Book Reviews | Self-Publishing Review

Review: Cnut: Rise of a Viking Warrior by Kyle Miller ★★★★

Cnut: Rise of a Viking Warrior by Kyle Miller follows Cnut as he grows into a young man and trains to be a warrior in the British Isles after his mother Astrid, a shield maiden and the daughter of a jarl, leaves the Norselands to come to Wessex after falling pregnant. The storytelling is something like the style of Ken Follet – a lighter historical read that does not focus so much on true history and fact as the character’s journey. Detail of Cnut’s warrior training by his friend Rolf, and his foray into romance with Hild — and into […]

Cate Baum2015-11-02T05:46:43+02:00October 30th, 2015|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Historical Fiction Book Reviews|

Review: The Cats of Rekem by C. L. Francisco ★★★★

The Cats of Rekem, by C. L. Francisco, is a thoughtful story about Jesus and his followers told from a feline perspective.

This is the third book in the Yeshua’s Cats series and it opens with the characters from A Cat Out of Egypt twenty-five years later. In the Nabataean city of Rekem there’s religious and political discord. Tikos, Zaidan, their daughter Hinat, and their faithful cats are placed in a dangerous situation when Yeshua and Mari appear before and after the Resurrection. Yeshua makes a request: help save Paul of Tarsus. Can they and what will the consequences […]

T B Markinson2015-12-17T08:27:01+02:00October 30th, 2015|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Historical Fiction Book Reviews, Religious Fiction Book Reviews|

Review: Candlelight in a Storm by Naveen Sridhar

Candlelight in a Storm by Naveen Sridhar is the historical biography of his wife. Born during World War II and fleeing the violence there, later fleeing communist regimes as a teenager, and traveling the world, meeting her husband in Berlin, her story is at once colorful and harrowing. John F. Kennedy came to Germany and said “Ich bin ein Berliner,” signifying that Germany did not need to be forever tarnished with the legacy of the Nazi party, and there was a generation of Germans looking to establish peace and freedom in the country. Candlelight in a Storm is the ode […]

Henry Baum2021-09-07T07:49:44+02:00October 29th, 2015|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Biography Book Reviews, Memoir Book Reviews, Non-Fiction Book Reviews|

Review: D-Nine – Protectors Of The Crown by Magus Tor

★★★★½

In this unusual fantasy offering, Magus Tor spins his magic by taking the fantasy genre a new and pertinent step further with this transgender-charged quest adventure. When Dr. James. a male medical professional gets a huge migraine-like headache he starts hallucinating Lord Of The Rings-style rooms in which he seems to be the protagonist – in the form of Princess Sarabeth, a teenage royal charged with the defense of her nation, but currently suffering amnesia and unable to remember her purpose – against a ticking clock of betrayal by a secret society known as the D-Nine, working underground […]

Naka Jackson2016-03-04T03:54:27+02:00October 29th, 2015|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Fantasy Book Reviews|

Review: The New World: A Step Backward by Andy Skrzynski

★★★★½

Sometimes the end of the world is just the beginning. In 2019, Easter Sunday, a spike in Internet chatter amongst Iranian, Chinese, and Russian users gives a swansong to the era of global nuclear peace as America’s capitals are wiped from the map. After the five years of devastating conflict – later dubbed the “World Annihilation” period – humanity lives on in its pockets; in secluded villages that escaped the crosshairs of the major powers that have long gone silent.

Over half a century passes, and a bastion of hope formerly called Riding Mountain National Park becomes home to […]

James Grimsby2016-03-04T03:54:58+02:00October 27th, 2015|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Apocalyptic Fiction Book Reviews|

Review: Chasing Paper Cranes by Courtney Peppernell

★★★★½

Chasing Paper Cranes, by Courtney Peppernell, is an inspirational coming of age novel that teaches an important message: when the world crumbles at your feet, the people who help you rebuild are your true friends.

Layla’s father left when she was a young child, but he left behind a book of Japanese legends. Layla always felt drawn to one legend that says if you fold 1,000 paper cranes, your wish will be granted.

Layla meets Sam online and a relationship flourishes. They plan to meet in London and she brings 1,000 paper cranes to give to Sam.

However, […]

T B Markinson2019-01-22T04:37:15+02:00October 27th, 2015|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Young Adult Book Reviews|

Review: The Bootlegger’s Legacy by Ted Clifton ★★★★

The Bootlegger’s Legacy by Ted Clifton takes the reader on a wild ride through Oklahoma’s bootlegging history.

When Patrick Allen, an old-time bootlegger, dies and leaves his son Mike a cryptic letter hinting at millions in hidden cash, Mike and his friend Joe follow the clues. They end up traveling through three states and half a century of history.

The mystery starts with a key, embossed with the letters CB, and a puzzling reference to Deep Deuce, a neighborhood once filled with hot jazz and gangs of bootleggers. But what’s really at stake? Money? Memories? And can Mike handle learning […]

T B Markinson2020-12-23T05:53:10+02:00October 27th, 2015|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Crime Fiction Book Reviews, Mystery Book Reviews|

Review: Everybody Cheats by Nina Mancuso

From “Othello” to Jackie Collins literature both great and not-so-great has always offered insights into the ups and downs and ins and outs of romantic relationships. This is not exactly a new fascination. But in the wake of the Ashley Madison hack, the popular conversation has turned to the subject in a more prosaic way, focusing as much on why we do what we do when relationships don’t suit our needs as how to find the perfect relationship — presumably the one that will keep us at home and in love rather than off giving personal data to dodgy web […]

Cate Baum2019-02-11T09:42:38+02:00October 23rd, 2015|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Non-Fiction Book Reviews, Relationships Book Reviews|