Contemporary Fiction Book Reviews | Self-Publishing Review

Review: All Roads Lead to Lawrence by Craig Leener

Readers are welcomed back into the strange world of Zeke and the Seventh Dimension in the wild and wise All Roads Lead to Lawrence by Craig Leener.

A sequel to the acclaimed This Was Never About Basketball, our protagonist is a bit older and wiser, but his heart still beats with every bounce of the basketball. Now the point guard for his college team, he may think he’s done with his extra-dimensional adventures, but his journey is only beginning.

Upon the death of his brother, Zeke’s reality begins coming apart at the seams, and it doesn’t help that not […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2019-12-20T08:11:58+02:00November 4th, 2019|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Contemporary Fiction Book Reviews, YA Fantasy Book Reviews, Young Adult Book Reviews|

Review: The Thin Gray Line by Anthony R. Fanning

The Thin Gray Line, Anthony R. Fanning’s emotionally-charged work of women’s fiction, underscores the difference between desire and action, and doing what it takes to survive.

Twenty-six-year-old June Garrett and her younger sister, November “Novie” Ketchum, are as different as two sisters can possibly be. June has spent the last eight years at the construction company founded by her father, working her way through the ranks. June can drink and party with the best of them, doesn’t hesitate to start or jump into a fight and is fiercely devoted to her younger sister and widower father who is slowly […]

Marta Cheng2019-12-12T08:48:15+02:00October 31st, 2019|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Contemporary Fiction Book Reviews, Women's Fiction Book Reviews|

Review: Jacob’s Ghetto by Travis Peagler

Rising above adversity is the powerful theme in Jacob’s Ghetto, the emotionally-charged story written by Travis Peagler for middle-grade and young adult readers.

Ten-year-old Jacob Kingsman was born with the cards of life definitely stacked against him. Living in the notoriously tough south side ghetto of Chicago, Jacob’s mother is a junkie who does nothing to provide the daily necessities for him, forcing Jacob to ask the owner of the corner market for a banana every day so that he has something to eat at night.

He and his best friend, Kenny, are harassed by Ja’heve, second in command […]

Marta Cheng2019-11-19T08:24:04+02:00October 22nd, 2019|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Contemporary Fiction Book Reviews, Young Adult Book Reviews|

Review: Simon’s Mansion by William Poe

Running from your present and confronting your past speak to the heart in Simon’s Mansion, a moving work of LGBT literary fiction by William Poe.

Not long out of rehab, Simon Powell returns to his hometown of Sibley, Arkansas, eager to leave behind his destructive life in Hollywood. Given his relatively young life, Simon is a man with many ex’s to his name – ex-husband of Masako, a Japanese woman he had briefly married, ex-cult member and former follower of the Reverend Sun Myung Moon, and ex-junkie, with cocaine and crack his drugs of choice.

He’s also a former […]

Marta Cheng2019-10-14T11:42:43+02:00October 13th, 2019|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Contemporary Fiction Book Reviews, LGBTQI+ Book Reviews, Literary Fiction Book Reviews|

Call Numbers by Syntell Smith

Keeping things quiet in a library is understood, but in Call Numbers by author Syntell Smith, the swirling secrets and constant drama are impossible to shoo away with a whisper, for a drama-filled romp through the stacks.

When Robin Walker arrives at the 58^th Street Branch of the New York Public Library, he has no idea what kind of storm he’s strolling towards. Between power struggles at the top and a white noise of gossip to cabal-toppling coups and sassy clerks ready to throw the first punch, this is a much wilder story than a loyal library-goer may expect.[…]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2021-02-08T04:56:27+02:00October 3rd, 2019|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Contemporary Fiction Book Reviews|

Review: The Best of Intentions by Gilbert Van Hoeydonck

A moving work of literary fiction, The Best of Intentions by Gilbert Van Hoeydonck illustrates the stark message of its title: the best of intentions are too often not enough.

Transplanted Melbourne social worker, Kurt Edelman, is hardly a typical Buddhist. With a penchant for cheap wine, leather jackets, and violent video games, he’s disillusioned and frustrated by the social system for which he works – a system that is for the most part understaffed, underfunded, and forces a high case load on its workers.

However, when young Kylee Watson, one of his former charges, jumps from the roof of […]

Marta Cheng2019-09-30T09:12:25+02:00August 20th, 2019|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Contemporary Fiction Book Reviews, Literary Fiction Book Reviews|

Review: Littlethumb Sneezed by Truant D. Memphis

When 10-year old Littlethumb Brooks emerged from the “Occurrence,” the world around him had not changed, but he had. Always sensitive, but now a precocious artist, he possesses a wiseness beyond his years. In front of him stands an amazing series of events involving his parents, a kind yet eager teacher, an evil rock-star, a devastating fire and a beautiful nanny. Littlethumb Sneezed by the creatively named Truant D. Memphis captivates and careens through mystery, love, and a head-spinning jaunt through the enigmatic art world.

The story begins on Coney Island where a caricature artist meets a nanny and the […]

Greg Rideout2019-09-27T09:29:48+02:00August 17th, 2019|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Contemporary Fiction Book Reviews, Literary Fiction Book Reviews, Visionary Fiction Book Reviews|

Review: Ramona’s Man by D.L. Yoder

Flipping the script on the classic tale of Pygmalion, author D.L. Yoder presents a quirky and unpredictable novel with Ramona’s Man. Tackling issues of parental control, societal expectations, and the half-blind nature of love, this book is an intriguing dive into family psychology and has plenty of squirm-worthy moments to which younger readers will relate.

There is always some pressure when you bring a person home to meet your family for the first time – this pressure is much greater when that person is a homeless man named Harley you picked up less than an hour earlier as a stand-in […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2022-01-14T07:34:04+02:00August 17th, 2019|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Contemporary Fiction Book Reviews|