John Staughton, Senior Reviewer | Self-Publishing Review

Review: The Mystery of the Scroll by Ann Beltran

Two intellectual lovers with very different minds become tangled with the unexplained wonders of the universe in The Mystery of the Scroll by Ann Beltran, a heady ride through science, spirituality, and the unknowable past.

On his way to start working as a lab technician at the Smithsonian, Jeremiah stops by his old Joshua Tree stomping grounds during a cross-country trip with his anthropology PhD partner, Sunny. Returning to the site of an unforgettable discovery from his childhood, the pair uncover an inexplicable artifact: a rawhide pouch containing an impossible treasure from the past.

As they settle into their new […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2025-09-19T08:21:05+02:00September 3rd, 2025|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Visionary Fiction Book Reviews|

Review: A Necessary Death by Terri Karsten

Immersive, clever, and impeccably detailed, A Necessary Death by Terri Karsten is a charming historical mystery with a healthy dash of pastoral romance.

Freshly widowed and left penniless by her seafaring husband, Penelope Corbitt is heading towards a new life in colonial Boston with her two children – 16-year-old Nabby and young Nathaniel. On the journey north, however, accompanied by her dour brother-in-law, a stagecoach accident diverts them to a roadside tavern, where Penelope promptly finds a dead man in the outhouse.

Miles Turner, the gruff innkeeper, constable, and a fellow widower, may not appreciate Penelope’s presumptuous nature, but her […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2025-09-17T17:56:13+02:00September 2nd, 2025|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Cozy Mystery Book Reviews, Mystery Book Reviews|

Wonderment Within Weirdness by Jaime David

A sci-fi screed with hidden wisdom amongst the madness, Wonderment Within Weirdness by Jaime David is an unfiltered and electric stream of imagination.

When James abruptly dies in a landmine explosion, he not only wakes up in Heaven, but immediately finds himself in a breakneck journey across multiple timelines and unknown universes. From a heist in hell to steal a God-killing gun to unraveling paradoxes in the midst of school shootings, this book is a wild-eyed spree of multiversal hijinks, not to mention demons, portal guns, and saving the human race from multiple agents of destruction.

Despite the feeling of […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2025-09-02T13:50:20+02:00September 1st, 2025|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Science Fiction Book Reviews|

Joedan II by Matthew Rossignol

A medieval adventure from a distinctly modern voice, Joedan II: A Different Path by Matthew Rossignol is the bold next chapter of an original rags-to-regal trilogy. Still recovering from his heroic exploits to save Amelia from the Count’s sinister clutches, Joedan is plunged into the fire of a soldier’s life – quashing rebellions, investigating conspiracies, and losing loyal allies to rampant violence. As romance blurs with the line of duty, Joedan must navigate the cutthroat players of the court to protect both the woman he loves and the duchy he calls home. The informal style and linguistic slang are somewhat […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2025-08-29T11:15:07+02:00August 29th, 2025|Categories: Editorial Reviews|Tags: Boost|

Pnĕumä: The Celestial Beings Trilogy by Eli Liszt

A forbidden romance between a spiteful warrior and a mesmerizing mortal threatens the delicate balance of races on Earth in PNĔUMÄ by Eli Liszt.

Jovianus Moreau may be the future leader of the five tribes of Celestial Beings living in delicate, hidden harmony among humans, but that doesn’t prevent this freshly graduated loner from falling fast and hard for the entrancing Simone. Their deepening connection could mean a death sentence for them both, but his obsessive desire for such a lesser being forces him to reexamine every unfounded belief he once held about mortals. Through heartbreak, betrayal, and separation, their […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2025-08-29T11:18:10+02:00August 29th, 2025|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Fantasy Book Reviews, Romance Book Reviews|

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|