Book Reviews | Self-Publishing Review

Review: Jack of Thorns (Inheritance Book 1) by A.K. Faulkner

Jack of Thorns (Inheritance Book 1) by A.K. Faulkner

Jack of Thorns by author A.K. Faulkner is a surprisingly complex and powerful novel that blends the bizarre with the brutally honest.

While many authors compromise plot integrity, character depth or meaningful social commentary in exchange for steamy scenes and snappy dialogue, this book steps away from that basic design. Still working as a fast and furious summer read, Faulkner also delivers a serious bit of writing that tackles subjects with real emotional weight.

After a lifetime of feeling like an outsider, Laurence Riley has slipped into a pattern of addiction, succumbing to temptation rather than facing the psychological turmoil […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2019-08-14T10:42:11+02:00August 12th, 2019|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: LGBTQI+ Book Reviews, Paranormal Romance Book Reviews|

Review: Chromatophobia by W.D. County

Chromatophobia by W.D. County

It feels like a struggle these days to find sci-fi or horror novels that don’t regurgitate old plot lines and rely on classic tropes to snag a bit of attention, but Chromatophobia, the new novel by author W.D. County, will cause fans of these genres to sit up and take notice.

After a childhood living on the edges, isolated by his grey vision of the world, Miles Reardon has found his sweet spot in the military, where he turns tragedy into triumph as a precise and renowned sniper. From the very first scene, readers are given an intense dive […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2020-05-20T05:17:13+02:00August 12th, 2019|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Science Fiction Book Reviews, Thriller Book Reviews|

Audiobook Review: The Weight of Smoke by George Robert Minkoff

The Weight of Smoke by George Robert Minkoff

Historical fiction is a genre founded on making the past come alive, and few authors in recent memory have done that with the skill of George Robert Minkoff, the masterful author of The Weight of Smoke. This is the first book in a trilogy that dives into the legend of Captain John Smith and the fascinating mythos surrounding the British Empire and its beginnings, and this audiobook brings alive the past in riveting detail. Blurring the lines between historical fiction and historical fact through linguistic acrobatics alone, it is impossible not to be drawn into this gripping slice of […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2019-09-27T04:54:54+02:00August 9th, 2019|Categories: Audiobook Reviews, Book Reviews|Tags: Historical Fiction Book Reviews|

Review: Unverified by Kristin Giese

Unverified by Kristin Giese

Kristin Giese’s Unverified is a delightful romantic comedy that is both immensely funny and heartwarming.

Success has always been in the cards for Margo Valentine Melon, but after a failed stint with the holy grail of fashion magazines four years ago in New York, Margo returned to her parent’s house in L.A. with her tail between her legs. Ironically, her younger sister, Kirby, a dropout who’d started a resale fashion gig called Blush & Bashful, is now driving a Mercedes, with her gig landing her on Forbes’ “30 Under 30” list. Kirby tells Margo that to find her own […]

Marta Cheng2019-08-02T07:17:11+02:00August 1st, 2019|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Contemporary Fiction Book Reviews, Romance Book Reviews|

Review: Sky Parlor by Stephen C. Perkins

Sky Parlor by Stephen C. Perkins

A mind-bending thrill of a novel, Sky Parlor by author Stephen C. Perkins has set an impressive new bar in the historical science fiction niche. Tracing the age-old battle between Artemis and Apollonia, and its different manifestations throughout human history (and future), the novel delivers an action-packed escape pod from reality, while also challenging readers to examine some new philosophical ideas about what it means to be human.

Like pawns in an infinitely complex board game of the gods, this wildly creative novel suggests that human beings return to this world in future lives, playing out new roles in an […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2019-07-26T08:28:18+02:00July 26th, 2019|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Science Fiction Book Reviews, Time Travel Book Reviews, Visionary Fiction Book Reviews|

Review: When We Were Brave by Karla M. Jay

When We Were Brave by Karla M. Jay

The stories of World War II often focus on battlefield heroics and the history-shaping decisions made by famous leaders. However, scaling this global conflict down to a more intimate level can also be immensely valuable, which is precisely what author Karla M. Jay has done in her new work of historical fiction, When We Were Brave.

Three very different storylines grow and artfully wind together in this sometimes harrowing read: a recently emigrated family sent back to Germany, an SS officer wrestling with a crippling crisis of faith, and a young Jewish boy just beginning to understand the cruelty […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2020-12-02T04:21:48+02:00July 22nd, 2019|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Historical Fiction Book Reviews, World War II Book Reviews|

Review: Tetrastatum by Tim Smith and Dr. Richard

Tetrastatum by Tim Smith and Dr. Richard

For those who think sci-fi is little more than futuristic space operas and allegorical cautionary tales, Terastatum, the new novel from Tim Smith and Dr. Richard, will certainly broaden your horizons. Inspired by the likes of other famous Richards – Feynman and Dawkins – this book is a wild and wise journey through time, space and some of the most complex fields of modern science.

The novel is founded on a truly boggling premise that there is another universe, just as massive and incalculable as the physical one, consisting of non-matter, known as a thotonic universe. Not only can […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2019-09-06T06:42:41+02:00July 18th, 2019|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Science Fiction Book Reviews, Time Travel Book Reviews, Visionary Fiction Book Reviews|

Review: The Scream Behind Her Smile by Athena Daniels

The Scream Behind Her Smile by Athena Daniels

In The Scream Behind Her Smile, author Athena Daniels takes readers into the dark heart of emotional turmoil, and into the devastating picture of a toxic marriage, but also offers a slice of hope.

The novel centers around Claire, a woman who suffered too much at too young an age, and found herself locked in a loveless marriage following the loss of a child – a marriage where psychological manipulation and dangerous games were the norm. As Claire feels control in her life spinning away, she chooses to make a change, leaving Derek and his mistress behind. However, this […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2019-08-22T06:11:41+02:00July 17th, 2019|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Romance Book Reviews, Thriller Book Reviews|