New Releases | Self-Publishing Review

Miss K.A.R.E.N.’S. Mystical Magical Emerald Green Garden Shed by Roberta M. Griffis, Illustrated by Jerelyn Abicca-Smestad

Miss K.A.R.E.N.'S. Mystical Magical Emerald Green Garden Shed by Roberta M. Griffis

Author Roberta M. Griffis and illustrator Jerelyn Abicca-Smestad combine their talents for the whimsical and lesson-packed children’s story Miss K.A.R.E.N.’S. Mystical Magical Emerald Green Garden Shed.

Caroline is a young girl who just moved into a new house after her mother’s life unexpectedly turned upside down. Trying to find some sense of normalcy or peace, Caroline befriends their quirky neighbor, Miss Karen, whose garden seems to hold endless wonders, particularly emanating from her sparkling green shed. Mixing subtle magic with moral lessons and compassionate guidance, this book is an uplifting story of friendship, showing children how to overcome sadness and […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2020-07-08T02:55:39+02:00July 8th, 2020|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Children's Book Reviews|

Sorrow Ledge by Kenneth Arbogast

America’s old scars and the fresh wounds of emotional turmoil are on full display in Sorrow Ledge, a visceral and beautifully penned novel by author Kenneth Arbogast. Set more than a century ago, in those fragile decades following the Civil War, this character-driven drama centers on an eclectic and unexpected collision of worlds – old enemies with persistent grudges, new allies, and a bleak landscape at a far edge of the world.

Ben and his wife Rebecca live on an isolated island off the coast of Maine, satisfied in their insular world after Ben’s bloody descent into the Southern […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2020-07-03T03:08:11+02:00July 2nd, 2020|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Historical Fiction Book Reviews|

The Daughter of Death by Cassandra MacCheyne

The Daughter of Death by Cassandra MacCheyne The boundary between the living and the dead blurs in The Daughter of Death, a new YA adventure novel by author Cassandra MacCheyne.

Young Aria Hades does her best to fly under the radar, but her supernatural abilities keep getting in the way, and her troubles only mount as the darker power buried within her begins to surface. Being a rare human-reaper hybrid is only compounded by the average trials of youth and the awkwardness of adolescence. This odd juxtaposition makes the fast-paced narrative both relatable and fantastical, not to mention original. This is a classic coming-of-age tale boasting […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2020-07-02T06:06:06+02:00July 2nd, 2020|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Young Adult Book Reviews|

Love & Letters by L.B. Carol

Love and Letters by L.B. Carol The boundaries of friendship and the challenges of personal mental battles are laid bare in Love & Letters, a novella about falling in love and finding a way to speak your personal truth by L.B. Carol.

When Ryan falls hard to Elizabeth – one of his best friend’s girlfriends – he is torn between an undeniable attraction and an unspoken bond of brotherhood. However, that is only the first struggle in Ryan’s stumbles toward connection, as he must overcome the insecurities of his situation, as well as the unique pain of long-distance romance.

Despite the brevity of the story, […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2020-06-26T06:08:43+02:00June 25th, 2020|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Contemporary Fiction Book Reviews|

The Secret of Immortality: The Tombmakers Village by CJ McKivvik

The Secret of Immortality: The Tombmakers Village by CJ McKivvik Humanity’s ultimate prize, everlasting life, is the narrative carrot dangling in The Secret of Immortality: The Tombmakers Village, a globe-spanning new thriller by author CJ McKivvik.

After the head of a nebulous research group mysteriously dies with his greatest secret left untold, he entrusts Tom Carrott to finish his work, launching this young protagonist on a quest that would make Indiana Jones proud. As Tom’s vision of his future spins out of control, he follows the footsteps of a dead man to Africa, spurred on by the artifacts hinting at immortality that ended up on his doorstep. A handful […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2020-06-24T07:14:22+02:00June 23rd, 2020|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Action and Adventure Book Reviews|

First Justice (Vigilante Justice Book 1) by John Etzil

First Justice by John Etzil Author John Etzil gives a riveting peek into Jack Lamburt’s vigilante origins in First Justice. Long before becoming a secretive small-town sheriff, Lamburt must wrestle with his grief and constant hunger for revenge, channeling his anger into a high-risk mission on foreign soil, while rekindling his connection with a stunning and deadly assassin, Frankie.

What begins as giving Frankie a ride to Cuba soon devolves into an all-out black ops mission, and it seems that neither of these two deadly ex-lovers were given the whole story. Combining fast-paced storytelling and Lamburt’s rugged charm, this novel is clever, heartfelt, sexy, […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2020-06-10T09:49:02+02:00June 9th, 2020|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Thriller Book Reviews|

Unafraid: A Survivor’s Quest for Human Connection by Niyati Tamaskar

Unafraid: A Survivor's Quest for Human Connection by Niyati Tamaskar Niyati Tamaskar boldly tells the story of her cancer journey in unabashed and fearless detail in Unafraid: A Survivor’s Quest for Human Connection.

For this active, healthy, happy and high-functioning author, the shock and impact of a breast cancer diagnosis is depicted with intense authenticity, but there is also an impressive matter-of-factness about the prose that doesn’t lean heavily on emotional musing. Beautiful moments of reflection are supported by displays of indomitable strength, which make it an essential read for anyone whose life has been touched by cancer.

Not only is this a viscerally descriptive narrative of a daunting […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2020-06-01T08:39:07+02:00June 1st, 2020|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Health Book Reviews, Memoir Book Reviews|

Leo the Liar by Bernie Donnelly

Leo the Liar by Bernie Donnelly With a disagreeable and dishonorable, yet vaguely charming lout at its core, Leo the Liar is an amusing and unpredictable family drama from Bernie Donnelly.

After not seeing his father for decades, Leo decides to make the jump from Dublin to Florida and reconnect with the long-lost Milo. Awkwardness aside, Leo has grown up to be a smooth-talking liar, a charmer with a silver tongue, a conman with motives that are difficult to suss out. Not only that, but an attraction from Leo’s new stepmother threatens to rock the boat of familiar normalcy. Peppered with clever turns of phrase and […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2020-06-01T07:57:53+02:00May 30th, 2020|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Contemporary Fiction Book Reviews|