John Staughton, Senior Reviewer

About John Staughton, Senior Reviewer

Providing exceptional writing, editing and publishing services to hundreds of international clients, ranging from nutritional copywriting and long-form ghostwriting to substantive editing, assessment/analysis of academic texts and structural/content editing for bestselling novels.

The Call of Abaddon by Colin Searle

The Call of Abaddon by Colin Searle

A relentless sci-fi thriller with touches of dystopian fiction, space opera, and even Lovecraftian horror, The Call of Abaddon by Colin Searle is an electric mash-up of genres. Eight years after escaping from a top-secret research institute, Jason finds himself scavenging in the depths below New Toronto, while his prodigious psychic abilities continue to grow. Hunted by a supreme alien intelligence and desperate governmental forces who need his untapped powers, Jason must learn to shield his mind from their control and unleash his full potential before an inconceivable cataclysm finishes humanity once and for all. With intricate world-building on the […]

2025-06-12T14:50:57+02:00June 11th, 2025|Categories: Editorial Reviews|

Review: A Madness Unmade by E.K. Larson-Burnett

A Madness Unmade by E.K. Larson-Burnett

Astoundingly clever and deftly penned, A Madness Unmade (The Deathly Inheritance Duology Book 1) by E.K. Larson-Burnett is a biting parody of life itself, and a youthful musing on the illogical nature of existence. Armed with a remarkably precocious protagonist and the narrative touch of a major writer in the making, this eccentric novel absolutely shines with confidence and originality.

As the sole living resident of the Underhallow, Laurel Rumbroom only keeps company with specters and her beloved ghost-cat Goose, but her relatively predictable days have been intriguingly disturbed by a mysterious string of necrotic deliveries. Each week, a new […]

Commercial Excellence Playbook by Philip Bowler

Commercial Excellence Playbook by Philip BowlerA straightforward tool for self-evaluation of your own business, Commercial Excellence Playbook: Navigating the Path to Business Success by Philip Bowler is a high-level guide for targeted improvement across the critical layers of an organization.

Exhaustively detailing the essential aspects of commercial success, which can be difficult to pin down in their complexity, the author taps into his years of experience consulting for corporations of varying sizes, distilling his professional observations into practical strategies. Without mincing words or wasting time on exposition, this playbook jumps directly into techniques for improving customer relationships and confidence at each level of an organization […]

2025-06-10T14:19:52+02:00June 10th, 2025|Categories: New Releases|Tags: |

Review: Extraterrestrial Noir by Rich Leder

Extraterrestrial Noir by Rich Leder

A sardonic mixture of science fiction and snarky suburban drama, Extraterrestrial Noir by Rich Leder is a hilariously original genre mashup.

Maggie Devine is drowning in the suffocation of suburban competition and an embarrassingly stagnant marriage with her husband, Connie. Along with the three other couples and their children who call Hope Circle home, life is a predictable and increasingly dull rerun of picket-fence perfection that doesn’t quite live up to that American dream. All of that changes, however, when a mysterious silver box rockets down through the atmosphere and crashes neatly through the couple’s roof.

The box quickly begins […]

The Ring Fold Chronicles Book 2: Blood of Time by Scott Swisher

The Ring Fold Chronicles Book 2 by Scott Swisher

In this neatly crafted Book 2 of The Ring Fold Chronicles by Scott Swisher, the youthful time-jumping heroes of The Ring face off against their own descendants in an epic showdown that threatens the integrity of reality and the timestream itself. Jordan again carries this action-packed tale as the epically powered but reluctant leader, while the multilayered storyline is driven by rich character development, fascinating theoretical science, and myriad ethical dilemmas – the kind that make superheroes and science fiction such an irresistible canvas to portray humanity’s very real underlying issues. The prose could use a further edit for tone […]

2025-06-10T14:15:03+02:00June 9th, 2025|Categories: Editorial Reviews|

Review: Archer’s Moon by J.W. Webb

Archer's Moon by J.W. Webb

Divine worlds collide and hunting hearts tangle in Archer’s Moon: Dawn of Legends (Legends of Ansu Book 1) by J.W. Webb, a high-fantasy adventure that explores the unique essence and emotional depths of human nature.

From her celestial perch above the planet of Ansu, Argonwui peers down in wonder and longing at the world of humans, a recent creation of her grandfather, the Weaver. However, her mother Elanion, the Emerald Queen, is the custodian of Ansu, and forbids her daughter from any such meddling and mixing with mortals; her roving father Oroonis does enough of that for the whole family.[…]

2025-06-06T10:28:30+02:00June 6th, 2025|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: |

Long Term Surrender by Patty Almond

Long Term Surrender by Patty Almond

A cruise ship thriller packed with sun, secret agents, and one savvy schoolteacher, Long Term Surrender by Patty Almond is a dramatic and romantic escape. When Katelyn agrees to a Caribbean cruise with her sister and brother-in-law, she unwittingly becomes a mule in a high-stakes handoff with one of the most feared drug cartels in Mexico. The holiday gets even more hectic when sparks start to fly with her tall, dark, and sexy tablemate, who also happens to be the undercover fed tasked to take her down, resulting in a pulpy and page-turning vacation adventure. Paced to perfection, this novel […]

2025-06-06T10:20:55+02:00June 6th, 2025|Categories: Editorial Reviews|

Turning Rental Properties into Passive Income Profit$ by Dustin Roberts

Turning Rental Properties into Passive Income Profit$ by Dustin Roberts

A conversational guide about maximizing the potential of real estate investment, Turning Rental Properties into Passive Income Profit$: The Beginners 10 Step Real Estate Investing Book for Early Retirement and Creating Wealth by Dustin Roberts is an insightful primer for current and future investors. Whether you need to establish realistic financial goals, identify your risk tolerance, learn the pros and cons of investment properties, or sharpen market research skills, this book is a thorough roadmap for the entire process. Using real-world examples from his own experience in the market, and clarifying the more confounding aspects of buying profitable rental properties, […]

2025-06-05T11:31:21+02:00June 5th, 2025|Categories: Editorial Reviews|
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