self-publishing

Book Review: The Wedding Bond

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The Wedding Bond
by Lee Tobin McClain

My rating: 2 / 5
Genre: Contemporary romance

When 29-year-old Kaylee publicly declares that she plans to be married in one year, despite not having had a long-term relationship in her entire adult life, she thinks that pretending to be in a relationship with the man who broke her teenage heart might help her be ready for marriage. After all, Phelan will only be in town for a month, so it’s safe, right? But Phelan has a big secret that threatens even a fake relationship, not to mention the feelings that are being rekindled by being close to Kaylee.

So much about what I expected from this story is not what I got. I wouldn’t say that “fake dating” is a normal preference of mine, but for whatever reason, I still decided to pick up a story that supposedly contained it. However, the fake relationship didn’t start until far into the book and was overall a very minor aspect. I can live with that, since I’m not necessarily a fan anyway. But the relationship in general was far too fast-burn for my preferences. Kaylee and Phelan had a history that turned out to be actually a little less involved than I thought, though that doesn’t stop them from being super attracted to each other as soon as they see each other again and practically unable to keep their hands off each other. I was certain this relationship was going to end up in bed—heck, I was certain they must have had a physical relationship back when they were teenagers, until the author casually drops that they hadn’t slept together when they were younger.

The book is billed as Christian romance, but to me, it could be called clean romance at best. Characters attending church “as often as they can” does not make a book Christian any more than attending church makes a person (in real life) a Christian. These characters do not make their decisions based on what God would want, what the Bible says, anything like that. One of them does get advice from a pastor (or priest? I was a little confused on that), but he ignores the advice. I guess it’s something that he later acknowledges that he should have followed the advice, but even that is mostly just because ignoring it caused a rift between him and the woman he wanted to have his hands all over. Then near the end of the book, Kaylee has suddenly started to rely a little more on God, which comes out of nowhere and is explained too quickly, almost like an afterthought.

The one star I gave this book (yes, I rated it 2, but because Goodreads doesn’t allow a 0 rating, that makes 1 star the worst possible rating, thus 2 stars is giving a book 1 more than 0) was mostly due to the story arc involving Phelan’s twin brothers and the deadbeat dad he was trying to track down. In the end, it may have been a little too convenient, but sometimes convenient can be nice. Outside of that, though, neither of the main characters or their arcs really stood out to me as anything interesting or different. And I just…didn’t really care if the ended up together or not (not that there’s much suspense involved in a story like this).

This is not a series or an author that I will read any more of, and I really don’t recommend it to anyone—it would probably be too “Christian” for people who don’t like Christian fiction, and though others who do like Christian fiction might not be as bothered by the physical aspect of the relationship as I was, I still wouldn’t recommend it for other reasons.

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Book Review: Lava

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Lava
by E.B. Roshan

My rating: 4 / 5
Genre: Children’s sci-fi graphic novel

Lava is a short graphic novel the E.B. Roshan made with her kids in mind. It’s the story of a  medical doctor from a large organization trying to earn the trust of the locals on an out-of-the-way planet, but an unfortunate turn of events causes a rift. I have to admit, I wish the author delved a little more deeply into the background of the doctor or shown more of an ending. I don’t know if there will be a continuation for Kone or not, but I hope so. The interesting thing about the story is that, though there seems to be a villain and a victim, it’s not really that simple. And I might have wished for more in a reconciliation, but what is shown here is probably much more realistic. I do wonder if Roshan intends for kids to choose sides, and if so, which side. The graphics were well-done, especially when taking into account that this graphic novel is self-published. I appreciated the way that flashbacks were made clear with a sort of hazy look to the panels. It allowed the author to show more in a smaller space of time. I could definitely see this being a book that young readers (maybe around 8-10 years old?) would enjoy and a nice early delve into space-based sci-fi.

I received a copy of this book for free from the author in exchange for an honest review.

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Book Review: Misplaced Threats

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Misplaced Threats
by Alan Zimm

My rating: 4 / 5
Genre: Sci-fi

From the official synopsis: Decades after The Shift, 17 Systems were locked into an entrenched authoritarian government ruled by gene-selected elites. ‘The 35 ‘royal’ Families and 50 Great Corporations control the Federated government, as a self-centered tyranny, the very definition of fascism.

Mike just wants to open a restaurant to earn some money. Ghost just wants to be left alone to live his life and breathe oxygen without being fined. But they, along with many others, learn that the system is not set up to work for them, to help them in any way, or to care about anyone but the elite.

