Book Reviews|

Review: Secondhand Sight by Rocky Leonard

Dan Harper has a lot on his plate. He’s a computer programmer for Quick Pay and there is a glitch that he has to repair for one of his company’s clients within a week. His pregnant wife is in the hospital after fainting and hitting her head. He has a tennis tournament for the Atlanta Lawn Tennis Association (ALTA), which is the biggest recreational tennis league in the world. He plays doubles and Dan and his partner are one step away from reaching the A-1 level. This level would allow them to compete with former touring pros and college players. […]

T B Markinson2019-01-22T05:46:40+02:00September 17th, 2012|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Paranormal Book Reviews, Thriller Book Reviews|

Review: The Missing Portrait by Geraldine Glodek

The Missing Portrait by Geraldine Glodek tells the story of Mary Frances, her mother, five men, and Sharon, the young woman who may live today because Mary Frances had sex with four boys (she had expected three) in 1962 on the top floor of a former United Mineworkers building in a Pennsylvania coal town. The two omniscient narrators are rats, and they are adept at describing the towns in Pennsylvania and Maine, their people, history, and culture.

Mary Frances’ mother, Joyce, is obsessed with denying her daughter’s pregnancy, to the point of explaining that Mary Frances is missing one high […]

Elaine L. Orr2019-01-22T17:56:36+02:00September 14th, 2012|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Contemporary Fiction Book Reviews|

Review: Vision by Galen Snowden & Cathy Newcomb

The young girl looked back and merely nodded. “Mommy, where do monsters live?”

“You mean like Elmo?”

“No, real monsters.”

“Honey, there’re no such thing as real monsters. They’re just make believe.”

“There are,” she insisted. Madi leaned in, spoke in hushed tones. “I just saw one.”

Galen Snowden and Cathy Newcomb introduce an unlikely heroine named Madrigal, Madi for short, in their paranormal novel Vision. She’s not a typical woman in her early twenties. She’s shy, doesn’t have a lot of friends, and doesn’t have a family around. She helps run an all-female indie record label with her […]