John Staughton, Senior Reviewer | Self-Publishing Review

Review: The Race to the Blackened Nevers by Douglas Bain

A new pantheon of fantastic gods is unveiled by author Douglas Bain in The Woeful Wager, the first installment of the The Race to the Blackened Nevers series. Boasting more world-building than some authors attempt in a lifetime, this thrilling new realm is bursting with potential, supported by a passionate writer who demonstrates his deep appreciation and mastery of language.

In a world of mischievous, vengeful and deeply competitive gods, their followers are conniving in their own ways, though most are committed to staying on the good side of the divine. However, when a new race to the edge […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2020-06-05T08:25:19+02:00June 5th, 2020|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Fantasy Book Reviews|

Review: The World Without Flags by Ben Lyle Bedard

Armed to the teeth with subtle world-building and a powerful narrative voice, The World Without Flags by author Ben Lyle Bedard is a formidable standalone sequel to his first novel about this dystopian world. Kestrel, an indomitable young survivor, pulls readers on an epic journey across the American wasteland, and in the spirit of Cormac McCarthy, brutal beauty is everywhere in the prose.

The Homestead has been Kestrel’s roost for as long as she can remember, and the writing provides an intimate introduction to a safe haven amongst a world gone mad with a brain-infecting pandemic called Worm. Depicting a […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2020-06-05T08:24:51+02:00June 5th, 2020|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Post-Apocalyptic Book Reviews, Zombie Fiction Book Reviews|

Review: No. 7: They’re Calling by Nandita Banerjee

Author Nandita Banerjee unfurls a brilliant web of supernatural mystery and deep cultural detail in No. 7: They’re Calling. The relationship of a seemingly ideal couple begins to crumble when ghosts from the past come calling, and human nature is run through the gamut in this entertaining thriller.

Priya and Ravi seem to have the perfect life as immigrants living in Texas – comfort, stability, wealth, good friends, children off in college, and an unquenched love for one another, even after decades of marriage. However, when a traumatic piece of Priya’s past returns to her life, so too do […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2021-11-17T02:34:10+02:00June 4th, 2020|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Paranormal Book Reviews, Thriller Book Reviews|

Review: Beautiful Belligerence by Brent Beamer

Beautiful Belligerence lives up to its name as author Brent Beamer delivers a no-holds-barred peek into a wild and seminal trip that continues to impact him to this day. Touching on delicate themes of substance abuse, addiction, depression, brotherhood, sexuality, and perseverance, this book may be rough around the edges, but so is life.

When the author and three of his closest friends decide to throw their troubles to the wind and tear up Kansas City for a weekend, none of them know what might lie in store for them. At first glance, this book may seem like a drug […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2020-06-25T03:20:00+02:00June 3rd, 2020|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Contemporary Fiction Book Reviews|

Review: A Devil’s Tongue by Richard J. Blanco

A young man on a dangerous road with one end in sight finds a final chance at redemption in A Devil’s Tongue by author Richard J. Blanco. Readers are brought into the juvenile yet unexpectedly mature mind of Robert, a young man who has seen far too much already in his young life, in this heartbreaking story of second chances.

The traumatic premise of this novel gives it a harder and more visceral edge than other stories of kids going down a dark path and finding salvation. Watching Robert attempt to be “normal” while wading the waters of addiction and […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2020-06-24T03:49:49+02:00June 2nd, 2020|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Contemporary Fiction Book Reviews, Young Adult Book Reviews|

Review: The House and the Doormat by Sherry Martin, Illustrated by Lynda Farrington Wilson

A lovely house on a hill learns what it takes to become a home in The House and the Doormat by author Sherry Martin, illustrated by Lynda Farrington Wilson. This simple story accompanied by stunning visuals is a charming children’s book with lessons on acceptance, appreciation, communication, self-respect and recognizing the work of others.

Ramona is a proud and beautiful house, sparkling from roof to root cellar, and isn’t afraid to brag about her appearance to anyone who will listen. Dusty, on the other hand, is the lowly doormat, often overlooked as people wipe their feet on his face before […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2020-06-19T07:11:22+02:00June 1st, 2020|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Children's Book Reviews|

Unafraid: A Survivor’s Quest for Human Connection by Niyati Tamaskar

Niyati Tamaskar boldly tells the story of her cancer journey in unabashed and fearless detail in Unafraid: A Survivor’s Quest for Human Connection.

For this active, healthy, happy and high-functioning author, the shock and impact of a breast cancer diagnosis is depicted with intense authenticity, but there is also an impressive matter-of-factness about the prose that doesn’t lean heavily on emotional musing. Beautiful moments of reflection are supported by displays of indomitable strength, which make it an essential read for anyone whose life has been touched by cancer.

Not only is this a viscerally descriptive narrative of a daunting […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2020-06-01T08:39:07+02:00June 1st, 2020|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Health Book Reviews, Memoir Book Reviews|

Leo the Liar by Bernie Donnelly

With a disagreeable and dishonorable, yet vaguely charming lout at its core, Leo the Liar is an amusing and unpredictable family drama from Bernie Donnelly.

After not seeing his father for decades, Leo decides to make the jump from Dublin to Florida and reconnect with the long-lost Milo. Awkwardness aside, Leo has grown up to be a smooth-talking liar, a charmer with a silver tongue, a conman with motives that are difficult to suss out. Not only that, but an attraction from Leo’s new stepmother threatens to rock the boat of familiar normalcy. Peppered with clever turns of phrase and […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2020-06-01T07:57:53+02:00May 30th, 2020|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Contemporary Fiction Book Reviews|