secrets - No Apology Book Reviews

Review Roundup Summer 2024 – Part 1

August 5, 2024August 5, 2024

A quick little roundup of several smaller reviews I wrote in Summer 2024. Beware of spoilers! Title: The Burning Author: Linda Castillo Series: Kate Burkholder #16 Much thanks to Linda Castillo, St. Martin’s Press, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for allowing me to use free ARCs in exchange for an honest review. Not much to say, this book was great! The mystery was very intriguing and brilliantly framed the dilemma of victim blaming, how easy it is to fall into. The …

Interview with Anna J. Stewart (A Detective’s Deadly Secrets and Vanished)

January 19, 2024

Article and Interview by Elise Cooper A Detective’s Deadly Secrets by Anna J. Stewart is sadly the last in the series. The hero is FBI Agent Eaman Quinn, someone readers should be familiar with. He is reunited with a former girlfriend, Lana Tate. She is searching for answers surrounding her late husband’s death but needs his help. Together they work the case and become reacquainted. Vanished is the second book in the Circle of the Red Lily series. It features …

Hotel of Secrets by Diana Biller

January 19, 2023

Title: Hotel of Secrets Author: Diana Biller Series: n/a Loose ends but overall great Much thanks to Diana Biller, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for allowing me to read a free ARC in exchange for an honest review. This was a great book! I liked it better than Brightest Star in Paris. Just a few small issues with it: 1. It got long and could have been slimmed and trimmed (e.g., their sex scene was waaaay too long, I skipped …

Review Roundup Fall/Late 2022

January 5, 2023

A quick little roundup of several smaller reviews I wrote in late 2022. Beware of spoilers! Title: A Sinister Revenge Author: Deanna Raybourn Series: Veronica Speedwell #8 Great thanks to Deanna Raybourn, Berkley, and Edelweiss for allowing me to read a free ARC in exchange for an honest review. Overall this was a good addition to the series. Not exceptional, but good. I love that Veronica and Tiberious have developed a deep fraternal bond, and I loved the interesting dinosaur …

Interview with Stephenia H. McGee (The Secrets of Emberwild)

November 19, 2022

Article and Interview by Elise Cooper The Secrets of Emberwild by Stephenia H. McGee is a great read combining mystery, some romance, and historical facts about the South in 1905. There are secrets, manipulation, and roadblocks that the characters must confront to solve the mystery. Silas Cavallero has long doubted the sheriff’s account of his father’s death 15 years earlier, that Silas’s father was accidentally trampled by his prized stallion, never to be found. He decides to investigate which leads …

Buried Cold Case Secrets by Sami A. Abrams

January 6, 2022January 4, 2022

Title: Buried Cold Case Secrets Author: Sami A. Abrams Series: n/a Amateurish but better than expected I would like to thank Sami A. Abrams, Harlequin, and NetGalley for allowing me to read a free ARC in exchange for an honest review. Also thank you to Lisa Wray for inviting me on the blog tour. This book was a solid piece of work and better than I expected, though still amateurish. The writing style lacked personality but wasn’t off-putting or bad …

Interview with Jo Ann Brown (A Wish for Home)

May 15, 2021

Article and Interview by Elise Cooper A Wish for Home by Jo Ann Brown is a wonderful read. It delves into love, forgiveness, and second chances, something every reader can relate with. The heroine, Lauren, must reconcile her anger and resentment toward the Amish community for shunning her parents but also must deal with the boy who bullied and tormented her as a young teenager. The book opens with Lauren driving her 1966 VW Beetle through her old hometown of …

Interview with Maisey Yates (Secrets from a Happy Marriage)

May 22, 2020

Article and Interview by Elise Cooper Secrets from a Happy Marriage, by Maisey Yates, is her latest book, in a new genre, but maintaining the same great story writing. This first women’s fiction novel has a mystery, some history, some romance, and a lot of family interaction. It delves into the relationships between mothers-daughters, and sisters-sisters, where forgiveness, hope, love, acceptance, and starting over are important themes. The story opens with mail order bride, Jenny Hansen, writing a letter in …

Interview with Natalie Walters (Deadly Deceit)

November 15, 2019

Article and Interview by Elise Cooper Deadly Deceit by Natalie Walters is a story with a lot of mystery and action blended with some romance. As the chapters progress so does the suspense. The story starts out with an intense scene where the main heroine, Vivian DeMarco, finds her boss lying on the floor and just minutes away from death. Readers might remember her from the previous book, Living Lies, but in this novel, she more than redeems herself. She …

Interview with Laura Griffin (Her Deadly Secrets)

July 27, 2019

Article and Interview by Elise Cooper Her Deadly Secrets by Laura Griffin has plenty of action and suspense with a touch of romance. Readers are easily drawn into the investigation of this murder mystery that involves the mob and a surprise villain. The plot starts out with a bang, literally. The heroine, Kira Vance, a private investigator, arrives to a meeting with her boss/mentor, Ollie Kovack, and the lead defense attorney Brock Logan. Unfortunately, she finds herself in the wrong …