Historical Fiction Book Reviews | Self-Publishing Review

Review: Torn by Richard Snodgrass

A novel about the challenges of homecoming and the hopeful pursuit of second chances, Torn by Richard Snodgrass is a visceral story of love, loss, and legacy.

John Lincoln Lyle returns to his hometown of Furnass after twenty years in the Army, but his time away was transformative and unforgiving. After years of experimental surgeries on his face following a devastating accident, he conceals the ghastly wounds with a mask, but his family name won’t let him hide for long. Navigating the perils of public life for the first time in two decades, investigating the tangled state of his family’s […]

Review: The Weight of Loyalty by Mike H. Mizrahi

Transportive historical fiction that offers clear and timely wisdom about the present, The Weight of Loyalty by Mike H. Mizrahi is an epic World War II tale of survival, trust, and the resilience of humanity in the face of destruction.

Oliver Graham is a hard-drinking and troubled sailor aboard a British submarine that strikes a mine and sinks to the bottom of the Ionian Sea, leaving him as the sole survivor. Defying death time and time again, Oliver is rescued by a dolphin and brought to the shores of Kefalonia, a Greek island currently under the control of Mussolini and […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2025-07-02T14:47:35+02:00May 27th, 2025|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Historical Fiction Book Reviews, World War II Book Reviews|

Review: The Errors of Mankind by Curt A. Canfield

Timely in its message and poignantly packed with revelations, The Errors of Mankind by Curt A. Canfield is an essential historical critique framed as a fictional reunion.

While exploring the sprawling roots of his family tree, ex-US Marine Will discovers that a distant relative not only lives a short drive away, but also fought in World War II on both the eastern and western fronts – on the side of Nazi Germany. Will (“Willi”) is initially repulsed by Johann’s biography, but that initial reaction is tempered by curiosity, compassion, and lingering doubts about his own righteousness, attempting to draw similarities […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2025-04-16T16:24:08+02:00April 15th, 2025|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Historical Fiction Book Reviews, Military Book Reviews|

Seasons of Destiny by Howard Glassroth

A visceral portrait of oppression and resilience across generations, Seasons of Destiny by Howard Glassroth is a stark reminder that resistance in the face of hate is the only path to freedom.

After a shocking act of Cossack violence and a painful betrayal nearly destroy their inn, David and Blin, two Polish Jews, pass the family business onto their son, Usher. A few miles north, a desperate father tries to save his rebellious son, only to plant a target on his family’s fortunes. As years pass, the children of these families are drawn to Warsaw, where the simmering threat of […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2025-04-10T13:04:53+02:00April 10th, 2025|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Historical Fiction Book Reviews|

Review: Looking for Tennessee Williams by George Sanchez

George Sanchez’s evocative novel, Looking for Tennessee Williams: A Novel of New Orleans, November 1963, is a captivating literary excursion into the sultry, historical atmosphere of New Orleans during the tumultuous week surrounding President Kennedy’s assassination. Deftly intertwining personal drama with broader social tensions, the novel uses the backdrop of a Tennessee Williams Theatre Festival as both metaphor and catalyst for exploring complex personal relationships.

The plot revolves around a university theatre group’s journey, both literal and emotional, to perform Williams’ iconic play, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. Central to the story is the intense and fraught […]

Arthur2025-04-24T11:44:24+02:00March 31st, 2025|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Historical Fiction Book Reviews, Literary Fiction Book Reviews|

Review: Magda Revealed by Ursula Werner

Setting the record straight on the life and legacy of Jesus Christ through the words of his truest companion, Magda Revealed by Ursula Werner is a revelatory work of fiction.

After two thousand years of watching Christianity morph into a carnival mirror version of itself, Yeshua tasks his most faithful follower with revealing the truth to the world. With that mission in mind, Mary of Magdala details her life-changing journey at Yeshua’s side, clarifying murky points of history around the disciples’ true colors, the ulterior motives behind the severely edited Gospels, and the eradication of the feminine legacy at the […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2025-03-26T13:04:53+02:00March 25th, 2025|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Historical Fiction Book Reviews, Religious Fiction Book Reviews|

Crossing Borders and Generations by Kiril Kristoff

Pushing the boundaries of time, belief, and blood, Crossing Borders and Generations: One Man’s Journey to Search for His Ukrainian, Greek, and Bulgarian Roots by Kiril Kristoff is a thought-provoking work of historical fiction drawn from a very real family legacy.

When an icy road leaves George Kakhovskiy and his grandson comatose in the hospital, their internal journey through the past becomes a shared window of connection, understanding, and revelation. Encompassing six generations of the Kakhovskiy family, this novel explores the immigrant experience in America, the challenges of assimilation, the power of faith, and the range of cultural traditions that […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2025-03-03T18:42:53+02:00March 3rd, 2025|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Historical Fiction Book Reviews|

Review: The Remembering by Charles Paul Collins

A richly imagined family legacy set against the backdrop of a perpetually changing world, The Remembering: Of Leather and Stone by Charles Paul Collins blends fact and fiction into a compelling American saga.

Remarkable in scope, emotion, and timeliness, this fact-based novel depicts the shifting tides of American society as it moved through the horrors of the Civil War, the violent battles for labor rights across the country, disruptive technological revolutions, and the growing pains of a nation still wrestling with its racial and cultural identities, all through the lens of the author’s own family. Told through fabricated journal entries […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2025-02-14T15:09:59+02:00December 2nd, 2024|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Historical Fiction Book Reviews|