Book Reviews | Self-Publishing Review

Review: Fallout by William Hunter

The past never stays where it’s supposed to be buried, a truth that becomes painfully apparent in Fallout, the latest riveting thriller from author William Hunter. Fresh off his critically acclaimed novel Sanction, this new adventure pulls readers between the dark days of the Cold War and a modern-day spree of assassinations to cover up secrets more than three decades old.

Banastre Montjoy returns in this novel and heads up the investigation into why ex-British intelligence agents are being wiped out, particularly those linked to a disastrous and failed operation in the death strip between East and West […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2019-06-12T13:14:23+02:00May 18th, 2019|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Spy Thriller, Thriller, William Hunter|

Review: Blood Upon the Sands by Sheldon Charles

The complexities of geopolitics are no longer being kept to the realms of academia and politics, and fascinating stories based on real-world conflicts are becoming more and more accessible with every passing year. In Blood Upon the Sands, the second book in the Evan Davis series by Sheldon Charles, the intrepid writer-turned-world traveler finds himself in Kuwait, where there is serious trouble brewing.

Working for a local horse-breeder, Evan’s obvious foreignness makes him stand out, while his instincts as a writer tell him to never ignore a story – particularly when it is dropped directly in his lap. What […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2019-05-17T08:14:19+02:00May 17th, 2019|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: International Thriller, Sheldon Charles, Thriller|

Review: Urgent Justice (Vigilante Justice Book 2.5) by John Etzil

Jack Lamburt has already had his fair share of fights as a small-town sheriff in rural New York, but this latest thriller by John Etzil, Urgent Justice, sees the intrepid hero hit the road in search of a missing local girl. However, this time, the sheriff won’t be going on his action-packed adventure alone. With a rough-around-the-edges nonagenarian sidekick, Jack Lamburt must take down a powerful religious leader and child abuser with an entire town gunning for the vigilante duo.

While their journey begins as a simple mission to scope out the town where the girl supposedly disappeared, Lamburt isn’t […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2019-05-17T08:05:49+02:00May 16th, 2019|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: John Etzil, Thriller, Vigilante Justice Series|

Review: Paladin (Firebrand Book 2) by Sarah MacTavish

Secrets are at the heart of Paladin, Sarah MacTavish’s inspirational work of historical fiction for young adults, and the second book in the Firebrand series.

It’s the spring of eighteen sixty-one. The country’s torn in half by those in the South who don’t want slavery to end and those in the north who find the concept despicable – so when Lincoln calls men to arms, four friends from Dove Hollow, Pennsylvania rise to the call.

Jack, Westleigh and Allison have their own reasons for joining, but collectively they’ve made a pact to protect the fourth member of their group. […]

Marta Cheng2019-06-07T11:12:44+02:00May 16th, 2019|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Historical Fiction, Sarah MacTavish, Young Adult|

Review: Crimson Arrows by Eyad H. Yehyawi

For someone who has never hunted an animal in their life, the prospect of a collection centered around bowhunting may not hold much immediate appeal, but Crimson Arrows: A Bowhunting Odyssey by Eyad H. Yehyawi is much more than it may initially seem. This book is a heartfelt exploration of youth and growth through the lens of a hunter finding his feet in that sport – and in his entire life.

The first thing one notices about Yehyawi’s writing is the sincerity; each story hums with personal touches and genuine emotion. He is able to dig through his memories, some […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2019-05-17T02:28:25+02:00May 16th, 2019|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Eyad H. Yehyawi, Memoir, Sports|

Review: Epiphany’s Gift by Mallory M. O’Connor

Any reader of popular fiction knows that underestimating the unlikely heroine is never a good idea, and this is poignantly restated in Epiphany’s Gift, a timely thriller by Mallory M. O’Connor.

Epiphany Mayall stands in the center of this story, while a storm of corporate corruption, spiritual energy, betrayal, climate change and grief swirl around her. Returning to Ohio to see her nonagenarian mother, Epiphany must face the difficult past she left behind so long ago, but this time with the wisdom of age.

Epiphany has known she was special since birth – always able to read the energies […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2019-06-04T03:06:40+02:00May 9th, 2019|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Thriller, Visionary Fiction|

Review: The Fractured Mind by Ottavio Lepore

As the old saying goes, if something seems too good to be true, it probably is. Ryan Stark learns that in the hardest way possible in The Fractured Mind, a tense and gripping new novel by Ottavio Lepore.

What begins as a harmless getaway spirals into a desperate fight for survival and sanity as Ryan discovers that not every good samaritan wants nothing in return. A tragic car accident sends him and his partner from the throes of a weekend trip into the intensive care unit, and Ryan’s life is turned upside down in an instant.

Facing a long […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2019-05-07T09:49:40+02:00May 4th, 2019|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Ottavio Lepore, Thriller|

Review: Snapshots: Say Cheese! The World is Watching by Cara Cilento

Poems and short prose pieces are mated with vibrant photos in the emotive collection Snapshots: Say Cheese! The World is Watching by debut writer Cara Cilento.

The two dominant themes are Cilento’s acceptance of herself as a lesbian, and her decision to adopt two boys, a bold move, especially as both children are African American. Cilento is of Italian descent, this made clear as she describes messages (“The Facts”) from her upbringing: