Lead Story | Self-Publishing Review

Review: Welcome, Reluctant Stranger (Between Two Worlds Book 3) by Evy Journey

A foiled assassination attempt, a corrupt government and an almost two decades’ long mystery are the surprising and intriguing elements in Welcome, Reluctant Stranger, the standalone third installment in Evy Journey’s excellent Between Two Worlds romance series.

At age nine, little Leilani Torres’ seemingly perfect life was uprooted when her mother suddenly arrived at her school and took her out of class before whisking her to the airport. There, she and her two siblings, along with her mother, boarded a plane and left behind her island home on Costa Mora – and her physician father.

Eighteen years have now […]

Marta Cheng2019-01-22T11:09:48+02:00March 23rd, 2018|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Romance Book Reviews|

Review: The Gospel of Tommy Visconti (The Edge of the Known – Conclusion) by Seth Mullins

The Gospel of Tommy Visconti by Seth Mullins is the sixth and final volume of The Edge of the Known series, which follows the rise of the band Edge of the Known and the mercurial bandleader Brandon Chane, as he muses about life and the creative process. Here the story is told by his creative partner Tommy Visconti, as we get a view of Brandon from a distance, and potentially a deeper look into the author of this fascinating series.

Tommy Visconti is the lumbering bass player in Edge of the Known – not quite the mastermind, but instrumental in […]

Henry Baum2018-03-23T12:41:18+02:00March 22nd, 2018|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Contemporary Fiction Book Reviews, Music Book Reviews|

Review: The Victory Perspective by E.J. Kellett

What if we had a bird’s-eye view of the early moments of existence, the very first conversations between God and his angels before the world was born? This religious framework guides the lives of billions around the world, and in The Victory Perspective by E.J. Kellett, readers are invited to explore an eye-opening new perspective on this inconceivable beginning.

The book rests on the premise that in a magical paradise, five beings inexplicably awaken – Michael, Gabriel, Alpha, Lucifer, and Raphael. With no idea of what life means, or what their purpose on that plane is, their personalities begin to […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2018-04-05T08:15:24+02:00March 11th, 2018|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Fantasy Book Reviews|

Review: Dick Dialogues by R. Mohan

Writing a book from a unique perspective is far from a revolutionary approach to literature, but in Dick Dialogues: A Jovial Conversation About Sex, the narrator is particularly unusual – and memorable. With an interest in spreading information and awareness about sexual health and behavior to those who need it most, R. Mohan has created a hilarious and heartwarming guide to sex, told from the perspective of…a penis.

Genitalia is rarely chosen as a narrator, let alone a protagonist, but just as The Vagina Monologues began a conversation between women and about sex in a healthy and hilarious way, […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2018-03-05T17:36:26+02:00February 28th, 2018|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|

Review: Timing the Infinite by Nathaniel Schmeling

For those who look or think about the world differently, life can be a minefield of isolation, confusion, despair… and occasionally hedonism, but it also offers the potential for bizarre, one-of-a-kind storytelling. In Timing the Infinite, author Nathaniel Schmeling embarks on a brilliant linguistic roller coaster ride, one packed with import, introducing a myriad of unforgettably weird and profound characters.

Stranger is an apt name for the protagonist, as he seems to represent a massive bundle of “otherness” and embraces the unknown. A brilliant programmer with a multilayered façade of nihilism and perceived freedom, he is actually an existential […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2019-03-08T10:06:15+02:00February 22nd, 2018|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Science Fiction Book Reviews, Visionary Fiction Book Reviews|

Review: Awaken to the Wilderness (The Edge of the Known Book Five) by Seth Mullins

★★★★

Awaken to the Wilderness by Seth Mullins follows the band, Edge of the Known, on a grueling 180-day tour, which may be the undoing of band leader, Brandon, who has never been one to handle the trappings of success and fame very well. Here though, Brandon may be coming to terms with his life and art, realizing there’s always a wilderness, but you can always find meaning and contentment within the struggle.

Unlike the four earlier books in the series, Awaken loses a fair bit of its pretension and philosophizing, focusing more on the antics and experiences of a […]

Henry Baum2018-02-16T11:42:57+02:00February 4th, 2018|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Contemporary Fiction Book Reviews, Music Book Reviews|

Review: Coffee Shop University by Mario Kfoury

Mario Kfoury’s debut work of nonfiction, Coffee Shop University, is a thought-provoking exploration of spiritual, philosophical, and intellectual self-discovery.

Divided into three parts, the book chronicles the arrival of the author in the U.S. in 1987 from war-torn Lebanon. Settling in Los Angeles, he and his friend, Elrob, quickly embraced the bodybuilding culture of southern California while working as security officers. It’s during this time that Kfoury attended a meeting of Native Americans where he was introduced to a spiritual smudging ceremony, which subsequently inspired him to read extensively on Hinduism, Buddhism and Taoism, among others.

The second part […]

Marta Cheng2019-02-11T09:52:19+02:00January 31st, 2018|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Philosophy Book Reviews, Spirituality Book Reviews|

Review: He Who Leads by M.A.N.

★★★

The Akachi clan has a new leader, as Amare has taken the title of chief after the death of his father. No sooner has he accepted the role than problems begin to multiply. There are questions of succession to contend with, demons lurking in the night, and the basic needs of the clan to see to. If the clan is to survive, they must move as well. Their lands are no longer safe, but they face a hostile clan to one side and a pair of warring neighbors to the other. It doesn’t take long for Amare to find […]

Mindy Hood2018-02-16T11:42:06+02:00January 29th, 2018|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Fantasy Book Reviews|