New Releases

SPR’s book reviews of new self-published books

Children of the Empire by Lara Nance

Children of the Empire by Lara Nance

In Children of the Empire by Lara Nance, a brilliant new science fiction universe is introduced that’s packed with intrigue, betrayal, deception, and redemption.

The plot structure of the novel is reminiscent of many fantasy sagas, where multiple destinations and increasingly difficult challenges lie in the path of the bold adventurers’ end goal. In the case of this novel, the key figures of Min and Ruffian are familiar, but they’re perfectly crafted and supported by a growing cast of detailed and original figures.

Aside from the clever premise of this novel, the writing is engaging and fast-paced. However, the dialogue […]

Preacher’s Wife by Beverly Mitchell Dodd

Preacher's Wife by Beverly Mitchell DoddLife is a series of difficult choices and nowhere is that better illustrated than in Preacher’s Wife, a work of women’s fiction by author Beverly Mitchell Dodd.

Abigail (Gailey) Serenson is a minister’s daughter who has seemingly led a sheltered life – one that tragically changes at age sixteen when her mother, father and older sister are killed in a bus accident. She’s sent to live with her older brother and his wife but Abigail impulsively marries Joshua Murphy, an assistant minister, shortly after meeting him. After ten years of marriage and three children, Abigail isn’t like most ministers’ […]

2017-08-22T06:52:42+02:00August 21st, 2017|Categories: New Releases|Tags: , |

Churchill’s Assassin (The Lochran Trilogy Book 1) by John Righten

Churchill's AssassinChurchill’s Assassin is a riveting political thriller by John Righten that asks, Why try to assassinate a dying man?

It’s New Year’s Eve, 1964. Lochran Ryan, a young man fresh off a ferry from Ireland, hands the customs official a telephone number and demands that he calls the number as it’s a matter of national security. The official reluctantly places the call, only to find that it’s answered by Winston Churchill’s personal secretary who quickly orchestrates Ryan’s audience with Churchill. However, when Ryan finally enters the gravely ill statesman’s room, a sniper tries to kill Churchill. Ryan intends to […]

2018-09-10T04:19:05+02:00August 21st, 2017|Categories: New Releases|Tags: , |

Angel Curs: Adam & Eve by Michael Thomas Griswold

Angel Curs: Adam & EveSpanning more than 100,000 years of imagined history, Angel Curs: Adam & Eve, the first book in the Angel Curs series, is an innovative novel that leaps from humanity’s beginnings to a looming third world war. Michael Thomas Griswold’s fantasy is based on the premise that Angels, actually descendants of Neanderthal Man, sparked all Earth’s development, fighting but eventually intermarrying with the Curs, or ordinary humans.

In 2030, only one Angel remains – Gabriel, now driven by his inherited destiny to collect three ancient books written by Angels, and to present their knowledge to the world and prevent the […]

2017-08-21T06:16:34+02:00August 21st, 2017|Categories: New Releases|Tags: , |

Purgatorium by J.H. Carnathan

Purgatorium by J.H. CarnathanIn a snowbound city, a man lives anonymously, trapped in repetitive days that last only one hour and often end—or begin—with nightmares in J.H. Carnathan’s compelling Purgatorium.

When we first meet the protagonist, he doesn’t know his own name, seemingly unaware of the many limitations binding him. All around him are strange objects: an hourglass necklace, a coin, weapons, a child’s snow globe. Gradually, he begins to meet a cast of characters who have angelic names and carry playing cards. They give him a name and a card, apparently trying to jolt him from his icy purgatory and bring […]

2017-08-21T04:32:47+02:00August 21st, 2017|Categories: New Releases|Tags: |

White Wine and Medical Marijuana by Julia Cirignano

White Wine & Medical Marijuana by Julia CirignanoEmerging poet Julia Cirignano explains that neither intoxicating substance named in her title has “necessarily helped me create great art, yet I feel that they help define me,” hence the title of her evocative first work of poetry, White Wine & Medical Marijuana.

Cirignano may be just starting out as a poet, but her perceptions evince timeless insight. Most of these poems focus on encounters with men. With one, she knew from the first glance that “all hope was gone”; one just likes to have lots of girls, so she can’t be surprised that she’s just “the next one”; […]

2017-08-21T06:35:51+02:00August 17th, 2017|Categories: New Releases|Tags: |

Dark Isles: Deliverance by Brian Shinomiya

Dark Isles: Deliverance by Brian Shinomiya

Dark Isles: Deliverance by Brian Shinomiya is a well-drawn work of military sci-fi following Zayta Holtcoughski, a soldier who’s been primed for battle from a very young age. When a space mission goes awry, Zayta is thrown from the ship in an escape pod and lands on a foreign world where medieval weaponry is the norm, and the planet is deep in conflict. Zayta joins the war, but he’s torn between staying in this brutal world and starting a new life, or returning to who he once was.

A glance at the cover – and the title – and you […]

2017-08-14T06:57:30+02:00August 14th, 2017|Categories: New Releases|Tags: |

Rico’s Fripp Island Adventure by Mary Jacobs, Illustrated by Alycia Pace

Rico’s Fripp Island Adventure by Mary JacobsRico’s Fripp Island Adventure is a charming storybook written by Mary Jacobs, with beautiful illustrations by Alycia Pace.

It’s summer vacation and cousins, Sara, Sally, and Bucky have arrived on Fripp Island to spend two weeks with their grandparents and their friend, Big Daddy, a raccoon. Big Daddy announces that he’s invited his cousin Rico to visit. When Rico finally arrives, the cousins are there to greet him. They split up a short time later, but instead of Rico meeting up with the cousins as planned, he disappears, forcing the others to form a search party to look for him…[…]

2017-08-15T06:49:33+02:00August 12th, 2017|Categories: New Releases|Tags: |
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