I struggled to write the synopsis for this book, because I struggle to explain the main plot. A lot of characters are introduced early on, though eventually Mike and Ghost rise to the top as the two biggest characters (Mike being the main, in my mind). Almost everything else in the book was some kind of support to their stories, minus one side plot that I think could have easily been cut and the book wouldn’t have lost anything. Even though I wasn’t sure what the main plot was though, I enjoyed the book overall. I’m not a space opera expert by any means, but I really appreciated the world building in this book. Major and minor details worked together really well, and I felt immersed in the overall setting. More specifically, Mike’s restaurant is amazing! There’s a lot of creativity there, and it’s one of the reasons I was always happy to go back to Mike’s POV.

The author is great with characters and dialog. Conversations, especially between patrons of Mike’s restaurant, feel completely realistic. Part of that is also involved in the world building I mentioned earlier—being futuristic and set far from Earth, there would have to be a lot of different terminology, and there is, yet I never felt bogged down by it. In fact, there are even quite a few pop-culture references in the book, and even some more obscure references (one of which particularly amazed me), and they actually fit in really well.

My biggest issue with this book, aside from the one side plot I mentioned earlier than didn’t seem like it added much and was pretty anti-climactic and unsatisfying, is the heavy sci-fi elements. This type of sci-fi is not something I normally read, so it may be completely normal, but I did a lot of skimming throughout the book when piloting of ships, specifics about the mechanics of the food delivery in the restaurant, things like that, got too detailed. I knew I wasn’t going to follow it anyway. But overall, I enjoyed the book and hope that the author is going to continue the series (the first one was originally published in 2023) so I can read more about these characters and (fingers crossed) maybe a little more about the side plot that I felt went nowhere. And one more thing—this book is self-published, and though I’d imagine a publisher may have made some changes to the style and flow, it avoids many of the annoyances that I often find in self-published books. If you’re interested in reading this book, I’d recommend it.

I received a copy of this book for free from the author in exchange for an honest review.

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Book Review: The Shingle Weaver’s Picnic

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The Shingle Weaver’s Picnic
by P. C. Smith

My rating: 2.5 / 5
Genre: Historical fiction

It’s 1941, and 7-year-old Annie Elizabeth Jordan (known as Cricket) is going to stay with her grandparents for the summer alone for the first time, since her mom is about to give birth. Amidst the uncertainty and confusion of the war that has already cost Cricket dearly, a tragedy rocks her grandparents’ small Pacific-northwest town.

Before I get into the actual review, I feel the need to give some warnings up front. From the synopsis and at least some early parts of the book, I got a kind of To Kill a Mockingbird feel, so I was completely caught off guard by the extreme language and sexual content. Specifically, there are multiple rapes described in varying levels of graphicness, at least one quite graphically. It’s really bizarre, in fact, considering the amount of prayer and references to God in this book. Cricket’s prayers are sweet and could make the story come across as Christian, but it’s not too hard to see that it’s shallow at best.

Now to the story itself—I have to applaud the author for the depth she put into it. The story is told in snippets of Cricket traveling to and then spending the summer with her grandparents, mixed with fairly in-depth backstories of different characters as they’re introduced. Some of these characters are seemingly minor, and at least at the time we read about their lives up until the point that we meet them, we have no idea why they’re important. It is an…interesting pacing choice. Then, as if because Smith understood the possible issues that would arise from this style, she ends a lot of chapters with a reminder that something terrible is coming to keep the suspense up. This might work for some people, but it was just a little strange to me. Especially since the official synopsis tells us what that event is going to be (though not all of the details, of course); it just takes quite a while to get there. I also feel like the title was fairly disconnected from most of the book.

There is a little bit of a twist near the end, which kept it from being as predictable as I thought it might be by the time the actual “event” happened. It was a little underwhelming though. Also, Cricket’s prayers seem childish in nature, but some of the words and things that she seems to understand are too grown-up for her age. I was also a little confused by the “present time” that the book starts with, at which point Cricket would have to be in her 80s, since she was 7-8 in 1941, yet her baby brother, who was born around 1941, says he’s in his 50s. So maybe the “present time” is actually supposed to be the 90s, yet iPods and iPhones are mentioned. It was a minor thing, but it really confused me. On the other hand, for a book that, as far as I can tell, is self-published, it contained barely any typos and mistakes, which is refreshing. In the end, though, it just wasn’t for me. I would say that enough of that was personal preference, though, so if you’re interested in the book, check out the other reviews, which are all positive so far, at the link below.

I received a copy of this book for free from the author in exchange for an honest review.

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Book Review: Bittersweet Rendezvous in New England

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Bittersweet Rendezvous in New England
by Diane Green

My rating: 2 / 5
Genre: Christian historical fiction

When Becky Chalmers and her new fiancé learn about a connection between their families they didn’t know existed, she reconsiders her relationship with the man. In the wake of this decision, Becky’s brother offers to take her to Boston to hopefully allow her to re-connect with man from her past, whom she’d very nearly married once upon a time.

