Reviewed by Kim
for Read Your Writes Book Reviews

This is the tenth book in the Sadie Hoffmiller Culinary Mystery Series. It's only the second book for me, so Caro is a new character for me. Caro is actually Pete's cousin who is Sadie's fiancé. I'm assuming Caro was in other books.

ROCKY ROAD finds Sadie again doing her own investigation into a mystery/crime. This time, I can say Sadie was actually trying to respect the police and not get involved. The storyline centers around the disappearance of Dr. Trenton Hendricks, who has been missing for two months and is now presumed dead. Dr. Hendricks along with his partner Dr. Waters operates a cancer foundation that was instrumental in saving Caro's cousin, Tess' life. Tess convinces Caro that something isn't right about Dr. Hendricks' disappearance and they have the idea to have Sadie help them. When Sadie is reluctant to do so, Tess is a little witchy to say the least. I’ll just put it out there, I HATED Tess!!!

The book started out a little slow, bordering on being boring. Tess’s attitude and bitterness didn’t help. But once Sadie's detective skills kicked in, the book got so much better. An investigation into the disappearance of a man turned out to be so much more. For once, Sadie is actually asked by the police to help. With her help, the investigation uncovers lies, deceit, theft, adultery, and possibly murder. Sadie’s faith in God is called into question and she’s going to need her faith to help her get through this case. Be prepared for twists and turns. After all, the book is called Rocky Road.

Source: Publisher via NetGalley ( )

I realized after I requested this book that it was # 10 in a series, but fortunately I was able to get a handle on her personality after reading a bit. It would have been nice to go back and read some of the previous works first to see how Sadie developed into the character she is now, so I wouldn't have been quite as confused in the first few chapters, but that wasn't too much of a detraction here.

This was a light-hearted, fluffy book, but sometimes that is just what a reader is in the mood for. The cover image alone had me heading to the kitchen for a cookie while I read it, but that's not such a bad thing. I could point out that Sadie playing sleuth here went a bit overboard, and it's not too realistic to think that the average person would be invited to take part in a police investigation, but it's all for fun and not meant to be taken too seriously. Rocky Road made for a yummy diversion on an Autumn night, and armed with tea and cookies, I was prepared for it.
Recommended for cozy mystery readers, readers of clean fiction and fans of foodie fiction. 4 stars ( )

Disclaimer: I received this book free from Shadow Mountain Publishing in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive any form of compensation.

OMG! I think I gained 50 pounds just reading this book. Interspersed within the story are all these wonderful foods that they make or serve. Not only do they tantalize your taste buds with great descriptions, but they include the recipes as well. YUMMY!

As for the story, this is the tenth book is Josi S. Kilpack's cozy mystery series featuring Sadie. I absolutely loved the characters. I was as frustrated with Tess as Sadie was throughout this story. At one point, I was actually rooting for her to be the murderer so that she could be thrown behind bars for her attitude. Sadie was there out of the kindness of her heart. She didn't need to be there. She didn't need to help solve the case. Tess acted like it was a requirement.

Even though there is many mentions of religion, it wasn't overly preachy. I have no problems with religion or spirituality playing a part in stories. I just don't like it when I feel that the author is trying to use their books to preach to the reader. This book definitely didn't come across like that at all.

One really great thing about this book was that even though it is the tenth book in the series, I didn't feel lost at all. I didn't feel like I was missing a huge chunk of story by not having read any of the prior books. It was very easy to pick up the plot and characters from the start of the story. This book actually made me want to go back and read the first nine books. And I definitely can't wait until book eleven comes out.

There was one small, itsy, bitsy thing that annoyed me. The author's overuse of "zing". Every time Sadie looked at her engagement ring, thought about her fiance, or anything like that, the author would describe the situation then type the word "zing". It got to the point that I cringed because I knew it was coming. It was cute the first few times. However, it did get old fast. But like I said, that was a minor nuisance. I guess you could call it a personal pet peeve. I just got tired of it really quick. And if that is the worst thing I can say about a book, then you know it is dang good!

Oh and as for the recipes in the books, if you go to the author's website, you can see the recipes from some of her past books. YUMMY!! ( )