Lead Story

Lead stories from SPR’s ever-growing independent book portal

Review: The Good Fight (The Last Enemy Series Book 1) by Dan E. Hendrickson

The Good Fight by Dan E. Hendrickson

Intrigue and adventure abound in The Good Fight, the first installment in the Last Enemy thriller series by Dan E. Hendrickson.

Twenty-five-year-old Danielle Edwards is the heir apparent to Edwards Auto, the thriving family auto business founded by her paternal grandfather. Danielle is still reeling from the recent deaths of her parents and grandmother after their plane had crashed into the Pacific while on their way to Australia. In Danielle’s mind, it should have been her father at the helm of the family business but with his death, it’s now all hers.

However, Danielle isn’t ready to take it […]

2018-07-24T12:29:11+02:00June 25th, 2018|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: |

Review: Widow Walk (The Widow Walk Saga Book 1) by Gar LaSalle

Widow Walk by Gar LaSalle

Peeking into the past can provide valuable insight about the present, even if the two time periods and places seem like very different worlds. In Widow Walk by Gar LaSalle, readers are transported into the lives of bold settlers in the Pacific Northwest, determined survivors in the wilderness, who must face seemingly endless trials in their bid to make that land a home.

The brilliant component of this novel is that it doesn’t come across as distant historical fiction for the sake of escapism or novelty – it is packed with timeless life experiences, existential crises, and subjects of sovereignty […]

Review: The Girl from the Moon (The Elemental Tides Book 1) by Maria Beta

The Girl from the Moon by Maria Beta

When modern authors peer into the future, it often seems that humanity’s destiny is bleak. The Girl from the Moon, the new novel by Maria Beta, is no exception to this trend. After the ozone layer collapses and global society begins to crumble under the weight of human neglect, science must step in to save the species. Constructing a massive artificial shield to block the earth and mimic an atmosphere is a bandage for a bullet wound, however, and life is far from serene.

Cate and Victoria Weelah, the daughters of the scientist who originally created Earth’s protective layer […]

2018-06-08T10:08:31+02:00June 4th, 2018|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: |

Review: The Divine Dream by Christopher Schmitt

The Divine Dream by Christopher Schmitt

In The Divine Dream, author Christopher Schmitt finds a new – and quite brilliant – take on life and death. The novel explores the breaking point between science and faith, while also offering the author’s personal reconciliation between these two complex, dynamic subjects.

After suffering from an inexplicable collapse and tragically dying, young Apollo, the spiritual protagonist of this story, enters a strange realm between life and death, where souls and spirits mix and mingle – a waiting room after leaving the world of the living, which also acts as a time-bending training ground. While years of spiritual enlightenment […]

2018-05-30T12:10:35+02:00May 29th, 2018|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: |

Review: The Final Departure by Epp Marsh III

The Final Departure by Epp Marsh III

Partially based on real history, The Final Departure by Epp Marsh III tells an alternate history where Marcus Garvey’s Greater Liberia Act is put into widespread effect. In 1929, Civil Rights pioneer Marcus Garvey strikes a devil’s bargain with the Ku Klux Klan to turn the United States into an all-white nation. Congress enacts the Greater Liberia Act, arranging passage for every black American to Africa, while leaving unprotected any black citizen who choose to stay behind.

The novel tells the story of Ruth Gaines who remains in the U.S. with her true love Lance Wainwright, the eldest son of […]

2019-01-22T10:54:59+02:00May 16th, 2018|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: |

Review: Jake, Lucid Dreamer by David J. Naiman

Jake, Lucid Dreamer

Jake, Lucid Dreamer by David J. Naiman is a charming look at a middle-schooler’s struggle to navigate grief and acceptance. With a touch of the surreal, Naiman has woven a fantastical tale with a powerful message about learning to face your demons, traversing the tricky plains of middle school, and how important compassion is in the face of adversity.

Jake wakes on his birthday after one of his lucid dreams. We see his life, a typical, moody teenager – his family, a darling little sister, and a father with patience to spare. They serve as a grounding force for Jake, […]

2019-01-22T11:02:56+02:00May 12th, 2018|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: |

Review: The Sow’s Ear Café by Holly Quan

The Sow’s Ear Café by Holly Quan

Ending up in Sweetgrass, Alberta, while on a drive to clear her head of thirty-nine years of bad decisions and emotional baggage, Lucie slowly finds love and acceptance in her new town. The Sow’s Ear Café by Holly Quan transports the tough and damaged Lucie from her shallow life in Vancouver to Sweetgrass’s potential for deeper human connections.

Staked to her journey by a friend, Lucie’s car breaks down in Sweetgrass. She soon finds herself renting a room from a goodhearted ranching couple, working as a waitress, and then dating Ray, the mysterious chef of the Sow’s Ears Café. The […]

2019-01-22T10:59:32+02:00May 11th, 2018|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: |

Review: Lady of the Lake by Jennifer Wherrett

Lady of the Lake by Jennifer Wherrett

There are countless stories of King Arthur and the Age of Camelot, and with Lady of the Lake, author Jennifer Wherrett adds a wonderful new chapter to this long and rich tradition. Taking a much more feminine perspective on this particular element of our collective culture, this book does away with the notion that women in Arthurian legend were merely love interests. Instead, in this world, they are holy accomplices to the epic tales we have known since childhood.

The story of how Arthur came to be the King of the Britons has taken many forms, as has the […]

2018-05-16T11:57:58+02:00May 9th, 2018|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: |
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