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Tuesday, August 18, 2020

Cooking for Ghosts by Patricia V. Davis - Book Tour - Book Trailer - Book Review - Giveaway - Enter Daily!


Hey, lovelies!  It gives me great pleasure today to host Patricia V. Davis and her new book series, “Cooking for Ghosts”!  For other stops on her Goddess Fish Promotions Book Tour, please click on the banner above or any of the images in this post.

Be sure to make it to the end of this post to enter to win a $25 Amazon or Barnes and Noble Gift Card!!  Also, come back daily to interact with Patricia and to increase your chances of winning!

Thanks for stopping by!  Wishing you lots of luck in this fabulous giveaway!


Cooking for Ghosts
by Patricia V. Davis

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GENRE: Magical Realism, Women's Paranormal Fiction, Mystery

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BLURB:

Do hearts broken long ago forever leave a tangible trace?

A Vegas cocktail waitress. An Indian herbalist. A British chemistry professor. An Italian-American widow. Four unique women with one thing in common: each is haunted by a tragedy from her past.

Cynthia, Rohini, Jane, and Angela meet on a food blogging site and bond over recipes. They decide on impulse to open The Secret Spice, an elegant café on the magnificent ocean liner, the RMS Queen Mary, currently a floating hotel in Long Beach, California. Rich in history and tales of supernatural occurrences, the ship hides her own dark secrets.

The women are surrounded by ghosts long before they step aboard, but once they do, nothing is quite what it seems. Not the people they meet, not their brooding chef's mystic recipes, and not the Queen Mary herself. Yet the spirits they encounter help them discover that there's always a chance to live, as long as one is alive.

An Official Pulpwood Queens Book Club Selection, and read by Ann Marie Gideon, COOKING FOR GHOSTS is an unforgettable tale of love, redemption, and divine female power.

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BOOK TRAILER:

Check out the book trailer for “Cooking for Ghosts,” below:



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EXCERPT ONE:

Unconcerned with what her business partners were up to, Rohini was giggling with excitement. Hugging herself, she whirled in circles, then flung her arms up over her head and collapsed back in dizzy elation onto the enormous bed in the glorious stateroom. Everything was glorious. She was here. This was her room. The Secret Spice was, in part, her restaurant.

Hers.

And when she’d first seen the Queen from the back seat of Cynthia’s preposterous little car, she knew she was headed to exactly where she should be. She couldn’t stop smiling, until, abruptly, a lump formed in her throat and her eyes misted with tears.

“I made it, Zahir,” she whispered. “I made it.”

She sobered as she thought of him, of all he’d done for her, and all that she might still need to do on her own.

But that wasn’t for today. Today was for celebration and thankfulness. Getting up from the bed, she opened her case, pulled out all the little plastic sacks of spices and herbs she’d packed, and sighed with relief. Not a one had opened or torn. Even so, she could smell their pungent bouquet right through the protective wrappings. Rauvolfia, Serpentina, Jaiphal, Javitri, Khus Khus, Ashwagandha and more — why did cinnamon always smell the strongest? There were dozens of varieties that she’d stuffed inside shirt sleeves and trouser legs and white cotton gym socks, just like a drug dealer might hide a stash. The TSA had missed them completely. They’d even affixed a sticker to the top of her bag: “Checked by Homeland Security.”

Giggling again at that, Rohini placed all the smaller sacks into a large white bag she’d found in the wardrobe. The bag had a price list for various laundry services printed on it. With that mission accomplished, she took her treasures downstairs to the kitchen.

But she wasn’t two steps in before she stopped stock still and remained right where she was, listening.

“Oh, my,” she murmured to herself. “Oh, my, my, my.”

Now she understood why she’d felt that the ship had summoned her. To anyone else who might peek in, the kitchen appeared silent and empty. But not to Rohini. She could hear the walls sighing.

Gradually, she walked further inside, and the sighs turned to whispers. She stood still, breathing cautiously, waiting, watching. In unison, the stainless steel cooking utensils dangling from the long, narrow cylinders that were screwed to the walls began to sway, soundlessly. The copper pots that hung from the ceiling over the two spanking-new ovens and eight burner stoves began to twirl, gracefully. Every inanimate object in the room that wasn’t bolted down was waltzing eerily, on its own. To Rohini, the dance seemed sad rather than ghoulish.

Walking quietly, listening carefully, she followed the hushed sounds as they moved along the walls, leading her back to the scullery. As she approached, an ancient, enormous, floor-to-ceiling freezer blew out a puff of ice cold air as its door swung wide open as though it were greeting her, then gently clicked closed again.

Unafraid, Rohini observed it all. Still clinging to the laundry bag filled with her precious sacks of spice, s she turned in a full circle, leisurely, so as not to miss any of it. After a while, she set the bag down on one of the gleaming stainless steel work tables. Bending into a full and formal curtsy, she spoke aloud.

“It is my great honor to meet you, Your Majesty.”

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MY BOOK REVIEW:


Wow!!  This book has so much to offer the reader!!  Secrets, Ghosts, a Haunted Ship, Tragedies, Second Chances, Delicious Recipes, Four Strong and Spicy Women, and so much more!!

