Contemporary Fiction Book Reviews | Self-Publishing Review

Review: The Sojourners by T. L. Hughes

Mike Hogan lands in London with two friends looking for work but instead follows his heart across Europe on a soul-opening adventure in The Sojourners by T. L. Hughes. There’s drinking and late night philosophy in pubs, a meditative surfer in Germany, and love in Greece and Turkey, while Mike ruminates on the people and places glimpsed from trains, buses and mopeds, letting readers accompany him on this poetic travelogue.

The novel begins with twenty-something Mike and friends Luke and Decky completing a road trip from California to the East Coast, boarding a plane and landing in London looking for […]

Inevitable Dreaming by Dave Dröge

In Inevitable Dreaming, the new novel from Dave Dröge, readers are pulled into a heartfelt story of loss and redemption.

When Waldemar van Splunteren’s life collapses in dramatic and tragic fashion, he finds himself with few friends and no idea how to move forward. As a forensic psychologist, Waldemar understands how complex and dangerous the human mind can be, but when a friend of his late wife suggests a cutting-edge form of digital therapy, he agrees, desperate for closure and peace. Quite the opposite happens, however, and he gradually begins to uncover the truth behind his painful past, launching […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2018-11-02T11:40:22+02:00November 2nd, 2018|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Contemporary Fiction Book Reviews|

A Child is a Piece of Paper by Lance Crossley

Raw… gritty…no single adjective can sufficiently describe the intensity of A Child is a Piece of Paper, Lance Crossley’s stark novel.

The year is 1960. Six-year-old Wanisin Blackwill and his older sister, Mitena, are forced to leave their Indian reserve outside of Fort Hope to attend a Catholic-run live-in school for Native American children. Once at the school, Wanisin and Mitena become Wally and Mabel, their former lives beaten out of them due to the relentless ministrations of their headmaster, Father Paxton. Childhood innocence is quickly replaced by humiliation, constant fear, and something much worse until the only recourse […]

Marta Cheng2018-11-02T10:09:18+02:00November 1st, 2018|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Contemporary Fiction Book Reviews, Literary Fiction Book Reviews|

Review: The Outlandish and the Ego by O. Ryan Hussain

In these days of political turmoil and uncertain global peace, it can be hard to find a reason to laugh, but O. Ryan Hussain’s new novel, The Outlandish and the Ego, provides an uproarious release. In a new genre of literature the author calls “political erotica,” this novel discusses serious topics and trends in the world…without ever taking itself too seriously.

The book is cleanly divided between the sarcastic and the surreal, beginning with the Aide, a ruthless and ambitious wretch who has wriggled his way near the highest halls of power. In his endless bid to increase his own […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2024-07-30T15:36:10+02:00October 18th, 2018|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Contemporary Fiction Book Reviews, Political Thriller Book Reviews, Satire Book Reviews|

Review: The Folly of Sweeney by Brian J. O’Sullivan

The machinations of a fractured mind can make for great literature, and in The Folly of Sweeney by Brian J. O’Sullivan, readers get a raw glimpse into a truly unusual brain. Touching on elements of the immigrant experience, mental health, alcoholism, family and self-preservation, this book may be erratic and unpredictable, but there are powerful messages lying beneath the surface of this drunken New York fairytale from a true seanchaí.

The central character of the novel, Liam, is an Irishman who now calls New York home, but he hasn’t lost the stereotypical penchant for alcohol. He is a difficult character […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2019-01-22T10:33:47+02:00October 16th, 2018|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Contemporary Fiction Book Reviews|

Review: McDowell by William H. Coles

In McDowell, tragedy and consequence lead an arrogant and narcissistic Dr. Hiram McDowell to examine his life and search for life’s meaning beyond winning and possessions.

Hiram is first glimpsed leaving his Mt. Everest climbing partner to die. If that’s not enough to establish his unreliability, he goes on to belittle his wife, trick a colleague and ignore his children. Hiram’s the quintessential egoist surgeon: busy, belligerent, brilliant, and self-absorbed.

Author William H. Coles paints a damning picture of the selfish Dr. McDowell. Married for the third time to Carole, he barely acknowledges her and openly cheats on her, […]

Greg Rideout2019-01-22T10:34:18+02:00October 15th, 2018|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Contemporary Fiction Book Reviews, Literary Fiction Book Reviews|

Review: A Nanny for Harry by Sylvia Mulholland

Pregnancy, motherhood and the demands of a career prove to be a tough juggling act in A Nanny for Harry, a touching and often funny work of women’s fiction by Sylvia Mulholland.

Thirty-five-year-old attorney, Kali Miller, is potentially jeopardizing her already slow track to partnership by taking a three-month maternity leave to have a baby. As soon as her pregnancy had been confirmed, she and her handsome husband, Matt, a general surgery resident, purchased a pokey little house in trendy Belmont Shore that they set about fixing before the arrival of their baby boy, who they’ve already named Harry.[…]

Marta Cheng2018-10-27T12:24:38+02:00September 18th, 2018|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Contemporary Fiction Book Reviews, Women's Fiction Book Reviews|

Review: Storm Shelter by Raymond Payne

Storm Shelter by Raymond Payne is a vivid illustrated novel based on his 2004 novel Shelter from the Storm, which tells the tale of Juan “Johnny” Lopez and his plans to escape from a juvenile detention center.

With a fellow gang member to help him, Johnny thinks he has everything figured out. He will escape and tell anyone who will listen about the conditions at the facility. At the same time that Lopez is planning to obtain his freedom, Danny Matthews – a young boy who had spent a good part of his life in foster care – is on […]

SPR2019-01-11T14:50:42+02:00September 12th, 2018|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Comics & Graphic Novel Reviews, Contemporary Fiction Book Reviews|