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

Interview with Lynn H. Blackburn (One Final Breath)

September 14, 2019

Article and Interview by Elise Cooper One Final Breath by Lynn H. Blackburn is the last in the Carrington County, North Carolina Sheriff’s Department Dive Team series. Fans of these books will enjoy this action-packed, suspenseful, romantic read, but will also feel a bit melancholy since these characters will be put out to sea as this nail-biting series ends. The plot begins with a gunshot. A teenager has been discovered murdered as he and his friend are swimming near a …

Interview with Reece Hirsch (Black Nowhere)

September 9, 2019

Article and Interview by Elise Cooper Black Nowhere by Reece Hirsch is a fast-paced read that will have readers question the benefits of social media. The story explores the price of success, how far is someone willing to go to achieve that success, and how can female FBI agents succeed in a male dominated world? Scarily realistic it is based on the true story of Ross Ulbricht, the young man who founded the Dark Web market place Silk Road, and …

Interview with Victoria Grayson (from Dragonfly by Leila Meacham)

March 13, 2020August 30, 2019

Find an interview with the author here. Elise Cooper: Victoria, thank you for sitting down to this interview. Since you are in constant danger, I promise I will not publish this until after the war. I hope we can meet up again if you survive the war. It is very brave of you and your four counterparts to be willing to be sent by the OSS into Nazi occupied Paris. Dragonfly is an interesting code name for the group since …

Interview with Leila Meacham (Dragonfly)

March 13, 2020August 30, 2019

Article and Interview by Elise Cooper Dragonfly by Leila Meacham is a spellbinding novel. The story from the very first line pulls readers into the mystery: which of the five American spies embedded in Nazi occupied Paris has survived? The dramatic scenes are riveting as each character plays a cat and mouse game with the Nazis. In 1942, Americans Brad, Bridgette, Bucky, Chris, and Victoria have been recruited as spies for the CIA’s Office of Special Services. They are recruited …

Dark Rey – D23 8/2019

December 21, 2019August 26, 2019

I don’t know if any of my fellow Reylos still visit, but I’m putting this out there for anyone who wants to talk about it. I’m intrigued by the Dark Rey “reveal”—I put that in quotes because there could be any number of explanations for the brief image we saw of her garbed in black wielding a red sabre. Or at least holding one. I’m not sure what to think of it yet, I’m still browsing others’ theories on YouTube.

Elise’s Review – Reluctant Bride by Beth White

August 22, 2019

Book Review by Elise Cooper Reluctant Belle by Beth White has a love triangle, assassinations, and the upheaval that occurred during the Reconstruction Era in the US. Readers are transported to the time period. Through the character’s banter and dialogue White is able to lighten the somber and disturbing events. Showing the injustice, the story delves into how freed slaves struggled to negotiate their new lives. Those that supported them in the white community had to face bitterness, resentment, and …

Death Comes to Dartmoor by Vivian Conroy

November 4, 2019August 18, 2019

Title: Death Comes to Dartmoor Author: Vivian Conroy Series: Merriweather and Royston Mystery #2 rather convoluted and written blandly I would like to thank Vivian Conroy, Crooked Lane Books, and NetGalley for allowing me to read a free ARC in exchange for an honest review. Lord Raven Royston and Miss Merula Merriweather journey to Dartmoor in an effort to escape the scandal they’ve recently been involved in in London. Expecting to relax with some peace and quiet, they are dismayed …

Interview with Joshilyn Jackson (Never Have I Ever)

August 17, 2019

Article and Interview by Elise Cooper Never Have I Ever by Joshilyn Jackson is an entertaining tale of betrayal, deception, temptation, and love. Although the story starts out a bit slowly, after the third chapter it takes off and soars, never descending. With secrets, lies, betrayals, and the sins of someone’s youth, Jackson pits two women against each other. It begins when a new neighbor, Angelica Roux, invites herself to a book club. She takes over the book club and …

Interview with Maisey Yates (Cowboy to the Core and Lone Wolf Cowboy)

August 10, 2019

Article and Interview by Elise Cooper Cowboy to the Core and Lone Wolf Cowboy by Maisey Yates are the latest in the “Gold Valley series.” What these novels have in common, a Yates specialty, is showing how individuals make their own choices and can choose love over being broken. Both books delve into the lives of the Dalton brothers and how their father’s imperfection affected them regarding relationships. Jamie Dodge is the heroine in Cowboy to the Core. She is …

Elise’s Review – Smokescreen by Iris Johansen

August 10, 2019

Book Review by Elise Cooper Smokescreen by Iris Johansen brings to life a realistic page-turner. Readers will be reminded of the genocide in Rwanda through some of the descriptions in this plot. Women empowerment are always a part of the stories that Johansen writes. “I like writing strong women. In this one I had a bunch of them. They showed the world what they could do. One quality they all had in common was independence. They are talented and bad …