New Releases | Self-Publishing Review

The Golden Manuscripts by Evy Journey

Expertly blending well-crafted romance and high-stakes adventure, The Golden Manuscripts by Evy Journey is a descriptive escape into an exciting world of discovery, struggle, and growth.

Daughter of a career diplomat, Clarissa’s life begins by criss-crossing the globe, but her passion for art drives her forward, straight into a hunt for a historic treasure, and into an unexpected relationship that will come to define her life. This long-form tale of Clarissa’s life, along with some love and looting, is entrancing and educational, particularly her tête-à-têtes with Nathan, which are both flirtatious and fascinating to follow, making for an outstanding duo […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2023-04-28T08:27:51+02:00April 27th, 2023|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Action and Adventure Book Reviews, Literary Fiction Book Reviews|

Under the Golden Dome by Ray Keating

Perennially skilled in his storytelling, author Ray Keating once again threads the needle between philosophy, adventure, religion, and mystery in his latest Pastor Stephen Grant novel, Under the Golden Dome.

Twenty-five years after witnessing the violent clash of religion and politics firsthand, Pastor Grant must once again unravel the deadly relationships of power – both divine and diplomatic. As is often the case, the theological and the political become tightly knotted in this fast-moving novel, specifically socialist philosophy and Christian dogma. The book also neatly explores the shadowy history of CIA interests, theological autocracies of the past and present, […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2023-04-27T11:00:54+02:00April 26th, 2023|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Religious Fiction Book Reviews, Thriller Book Reviews|

Foot Soldier in the Fourth Industrial Revolution by Jeffrey Cooper

Looking at the history of computing, cultural transformation, and the rise of internet technology through his own life and work, Jeffrey Cooper delivers a stirring and timely memoir with Foot Soldier in the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

Over the course of nearly fifty years, Jeffrey Cooper reliably sought and found himself on the cutting edge of technological advances that have shaped our 21st-century world. The fact that Cooper’s career at GE started four years after the first microprocessor was released, and has stretched well into the modern age of VR, AI, and quantum supercomputers demonstrates the breadth of the author’s […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2023-04-21T12:21:09+02:00April 19th, 2023|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Memoir Book Reviews|

As Time Goes By by W. Royce Adams

Author W. Royce Adams delivers a unique and intimately drawn reflection on a fictional life well-lived in As Time Goes By.

Recounting his “whale story without the whale,” the protagonist named Old, with wisdom to match his name, invites readers into his philosophy-forward memoir, laced with humor and potential answers to some of the biggest questions we face. From early childhood head injuries and illicit afternoons in barrooms with his grandfather to early missteps in romance, cliff jumping, and the looming clouds of war, it doesn’t take long for readers to forget that they aren’t reading an autobiography, propelled […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2023-04-13T11:30:25+02:00April 12th, 2023|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Contemporary Fiction Book Reviews|

Song of Lilith by Andrew Chiniche

Fiercely retelling the oldest chapter of Christian mythology, Andrew Chiniche has created an evocative and poetic epic with his newest work, Song of Lilith.

Representing the sinful, lustful, self-aware, rebellious, and untamed nature of humankind, specifically womankind, Lilith and her ilk have long been cloaked in biblical shadows and mystical rumors. Beginning with her deflowering by Adam in the Garden of Eden, finding refuge in the arms of Samael the archangel, and her legendary manipulation of Eve’s appetite, this is a biblical story few have ever heard. However, Chiniche’s portrait goes much further, with Lilith existing in different forms […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2023-04-12T11:23:44+02:00April 11th, 2023|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Poetry Book Reviews|

Shades of Thorne Creek by Alan Havorka

Shades of Thorne Creek by Alan Havorka is a fascinating social novel following the fate of a small town population in the mid-1970s trying to survive in the midst of industrial decline, for a searing and emotive portrait. Havorka brings to life the provincial frustration against a period backdrop, teasing out the delicate personal relationships that define people and the paths they take, with sometimes tragic consequences.

Our unnamed narrator arrives in Emery, South Dakota, a perfectly normal if somewhat barren Great Plains town that has clearly seen better days, organized around a local grain elevator. Having noticed with a […]

Marina Dora Martino2023-04-11T15:13:59+02:00April 11th, 2023|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Contemporary Fiction Book Reviews|

Artefactum by J.E. Tobal

Tapping into the endless possibility of multiverse theory, author J.E. Tobal mixes up a gritty sci-fi masterpiece of lost love, desperation, and cross-dimensional adventure in his new novel, Artefactum.

A grief-driven antihero with a dimension-leaping talisman and a drinking problem is about as unlikely a protagonist as one could imagine, but Sam is irresistible, oddly charming, and admirable in both his principles and passions. Seeing a character depicted in true love, and then facing devastating loss, is instantly bonding for the reader to follow this character wherever he goes, even beyond the bounds of reality itself. This quixotic quest […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2023-04-11T13:04:19+02:00April 7th, 2023|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Science Fiction Book Reviews|

Once Upon a Wonderland by DJ Stoneham

A swirling return to the dark whimsy of a familiar setting, Once Upon a Wonderland by DJ Stoneham details Alice’s fourth adventure to the time-spinning world of Cheshire cats and mad queens, and is as inventive and immersive as all of her previous trips.

As ever, the lessons learned on the other side of the looking glass have impacted her normal life. Her lost love, Jack Door, the black-feathered boy from her third trip, has never had an equal among Alice’s real-world suitors, so she longs to return. A tense family trip to the seaside yanks this older and wiser […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2023-04-07T11:56:02+02:00April 6th, 2023|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Fantasy Book Reviews|