SPR’s book reviews of new self-published books
Romance and mystery fuse in this supernatural thriller that is perfectly timed for the tastes of today’s readers, but also touches on classic themes in multiple genres. The fast-paced scenes of adventure and discovery are balanced with the expository and personal explorations of the […]
The two dominant themes in the collection are Cilento’s acceptance of herself as a lesbian, and her decision to adopt two boys, a bold move as both children are African American. Cilento is white, of Italian descent, which is made clear as she describes messages (“The Facts”) from her upbringing:
[…]I was made from two parents
who went to school to get out of the ghetto
who tried to forget their last name had
Imagine being isolated from society for more than a decade, only to find out that the entire world has fallen to pieces when you return. In Midnight Black: The Purge, a new thriller by author R.J. Eastwood, that exact scenario plays out for the protagonist, Billy Russell, an ex-cop who had served 15 of his 20 years for taking well-deserved justice into his own hands.
Russell is brought back to the land of the living only to find that a nuclear conflict has ushered in a new world order, and his newly granted freedom will start with him swallowing […]
Just shy of her forty-fifth birthday, human resource director Melissa is thrown a devastating curveball when her lover, Colette, walks away from their eight-year relationship – and then has the gall to lie about why she’s leaving. With plans for their future together in tatters, Melissa sees little hope for her love life in a new town filled with cowboys and Republicans…
Mori has written a compassionate story about modern-day relationships. Told […]
The author and her two supportive co-authors are connected with the Sierra Vista Alzheimer’s Community in New Mexico. Dennis has care responsibilities for a brother with Down Syndrome, so her wish to share knowledge about the diseases and complex problems of aging is intensely personal, and it is this personal perspective that makes this such a strong guide.[…]
At the center of this story is Keana, a young woman who has spent most of her life eagerly awaiting her entrance to divinity – her reawakening as a god. Before her powers can fully be developed, however, this mystical realm is disrupted by external forces, and in the form of new, dangerous ideas. Aided by her adopted parents and her closest companions, Keana must leave the only home she has known, with magical […]
The year is 1666. Sixteen-year-old, Agnes Wilmore, has lost her three younger siblings to the plague before arriving in London, hoping to make a new life for herself. Almost as soon as she arrives, she’s raped by Robert Hubert, a tavern barkeep, who’s immediately infatuated with her. She’s rescued by Thomas Farrier and his wife, who hire her as their live-in caretaker for their three young children.
Agnes fervently hopes she’s seen the last of Robert but with each passing day, […]
It’s 2025 at a typical American high school, Hawthorn High, 120 miles from Bloomington, Indiana. Senior “Science Brain” Britain Kitridge signs up to volunteer for a fellow student’s campaign, and yes, maybe she has a little crush on him, but who doesn’t? Matthew Boltanski is near perfect: athletic, handsome, self-confident, impervious, and as Britain determines, very well funded, but by who and why? She starts asking too many questions and is ‘disciplined’ in […]