Book Reviews | Self-Publishing Review

Review: What Happens on Outlook by D.F. Nightshade

Examining human nature under a thrilling magnifying glass, D.F. Nightshade has constructed an incisive and powerful read in What Happens on Outlook. Peering into the lives of seven eccentric characters living on Outlook Street, each with a potential bullseye on their back, this slow-burning thriller is both entertaining and far outside the box.

Birdy is a new-age guru with an inexplicably smelly apartment and a lifestyle deemed too “rainbow” by the uptight members of the Committee. Sakamoto is an honest shopkeeper on Outlook Street with a remarkably even temper, despite being forced out of his space by ugly, unfair, and […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2022-06-17T09:00:49+02:00May 25th, 2022|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Contemporary Fiction, Thriller|

Review: There’s No Basketball on Mars by Craig Leener

Author Craig Leener delivers an inspiring story of reaching impossible dreams, despite impossible odds, in his new YA novel There’s No Basketball on Mars, a stirring dream-fueled adventure.

Depicting a character on the autistic spectrum without falling into tropes or unfair stereotypes is challenging for some authors, but Leener approaches this protagonist with compassion, patience, grace, and humor. Lawrence Tuckerman is the sympathetic beating heart of this brilliantly told tale. Although his particular condition makes it more challenging for him to navigate a busy world of noise and people, it has made him a mathematical prodigy, a fact that […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2022-06-15T07:04:17+02:00May 23rd, 2022|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Craig Leener, Science Fiction, YA Fantasy, Young Adult|

Review: Dead Beckoning by Mike Cobb

Steeped in the charm, pace, and painful realities of a bygone era, Dead Beckoning by Mike Cobb is a stunning peek into late 19th century America, and the lives embroiled in a tragic mystery.

Baker Bass is a Georgia country boy with the heart of a gentleman, who finds himself in small-town high society thanks to the love of his life, Ella. His ambitions take their family to Atlanta, where they shift to being small fish in an ever-growing pond. Running a successful sundry shop in a Southern city is no easy feat, but when he is falsely fingered in […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2022-09-15T10:48:58+02:00May 16th, 2022|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Historical Fiction, Mike Cobb, Thriller|

Review: Pike’s Progress by John J Spearman

Pike’s Progress by John J Spearman is an action-splashed and cathartic installment of his innovative sci-fi military saga.

The Alliance has retaken control of some planets from HUW, but their previous power is far from restored, and the remaining Hegemony breakaway systems are a perpetual thorn for the recovering Alliance. Sandy Pike’s reputation and recent heroics have earned him a new ship – a massive dreadnought named the Audacious – and another chance at command, working within the Omega battle group.

The Alliance’s plans for a new offensive bring old comrades together again, including Monty Swift, a captain itching for […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2022-07-01T04:24:58+02:00May 16th, 2022|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: John J Spearman, Science Fiction|

Review: Essence of Stone (Lifestone Trilogy Book 1) by Haley Rylander

The first title in the anticipated Lifestone Trilogy, Haley Rylander’s Essence of Stone is an intricately layered, grandly descriptive fantasy novel about an elf kingdom facing potential destruction.

Rylander’s novel tells the story of Gellion, a skilled metal worker and political figure who moved to the city of Daro following his father’s wartime death and the disgrace of his former mentor. Daro has flourished since the end of the Great War, an epic battle against an evil phoenix that caused much loss of life.

Gellion’s prosperity can be attributed to a substance called vierstone, which helps elves become accomplished […]

Michelle Hogmire2022-06-07T08:49:40+02:00May 14th, 2022|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Fantasy|

Review: Cathedral by Ray Keating

A stellar depiction of time period and tension, Cathedral by Ray Keating is the bold opening hymn of his new Alliance of Saint Michael series.

During a religious conference at Georgetown University, Pastor Eric Meyer and Father Patrick O’Riley help to avert an assassination attempt by communist agents bent on curing the world of religious devotion. Their bravery doesn’t go unnoticed by powerful observers in the room, and they are soon recruited into service by the Alliance of Saint Michael – a secretive sect operating from within the Institute for Christian Life, History and Arts. Little do they know that […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2022-06-02T09:24:39+02:00May 12th, 2022|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Ray Keating, Religious Fiction, Thriller|

Review: A Hittite and a Shaman by Naveen Sridhar

Plunging readers into the royal heart of one of the most epic empires in history, A Hittite and a Shaman: At Queen Nefertari’s Secret Service by Naveen Sridhar is an insightful peek into the ancient world.

The empires of Kemet and Hatti are already on the brink of war when the leader of the Hittites asks for extradition of a political rival seeking asylum in the kingdom of Ramses II. However, Ramses II was not always bold and decisive, and his wife Nefertari chooses to take the fate of peace into her own hands. Upon learning that her handmaid’s daughter […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2022-06-01T03:07:48+02:00May 11th, 2022|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Historical Fiction, Naveen Sridhar|

Review: The Weekly Economist by Ray Keating

Author and economist Ray Keating doles out a lifetime’s worth of insight in The Weekly Economist: 52 Quick Reads to Help You Think Like an Economist, the latest non-fiction work from this prolific author.

Encouraging readers to think more like economists, regardless of experience or expertise in the field, Keating has created an accessible and comprehensive guide to concepts that regularly baffle the average person. He argues that before one can criticize or successfully navigate the world of economics, one must thoroughly understand it, and this book can certainly help that happen.

From intellectual property rights and labor unions […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2022-05-27T04:07:59+02:00May 9th, 2022|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Finance, Ray Keating|