This short read is, unfortunately, a little confusing and not quite what I had anticipated from the synopsis. The story is mostly about Becky’s various relationships during her life, past and present, including friends who have or have had crushes on her. Even though one of these men has a distinctly separate POV (and actually starts off the entire book), he’s no bigger of a character than the other man in Becky’s life at the start of this book. It all makes for some odd pacing and plot choices. There are some other questionable things that happen in the text, and I was left scratching my head a few times.

When I read a self-published book, it is my intention not to let things that a professional editor would help with affect my view too much. I’m not saying that there is no burden of responsibility here, but it’s harder for self-published authors. So while it did not affect my rating, I will at least mention that there are several mistakes throughout the text; for example, there are quite a few missing opening or ending quotation marks. It can detract from the book for some, so let that be a warning. Overall, I think this book could benefit from an editor, both in style and substance. However, taken in the right context, this could be a book that others would enjoy. For example, it appeared to be a romance from the synopsis I was originally sent, but I wouldn’t call it that. It’s more contemplative of Becky’s life and the choices she has before her. If you’re interested in the book, please don’t let my lower rating keep you from giving it a try.

I received a copy of this book for free from the author in exchange for an honest review.

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Book Review: Free

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Free
by E.B. Roshan

My rating: 5 / 5
Genre: Children’s sci-fi graphic novel

Rex was once a bodyguard whose career came to an end when he was crippled. His new life as a fruit picker isn’t fulfilling, but when he gets a chance to put his bodyguard skills to use again, he isn’t so sure that’s what he wants either.

This is a short, well-crafted sci-fi story for kids. It took me only about 20 minutes to read it, but in that time, I managed to grow attached to Rex and appreciate his misgivings. Roshan doesn’t delve too deeply into the immoral nature of the man that Rex works for, but she shows enough that the age range it’s meant for can understand. The graphics were well-done, especially when taking into account that this graphic novel is self-published. One of the things I liked the most is the amount of creativity the author put into the different alien creatures, both in the foreground and the background of the illustrations. I could definitely see this being a book that young readers (maybe around 8-10 years old?) would enjoy and a nice early delve into space-based sci-fi.

I received a copy of this book for free from the author in exchange for an honest review.

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Book Review: Hold Back the Night

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Hold Back the Night
A Detective McDaniel Thriller #1
by Axel Blackwell

My rating: 3.5 / 5
Genre: Crime drama

When Detective Darren McDaniel is called in on a case involving a pre-teen girl found dead on a bus bench with a chain around her ankle, he knows it’s going to be bad. Child molestation and human trafficking feature heavily in this book, so let that be a warning to any who would prefer to avoid those topics.

Overall, this book reads like a typical police procedural story. It drags a bit as the lead characters wait for things to go through the proper channels, warrants to come through, etc., though it’s broken up some by the main character’s backstory being given to us in bits and pieces. There is some attempt at comic relief, but the book mostly stays dark and serious throughout. McDaniel’s relationship with his family is a breath of fresh air in this kind of story, and I really liked the way his wife pushes him to open up to her. There are some clichés, especially near the end, but it’s not overdone. There is a decent amount of language in the book (much of it even more unnecessary than usual), but no other content issues, other than the glaringly obvious one mentioned in the first paragraph.

When I read a self-published book, it is my intention not to let things that a professional editor would help with affect my view too much. I’m not saying that there is no burden of responsibility here, but it’s harder for self-published authors. So while it did not affect my rating, I will at least mention that there are definitely some typos and incorrect word choices, things that probably would have been fixed by some research and/or more editing (for example, a character uses an M1 Garand, but it’s spelled “Grand” in the book). Things like this can detract from the book for some, so let that be a warning. Overall, I enjoyed the book, even though the author left a pretty major loose end. I don’t know if I’ll continue the series, but I do recommend the book to fans of procedural crime dramas.

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Book Review: Unfixed

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Unfixed
Book #1
by Amy L. Sauder

My rating: 2.5 / 5
Genre: Urban fantasy

A mysterious circus in a barley field becomes a pivotal point for two intersecting storylines—one before the fire that destroyed the circus and one after. As Max looks for Julia, the last person to join the circus before the fire, the story of Julia joining the circus unfolds for the reader. This circus, though, is not ordinary. With living puppets, each of whom has a special power, there’s much more going on than meets the eye.

