romance - No Apology Book Reviews

Crown of Blood and Glass by Lucinda Dark and Rebecca Grey

August 17, 2023

Title: Crown of Blood and Glass Author: Lucinda Dark and Rebecca Grey Series: Awakened Fates #1 not a bad premise but bad execution Thank you to Lucinda Dark and Rebecca Grey, Dreamscape Media, and NetGalley for allowing me to listen to an ARC eaudiobook in exchange for an honest review. DNF 60%. I stuck with it until the hero forced himself on the heroine just to prove that she did want him, despite her protests. I assume he didn’t complete …

Review Roundup Summer 2023

August 17, 2023

A quick little roundup of several smaller reviews I wrote in Summer 2023. Beware of spoilers! Title: A Fatal Illusion Author: Anna Lee Huber Series: Lady Darby Mystery #11 Thank you to Anna Lee Huber, Berkley, and NetGalley for allowing me to read a free ARC in exchange for an honest review. Also thank you to Yazmine Hassan for inviting me to participate in the blog tour; I’m sorry I didn’t get my crap together in time to participate properly. …

Interview with Cari Lynn Webb (Three Springs, Texas series)

August 17, 2023

Article and Interview by Elise Cooper The first four books in the Three Springs, Texas series by Cari Lynn Webb will draw on reader’s emotions. They will smile, cry, and take a journey with the characters. The Texas SEAL’s Surprise has Abby James coming to visit her cousin, Tess, in the small town of Three Springs Texas. She is a single pregnant woman whose fiancé cheated on her. She initially meets Wes, the hero, after her car has a flat …

Out of Nowhere by Sandra Brown

August 4, 2023

Title: Out of Nowhere Author: Sandra Brown Series: n/a good if not great Thank you to Sandra Brown, Grand Central Publishing, and NetGalley for allowing me to read a free ARC in exchange for an honest review. Aspects of this novel might fall short for some readers; they may feel it’s more romance than thriller or mystery, the mass shooting was blink and miss it, the characters were a bit off, Shawna was a cliche, the villain one-dimensional. And to …

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 Maisey Yates (Cowboy Wild and One Little Spark)

June 3, 2023

Article and Interview by Elise Cooper Cowboy Wild and One Little Spark are recently published books by Maisey Yates. Because One Little Spark is domestic suspense, she has written the book under the pseudonym Ellie Banks. Two books, each a different genre. Besides writing her wonderful cowboy romance stories she has also ventured into writing stories that have women relationships, almost a “sisterly bond.” One Little Spark has a fire destroying a small town, throwing the lives of three women …

Interview with Stephenia McGee (The Swindler’s Daughter)

May 28, 2023

Article and Interview by Elise Cooper The Swindler’s Daughter by Stephenia McGee is a compelling mystery mixed within a historical novel. Both the male hero and female heroine are put in dangerous situations with a villain that is multifaceted. Set in 1912 Georgia, the main character Lillian Doyle always believed that her father was dead and her mother his widow. That is until she receives notice that her father has just recently died and left her as the sole heir …

Interview with Laura Griffin (Deep Tide)

May 19, 2023

Article and Interview by Elise Cooper Deep Tide by Laura Griffin is the fourth book in the Texas Murder Files series. As with the other three, readers will not be disappointed. The stories have likeable characters and intense action. The heroine Leyla Breda is the sister of two local police officers, Joel and Owen. She meets the hero, FBI Special Agent Sean Moran, at the wedding of her brother Joel. But Sean is also there as an undercover agent to …

Interview with Lori Foster (The McKenzies of Ridge Trail)

May 12, 2023

Article and Interview by Elise Cooper The McKenzies of Ridge Trail trilogy by Lori Foster is a great read. The stories are intense thrillers with characters that are relatable and identifiable. There is plenty of action, some humor, and family bonds. Each book has the serious subjects of human trafficking and abuse embedded in the emotional stories. The first book in the series, No Holding Back, has the eldest son Cade McKenzie as the hero and Sterling as the heroine. …