New Releases | Self-Publishing Review

A Rose from the Executioner by Edward Izzi

Vigilante serial killers, dark sacred secrets, and painfully true history collide in A Rose from the Executioner, the gritty new novel from author Edward Izzi. A devious idea to collect life insurance policies by killing off pedophile priests appears to become a horrific reality in Chicago, throwing a Catholic cop onto a tangled trail of mobsters, monsignors, and rose-signed murder scenes.

Despite being a work of fiction, the story is laid on a very real foundation, which ups the narrative stakes from the very beginning. Interspersing the detective’s first-person investigation with expositional chapters and victim/criminal backstories results in a […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2020-09-28T07:49:42+02:00September 27th, 2020|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Thriller Book Reviews|

Your Business Venture by Linsey Mills

Linsey Mills, serial entrepreneur and author, distills his experience and observations from a career of small business mastery in Your Business Venture: The Prep. The Pitch. The Funding.

Patiently walking through every step of a business venture in development, this is a broadly accessible and educational book – valuable for amateurs and business veterans alike. The chapters are comprehensive and seemingly exhaustive, yet anything but dull or overly technical. Challenging readers and potential entrepreneurs with pertinent questions, and providing actionable goals and tools for success, this book offers detailed information throughout, not just anecdotal success stories and vague inspirational language.[…]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2020-09-25T05:01:09+02:00September 25th, 2020|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Business Book Reviews|

Harvest Moon (By the Light of the Moon Book 4) by Jenny Knipfer

Two lost souls in search of timeless answers leave all they have known behind in Harvest Moon, Book 4 in Jenny Knipfer’s immersive and emotional By the Light of the Moon series.

The dual stories of Maang-ikwe and Niin-mawin show their vastly different experiences as indigenous people, but as their lives entangle, their natural alliance emerges. While navigating the perils of new social situations and cities, they both struggle to find a genuine balance between where they came from and who they are becoming.

Supported brilliantly by strong secondary characters and foils that leap off the page, rather than […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2020-09-22T03:34:23+02:00September 21st, 2020|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Historical Fiction Book Reviews|

The Second Child by Regina Toffolo

Author Regina Toffolo excavates the darkest corners of her life in The Second Child, a memoir spanning decades of childhood instability, familial uncertainty, alcoholism, mental illness, and the unexpected challenges of parenting.

Told in a deeply personal yet accessible way, this book explores the warning signs and roots of addiction, as well as the repercussions of grief and loss that can only be unpacked from the distance of age or experience. The recollections are told in a matter-of-fact way, akin to journal entries, but there are also gut-punch moments that feel both voyeuristic and surprisingly relatable. Navigating wide-ranging subjects […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2020-09-21T04:50:21+02:00September 21st, 2020|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Addiction Book Reviews, Memoir Book Reviews|

Umlac’s Legacy (Entangled Galaxy Book 2) by Jim Meeks-Johnson

Author Jim Meeks-Johnson serves up a weird and wonderful space romp with his second book of the Entangled Galaxy series, Umlac’s Legacy: Rogues and Misfits.

After defeating Umlac, a ruler of the Immortal Ascendency, the Earthling heroine at the center of this series must deal with the deadly halls of cosmic power and the backstabbing blobs she now rules. The problem with loyalties divided across the galaxy is that conflict is inevitable, and these universally significant stakes make for epic storytelling. The author’s unique universe expands even further in this installment, yet the minute details of alien tech and […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2020-09-16T04:05:20+02:00September 15th, 2020|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Science Fiction Book Reviews, Space Opera Book Reviews|

The Rebirth of Henry Whittle by Gertrude T. Kitty

A story of deception, betrayal, and the desperate leaps of faith we go to for some sense of home, The Rebirth of Henry Whittle is a nail-biting novel from author Gertrude T. Kitty.

Navigating her lifelong trauma of isolation and abandonment, Phoenix Whittle takes a chance on stability by reconnecting with a mysterious uncle. Little does she know that her real uncle is long gone, replaced by a clever con, but that doesn’t mean their bond is any less interesting to watch as it develops.

Boasting a complex blend of heavy themes, ranging from mental health and bullying to dark […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2020-09-09T07:56:56+02:00September 8th, 2020|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Contemporary Fiction Book Reviews, New Adult Book Reviews, Thriller Book Reviews|

A Tissue of Lies by CD Wilsher

A tragic ghost from the past upends the life of a veteran lawyer in A Tissue of Lies by CD Wilsher.

Frank Connor is a lawyer who has spent his career defending murderers, but when he finds himself on the wrong side of an ex-client’s death vengeful spree, it feels like the small mistakes of his past are closing in. Connor begins digging into the old case, trying to protect or defend himself, but only ends up finding more questions and dead ends, as well as the whiff of a cover-up. When the freshly released and heavily financed Tyrell Sikes […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2020-09-08T06:48:07+02:00September 7th, 2020|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Thriller Book Reviews|

Despite My Odds by Denise Monique

From the fearless fingertips of Denise Monique comes Despite My Odds, a powerful and painful memoir of an unconventional childhood, a traumatic youth, and a perseverant adulthood that is both compelling and heartbreaking.

Layla is an enigmatic focal point, one whom it seems the entire world is stacked against, but as her memories unfold, patterns emerge, systemic failures appear, and the long-term emotional weight of trauma becomes clear. From sexual assault and early encounters with police officers to dangerous relationships and chronically low self-esteem, this is not an easy book to swallow; it will choke you up and force […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2020-08-28T03:20:59+02:00August 27th, 2020|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Memoir Book Reviews|