Romance - No Apology Book Reviews

First Star I See Tonight by Susan Elizabeth Phillips

October 10, 2018August 25, 2016

Title: First Star I See Tonight Author: Susan Elizabeth Phillips Series: Chicago Stars #8 first half is SEP at her best. tone and agenda change in second Piper Dove owns a struggling detective agency. She becomes involved with Cooper Graham, freshly retired quarterback of the Chicago Stars, when she’s hired to investigate him. Not long after they meet, he’s hiring her himself for a whole list of reasons, one of which happens to be figuring out who is mugging him …

Curious Minds by Janet Evanovich and Phoef Sutton

November 20, 2019August 25, 2016

Title: Curious Minds Authors: Janet Evanovich and Phoef Sutton Series: Knight and Moon #1 a fun romp with an intriguing plot but leaves one wanting something more This book seemed to come out of nowhere; Janet and her co-authors are all in the middle of series already, so the last thing I expected was a new one. Maybe the Lizzie and Diesel series isn’t selling like they hoped. Regardless, it’s an Evanovich book, so I was game. And overall, it …

Lost Among the Living by Simone St. James

December 8, 2019August 25, 2016

Title: Lost Among the Living Author: Simone St. James Series: n/a Not as spooky or creative as previous work, but I enjoyed it 🙂 I would give this a solid four stars, except Alex wins that entire fifth star himself. I loved Alex. He was a complicated guy, torn between his duty, his pride, and his love for his wife. This book wasn’t as spooky as some of her other books–not nearly as spooky as An Inquiry Into Love and …

Darkness by Karen Robards

October 10, 2018August 25, 2016

Title: Darkness Author: Karen Robards Series: n/a Interesting original story, lots of beautiful detail, a solid win for Robards This book was fantastic! I have only three or four-ish problems with it, and honestly, they’re nitpicking, because it was overall a solid piece of work, in my opinion. I may reveal a few spoilers. First and most inconsequential, the cover design. It’s beautiful, I absolutely love it–hot pink is my favorite color!–but it 100% clashes with the content and the …

Built by Jay Crownover

October 10, 2018August 25, 2016

Title: Built Author: Jay Crownover Series: Saints of Denver #1 Three-dimentional, complex but relatable heroine; smart, sexy, mature hero; and a seriously cute kid 🙂 I discovered Jay Crownover last summer and listened to all her books on audiobook in quick succession. I loved them, I thought they were absolutely sensational, and I was sooo excited for Zeb and Sayer’s story! But Built is the first of her books I’ve read in print form, and never before did I realize …

New Leaf by Catherine Anderson

October 10, 2018August 25, 2016

Title: New Leaf Author: Catherine Anderson Series: Mystic Creek #2 Charming, cozy, and heartwarming–the perfect book to read curled up by the fire What a charming story! I was impressed. I can’t give a very authoritative review of her last book a year ago, Silver Thaw–the one that started this new series–but I remember thinking that the writing seemed a bit sloppy, just not as spectacular as I had come to expect from an author whose work I’ve collected for …

Obsession Falls by Christina Dodd

November 10, 2019August 25, 2016

Title: Obsession Falls Author: Christina Dodd Series: Virtue Falls #2 good kind of weird. more thriller than romance. pain and insanity in many forms… Where. To. Start. Before Virtue Falls last year, I hadn’t read a Dodd novel for several years. She had a period where she published novellas that weren’t printed and reissues of old books that I already own and have read, and since I don’t have an ereader and don’t really like sitting at my computer for …

An Inquiry into Love and Death by Simone St. James

December 8, 2019August 25, 2016

Title: An Inquiry into Love and Death Author: Simone St. James Series: n/a What a wonderful—and chilling—surprise! So, I loaned this audiobook from the library for the promise of romance. The synopsis didn’t make it sound particularly terrifying, more intriguing, and I love a good mystery with my romance–as well as a dose of history–and England–so I thought, sure, I’m due for a non-mainstream, non-mass-market-paperback romance and downloaded it. I needed a break from my own writing last night and …

The Last Time I Saw Her by Karen Robards

November 5, 2019August 25, 2016

Title: The Last Time I Saw Her Author: Karen Robards Series: Dr. Charlotte Stone #4 Not a stellar example of Robards’ writing skills, but a fantastic ending to the series! I give this five stars because I love Karen Robards’ books and particularly loved the Dr. Charlotte Stone series, and I’m just glad to finally know how it ends! I’m satisfied with it. If you’re a Robards fan, you’ll love it. If you’re new to Robards, I recommend starting this …

Entwined by Heather Dixon

October 10, 2018August 25, 2016

Title: Entwined Author: Heather Dixon Series: n/a Enchanting and Heartwarming! I was complete taken with this novel! It might have gotten a tad tedious in the middle as the characters developed and I waited for something to happen, but I barely noticed, so swept up in the fairy tale. I wasn’t familiar with the tale of the twelve dancing princesses, but I googled it after and drew the parallels. I believe I much prefer this version. I usually read romance …