Book Reviews | Self-Publishing Review

Review: FitzDuncan’s Fortune by John Spearman

With even more clever quips, narrow escapes, and noble gestures, author John Spearman continues Caz’s wild adventures in FitzDuncan’s Fortune, the fourth volume of this eccentrically entertaining series.

Fresh off an adventure that elevated his abilities and standing with the crown, Caz embarks on a quick task to outwit a blackmailer and restore the tainted honor of an old friend’s mother. The heart of this plot, however, involves the same assassin who Caz had recently captured, only to discover that his stepmother was the one offering the blood money. Trading his life for service to the crown, this skilled […]

Review: Blood for the Fisher King by Endy Wright

Author Endy Wright unleashes his imagination and narrative sensitivity in Blood for the Fisher King, a continuing tale of his fascinating work of science fiction, The Omicron Six.

Following the harrowing revelations at Deep Woods Academy from the preceding book, Cooper and Coupe attempt to return to a normal life, but the truth, scope, and origins of their powers are hard to ignore. Coupe has begun to flex his impressive intellectual muscles for the first time, while Cooper continues to explore his shocking physical gifts, but their newfound skills aren’t going unnoticed, particularly by the black SUV following […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2022-06-28T03:56:56+02:00June 27th, 2022|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Science Fiction Book Reviews, YA Fantasy Book Reviews, Young Adult Book Reviews|

Review: Back to Serve by CW3 Cesare Giannetti

Author and decorated veteran CW3 Cesare Giannetti U.S. Army (Ret.) draws readers into a fascinating crucible of loyalty, war, family, and self-determination in Back to Serve: Return of a Soldier.

Written as a fictional memoir of the similarly-named Captain Nico Corretti, the novel no doubt reflects the author’s own experience, but it is intriguingly woven together with the elements of a thriller. It is unusual for a military story to begin with the protagonist retiring from service, but Captain Corretti’s respite is short-lived, as his loyalty and willingness to sacrifice are endless. With a mother who died when he […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2022-08-16T11:34:04+02:00June 17th, 2022|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Military Book Reviews, Thriller Book Reviews|

Review: Letters to Sis by CW3 Cesare Giannetti

A stirring memoir in an unusual form, Letters to Sis by CW3 Cesare Giannetti is an intimate look into the everyday lives of ordinary servicemen, and a peek behind the curtain at the lives they leave behind.

A blend of non-fiction epistolary writing and narrative confession, this book is deeply personal and revealing about the author’s lived experiences, during his years before, during, and after serving in the US Army. Telling the story via letters gives the book genuine emotion and honesty in these scribbled snapshots of prose, while Giannetti’s dramatic accounts of his service fill in the blanks, providing […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2022-08-08T07:20:52+02:00June 17th, 2022|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Memoir Book Reviews, Military Book Reviews|

Review: Revolution by David Dorrough

Revealing how everyday lives can be extraordinary in countless ways, Revolution by David Dorrough is a deep dive into a Southern California social bubble with a cadre of well-drawn characters and drama aplenty. A commentary on the epic level to which we raise the banalities of our own lives, and the struggle to achieve or feel contentment in the modern world, this book cuts deep into our current culture.

Each player in this drama represents some small and strange slice of California dreaming – seeking something better, newer, faster, sexier, but ultimately finding their hopes dashed, or their expectations unmet. […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2022-07-25T07:16:25+02:00June 14th, 2022|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Contemporary Fiction Book Reviews|

Review: Person to Person by Joeri Torfs and Pim Ampe with Greta Myers

Authors Joeri Torfs and Pim Ampe with Greta Myers delve into a possible better path forward for our world in Person to Person: Change Your Life and Fix the World.

Examining the present day through a sparkling lens of technological knowledge, sociological insight, and philosophical foundations, these authors ask cutting-edge existential questions that are relevant for everyone. Partially inspired by a rare opportunity to breathe new life into an old space in southern France, this book blends a quartet of fictional characters with the speculative yet sober dreams of the authors.

Driven by the idea of creating a “heterotopia,” they […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2022-06-13T06:36:14+02:00June 12th, 2022|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Social Science Book Reviews|

Review: 2359 Hours by Jack B.S. North

Immersing readers in the mind of a conflicted soldier desperately seeking inner peace, 2359 Hours by Jack B.S. North is a timely reflection on war, trauma, and the myriad roads to redemption.

Archie has attempted to overcome his devastating experiences in Afghanistan by moving to Canada, near his wartime comrades, but has found that all the ghosts of his past came along for the journey. Embarking in a new direction after being forged in a crucible of war is never easy, as this gritty and relentless story shows. The twist of this narrative, however, is that the novel takes place […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2022-07-21T01:24:40+02:00June 8th, 2022|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Contemporary Fiction Book Reviews, Military Book Reviews|

Review: Myers by Jeff Lee

A gripping mystery that reveals its villain long before the final page, Myers by Jeff Lee is a character-driven thriller that exposes the grim repercussions of trauma and war, showing how the severe residual trauma and haunting memories of survivors can have their own terrible repercussions.

Plunging readers into a wind-blown, easily forgotten part of America, this novel is an exposé of violence, history, and family. The story pits two such souls against each other, the town’s police chief, Karl Myers, and Jerry Peterman – a soldier who never really stopped fighting, and who has forgotten any language but domination. […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2022-07-15T04:47:13+02:00June 7th, 2022|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Historical Fiction Book Reviews, Thriller Book Reviews|