Library of Clean Reads: Josi S. Kilpack

Showing posts with label Josi S. Kilpack. Show all posts

Thursday, November 25, 2021

Love and Lavender by Josi S. Kilpack (Review)

If there is one thing that I can expect when I pick up a book written by Josi S. Kilpack is that I will be reading an intelligent story with unforgettable unique characters.

Book Details:

Title: Love and Lavender: A Mayfield Family Romance (Book 4)
Series: Proper Romance
Author: Josi S. Kilpack
Genre: Historical Romance, Regency Romance, Inspirational Fiction
Publisher: Shadow Mountain Publishing (November 2, 2021)
Length: (320) pages
Format: Trade paperback, eBook, & audiobook

Book Description:

Hazel Stillman is a woman of rare independence and limited opportunities. Born with a clubbed foot, Hazel knows marriage is unlikely, so she devotes herself to teaching at a private girls’ school.

When her uncle offers Hazel a substantial inheritance is he marries, she is offended. What kind of decent man would marry for her money? But when she learns the school might be sold, she knows she must consider all her options.

Duncan Penhale thrives on order and process. He has no interest in marriage, so when Elliott Mayfield, his guardian’s brother, offers him an inheritance if he weds, Duncan finds it intrusive. However, an inheritance means he could purchase a building and run his own firm.

Hazel and Duncan believe they have found a solution to both of their problems: marry one another, claim their inheritances, and then part ways to enjoy their individual paths. But then Uncle Mayfield stipulates that they must first live together as a couple for one year.

Over time, their marriage of convenience becomes much more appealing than they had anticipated. At the end of the full year, will they go their separate ways or could an unlikely marriage have found unsuspecting love?

My Review:

Reviewed by Laura Fabiani

If there is one thing that I can expect when I pick up a book written by Josi S. Kilpack is that I will be reading an intelligent story with unforgettable unique characters, characters that have real-life issues or challenges so different from the unrealistic perfect heroes of most romance novels. I was not disappointed by her latest novel which tackles a woman with a club foot and a man on the autism spectrum. So interesting!

Both Hazel and Duncan stand out as characters and would have been considered weird in their day, but I loved how realistic the author made them. She brought out the best in them and did not sugarcoat their issues. Instead, we see the possibility of love growing between two people shunned by a society that did not fully understand their limitations and who did not always embrace their strengths. Hazel is a strong feminist character, whose kindness and forgiveness take her far in life. So many great lessons without the preachiness.

The story flowed well and kept my interest throughout. I was rooting for this couple. I loved the setting that added to the intrigue of living at a time when certain conditions were not well understood. The author did excellent research because her portrayal of what life must have been like for both these individuals was well done.

I have not read any of Kilpack's previous novels in this series but now I plan to. Each is a stand-alone novel and includes a flower in the title and as a token woven through each story.

If you are looking for good clean romance novels with unique storylines, Kilpack is an author to discover. I have a few of her novels on my bookshelf that I'm wondering why I haven't read them yet. Time to rectify that!

PURCHASE LINKS

AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE | BOOK DEPOSITORY | BOOKSHOP | GOODREADS

AUTHOR BIO

Josi S. Kilpack has written more than thirty novels, a cookbook, and several novellas. She is a four-time Whitney award winner, including Best Novel 2015 for "Lord Fenton's Folly, and has been a Utah Best of State winner for Fiction. Josi loves to bake, sleep, eat, read, travel, and watch TV--none of which she gets to do as much as she would like. She writes contemporary fiction under the pen name Jessica Pack.

Josi has four children and lives in Northern Utah.

Connect with Josi: WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER |
INSTAGRAM | GOODREADS

Thursday, June 14, 2018

Miss Wilton's Waltz by Josi S. Kilpack (Book Spotlight and Giveaway!)

Miss Wilton's Waltz by Josi S. Kilpack

A follow-up to Josi S. Kilpack's bestselling Proper Romance title The Vicar's Daughter. Lenora Wilton has spent her life hiding behind the keys of her beloved pianoforte and the vibrancy of her younger sister, Cassie. But Lenora is ready for a change and travels to Bath to live with her Aunt Gwen and teach music at an all-girls’ boarding school. She is different in Bath—more comfortable with herself—and enjoys the freedom and independence of her new life there.

When Lenora meets Aiden Asher, she finds herself attracted to him, but her unexpected feelings become more complicated when she learns that Catherine—Lenora’s newest and most troublesome student in the school—is Mr. Asher’s niece. Catherine is a difficult student, and Lenora works hard to make progress with the girl. When the chemistry between Lenora and Aiden increases, they share a passionate kiss by the River Avon, and Lenora feels it is the beginning of a new forever—until she learns that Aiden has withheld an important detail about his life that changes everything. Lenora closes her heart to him, and Aiden, caught between his obligation and his heart, must do what he can to make amends. And Lenora, after years of hiding from everyone and everything, faces a decision only she can make.

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She gave him a grateful nod—without a smile so as not to seem too grateful—then climbed ungracefully over the wall and moved down the stairs. At the riverbank, she brushed off the stone wall with the sleeve of her coat and took up her usual position of knees to chest and chin on knees. She stared at the water that glittered with the quarter moon as she’d known it would. She tried to review the last week and make a plan for how she would deal with Miss Manch in the coming one, but the man at the top of the stairs kept invading her thoughts. If she thought about him enough, would she understand why he cared so much about a niece who was so difficult? And was he becoming more handsome each time she saw him, or was that simply a trick of her imagination?

Author Josi S. Kilpack

Josi S. Kilpack hated to read until her mother handed her a copy of The Witch of Blackbird Pond when she was 13. From that day forward, she read everything she could get her hands on and credits her writing “education” to the many novels she has “studied” since then. She began writing her first novel in 1998 and has written twenty-five novels, one cookbook, and been part of multiple collaborations since then. She is a four-time Whitney Award winner and Best of State winner in Fiction. Josi currently lives in Willard, Utah, with her husband and children. When Kensington Press picked up her first national women's fiction novel, As Wide as the Sky, Josi was in need of a pen name to differentiate between her other genres. For years, Josi has been called Jessica Pack by people who hear her name but don't know her. It made her new pen name easy to choose. As Wide as the Sky will be released in paperback in 2018.

Visit her website.

Giveaway Details

Ends 7/6/18

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use money sent via Paypal or gift codes via Amazon.com. 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. This giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

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Tuesday, April 14, 2015

A Heart Revealed by Josi S. Kilpack

A Heart Revealed by Josi S. Kilpack
Shadow Mountain
ISBN: 978-1609079901
Published: April 7, 2015
Paperback, 336 pages

My Review
Reviewed by Laura Fabiani

It's been awhile since I read a good Regency Romance and I was looking forward to digging into this one. It was even better than I had anticipated! So far, all the novels in the Proper Romance division sent to me by Shadow Mountain have been great.

This story is so much more than a romance. It is about a young self-absorbed debutante discovering and becoming her true self when faced with adversity and a rare medical condition. Amber is a beautiful woman of high social status who has her pick of men who have a title and fortune, but all of that is threatened when she suffers a public humiliation. Her future looks bleak and she wonders if she will be alone for the rest of her life.

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