No Apology Book Reviews - book reviews and author interviews

Interview with Shari J. Ryan (The Girl with the List)

April 24, 2026

Article and Interview by Elise Cooper The Girl with the List by Shari J. Ryan is a powerful story that shows the emotional and physical cruelty of the Nazis. The plot has Rosalie Kaufman and Stefan Selig trying to fight for survival while in the Auschwitz concentration camp. This novel is told from the perspectives of Rosalie and Stefan where chapters alternate back and forth between them and their time in Auschwitz and the times before and early in the …

Interview with Patrice Lewis (An Amish Marriage Agreement and The Amish Baker’s Redemption)

April 17, 2026

Article and Interview by Elise Cooper An Amish Marriage Agreement has Amish basket-maker Olivia Bontrager moving to Montana looking for a fresh start after her father dies. Unexpectedly, she finds her sister has abandoned her baby on Olivia’s doorstep. Wanting to give her niece a stable life, she accepts help from handyman Andrew Eicher, who offers a shocking proposal: a marriage of convenience because he wants to pull their finances to buy a farm. Now, after long resigning herself to …

Interview with Dana Mentink (Raging Waters)

April 10, 2026

Article and Interview by Elise Cooper The plot for Raging Waters by Dana Mentink comes right out of the headlines. A major role in the book is the Air Force SERE tactics. In the news recently the Air Force Colonel who had to eject from his F-15 fighter jet over Iran had to avoid the Iranians who had put a bounty on his head. To avoid the enemy, he used the SERE training. This book’s plot has the hero and …

Interview with Linda Margolin Royal (The Star on the Grave)

April 3, 2026

Article and Interview by Elise Cooper The Star on the Grave by Linda Margolin Royal is a wonderful novel that explains the reasons why Holocaust survivors refused to talk about those horrific days and why some chose to no longer embrace their Jewish heritage, hoping future generations would never know the hatred and antisemitism that they had experienced. The story begins with Rachel Margol, a twenty-year-old nurse in 1968 Sydney who only learns she is Jewish after she becomes engaged …

Interview with Sarah Sundin (Mists over the Channel Islands)

March 27, 2026

Article and Interview by Elise Cooper Mists over the Channel Islands by Sarah Sundin is another riveting story. All her books seem to educate the readers while presenting a compelling story, relatable heroes in both Ivy and Gerrit and incredibly memorable multifaceted characters. There is danger, suspense, a sweet love story, and family conflicts. The book opens with the German invasion of the Channel Islands. The female lead, Ivy Picot, has her father leaving the family’s medical practice to serve …

Interview with Terri Parlato (She Thought She Was Safe)

March 20, 2026

Article and Interview by Elise Cooper She Thought She Was Safe by Terri Parlato has the author venturing away from her series with Detective Rita. This is a stand-alone thriller shows how people are not whom they seem and monsters lurk behind facades. The plot has Emma realizing she needs a new start. After the unexpected death of her mother and the collapse of her marriage, Emma is looking for a place to escape to. She discovers the identity of …

Review Roundup Winter 2025-2026 – Part 2

April 2, 2026March 19, 2026

Another roundup of several smaller reviews I wrote in Winter 2025-2026. Beware of spoilers! Title: Enola Holmes and the Clanging Coffin Author: Nancy Springer Series: Enola Holmes #10 Much thanks to Nancy Springer, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for allowing me to read a free ARC in exchange for an honest review. I love the Enola Holmes books and enjoyed this installment. Spent the day reading it, didn’t want to put it down. Enola’s voice is lively and entertaining, and …

Interview with Sandra Brown (Bloodlust)

March 13, 2026

Article and Interview by Elise Cooper Bloodlust by Sandra Brown is a great romantic suspense story. Besides a mystery and a budding romance between the main characters, Brown delves into grief, loss, and the father as a single parent. The story opens with Mitch Haskell as a grieving detective who realizes his wife was murdered and did not commit suicide as others think. Roland Malone and the unidentified mastermind of the crime known only as Oz are behind the crime …

Interview with Shana Abé (A Crown of Stars)

March 6, 2026

Article and Interview by Elise Cooper A Crown of Stars by Shana Abé is a tale of survival, courage, fate and love. Once readers take the journey with the main character, Rita, on the events leading up to the sinking of the Lusitania, and the events afterwards, the book is hard to put down. The historical importance of this act of war and its aftermath becomes even more powerful since it is told through the eyes of the survivors, so …

Interview with Maisey Yates (Outlaw Lake and Lonesome Ridge)

February 27, 2026

Article and Interview by Elise Cooper Outlaw Lake and Lonesome Ridge by Maisey Yates continue the story of the Rustler Mountain series. Yates is at it again with her stories involving love, family dynamics, and personal growth. Her characters are strong and relatable rugged cowboys and cowgirls. These modern westerns take readers on a wild ride through Oregon where the feuds between family descendants of outlaws and lawmen are still very much alive. Outlaw Lake has Carson Wilder and Perry …