Josi S. Kilpack

I loved this!!!! Solid story about a plain heroine in unrequited love with her handsome friend. He hurts her numerous times and is very slow to realize his feelings, and I enjoyed every moment of angst! My only complaint is that he struck me as rather shallow and I couldn’t understand what the heroine saw in him, but then I didn’t read the first book in the series so I might have missed something there. I’m off to comb the author’s books for other tropey reads! I only wish there was any steam at all, I think the author is a Christian romance writer, but it’s not too preachy.

Also, regarding the angst, I appreciated that the heroine did not just passively accept the hero’s change of heart, especially after he had been so hurtful towards her, even if it were unintentional. I hate books where all it takes is two sentences from the hero to suddenly resolve things. I was vaguely annoyed that the fact that she didn’t immediately acquiesce was treated like a failing in her part. I thought it was rather sensible of her, and the hero should have to work to earn her trust!… (mais)

The theft of a friend’s priceless, family-legacy Christmas ornaments brings amateur detective and culinary expert, Sadie Hoffmiller, back on the case in a new standalone cozy mystery.

In the latest chapter to the Culinary Mystery series, amateur detective Sadie Hoffmiller continues combining her sleuthing with her cooking and baking to connect with people and gain information she might otherwise not have access to. Moreover, now that Sadie is married to Detective Pete Cunningham, she has a street-savvy husband to test out her crime-solving theories.

With Christmas approaching, Sadie is preparing for a large blended-family gathering—including many new grandchildren—in their home in Fort Collins, Colorado. Even with the festive chaos, Sadie drops everything when word gets out that her friend, Mary, is the victim of a holiday robbery.

At ninety-four years old, and nearly blind, Mary knows this is may be her last Christmas and the last year to enjoy her family heirloom Christmas tree ornaments. She wants just one more holiday to display her ornaments and following Christmas Eve Mass, she’ll pass them on to her great-granddaughter, Joy. Though priceless to the family, the collection has been valued at $40,000, and the Christmas tree in the care facility has never looked so good. But before the ornaments can be retrieved by Mary, eleven of the most expensive ornaments are stolen.

A holiday Christmas caper might be new to Sadie, but she’s ready to mix in her seasoned crime-solving skills with a pinch of new holiday recipes.

This was a nice, quick read though I feel it would have been better if I'd actually read it during the winter.

*Book received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*… (mais)