Rocky Road – LDS Women's Book Review

Rocky Road and Shannon’s Hope by Josi S. Kilpack – Countdown to Christmas 2013

Dec 032013

22 days until Christmas

Josi began her first novel in 1998 and hasn’t stopped. Her novel, Sheep’s Clothing won the Whitney Award 2007 for Mystery/Suspense and was the Best In State winner for fiction in 2012. Book eleven in the Sadie Hoffmiller Culinary Mystery series, Fortune Cookie, will be released in February 2014. Josi currently lives in Willard Utah with her family.

Please take a minute to visit Josi at one of the links below:

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LDSWBR: What is your favorite Christmas song/hymn? Does it have special meaning to you?

JOSI: O Holy Night is my favorite Christmas song, it just captures what I want Christmas to be but which I struggle to truly hold on to. I love it, though.

LDSWBR: Do you get together with friends/family to play board games on Christmas or New Year’s? What games do you like to play? Do you have a favorite game from your childhood?

JOSI: I’m not a big game player, other than the mind games I play to try and get my kids to clean their rooms :-) Our family does enjoy Settlers of Catan and Apples to Apples, or I should say those are the ones I like. I’d rather watch movies when it comes right down to it.

LDSWBR: If you could recommend only one book from those you read this year, what would it be and why?

JOSI: “Three Little Words” by Ashley Rhodes-Courter. It’s an autobiography of a girl who got lost in the foster care system of Florida in the 80’s. My husband and I read it as part of our training to become Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) for children involved in DCFS cases. The book is a symbol of this new opportunity my husband and I are embarking upon but was both shocking, informative, and inspiring. It’s the most powerful thing I read this year.

LDSWBR: Thank you, Josi!

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Rocky Road (Sadie Hoffmiller #10)

THE ST. GEORGE SPECTRUM
Dr. Trenton Hendricks was last seen Friday, April 8, when he set out alone on a backpacking trip. Hendricks’s Jeep Grand Cherokee was located Tuesday at the Chuckwalla Trailhead, but after six days and thousands of man-hours, the official search has been called off. He is presumed to be deceased.

It was supposed to be a girls’ weekend in scenic St. George, Utah, that would included shopping, trying out the local cuisine, and participating in a breast cancer fund-raiser. The fact that one of the organizers of the fund-raising event, a local doctor, had disappeared two months before was not supposed to be Sadie’s problem.

When Sadie learns that her friend Caro and Caro’s cousin, Tess, have started a grassroots investigation into Dr. Hendrick’s disappearance, Sadie graciously refuses to be a part of it. With her wedding to plan and her most recent case still fresh in her mind, Sadie is determined to leave this case to the police—until she meets the ex-wife of the missing man.

How could she not ask a few questions … that lead to more questions … that lead to a small town and even more questions? When the local police ask her to be their eyes and ears, Sadie can’t help but jump in with both feet. Before she knows it, she is on the rocky road of another investigation, following a convoluted trail of good intentions, hidden motivations, and philanthropy turned big business.

Shannon’s Hope (The Newport Ladies Book Club)

AMAZON | KINDLE | NOOK | DESERET BOOK | SEAGULL BOOK

When Shannon’s step-daughter moves in following another failed stint in rehab, Shannon puts everything she has into helping Keisha any way she can. Her attempts to help soon turn into covering up Keisha’s failures, and Shannon finds herself risking everything good in her life. Through the love and guidance of her Aunt Ruby, and growing connections to some of the women at the Newport Ladies Book Club, Shannon begins to identify the missing pieces of her own life that she’s tried to fill the wrong way.

Have you played Apples to Apples? Or is Settlers more your style?

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Book Prizes (as of 12/3/13 – more to be added to this list!)

Rocky Road by Josi S. Kilpack (personalized copy)
Shannon’s Hope by Josi S. Kilpack (personalized copy)

Rocky Road: A Culinary Mystery by Josi S. Kilpack-Blog Tour Review and Giveaway

Posted by Sheila Blog Tours, Book Reviews, Sheila's Reviews

Sep 262013

Tour Schedule

Product Details

Title: Rocky Road
Author: Josi S. Kilpack
Series: Culinary Mysteries
Paperback: 356 pages
Publisher: Shadow Mountain (September 10, 2013)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1609075935
FTC, FYI: I was given a review PDF copy in exchange for an honest review.

