Author Interviews - No Apology Book Reviews

Interview with Irene Hannon (Dark Ambitions)

October 6, 2019

Article and Interview by Elise Cooper Dark Ambitions by Irene Hannon has action, mystery, suspense, and some romance. Politics, money, and greed come together to show how power can corrupt. This finale in the series brings back a secondary character from the previous books and introduces a new one. The book begins with former army captain Rick Jordan finding at his camp for foster children, in rural Missouri, some blood in the snow. Investigating further he recognizes a good luck …

Interview with Linda Castillo (Shamed)

September 28, 2019

Article and Interview by Elise Cooper Shamed by Linda Castillo brings to life the Amish community in this suspenseful murder mystery. The author explores the secrets and lies within this group, but also shows how the community is very open-minded to those with handicaps. The story opens with a brutal murder of an Amish grandmother. Her granddaughter, a special needs little girl, has been kidnapped with the younger sister a witness to everything. Police Chief Kate Burkholder is called in …

Interview with William I. Grubman (The Storm Over Paris)

September 21, 2019

Article and Interview by Elise Cooper The Storm Over Paris by William I. Grubman takes place in Nazi occupied France during 1942. It paints a vivid picture of Jewish life under Nazi rule. The story centers around the stealing of art from Jewish collectors. Maurice, known as Mori Rothstein is an art dealer, who Hermann Goering, head of the Gestapo, commands to evaluate a huge selection of paintings in the Nazi-occupied Jeu de Paume Museum. Given the choice of appraising …

Interview with Lynn H. Blackburn (One Final Breath)

September 14, 2019

Article and Interview by Elise Cooper One Final Breath by Lynn H. Blackburn is the last in the Carrington County, North Carolina Sheriff’s Department Dive Team series. Fans of these books will enjoy this action-packed, suspenseful, romantic read, but will also feel a bit melancholy since these characters will be put out to sea as this nail-biting series ends. The plot begins with a gunshot. A teenager has been discovered murdered as he and his friend are swimming near a …

Interview with Reece Hirsch (Black Nowhere)

September 9, 2019

Article and Interview by Elise Cooper Black Nowhere by Reece Hirsch is a fast-paced read that will have readers question the benefits of social media. The story explores the price of success, how far is someone willing to go to achieve that success, and how can female FBI agents succeed in a male dominated world? Scarily realistic it is based on the true story of Ross Ulbricht, the young man who founded the Dark Web market place Silk Road, and …

Interview with Victoria Grayson (from Dragonfly by Leila Meacham)

March 13, 2020August 30, 2019

Find an interview with the author here. Elise Cooper: Victoria, thank you for sitting down to this interview. Since you are in constant danger, I promise I will not publish this until after the war. I hope we can meet up again if you survive the war. It is very brave of you and your four counterparts to be willing to be sent by the OSS into Nazi occupied Paris. Dragonfly is an interesting code name for the group since …

Interview with Leila Meacham (Dragonfly)

March 13, 2020August 30, 2019

Article and Interview by Elise Cooper Dragonfly by Leila Meacham is a spellbinding novel. The story from the very first line pulls readers into the mystery: which of the five American spies embedded in Nazi occupied Paris has survived? The dramatic scenes are riveting as each character plays a cat and mouse game with the Nazis. In 1942, Americans Brad, Bridgette, Bucky, Chris, and Victoria have been recruited as spies for the CIA’s Office of Special Services. They are recruited …

Elise’s Review – Reluctant Bride by Beth White

August 22, 2019

Book Review by Elise Cooper Reluctant Belle by Beth White has a love triangle, assassinations, and the upheaval that occurred during the Reconstruction Era in the US. Readers are transported to the time period. Through the character’s banter and dialogue White is able to lighten the somber and disturbing events. Showing the injustice, the story delves into how freed slaves struggled to negotiate their new lives. Those that supported them in the white community had to face bitterness, resentment, and …

Interview with Joshilyn Jackson (Never Have I Ever)

August 17, 2019

Article and Interview by Elise Cooper Never Have I Ever by Joshilyn Jackson is an entertaining tale of betrayal, deception, temptation, and love. Although the story starts out a bit slowly, after the third chapter it takes off and soars, never descending. With secrets, lies, betrayals, and the sins of someone’s youth, Jackson pits two women against each other. It begins when a new neighbor, Angelica Roux, invites herself to a book club. She takes over the book club and …

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 …