Josi S. Kilpack

Get ready for a fun cozy mystery with a delightfully quirky heroine, a puzzling whodunit, & a touch of faith in Someone is After LuLu Dupree by Josi S. Kilpack. Lulu’s such a funny, original heroine whose personality completely changed after a car accident left her with a traumatic brain injury. When she believes her diet peach Snapple has been poisoned & someone tries to burn down her house, she enlists the help of Mr. Hernandez, a local attorney, to help her solve the mystery of who’s show more out to get her.

I loved the beautiful Sedona setting & unraveling the clues to Lulu’s past as she investigates who’s after her. After the car accident five years ago, she suffers from memory loss & neurodivergent thoughts, but she still has her lie detecting ability intact which definitely helps her sift through suspects. Lulu’s delightfully quirky & her sweet optimism carries her through the difficulties. From pink flamingos to her green purse named Kermit, Lulu kept me smiling. She’s an original character & I loved following her clever thought process & ability to detect lies.

The mystery definitely kept me guessing. There’s a whole slew of suspects with different motivations & some who tie in to her past. As each nugget of memory slowly returns, the pieces of the puzzle really start to come together. There’s also a hint of romance & it’ll be fun to see how things all work out in future books.

Definitely recommend to cozy mystery fans! Looking forward to LuLu’s next adventure. I received an advanced copy from the publisher with no expectation of a positive review. All opinions are my own & provided voluntarily. show less

Unexpectedly enriching!

Miss Morton's eyes might have politely blanked when Thomas Richards started explaining cattle and economics. My eyes completely glazed over. So when Thomas Richards, yearns for a woman he could discuss all matter with, this debutante is obviously not the one.
Amber Sterlington on the other hand is the 'rage of the season'. Thomas admires her but Amber's eyes completely pass over him. He is nowhere near the heady social sphere she has set her eyes and heart upon.
So what show more dire problems have befallen our spoilt heroine? A mystery, and a terrible tragedy that turns Amber into a social pariah but may well have been the making of her.
Her story swiftly goes from toast of the town to a backwater existence of less than genteel poverty. The true tragedy is her family's complete lack of charity and support. Made even more obvious by the support of her maid and the gradual friendship that develops between the two women across the class boundaries.
Yet, these dire circumstances become the making of her--painfully.
I do so like Thomas, a man of sensitivity, strength and character with a gentle loving soul. His actions at Amber's shaming before the ton is heroic.
Peel back the title, reflect a while, and you realize the aptness. The more I thought about this story, the more I realized its unusual depth. This is not your usual regency romance. The treatment and betrayal of Amber, indulged darling of the ton that she is, by her family and friends is hauntingly shocking.
Unexpected. A moral tale if you will, gently done but nevertheless quitely enriching.

A NetGalley ARC show less

I absolutely adore fairytale retellings! Josi Kilpack’s The Valet’s Secret is a creative twist on Cinderella with a “prince” in disguise and a second chance love story to boot. It isn’t very often you see Regency romances with characters who are in their 40’s and I loved this more mature take on falling in love again.

Kenneth and Rebecca are both at a crossroads. Having both lost their spouses and with grown children, each is anticipating a new start in life. Kenneth is now the show more heir to an earldom after the death of his cousin and Rebecca is forced to live with her father after her husband’s death. The two meet when Kenneth nearly runs Rebecca down with his horse. There’s an immediate attraction that leads to a surprising first kiss, but more than anything, they see in each other the loneliness and longing for connection.

Dressed as his valet, Kenneth knows he should reveal his true identity, but he wants more than anything to prolong contact with Rebecca. As the two meet again and again, each meeting is more powerful than the last, but when Kenneth’s secret is discovered, will they risk everything to forge a life together or will society, duty, and family push them apart?

Josi Kilpack is a marvel at creating complex yet sympathetic characters. I couldn’t help but cheer for Kenneth and Rebecca to find a way. The side characters are interesting with some who are domineering and abusive and others like Baroness Konold who are delightful.

Rebecca was such an enjoyable character. She’s passionate, talented, self assured, strong, and resourceful. One of my favorite parts was when she pelts Kenneth with walnuts for deceiving her. Kenneth is not the typical earl to be. He’s artistic, sports a shaved head, and is more comfortable dressed as a valet than a peer. I love that while other women are introduced to him he can’t forget Rebecca.

I didn’t realize this was a fairytale retelling until towards the end. I appreciated that many elements from Cinderella were there but with a unique spin. With a passionate yet clean romance and enjoyable characters, this story really drew me in and touched my heart. Highly recommend to fairytale retelling and Regency romance lovers. I received an advanced copy from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions are my own and my review is left voluntarily. show less

While I appreciated how this book concluded, I struggled to get through it because I loathed Calvin - Harriet's husband - so much. It's hard to say how much the characters in this novel resemble the historical Calvin Stowe and Harriet Beecher Stowe. In this book, however, Calvin Stowe is the kind of man who asks his new life to name their daughter after his former, deceased wife, and when he discovers he has twin daughters, renames one because he didn't like the name Harriet chose for her. show more He also is the kind of man who invites his mother into his home so she can show Harriet how to properly keep a home. He's the kind of man who doesn't notice that his pregnant wife has literally worked herself to death until she nearly dies. Harriet is far from perfect, yet Calvin is the one who really seems to lack compassion and sensitivity. But apparently, he's deserving of a happy ending and that I have a lot of hesitation about that. show less