Book Tour, Review + Giveaway: No Apologies by Sybil Bartel

No Apologies
by Sybil Bartel
Published by Carina Press (HQN)
Ebook (received from Xpresso Book Tours)
NA, contemporary, romance

Never apologize

Hard-edged rocker Graham Allen has it all. He's flush with cash from playing bass in a band by night and restoring classic cars by day. And there are plenty of women willing to share his bed for a night, complication-free. Perfect, because if there's anything he learned from his past, it was to never get attached—to anything. So when bartender Carly Sullivan flashes her innocent smile, Graham isn't prepared for what happens next.

Never fall in love

Two rules, that's all Graham has—never apologize and never fall in love. He knows Carly is everything he should avoid. Cheerful and sweet, she has "relationship" written all over her. But Graham can't stay away from her probing questions and concerned blue eyes.

When Graham discovers Carly is hiding a crushing secret, he's prepared to risk it all. Until in one single moment, everything changes and Graham's past threatens to collide with his future. His life is crumbling down around him, and soon no apology in the world can save him.

He should've known to walk away.

Review
No Apologies was raw and honest story about Graham who life had not treated well during his tentative years. He grew up and swore himself off loving anyone, especially women. Now he's twenty-four, plays bass on a band, owns a classic car repair shop, has many tattoos and can't resist Carly, the local bartender. But being with Carly is out of question because it would break Graham's two simple rules for life.

 

The story seemed a little bit messy at times but I'm all for it. Life isn't simple and straightforward and it doesn't follow some plot line which makes it real and confusing. No Apologies wasn't confusing but it felt real and I liked it. What made it stand out on other books by same genre, was that there was so much more than the romance. The story focused on Graham and his life, not Graham and Carly's forming relationship. I loved how there was many elements that had nothing to do with Carly and it was truly enjoyable to see what Graham's life was wholly - and how Carly didn't consume all of his time. No, Graham had the band gigs, his work at the repair shop and his personal dealings. It was fresh because most of contemporary romance's seems to evolve only around the main pairing.

Bartel got Graham's voice strong and quite unique, and it was easy to read and enjoy. There's also this interesting twist around half way of the book that changed lots of things for Graham - and it wasn't any of those usual contemporary romance twist and I truly loved it and Graham's reaction of the situations. It definitely made everything in the book more interesting and I devoured rest of the story.

No Apologies was good, entertaining, raw and honest story about Graham and his life and I enjoyed it thoroughly. I warmly recommend it to everyone who liked contemporary romance!

 

4 of 5 stars.

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Author bio

Sybil grew up in Northern California with her head in a book and her feet in the sand. She used to dream of becoming a painter but the heady scent of libraries with their shelves full of books about wistful summer days and first loves drew her into the world of storytelling. Her true literary love is the New Adult genre but really, any story about a love so desperately wrong and impossibly beautiful, makes her swoon.

Sybil now resides in Southern Florida and while she doesn't get to read as much as she likes, she still buries her toes in the sand. If she's not writing or fighting to contain the banana plantation in her backyard, you can find her spending time with her handsomely tattooed husband, her brilliantly practical son and a mischievous miniature boxer who stole her heart.

 

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(A copy of this ebook was provided in return for an honest review.)