John Staughton, Senior Reviewer | Self-Publishing Review

True Winter (A Series of Four Seasons Book 1) by Q.K. Petty

A scythe-wielding demon arrives in Alabama to reclaim a sacred weapon that could win an ancient war in True Winter by Q.K. Petty, an exhilarating first chapter of a new urban fantasy saga.

Tasked with finding a biblical relic for a cult-killing faction called The House of David, Eden Dowler is a nearly immortal hunter with a drinking problem and a string of bodies left in his wake. A psychopath named Whiteface and his sect of masked killers are also dead-set on recovering St. Peter’s cursed shackles, leaving heads literally rolling on the streets of Mobile. Tangled in this bloody […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2025-08-28T15:48:54+02:00August 28th, 2025|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Fantasy Book Reviews, Urban Fantasy Book Reviews|

Review: The Summer of Haight by George Petersen

Mesmerizing, deviant, and steeped in counterculture madness, The Summer of Haight by George Petersen is a psychedelic thriller that dares readers to interrogate their animal nature, and even question their grasp on reality. Set against the legendary backdrop of 1967, this Summer of Love story follows a tangled trio as they navigate existential dilemmas and psychedelic schemes across the highs and lows of San Francisco.

Jonathan St. Amour is a secretive psychiatric researcher and a snake-loving socialite who appears to be spiraling into a midlife crisis, despite his debonair attitude and lavish dinner parties. Longfellow is his loyal friend, lawyer, […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2025-09-12T12:14:31+02:00August 27th, 2025|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Historical Fiction Book Reviews, Literary Fiction Book Reviews|

Review: Transcending Anxiety by Manal El-Ramly

A methodical and compassionate companion for those seeking to improve their lives, Transcending Anxiety: From Fear to Freedom by Manal El-Ramly brings the stark reality of inner turmoil to light and offers practical strategies to overcome this lifelong struggle.

The guide begins with an introduction to a unique model of anxiety, detailing how it can manifest in our Four Bodies – physical, emotional, mental, and egoic. These four aspects of experience form our overall relationship to life, and the presence of anxiety or fear in any one aspect will present itself in different ways. The text then illuminates the critical […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2025-08-25T15:21:47+02:00August 25th, 2025|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Self-Help Book Reviews|

Unleash The Fury by Joseph Paul D’Aquisto

Introspective, exhilarating, and haunting in equal measure, Unleash The Fury: A Storm of Vengeance on Eastern Sands by Joseph Paul D’Aquisto is a Far East vigilante thriller with a layered and fast-paced storyline. A retired detective who never truly laid down the badge puts himself squarely in the midst of a mob war in Sri Lanka, where he nobly defends the oppressed women and common folk of a small struggling town. Wrestling with his own vicious ghosts and navigating the twisted ethics of survival and street justice, John’s story fearlessly gazes into the unswept corners of human nature. While the […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2025-08-25T17:35:55+02:00August 25th, 2025|Categories: Editorial Reviews|

Review: Windslash: The Last Elemental by Chris Bennett

An unlikely hero rises to save the world from a dormant evil in Windslash: The Last Elemental by Chris Bennett, an imaginative and energetic debut fantasy.

On the mythical island of Atlantis, a young student of the Wind named Timaeus discovers an incredible ability: he is able to tap into all four elemental powers – wind, fire, earth, and water – a rare gift only mentioned in prophecy and legend. This unexpected prodigy must master all four forms of elemental magic before he loses control or is consumed by his unprecedented access to such raw power. Forced to prove himself […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2025-08-20T18:26:03+02:00August 20th, 2025|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Fantasy Book Reviews|

Saving Maria by Truant Memphis

A fourth-wall-breaking spree of vigilante action and international rabble-rousing, Saving Maria by Truant Memphis is a surreal tale of unsung heroes fighting fearlessly for the masses. When a priceless art collection is stolen in a daring daytime heist, the case is taken on by the Electric Medicine Men, a ragtag cabal of clandestine antiheroes, including Littlethumb Brooks, the monk-like artist in mourning who created the pilfered paintings. Laced with wry wit and off-kilter, unpredictable prose reminiscent of Tom Robbins, this farcical novel is both strange and sharp, touching on everything from grief, geopolitics, and societal oppression to kung-fu monkeys, Hitler’s […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2025-08-18T12:52:45+02:00August 18th, 2025|Categories: Editorial Reviews|

Review: Oh F*ck! Dinosaurs! by Dave Bruno

Sardonically echoing Jurassic Park, Alien, and other classic stories of predatory monsters, Oh F*ck! Dinosaurs! by Dave Bruno is an amusing escape that also doubles as a character study of survival during times of absolute chaos.

A dozen post-collegiate friends with a whole trunk of tangled baggage embark on a weekend in the remote mountains of northern California. Rumors of savage animal attacks in the area and their own interpersonal conflicts already threaten their peaceful plans for hiking, camping, and some tipsy debauchery, but when this mismatched crew mistakenly enters a restricted government area, they wander their way […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2025-08-18T16:11:31+02:00August 18th, 2025|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Horror Book Reviews, Science Fiction Book Reviews|

A Queen in Blood by Nick Snape

A grim but masterful work of dark fantasy, A Queen in Blood (Warriors of Spirit and Bone Book 3) by Nick Snape is the emphatically impressive next installment to this sprawling and imaginative saga. Desperate to save her realm from a sinister blight spreading through the land and overtaking innocent souls, Queen Erin must turn to an unlikely ally, with the full horror of the Fleshmaster’s forces pushing through the thinning veil to Brandshold. A voracious dragon of the veil is intent on devouring the spirits of The Seven House leaders themselves, unless Laoch can overcome his grief and harness […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2025-08-14T18:16:28+02:00August 14th, 2025|Categories: Editorial Reviews|