No Apology Book Reviews - authentic reviews and insightful interviews for inquisitive readers

Interview with Ashley Weaver (the Electra McDonnell series)

July 21, 2023

Article and Interview by Elise Cooper The Electra McDonnell series by Ashley Weaver blends a mystery within a spy thriller. There are spies, murders, a tinge of romance, and some historical tidbits to entice readers. A Peculiar Combination is the first in the Electra McDonnell series. She was raised by her Uncle Mick and has become part of the family business, pickpocketing, opening locks and safes, to steal valuables. Unfortunately for them they were set up and caught stealing. Because …

Magdalena by Candi Sary

July 19, 2023

Title: Magdalena Author: Candi Sary Series: n/a Not my cuppa Thank you to Candi Sary and Regal House Publishing for allowing me to read a free copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review. Thanks also to Laura Marie of Laura Marie Public Relations for inviting me on the blog tour. So . . . I read this novel because the description leaned hard into the paranormal aspect, and I love a good ghost story. It sounded a …

Interview with Linda Castillo (An Evil Heart)

July 14, 2023

Article and Interview by Elise Cooper An Evil Heart by Linda Castillo is once again another home run. She blends an intense crime mystery with some light-hearted scenes and detailed insight about the Amish community. The story opens with twenty-year-old Aden Karn being violently killed with a crossbow. He was well-liked, kind, funny, hardworking, and engaged to be married. Now Kate Burkholder, Painters Mills police chief, must find his killer. But as she delves into Karn’s past, Kate begins to …

The Inheritance Games series by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

July 13, 2023

Titles: The Inheritance Games, The Hawthorne Legacy, The Final Gambit Author: Jennifer Lynn Barnes Series: The Inheritance Games Why is this series so popular??? This is a review for the trilogy as a whole. No spoilers. This series did not live up to the hype; I’m a little bitter that I waited several months to get my turn at the audiobooks from the library. How many other books could I have borrowed and enjoyed in that time? I was further …

Where Ivy Dares to Grow by Marielle Thompson

July 7, 2023

Title: Where Ivy Dares to Grow Author: Marielle Thompson Series: n/a Self-centeredness: The Novel Thank you to Marielle Thompson, Kensington, and NetGalley for allowing me to read a free ARC in exchange for an honest review. I wanted to DNF it multiple times, but I pushed through until 95%. Then I just couldn’t take it anymore. Saoirse, the MC, is incredibly self-centered. My God. The entire novel is about how horribly treated she is and how miserable she is because …

Dead of Winter by Darcy Coates

July 7, 2023

Title: Dead of Winter Author: Darcy Coates Series: n/a unsympathetic lead Thanks to Darcy Coates, Poisoned Pen Press, and NetGalley for allowing me to read a free ARC in exchange for an honest review. This was an okay thriller, though the premise has been done. My chief complaints are the abrupt beginning and ending as well as the length/lack of energy, all of which relates to the main problem, a lack of sympathy for the lead character. So we start …

Interview with Suzanne Woods Fisher (The Secret to Happiness)

July 7, 2023

Article and Interview by Elise Cooper The Secret to Happiness by Suzanne Woods Fisher delves into how someone can find their way again when life’s issues seem to be overwhelming. There are issues of forgiveness, redemption, family, love, and hope for the future as family and friends try to bring someone out of their despair. The plot has Callie Dixon fired from her job as an executive chef when she makes a huge error in the kitchen. Now unemployed she …

Interview with Catherine Bybee (Beginning of Forever)

June 30, 2023

Article and Interview by Elise Cooper Beginning of Forever by Catherine Bybee is a story of passion and following one’s dreams. There are deep and meaningful family and friend relationships. The heroine Emma must contend with a misogynist father who refuses to allow her to be a part of the family wine business. To make matters worse, he has put her ex-husband in charge. Intent to run the family wine business one day, she finds that the men in her …

Interview with Mary Anna Evans (The Traitor Beside Her)

June 25, 2023

Article and Interview by Elise Cooper The Traitor Beside Her by Mary Anna Evans blends mystery, action, friendship, with a hint of romance. Readers get a glimpse of how women helped in the war effort, and she treats readers to fun historical facts, suspense, intrigue, espionage, and secrets. World War II was not only fought on the battlefront but also on the intelligence front. Arlington Hall, a former women’s college in Virginia, has been taken over by the United States …

Interview with Eliza Jane Brazier (Girls and Their Horses)

June 18, 2023

Article and Interview by Elise Cooper Girls and Their Horses by Eliza Jane Brazier is more than just a book about horses. Readers should think about sports travel teams and stage mothers. Those parents who try to put their own dreams on their children and push them to succeed, even when the dream does not seem realistic. The book explores the world of competitive horse jumping, with overbearing mothers who push their children to compete, toxic coaches, and mean girls. …