romance - No Apology Book Reviews

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 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 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 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 …

Bloodlust by Sandra Brown

February 26, 2026February 23, 2026

Title: Bloodlust Author: Sandra Brown Series: stand alone but shares characters with Blood Moon Much thanks to Sandra Brown, Grand Central Publishing, and NetGalley for allowing me to read a free ARC in exchange for an honest review. I won’t lie, I was sucked in. Read this in about 24 hours. Brown knows how to keep the pace fast and the tension high. But if you’ve read Brown’s work before, you’ll find this is pretty much cut and paste. • …

Crown of War and Shadow by J.R. Ward

February 16, 2026February 14, 2026

Title: Crown of War and Shadow Author: J.R. Ward Series: Kingdoms of the Compass #1 Thank you to J.R. Ward, Tor, and NetGalley for allowing me to read a free ARC in exchange for an honest review. I’ve heard good things about J.R. Ward for years, saw she was hopping on the romantasy trend, and figured that’d be as good an introduction to her as any. But then I decided to try her famed vampire series (Black Dagger Brotherhood) before …

Interview with Kathleen Donnelly (National Forest K-9 series, Colorado K-9 Rescue)

January 23, 2026

Article and Interview by Elise Cooper Chasing Justice, Hunting the Truth, and Killer Secrets are the first books by Kathleen Donnelly of the National Forest K-9 Series. She is an author that should be put on everybody’s radar. Having been a handler for a private narcotics K-9 detection company, she is able to use her experiences to craft realistic stories in these novels. Each of the three books explains more of former Marine Maya Thompson’s and Deputy Sheriff Josh Colte’s …

Interview with Lisa Childs (The Cowboy’s Claim, Christmas Security, The Unknown Colton)

January 16, 2026

Article and Interview by Elise Cooper The Cowboy’s Claim has lawyer Maci Bluff trying to win a lawsuit for the Lemmon Brothers, Blake, Brett, and Levi. They were ranch hands for Frank (the owner) who has died and left them the ranch. But his birth daughter, Trish, and Maci’s best friend, are contesting the will. Maci has feelings for Blake but is trying to set them aside because she does not want a conflict of interest. Christmas Security has biophysics …

Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry

January 6, 2026

Title: Great Big Beautiful Life Author: Emily Henry Series: n/a I could have been okay with the unbalanced narrative. But I hated the climax and resolution. I went into this book so arrogant, thinking I knew exactly how it would unfold. Alice and Hayden would “audition” for the first half, their attraction sparking as they slowly got to know one another as friendly rivals; the midway point would be a twist where instead of choosing one or the other, Margaret …