Lead Story | 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: 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: Chasing a Flawed Sun by Daniel McGhee

Chasing a Flawed Sun by Daniel McGhee

In Chasing a Flawed Sun, author Daniel McGhee courageously exposes his experiences with addiction from his younger years in raw detail. Anyone who has ever felt addiction touch their lives, either directly or indirectly, will find comfort and understanding in this addiction memoir, which is in turns beautiful and brutal.

Daniel McGhee was what most would consider an average kid, from a suburban background on the East Coast, where most of his immediate needs were taken care of, at least those that are most easily measurable. However, as his story unfolds, and he begins to lose his footing on […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2019-07-11T05:58:43+02:00July 11th, 2019|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Addiction Book Reviews, Memoir Book Reviews|

Review: Cooperative Lives by Patrick Finegan

Cooperative Lives by Patrick Finegan

A swirl of characters centers around a dying young girl in New York City, each with their own burdens as they try to get through another day living in their ever-changing worlds. Cooperative Lives by Patrick Finegan underscores how lives intersect, crash into each other, and then reveal the secrets that people carry, and sometimes expose.

Jack and Susan seem to be living a broken yet plausible existence in their quintessential New York building, an aging co-op with doormen and supercilious board members. Jack’s an out-of-work securities lawyer and his wife, Susan, a former flight attendant and barely a survivor […]

Greg Rideout2019-07-19T08:50:06+02:00June 25th, 2019|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Contemporary Fiction Book Reviews, Literary Fiction Book Reviews|

Review: All the Big Ones Are Dead by Christopher A. Gray and Howard E. Carson

All the Big Ones Are Dead by Christopher A. Gray and Howard E. Carson

If we have learned one thing as a species, it is that evil can come in many forms, but the higher up the chain of criminality you go, the more things become interconnected in a murky, sinister web of corruption, greed, violence, and lies. In All the Big Ones Are Dead by the talented writing team of Christopher A. Gray and Howard E. Carson, the seedy underworld linked to the illegal animal trade is exposed in brilliant and disturbing detail.

When it comes to the illegal trade of ivory from elephant tusks and rhino horns, the first sin is the […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2019-06-24T10:06:56+02:00June 23rd, 2019|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: International Thriller Book Reviews, Thriller Book Reviews|

Review: Dolph the Unicorn Killer and Other Stories by Martin Lastrapes

Dolph the Unicorn Killer and Other Stories by Martin Lastrapes

For anyone tired of vampires that glitter and werewolves who are really just confused about their identity, Dolph the Unicorn Killer and Other Stories by Martin Lastrapes is right up your alley. This award-winning author has stepped away from his hit novels and into the realm of raucous short stories, and this is a collection of high-fantasy weirdos with a healthy dose of drugs, sex and rock ‘n’ roll tossed in for good measure.

Set in modern-day Las Vegas, this madcap stream of stories has everything that a horror fan would love, but certainly doesn’t miss a beat for fans […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2019-06-19T16:41:13+02:00June 18th, 2019|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Fantasy Book Reviews, Horror Book Reviews, Short Stories Book Reviews|

Review: Dreadmarrow Thief (The Conjurer Fellstone Book 1) by Marjory Kaptanoglu

Dreadmarrow Thief by Marjory Kaptanoglu

Given the barrage of young adult fantasy novels in recent years, it can be difficult to find one that truly stands out. Dreadmarrow Thief is a stellar entry into the genre of YA fantasy, and an exciting first installment of one such new series. Author Marjory Kaptanoglu has cultivated a vibrant and enthralling new world for fans of high fantasy to explore.

The spunky protagonist at the center of this wonderful adventure is Tessa Skye, an apprentice with a dangerous secret: a magical object that allows her to transform into a bird and soar over the forest – a forbidden […]