three stars - No Apology Book Reviews

Meet Me at Willoughby Close by Kate Hewitt

October 10, 2018January 31, 2017

Title: Meet Me at Willoughby Close Author: Kate Hewitt Series: Willoughby Close #2 Riding on charm I would like to thank Kate Hewitt, Tule Publishing, and NetGalley for allowing me to read an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Ellie’s adult life has been about making the best of crappy circumstances. Getting pregnant at seventeen, dropping out of school, marrying a deadbeat husband, divorcing a deadbeat husband, trying to be a good single mother–she doesn’t regret any of it. …

Mulberry Moon by Catherine Anderson

October 10, 2018January 6, 2017

Title: Mulberry Moon Author: Catherine Anderson Series: Mystic Creek #3 Suspend your disbelief and you’ll enjoy this book Sissy Bentley wants nothing more than to run a successful business and leave her impoverished past behind her. She is not in the market for a man; men only got friendly with her if they wanted something, usually one specific thing, and she learned a long time ago that she owed them nothing and needed nothing from them. When Ben Sterling begins …

A Very Ruby Christmas by Lavinia Kent

October 10, 2018November 15, 2016

Title: A Very Ruby Christmas Author: Lavinia Kent Series: Bound and Determined #4.5? What is going on? I would like to thank Lavinia Kent, Loveswept, and Penguin Random House for allowing me to read this novel in exchange for an honest review. Madam Rouge aka Ruby aka Emma Scanton finds herself with a dilemma. She’s had plans to sell her pleasure house for months now, but it’s not as easy as she’d thought. She doesn’t trust anyone to run it …

Wind River Wrangler by Lindsay McKenna

October 10, 2018October 25, 2016

Title: Wind River Wrangler Author: Lindsay McKenna Series: Wind River Valley #1 Either very lazy or trying way too hard I would like to thank Lindsay McKenna, Lyrical Press, and Kensington Publishing Corporation for allowing me to read this novel in exchange for an honest review. Shiloh Gallagher is stressed to the max. Someone has been stalking her for the last six months, and she’s become terrified and distracted to the point that she won’t leave her apartment and can’t …

Lizzie’s Christmas Escape by Christine Barlow

October 10, 2018October 21, 2016

Title: Lizzie’s Christmas Escape Author: Christine Barlow Series: n/a good writing telling a terrible tale I’d like to thank Christine Barlow, Bookouture, and Zaffre Publishing for allowing me to read this novel in exchange for an honest review. Lizzie Stevens is bored and lonely. Married and pregnant by nineteen, she settled into life as a mum and housewife, forsaking her ambitions as a seamstress. Her two daughters are grown and gone to college, and her husband has a daily routine …

Hard to Fall by Marquita Valentine

October 10, 2018October 18, 2016

Title: Hard to Fall Author: Marquita Valentine Series: Take the Fall #4 Makes no sense Thank you to Marquita Valentine, Loveswept, and Penguin Random House for allowing me to read this novel in exchange for an honest review. Very honest. Everyone has individual reading tastes. This one was definitely not to mine. In fact, I hated it. None of it made any sense. I’m going to give a few positives before I completely shit all over it. One, the cover …

First Star I See Tonight by Susan Elizabeth Phillips

October 10, 2018August 25, 2016

Title: First Star I See Tonight Author: Susan Elizabeth Phillips Series: Chicago Stars #8 first half is SEP at her best. tone and agenda change in second Piper Dove owns a struggling detective agency. She becomes involved with Cooper Graham, freshly retired quarterback of the Chicago Stars, when she’s hired to investigate him. Not long after they meet, he’s hiring her himself for a whole list of reasons, one of which happens to be figuring out who is mugging him …

Provocative in Pearls by Madeline Hunter

October 10, 2018August 25, 2016

Title: Provocative in Pearls Author: Madeline Hunter Series: Rarest Blooms #2 read for the interesting plot, “hero” is no hero This book was bittersweet. On one hand, the plot that Verity (aka quiet Lizzie) was, lo and behold, Hawkeswell’s runaway bride presumed dead was exciting to me. Perhaps it’s somewhat of a cliché, but I didn’t mind. When Hawkeswell discovered her, I was like, Ohhhhhh….snap. While running away as a solution to a problem smacks of cowardice, it’s dramatic and …

Shadow in Serenity by Terri Blackstock

October 10, 2018August 25, 2016

Title: Shadow in Serenity Author: Terri Blackstock Series: n/a In some ways masterful, in other ways amateurish. Overall worth reading. I’d never read Blackstock before, and borrowed it from my library because the cover, title, and synopsis made it seem like a romantic thriller or suspense novel, and I’d gone into it hoping for some action. While I wasn’t immediately curious about the plot, I thought it would be worth my time if there were plenty of shady deals gone …

The Liar by Nora Roberts

November 7, 2019August 25, 2016

Title: The Liar Author: Nora Roberts Series: n/a Oh, Nora. Take a break, honey. I’ll wait for you. I love Nora’s books. Love them. But I was thoroughly disappointed with this one. This was a good book, mostly because of the name on the cover. Not the best Nora Roberts I’ve read–I was able to put it down and go to bed–but it wasn’t horrible. The characters were the tip of the iceberg, but I’ll start there. No one, aside …