historical - No Apology Book Reviews

An Excuse for Poor Conduct by Kate Dolan

October 9, 2018December 9, 2017

Title: An Excuse for Poor Conduct Author: Kate Dolan Series: n/a good story, skilled writing I would like to thank Kate Dolan and Author’s Den for allowing me to read a free copy in exchange for an honest review. This was a nice short story. Dolan’s writing, mechanically, is more skillful than I expected. Quite professional, actually. The setting of the almshouse and the indigent circumstances of the characters were interesting, a welcome change from the privileged doves and roosters …

Interview with Ashley York (Eyes of the Seer)

October 10, 2018November 12, 2017

Interview by Elise Cooper Elise Cooper: Where did you get the idea with the story? Ashley York: I got the idea for Eyes of the Seer from a character in Curse of the Healer named Marcan. He’s a good friend of the hero. I think in general I find that creating a character that will be a good friend, sparks these very noble characters that deserve to have their own stories. In Curse of the Healer, Diarmuid (the hero) is …

Interview with Sally Cabot Gunning (Monticello)

October 10, 2018November 6, 2017

Article and Interview by Elise Cooper Monticello by Sally Cabot Gunning is a fascinating historical novel about the relationship between one of America’s Founding Fathers’ Thomas Jefferson and his eldest daughter Martha. Because the author based this book on actual correspondence between father and daughter it is immersed in reality. Readers see the struggle throughout their life with family, relationships, and issues of the day, including being a good wife, a good mother, honoring her father, and shaping his legacy. …

Interview with Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb (Last Christmas in Paris)

October 10, 2018October 22, 2017

Article and Interview by Elise Cooper Last Christmas In Paris by Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb is one of these unique stories. A word of warning, it is not a “sugar and spice and everything nice” novel. The story is very authentic as it covers the triumphs and tribulations that affected the civilian life and those on the battlefield. Yet, it leaves the reader with a good feeling as the book ends with a sentiment of hope. The love and …

Interview with Katharine Ashe (The Duke)

October 10, 2018September 28, 2017

Article and Interview by Elise Cooper The Duke, part of the “Devil’s Duke” series by Katharine Ashe is part mystery, part historical, and part romance. She is one of those writers who allow readers to get swept up in the social, cultural, and political events of the 1800s. Readers of her books can begin to understand how a woman can be feminine yet possess a feminist’s attitude. The plot has her heroine, Lady Amarantha Vale, journeying to Scotland in search …

Interview with Alix Rickloff (The Way to London)

October 10, 2018September 21, 2017

Article and Interview by Elise Cooper The Way To London by Alix Rickloff is very much a relationship story with the backdrop of World War II. It is the flip-flop Cinderella story about a rich girl and poor boy. Instead of having the military aspect the author concentrates on how the civilian population endured the war. The book starts out in Singapore in 1941, just three months before Pearl Harbor, where the population is still free of any concerns. Lucy …

The Broken Girls by Simone St. James

November 16, 2019September 6, 2017

Title: The Broken Girls Author: Simone St. James Series: n/a A spooky, intelligent, character-driven thriller I would like to thank Simone St. James, Berkley/Penguin Random House, and NetGalley for allowing me to read an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Idlewild Hall is a girls’ boarding school where the illegitimate, the mentally ill, and the troublemakers are swept under the rug. In 1950, four girls band together to survive the cold, dreadful place—and the ghost that uses their darkest …

The Scot’s Bride by Paula Quinn

October 10, 2018September 3, 2017

Title: The Scot’s Bride Author: Paula Quinn Series: Highland Heirs #6 Great characters in a messy plot I would like to thank Paula Quinn, Forever/Hachette Book Group, and NetGalley for allowing me to read an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Charlie Cunningham has one goal: find a cure for her sister’s affliction and get the heck out of Pinwherry. She can barely stand to look upon her father and brothers since the day they murdered the boy she …

My Fair Lover by Nicole Jordan

October 10, 2018August 14, 2017

Title: My Fair Lover Author: Nicole Jordan Series: Legendary Lovers #5 Got halfway, decided I had better things to do I would like to thank Nicole Jordan, Ballantine Books/Penguin Random House, and NetGalley for allowing me to read an ARC in exchange for an honest review. I didn’t finish the book. I started it two weeks ago (three weeks ago? I don’t remember) and kept telling myself I needed to read it and get it over with (not what a …

The Dream Keeper’s Daughter by Emily Colin

October 10, 2018July 15, 2017

Title: The Dream Keeper’s Daughter Author: Emily Colin Series: n/a A frustrating mess with an identity crisis and unresolved plotlines I would like to thank Emily Colin, Ballantine Books/Random House, and NetGalley for allowing me to read an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All that follows is only my opinion and how I personally perceived the book. *takes deep breath* I gave myself a day to calm down, because the first time I started to write this review, …