Book Reviews | Self-Publishing Review

Review: Searching for Harold by Stephen Watts

An epistolary memoir of a fractured family in the throes of World War II, Searching for Harold: One Family’s World War II Story in Letters by Stephen Watts presents a stirring and timely picture of unity, support, and grace under fire.

Primarily comprised of letters exchanged between members of the Carleton and Watts families between the years of 1934 and 1948, this chronological account intimately connects Harold and Wilbur Carleton in Europe, their nephew Wayland in Texas, Bernice in Georgia, Gladine in Washington, and other disparate family members across the world. Echoing an entire generation that saw its fathers, brothers, […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2026-07-23T11:22:56+02:00July 21st, 2026|Categories: Book Reviews, Latest Book Reviews|Tags: Biography Book Reviews, World War II Book Reviews|

Review: Houdini: The Man Who Died Twice by Larrian Gillespie

Pulling back the curtain on history’s most legendary magician, Houdini: The Man Who Died Twice by Larrian Gillespie explores the spectacular career, enigmatic legacy, and murky final days of the macabre master of escape. Readers are pulled a century into the past to a time of glamour and illusion, where fame and fortune could be won or lost in an instant.

Delivering an impressive example of well-researched and riveting nonfiction, the book unfolds like a formal investigation – a presentation of verified facts and the players involved, alongside a dissection of the relevant clues and motives, allowing a theory to […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2026-07-28T12:34:22+02:00July 21st, 2026|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Biography Book Reviews|

Review: The Matriarch Mission by Maxime Trencavel

A historical coming-of-age novel with an empowered protagonist and supernatural flair, The Matriarch Mission by Maxime Trencavel is a captivating story of transformation, honor, and liberation.

At the tender age of thirteen, Oksana Mangupli inherits a mystical family legacy passed down from her grandmother, a secret destiny revealed by a goddess in a hidden cave in Crimea. Five years later, still unmarried and resistant to her father’s carousel of suitors, Oksana attracts the attention of a Grand Duke of Russia, and is unexpectedly drawn into the treacherous realm of the Romanovs, who have retreated in the face of revolution to […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2026-07-14T14:07:32+02:00July 13th, 2026|Categories: Book Reviews, Latest Book Reviews|Tags: Fantasy Book Reviews, Historical Fantasy Book Reviews|

Review: Goddess from the Machine by Daniel Rodrigues-Martin

A tech-heavy revenge thriller with a heady dose of dystopia, Goddess from the Machine: A Prequel to the Ark Saga by Daniel Rodrigues-Martin is a multilayered tale of relentless resilience.

After surviving more than a decade of abuse and horror as a slave, Reese was rescued by a telekinetic warrior named Kid, and then stayed by his side as he became the Vigilant, the secret protector of Machindoun, the Machinist City. Together, they chip away at the sprawling underground slave trade from the shadows, inspiring a new generation of community resistance and planting essential seeds of revolution.

When this noble […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2026-07-10T17:24:59+02:00July 9th, 2026|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Science Fiction Book Reviews|

Review: Blood Called by M.A. Caulder

Delivering a multilayered paranormal thriller with a captivating heroine at the helm, Blood Called (Songs of the Claw Book 1) by M.A. Caulder is a graphic gut-punch of a novel.

In this dystopian vision of the future, a catastrophic Change has resulted in the sinister and sped-up evolution of the natural world: plants, animals, and people have rapidly developed new abilities and adaptations, making them deadlier than ever before. That’s not the only issue at stake, as Earth has been quietly seized by an alien species known as the Helmers.

Amidst this madness stands Kylie Tyger, the feisty mortician of […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2026-09-24T09:54:24+02:00June 19th, 2026|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Urban Fantasy Book Reviews|

Review: A Heart That’s True by Mark Guillerman

A heartwrenching story of separation, indoctrination, resistance, and resilience, A Heart That’s True by Mark Guillerman is a daring piece of historical fiction that speaks to the deepest parts of our shared humanity.

When Joseph and his older cousin Elizabeth are ripped away from their native lands in Montana and shipped across the country to the Carlisle Indian School, they are expected to rip out their cultural roots and assimilate into the white man’s ways. Exposed to the brutal cruelty of a corrupt system and the pressures of their peers to abandon their old lives, these two fiercely strong protagonists […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2026-09-16T10:19:24+02:00June 3rd, 2026|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Historical Fiction Book Reviews|

Review: Lead With Trust by Bart Spence

An impactful guide to strengthening your business in an evolving modern landscape, Lead With Trust: A Relationship-Based Approach to Building Happier, More Connected Workplaces by Bart Spence is a unique business manual focused on relationships as the primary driver of success.

Distilling his experience as an HR professional into a set of workplace commandments, Spence’s guide presents his “9 Principles of Trust,” which are intended to withstand whatever chaos or challenges arise. Through anecdotal coaching stories that are transportive, entertaining, and believable, Spence carefully outlines each of the 9 principles, explicating lessons along the way and posing reflective questions for […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2026-09-01T15:04:08+02:00June 1st, 2026|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Business Book Reviews, Leadership Book Reviews|

Review: Wait, Where Am I In This? by Lee Long, EdD, LPC-S

A revelatory examination of internal and interpersonal conflicts, Wait, Where Am I In This? by Lee Long, EdD, LPC-S is an insightful guide to help navigate, deepen, and strengthen relationships with other people, and with themselves.

Rife with unfiltered confessions and painful moments of recognition, the text examines why we think the way we do, and offers alternative pathways for our mindset, feelings, reactions, and behaviors. People struggle in their relationships for myriad reasons, whether it is shrinking themselves to fit a desired image, repeating patterns of abandonment from childhood, letting trauma responses drive reactions, living out unwanted narratives, or […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2026-07-23T11:15:07+02:00May 20th, 2026|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Self-Help Book Reviews|