Book Description
THE ST. GEORGE SPECTRUM: “Dr. Trenton Hendricks was last seen Friday, April 8, when he set out alone on a backpacking trip. Hendricks’s Jeep Grand Cherokee was located Tuesday at the Chuckwalla Trailhead, but after six days and thousands of man-hours, the official search has been called off. He is presumed to be deceased.” It was supposed to be a girls’ weekend in scenic St. George, Utah, that would include shopping, trying out the local cuisine, and participating in a breast cancer fund-raiser. The fact that one of the organizers of the fund-raising event, a local doctor, had disappeared two months before was not supposed to be Sadie’s problem. When Sadie learns that her friend Caro and Caro’s cousin, Tess, have started a grassroots investigation into Dr. Hendricks’s disappearance, Sadie graciously refused to be a part of it. With her wedding to plan and her most recent case still fresh in her mind, Sadie is determined to leave this case to the police–until she meets the ex-wife of the missing man. How could she not ask a few questions . . . that lead to more questions . . . that lead to a small town and even more questions! When the local police ask her to be their eyes and ears, Sadie can’t help but jump in with both feet. Before she knows it, she is on the rocky road of another investigation, following a convoluted trail of good intentions, hidden motivations, and philanthropy turned big business.

Excerpt from Rocky Road:

“Sadie’s been in here questioning her the whole time.” She pointed at Lori for emphasis and Sadie felt her face heating up in reaction to the accusation.

“Questioning me?” Lori looked at Sadie again.

“I was not questioning her,” Sadie explained while glancing between them, “we were just . . . talking.”

“About Dr. H,” Tess said accusingly.

“Well, yeah, and other things, but –”

“Wait.” Lori put up her hand, looking somewhat cornered. They all went quiet. “What are you talking about?”

“Sadie’s an investigator, didn’t she tell you that?”

Sadie didn’t know what to say. Tess was making Sadie look like she’d been deceptive, which she hadn’t been. The conversation had just . . . evolved of its own accord. Okay, maybe she’d guided it a little bit but there was so much more to it than that and she felt cheapened by the way Tess was pouncing on this circumstances she wasn’t even trying to understand.

My Review

I have read the first nine books in the series, and I have really liked all of them. Main character Sadie Hoffmiller is someone I could be good friends with. After reading all of the books in the series, you do feel like you are back with an old friend.

In Rocky Road, Sadie is a more restrained Sadie than we have ever seen before. It isn’t too long after her adventure in Alaska and becoming engaged. Speaking of that, I truly missed the hunky, strong and silent type, Pete Cunningham in this story. I kept thinking he would show up, but he never did. I can’t wait for the next book when he will return. Sadie was on her own, and performed her super sleuthing ways quite well. Sadie does have the help of her friend Caro(who wasn’t too bad with her own investigative skills) and a new policeman, Officer Nielson, who shows a lot of faith and confidence in Sadie. I really liked this new male character. Tess, Caro’s cousin, she wasn’t to my liking and seemed very immature.

The action is toned down in this book, but the mind games are there aplenty. There are also twists and turns that will continually lead you astray, just when you think you have figured things out, surprise you’re wrong! The recipes in this book are off the charts, including the barbacoa pork salad that I love from Cafe Rio.

As I’ve said before about this series, many of these books can be read alone, but I STRONGLY suggest you read the others first in the order written. You will understand Sadie better and how she ticks. I love this series and I’m always excited when the next one will be coming out.

This book has more Christian themes than other Sadie books, and some violence, but nothing graphic. Rocky Road will take you on another fun ride, where a more sensible and confident Sadie takes the wheel steering the way to another exciting read.

Purchase at: Amazon * Barnes and Noble

Author Josi S. Kilpack

Born and raised in Salt Lake City Utah, I met my husband in high-school–well, he wasn’t my husband then, just the cute guy in weight training with the permed mullet–and we married in 1993. I wrote my first book while on bed rest with my third child and have gone on to publish 20 novels, the most recent being part of The Sadie Hoffmiller Culinary Mystery Series. I currently live in Willard, Utah with my husband, children, and cat.

Find out more about Josi at: Website * Twitter * Blog

Read the other books in the series:

Culinary Mysteries by Josi Kilpack

Blog Tour Giveaway
$25 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash Ends 10/6/13 Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

22 days until Christmas

Have you played Apples to Apples? Or is Settlers more your style?

**Book Prizes (as of 12/3/13 – more to be added to this list!)**

Product Details

Book Prizes (as of 12/3/13 – more to be added to this list!)