Danielle - No Apology Book Reviews

The Lighthouse by Christopher Parker

October 7, 2021

Title: The Lighthouse Author: Christopher Parker Series: n/a Lots of heart but misleading and disappointing I would like to thank Christopher Parker, Beacon Press, and NetGalley for allowing me to listen to a free audiobook ARC in exchange for an honest review. This was a wonderful story about several characters’ journeys through grief and difficult life circumstances. It’s beautifully written, bursting with heart and hope, takes one to the pits of despair and leads one back to thinking everything will …

Interview with Joanna Davidson Politano (A Midnight Dance)

October 2, 2021

Article and Interview by Elise Cooper A Midnight Dance by Joanna Davidson Politano brings to life a mystery involving the ballet. But the plot has more than a mystery. As with many ballet romances, there are tragedies. Combining history and the ballet culture during the 1830s, readers get suspense with a tinge of romance in a captivating plot. The story begins with the main character, ballet dancer Ella Blythe, finding some very old, but famously well-known crimson ballet slippers. She …

Interview with Ronald H. Balson (Defending Britta Stein)

September 24, 2021

Article and Interview by Elise Cooper Defending Britta Stein by Ronald H. Balson is a wonderful read. Although the book has some courtroom drama including legal strategy and loopholes, most of the story is Britta Stein’s recounting of the events leading up to and during World War II in Denmark. This is historical fiction at its best with bravery, betrayal, and redemption. Britta Stein is a 92-year-old Jewish Danish woman who emigrated to America. She is being sued for defamation …

Interview with Melinda Leigh (Right Behind Her)

September 18, 2021

Article and Interview by Elise Cooper Right Behind Her by Melinda Leigh is a gripping read, just like her other books. Readers get sympathetic heroes and monstrous villains along with a plot that will keep them turning the pages. Sherriff Bree Taggert agrees to travel to her childhood home with her brother Adam. She must confront the memories of her childhood that includes the cruelness of her father, being attacked by his dogs, the night her father murdered her mother, …

Interview with Nicole Trope (The Family Across the Street)

September 10, 2021

Article and Interview by Elise Cooper The Family Across the Street is Nicole Trope’s latest novel. Her American debut was in June of this year with the outstanding book, The Boy In The Photo. With all her books, readers get a vivid plot that grips them and grabs their full attention. The stories usually delve into everything from emotional abuse, child abuse (both psychological and sexual), and domestic violence. The Boy in the Photo was first published by Grand Central …

Interview with Serena B. Miller (Sugarcreek series)

September 3, 2021

Article and Interview by Elise Cooper Bertha’s Resolve by Serena B. Miller is the fourth installment of the Love’s Journey in the Sugarcreek series. This novel, as well as the other three, have engrossing characters, a riveting plot, and information about the Amish of Ohio. The stories involve policewoman Rachel Troyer, her three elderly Amish aunts who run a Bed and Breakfast, Joe Matthews, Rachel’s eventual husband, and his son Bobby, along with other Amish town members. These books should …

Interview with Karin Slaughter (False Witness)

August 27, 2021

Article and Interview by Elise Cooper False Witness by Karin Slaughter shows why she is one of the best for writing fabulous characters. This story has two sisters’ childhoods tarnished by secrets, broken by betrayal, and ultimately destroyed by a brutal act of violence as well as one of the sister’s tragedy of addiction. She was portrayed with empathy and grace by the author. This story is brutal, honest, real, and heartbreaking at times involving issues of rape, drug use, …

A Harbor Secret series by Kristie Dickinson

August 20, 2021

I first encountered Dickinson’s work via Audible Escape (R.I.P.) in Spring 2020. I loved Tunnels and devoured Devil’s Elbow, but those were the only two available and I thought that was all I would experience of Dickinson. But this summer I was pleasantly surprised when the author reached out to me and offered free copies for review—audiobook copies. Oh. Hell. Yes. She even provided copies of Tunnels and Devil’s Elbow for me to re-listen to and refresh my memory. I …

Interview with Daryl Wood Gerber (A Sprinkling of Murder and A Glimmer of a Clue)

August 20, 2021

Article and Interview by Elise Cooper A Sprinkling of Murder and A Glimmer of a Clue by Daryl Wood Gerber are the first installments in the new Fairy Garden Mystery series. Even with a death and a mystery these stories will put a smile on readers’ faces. Anyone who remembers the Peter Pan line, “Do you believe in fairies,” will enjoy this enchanting book that has charm and wit, friends and foes, murder and mayhem with fascinating characters. The heroine …

Interview with Stephanie Marie Thornton (A Most Clever Girl)

August 13, 2021

Article and Interview by Elise Cooper A Most Clever Girl by Stephanie Marie Thornton brings to life in fictional form, the true story of Elizabeth Bentley, a Cold War double agent. Readers are presented with the psychology of a spy, the dangers, betrayals, and motivations. Bentley was an American citizen who spied for the Russians until she became an FBI informant. She was recruited by the American Communist Party to spy on fascists since she worked at an Italian library. …