Urban fantasy is not my normal fare, but I couldn’t help but be intrigued by an “enchanted circus.” The author did a great job with the dark, mysterious atmosphere, and there is certainly some intrigue involved. Unfortunately for me, I struggled to follow the story most of the way through. Dialog between characters often felt like a peek into a longer discussion I wasn’t privy to. I had the feeling of “just hang in there until it makes sense” for a lot longer than I prefer in a book, and by the end, I was still left with a lot of questions and things that didn’t make sense. A cliffhanger or an open-ended book is fine sometimes, but not when there are this many questions, this many bizarre things that don’t get any kind of explanation. I won’t list them, because most could be seen as spoilers. Maybe these questions will be answered in the 2nd book of the duology, and I don’t mind some questions being left for a future book to resolve. But I really feel like nothing was resolved in this book, and some of what’s left hanging seems fundamental to the plot, which makes this first book difficult to enjoy.

When I read a self-published book, it is my intention not to let things that a professional editor would help with affect my view too much. I’m not saying that there is no burden of responsibility here, but it’s harder for self-published authors. So while it did not affect my rating, I will at least mention that the narration tends to switch between past and present tense—Max’s sections are in present tense but switch to past, and vice versa for Julia’s sections. It can detract from the book for some, so let that be a warning. Also, there’s a torture scene, which is feels out of place to me and gets a bit graphic for my taste. In the end, I wish I liked the book more, but I think it’s just a bit too muddled and dark for me. Perhaps I’m the wrong audience for a story like this, but if you have any interest in the book, please still consider reading it for yourself.

I received a free review copy from the author in exchange for my honest unedited feedback.
Publication date: November 7, 2024

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Book Review: Wimpy, Weak, & Woke

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Wimpy, Weak, & Woke
by John L. Cooper

My rating: 4 / 5
Genre: Christian nonfiction

In this book, Skillet lead singer John Cooper dives into philosophies of the past that have led to the various mindsets of today, in which Christianity is reviled and immorality is revered. The amount of research and work put into this book is impressive, and I wish I could understand it better. As he says himself in the book, it’s deep stuff, but I was able to glean enough to follow his connections between ideas put forward by people like Hegel, Marx, and Freud and ideas that pervade society today. I wonder if some of what is in the book could have been summarized more, but Cooper does follow almost every direct quote with a more plain-speak paraphrase of what is being stated.

Most of what I took away from this is that people who hate God will try to justify their sinful lives by making up outlandish, unfounded ideas about reality, nature, and the very existence of man. And other people who also feel that God or “religion” is too restrictive are all too happy to follow along with these ideas that to a rational thinker make absolutely no sense.

The truth is that there is no “good” without God. There will be no perfect happiness on this earth, and denying that absolute truth exists that that the Bible provides that for us doesn’t make it not true. Trying to establish a life or civilization on shifting truth is lunacy, and it will not last long before everything crumbles. That’s what we’re dealing with in America now (probably other places too, but I’m not qualified to speak on that), and it can be a little scary if we don’t remember that God is in control, is never taken by surprise, and will absolutely win in the end.

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Book Review: An Invitation to Murder

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An Invitation to Murder
by Leighann Dobbs & Harmony Williams

My rating: 2 / 5
Genre: Historical mystery

Lady Katherine has a deal with her detective father that she can solve a murder case before her 25th birthday, but she’s running out of time and her investigation into 2 recent murders is hampered by the premature shut-down of the season in Town, due to those same murders. Fortunately, her success matching her sisters with loving husbands, Katherine is asked by a desperate mother to help her daughter find a match with an earl whose mother is brave enough to throw a house party, thus giving Katherine an invitation to that party as the young woman’s chaperone.

The note from the authors at the beginning of the book set the tone for me, and it wasn’t in a good way. They explain that they have intentionally gone against historical accuracy to make their heroine less “ladylike” and “acceptable” to society simply because the authors don’t like that women were expected to act demure and leave certain things to men in that time period. Maybe they shouldn’t be writing about that time period, then, but I also tend to think there are ways to write “strong” female characters in the Regency period (give or take) in England without having them talk and act completely anachronistically, intentional or not. To be fair, though, I did still choose to read the book, knowing this in advance. That wasn’t the only thing that bothered me about the book, though, or I’m sure I would have given it more than 2 stars.

My main issue is actually Katherine herself as a character and as an investigator. She accepts the matchmaking job but completely ignores her charge most of the time, even at times forgetting all about the woman she’s supposed to be chaperoning. And ultimately, I don’t believe she has any idea what she’s doing as an investigator. She has terrible (and obvious) investigative techniques and no foundation for any theory. It all just sounds like complete guesswork. Even by halfway through the story, none of her theories seemed any more plausible than any of them did from the start. Each time she tried to advance a theory with new information, it would ultimately end with, “or maybe not…”

With a main character I don’t care for, an obnoxiously dogged rival detective, and some major coincidences, this book is definitely not for me. I’m not sure I can really recommend this for anyone, though if you’re a fan of the genre(s) and wouldn’t be bothered by the things I mentioned, considering checking out the other reviews at the link below.

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