Book Reviews | Self-Publishing Review

Review: A Pyre of Roses by Roland P. Joseph

Michael Attzs is a man with no past. He has but a flash of memory of a man leaving him in an orphanage in a Trinidadian village under the iron rule of Catholicism and colonialism, but this is all he has of his childhood. When his wife and child are brutally killed, a mysterious stranger wants to finger him for their deaths. Even police procedural documents show different events, while secrets and lies hide the truth – but why? Things get really strange when he marries a woman that seems to have just as little past as he does, and […]

Cate Baum2019-02-11T09:09:45+02:00November 23rd, 2016|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Mystery|

Review: Winter (A Crow Creek Novel) by Thomas Drago

★★★★★

With the third installment of the Crow Creek series, author Thomas Drago brings yet another high-octane story arc to his fans. After the Red Queen has been brought down, Amanda Simmons has rebuilt Carolina Entech, the corporation that built alliances with Carolina Energy and even the US Army. Now she’s hoping to bring back a powerful nuclear air carrier by harnessing the power of the sun. But things are about to get very weird very quickly, and yet again Sheriff Gleason of Crow Creek is going to have a fight on his hands – with mortality, this time in […]

James Grimsby2019-01-22T05:45:35+02:00November 23rd, 2016|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Horror, Paranormal, Thomas Drago|

Review: Molto Mayhem by Deanne Wilsted

Molto Mayhem is a romantic family-set story based around Lucia, freshly-returned to Tuscany from her new home in San Francisco, now hoping to spend time with her extended family, namely her slightly crazy aunt Christina and uncle Gianni, and a strange British guy called Aiden with whom she finds herself wandering dilapidated buildings in search of abandoned religious icons.

As in Eat, Pray, Love, the Italian flavor of this book lies in the crumbling herbs and baking of her uncle’s cooking, and the drifting beauty of the Tuscan landscape, and readers are going to find themselves salivating at the […]

Lysa Grant2019-02-11T09:20:27+02:00November 22nd, 2016|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Women's Fiction|

Review: Time is for Dragonflies and Angels by J.M. Erickson

★★★★

Time is for Dragonflies and Angels, the new book from sci fi author J.M. Erickson is a collection of short stories in the tradition of the classic science fiction writing compendiums, evoking well-loved writers such as Aldous Huxley and George Orwell, with clear influences from other giants of the genre as we go along.

This is more directly apparent in some stories over others, such as Neurogenesis which is a riff on the ending of Flowers for Algernon, or To See Behind Walls using The Secret Life of Walter Mitty as its key inspiration. It gives the […]

James Grimsby2018-03-16T09:55:32+02:00November 21st, 2016|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: J.M. Erickson, Science Fiction|

Review: Rightful Heir (The Penhalion Legacy Book 2) by Becca Ketelsleger

★★★

Becca Ketelsleger’s new female-led fantasy saga, Rightful Heir, Book Two of the Penhalion Legacy, will be welcomed by fans who enjoyed the previously released Book One Noble Warrior, serving as the sequel, with characters from the previous book making an appearance here once again.

Adventurous 16-year-old Detta Antille is a normal enough girl who lives with her “Ma” on a small farm in the village of Fraunc, somewhere far from the sumptuous royal castle where her brother resides, in Bryton. But when her mother dies, she must travel with her brother to the royal city, where he serves […]

Naka Jackson2016-11-29T10:27:35+02:00November 17th, 2016|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Fantasy|

Review: In the Mouth of the Lion by J. Guenther

★★★★½

Overflowing with rich history and a huge amount of research, In the Mouth of the Lion is a thorough and wildly entertaining piece of fiction based in real fact. Tackling a novel that requires putting yourself in the shoes – and mind – of Hitler is ambitious, to say the least, but Guenther delivers a surprising level of empathy and insight, giving readers a different view of history.

What makes the book particularly effective is its basis in real events. While the story of Carl Jung visiting and diagnosing Hitler sounds fantastical, it’s actually based in fact, as Jung […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2017-01-31T11:51:18+02:00November 15th, 2016|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Historical Fiction, World War II|

Review: Evolution on Trial by Anonymous

Although many academics and scholars would argue that the debate over evolutionary theory is over, there are also those who believe that this Revolutionary “theory” should still be questioned. In the aptly named Evolution on Trial, the book’s anonymous author presents the case for both sides, and does so with strongly stated “non-bias.” However, it becomes apparent within the first few chapters that the author doesn’t believe that evolution is true, and the writing has undercurrents of this doubt from the very first page.

When it comes to books discussing the validity or falsity of evolution, a clear-cut dichotomy […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2019-02-11T09:47:39+02:00November 9th, 2016|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Non-Fiction, Science|

Review: Aggravated Momentum by Didi Oviatt

In the aftermath of a brutal murder, Markie is struggling to find her footing in the world. Aided by her sister, Kam, the two are finally finding ways for Markie to enjoy life again. Unfortunately, life has other plans as tragedy befalls them once more. It soon becomes clear that these events are far from random occurrences, and the only freedom from a life of torment two sisters can find is finding the mastermind behind it all. Complicated and compelling, Didi Oviatt delivers a deadly and exhilarating murder mystery with her new book, Aggravated Momentum.

The mystery of the […]

James Grimsby2019-02-11T09:09:25+02:00November 8th, 2016|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Mystery, Thriller|