SPR’s book reviews of new self-published books
Uprush by Jo Barney
Uprush is by Jo Barney set in the Pacific oceanside town of Greensprings, where Lucius Baker the sheriff gets involved with the disappearance of Madge, an elderly resident, and the stories she leaves behind. The book tells the story of college friends Joan, Jackie, Lou and Madge in 1955 and the present day, as they grow and learn about life, ending up in the town they are now in, wondering what has happened to Madge. Family, death, love and life are woven through their experiences in the book.
The book is incredibly delicately written in a sometimes almost onomatopoeic style […]
King Maebus has only been in power for less than a week and already there’s no peace for him as he rules this turbulent land. Warlord Damian, whose biggest weapon is history itself, and his legion of warriors, are pitted against The Realm and are ready to wreak havoc on the only magical kingdom in existence…will the magical or non-magical people come through? A classic swords and magic style tale with a strong cast of villains, a wizard and a good old-fashioned hero, this book will appeal to those into Tolkien, Pratchett and Game of Thrones.
Life Discarded is the third book by D.E. Haggerty. Morgan, a thirty-something Midwestern librarian, marries Daniel, a handsome, successful accountant in a fairytale ceremony and feels certain she has finally got the life she could only dream of. But even before the wedding night has finished, Daniel’s friend, hunky fireman Eric makes her nervous about her choice of husband. Only a short time into their marriage, Daniel starts acting possessive and aggressive, meaning Morgan starts to re-evaluate her priorities — and her own safety– until a sinister truth about Daniel is discovered, leaving Morgan devastated and in no doubt that […]
Love Poems: Are You The One? by Georgia-based poet and musician Steve Ryan is a collection of contemporary poetry on the subject of love, starting with infatuation and moving through every emotion thereon, including loss. Written in an accessible way, the poems seek to answer the questions of the heart within its words, touching on a very wide range of subjects without being too heavy or confusing to those looking for romantic inspiration. The poems seem to come from a personal place with their profundity, exposing the common components of human relationships viewed from many angles, written almost lyric-like given […]
A Patriot’s Act by Kenneth Eade is a tight, legal thriller and the second book in the Brent Marks series. When Ahmed, a naturalized US citizen of Iraqi descent is mistakenly held by the government and sent to Guantanamo Bay Detention Camp, Brent Marks, a top Californian attorney, is hired by the accused’s wife to free him. But Marks is faced with the mammoth task of fighting against the American government in a world that has the power to make any evidence – or person – disappear rather too conveniently. He must beat the very system he believes in to […]
Sandra M. Haight’s latest poetry collection “Tides” takes its inspiration from nature and the cycles of the seasons, and those emotions that tie us to the ground and the sky and everything in between. There is also a spiritual thread to these poems, with a prayer to God here and there,
The Automation: Volume 1 of the Circo del Herrero Series is a surreal Greco-Roman clockwork fantasy written through the seemingly-omniscient personalities “B.L.A.” and “G.B. Gabbler” about the life and occurrences of the unfortunate Odys after his encounter with a gory suicide that links him to the victim’s Automaton, a divine and complex being of unknowable machination that work in tandem with a human soul.