historical - No Apology Book Reviews

The Baron and the Enchantress by Paullett Golden

November 4, 2019August 7, 2019

Title: The Baron and the Enchantress Author: Paullett Golden Series: Enchantresses #3 Got a bit long, otherwise a beautiful story My thanks to Paullett Golden, who asked me to read a free copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review. This was typical Golden (Is it too early to start saying “classic” Golden?)—a well-told, heartfelt story with endearing characters, deep themes, historical detail, bittersweet irony, and humor. The only real issue, in my eyes, was the length. I …

Interview with Milady (from Milady by Laura L. Sullivan)

August 3, 2019

Find an interview with the author here. Elise Cooper: Milady, thank you for sitting down and doing this interview. You are no longer a teenager, but now a woman who has seen and been through so very much. Some claim you are a devil, but others see you as a heroine fighting for justice. You have overcome life’s challenges against incredible odds, especially by those who call themselves The Three Musketeers. Hopefully anyone reading this they can see the true …

Gothic Ghost Stories, Historical Mysteries, Scottish and Vampire Romance – Review Roundup Spring and Summer 2019

November 4, 2019July 29, 2019

There may be tiny spoilers for some of the books I mention, so here’s your warning. This spring I was craving Simone St. James. She put out one book a year from 2012 to 2016, but then it was two years between Lost Among the Living and The Broken Girls and will now be two years between The Broken Girls and The Sun Down Motel. I don’t know why there has been longer waits between books, if St. James has …

Interview with Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb (Meet Me in Monaco)

July 19, 2019

Article and Interview by Elise Cooper Meet Me in Monaco by Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb brings Grace Kelly back to life. Readers will take a journey to the Cannes Film Festival in 1955 as the authors intertwine the romance between the actress Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier of Monaco and their characters Sophie Duval and James Henderson. These two authors, “Team H,” have a chemistry when writing together. They have a knack for creating an enchanting story written in …

Interview with Lauren Willig (The Summer Country)

June 16, 2019June 16, 2019

Article and Interview by Elise Cooper The Summer Country by Lauren Willig is a very potent story. It allows readers to transport themselves into the minds of the characters during the 1850s in Barbados. What Willig does best is to bring a story to life through heartfelt characters. This engaging tale of Victorian values has love, lies, jealousy, and rebellion. The story is powerful enough but Willig infuses into it a mystery surrounding the Peverills and Beckles sugar plantations. The …

Interview with Alfred Gough and Miles Millar (Double Exposure)

June 2, 2019

Double Exposure by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, the creators of the TV series, “Smallville,” brings to life a unique storyline. Set in the 1960s to make the story believable, they explore the question, what if Hitler did not die in the bunker, and is still alive? The plot begins with a KGB Russian agent, turned CIA asset, smuggling a film canister over the Berlin Wall. Because the East Germans shot the agent as well as the canister the CIA …

Interview with Amanda Quick (Tightrope)

May 24, 2019

Article and Interview by Elise Cooper Tightrope is a fabulous mystery, typical of what readers have come to expect from Amanda Quick also known as Jayne Krentz. This action based plot has secrets, betrayals, Hollywood actors, circus characters, spies, gangsters, and a sweet romance, although the focus is more on the suspense than the romance. The plot has Amalie Vaughn putting the past behind her, especially the recent attack from the Death Catcher, a serial killer who targeted trapeze artists. …

Interview with Liz Freeland (Murder in Midtown)

May 5, 2019

Article and Interview by Elise Cooper Murder in Midtown by Liz Freeland brings to life New York in the early 1900s. Besides a good mystery, readers will be enlightened about the different social issues during that era. The plot begins with a fire breaking out at a publicity house. It is the one Louise Faulk works at while waiting to see if she has passed the exam to become a NYPD police officer. As the investigation of the charred ruins …

Interview with Jillian Cantor (In Another Time)

April 6, 2019

Article and Interview by Elise Cooper In Another Time by Jillian Cantor is a love story. Hanna Ginsburg is in love with Max Beissinger but also is in love with her music. She has hopes and desires to become a concert violinist. This story shows how the rise of Hitler affected people’s hopes and dreams. Even though Max and Hanna have fallen in love they cannot marry because in Hitler’s Germany marriage between a Jew and Christian has been outlawed. …

Wicked Saints by Emily A. Duncan

November 4, 2019March 26, 2019

Title: Wicked Saints Author: Emily A. Duncan Series: Something Dark and Holy #1 Wow this is a lot better than I—never mind I would like to thank Emily A. Duncan and Meghan Harrington at St. Martin’s Press for inviting me to participate in the blog tour. I received a free ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Seriously, if you don’t want major twists spoiled for you, do not read on. *sigh* I avoided reading this book because …