Book Reviews | Self-Publishing Review

Review: Joe’s Odyssey by Nick LaTorre

Sent on a seemingly harmless client meeting for his boss, Joe Kerson has no idea that his life is about to take a wild turn in Joe’s Odyssey by Nick LaTorre. Dreaming of making a drastic change in life is something to which most readers can relate, giving this wild and unpredictable adventure broad appeal.

Joe Kerson is used to people walking all over him, but with a single shove, he finds himself the new owner of a luxury yacht, and eight suitcases overflowing with mob money. The only problem is that he has no idea what to do next, […]

Review: Lamellia: The Wizard in the Forest by Gloria D. Gonsalves, Illustrated by Silja Schüler

A young mushroom heroine is the protagonist of Lamellia: The Wizard in the Forest, a whimsical and meaningful children’s book by Gloria D. Gonsalves. Family revelations, magical/musical defenses, and a heartwarming resolution round out this parable, which is accessible for a wide age range.

Tiara is the strong-willed protagonist of this beautifully illustrated children’s book. The princess of Lamellia, Tiara embarks on a quest to find a missing friend and discover the secret of her own past. Tiara was born a human, but was taken in by King Polipoli and Queen Nobilia after being orphaned in the forest […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2020-02-17T08:18:19+02:00January 14th, 2020|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Children's Book Reviews|

Review: Spent Identity by Marlene M. Bell

Mystery and murder vie with a decades-old secret in Spent Identity by Marlene M. Bell, the second book in the Annalisse series, following the riveting Stolen Obsession.

Mired by pressures at work and worried about her stalling relationship with her tycoon boyfriend, Alec Zavos, antiquities expert Annalisse Drury heads for the comfort of her Aunt Kate’s farm in upstate New York. Shortly after arriving at her childhood home, she learns from her aunt that her cousin, Jeremy, wants to sell her aunt’s beloved farm – news that is quickly trumped by the discovery of a decomposing body in the […]

Marta Cheng2020-05-20T05:17:24+02:00January 2nd, 2020|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Mystery Book Reviews|

Review: Who Wants to be Greek? By Jeffrey L. Carrier

Embracing tradition while chafing against the constraints of a predestined future makes for a compelling premise in Who Wants to be Greek?, a colorful coming-of-age novel by Jeffrey L. Carrier.

Giorgos Balaskapoulos’ extended family owns boats, curio shops, a sponge diving business, a tourist guidance center, and six or seven Greek restaurants in Tarpon Springs, Florida. All of his cousins work in the family businesses and Giorgos grudgingly works part-time in his uncle’s curio shop. At almost eighteen, he wants to be a great Greek like the rest of the men in his family. The only problem is that […]

Marta Cheng2020-02-12T10:52:53+02:00January 2nd, 2020|Categories: Book Reviews|

Review: Courage and Complicity by Claudette Languedoc

Memories of a former teacher in a residential school for Indigenous children are provoked by a strange gift and a mysterious visitor in the evocative novel Courage and Complicity by Claudette Languedoc.

Mary Block is a naïve but adventurous girl living in Toronto in relative comfort and safety when she answers an ad in 1947 to teach Indigenous children in the backwoods town of Bear Lake. She will board with a local lady and work under the sway of Catholic nuns and monks.

She at first concentrates on pleasing her employers, being the ideal teacher and tenant. But as initial […]

SPR2019-12-20T08:35:41+02:00December 20th, 2019|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Historical Fiction Book Reviews|

Review: Transference by B.T. Keaton

Overflowing with futuristic drama and suspenseful action, Transference by B.T. Keaton is a debut gem in the sci-fi genre.

Set in some nebulous near-future, a powerful theocratic order on Earth – the Church – gains possession of an alien technology that gives them untold control over the hearts and minds of those on the planet. Not all is as it seems, and those who know the truth of the Church are seen as a threat to the new world order.

Thaniel Kilraven is one such man, putting him firmly at the heart of this dangerous dystopian tale. Years earlier, Kilraven […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2020-01-24T17:33:25+02:00December 19th, 2019|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Science Fiction Book Reviews|

Review: World Climate: Causes, Effects and Solutions by Terje Instefjord

In World Climate: Causes, Effects and Solutions by author Terje Instefjord, some of the most recent reports and publications by respected climate experts and organizations are broken down and explained in accessible, yet credible language.

While there is some amount of extrapolation and guesswork in any global model, despite our advanced technology related to this subject, this is not a book of catastrophic rhetoric or partisan leanings. Instead, it is a well-constructed and readable book that sits squarely between a dense governmental report topping hundreds of pages and a concise summary in a news article.

From the World Meteorological Organization […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2020-02-07T09:55:08+02:00December 13th, 2019|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Environment, Science Book Reviews|

Review: Catwalk Dead: Murder in the Rue de L’Histoire Theatre by F. Della Notte

A nearly century-old mystery, an historic theatre and fears of the Macbeth curse make for an irresistible trifecta in Catwalk Dead: Murder in the Rue de L’Histoire Theatre, F. Della Notte’s newest whodunit in her Housekeeper Mystery series.

Life has become much more exciting as of late for Mrs. B. since her son and daughter-in-law moved to Austin and have accepted positions as artistic directors of the Bernardi-Bono Ballet Company, situated in the old Rue de L’Histoire Theatre. What Mrs. B. doesn’t know is that the theatre’s stage manager had voiced his concern about strange goings-on at the theatre […]

Marta Cheng2020-02-06T10:42:58+02:00December 11th, 2019|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Cozy Mystery Book Reviews, Mystery Book Reviews|