Book Reviews | Self-Publishing Review

Review: The Book of True Believer by M. Funk

Author M. Funk dives deep into religion, power, love and deception with The Book of True Believer: A Tale of Awakening, a fearless and unforgettable novel that speaks to the fundamental flaws of human nature, exposing them with sharp and rare insight.

On the verge of leaving the world of faith healing forever, the enigmatic Jeremiah Promise is rejuvenated by the unexpected support of True Believer, a woman he had miraculously healed years earlier. Reinvigorated in his faith, and believing that their meeting was the sign he’d long been waiting for, he easily convinces her to join him on […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2021-06-28T02:00:43+02:00June 1st, 2021|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Contemporary Fiction, Literary Fiction|

Review: Starlight in the Dawn by Naveen Sridhar

A thrilling and dramatic epic from one of the cradles of civilization, Starlight in the Dawn: The Poetic Priestess Who Chose to Fight by Naveen Sridhar is both majestic and accessible, an ambitious and symbolic novel that will transport readers in a deeply powerful way to the ancient past.

Enheduanna (Hedu) may be the daughter of a Mesopotamian emperor, but she is also an outspoken and bold protagonist, a fiery individual, and one who respects liberty and justice more than tradition. This belief draws her into righteous conflicts and divisive arguments, with everyone from laymen to kings. Whether training for […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2021-06-22T04:13:11+02:00May 20th, 2021|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Historical Fiction, Naveen Sridhar|

Review: The Doomsday Machine by Erick Drake

Take a raucous ride through endless space, dark humor, and epic strangeness with The Doomsday Machine (Space Scrap 17 Book 1), a wild debut novel from Erick Drake. Magicians, alien war machines, spiteful coalescing gods, and one fearless scrap scavenger collide for a uniquely tongue-in-cheek space adventure.

Admiral Daryl is a scatterbrained, entertaining, and tone-setting figure, as well as the father of Daisy Daryl, the protagonist, a brand new captain in Daryl’s less-than-impressive space garbage-hauling fleet. The main conflict of the novel is not with her potentially chaotic first mission through a wormhole, but rather the contentious relationship with […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2021-11-18T05:01:25+02:00May 11th, 2021|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Erick Drake, Science Fiction, Space Opera|

Review: Boomerang Will Not Return by David Crane

A time-bending, history-shaping novel of wartime bravery in a sci-fi frame, Boomerang Will Not Return by David Crane is an original and well-penned adventure. Combine a seemingly simple Air Force mission with a once-in-a-lifetime astral event, and the result is a generation-spanning survival thriller with the highest stakes imaginable.

Deana Crown and Linda March are dominant protagonists who mirror one another’s heroics in both the past and present, fighting to prevent the Nazis from getting their hands on six nukes, and working to prevent World War 3 from breaking out with Russia in the present day. This dual plotline means […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2022-02-11T04:07:21+02:00May 3rd, 2021|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: David Crane, Science Fiction, Time Travel|

Review: Free Will, Do You Have It? by Albertus Kral

A brain-bending dive into the philosophy of personal choice and autonomy, Free Will, Do You Have It? by Albertus Kral is a fascinating presentation of the author’s personal theory of Procirclism.

The idea, in short, is that cyclical behavioral processes are developed and strengthened in every individual, based on the specific stimuli they experience. Each stimulus acts as a tiny variable in a process that is perpetually developing in our mind based on memories and prior reactions/behaviors. Essentially, Kral is attempting to explain why humans behave in particular ways, and what factors lead to a person’s ultimate decisions, which he […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2021-06-17T04:47:14+02:00May 1st, 2021|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Psychology, Science, Social Science|

Review: Passion, Purpose & Profits by Courtney Hunt and Emily Scheyer

Authors Courtney Hunt and Emily Scheyer, dubbed The Prosperity Sisters, challenge readers to examine their aspirations in Passion, Purpose & Profits: An Interactive Guide to Figuring Out What the Heck You Want Out of Life.

The commonly dispensed advice about finding and following one’s passion and purpose is sensible, but many of us don’t know how to follow through, which the authors try to unveil in a dynamic process of questioning and journaling. When asked what we want from life, we may respond with vague generalities, such as a nebulous idea of happiness. But to lead a passionate and […]

SPR2021-06-16T08:50:52+02:00April 22nd, 2021|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Business, Self-Help|

Review: The Authentic You by Kristina M. Holle

A human resources coach, Kristina M. Holle, has devised an original method for developing our finest qualities by looking into our emotional and psychological self-image, in The Authentic You: Unleash Your Leadership Potential.

A curious mixture of self-help and business manual, Holle combines some familiar self-help tenets with the tenets of leadership and management, which are often held separate. As one might behave much differently in an office environment than at home or with friends, it can be difficult to meld these two “selves” together, so Holle takes an interesting approach to this conflict.

Holle asserts that just as […]

SPR2021-06-15T09:05:39+02:00April 20th, 2021|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Leadership, Self-Help|

Review: In the Company of Wolves by Erick W. Nason

Melding fact and imagination, author Erick W. Nason provides vivid scenes of warfare and snippets of the daily lives of America’s earliest settlers in In the Company of Wolves: The New Campaigns of Ranger Captain Jacob Clarke, an impressively detailed and entertaining work of historical fiction.

Having arrived in the continent of North America in the 1700s, both French and English colonials have territorial claims. By mid-century, the zeal to acquire more lands drives the two nations into war. As part of their defense, a stalwart band of special British operatives is formed. Roger’s Rangers are intrepid, fearless, and […]

SPR2021-04-14T00:38:25+02:00April 13th, 2021|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Historical Fiction|