Book Reviews | Self-Publishing Review

Review: The Authentic You by Kristina M. Holle

The Authentic You by Kristina M. Holle

A human resources coach, Kristina M. Holle, has devised an original method for developing our finest qualities by looking into our emotional and psychological self-image, in The Authentic You: Unleash Your Leadership Potential.

A curious mixture of self-help and business manual, Holle combines some familiar self-help tenets with the tenets of leadership and management, which are often held separate. As one might behave much differently in an office environment than at home or with friends, it can be difficult to meld these two “selves” together, so Holle takes an interesting approach to this conflict.

Holle asserts that just as […]

SPR2021-06-15T09:05:39+02:00April 20th, 2021|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Leadership Book Reviews, Self-Help Book Reviews|

Review: In the Company of Wolves by Erick W. Nason

In the Company of Wolves by Erick W. Nason

Melding fact and imagination, author Erick W. Nason provides vivid scenes of warfare and snippets of the daily lives of America’s earliest settlers in In the Company of Wolves: The New Campaigns of Ranger Captain Jacob Clarke, an impressively detailed and entertaining work of historical fiction.

Having arrived in the continent of North America in the 1700s, both French and English colonials have territorial claims. By mid-century, the zeal to acquire more lands drives the two nations into war. As part of their defense, a stalwart band of special British operatives is formed. Roger’s Rangers are intrepid, fearless, and […]

SPR2021-04-14T00:38:25+02:00April 13th, 2021|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Historical Fiction Book Reviews|

Review: Through a Forest of Stars by David C. Jeffrey

Through a Forest of Stars by David Jeffrey

Author David C. Jeffrey plunges readers into a grim and gorgeous future for humanity in Through a Forest of Stars. Following in the astral footsteps of legendary sci-fi world-builders, this first installment of the Space Unbound series is an original and thrilling space drama.

Since humanity’s epic discovery of voidoids – portals to other solar systems – the species’ fingers have spread through the stars, though there is a mysterious limit to this new era of exploration. Despite this revelatory shift in the 22nd century, “bound space” seems to be an endless sea of dead moons and planets, but […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2021-06-21T03:27:49+02:00April 8th, 2021|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Science Fiction Book Reviews|

Review: Pike’s Potential by John J Spearman

Pike's Potential by John Spearman

Three multi-system empires collide in Pike’s Potential, an immersive military space thriller by veteran author John J Spearman.

Commander Pike of the Planetary Alliance, a leader with a star on the rise, must navigate the opening moves of a complex cosmic battlefield as the different factions of the human diaspora once again clash in an epic war. Balancing classic political machinations with naval maneuvering and battles edging towards the speed of light, this novel may be science fiction, but it has a firm base in a reality that military fiction readers will enjoy.

Though the swashbuckling in this novel […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2022-04-11T09:33:44+02:00April 5th, 2021|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Science Fiction Book Reviews|

Review: Looking for Tennessee Williams by George Sanchez

Looking for Tennessee Williams by George Sanchez

Author George Sanchez crafts an epic tale of romance, history, and New Orleans in Looking for Tennessee Williams. In this richly envisioned and expansive novel, a cast of collegiate actors make their way to the Big Easy for a theatre festival in the early 1960s, navigating the politically charged landscape of the South, as well as their own internal dramas, betrayals, and desires.

Told in exceptional detail, this novel roughly spans a month in the autumn of 1963, though the majority takes place over only a week – the same infamous week when an assassin in Dallas changed the […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2021-06-07T02:45:40+02:00April 5th, 2021|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Historical Fiction Book Reviews|

Review: Once A Man Indulges by Tony Kelsey

Once A Man Indulges by Tony Kelsey

Wartime loyalty, dangerous dames, and mountain mobsters collide in Once a Man Indulges, a PI thriller from the meticulous pen of author Tony Kelsey.

This neo-noir tale is set in post-war 1949, when ongoing survival was far from promised, and the soldiers who had come back were often scarred in ways too complex to explain. An unexpected reunion with a past military mentor sends Harry Thorpe, rough-around-the-edges private detective, spiraling into the dark depths of Denver’s seediest realms, in this gritty blend of mystery and history.

Harry Thorpe is both original and familiar – a scarred protagonist with a […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2021-06-02T08:54:36+02:00April 1st, 2021|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Detective Fiction Book Reviews, Noir Book Reviews|

Review: Braving the World by Pam Saylor

Braving the World by Pam Saylor

A dynamic couple decide to make retirement a gateway to shared overseas adventures in Braving the World: Adventures in Travel and Retirement by Pam Saylor.

This engaging memoir covers all the highs and lows of an ambitious stay abroad. Pam and her husband Dave each had areas of expertise and both were highly detail-oriented, which would be crucial to the year-long escape they envisioned, the “bel sogno,” the beautiful dream: a year in Italy, half in Rome, half in Venice. Before they could leave they had to rent out their home, find a year-long dog sitter, sell their cars, store […]

SPR2021-05-25T04:14:55+02:00March 31st, 2021|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Travel Book Reviews|

Review: The Dragon’s Zenith by Jason F. Boggs

The Dragon's Zenith by Jason F. Boggs

Strap in for a nonstop cosmic ride in The Dragon’s Zenith, the final book in the Dragon Trilogy by author Jason F. Boggs. Wrapping up a galaxy’s worth of loose ends in style, this novel delivers an ultimate showdown loyal readers may not be expecting, as well as unexpected new allies, strange alien worlds, and that engaging blend of fantasy and sci-fi that this series has done so well from the start.

With the world-building basics and character exposition out of the way, this third and final novel dives right into the action, as well as the personal entanglements. Alene […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2021-05-04T03:37:42+02:00March 30th, 2021|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Fantasy Book Reviews|