SPR’s book reviews of new self-published books
Eternal Heat (The Firework Girls Book 3) by J.L. White
When Ashley met Erik Williams in her senior year of high school, they formed a bond through a love of playing music together, despite their disparate family backgrounds – but Erik’s family were not looking to accept Ashley’s lowly upbringing anytime soon.
Erik was Ashley’s one true love, and now he’s turned up years later at Hartman Graduate School. He’s her most fierce competitor when it comes to the piano, and may get to play at Lincoln Center in a concert of a lifetime. While they compete side by side for the gig of their dreams, Erik competes for Ashley’s […]
Amelia “Mel” Harper is a young woman in her twenties who works as a carpenter. She lives with her grandfather after losing her parents in an accident, an accident that brought her friends to her – Dave, a neighbor with Down Syndrome, and the firefighter, Kevin, who was involved in trying to save her parents. He’s engaged to be married, but not happily. When she starts receiving messages on scraps of paper from a mysterious man, and her dreams start becoming incredibly vivid, a perplexing trip for two she did not book pulls her to confront the signs she is […]
Moira Blake is a brilliant lawyer in her thirties sent far from her home in India to the faraway Western world of modernity and technology. In spite of her reluctance to leave behind so much she holds dear, Moira is determined to make the world a better place, and can only do so by uprooting herself and furthering her career. It’s only after taking the plunge into the strange waters of the unknown does Moira realize what she has to lose, and whether she’s willing to risk what she had always taken for granted in order to pursue her goals. […]
The year is 1887, and Sebastian Brigandshaw is stolen away from his lover, Emily, and forced across the sea in order to allow his older brother to take Emily’s hand instead. Cast into the wild and unknown colonies of Africa, Sebastian becomes one of the white hunters destined to see the bloodiest faces of man as the British face off against the Boers in their second war. Sebastian lusts for home, but must endure if he wants to survive in Echoes from the Past by Peter Rimmer.
Jacob’s Odyssey By Russ Melrose is an engrossing zombie novel in which a virus has decimated the country, and Jake, a fifth grade teacher, must travel across the Salt Lake Valley in Utah to survive – all the while haunted by more than world events. Jake has a troubled past, and he’s on a quest for redemption. When a woman and child are in need of help, Jake has found a way to redeem himself, just when the zombie apocalypse becomes even more dangerous.
The GreenSeed Conspiracy by Philip Benz gets to the heart of government corruption, as seen through the eyes of government contract-killer Duncan Jones. He’s done the dirty work for government agencies and then gets the job of his life. This time he’s not sure sure he’s getting rid of people who deserve it, and instead may be in the middle of a massive cover-up of human genetic experiments, and he may now be a new target.
The Path Of Destiny (The Cremelino Prophecy #1) by Mike Shelton is an exciting and character-rich young adult fantasy novel following the life of Darius, son of a councilor of the King of The Realm, who discovers he has the ability to create fire. Magic is forbidden in The Realm after a wizard rebellion a century before, so Darius is at risk of being banished from his home. Darius must choose whether or not to use his new powers, but finds he may have no choice at all.
Planet Tome Reborn by Helene Pilibosian is a continuation of the story begun in her earlier work A New Orchid Myth. In this volume, Amethyst, Granite, and their daughter Taralee travel to Earth from their home planet Tome. Taralee meets and marries Ted in Boston, and the four protagonists embark on a mission to collect plant life and technology vital to Tome’s continued prosperity.