I love books with strong female lead characters, and this book has four sassy, bold, driven, and passionate women.  I really liked the main characters, Cynthia, Rohini, Jane, and Angela, as they were realistic, genuine, and likeable.  I really liked that they met on a food blogging website and took a huge leap of faith to open the Secret Spice Café aboard the RMS Queen Mary.  I love that they each brought something unique to the story.  All four women had real problems, flaws, baggage, and drama.  Plus, they were all being haunted by a tragedy from their past.  The Queen Mary was their second chance, their fresh start, but it seems the Queen has other plans for them.

I enjoyed the story line and felt engaged in the story structure and plot points.  The writing was steady and easily flowed.  The POVs effortlessly switch back and forth without hesitation.

I loved the setting!!  The RMS Queen Mary sounded so beautiful and mystical!!  I had never heard of her before, but now I am quite intrigued and want to go check her out!!  The fact that is was a luxurious ocean liner then converted into a warship during WWII then back to a cruise ship again.  But then eventually sold and permanently docked in the 1960s in Long Beach as a floating hotel and museum – wow!!  It all sounds so fascinating!!  I definitely learned quite a bit during this story as the author provided such engaging historical facts!!

I really liked the cooking angle of this book as I am a total foodie so I really enjoyed reading the recipes.  Especially the additional recipe cards that were included in the paperback copy of my book.  I am excited to try Shrimp Rohini, Salsa di Pomodoro, and more specifically the featured dessert lol – the Secret Spice Café Raspberry Chocolate Tart.

I loved the amount of historical content and attention to detail featured throughout this book.  It is clear the author did a thorough and extensive amount of research while constructing this book.  That plus her own unique advantage of spending time at the Queen Mary created reliable and credible details throughout the story line.

I really enjoyed and appreciated the author’s depth of research that was thoroughly highlighted in this book.  I liked that she kept the material educational, but not overwhelming as it was easily to grasp and follow.

I really enjoyed the section at the end of the book titled, “Author’s Notes.”  I liked being able to connect with the author and understand the meaning behind some of the passages.  Also, it was great getting additional background information on the book.

There are some predictable scenes.  However, there are still a few very unexpected twists and turns that you won’t see coming!

This book is Book One in The Secret Spice Café Book Series.  This book can absolutely be read as a standalone.  Currently there are already three books published in this book series and are available for sale at any major book retailer.  I really enjoyed book one and can’t wait to check out the other books in this book series!!

All in all, I really enjoyed reading this book and would absolutely recommend it!  I think all magical realism readers and woman’s paranormal fiction and mystery fans will like this book too – and this book series!  So, add it to your TBR List and get to reading - you won't be disappointed!

**Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book and have voluntarily provided an honest, and unbiased review in accordance with FTC regulations.**

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AUTHOR BIO:


PATRICIA V. DAVIS's debut novel series, THE SECRET SPICE CAFE, is comprised of three books: COOKING FOR GHOSTS (2016) SPELLS AND OREGANO (2017) and DEMONS, WELL-SEASONED. (2019) The audio books will be released in 2020 by Tantor Media, and narrated by Ann Marie Gideon. Patricia lives with her husband, who is both a poker player and a rice farmer, so she divides her time between southern Nevada and northern California. Say hello to Patricia at her author website: www.TheSecretSpice.com.

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CONNECT WITH PATRICIA:

Website:

Blog:

Email:
patricia@patriciavdavis.com

Facebook:

Twitter:

Pinterest:

Instagram:

YouTube:

TikTok:

Wikipedia:

BookBub Author Page:

BookBub Book Page:

Goodreads Author Page:

Goodreads Book Page:

Amazon Author Page:

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BOOK BUY LINKS:


Amazon Kindle eBook:

Amazon Paperback:

Amazon Hardcover:

Amazon Audiobook:

Barnes and Noble NOOK eBook:

Barnes and Noble Paperback:

Barnes and Noble Hardcover:

The Book Depository Paperback:

The Book Depository Hardcover:

BAM! Books-A-Million Paperback:

BAM! Books-A-Million Hardcover:

Google Play Audiobook:

Kobo eBook:

Kobo Audiobook:

Patricia V. Davis Book Store – Autographed Paperback:

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GIVEAWAY INFO:

Patricia will be awarding a $25 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour.


**This post contains affiliate links and if clicked and a purchase is made, I may receive a small commission to help support this blog.  This does not cost you anything, it just helps pay for all those awesome giveaways on here.**

This contest is sponsored by a third party. Fabulous and Brunette is a registered host of Goddess Fish Promotions.  Prizes are given away by the sponsors and not Fabulous and Brunette. The featured author and Goddess Fish Promotions are solely responsible for the giveaway prize.

6 comments:

  1. Patricia ~ Good morning! Welcome back! It is so great to have you here again! Congrats on your new book and good luck on the book tour! I really enjoyed reading and reviewing your book, thanks for providing the copy! :)

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  2. i like the cover, goes well with the story.

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  3. Thanks so much for the book review. Glad you enjoyed it.

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  4. I appreciate hearing about your book, thanks and for the giveaway also. Thanks so much!

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