Lead Story | Self-Publishing Review

Review: Ephaidria by Jim Grieco

★★★★ Ephaidria by Jim Grieco

Most fantasy or sci-fi novels center on a single “surreal” element, such as the presence of alien life, supernatural abilities, terrible dark forces or a bridge to the spiritual world. Ephaidria by Jim Grieco ambitiously tackles all of these concepts, and more, without stumbling over itself or trying to take on too much “strangeness.” From the very start, the novel is packed with mystery, rich descriptions and an unpredictable plot line that stretches the boundaries of readers’ imaginations.

The story starts off simply enough, with the gradual introduction of the four main characters, who are just beginning to discover […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2017-04-27T11:14:29+02:00April 27th, 2017|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Science Fiction Book Reviews, Young Adult Book Reviews|

Review: Evening Star (Moonless Night Book 3) by Floriminda Edar Reid

★★★★

When catastrophe struck young lovers Alana and Christian, there remained nobody who could look after them but themselves. Christian, an immortal, always feared his strange world of magic and the unknown would hurt his mortal lover, and together they decide it’s finally time they left behind their troubles for the open sea. But their troubles are far from over, as the seas hide even greater troubles than they have faced so far.

Evening Star is the third book of the Moonless Night series by Floriminda Edar Reid, and the direct sequel to Elusive Dreams. The series follows teen-come-young-adult […]

James Grimsby2020-02-21T07:16:26+02:00April 26th, 2017|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Paranormal Romance Book Reviews, Young Adult Book Reviews|

Review: Brethren (The Villeins Trilogy Book 1) by Jeremiah Pearson

Brethren is the first book in Jeremiah Pearson’s Villeins Trilogy, a Christian/historical fiction series about a sect of Anabaptists in 16^th Century Europe. Based in the Holy Roman Empire just prior to the Protestant/Catholic wars of religion and amidst the Ottoman/Hapsburg conflicts, this is a fascinating look at the lives of pacifist protestants during the bloodiest religious wars in history.

First, it must be said, the historical accuracy of this novel is astounding. Many historical fiction writers take great liberties with facts in the name of fiction. To his great credit, Pearson does so sparingly enough as to be […]

Dakota Kemp2019-02-11T09:14:54+02:00April 22nd, 2017|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Christian Fiction Book Reviews, Historical Fiction Book Reviews, Religious Fiction Book Reviews|

Review: You Were The Last by Angie Kenny

You Were The Last by Angie Kenny is an evocative collection of ten interconnected short stories based around the idea of being alone when everyone around you is suddenly gone.

The theme of the book is mostly literal, with an unknowable and unexplainable mass disappearance occurring suddenly in the lives of each character, and leaving them alone to ponder their circumstances. The result is an introspective journey of the lives of two strangers who are faced with something they could never be fully prepared for, and how their experiences color their situations and their emotional lives.

Kenny’s writing style is […]

James Grimsby2019-02-11T09:18:57+02:00April 21st, 2017|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Short Stories Book Reviews|

Review: Who Told You That You Were Naked? by William E. Combs

Who Told You That You Were Naked? is a reevaluation of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden by Pastor William E. Combs. Combs’ primary argument is that humanity has long interpreted not only “The Fall” incorrectly, but also a large portion of the biblical message. To correct this, he argues that Christians must be willing to cast away the illusion that ‘sin’ is a list of infractions and embrace what it truly is: inherited knowledge, passed down from Adam and Eve, that allows us to recognize and analyze good and evil.

However, lacking perfect wisdom, that all-encompassing understanding […]

Dakota Kemp2019-02-11T09:44:27+02:00April 20th, 2017|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Religious Book Reviews|

Review: The Ishtar Cup (The Bart Northcote Series #1) by Murray Lee Eiland Jr.

★★★★★ The Ishtar Cup (Bart Northcote #1)

As far as private investigator novels go, there are certain expectations and traditional themes that seem to always pop up. There is usually a mysterious femme fatale, a gruff PI who marches to the beat of his own drum, and enough twists to keep a reader tearing through the pages.

In The Ishtar Cup, Book 1 of the Bart Northcote Series by Murray Lee Eiland Jr., some of these commonalities seem to appear almost instantly, but with a flavor all its own. While there is comfort in convention, this book also offers a different tone and a more […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2020-12-23T05:49:06+02:00April 4th, 2017|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Crime Fiction Book Reviews, Detective Fiction Book Reviews, Noir Book Reviews|

Review: Once Upon a Lie by Michael French

★★★★½

In Once Upon a Lie, author Michael French takes a long, hard look at the binary universe in which we live – rich or poor, black or white, woman or man – and explores how those ideas change and grow within two young people on the cusp of adulthood. It’s a timely and powerful tale of race and love.

These two characters, Jaleel and Alex, couldn’t be more different than one another if they tried, and the early chapters paint starkly different portraits of their lives in the same overlapping bubble of a city. The marvelously detailed and […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2017-04-04T10:24:10+02:00April 4th, 2017|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Literary Fiction Book Reviews|

Review: Fire Thief Reborn (The Edge of the Known Book 4) by Seth Mullins

★★★★★ Fire Thief Reborn (The Edge of the Known Book 4)

Fire Thief Reborn is the fourth installment in Seth Mullins’ riveting Edge of the Known series. In previous installments, we’ve seen the band Edge of the Known struggle in obscurity and then shoot to stardom, told through the eyes of its artistic visionary, Brandon Chane. Brandon’s had his struggle in relationships, and with the artistic process, through it all. Success isn’t always an answer.

In Book 4, it’s seven years after the band’s rise to stardom. Brandon’s found the peace of an artist who’s said everything he needed to say, and reached a willing audience. He’s content, for perhaps […]