valley - No Apology Book Reviews

Interview with Melinda Curtis (Forever Family in a Small Town and A Cowboy Worth Waiting For)

May 5, 2023

Article and Interview by Elise Cooper Melinda Curtis is one of those special authors than can write stories within different genres. She is known for her cowboy series, romantic comedy series, and mystery series. Although there are some similarities between the plot and characters the one major difference is how the mystery is presented. What they do have in common is the fabulous banter between the characters and family closeness. The Love in Harmony Valley series also has a mystery …

Interview with Maisey Yates (Rodeo Christmas at Evergreen Ranch and The True Cowboy of Sunset Ridge)

December 11, 2021

Article and Interview by Elise Cooper Rodeo Christmas at Evergreen Ranch and The True Cowboy of Sunset Ridge, Gold Valley books 13 and 14, by Maisey Yates both have an underlying theme of overcoming grief. In addition, each book has a novella that also touches on grief. There is a range of feelings that are present in each: hope, joy, despair, anger, and understanding. As with all her books, Yates is the master of banter between the characters. Whether making …

Interview with Maisey Yates (The Heartbreaker of Echo Pass and Confessions from the Quilting Circle)

May 29, 2021

Article and Interview by Elise Cooper The Heartbreaker of Echo Pass and Confessions from the Quilting Circle by Maisey Yates are great reads. Both stories delve into family and how relationships, misunderstandings, secrets, communication, and love affect the dynamics. People must come to grips with their past. The Heartbreaker of Echo Pass is a novel where Yates has outdone herself, hitting a homerun. It is the story of Iris Daniels and how she has come into her own. After her …

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 (The Rancher’s Wager)

January 22, 2021

Article and Interview by Elise Cooper The Rancher’s Wager by Maisey Yates will remind readers of a romantic western TV show. People can picture the hero and heroine in a poker game where losing the bet means the loser must be the other’s ranch hand. The plot has rancher Jackson Cooper facing off in a charity poker game against his rival Cricket Maxfield, where the stakes get personal. Whoever loses must be the others’ worker for thirty days. Jackson intentionally …

Interview with Maisey Yates (The Last Christmas Cowboy and Claiming the Rancher’s Heir)

November 13, 2020

Article and Interview by Elise Cooper The Last Christmas Cowboy and Claiming the Rancher’s Heir by Maisey Yates are holiday gifts for anyone who reads her stories. During this time of year people need to put smiles on their faces, especially after enduring 2020, and these books do just that. The Last Christmas Cowboy delves into how people must endure after losing a loved one. Both the hero, Logan Heath and the heroine, Rose Daniels, lost their parents in the …

Interview with Maisey Yates (The Bad Boy of Redemption Ranch and The Hero of Hope Springs)

August 14, 2020

Article and Interview by Elise Cooper The Bad Boy of Redemption Ranch and The Hero of Hope Springs show why author Maisey Yates is the queen of the cowboy stories. In both stories the characters are searching to find their place in the world. They are stories of hope, acceptance, love, and family with a small-town romance. The Bad Boy of Redemption Ranch has the heroine as someone who enforces the rules, butting heads with the hero who likes to …

Elise’s Review – Christmas in Winter Valley by Jodi Thomas

January 3, 2020

Book Review by Elise Cooper Christmas in Winter Valley by Jodi Thomas has an unusual format. Instead of having one hero and heroine there are multiple relationships. Each are connected with the theme involving the importance of family. The author noted, “Having many relationships, instead of just one, has become very much my style. I like to have an interconnection between the lives of those who live on a ranch as well as a sense of community. I wanted to …

Interview with Maisey Yates (Cowboy Christmas Redemption)

December 24, 2019

Article and Interview by Elise Cooper Cowboy Christmas Redemption by Maisey Yates is written in the same spirit as the old Jimmy Stewart movie, “It’s A Wonderful Life.” There are pieces of both that are not blushingly happy and celebratory. Yet, in the end there is a happy ending. Caleb Dalton has loved Ellie Bell from the first minute he saw her but because she was going to be married to his best friend, Clint, he repressed his feelings as …

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 …