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!
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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.
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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.
