Lead Story | Self-Publishing Review

Review: Awakening: Bloodline Book One by Tiera Rice

★★★★½

Tapping into the paranormal and vampire market has been the goal for many YA and fiction writers in recent years, and while the genre feels full to bursting, certain gems stand out, like Awakening from Tiera Rice. The first book of the Bloodline series, this novel creates two gripping tales for readers to enjoy, separated by 600 years, but linked by mysterious and ancient powers.

The book is almost equally split between the Old World and the New; Antanasia is a Romanian vampire from the 1400s, while Nadia is the unsuspecting heroine in present-day NYC, wrestling with emerging powers […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2017-02-17T05:40:43+02:00December 23rd, 2016|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Fantasy Book Reviews, Vampires Book Reviews|

Review: How to Befriend, Tame, Manage, and Teach Your Black Dog Called Depression Using CBT by Dr. James Manning

How to Befriend, Tame, Manage, and Teach Your Black Dog Called Depression Using CBT by Dr. James Manning is a thorough overview of the causes and solutions of depression. Both a sufferer from depression at a very young age, and now a Cognitive Behavioral Therapist, with a number of books tackling depression and anxiety, Dr. Manning takes on this difficult problem from a number of angles in a way that should be helpful both to those suffering from depression and those who want to help.

The conceit of the book at least in the title is like a faux dog […]

Henry Baum2019-02-11T09:40:47+02:00December 23rd, 2016|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Psychology Book Reviews|

Review: A MouseKeeper Christmas: The Beginning by Jenny Deason Copeland

★★★★

A MouseKeeper Christmas: The Beginning by Jenny Deason Copeland is a highly original Christmas story about Sara, who solves a very big problem for Santa and the North Pole. Mice are running rampant in Santa’s workshop, slowing down production, so Santa and the elves hold a contest for children to find a solution. Sara has the best idea: every child on the “Nice” list will adopt a mouse during the Christmas season so Santa can get his work done. Sara’s plan goes off without a hitch, and the “Nice” list even grows, as all the children want to take […]

Lysa Grant2019-01-23T12:26:19+02:00December 15th, 2016|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Children's Book Reviews|

Review: No More Magic Wands by George Finney

★★★★

For most professionals not directly involved in the realm of cybersecurity, reading a book on the topic might sound like a cruel and unusual form of punishment. However, the reality is that everyone who regularly uses technology, social media, wireless internet and other staples of modern life should have some modicum of understanding of the issue. In No More Magic Wands, author and cybersecurity expert, George Finney, takes an extremely unique approach to educating the masses on this critical topic, but it may just be strange enough to work.

Through an extended allegory, Finney shares his more than […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2019-01-22T15:25:55+02:00December 9th, 2016|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Business Book Reviews, Non-Fiction Book Reviews|

Review: Sisters of Moirai by Jill M. Lehman

★★★★

Three girls, Meg, Baby, and Carrie, are Sisters of Moirai. Trapped in a mysterious institution where writing is banned, they write their story at their own peril with a buried pen, blood, dirt. The Suits, those in charge, have a Code of Conduct, and those who do not follow the rules face severe punishment.

Moirai is a strange and dark place, and “Rooms” keep appearing in the building where the girls will face their demons, sometimes almost literally. As they work through their troubles from their pasts, the places they are forced into become psychological battlegrounds – and seeming […]

Naka Jackson2017-02-17T05:40:07+02:00December 6th, 2016|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Horror Book Reviews|

Review: Emperor Norton’s Treasure Hunt by William Durkin and Shayne Durkin

★★★★★

In 1955, a year when the American Dream was fresh and alive, the San Francisco Chronicle had stiff competition to remain in business amidst the city’s infamous newspaper wars. Under tremendous pressure to succeed, an idea is born – like a diamond from coal: a treasure hunt. Not just any treasure hunt, but a treasure hunt of the ages. With clues to be given and real-life locations to visit, readers would fight tooth-and-nail across the city to find Emperor Norton’s lost prize… if it exists at all. With colorful characters both human and animal alike, follow along with this […]

James Grimsby2019-02-11T08:36:01+02:00November 28th, 2016|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Children's Book Reviews, Middle Grade Fiction Book Reviews|

Review: The Black River Chronicles: Level One by David Tallerman and Michael Wills

★★★★

Finding a unique angle in a new fantasy series can be difficult, and creativity remains the most important element in the genre. In The Black River Chronicles: Level One (Black River Academy Book 1) by David Tallerman and Michael Wills, readers are fortunate to find a brand new world filled with recognizable characters – or at least classes – and a heartfelt tale of growth and friendship. It’s a keen mixture of the familiar and the innovative.

For anyone who has ever played a role-playing game, the concepts of leveling up and choosing a class are very familiar, but […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2017-02-17T05:39:57+02:00November 27th, 2016|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Fantasy Book Reviews|

Review: Winter (A Crow Creek Novel) by Thomas Drago

★★★★★

With the third installment of the Crow Creek series, author Thomas Drago brings yet another high-octane story arc to his fans. After the Red Queen has been brought down, Amanda Simmons has rebuilt Carolina Entech, the corporation that built alliances with Carolina Energy and even the US Army. Now she’s hoping to bring back a powerful nuclear air carrier by harnessing the power of the sun. But things are about to get very weird very quickly, and yet again Sheriff Gleason of Crow Creek is going to have a fight on his hands – with mortality, this time in […]

James Grimsby2019-01-22T05:45:35+02:00November 23rd, 2016|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Horror Book Reviews, Paranormal Book Reviews|