John Staughton, Senior Reviewer | Self-Publishing Review

How to Break a Girl by Amanda Sung

A vulnerably told story of three soulmates making their way in a world far from home, How to Break a Girl: Whatever doesn’t break you makes you write a novel about it by Amanda Sung is a striking and original novel about the balance between assimilation and identity.

Three Asian-Canadian immigrants – the endearingly awkward Lily, the strong but scarred Aurora, and Elizabeth, the hopeless romantic – are the trio of protagonists at the heart of this novel, each boasting a richly developed backstory and distinctly entertaining personality. Elizabeth fears falling into the same submissive patterns that she did with […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2026-02-26T15:00:46+02:00February 26th, 2026|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Contemporary Fiction Book Reviews, Women's Fiction Book Reviews|

Review: Belonging to the World by Barry Hoffner

An emotional adventure that transcends borders and the boundaries of devotion, Belonging to the World: A Journey from Grief to Connection in Every Country on Earth by Barry Hoffner details the author’s epic journeys through love, loss, and healing.

In 2017, Hoffner’s life was upended when his wife Jackie died suddenly while travelling in Africa, leaving him heartbroken and drifting in the face of unimaginable loss. Beginning with the fateful trip that led to her death and the subsequent months of traumatic fallout, this memoir shifts back to the past, laying out the decades of chance decisions and international leaps […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2026-02-20T15:56:15+02:00February 20th, 2026|Categories: Book Reviews, Latest Book Reviews|Tags: Memoir Book Reviews, Travel Book Reviews|

May Flowers at the Three Coins Inn by Kimberly Sullivan

A season of friendship and romance unfolds vividly in May Flowers at the Three Coins Inn by Kimberly Sullivan, the third installment of the charming Three Coins series. Emma and Annarita are hosting a new round of guests at their agriturismo in the Italian countryside – everyone from heartbroken political climbers and meticulous artists to embattled families and eccentric writers. Layered with intimate character development of each of these players, the novel probes into universal themes of human nature, as the members of this kaleidoscopic cast find healing and renewal in the springtime. Immersively descriptive in both setting and emotion, […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2026-02-19T13:35:27+02:00February 19th, 2026|Categories: Editorial Reviews|

Terminus by Ian Lewis

A fast-talking intelligence operative takes on the ominous threat of cutting-edge Soviet technology in Terminus by Ian Lewis, a high-stakes 1960s spy thriller with a contemporary edge. With the Cold War still raging, John Post is dispatched to Germany to locate and potentially destroy a mind-control weapon that would shift the geopolitical balance of global power. With a narrative focus on the intricacies of espionage and military protocol, the reading experience is immersive, with a central protagonist in John Post who has the captivating energy of a new James Bond, though the novel is somewhat light on character development for […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2026-02-18T14:56:28+02:00February 18th, 2026|Categories: Editorial Reviews|

Review: Ophiuchus Flinched by Z. Bennett Lorimer

A riveting second installment from Z. Bennett Lorimer, Ophiuchus Flinched (Tales of Ciel Book 2) expands the fantastical realm of Ciel as one young woman’s destiny begins to unfold. In this high-flying realm of conspiratorial plots, airborne battlefields, and sociopolitical drama, a young generation of heroes persist in the fight for survival under an oppressive regime of elite overlords.

Following on the dramatic events of Book 1, Effie Strait leaves the only sky island she has ever known after proving herself to be one of the most Gifted plebiscites in a generation. As a result, she has fallen into the […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2026-02-13T09:15:57+02:00February 12th, 2026|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Fantasy Book Reviews|

Review: The Ape Who Gazed Beyond by Fernando Reich

A heady exploration of our collective past, future, and the pathways in between, The Ape Who Gazed Beyond: A forgotten story of humanity guided by what has not yet occurred by Fernando Reich is an illuminating poetic reflection on humanity’s potential.

Penned by a tech veteran fascinated with quantum connections and species consciousness, this is a remarkably accessible and inviting collection of ideas on where we came from, where we’re headed, and how we’re actually going to get there. From walking upright and discovering the function of fire to developing language and sharpening the tools that would build our future, […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2026-02-11T17:01:42+02:00February 10th, 2026|Categories: Book Reviews, Latest Book Reviews|Tags: Poetry Book Reviews, Social Science Book Reviews|

Mortal Vengeance by Alejandro Torres De la Rocha

High-school drama and real-world consequences collide in Mortal Vengeance by Alejandro Torres De la Rocha, a fast-paced thriller with a supernatural twist.

When four young friends in Santo Domingo hatch a revenge prank against a particularly tyrannical teacher, they spark a catastrophic chain of events that threatens to destroy their friendships and any hope for the future. Not only do they face possible expulsion, arrest, military school, or just being grounded forever, a scythe-wielding monster begins to stalk the streets, and the grim deaths that follow send the town into a panic. Death has come to these unsettled Caribbean shores, […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2026-02-02T12:58:51+02:00January 30th, 2026|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Young Adult Book Reviews|

Review: The Soul’s Reckoning by Shireen Anne Jeejeebhoy

An inventive second chapter of Shireen Anne Jeejeebhoy’s post-life saga, The Soul’s Reckoning (The Q’Zam’Ta Trilogy Book 2) continues its creative swirl of speculative fiction and existential imagination.

Following her emotional sojourn through the Earth-Heaven Interdimensional Expanse, Charlotte Elisabeth has finally crossed the Barrier with the help of her soul family, and now faces the next step of her afterlife evolution: preparing to return to Earth. This unexpected stage of her heavenly track requires Charlotte to reconcile with her family, something that she was supposed to do before she abruptly chose to end her life. Accompanied by her soul family, […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2026-02-02T18:59:57+02:00January 29th, 2026|Categories: Book Reviews, Latest Book Reviews|Tags: Visionary Fiction Book Reviews|