Book Reviews | Self-Publishing Review

Review: The Defense of the Commonwealth by John J. Spearman

Diving back in time and space within a realm he knows so well, author John J. Spearman launches a new series with his latest thrilling work of science fiction, The Defense of the Commonwealth.

Hundreds of years in the future, humans have spread into the stars, with wealthy nation-states settling and colonizing habitable planets, though the deep-seated conflicts of modern humanity have regrettably persisted. Alliance strongholds are being overrun in what seems like a coordinated attack against cosmic colonists from the United States, which could endanger the settlements of other nations.

The Inter-Planetary Commonwealth, with as much clout as […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2022-12-09T14:08:26+02:00October 17th, 2022|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: John J Spearman, Science Fiction|

Review: Redding Up by Richard Snodgrass

Richard Snodgrass seamlessly plunges readers back in time with his latest collection, Redding Up, unveiling more incredible stories from the fictional mill town of Furnass.

Rich characterizations and powerful (yet broken) figures populate these stories, particularly in “Remaindered,” one of the strongest in the collection. In this hard-edged snapshot of life, a local woman named Carla Brossick confronts a disgraced ex-minister about a horrific sin of his past, even as she tries to overcome her own demons, and keep her aging head above water.

“Her Father’s Daughter” starts readers off with a story of homecoming, of a prodigal daughter […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2022-12-05T20:33:31+02:00October 11th, 2022|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Literary Fiction, Richard Snodgrass, Short Stories|

Review: Martini Alley and Other Swashbuckling Adventures of a Certified Klutz by Diane Klutz

Diane Klutz’s Martini Alley and Other Swashbuckling Adventures of a Certified Klutz is a lighthearted diaristic memoir recounting Diane and Steve Klutz’s comical, incredible, almost surreal adventures around the USA, both on land and water.

Both fresh from Vietnam, nurse Diane Mumper and soldier Steve Klutz met at a military camp called Fort Gordon in Georgia in 1971. After a skinny-dipping slipup that almost cost them their positions, and a rumbling escape from a dangerous bar that almost cost them a trip to the hospital, the two unexpectedly fall in love and soon decide to marry.

Though before leaving for […]

SPR2022-11-30T15:34:03+02:00October 10th, 2022|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Memoir|

Review: Elvia and the Gift of Passion by Ruthy Ballard

Elvia and the Gift of Passion, the third installment of Ruthy Ballard’s Tales by Moons-Light series, is a magical middle grade fantasy that follows plucky Elvia as she travels from Oregon to Africa to the two-mooned planet Urth, where a beautiful purple-skinned, fashion-obsessed Uppie takes her on the trip of a lifetime.

Ten-year-old Elvia Hill’s passion for adventure is endlessly thwarted by her overly protective parents, who won’t even let her ride a bike, but that changes when her mother wins a trip to go on a safari in Tanzania. Although they rarely let their daughter out of their […]

SPR2022-11-29T15:48:46+02:00October 9th, 2022|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Middle Grade Fiction|

Review: Family Matters by Lance Lee

In a memoir that does double duty as a multi-generational history of dysfunction and the effort to define a life shaped by deceptions, Lance Lee unmasks the myths his parents clung to in Family Matters: dreams I couldn’t share and how a dysfunctional family became America’s Darling, The Addams Family.

Lee and his sister, Linda, endured a turbulent childhood controlled by their father David “Gar” Levy, a self-absorbed, generally distant, often emotionally abusive patriarch. A high-powered advertising and television network executive, Gar created the sitcom, “The Addams Family,” which Lee believes Gar infused with his own parents’ dysfunction and […]

SPR2022-10-07T15:00:03+02:00October 6th, 2022|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Biography, Lance Lee, Memoir|

Review: The Garden Before Eden by Les J. Whitmore

A touching tale of true love, despite all odds, The Garden Before Eden by Les J. Whitmore is a clever new take on destiny and the unexpected fates that control it.

Keller is an unassuming IT specialist with little chance of landing a date with Ashley the super-agent, but his authenticity, wit, and oddball charm catch her eye. He is completely different than Jack, the brash man she represents, who seems determined to sweep her off her feet with all the grace of a charging linebacker. Meanwhile, in a heavenly waiting room called the Garden, Ashley’s future children are waiting […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2022-11-10T11:16:05+02:00October 4th, 2022|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Religious Fiction|

Review: A Rebel’s Path (The Enchanted Isles Book 3) by I.L. Cruz

Author I.L. Cruz summons another tense chapter of the Enchanted Isles YA series with A Rebel’s Path, her third electrifying installment. Between paternal revelations, impending royal nuptials, a resurgence of magic, and an urban legend come to life, the life of Inez Garza and the realm of Canto is as strange and exciting as ever.

Inez’s predestined fate of bringing magic back to the Enchanted Isles is a tall order, particularly since she has no idea how to achieve that seemingly impossible goal. Her powers have proven to be impressive, but difficult to predict and keep hidden, training in […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2022-10-03T17:33:55+02:00October 3rd, 2022|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Fantasy, I.L. Cruz, YA Fantasy, Young Adult|

Review: The Kentucky Bicentennial by Dale E. Voelker

A visual tour of Kentucky during its 200th birthday year, The Kentucky Bicentennial by Dale E. Voelker is a celebration of a state, its people, and the enduring spirit that populates every corner of the Bluegrass State. These pages hold images from events both big and small that occurred in 1992 across the state, finally brought to life thirty years later in this commemorative book.

The photos from “Hillbilly Days” are particularly evocative of the rustic, patriotic, and whimsical nature of the state, while the shots of the Kentucky Derby that year are both dynamic and intimate. The “Summer Festival […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2022-11-09T13:15:57+02:00October 2nd, 2022|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: History, Photography|