Book Reviews | Self-Publishing Review

Review: Play Like He Would by Heath Hamrick

Tragedy and triumph collide beneath the Friday night lights in Play Like He Would by Heath Hamrick, a gritty true story of perseverance, honor, and the lasting impact of loss.

After a tough string of losing seasons and discouraging setbacks, “Slugger” Hamrick eagerly takes over as the head coach of the Bremond Tigers – a small and scrappy football team from East Texas. The town still remembers what vicarious victory and gridiron glory feel like, fueling dreams of young players and the excited hopes of a community. After a modest start at Bremond, Hamrick needs to deliver a playoff run […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2026-08-21T11:03:01+02:00August 20th, 2026|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Memoir Book Reviews, Sports Book Reviews|

Review: The Third Estate: Devil’s Tango by D.R. Berlin

An adrenaline-filled thriller of professional killers and family secrets, The Third Estate: Devil’s Tango by D.R. Berlin offers another twisted dose of conspiracy in the Third Estate series.

When a John Doe lands in the ER with a slug in his gut, Captain Sophie Allard does all she can to save him, but he seems far more interested in passing her a cryptic message about a top-secret dossier. It isn’t long before two assassins arrive at the hospital, determined to learn the man’s final words, even if that means dropping more bodies, potentially sabotaging Sophie’s nascent medical career. However, before […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2026-07-29T17:56:30+02:00July 28th, 2026|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Thriller Book Reviews|

Review: Wolf in Wanderley by Dave J. Andrae

An unapologetic tribute to Gen X mentality and the timeless frustrations of aging, Wolf in Wanderley by Dave J. Andrae is a story of haunted pasts, hope for the future, and the cruel paralysis of the present.

Facing the downward slope of his modest career as a fringe filmmaker, Wolfgang Barnes hunkers down in Florida, settling into the limbo of life’s next chapter while working on his version of a memoir. After an unfortunate encounter with a mace-wielding neighbor, Wolf meets Maisy, the punk-rock twenty-something next door, and her mother Katherine, armed with her boomer logic and skeptical caution.

Unbeknownst […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2026-10-20T10:45:03+02:00July 24th, 2026|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Contemporary Fiction Book Reviews, Literary Fiction Book Reviews|

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 Reviewer2026-10-15T16:57:32+02:00July 21st, 2026|Categories: 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 Reviewer2026-10-08T13:14:02+02:00July 13th, 2026|Categories: 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|