women's fiction - No Apology Book Reviews

Interview with Amy Meyerson (The Bookshop of Yesterdays)

October 10, 2018July 15, 2018

Article and Interview by Elise Cooper The Bookshop of Yesterdays by Amy Meyerson is part mystery and part drama involving family dynamics. It is a shout out to those who love books and bookstores since the main mystery is centered around both, and comes about with riddles from book quotes. Clues to the scavengers’ hunt are found in the classics of the past, The Tempest, Jane Eyre, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Frankenstein, Fear of Flying, Persuasion, The Grapes of Wrath, …

Interview with Karen White (Dreams of Falling)

October 10, 2018June 8, 2018

Article and Interview by Elise Cooper Dreams of Falling by Karen White once again proves why readers have fallen in love with her books. Blending together friendships, betrayal, loyalty, and forgiveness over three generations makes for a gripping plot. At the heart of the mystery are the secrets each character is hiding. This is a story about three generations of women and is told from the perspective of Ceecee, Ivy, and Larkin. The main story goes from the present day …

Interview with Tina Whittle (Necessary Ends)

October 10, 2018April 22, 2018

Article and Interview by Elise Cooper Necessary Ends by Tina Whittle highlights Tai Randolph and Trey Seaver, detective partners and partners in life. Whittle’s writing style pulls readers into the story from page one. This novel combines an action-packed plot with great banter dialogue and a psychological aspect. Trey Seaver is haunted by the one that got away, a murder of a Hollywood producer’s wife in Atlanta during a filming. Now, about four years later it appears someone wants the …

Mornings on Main by Jodi Thomas

November 13, 2019April 14, 2018

Title: Mornings on Main Author: Jodi Thomas Series: n/a mostly about theme but the story and characters grew on me Not gonna lie, I approached this book with reluctance. Another quilting/knitting/sewing mainstream wannabe literary novel? That trend started over a decade ago and largely died off two or three years ago. Another story about a small town with a quaint little B&B and a family dealing with a heartbreaking illness that’s slowly sucking the life out of the matriarch/patriarch? Another …

Interview with Kimmery Martin (The Queen of Hearts)

October 10, 2018March 9, 2018

Article and Interview by Elise Cooper The Queen of Hearts by Kimmery Martin delves into relationships within the medical profession. This debut novel is set against a background of hospital rounds with life-or-death decisions. It is a story of betrayal and forgiveness as the two best friends, Emma Colley and Zadie Anson navigate their friendship through stormy waters. The story alternates between 1999 and the present day where they now live in North Carolina, raising a family, and have a …

In Memory of Sue Grafton

October 10, 2018January 14, 2018

Article by Elise Cooper Sue Grafton the legendary mystery fiction writer died of cancer on December 28th. She is known for her alphabet series, using the strategy of alphabet titles for her novels. She based the idea on Edward Gorey’s gruesome alphabet picture book, The Gashlycrumb Tinies. Unfortunately she never finished the alphabet and as her daughter noted, in Grafton’s universe the alphabet ended with “Y.” Grafton once stated to me, “My character Kinsey Milhone is my alter ego. I …

Interview with Melissa de la Cruz (Pride and Prejudice and Mistletoe)

October 10, 2018December 17, 2017

Article and Interview by Elise Cooper Pride And Prejudice And Mistletoe by Melissa De La Cruz modernizes Jane Austen’s classic Pride And Prejudice. She turns the characters on their heads by switching the roles: Fitzwilliam Darcy, the male protagonist in the original novel becomes Darcy Fitzwilliam, the female heroine in the new novel, while the female lead in the original, Elizabeth Bennet, has become the male hero, Luke Bennett. Darcy Fitzwilliam is twenty-nine and extremely career oriented. In the first …

Surprise Me by Sophie Kinsella

November 5, 2019December 3, 2017

Title: Surprise Me Author: Sophie Kinsella Series: n/a heartfelt but unimpressive I would like to thank Sophie Kinsella, The Dial Press/Penguin Random House, and NetGalley for allowing me to read an ARC in exchange for an honest review. After speaking with their doctor, Sylvie and Dan Winter are daunted by the prospect of sixty-eight more years of marriage. Realizing they know each other too well, Sylvie starts Project Surprise Me in an effort to keep them interested in one another. …

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. …